Sobranie

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For other uses, see Sobranie (disambiguation).
Sobranie
Sobranie Cocktail cigarettes.jpg
An old Russian pack of Sobranie Cocktail cigarettes, with an English text warning at the bottom of the pack
Product typeCigarette
Produced byGallaher Group, a subsidiary of Japan Tobacco
CountryRussia
Introduced1879; 143 years ago (1879)
MarketsTurkey, England, Germany,

Sobranie (Russian: Собрание, "Gathering", "Collection", "Assembly") is a brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by Gallaher Group, a subsidiary of Japan Tobacco.[1]

History[]

The Balkan Sobranie tobacco business was established in London in 1879 by Albert Weinberg (born Romania 1849), whose naturalisation papers dated 1886[2] confirm his nationality and show that he had emigrated to England in the 1870s at a time when hand-made cigarettes in the eastern European and Russian tradition were becoming fashionable in Europe.[3] It is one of the oldest cigarette brands in the world.[4] Albert's young cousin Isaiah Redstone (1884-1963) joined him in the business and registered the "Balkan Sobranie" trademark, later shortened to Sobranie.[5] By 1910 Albert was manufacturing at 34 Glasshouse Street, London.[6] After Albert's death Isaiah Redstone and his sons Charles Coleman Redstone (1911-1994) and Dr Isidore Redstone (1925-2022) continued to own and manage the business. In the early 1980s the Sobranie trademarks were sold to Gallaher Group, which continued production with a modified formula at various locations in Europe. Gallaher was subsequently purchased by Japan Tobacco in 2007.

Throughout its existence, Sobranie was marketed as the definition of luxury in the tobacco industry, being adopted as the official provider of many European royal houses and elites around the world including the Imperial Court of Russia and the royal courts of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Spain, Romania, and Greece.[7]

Premium brands include the multi-coloured Sobranie Cocktail and the black and gold Sobranie Black Russian, which are produced in Ukraine. Sobranie Cocktail, Black Russian and White Russian variants are emblazoned with the Russian imperial eagle.

Sponsorships[]

Formula 1[]

Narain Karthikeyan qualifying at the 2005 US Grand Prix. Notice the Sobranie sponsorship on the rear wing.

Sobranie was a sponsor of the Jordan Grand Prix team in 2004 and 2005. The logos were displayed on the front, side and rear wing of the cars.[8][9][10] In countries where tobacco sponsorship was forbidden, the logos were removed or replaced. Sobranie was primarily a replacement for Jordan's primary tobacco sponsor, Benson & Hedges (a Gallaher-owned brand in the United Kingdom), in United States Grands Prix, to circumvent the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement, as Philip Morris USA (who holds the Benson & Hedges trademark in the United States) was exclusively (as required by the MSA) sponsoring Team Penske in American open-wheel racing with their Marlboro brand.[11]

Markets[]

Sobranie cigarettes were mainly sold in the United Kingdom until the introduction of plain packaging, but also were or still are sold in India, Germany, Bulgaria, France, Switzerland, Poland, Romania, Greece, Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Singapore, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Croatia, Serbia, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Malaysia, China, Taiwan, Montenegro and Japan as well as many duty free shops in airports.[12][13][14]

Products[]

Sobranie Black Russian cigarettes
  • Sobranie Classic
  • Sobranie Redfined Black
  • Sobranie Redefined Red
  • Sobranie Redfined Chrome
  • Sobranie Redfined White
  • Sobranie Classic Lights
  • Sobranie Black Russians
  • Sobranie White Russians
  • Sobranie Cocktail
  • Sobranie Blues (long and kingsize)
  • Sobranie Mints
  • Sobranie Pinks
  • Sobranie Whites
  • Sobranie Yellow (citrus menthol) – sold in China with English and Chinese text on packet, displaying a health warning on the lower region of the packet.
  • Sobranie Gold

Below are all the current brands of Sobranie cigarettes, with the levels of tar and nicotine included.

Pack Tar Nicotine
Sobranie Classic 14 mg 1.0 mg
Sobranie Classic Lights 10 mg 0.1 mg
Sobranie Black Russians 7 mg 0,7 mg
Sobranie White Russians 8 mg 0,1 mg
Sobranie Cocktail 5 mg 0,5 mg
Sobranie Blues 5 mg 0.1 mg
Sobranie Mints 5 mg 0,5 mg
Sobranie Pinks 5 mg 0,1 mg
Sobranie Whites 1 mg 0,1 mg
Sobranie Yellow 5 mg 0.5 mg
Sobranie Gold 3 mg 0,3 mg

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Our brands". JTI. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  2. ^ Ancestry.co.uk
  3. ^ "5 legendary global brands with Russian roots that shaped modern culture". 4 July 2017.
  4. ^ Maria, Ana (18 January 2013). "Sobranie". prezi.com. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  5. ^ https://www.transferwarecollectorsclub.org/bulletin_previews/articles/12_Number_3_Cigarette_box.pdf
  6. ^ 1910 Commercial Directory of London
  7. ^ "ART COLLECTION, un eveniment special by Sobranie - Wide Magazine". www.widemagazine.ro.
  8. ^ "Livery Histories #2: Jordan". 15 December 2010. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  9. ^ Davies, Jonathan. "Sobranie - ChicaneF1.com". Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  10. ^ "Jordan krijgt Russisch karakter". 23 Feb 2005.
  11. ^ Vadja, Gabor. "Ferrari, Jordan Sponsor Bumped by Penske at USGP, Firm Policies Itself". Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  12. ^ "BrandSobranie - Cigarettespedia". www.cigarettespedia.com. 8 December 2016. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  13. ^ "Sobranie". www.zigsam.at. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  14. ^ Gubchik, Igor; Zakrevsky, Ignat. "Brands". www.cigarety.by. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
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