I started with Drum,
It's from Douwe Egberts, a big Dutch company famous for it's coffee. Exporting to all countries over the world.
Tobacco in a blue package, white 'Mascotte' or 'Rizzla' paper.
Hand rolled cigarettes, everybody smoked them, and still it's sold very well.
I'm world champion rolling sigarettes, in 1 second it's ready without spoiling tobacco.
It's a healthy tobacco (at least they told us that) because it's pure tobacco from nature and it has no chemical filter. image, other advantage was that you rolled 50 out a package for the same price as 25 filter cigarettes. We had intense discussions why we smoked our brand because there are more pure tobacco brands in the Netherlands.
A pack a day at the age of 15 (50 cigs), slowly growing to 80, 10 years after that.
I started mixing with Marlboro red (Easy, heavy) after a while because of smoking all day the same is boring and not tasty at all. Plus if you need to have a quick fix rolling takes to much time.
I remember that I had to smoke the first time in my life when I came back from a chess game at a friends home (all non-smokers) at the age of 13. I remember it was very strange I craved cigs. I was relieved to smoke after 3 or 4 hours. I still remember that moment.
I also still remember all the bad tasting cigarettes. I really hated them because of the bad taste in my mouth, but I was a chain-smoker, I had to smoke.
I changed brands but never got used to others. The last 10 years I only smoked Red Marlboro's
I also still clearly remember 'serious' family and friends discussions about which brand they smoked and why. Back in those days I think 80% of the people smoked.
I never heard people saying they smoked a brand because they had to smoke.
In a couple of days I turn bronze x 3 and I can't remember the taste anymore. What I still like is the flavour of tobacco. Open a package of tobacco and it smells wonderfull. Light it and I have to puke.