American Spirit in Switzerland: tobacco, cigarettes, colours and strength

American Spirit is one of the best-known tobacco brands that advertises tobacco without additives. In Switzerland most people know the brand as rolling tobacco in the blue or yellow pack, and there are also cigarettes in several colours. Here you will find what is behind the brand, what the colours mean, which varieties are available in Switzerland and how they differ in strength.

Origin of the American Spirit brand

The full name of the brand is Natural American Spirit. It comes from the Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company, founded in 1982 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. R.J. Reynolds took over the company in 2002. Outside the USA, the brand has belonged to Japan Tobacco International (JTI) since 2016, the group that also distributes Camel.

Every pack carries a colour system that shows variety and strength at a glance.

What is special about American Spirit tobacco?

According to the manufacturer, American Spirit uses tobacco without additives. Many other brands add flavourings, humectants or sugar. With American Spirit, the tobacco consists only of tobacco leaves and water. This makes it taste more natural and slightly drier than many industrial blends.

Important: no additives does not mean less harmful. Smoke from additive-free tobacco contains nicotine, tar and carbon monoxide just the same. In the USA, the manufacturer had to state this explicitly.

American Spirit colours: what Blue, Yellow and Orange mean

For the cigarettes, the colour shows the strength. All varieties use the same tobacco and differ in filter, amount of tobacco and paper.

Strength of American Spirit cigarettes

These values were stated by the manufacturer for the cigarettes. They may vary depending on country of production and batch.

Source: manufacturer figures, as cited by Wikipedia. Terms such as light or mild say nothing about a lower risk.

American Spirit rolling tobacco

Rolling tobacco is the best-known part of the range in Switzerland. The fine cut comes as Blue (Original Blue) and Yellow, each in a 25 g pouch, and Blue also in a 70 g tin.

Which American Spirit varieties have been discontinued?

The range has become smaller in recent years. In Germany, the green cigarettes (2022), the black Perique cigarettes and the organic varieties Organic and Organic Burley disappeared, among others. Perique rolling tobacco is no longer sold either. The best way to see which varieties are currently available is to check directly at your point of sale.

Where can I buy American Spirit in Switzerland?

In Switzerland you will find American Spirit at kiosks, specialist tobacco shops, Coop and online shops with age verification. The Blue and Yellow rolling tobacco is the most widely available, Orange and the tin are more likely to be found in specialist shops. Prices vary by point of sale.

Swiss alternative: Heimat tobacco without additives

You roll American Spirit because a natural tobacco without flavourings matters to you? Then take a look at Heimat. Our tobacco grows in Switzerland in the Lake Constance region, is processed in our own manufactory and also contains no artificial additives. The difference: our tobacco does not come from the USA, but from the field next door.

More brands at a glance: Camel cigarettes, Marlboro Gold and Red, Parisienne cigarettes, Dunhill cigarettes and Winston.

Natural American Spirit is a registered trademark of Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company. Heimat has no business connection with the owners of the American Spirit brand. The information on this page is for information purposes only and makes no claim to completeness.