Lucky Strike cigarettes in Switzerland: varieties, strength and history
Brand guide · Cigarettes in Switzerland
A red circle on a white ground and three words that made advertising history: "It's toasted". Lucky Strike is more than 150 years old and one of the best-known cigarette brands in the world. Yet on Swiss shelves today you'll find far more than the classic red pack: Blue, Sky, Amber, Wild and cigarettes with not one but two flavour capsules in the filter. This guide shows you which Lucky Strike variety is which, what lies behind the famous slogan and how Lucky Strike differs from Heimat, whose taste comes entirely from Swiss leaves.
In short
- Manufacturer: Lucky Strike now belongs to British American Tobacco. The brand was founded in 1871 in Richmond, Virginia, originally as chewing tobacco.
- Varieties in Switzerland: Original Red, Blue, Sky, Amber, Wild, Double Click varieties such as Unlimited, Toniq and Zest, plus Blue Crush and MYO tobacco.
- "It's toasted": The slogan stood for tobacco treated with heat. Today, hot-air curing is the global standard for Virginia tobacco.
- Alternative: Instead of a toasting promise and a capsule, Heimat relies on 100 % Swiss tobacco, fermented in Payerne, free of additives and traceable right back to the field.
Lucky Strike: the story of an American icon
The Lucky Strike story begins in 1871 in Richmond, in the US state of Virginia. That's where tobacco merchant R.A. Patterson launched a chewing tobacco under the name. Only in the early 20th century did Lucky Strike become a cigarette, then under the umbrella of the American Tobacco Company. The same era gave birth to the slogan "It's toasted", which defined the brand for decades.
In the 1940s the pack switched from green to white. Ever since, the red circle on a white ground has been the brand's calling card. Today Lucky Strike belongs to British American Tobacco, the group that also owns brands such as Pall Mall and Dunhill.
What does "It's toasted" mean?
With "It's toasted", Lucky Strike advertised that its tobacco was treated with heat. The message: a milder, rounder taste. Today, hot-air curing is the global standard for Virginia tobacco. The trade calls it "flue-cured", meaning tobacco dried in heated barns. That's how it gets its golden-yellow colour and natural sweetness.
So the slogan is less a secret than an early masterclass in marketing. But it does show how much a cigarette's taste depends on how the tobacco is cured and processed.
Lucky Strike varieties in Switzerland
Lucky Strike has a broad range in Switzerland. These are the varieties you'll currently find in shops:
| Variety | What you should know |
|---|---|
| Lucky Strike Original Red | The brand's classic. Available as a box, in a pack of 25 and in a pack of 29. |
| Lucky Strike Blue | The brand's second major variety, as a box and in a pack of 25. |
| Lucky Strike Sky | Another variety with its own blend profile. |
| Lucky Strike Amber | Another variety in a box. |
| Lucky Strike Wild | As a box and in a pack of 25. |
| Lucky Strike Double Click | Varieties such as Unlimited, Toniq and Zest with two flavour capsules in the filter. |
| Lucky Strike Blue Crush | A version with a flavour capsule in the filter. |
The capsule varieties in particular come and go often. To see what's available right now, check the shelf at your kiosk or petrol station.
Lucky Strike Original Red
Lucky Strike Original Red, usually just called "Lucky Strike Rot" (German for red), is the variety that made the brand big. Its blend is dominated by bright, flue-cured Virginia tobacco, the very tobacco "It's toasted" refers to. Ask for "a Lucky" at the kiosk and this is usually the pack you'll get. Besides the box, Original Red also comes with 25 or 29 cigarettes.
Lucky Strike Blue
Lucky Strike Blue is the second major variety in the range. Many people reach for Blue when Original Red is too strong for them. The exact tar and nicotine values are printed on every pack. There's also Blue Crush, a version with a flavour capsule in the filter.
Lucky Strike Double Click
Lucky Strike Double Click has two flavour capsules in the filter. Squeeze one and the taste of the smoke changes. In Switzerland, Double Click comes in varieties such as Unlimited, Toniq and Zest. They're made for anyone who likes to play with flavour. At the same time, they show how heavily modern industrial cigarettes rely on flavourings: here the taste no longer comes from the tobacco alone, but to a large extent from the capsule.
Lucky Strike tobacco
Besides cigarettes, Lucky Strike also sells MYO tobacco ("make your own"), for example in a large pouch or as Lucky Strike Blue. When you fill your own, you decide on the amount and the filter. Further down we introduce you to MYO tobacco made from Swiss leaves.
How strong is Lucky Strike?
Red, Blue, Sky or Amber tell you nothing precise about strength. What counts is what a Lucky Strike delivers when you smoke it: nicotine, tar and carbon monoxide. Swiss law sets an upper limit per cigarette for each of these substances:
Every Lucky Strike pack shows the values for that variety. Because words like "light" or "mild" are banned, the brand works with colours and names such as Sky or Amber. How much nicotine you actually take in depends on the way you smoke. Our article on the nicotine content of cigarettes gives you the background.
Lucky Strike compared with other brands
Lucky Strike, Chesterfield, Marlboro and Camel are all American blend brands. Lucky Strike stands out mainly through its toasting story and its double capsules, the others through their group, blend and image.
| Brand | Well-known varieties | Group |
|---|---|---|
| Lucky Strike | Original Red, Blue, Sky, Amber | British American Tobacco |
| Camel | Filters (yellow), Blue, Essential, Crush | Japan Tobacco International |
| Marlboro | Red, Gold, Touch | Philip Morris International |
| Chesterfield | Original, White, Orange, Unplugged | Philip Morris International |
| Gauloises | Blondes Bleu, Blondes Rouges, Brunes | Imperial Brands |
| Davidoff | Gold, Classic, Gold Slims | Imperial Brands |
There are more brand guides on Dunhill, Parisienne, Winston and American Spirit. Looking for tobacco with nothing added? Our piece on Pueblo tobacco will help you out.
