Our short review is not the promotion of smoking, but the opportunity for smokers with experience a little nostalgic. Let's go to the recent past to find out which cigarettes and cigarettes smoked in the USSR. There were many tobacco products in the Soviet Union, and they were all different. Imported cigarettes were also available to Soviet smokers, especially from countries of the socialist camp. We sit down for a moment and raise it.
1
The historical plane ...
After the revolution, tobacco was not enough in the young Soviet country, and almost everything was smoked. The government immediately began to establish tobacco production, but Soviet people smoked mostly cigarettes, cigarettes and shag.
Only during the Second World War did Soviet citizens get acquainted with the international tobacco products of the Allies, as well as trophy cigarettes. Camel was supplied in a soft pack to the USSR, and UTA and others were delivered from the Germans. It was possible to establish cigarette production after the war, and then more than 50 types of tobacco products appeared in the Soviet Union. Prices were affordable, and cigarettes could be bought almost everywhere.
Everything changed with the beginning of perestroika. In an instant, familiar brands disappeared from the shelves, and it became almost impossible to buy cigarettes.
2
What the leaders smoked
Let's start with interesting information to find out what the leaders of the Soviet state smoked.
Vladimir Lenin quit smoking in his youth, because after the execution of his brother and the death of his father, their family budget would not have endured the harmful habit of his younger brother. In his youth, he smoked cigarettes, but quit, so he did not smoke until the end of his life.
Joseph Stalin smoked a pipe, and he stuffed it with Herzegovina Flor tobacco. In addition to the pipe, the leader of the peoples was inhaled by cigarettes, and also stretched cigars. Of the varieties of tobacco preferred American Edgewood Sliced.
The last of the secretaries general who smoked was Leonid Brezhnev. He preferred Novosti and Krasnopresnensky, and when the doctors forbade him to smoke, he shot cigarettes from the guards. His son-in-law, Yuri Churbanov, smoked Kent, and therefore often treated them to Leonid Ilyich.
There were rumors that Novosti cigarettes were produced in special lots only for deliveries to Leonid Brezhnev.
3
Cigarettes ...
The legacy of tsarist Russia was the smoking of cigarettes and shag. At the beginning of the twentieth century there were not so many smokers, but the First World War and the revolution changed the situation. They lit everything - from management to a simple worker. A woman in a red scarf and a cigarette in her mouth became a symbol of the liberation of women from the bourgeois past.
By the way, you can find out the most interesting facts about cigarettes on our site most-beauty.ru.
4
Belomorkanal
They appeared in 1932, and were named after the great construction of the First Five-Year Plan. The most popular cigarettes were popular because of the low price and strong tobacco.
There were 25 pieces in a pack, and they cost only 22 kopecks. Their production continues now not only at Russian enterprises, but also in the former republics of the USSR.
5
Kazbek
Quite high-quality cigarettes, a pack of which was sold for 30 cents. The best was considered "Kazbek" of the Moscow factory "Java".
In addition to these two well-known brands, there were also cigarettes Miners, Amateur, Our brand. The latter was produced only in Rostov-on-Don.
6
Salve
Another famous cigarettes were produced only in Kiev and Odessa, and therefore they were taken in large batches "privately" for sale in Moscow.
A bright yellow packet attracted customers, and the quality of the tobacco was pretty tolerable.
7
Tobacco items for historical events
In the Soviet Union there was a tradition of producing products for significant events in history. So Laika, Soyuz-Apollo, BAM, Borodino appeared.
8
To the cinema…
In Soviet cinema, you can often find smoking characters. In the movie "Watch Out for the Car!" Detochkin wanted to buy at the Belomor tobacco kiosk. But he was not there, and he purchased cigarettes “Friend”.
Prince Miloslavsky in "Ivan Vasilyevich Changes the Profession" smokes imported Marlboro.
In the television movie "The meeting place cannot be changed," Gleb Zheglov smokes cigarettes, and while walking around Moscow, he shot at the soldier Camel. So, the Soviet artist in the frame with a cigarette was not uncommon.
During the filming of the cult film “Seventeen Moments of Spring”, Evgeny Evstigneev, who played Pleischner, smoked Riga cigarettes “Old Riga” and “Elite”. He also bought the legendary Riga, which was produced in hard white packaging.
In the film “Spring on Zarechnaya Street”, alcohol is condemned, but the heroes smoke cigarettes everywhere, even lying in bed.
In the film "Office Romance" there is a hidden advertisement "Marlboro", a block of which as a presentation gives Samokhvalov to the secretary.
9
Space
Some of the most beloved cigarettes were produced by different factories, and therefore were very different in physical properties and quality. Kiev "Cosmos" was significantly different from the same cigarettes produced at the factory in Saratov.
There was a legend that there was a certain code on the pack, finding which you can win money. The numbers really were, but did not carry any semantic load.
10
Java
Until the early 1960s, smokers in the USSR were content with shag, cigarettes, and non-filter products. "Java" were the first filter cigarettes in the vast expanses of the Soviet Union, produced at a domestic factory.
Factory "Java" has become a real national treasure. Ladies long Java 100 cigarettes in soft packaging were produced, flavored with the Golden Fleece, as well as the pathos and elegant Herzegovina Flor. Herzegovina cost 80 kopecks and was an expensive product.
