Silk Cut down and then hopefully quit! (Silk Cut)

Member Name: BeautyGeek

Product:	Silk Cut
Date:	24/03/09 (865 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great packaging, a smooth and light smoke

Disadvantages: Erm....you'll probably die of a really horrid cancer

Silk Cut are widely acknowledged as the wimp's cigarette, perceived as too mild to count as actual smoking (although obviously doctors disagree considerably). I have been smoking them for around 4-5 years. Before that I smoked Benson and Hedges (that's right, I was hardcore, me) but then I developed a chest infection and went down to Silk Cut - god forbid I should go without - for the duration of the infection and never went back to B&H. I find both Benson and Silk Cut have a smooth taste, unlike Marlboro which I always find rather gritty; it feels like little bits are catching on the back of your throat, whereas with Silk Cut it's a smoother feel as it's going down.

Where I think a lot of people go wrong is believing that Silk Cut are a healthier option. There is no such thing as a healthier cigarette, they all do awful damage and going for a lower level of Tar and Nicotine will not make enough difference.

The last time I quit smoking (or was it the second to last? I forget....) I went from Silk Cut Purple (the strongest Silk Cut), down to Silk Cut Blue (medium) and then eventually on to Silk Cut Silver - the lowest level cigarette. I know many people moan about it being a lighter smoke, but I couldn't really tell the difference between all 3, which proves that it's all about habit and what you get used to. My father has smoked Benson and Hedges for longer than he can remember, yet he recently went onto Silk Cut because he ran out of Benson and smoked mine all night. He's now a regular Silk Cut smoker.

Packaging wise, I think the box is quite attractive. A white box with silver and purple writing and a Purple logo on the front. They're sleek and sophisticated - the one thing I didn't like about B&H was the gold, it was all too much!

The cigarette itself is in the same style as most other British cigarettes. The only difference being that the tip has a perforation line circling the whole thing. This, from what I can gather, is for two reasons. Firstly, if the cigarette is too mild for you you can pull off some of the tip to make it stronger and secondly it lets some of the smoke out, so the theory being that you're inhaling less.

Unfortunately, as previously mentioned, people think this is a better alternative to stronger cigarettes but this is not the case. Firstly, if you're used to strong cigarettes you will suck harder on these, drawing more of the harmful substances towards you and eventually inhaling them with each drag. This is more damaging all round, as those who are smoking heavier cigarettes will tend to draw less intensely. Therefore, I would recommend that if you are planning to use Silk Cut as a tool to aid quitting by cutting down, set yourself a time limit and quit, otherwise you'll end up a committed Silk Cut smoker like me and if you're going to end up that way you may as well go back onto the B&H!

Summary: Perceived as a healthier option which is a rather ridiculous way to describe a cigarette.