Sobranie

The Sobranie (Russian: Собрание, "Gathering", "Collection", "Assembly") cigarette brand is one of the oldest tobacco brands in the world. Sobranie of London was established in 1879 by the Redstone family, when cigarettes had just become fashionable in Europe. Several generations of the Redstone family blended this tobacco from a secret formula.The original cigarettes were handmade in the Russian tradition. Sobranie was the supplier of royal courts of Great Britain, Spain, Romania, and Greece. In the early 1980's, the trademarks for Sobranie were sold to Gallaher Group, one of the English conglomerates, which continues to produce it, albeit with a modified formula, at various places in Europe.

Premium varieties include the evening-out styles Sobranie Cocktail and Sobranie Black Russian, which are produced in Ukraine and as of 2005 in Russia itself. Sobranie produces several styles geared specifically for ladies, some slimmer than standard cigarettes and others brightly colored.

Sobranie is one of the most expensive cigarette brands in Russia, and is considered to be a brand comparable to Dunhill cigarettes.

Contents

Varieties

In popular culture

Anne Rice's title character from Belinda smokes Sobranies and other exotic cigarettes throughout the book of the same name.

In the 1999 Janet Fitch novel White Oleander, Sobranie cigarettes were a characterizing feature of foster mother and Russian immigrant, Rena Grushenka.

In the 2009 movie An Education, Carey Mulligan's character (Jenny Mellor) is shown sharing a package of Sobranies with her classmates.

In "Tintin in Land of Black Gold", Emir Ben Kalish Ezab curses Abdullah for switching his Sobranies with exploding cigarettes.

In David Stone's espioniage thriller The Echelon Vendetta, the main character Micah Dalton takes to smoking Sobranie Cocktails after finding them on his dead friend.

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References