King Edward cigarettes left a very pleasant impression despite the substitute cover. It’s tasty and flavorful, and the smoke is just strong enough.

King Edward cigarettes are named after one of the world’s most famous smokers! It was King Edward VII who, on his accession to the throne, uttered the historic phrase “Gentlemen, you may smoke” – a phrase that put an end to Queen Victoria’s tyrannical war against British smokers.

It is also one of the oldest surviving brands. The King Edward brand was launched in early 1940 by Swisher International in the United States. Interestingly, Swisher International’s marketing managers initially wanted to name the new product after the German Kaiser Wilhelm II. However, due to Germany’s aggressive policies in the early ’40s, and thanks to the foresight of Swisher’s management, a more “enduring” name was chosen.

Originally, King Edward was only sold in cigar form. The fact that during the “Great Depression” in the United States, Swisher International didn’t cut production, but strove to increase it to meet demand, proves that it was inexpensive and extremely popular.

In the late 1950s, Swisher mechanized production, and the King Edward cigarettes were no longer exclusively “hand-made”. This increased production and lowered prices. In a rather risky move, Swisher lost many wealthy customers. At the same time, however, it won many customers among the masses thanks to adequate quality and low prices. Indeed, in the early 1960s, production of the King Edward cigarettes began.