kool_mentholKool cigarettes are rightly considered to be “classics” not only of American, but also of all other varieties of menthol cigarettes.

The brand was created in 1933 (at the height of the Great Depression) by Brown and Williamson Tobacco Company and became the first brand of menthol cigarettes that truly gained national popularity, because unlike other brands of menthol cigarettes, it never presented itself as a “products for women “.

That is why, starting with small consumer audience, it quickly began to gain momentum, becoming a market leader in this sector of the tobacco industry and holding their positions before the start of the new, twentieth century.

At first, cigarettes were without a filter and were supplied by menthol 70mm tip, and in 1952 to the public there were given cigarettes such as King Size, with 85-mm tip, which later, in 1967, gave way to traditional cigarettes with a filter length of 100 mm.

In the 1970s, the brand expanded its range, only during a decade by launching four variations on the theme Kool – Milds, Super Lights (then replaced by Ultra), International and Lights. When these American cigarettes began to lose their leading position, the manufacturer teamed up with the R.J.Reynolds Tobacco Company.

Created by the merger the corporation was named as Reynolds American, and it is still engaged in the production of Kool in the United States, supplying them to Europe, South America, Japan, and Jamaica.

By the way, the cigarettes released today bear little resemblance to those that were enjoyed by the millions of smokers in the last century – the original version in 1994 was withdrawn from the circulation and “reissued” in 2003.

Kool cigarettes today contain strong blend of American tobacco which was replaced by Virginia tobacco, but manufacturers did not dare to modify the characteristic flavor of menthol freshness.

As for the packaging, its design (Kool inscription with the crossed letters “O” on a green background) did not change for 60 years, although additional advertising brand, introduced in 1940, was decorated on the reverse side of a number of cartoons from different collections.

In 1990, there was added the image in the form of a waterfall to the package, but this publicity stunt, however, did not have much success, so in the early 2000s, the brand returned to the original concept, making only a small redesign of the packaging.

Now it is a green or blue field with the vertical inscription «Kool», located right on the front of the pack (the letter “O” in the inscription is still intersected).