Monday, November 12, 2007

Quality of Dunhill Cigarettes Makes Me Want to Quit Smoking

The quality of cigarettes has been deteriorating. I was smoking Marlboros but due to the Dunhill conversation programme and also it’s higher quality, I switched to Dunhill.


Now, I find that the quality of Dunhill Red appalling. This may be due to the fake cigarettes flooding the market but as a loyal Dunhill customers, this is so discouraging especially for those who have been smoking it for decades. Twice so far in the last 2 months, I encountered people who bought a bad pack of Dunhills. Paul opened a new pack of Dunhill Reds to find that there were 16 sticks in the pack and at another time, a friend opened a new pack and found that the sticks were not rolled properly. See pic below.




Besides the low quality of Dunhill Reds, Dunhill D360 Menthol Lights are not fresh and neither are the Dunhill Fine Cut Menthol Lights. This could be attributed to less people smoking those variants which results in slower moving stock which causes the cigarettes to go stale. But if I’m going to pay a price that’s higher than normal premium cigarettes, I’d expect some sort of quality.


I’ve complained to several friends who work at BAT or have connections to the company but I’ve not received any follow up so far.


First, bad quality cigarettes. And now bad customer service follow up? This reflects extremely badly on BAT which I previously held in good light.


This is disappointing indeed.


I’ve since switched back to Marlboro. But the taste really isn’t as good as Dunhill.


So both Marboro and Dunhill (all it’s variants) suck. And I can’t smoke the value brands.


I enjoy smoking but all the cigarettes available in the market today either taste bad or are of bad quality. And I’m not going to pay good money for an inferior product.


I’m considering quitting smoking altogether.


Health reasons notwithstanding, it’s more about being ‘cheated’ by brands I used to love and was willing to pay good money for.


29 comments:

Unknown said...

Try Camel's Turkish Gold. They're one hell of a lot less expensive, and they don't taste like dreck. I wish Dunhill hadn't gone downhill...

Bubbles said...

Can't find it in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia nor Thailand. Will look out for it in other places. Yup, such a pity about Dunhill.

Anonymous said...

try american spirits. they're a delicious smokey treat

Bubbles said...

Again, that's not availably here. Basically, in Malaysia, Dunhills are the best quality cigarette. However, even their quality have begun to slack. Which is unfortunately cos we'll end up either smoking crap or quitting altogether.

Anonymous said...

I am Greek, i used to smoke Dunhill International for 15 years. Suddenly BAT decided to change the pack and the blend(2006) to a new one,which is just terrible.
I am totally freak out. I love smoking and i don't want to quit but i can't find any other brand to enjoy. I think they destroy the perfect cigarette ever made.

Bubbles said...

Is the new one in a deep red shade with a square at the front? That was called the Dunhill Button which was later relaunched as the Dunhill 360. That's supposed to be a better blend than Dunhill International. We have both of those variants here in Malaysia along with a few others as well. But true Dunhill International smokers will never settle for anything less. Maybe giving up smoking is a good idea after all.....

Anonymous said...

You can also try the unfiltered version of Lucky Strike! Really good cigarette if you want s/th strong and only for 2-3 a day.
What about Camel Filters and Dunhill Top Leaf ?

Bubbles said...

Can't do unfiltered. Too strong. I like the Lucky Strike Menthols tho. Can't get Camels here and Top Leaf is too expensive ..... about 3 times the cost of the normal premium pack! If I lived in Indonesia, it'll be great. Lotsa varieties and under 1 USD per pack of 20 sticks!

Anonymous said...

Have you thought about switching to cigars? Good handmade cigars should be easy to come by, and they're great. I've been a cigar smoker for years and years, and there are several terrific brands. Occasionally you might find a bad cigar in a run of a brand you otherwise like, but the consistency on the major brands is usually very good. You might want to take a look at this website, too: www.cigars4women.com

Bubbles said...

I love cigars and do smoke them off and on but I find that there are not too many occasions where it can be smoked because not many people like the smell of cigars. I hardly have time to go to a cigar lounge. It also takes too long to smoke one. When I start one, I'd like to enjoy it throughout the night and finish it rather than stubbing it out and smoking it again on another day. Thus cigarettes are the best for busy lifestyles and more socially friendly (among my group of friends anyway!). Thanks for the website info!

Anonymous said...

Have you tried anything by Nat Sherman? They're all really good, especially the Classics, MCDs, Naturals and Black & Gold. And there are various blends within a lot of those categories. They're all smokey yumminess. They're expensive, but if you've been smoking Dunhills, you're used to paying for the best (or for what used to be the best). Good luck!

Bubbles said...

Hahaha! What used to be the best! U r so right anon!

No Nat Shermans here in Malaysia tho. Nor in any of the neighbouring countries.

Where are u from and the next time I'm in that country, I'll look out for that brand.

Anonymous said...

I'm in the US. Nat Shermans can be found in cigar shops. They're seriously great cigarettes. Smoking is great! I love everything about it, don't you? Cigarettes, cigars, hookah.... yum! If I'm not smoking the premium brands, I'll generally with something like Benson & Hedges (full flavor), Marlboro (not lights), or Mores (very long). The really good stuff though... there's nothing else like smoking, is there?

Bubbles said...

Smokers and non smokers alike would acknowledge the dangers of smoking but I agree that it is something that's very enjoyable.

Don't go to the States much but will look out for Nat Shermans when I'm there next.

Anonymous said...

DUNHILL INTERNATIONALS (OLD SKOOL) ARE BACK

I'm a hardcore lover of Dunhills, they're the only brand other than B&H that don't make me wretch. These last two years have been absolutely horrible without them and I've tried all their latest abominations: Top Leaf, Fine Cuts, Essences, etc. They're all shit in comparison. BUT!

