Nat Sherman advertises these as "The World's Most Elegant Cigarette", and they do look very nice indeed, with the long black tobacco rod set off perfectly by the golden activated charcoal filter. Even the box design is more aesthetically pleasing than most cigarettes; it has raised gold lettering over a black-and-white night photograph of the NYC skyline.
However...
They are quite expensive, upwards of US $6 a pack, and they taste like crap. Charcoal filters are not nice; though NS calls the flavor "substantial", "mild", and "crisp", the smoke is weak and nearly flavorless, lacking any of the subtle aromas of good tobacco. What flavor there is so noxious that even a pack-a-day smoker has trouble finishing one. They are a classic triumph of style over substance; most who smoke them do so to be seen smoking them and few discriminating lovers of tobacco will touch this over-priced trash. | 
