The Reynolds Tobacco Empire began its triumphant march across the United States. One of its major breakthroughs was the creation of the Camel cigarette brand, and the PR and marketing specialists at R.J.R. Tobacco Company always stood out for their aggressive attitude and cynical creativity.

Fighting against their main competitor, Philip Morris, they managed to lay a good foundation for promoting a radically new cigarette brand. America was fed up with strong cigarettes and almost identical flavors being sold under different names. A qualitative leap was needed for successful promotion. The vacant niche was occupied by Winston cigarettes.

Legend has it that the new tobacco was introduced thanks to Edward Darr, one of the directors of the R.J.R. Tobacco Company. Allegedly, he was vacationing in Switzerland when he came across a filter cigarette that was gaining popularity in Europe.

He gave it a try and loved it. Encouraged by the new trend, he returned to the U.S. and convened a committee of R.J.R. experts. They thought. And smoked. They thought again and decided that American consumers would like the new trick. The main thing was to ensure that smokers would not lose the opportunity to enjoy the strength and flavor of the tobacco because of the filter.

At the same time, the new cigarette used a filter and a special mixture of tobacco, which soon became known as the “American blend.” The main difference from other tobaccos was the inclusion of a “barley” variety of tobacco, which was not only dried but also specially heat-treated to obtain a light caramel flavor.