Winston Full Flavor Review

Winston's are a fine example of a classic cigarette brand. In the 1960's, they were very, very popular. These days, they're really nothing more than another cigarette brand. I mean, they surprisingly don't hold the same nostalgia with people that brands such as Marlboro or Camel do. Still, they're fairly cheap and around me (Midwest, USA) they usually run about $5-$5.50 a pack. In most places they're cheaper than Marlboro's and cost about the same as Camels. Anyway, let's take a nice trip down memory lane and see what RJ Reynold's Winston brand has to offer in the categories of pack design, taste and burn.

The Pack:

Like a lot of brands, the Winston design has changed throughout the years. The design in the picture above is obviously the current design and has been around for some time now. The "Winston" text wraps around the box and the box also says "Naturally Smooth" on it. Winston's used to be additive free just like Natural American Spirits, but they can't make that claim anymore supposedly since FSC (Fire safe cigarettes) came out. All in all, the pack doesn't look that "modern" or "hip", I think Winston's are geared more towards older smokers and the pack reflects that. The pack doesn't maintain the same simplicity as a good ole' pack of Marlboro Reds but it still doesn't look bad. I like the pack and it looks nice. It's also a two-way pack, so you can open it like a soft or hard pack if you want. As for the cigarette, it consists of a filter with no extra white paper extending off the front of it (think Camel Blues, the part of the filter where the blue camel is). The paper says Winston near the end of it and it's just a nice, simple looking cigarette.

The Taste:

I must say, Winston's pack a very unique taste. Is it prominent? Fairly. I mean, it's not the strongest taste but I can easily pick it out. It's somewhat "nutty", but it's nothing like any other full flavor I've had. It sort of just tastes "raw", a nice and basic taste. As for the smoothness, these are somehow harsh yet smooth at the same time. I know that's hard to explain, when you first take a drag they are a bit hard on the throat but they do enter the lungs smoothly and I was able to take nice, full drags off of my Winston with no problem. I found the taste of these enjoyable, through packs I've noticed that some taste stronger than others, but I've never had one that tasted exceptionally bad. If you enjoy full flavors, you'll like Winston's.

The Burn:

Having smoked a lot of different cigarettes I can safely say that RJ Reynolds cigarettes burn exceptionally slower than Philip Morris' do. Maybe it's something with the paper, but to me it seems like Philip Morris' smokes seem to burn a lot between drags. Since Winston's are made by RJ Reynolds, they're really no exception. For the most part, they burn pretty slow, sometimes they burn about average but they never seem to burn fast. Overall, the length of how long it burns is enough to satisfy just about anybody and you shouldn't really have a problem with your smoke burning too fast.

Ok, Winston Full Flavors definitely get a passing grade in my book. They're not that expensive, the taste should be enjoyed by any full flavor smoker and they burn fairly nice. I recommend these if you're a full flavor smoker looking for a change of pace or if you just want to try something new.

Pack: 4/5
Taste: 4.5/5
Burn: 4/5