His favorite brand of Cigerette

[Romanov_Fan19]

Did the Tsar smoke a certain brand

[Sarushka]

I believe he favored a certain variety of Turkish cigarettes. The answer may be in Rappaport or Rounds. (I'd look it up myself, but I'm away from my books.)

[Sanochka]

I read years ago (possible in Massie's "Nicholas and Alexandra") that Nicholas II smoked Benson & Hedges made especially for him.

[Kalafrana]

It was not uncommon then for upper crust men to have cigarettes especially made for them (ditto hair oil).

In Britain it was considered more gentlemanly to smoke Turkish cigarettes, and every man with pretensions to gentility carried them in a silver cigarette case, never the packet.

Ann

[Превед]

I found Russian sites claiming NII smoked "long Asmolovsky cigarettes with gold edges" from the producer Asmolov and Sons in Rostov-na-Donu, who was "Supplier to the Court of His Imperial Majesty". A successor company apparantly still exists, under the name Donskoy Tabak.

[DNAgenie]

In Britain it was considered more gentlemanly to smoke Turkish cigarettes, and every man with pretensions to gentility carried them in a silver cigarette case, never the packet.

Cigarettes were supplied in tins in those days, not cardboard packets, as the tins were airtight. The cigarettes would then be transferred from the tin to an airtight cigarette case, often silver or gold, and the mark of a gentleman. The tins could then be used for storing small items, and they were often given to children for keeping lead soldiers or marbles or other small toys that were easily lost. The lower orders would keep their cigarettes in the original tins.