I have smoked Rothmans for many years but recently, with my trips to the supermarket costing £140 for 400, I have had to start thinking about alternatives - if only to cut down a little. £140 every 10 days is a hell of a lot of money.

Being new to rolling your own I decided to experiment a bit, so I bought 25g of Gold Leaf and 12.5g each of Old Holborn and Golden Virginia. Conclusion - Gold Leaf is pretty poor stuff, give it a miss. Old Holborn is rich, strong and satisfying, good for those who enjoy a full smoke. Golden Virginia is aromatic and also satisfying, marginally my favourite of the three.

My final suggestion - do get a rolling machine. They cost virtually nothing but give an even smoke which won't fall apart. I just had an Old Holborn with Rizla Blue which was pretty much as enjoyable a smoke as a Players Navy Cut or the like.