Sutta Talk

Okay, I didn’t smoke one of these as my first (Good Morning) cigarette of the day. Nor as the second (with-coffee) one. Nor as the third (after-coffee) one. For someone like me, an unrepentant smoker who finds the recent smoking ban-invasion on privacy and a draconian act, a “nicotine-free, tobacco-free” cigarette seemed like an oxymoron. (a bit like Mumbai without disgraceful traffic, or Allahabad without buffaloes).

I mean, why smoke unless I can get that nicotine and tobacco into my bloodstream? What’s the point unless I can reduce my lifespan by 8 minutes or so?

But what could it really be, this herbal stuff? I was terribly curious.

The good stuff: Honeyrose herbal cigarettes

But how was 'it'??

I slid one out, a tactile delight in the smoker’s life, and studied all the stuff on the back of the pack. Instead of a warning, I found a statutory promise of delight. “Honeyrose menthol herbal cigarettes are made with naturally grown Marshmallow herb, Red Clover and Rose petals.”

Hmm, what was this? A spa treatment? Oooh, I was feeling pampered.

And a good thing that was too. I’ve never been to a spa, and if I could get a sense of what that might be like by smoking herbal cigarettes, who am I to complain?

I slipped one between my lips, then brought it out and blew imaginary "spa-ish" smoke into the air. Yes, it looked and felt like a real cigarette, and of course, in terms of effect, it felt purely like a rain-forest on fire. Bland. How are you supposed to feel when u drink soda-less soda!

Perfect if you want to mime the action of smoking—if that’s your sort of thing. I’m not sure it’s mine.

The not-so-good !

As I turned the stick around, bits of, er, well, herb, dropped out of the open end. The filter between my fingers didn’t feel firm enough. Come to think of it, why was there a filter at all? What was it supposed to filter out? Not the rose petals, I hoped.

The Worstr !

Rs200 for a pack of 20

The Best
I did not shift from Classic Milds. ITC is still my dream company


PS: Background score: BC MC Sutta na millaaaaaaa.... bc mc bc mc bc mc bc mc....