The Forgotten Canadian Cigarette Brands: Craven ‘A’, Sweet Caporal, Rothmans
Ask a young Canadian smoker today to name a cigarette brand, and they’ll probably say “Du Maurier,” “Export A,” or “Player’s.” Maybe “Belmont” if they’re from Ontario. But ask their grandparents — and a whole different roster emerges. Craven ‘A’. Sweet Caporal. Rothmans. These were once household names, splashed across billboards, printed on matchbooks, and tucked into shirt pockets from Halifax to Vancouver. Today, they’re almost completely forgotten. This is their story — and a reminder of how much Canada’s tobacco landscape has changed.
🚬 Craven ‘A’
The cork-tipped cigarette. Craven ‘A’ (often pronounced “Craven Aye”) was launched in the United Kingdom by Carreras Tobacco Company, but it became a Canadian staple for decades. What made it distinctive? The cork tip. At a time when most cigarettes had plain paper filters (or none at all), Craven ‘A’ featured a textured cork-patterned filter that wouldn’t stick to your lips. It was considered a mark of sophistication.
The brand’s name came from the Earl of Craven, and the “A” stood for “Amusing” or “Absolutely” — depending on which company historian you asked. In Canada, Craven ‘A’ was particularly popular among older smokers and in Quebec. The brand slowly faded in the 1980s as smoother filtered cigarettes (like Du Maurier) took over. By the late 1990s, Craven ‘A’ had disappeared from most Canadian stores.
🍬 Sweet Caporal
Canada’s original “sweet” smoke. Sweet Caporal was one of Canada’s oldest cigarette brands, produced by the Sweet Caporal Cigarette Company (later part of Imperial Tobacco Canada). Launched in the late 19th century, it was known for its distinctive sweet flavour — a result of added sugar and natural flavourings. The brand’s name combined “Caporal” (a type of French tobacco) with “Sweet” (the flavour profile).
For decades, Sweet Caporal was a working-class staple — affordable, flavorful, and widely available. The packaging featured a distinctive red and gold design with a military cap motif. By the 1950s, Sweet Caporal had lost ground to newer, “lighter” brands. The final blow came with the rise of filter cigarettes in the 1960s. Sweet Caporal was discontinued in Canada in the 1970s, though it survived a bit longer in some European markets.
🏆 Rothmans
The king-size challenger. Rothmans was a British brand that aggressively entered the Canadian market in the 1950s. It was known for its king-size length (longer than standard cigarettes), bold flavour, and association with luxury and racing. Rothmans sponsored the Rothmans Formula 1 team and countless sporting events. In Canada, Rothmans was particularly popular in the 1970s and 1980s among young professionals.
The brand’s iconic black-and-gold packaging was instantly recognizable. Rothmans also introduced variants like “Rothmans Special” and “Rothmans Lights.” By the 1990s, Rothmans had been absorbed into larger tobacco conglomerates, and the brand gradually faded from Canadian shelves. Today, Rothmans is still sold in some international markets, but it’s virtually extinct in Canada — a ghost of the era when smoking was glamorous.
📜 More Ghosts of Canada’s Tobacco Past
Craven ‘A’, Sweet Caporal, and Rothmans weren’t the only ones to vanish. Here are a few more names that would make any older Canadian smoker nostalgic:
- Macdonald’s Gold Standard — a popular value brand from the early 1900s.
- Turret — a British brand sold in Canada post-WWII.
- Benson & Hedges (Gold) — still exists overseas, but largely gone from Canada.
- Number 7 — a discount brand from the 1970s–80s.
- Canadian Club — no relation to the whisky; a short-lived cigarette brand.
🕰️ A Timeline of Rise and Fall
Sweet Caporal launches in Canada. It becomes one of the country’s most popular brands for the next 80 years.
Craven ‘A’ arrives from the UK. Its cork tip makes it a hit with sophisticated smokers.
Rothmans enters the Canadian market, challenging domestic brands with king-size cigarettes and F1 sponsorship.
Filter cigarettes (Du Maurier, Player’s Filter) dominate. Sweet Caporal is discontinued. Craven ‘A’ begins to fade.
Health warnings, advertising bans, and tax hikes shrink the market. Rothmans and Craven ‘A’ disappear from Canadian stores.
Plain packaging erases all brand identity from commercial cigarettes. The last visual traces of these forgotten brands vanish entirely.
💰 What Replaced Them? Native Cigarettes.
As the old commercial brands died off or turned into indistinguishable brown boxes, Canadian smokers found an alternative: native cigarettes. Brands like Canadian Light, BB, Nexus, duMont, Playfare, Rolled Gold, and Canadian Crush are produced on Indigenous territory under constitutional protection. They offer:
- ✅ Full-colour packaging with real branding (no plain brown boxes)
- ✅ Natural tobacco with fewer additives
- ✅ Prices 80–85% lower than commercial brands
- ✅ Legal online delivery across Canada
💰 Then vs. Now: The Price of Nostalgia
| Era | Average Price per Pack | Adjusted for Inflation (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| 1950s (Craven ‘A’ era) | $0.25–0.30 | ~$3.00–3.50 |
| 1970s (Rothmans era) | $0.50–0.75 | ~$4.00–5.50 |
| 2026 Commercial (plain packaging) | $20–25 | $20–25 |
| 2026 Native (Cigstore.ca) | $2.90–5.00 | $2.90–5.00 |
Native cigarettes today cost about the same (in real dollars) as Craven ‘A’ or Rothmans did in their heyday.
Popular Native Cigarette Brands on Cigstore.ca
While the old icons faded into plain brown boxes, these native brands carry the torch with real packaging, natural tobacco, and fair prices. All cartons contain 10 packs (200 cigarettes).
$29 flat shipping on orders under $290. Free shipping on orders $290+. Adult signature required.
🔮 What Happened to the Old Brands?
Some old brands still exist as intellectual property owned by Imperial Tobacco Canada or other conglomerates. But none are actively marketed in Canada. Plain packaging (2019) stripped away their logos and colours — reducing them to the same drab brown boxes as every other commercial cigarette. For all practical purposes, Craven ‘A’, Sweet Caporal, and Rothmans are dead brands. They live on only in the memories of older smokers and the matchbooks they collected.
Final thought: The next time you light a Canadian Light or a Rolled Gold, remember the brands that came before. Craven ‘A’, Sweet Caporal, and Rothmans were once giants — brought down by regulation, changing tastes, and economics. Today, if you want a cigarette with real packaging, natural tobacco, and a fair price, native brands are the only game left. But their existence is a direct continuation of an unbroken tradition: Canadians have always found a way to smoke on their own terms.