One thing that Cecil failed to mention is that the sale of “loosies” was pretty much banned nationwide in the nineties. Since most large cigarettes were sold individually or, as best as I can recall, in packaging that ended up not being legally marketable (i.e. fewer than 20 per pack), it pretty much put an end to an already iffy product.
I certainly recall that the only Class B brand sold by my local tobacconists (Nat Sherman or Sobranie, I don’t remember which) quickly disappeared when new regulations went into effect.
Cecil might also want to update his information. Cigaratello production may have shut down back around 1995 but apparently it revived at some point. They’re back on the market.
Back in the stone age when I was a callow youth, the country abounded in tobacco stores that sold not only tobacco, but newspapers, magazines and that new idea, “Pocket Books” ($0.25), there were among the many many brands of cigarettes, some large long cigarettes that came like four or five to a package. I don’t remember the brand, but I don’t think it was Cigaretellos.
PS, whole stores, like Dunhill’s, thrived on smoking paraphenalia.
All gone up in smoke.
This is slightly off subject, but the Class A and Class B naturally made me think of potatoes. If you’ve ever bought No. 1 potatoes at your local grocery, you sure don’t want to see No. 2 potatoes. In fact, my store doesn’t even have such a thing. You can’t get much worse than No. 1 potatoes in a bag. The bag is for convenience. Not yours; theirs. They don’t want you to see what No. 1 looks like until you get home.
Clove cigarettes are illegal in the Us now. Not cause any supposed danger of them as Cecil suggests, but because it was ruled that good tasting black cigarettes from Indonesia are some sort of crypto-marketing campaign to kids.
There is also Grade A Maple Syrup, though if you look hard enough you can find Grade B (darker than “Grade A Dark Amber”). Grade C is pretty much restricted to commercial use. Vermont has announced a new grading system in the hope of clearing things up a bit.
That site is based in Indonesia. Presumably, Indonesian cigarrettes are legal there. It also carries the following warnings:
As to your other point
[QUOTE=Little Nemo]
Cecil might also want to update his information. Cigaratello production may have shut down back around 1995 but apparently it revived at some point. They’re back on the market.
[/quote]
Cecil mentioned that they were still available in a smaller size. I saw no indication of size in that link