French Cigarettes Trademark

Gauloises is a brand of cigarette of French invent. It is produced by the company Altadis. Traditional Gauloises were originally short, wide, unfiltered and made with dark tobaccos from Syria and Turkey which gave off a strong and distinctive smell.

It origianlly came out in 1910 in France without any kind of filters using tobacco blends with tobacco grown in Syria and Turkey. The smell of the smoke was tarry, very strong and irritated anyone who hadn’t grown up with the smell. British sldiers who fought in France called them “Golliwogs”, a rather unflattering name for the really dark cigarettes. They were one of the favorite brands of author George Orwell, artist Pablo Picasso and thinker Jean-Paul Sarte.

Their trademark slogan is “Fredom Always”, reminding French smokers of the French Revolution. The boxes often have the colors of the French flag, blue, red and white. There is a very proud, fierce griffon ethed on the box staring right at you, as if to say, “You don’t like the smell of these cigarettes? Tough cookies!” They are not allowed to be sold in America. The current manufacturers, Altadis, very recently moved production to Spain and Russia from France. They are now made with filters and are often called Gauloises Blondes.

Galouises has achieved semi-iconic status. Between the World Wars, the smoking of Gauloises in France was considered patriotic. The brand was also linked to high-status and inspirational figures representing the worlds of art like Pablo Picasso and the intellectual elite like Jean Paul Sartre. This, together with the romantic associations of France, made Gauloises a popular brand among some writers and artists.
In mid 2003 the Gauloises brand was discontinued entirely in the USA. Remaining inventory carried through into early 2004. Company officials are on record as saying they have no plans to ever again sell Gauloises in the USA.

The brand is most famous for its very cigarettes' strength, especially in its original unfiltered version. Lower tar versions of Gauloises Cigarettes are also available, sold in red and golden/white packets. Gauloises Cigarettes strong taste and romantic associations of France make Gauloises a popular brand among many famous writers and artists. Today Gauloise Cigarettes remain a popular brand worldwide, as many smokers recognize their strong, pleasant taste and high-quality tobacco smoke.

A lower tar version of Gauloises Cigarettes is also available, sold in red and golden/white packets. Gauloises Cigarettes strong taste and romantic associations of France, make Gauloises a popular brand among many famous writers and artists.
Today Gauloise Cigarettes remain a popular brand worldwide, as many smokers recognize their strong, pleasant taste and high-quality tobacco smoke.

Gitanes is another well-known French cigarette brand that sells better than Gauloises in France. They tend to be less expensive than their more infamous competition, but are still a strong smoke. They market with the same “We’re French and so what if you don’t it?” attitude, but a little milder. Instead of “Freedom Always!” and a mythological creature starting from the box at you, there are gentle wording, softer colors and the golden silhouette of a woman in a wide skirt banging on a tambourine. Why the woman? In French, “Gitanes” means “gypsy woman”. The Gitanes cigarettes are also often refered to as “blondes”. The blonde referrs to the color of the tobacco. Gitanes were David Bowie’s favorite cigarettes in the 1970’s. Gitanes also began in France and grew bigger and bigger, being especially popular in England and Russia. They have fallen on some hard times and now have only plant open in the Netherlands. The taste now is said to be milder, with less tar, than when it originally came out. They also were “brunettes”, as the tobacco then was very darkly colored. It is thought that they will not reintroduce the dark tobacco into the Gitanes line again. You can buy Gitanes Blondes from our online store.