Natural American Spirit
Natural American Spirit is a brand of cigarette and tobacco products manufactured in the United States by the Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company, a wholly owned independent subsidiary of Reynolds American, in turn 42% owned by British American Tobacco. The company was founded in 1982.
Their products are marketed as being "100% Additive-Free Tobacco", though they are required to include the standard generic Surgeon General tobacco warning on the packs and the company is required by federal regulation to state "no additives in our tobacco does NOT mean a safer cigarette." This was part of an FTC ruling and agreement resulting from allegations that the advertisement of additive-free cigarettes made consumers feel that the product might be less addictive than regular cigarettes.[1] Research by US and German government health agencies has found significant levels of toxic chemicals even in pure additive-free tobacco and its smoke.[2]
California Attorney General Edmund Gerald "Jerry" Brown, Jr. announced on March 1, 2010, that his office has secured an agreement with Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company, Inc., the manufacturer of American Spirit tobacco products, that requires the company to clearly disclose that its organic tobacco is "no safer or healthier" than other tobacco products. Attorney generals from 32 other states and the District of Columbia signed onto the agreement: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, South Dakota, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.[3]
The logo uses the typeface Neuland Inline.
Varieties
There are currently 5 blends of tobacco found in Natural American Spirit products: original, 100% US Grown, 100% Organic, Perique Rich Robust and Perique Rich. The 13 different pack varieties are distinguished by which blend of tobacco is used as well as the thickness of the filter, the porosity of the paper and the presence of absence of menthol in the filter.
Packs
| Type | Package Color |
| Full-Bodied | Blue |
| Balanced | Celadon/Sage |
| Mellow | Yellow |
| Smooth Mellow | Orange (previously yellow and white) |
| Non-Filter | Brown |
| Organic Full-Bodied | Maroon |
| Organic Mellow | Gold |
| Perique Rich Robust | Black |
| Perique Rich | Gray |
| U.S. Grown Full-Bodied | Dark Blue |
| U.S. Grown Mellow | Tan |
| Menthol Full-Bodied | Dark Green |
| Menthol Mellow | Green (previously green and white) |
Roll-Your-Own tobacco
| Type | Package Color |
| Original Blend | Blue |
| U.S. Grown Blend | Dark Blue |
| Organic Blend | Maroon |
| Perique Blend | Black |
The Original and U.S. Grown blends are available in both 40g pouches and 150g tins. The Organic and Perique blends are available only in 40g pouches. Pouches include regular cut tobacco and 50 rolling papers whereas tins include medium shag cut tobacco and 200 rolling papers.
Worldwide availability
In the UK, only two cigarette varieties are commonly available, in yellow or blue packs, plus the rolling tobacco. American Spirit tobacco is available in the UK in Oddbins, Sainsbury's, Waitrose, Tesco, Asda, specialist tobacconists, and occasional newsagents.
In Germany, Switzerland and Italy more varieties are available.
Germany:
Blue (Tar 9 mg / Nicotin 1.0 mg / Carbon Monoxide 10 mg)
Green (Tar 7 mg / Nicotin 0.8 mg / Carbon Monoxide 8 mg)
Yellow (Tar 5 mg / Nicotin 0.6 mg / Carbon Monoxide 6 mg)
Orange (Tar 3 mg / Nicotin 0.4 mg / Carbon Monoxide 4 mg)
Perique (Tar 9 mg / Nicotin 1.0 mg / Carbon Monoxide 10 mg)
Organic (Tar 5 mg / Nicotin 0.6 mg / Carbon Monoxide 7 mg);
plus rolling tobacco (Original blend, Perique blend and Organic blend).
Switzerland: The same as in Germany except for the Organic Blend products.
Italy: Blue, yellow and orange packs plus rolling tobacco (Original blend and Organic blend).[4]
In 2003 the European Union enacted legislation that set the maximum values for tar, nicotine, and carbon monoxide in cigarettes to levels much lower than those found in the United States. Cigarettes can contain no more than 10 mg of tar, 1 mg of nicotine, and 10 mg of carbon monoxide. This legislation also banned the use of the terms "full flavour", "mild", "light", and "ultra-light" in relation to tobacco products. Proponents believed the terms mislead consumers about the dangers of cigarettes using such labels. The same legislation forced producers to prominently feature the warning "smoking kills", in the official language of whatever country they were sold in, on all packs.
Some Natural American Spirit products are also sold in several other European countries, as well as in Australia and Japan.
In Popular Culture
In the film Kill Bill, Elle Driver can be seen lighting a cigarette bearing the iconic American Spirit eagle logo while speaking to Budd.
In Escape From L.A., Snake Plissken finds a pack of American Spirit cigarettes on the ground at the end, and his last act in the film is to light one. The pack is a red color, indicating that they may be the Organic Blend variety.
In Season 6 Episode 8 of the Showtime show Weeds, titled "Gentle Puppies", Nancy Botwin is seen smoking American Spirits from a yellow pack, indicating that they may be the Filter Light variety.
In rap music video by Mac Miller "Nikes On My Feet" there is a brief cut scene showing a green, menthol pack during the beginning parts. He can also be seen smoking a menthol American Spirit in his video "Wear My Hat".
In the pilot episode of LOST, Sawyer can be seen lighting an American Spirit.
In He's Just Not That into You, Bradley Cooper smokes Natural American Spirits, a fact that he hides from his wife (played by Jennifer Connolly).
In various episodes of the FX Drama Sons of Anarchy many cast members are visible smoking Natural American Spirits.
In Definitely, Maybe, April schools Will (played by Ryan Reynolds) in the benefits of smoking Natural American Spirits versus another major American brand.
Tony Soprano of The Sopranos is seen smoking an american spirit in his psychologists car.
KMFDM founder and vocalist Sascha Konietzko, when asked in a few interviews, has stated that he smokes Natural American Spirits exclusively.
In the TV series Breaking Bad, various cast members can be seen smoking Natural American Spirits.
References
- ^ http://www.ftc.gov/os/2000/06/santafe.do.htm
- ^ Sophia, Fischer; Bertold Spiegelhalder; and Rudolf Preussmann. 1989. Preformed tobacco-specific nitrosamines in tobacco—role of nitrate and influence of tobacco type. Carcinogenesis. 10:1511–1517. [1] (accessed 26 April 2009).
- ^ California Attorney General's Press Release March 01, 2010
- ^ http://www.americanspirit-info.de/login.php
External links
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