Smoking in Amazing Thailand
I know it's an unhealthy habit, but I've been smoking for years and feel good about it. In the Netherlands I mainly smoked Samson or Drum shag. Cigarettes were too expensive.
When I go to Thailand moved, it soon turned into cigarettes. The Dutch rolling tobacco is just too expensive here and the cigarettes are nice and cheap. At the time 35 baht for a pack. The disadvantage of that was (in my case) that I started smoking a lot more and a pack was gone in no time. Cigarette prices have also risen considerably here in recent years. I believe a pack of Marlboro already costs 75 baht. That's not fun anymore. Hardly affordable for the poor Thai.
Thai people therefore often smoke tobacco from the Catbrand brand. That is produced in Bangkok. A very dark tobacco with a strange smell. They use dried banana leaves as a rolling paper. A pack of 35 grams costs 5 baht. A while ago, a Thai acquaintance let me smoke his Catbrand tobacco, but with 'normal' rolling papers (without sticky edge). That is also quite a hassle to keep it complete. It was quite good to smoke. What I missed the most was playing it myself (then I smoke much less). So I started smoking that.
Now, a few years later, I came across a farmer by chance through my many day trips. Here in the area in the interior of Hua Hin. He grows his own tobacco and the best man has his entire barn full of tobacco in various flavors and types. He simply sells that tobacco (duty-free) unpackaged on the local markets. Big bins full. And rolling paper (dried banana leaves) he also has.
You can mix and try your own flavor with him. From now on I have my own taste. And best of all, you buy 1 kilo for 30 baht. You get it in a plastic shopping bag. If I've visited him, I can go ahead for a while.
Life in Thailand can be so simple, Amazing Thailand!
I also buy that cat brand, if you buy it in a plastic box (green color) it is slightly heavier than drum and also slightly more expensive than the plastic packaging, but then you do have rolling paper with an adhesive edge, and I have that further in Thailand not yet found.
It is often the Chinese shops that sell them.
Rolling papers without adhesive edge 1 to 2 thb you can buy everywhere, the Thai rolls it between the hands, and then sticks a bit through the sweat.
I think smoking with those banana leaves is disgusting.
The catbrand red is something between Javanese boys and heavy van Nelle.
I buy the filters at the 7/11 brand lite up cost 33 thb. As a farang you always have to ask, because they themselves do not indicate that they have cheaper brands.
A package of filters costs 9 thb in LAOS and I suspect that this will be about the same in Burma and Cambodia.
By the way, I think that in general the Thai has few smokers.
Catbrand red is now in stock, thanks to the owner of a food stand in Ayutthaya where I occasionally go, who I saw turning a shaggie out of a plastic bag. When I asked where I could buy a pack of 5, he replied something like wait a minute.... He climbed on his scooter and 4 minutes later he was back with 5 packs. I still have plenty of blotting paper, so I'm happy again for now.
In the isaan they sell packets of tobacco, transparent plastic with an orange rim.
little vanilla taste, very good for the pipe, and catbrand also goes well in the pipe.
My husband smokes “Javanese Boys” shag, of which 2 are also depicted on the pack which somehow seems to have an irresistible attraction to Thai men. As soon as he puts the package on a bar or table, it is almost immediately picked up and looked at curiously, after which the inevitable question follows whether they can roll one, which is of course allowed, but rolling a shaggie with mascot rolling paper often turns out to be more difficult than expected. 😉 http://www.flickr.com/photos/miek37/90744985/
Interesting post and comments!
Am avid smoker, dark tobacco genre heavy Van Nelle.
Got alternatives to try again, thanks.
PS in Laos they sell local filter cigarettes, Savannakhet brand. Named after the province they come from. Very cheap. To smoke constantly, contain a lot of tar and do ask me questions…
Davis, I'm still looking for Van Nelle heavily. Where do you get that. I live in the Hua Hin area, and as far as the other tobacco from the farmer is concerned, I would also like to know in which market this farmer is located or where his own shed is. Thanks in advance for the replies from Davis and Luckyluke.
Leen, I've been getting my heavy van Nelle in the center of Hua Hin for years. It's down the street from the police station, just past Burger King and there's a supermarket that sells all kinds of tobacco and cigars. Don't buy everything at once or I'll be in trouble. You can also buy it at some 7-elevens, but then you really have to look.
Please note: trade = trade. The customer = king.
For example, some suppliers deliberately (and of course unseen) inject poison into the tobacco to give it a slightly nicer heavy taste. But yes, a little poison more or less in a butt doesn't matter anymore.
Dear Leo, do they also sell Black Cat cigars in that supermarket of yours
Mascot rolling papers are for sale at The Green Parrot Hua Hin Soi 94.
11 packs for 100 Baht….
I always smoke Black Cat green. Previously, the Black Cat green had a light menthol flavor, but this has been banned as of January 1, 2018. It is a bit of a hassle with the tobacco, because it is a very dry tobacco. I add a few drops of water to get the right moisture content. And then it is quite a good tobacco.
1 piece of potato peel or apple peel works wonders.
Ben Korat
In the past I always bought a box of heavy van Nelle tax-free on exercise in Germany, which of course also became dry with time. I always added a potato peel and then it became nice and moist again.
I have now stopped for 15 years and I no longer have that problem of dry tobacco.
Does anyone know where you can buy very light cigarettes in Chiang Mai? Mallbaro light is still too heavy for me.
Yes ตธๆๆมจ as far as I can see right here in front of me. Black side and then red. But the feet are not made of banana leaves, but bamboo leaves or something like that. If I don't have any feet left, I take banana leaves from my garden, but that's different. You can buy small packs and that's 5 B and double 12 B just increases by 2 B. Yes nice smoking in Thailand. Adhesive tape is not necessary, but it takes some getting used to. Phuf
Marlboro now costs 140 baht!
I now buy Camel, these are available at some Thai supermarkets (not at 7-eleven or mini-C)
When I see them at the Thai shops, I usually buy all the packages they have in stock.
Price is about 60 baht for a pack of Camel, cheaper than LM.
M.vr.gr.
Believe it or not, my wife, as a non-smoker, made a decoction of water from rice. Paste for shag, works well and taste is quite just a tip.