# Menthol in Cigarettes. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 23, 2006, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/menthol-in-cigarettes/357950 "2006-05-23T20:22:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/menthol-in-cigarettes/357950/1 "2006-05-23T20:22:53Z")
Why do they put menthol in cigarettes? What is the logic behind this? Thank you in advance to all who reply šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![BlakeTyner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@BlakeTyner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlakeTyner)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/menthol-in-cigarettes/357950/2 "2006-05-23T20:30:19Z")
Probably for the same reason they make apple, orange, and grape cigars. The flavorings make them ā€œeasierā€ to smoke. Itā€™s really hard to say this in a way that doesnā€™t sound racist, but what Iā€™ve always wondered about is the rift between myself and my white friends (who all prefer regular smokes) and my black friends (who all prefer Newports or Kools). Dave Chapelle asked that question in his skit ā€œWho Knows Black Peopleā€, with the correct answer being ā€œI donā€™t knowā€¦nobody knows.ā€ It was one of those things that was hilarious to us because it was so true. ---
**Author:** ![RetroVertigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@RetroVertigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RetroVertigo)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/menthol-in-cigarettes/357950/3 "2006-05-23T20:32:53Z")
It provides a faster trip to ā€œFlavor Countryā€ šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![DxZero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@DxZero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DxZero)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/menthol-in-cigarettes/357950/4 "2006-05-23T20:36:10Z")
I used to smoke menthols and it definetely was a different taste and feeling, as compared to regular ones. The mintyness was a good thing. Then I switched to regulars and the menthol made me gag. Then I quit and now every cigarette makes me gag. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/menthol-in-cigarettes/357950/5 "2006-05-23T20:54:58Z")
A girl I used to know would switch from Marlboros to Kools when she had a cold. Seriously. ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/menthol-in-cigarettes/357950/6 "2006-05-23T21:07:22Z")
> [@DxZero](#): > > I used to smoke menthols and it definetely was a different taste and feeling, as compared to regular ones. The mintyness was a good thing. > > Then I switched to regulars and the menthol made me gag. Then I quit and now every cigarette makes me gag. Youā€™re lucky. Every time I quit, every cigarette tastes like manna from heaven. > [@vetbridge](#): > > A girl I used to know would switch from Marlboros to Kools when she had a cold. Seriously. Whatā€™s wrong with that? Makes perfect sense to me. I do it, so do my friends. Theyā€™re easier on the throat (menthols, not my friends). ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/menthol-in-cigarettes/357950/7 "2006-05-23T21:11:33Z")
> [@CynicalGabe](#): > > Whatā€™s wrong with that? Makes perfect sense to me. I do it, so do my friends. Theyā€™re easier on the throat (menthols, not my friends). This is just my outsiderā€™s perspective (Iā€™ve never been a smoker but have had several immediate family members who did), but I think **vetbridge** might be shaking his head at the idea of switching cigarettes as cold relief as opposed to, say, quitting entirely. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/menthol-in-cigarettes/357950/8 "2006-05-23T21:27:45Z")
BINGO!! Thanks, OneCentStamp. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/menthol-in-cigarettes/357950/9 "2006-05-23T21:41:52Z")
> [@OneCentStamp](#): > > This is just my outsiderā€™s perspective (Iā€™ve never been a smoker but have had several immediate family members who did), but I think **vetbridge** might be shaking his head at the idea of switching cigarettes as cold relief as opposed to, say, quitting entirely. Ah, you must say that as a never-smoker. Ex-smokers know that once those cillia start waking up as you quit, you hack up tons of icky mucous. It makes it even worse if you have a chest cold at the same time. Nicotine actually acts as a cough suppressant in a smoker, by temporarily paralyzing the cillia in the bronchus. The menthol opens things up just like Vicks Vapo-rub and numbs a sore throat to boot. **BlakeTyner** , Iā€™ve noticed the same racial divide on the menthol/not issue. With one odd exception: the only white folks I know who smoke menthols when theyā€™re not sick live in trailers. Are menthols marketed at lower income brackets? ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/menthol-in-cigarettes/357950/10 "2006-05-23T21:45:34Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Ah, you must say that as a never-smoker. Ex-smokers know that once those cillia start waking up as you quit, you hack up tons of icky mucous. It makes it even worse if you have a chest cold at the same time. Nicotine actually acts as a cough suppressant in a smoker, by temporarily paralyzing the cillia in the bronchus. The menthol opens things up just like Vicks Vapo-rub and numbs a sore throat to boot. > > **BlakeTyner** , Iā€™ve noticed the same racial divide on the menthol/not issue. With one odd exception: the only white folks I know who smoke menthols when theyā€™re not sick live in trailers. > > Are menthols marketed at lower income brackets? I live in a nice suburban home, thank you. Camel Turkish Jade. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/menthol-in-cigarettes/357950/11 "2006-05-23T21:48:32Z")