The Golden Fleece met all international standards, and on a par with Java were considered the best cigarettes in the USSR. They cost 70 cents.
11
Metropolitan
These cigarettes were considered in the USSR as one of the best in quality, but again, everything depended on the place of production. Elite cigarettes cost in different periods from 30 to 70 cents.
The best were considered to be “Stolichnye” which were released at the factories of Lviv and Kiev. Leningrad cigarettes of this brand were not inferior to them. It is noteworthy that Stolichnye, produced in Kiev, was a rarity for the capital of the Ukrainian SSR. Soviet cigarettes differed in class, from 1 to 7, but smokers were more guided by the factory manufacturer. And it was also believed that higher-quality tobacco contains cigarettes in a solid pack.
We suggest that you also find out on our site most-beauty.ru what are the highest quality cigarettes on the Russian market.
12
Without a filter…
They were considered in the vastness of the Soviet country, so to speak, "not prestigious." But at the end of the 80s, during the period of total deficit, they did not disdain to raise such brands as Prima, Vatra, and Flight with tobacco. “Haze”, “Astra”. Vatra was popularly called the “ax”, since the Hutsul ax and fire were depicted on the pack. Cigarettes Flying in the remote places were the most popular at sunset of the Soviet state and in the early 90's.
Often they were called the "expander for the lungs", as they stretched heavily due to the dampness and quality of the tobacco. They cost cheaply, not more than 20 kopecks per pack, and therefore were in great demand.
But the hardest thing was to light the cheapest Filter cigarettes, as they were constantly fading. Without a filter, there were, so to speak, army cigarettes; in the army they were given out to conscripts to soldiers.
13
Geography of the USSR
By the names and images on the packs it was possible to study the geography of the USSR and the Union republics. Take only a few names: Priluki, North, Leningrad, Rostov, Riga, Crimea, Yevpatoriya, Kazbek, Pamir, Sixth Ocean, Golden Beach and others.
14
Your categories ...
Names sometimes reflected professions, or certain occupations of people. There were Rechflot, Hunting, Flight, Aurora, Guards, Medeo. In Moldova, even cigarettes were produced with the strange name of the Manager at that time.
15
American cigarettes
Advertising for cigarettes in the USSR was not so widespread, although there were posters “Smoke cigarettes“ Pack ”, nowhere except in MosselProm,” with a peasant flying on a cigarette. There was also an advertisement called “Smoke Flavored Cigars”.
A smiling sailor advertised Aurora cigarettes.
In 1973, the Soviet audience saw the legendary Marlboro commercial with a cowboy, and in 1981 they officially began to be released in the USSR. In addition to them were Camel, Pall Mall, Winston. In the 70s and 80s, American cigarettes were symbols of a beautiful life, and buying them was not so easy. Yes, and they were quite expensive.
16
Moldavian products
Moldova was famous in the USSR not only for wine and cognac. But also with Flurash and Doina cigarettes. In general, the Chisinau factory in 1981 was the first to produce Marlboro under license. At first they were stuffed with domestic tobacco, and then with American.
From the American varieties Virginia and Burley Moldovan producers began to produce Start, Temp, Forum, Gloria. In 1983, Cascade cigarettes could be bought. But they were discontinued in 1985.
The bottle “Bouquet of Moldova” and the “Doina” block have always taken business trips with them from Chisinau.
17
Bulgarian cigarettes ...
In the Soviet period, there was a project to accept Bulgaria as the 16th republic of the USSR. A trip to this country was not considered overseas by the people, and Bulgarian cigarettes, starting from the 70s, were presented in assortment in domestic trade.
The most popular were the Stewardess, Opal, Tu-134, VT, Aeroflot, Rhodope, Vega, Each brand had its own "popular" nicknames. So "BT" was called "Sidewalk Bull". Bulgarian Shipka in a soft pack cost 20 kopecks and was issued without a filter.
Bulgarian cigarettes of that period exceeded the quality of domestic products, were a bit more expensive, but still loved by Soviet smokers.
18
Yugoslav cigarettes
The products of our Yugoslav friends were also supplied. There were two popular YU brands and simply Yugoslavia, like the Bulgarian ones, they met King size international standards.
19
Hotels from Cuba ...
Cuban cigarettes were made from cigar waste, and therefore they were very strong and aromatic. Partagas were supplied to the USSR, one puff of which was enough to smoke. There were also Ligeros and Monte-Cristo.
The Partagas cigarettes were a daunting black. They were inexpensive. But Cuban products were not in great demand. The reason was the fortress and the specific flavor of cigarette products from Liberty Island.
Summary
We see that the choice of cigarettes and cigarettes in the Soviet Union was really great. Everyone chose tobacco products to taste, and Soviet cigarettes were not inferior in quality to their foreign counterparts.
Naturally, we could not make a description of all the tobacco products of the USSR, and therefore we present to our reader photos of packs of cigarettes and cigarettes of the Soviet era.
The editors of most-beauty.ru asks you to write in the comments which other cigarettes smoked in the USSR, from those that were not included in our list. If you have interesting stories about Soviet cigarettes, share them in the comments.