Okay, let me tell you about this weird memory I have involving something called “Black Death” cigarettes. It wasn’t really a deep dive or anything, more like a strange encounter back in the day.
Finding Them
I remember bumping into these, I think it was late 90s, maybe early 2000s? Can’t quite place the exact year. Wasn’t in a regular store, definitely not. It was probably one of those smoke shops that sold all sorts of odd stuff, you know, imported things, weird lighters, that kind of place. Or maybe a friend brought them back from somewhere. The details are a bit fuzzy now.
What stuck with me was the packaging. Seriously striking. It was usually black, stark black, with a skull and crossbones right on the front. Very goth, very trying-to-be-edgy. The name itself, “Black Death,” was obviously meant to shock or grab attention. And yeah, it did.
The Experience (or lack thereof)
So, did I actually smoke them? Here’s the thing. I remember holding the pack, looking at it. We were young, or younger anyway, and stuff like this seemed… intriguing? Rebellious? Dumb? Probably a mix of all three.
- First thought: Wow, this looks intense.
- Second thought: Is this even legal?
- Third thought: Who actually buys this regularly?
I think I might have tried one, just once, out of sheer curiosity. Or maybe I just bummed one off someone who had them. Honestly, the memory of the smoke itself is completely gone. If I did try it, it couldn’t have been that remarkable, taste-wise. Probably tasted like any other cheap cigarette, maybe a bit harsh.
The real experience wasn’t the smoking; it was the object itself. The statement it made. It felt like a prop more than a cigarette. Something you’d show off to your friends, like “Look at this crazy thing I found.”
Looking Back
Now, thinking back, it just seems like a really obvious marketing gimmick. Slap a skull on it, give it a scary name, and boom, instant appeal to a certain crowd. It was all about the image. Pretty cynical, really, trying to make smoking look cool by associating it with death, even ironically.
Never saw them much after that initial period. Maybe they got banned, or maybe the novelty just wore off. It was just one of those weird little footnotes, a product that was more about the shock value on the package than anything inside it. Just a strange thing I remember seeing, holding, and thinking, “Well, that’s certainly… something.” That’s about the extent of my “practice” with Black Death cigarettes – more of a brief, odd observation than anything else.