I smoked More menthols for years. I have an MA and taught in a University at the time. Not a trailer park. Hmm. Iā€™m white too. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/menthol-in-cigarettes/357950/12 "2006-05-23T21:49:28Z")
> [@MLS](#): > > I live in a nice suburban home, thank you. Camel Turkish Jade. Youā€™re welcome. I donā€™t know you. But thanks for the data point. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/menthol-in-cigarettes/357950/13 "2006-05-23T22:04:02Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Youā€™re welcome. I donā€™t know you. But thanks for the data point. Iā€™m sorry, that sounded snarky, and I didnā€™t mean it that way. I shouldnā€™t have posted while the baby was yelling for me. I MEANT to say that I wasnā€™t trying to make a blanket statement about anyone other than, as I said, people I know. I did find this cite that 75% of blacks prefer menthol and only [25% of whites.](http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/sgr/sgr_1998/sgr-min-fs-afr.htm) I also found this interesting claim: ā€œMenthol cigarettes were first marketed as being good for a cold or flu, as health concerns grew over cigarette smoking.ā€ [(here).](http://tc.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/11/suppl_1/i73) But I canā€™t find specific information about whether or not menthol advertising is aimed at lower income whites. It is widely claimed that menthol advertising is aimed at African Americans and Hispanics. ---
**Author:** ![Adoptamom\_II](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Adoptamom\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Adoptamom_II)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2006, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/menthol-in-cigarettes/357950/14 "2006-05-24T00:23:03Z")
Another whitey homeowning menthol smoking woman checking in :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2006, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/menthol-in-cigarettes/357950/15 "2006-05-24T00:35:59Z")
Much more flavorful. The first time I ever smoked a cigarette, it was a Newport. (yes the stereotype is true, they are overwhelmingly consumed by black people - I happened to get it from a black friend. Iā€™m white, however) After that, I tried regular cigarettes, but they just didnā€™t taste like anything. A curious sidenote - when I was a teenager, kids loved to say that if you smoke menthols, the menthol crystallizes in your lungs and makes them twice as harmful to your health as regular cigs. Iā€™ve never heard this mentioned by anyone with real credibility, and the Dope happens to be the perfect place to ask - is there any shred of truth to this? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2006, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/menthol-in-cigarettes/357950/16 "2006-05-24T01:50:13Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > Much more flavorful. The first time I ever smoked a cigarette, it was a Newport. (yes the stereotype is true, they are overwhelmingly consumed by black people - I happened to get it from a black friend. Iā€™m white, however) > > After that, I tried regular cigarettes, but they just didnā€™t taste like anything. > > A curious sidenote - when I was a teenager, kids loved to say that if you smoke menthols, the menthol crystallizes in your lungs and makes them twice as harmful to your health as regular cigs. Iā€™ve never heard this mentioned by anyone with real credibility, and the Dope happens to be the perfect place to ask - is there any shred of truth to this? This doesnā€™t address the crystallization rumor, [but thereā€™s plenty of info](http://www.snopes.com/business/alliance/menthol.asp) on other menthol urban legends at Snopes. Personally, I no longer smoke, but Iā€™ve always despised menthols. Wouldnā€™t smoke them even if I had a serious nicotine fit. Interestingly enough, according to that Snopes article, while a majority of black smokers prefer menthols, 75% of menthols are smoked by whites. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2006, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/menthol-in-cigarettes/357950/17 "2006-05-24T03:43:45Z")
Iā€™ve been a white guy all my life and when I smoked, I started with Salem. Then I went to Bel Air, and smoked them until I switched to Benson & Hedges. Although Iā€™m a social smoker now, Iā€™ll still prefer to bum a menthol. šŸ˜‰ ---
**Author:** ![Khampelf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Khampelf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khampelf)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2006, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/menthol-in-cigarettes/357950/18 "2006-05-24T04:06:58Z")
Why do they put menthol in cigarettes? Taste is one reason. Also, itā€™s a heart stimulant, it increases the ā€˜Buzzā€™ by a small degree. Menthol smokers are freebasing peppermint. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2006, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/menthol-in-cigarettes/357950/19 "2006-05-24T04:14:13Z")
There is a store near where I work at which I tried to buy a pack of the Kools I have smoked for almost 30 years. I was told they donā€™t carry Kools ā€œso the blacks donā€™t come inā€. The perception is definitely there. I started on Pall Malls, and after some experimentation, settled on menthols, partly because I liked the taste of them after getting high. I still like the taste. Perhaps if I switched back to Pall Malls it would be easier for me to quit. šŸ˜›