555 Cigarettes

555 State Express smokes have been produced since 1893. It is characterized by smooth taste and pleasant aroma. 555 is famous for the sponsorship of the car race events. The affordability State Express 555 cigarettes is balanced with excellent tobacco quality. In the opinion of lots of smokers, 555 are probably the best cigarettes in middle price segment. People who once try these fine cigarettes will never be able to forget their premium taste and wonderful flavor.

State Express 555, simply known as 555, is a brand of cigarette originally manufactured in the United Kingdom by the Ardath Tobacco Company. The overseas rights to the brand, excluding the United Kingdom, were acquired by British American Tobacco (B.A.T.) in 1925. It was sold widely throughout the world, including Belgium, Brazil, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mauritius, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Uganda, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Today, the brand is still very popular in Asia, especially in the Greater China area (including mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan), Vietnam, and Cambodia. Some resources suggest it is the most well-known and popular foreign brand in China.

The idea for the STATE EXPRESS brand came from the U.S.in 1893. Sir Albert Levy, a London tobacco merchant, was visiting the United States. While in New York State, Levy was a passenger on the Empire State Express train, which broke land speed records as locomotive No.999, the “Queen of Speed” sped its way from New York City to Buffalo, at a peak of 112 .5 miles per hour (180 km/h). It was the first train to break the 100 m.p.h. (160 km/h) mark.

Levy liked the name so much that he registered the words STATE EXPRESS on his return to Britain. The word trademark was first registered in the Republic of Ireland on 10 March 1896. The numerals (a series of triple numbers from 111 to 999) forming the other part of the trademark were registered under UK Registration No. 290529 on 18 February 1907. All of these numbers were used as different brands, each with a different blend or mix of tobacco: 444 was made with Macedonian leaf, and 777 was made with Turkish tobacco, for example. The numeric ranges for STATE EXPRESS cigarettes were not the only available variants in the market at that time. Other mark names included MY DARLING and ASTORIAS, available in export catalogues. In addition to the cigarette business, cigars and tobaccos were available in the STATE EXPRESS range. But by far the most successful of these was the Virginia tobacco blend of STATE EXPRESS 555, introduced in 1896. It went on to become Ardath’s flagship brand.