Tasting Parker & Simpson cigarettes.
Parker & Simpson brand cigarettes appeared on the market in 2015 and were presented in two varieties — Black and White. And their appearance did not go unnoticed; the cigarettes had a number of advantages: very good cigarette taste; it was stated that they were made in Germany; sold in an unusual Glide Tec box.
In less than six months, the brand introduced several more varieties — Blue, Red, Duo.
The Parker & Simpson brand began to be produced at the factories of Imperial Tobacco Ltd. in 2012 all over Europe and quickly took the leading position in the low-cost price range. To this day, these cigarettes are popular not only in Russia, but also in Germany, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Taiwan and a number of other countries.
Parker & Simpson Red. This is the “strongest” version of the brand. The pack has a rather standard design for modern cigarettes — medium-dense cardboard, rounded edges and a flip-up lid. The design of the pack is stylish, informative and easy to remember. The color background in the design denotes the type of cigarette, and here it is deep red. Each variety bears the corporate coat of arms, the brand name and its abbreviated version. Also, on all cigarettes, the name of the variety is put on the front side of the pack.
There are twenty king size cigarettes in a pack with a regular acetate filter. The cigarette is assembled neatly, the filter is glued evenly, without scoring and bubbles, the seam of the cigarette paper is also even and dense. So, the design of the cigarette gets 5 points. The design of cigarettes is minimalistic, I would say “classic”. Cork filter paper, separator strip and brand name in “gold”, no grade indicated on the cigarettes. 4 points for the design.
The cigarette blend consists of light yellow, yellow and brown fractions. The cut is very varied, ranging from very small pieces of leaf, to large, but fortunately not over-dry, ‘sticks’ of the larger fractions. There is a surrogate leaf, but in very small quantities. I understand when surrogate is added as a processing additive to “light” and “ultra-light” blends. But adding it to “strong” grades… You must be stingy! The quality of the bag gets 3 points. Cigarette specifications: 10mg tar, 0.7mg nicotine, 10mg CO.
The tobacco taste in the smoke is weak, but it is there. The bitterness is moderate. There is a certain acridity, but it’s moderate as well. In general, cigarettes are quite nice, I didn’t notice anything negative; The only obvious disadvantages are the fast-burning paper and what seemed to me to be an overly moist tobacco in the cigarette. Although the latter probably depends on the batch. At its price , quite decent cigarettes. However, the smoking properties of cigarettes, as the main ones, I assess more strictly and this variety gets 3 points — a good average rating.
Parker & Simpson Black. This variety is produced in Germany at the Reemtsma tobacco factory. The construction of the pack is similar to the “red” version. However, on the Russian market, these cigarettes are still found in two types of packaging, both in Glide Tec and in a standard box. For this, the quality of the packaging automatically gets 4 points. The variety is indicated by the black background of the pack, but the block with the emblem and brand name has been moved to the center of the composition. The surface of the pack is partially textured. The name of the variety is present, although it is placed only on the ends of the pack. The packaging design rightfully gets 5 points.
There are twenty king size cigarettes with a double acetate filter in a pack. The design of the cigarettes is also different — the filter is white, the corporate emblem is “included” in the dividing strip, and the brand name is indicated in a single spelling — full, without the “P&S” option. The variety is not marked in any way.
The filter consists of two almost equal halves — one of acetate fiber, and the other of acetate fiber saturated with carbon chips. The design of the cigarettes is still “5” and, unlike the “red” variety, these cigarettes have a small cardboard mouthpiece.
The cigarette blend consists of light yellow, yellow (in the majority) and brown (in the minority) fractions. The cutting is of much higher quality — thin, consisting of ribbons and small pieces of leaf. Surrogate leaves are present, but in very small quantities, certainly no more than in the ‘red’ variety. For these parameters, the Black Parker gets a solid four. Cigarette specifications: tar 8 mg, nicotine 0.6 mg, CO 8 mg.
The smoke of “Parker Black’’ is much softer, although it is still quite dense. There is no dryness in the smoke. A tobacco flavor is present, but a faint papery flavor is mixed with it. All in all, pretty good cigarettes. They are worth their money . However, for extraneous tastes in the smoke, they also get a three.
Parker & Simpson Blue. These cigarettes are already classified as “light”. The construction of the pack is similar to the previous varieties. The color background of the pack is a combination of light blue and blue colors. The name of the variety is on the front side of the pack.
There are twenty king size cigarettes in a pack. The design of cigarettes is a solid 5. The design corresponds to the generally accepted one for “light” cigarettes — a white filter with one perforation line. Separating strip and double writing of the brand in “gold”. And despite the rather memorable and moderately modest design, the design of cigarettes does not deserve more than 3 points.
The “blue Parker” filter is also double — half more made of acetate fiber, and less of acetate fiber with medium saturation of carbon chips. Cigarettes have a short cardboard mouthpiece.
The cigarette blending bag is quite light and consists mostly of light yellow fractions, with yellow and brown fractions making up just over a third of the total mass. The slicing is somewhat chaotic and includes both thin strips and large chunks of leaf. Surrogate leaf is present and there is more of it here than in previous varieties. The variety receives a score of 3 for its coarse cut and abundance of surrogate. Cigarette specifications: 7mg tar, 0.6mg nicotine, 7mg CO.
The smoke of this type of cigarette is similar to tobacco, but there is plenty of paper flavour as well. In addition, the smoke has a certain acridity and irritates the eyes and nose. Having said that, I wouldn’t call them bad either. Simple, reasonably priced cigarettes containing reduced tar and nicotine. And the price of 80 rbl. plays into their hands. But I’ll give them a more critical evaluation of the smoking and taste of the cigarettes and give them 2 points for the excessive pungency of the smoke and the presence of burnt paper in the flavour.