I live in Mitte Berlin, DE, and just yesterday I found a new International pack: it has silver trim, a stylised logo of their original crest on the pack and cigarette, and the cigs inside are the OLD blend. They're back!

Anonymous said...

I too miss the old Dunhill's and have one pack left that I have vacuum sealed to be opened for an as of yet unknown occasion. I have tried all the others mentioned but the only brand I can now live with are 555 State Express. Give them a try.

Anonymous said...

In Greece the old Dunhill Blend+ pack is pack. I am sure they gonna do the same worldwide

Bubbles said...

The old and classic Dunhill has always been here. Just disappointing in their quality. They're supposed to be the best but they're really slacking off.

Anonymous said...

The person who mentioned Nat Shermans was right on the money. Maybe you could mail order them. Look at their website www.natsherman.com. I know they do mail order. Take a look at their website, and I guarantee you'll be impressed.

Bubbles said...

Wow. Yup, nice. This brand must be pretty big in the States huh? haven't seen them any where else. They do ship but don't know about overseas. Anyway after the exchange rate, it's really expesive for me :( It's about USD3.50 here. And in Indonesia, it's less than USD1! Woohoo!

Anonymous said...

"Dunhill" yep should now be "Downhill" stop changing the colour of the packets it'll save ya money. Stop loading the cigarettes with cheap shit and put the quality back that everyone knows. Tobacconists thought I was crazy when I told him that the quality had changed. Oh well I'll take my $200 a week and go look for something else Dunhill kiss my but goodbye..mwa

Anonymous said...

yep "Dunhill" now "Downhill" well they change the colours so many times I've noticed the quality has also changed. Tobacconist think Im crazy but to them its all about sales. It shows its not just here in Australia but world wide. Well I'll take my $2oo a week and look for something else or equaly as nice. "Dunhill can kiss my butt goodbye... you can try fooling ya customers with you different colour packs but not the taste and quality...and yeah they burn too fast Yes "Dunhill" I did notice your the suckers...

Anonymous said...

Not sure if you still follow your post here - the last comments were a few years ago, but I thought I'd comment anyway -- since you do seem pretty kool anyway ... okay, I'm in the same boat as you (re: smoking) ... the Dunhills are not so good ... The Nat Shermans are the best right now of mainstream brands ... I would highly recommend rotating into hemp/mj/herb options ---- self-rolled into a "joint," water bong, glass pipe, "one-hitters," wooden pipes or the very ritualistic and non-smokey vaporizer method ... This should satiate all compromising desires ... Cheers! And, I bet our paths have crossed many, many times ... ;) David Kamran (from Chicago & Oak Brook)

Bubbles said...

Hi David. Last comment was a long time ago but this blog is still active. Do look at the newer posts.

Wow so many people have suggest Nat Shermans. Must get my hands on them when i come across them.

Unfortunately, the much favoured herb options are not legal in so many countries. And I'm mainly a social smoker so it's not a suitable option in places like Starbucks and clubs. Haha!

Pipe smoking, tho it has a real old man's image, seems to be gaining popularity. I haven't been able to shake the image from my head but know more and more of my male friends are picking it up.

Talk to you again David Kamran! And thanks for your post.

Anonymous said...

Nat Sherman's are really the best. They claim to only use the top 10% of all tobacco in the world. A variety to suit most every taste. However, before I moved here to Indonesia, I was regularly smoking American Spirt Light Organics. I think they might be my favorite all around cigarette in the world. Hints of vanilla in every drag, and a slight bite, but never too much.

Now, in Indonesia, I'm smoking Dunhill lights as they are the best available, as everyone else has mentioned. I have mixed feelings. Having never been a regular Dunhill smoker before, I'm not too qualified to comment on their current quality compared with in the past. But I do remember Dunhills in the States tasting better. Might it be that the ones here in Indo are made by another company under license by Dunhill/BAT?

And speaking of the ever-changing packs that people have mentioned, the most recent pack I bought was different from all the others I've had. It's a lighter shade of blue, slightly wider, and the logo is in a different place. I'm convinced the smokes are a little higher quality, too. Hopefully they keep 'em that way.

Bubbles said...

Hi Anon.

Dunhill is always changing their packaging. Do you have the reloc pack (with the sticker tab to keep the ciggies fresh) in Indonesia.

Dunhill there is manufactured by BAT themselves but as with local production of any brand, the ingredients and mixes they use are different, hence the different taste.

The Marlboros in Indonesia are pretty good as well.

And Indonesis is the worlds larges kretek cigarette market. Have you tried them? Like them? Gudang Garam is one of the bigger kretek brands there.

Anonymous said...

Bubbles, yes the ones here have the reloc packaging. (Though I can't remember if the ones in the lighter blue box did.)

Yes, kretek is all the rage around here. The Gudang Garam brand is disgusting, imo. The only kretek I somewhat regularly smoke is called DJI Sam Soe. They are quite fat, hand-rolled smokes made in Surabaya. (I believe they are the original clove cigarette.) I usually only smoke one or two every couple of days or so--generally if I take a long walk or something. They are known here as being preferred by older folks and people from the countryside--not too popular with the younger generation, which mostly smokes Samporena.

Bubbles said...

Hi Anon. I think the Red and the light blue ones do. Thought Gudang Garam is the No 1 kretek brand there and Dji Sam Soe is like a cheap brand? Then again Gudang Garam has so many grades in Indonesia. I can never tell which are the high end ones tho.

Where are u? Jakarta? If so, I can't imagine where u'll be taking long walks. Lol!

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