Kool cigarettes are menthol cigarettes flavored with the compound menthol. Menthol cigarettes were first developed in 1924 by Lloyd “Spud” Hughes of Mingo Junction, Ohio. However, the idea didn’t become popular until the Axton-Fisher Tobacco Company acquired the patent in 1927 and marketed it nationwide as “Spud Menthol Cooled Cigarettes.” Spud menthol cigarettes became the fifth most popular brand and it remained the only menthol cigarette on the market until the Brown & Williamson Tobacco Company founded the Kool cigarettes brand in 1933.
Kool cigarettes were the only major menthol cigarette brand for over two decades, with a market share that never exceeded 2%. Their advertising focused on “neck comfort” and the “medicinal” properties of menthol, and some ads even suggested occasional use: “Between the others, rest your neck with Kool cigarettes.
Menthol Kool cigarettes are produced similarly to non-menthol cigarettes, with menthol added at several stages during the manufacturing process. Menthol can be obtained from distilled cornmint oil or produced synthetically. While traces of menthol may be added to non-menthol cigarettes for flavor or other reasons, a menthol cigarette typically has a menthol content of at least 0.3 wt .-%. Menthol Kool cigarettes with lower tar content can have a menthol content of up to 2% to keep menthol delivery constant despite the filtration and aeration concepts used to reduce tar.
A more recent innovation was to incorporate a small capsule in or near the filter that can be broken to release additional menthol or other flavoring nudges. While smoking a cigarette, the menthol delivery decreases noticeably, but this technology allows the smoker to increase the menthol delivery at a selected point to maintain or improve the menthol sensation. The capsules can contain any flavor, but are mainly menthol. Compared to tobacco blends for non-menthol cigarettes, a menthol cigarette tends to have more smoke curing than Burley tobacco and less oriental tobacco. To buy Kool cigarettes at the most competitive prices, please do not hesitate to visit our store.