We also have profiles of Davidoff and Gauloises. Already filling Lucky Strike MYO or prefer to roll your own? Then take a look at our overview of rolling tobacco brands and our guide to the cigarette machine.
Buying Lucky Strike: what applies in Switzerland
The red pack is subject to the same rules as any other cigarette. They are based on the Tobacco Products Act, in force since 1 October 2024. The key points:
- Sale only from age 18, the same throughout Switzerland.
- Every pack carries picture warnings.
- Advertising and sponsorship are only allowed with restrictions.
- Nicotine pouches and e-cigarettes fall under the same rules.
The red pack with the circle is on sale at kiosks, petrol stations and in retail shops. Buying online is also possible in Switzerland, as long as your age is checked. Our guide Ordering tobacco on invoice walks you through the process.
Fermented, not toasted: cigarettes made with Swiss tobacco
Lucky Strike turned heat treatment into an advertising promise. At Heimat, the taste comes about in a different way: after curing, the tobacco matures in Payerne through fermentation. That needs no capsules or additives. The aroma comes from the leaf alone, grown in Swiss fields and processed in our own manufacture.
From the field to the pack
Instead of in Virginia, Virginia and Burley grow here on Swiss farms spread across eight cantons. GMOs are ruled out right from the seed.
Every leaf is picked by hand. The leaves then hang in barns, where they dry and turn golden yellow or brown.
This is where it differs from "It's toasted": in Payerne the tobacco ferments under controlled heat, loses its harshness and develops its own aromas.
Cutting and processing happen in house, with Swiss mountain spring water. No humectants or flavourings are added.
How the current harvest was grown and processed is shown on our page Field-fresh Swiss tobacco 2026.
No flavour from a capsule. With Heimat, the taste comes from Swiss Virginia and Burley, and nothing else.
Industrial capsule cigarette
- Tobacco blend from several countries of origin
- Taste often from additives or a capsule in the filter
- Where the leaf comes from stays unclear to you
- Made in large factories
Heimat made with Swiss tobacco
- Only tobacco from Swiss fields, 100 %
- Taste from the leaf, free of additives, humectants and flavourings
- GMO-free and traceable to the field
- Made in our own manufacture
From Lucky Strike to Heimat: your variety
Heimat Original Hell. Lots of Virginia, the same bright tobacco type as in the red pack, just from Switzerland: golden, mild and naturally sweet.
Heimat Original Dunkel. Here Burley sets the tone: earthy, nutty and fuller in flavour.
Heimat Pfefferminze & Königskerze. The freshness comes from Swiss organic herbs, peppermint and mullein, not a little bead in the filter.
Go to Heimat cigarettes Heimat MYO tobacco
Flavour without capsule or smoke
Heimat Nicotine Pouches
Double Click is all about the moment the capsule cracks and the taste changes. Heimat Nicotine Pouches bring you flavour without smoke and without tobacco, in four varieties: Menthol Ice is cool, Fresh Lemon is lemony, Wild Cherry and Frosty Berry are fruity. Handy wherever smoking isn't possible, like on the train, in the office or on the plane.
- Swiss Made and triple lab-tested
- Free of tobacco and colourings
- Exactly 15 mg nicotine in every pouch
- Sits discreetly under your upper lip
Important: even without tobacco, there's nicotine inside, and nicotine is addictive. At 15 mg per pouch, they are meant for adults who already use nicotine regularly, for example former Lucky Strike smokers.
Go to the pouchesSee the ingredientsFAQ about Lucky Strike
Who makes Lucky Strike?
Lucky Strike now belongs to British American Tobacco. The brand originally comes from Richmond in the US state of Virginia, where it started out in 1871 as chewing tobacco.
What does "It's toasted" mean?
From the early 20th century, Lucky Strike used the slogan to advertise that its tobacco was treated with heat. Today, hot-air curing is the global standard for Virginia tobacco.
Which Lucky Strike varieties are available in Switzerland?
Currently on sale are Original Red, Blue, Sky, Amber and Wild, among others, plus Double Click varieties such as Unlimited, Toniq and Zest, the Blue Crush version and MYO tobacco.
What is Lucky Strike Double Click?
Double Click cigarettes have two flavour capsules in the filter. Squeeze one and the taste of the smoke changes.
How strong is Lucky Strike Blue or Sky?
Every pack lists its variety's tar and nicotine values. By law, a cigarette may deliver no more than 1 mg nicotine, 10 mg tar and 10 mg carbon monoxide.
Is there a Lucky Strike alternative made with Swiss tobacco?
Yes. Heimat turns tobacco from Swiss fields into cigarettes, rolling tobacco and MYO tobacco. Instead of capsules and additives, fermentation in Payerne shapes the taste, and every leaf can be traced right back to the field.
Is there a smoke-free alternative to capsule cigarettes?
Yes, nicotine pouches for example. Heimat offers them in Menthol Ice, Fresh Lemon, Wild Cherry and Frosty Berry. They contain no tobacco and produce no smoke, but they do contain nicotine, which is addictive.
Health warning: Smoking kills. Nicotine, whether in tobacco or in nicotine pouches, is highly addictive. All products may only be bought by adults aged 18 and over. The names Lucky Strike, Chesterfield, Marlboro, Camel and all other brands mentioned here are the property of their owners. This guide is independent information and has no connection to the manufacturers mentioned. More in our risk information.