Glitter Ninja wants new exciting cancer sticks~!

September 20, 2006 4:24 PM

Nicotenefilter: Where can one purchase kreteks (clove cigarettes) and flavoured cigarettes in Mississauga/Toronto, Ontario (preferrably in the former) and the Columbia, SC area, also preferrably for a good price?

Also, experiences/reviews of your favourite brands/types of the aforementioned greatly appreciated, since I'm used to smoking nothing but Camel Wide Menthols. :)

posted by Glitter Ninja to shopping (11 comments total)

I can't tell you where to get them in Toronto or Columbia, but my favorites are the Sampoerna Exclusives. Djarums all suck in my opinion, and worst are the Nat Sherman's, which aren't actually kreteks at all - they just have clove crystals in their filters.
posted by matkline at 5:12 PM on September 20, 2006

I've read that they are much worse for you than plain tobacco, so you might want to use them sparingly. I used to quite like them, and wonder how much damage was done...
posted by theora55 at 6:13 PM on September 20, 2006

Wikipedia cites them as having large amounts of both tar and nicotene, comapared to regular cigs. Sparing use it is~!
posted by Glitter Ninja at 6:26 PM on September 20, 2006

Several tobbacconists are located on Yonge between Bloor & Queen. Also one on Church just north of Alexander. Not Mysterysauga, but if you're ever downtown...
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 6:30 PM on September 20, 2006

You can get Djarums at any Loblaw's in the attached smoke shop. There are tons of Loblaw's throughout Mississauga - Google Maps will show you where. If none of those are any good, there's also a smoke shop about two blocks north of Winston Churchill and Dundas next to the big Longo's on the eastern side of Winston Churchill that stocks several kinds of cloves and can probably order others for you.

If none of that works, there are a bunch of smoke shops all along Yonge St. as dirtynumbangelboy said, where you can find pretty much anything if you look hard enough.
posted by Pseudoephedrine at 11:28 PM on September 20, 2006

Sampoerna Mild Menthol are delicious, but increasingly hard to find (at least in CA) offline. I'm jealous, I had to quit smoking and I still miss it. Enjoy!
posted by Space Kitty at 11:35 PM on September 20, 2006

I have always been able to find a variety of clove cigarrettes at every smoke shop I've walked into (where it was legal to sell them). Sampoernas are better, I agree.
posted by moira at 12:51 AM on September 21, 2006

Sampoernas are no longer being distributed in the U.S., at least, though you may still be able to find some in shops with lower turnover. Philip Morris bought the company in 2005 and decided it wasn't worth their while to go on distributing them here.
posted by redfoxtail at 5:20 AM on September 21, 2006

No other Columbians here? Well this non-smoker will take a shot at it...

Capitol City Newstand on Main St. in front of the State House used to stock quite a selection of smokes. Also in the Vista, the Columbia Candy Co. on Lincoln St. across from the Blue Marlin has a good selection of more obsccure brands, cheap. Goatfeather's, a bar in Five Points inherited the obscure smoke retail business from Intermezzo when they went out of business, they're on Devine St. and a bit pricey since it's a bar. There are several other specialty stores outside of downtown Columbia, but my smoking friends recommend The Tobacco Merchant out in Northeast Cola.

Enjoy your smoke in a friendly bar, while you still can...
posted by 1f2frfbf at 10:05 AM on September 21, 2006

I can't help with finding them, but in terms of recommendations -- I smoke Djarum Blacks quite regularly. They're really sweet and kind of heavy. People are always trying to convince me that Sampoernas are better, but the only ones I ever really liked were the Sampoerna Exclusives. If you can find them, they're really smooth and delicious.

Djarum and Sampoerna are the only brands worth looking at, in my opinion. And I've actually tried a lot of different clove cigarettes.
posted by Famous at 11:16 AM on September 21, 2006

No more Sampoernas in the US? Holy crap, that sucks! Maybe the hubby and I should take one last trip to VA (you can neither sell nor legally buy cloves in MD, can you believe it?) to pick up a carton before they disappear.

They would've been my first recommendation, too - and seeing as your a Camel smoker, I would've recommended the Xtras - the wonderful aromatic that's a touch less smooth than the Milds or Internationals.

Can't give you any other recommendation than that... 'cause now I've gotta find a new brand.

Oh, btw! Listen to Theora55 - these are not pack-a-day smokes. Treat them like cigarellos or cigars, and you'll be just fine.
posted by Adelwolf at 11:17 AM on September 21, 2006