Ahh, the Camel Crush. Possibly the industries freshest gimmic…. erm, innovation! Well… yeah, it’s basically just a gimmick. While it is, however, a neat gimmick, is it a good cigarette? Let’s find out.

Overview:
The Camel Crush is Camels newest product which encapsulates two distinct flavors into one cigarette. The first of the two is “Regular” and the latter is “Fresh”. The cigarette starts out as an everyday unflavored cigarette but instantly transforms into a cool menthol when the consumer squeezes the menthol capsule hidden away inside the filter, which can be done any time before or while smoking, or not at all.

Review:
Pretty neat, huh? Well you know the old saying “Don’t knock it ’til ya try it”? Well, the exact opposite applies here. While the main concept driving this product is extremely revolutionary and has the ability to be the next big thing in the industry the final product ends up lacking, as well as excelling, in the most important department.

Taste. This is a completely mixed bag. First off, the flavor of the “Regular” portion of the cigarette is completely bland. I’m not sure if this is a light cigarette or what, but that’s definitely what it tastes like. I’ve been smoking Camel Filters for about 6 months now so I could just be used to being spoiled by robust and full tasting tobacco, but I notice the lack of flavor in the “Regular” portion of the cigarette here and I’m sure any seasoned smoker will too. This all changes, however, once the menthol is ignited. The latter portion of the light seems to be the obvious choice here, as the menthol is cool and refreshing. It is also, in my personal opinion, one of the best menthol cigarettes on the market at this time.

Final Words:
The verdict on this one varies from person to person. I highly recommend this product to casual smokers who “only smoke when they drink” or “have a cigarette on the occasion”, but cannot, no matter how much I love Camel, recommend this be anyone’s standard cigarette. The neat gimmick of “Crushing” the filter is enough to keep casual smokers and party smokers amused for pack after pack, but when it comes right down to it this is a mediocre cigarette at best.

If the “Regular” blend was the only flavor this product had to offer it would easily be trash that I wouldn’t smoke under any circumstances. Thankfully, though, the rich, fresh taste contained in that giant menthol ball in the filter save this cigarette from being compared to Basics.

Still, I cannot recommend anyone start smoking just for the sake of enjoying this gimmick, but I have to recommend anyone who already smokes try them at least once. The popping of the ball is, in all honesty, rather neat and I can definitely see this being the next big thing in cigarettes. All they need to do is get a better, more full tasting blend of tobacco and it’s go time.

Score:
6/10
Taste: 4(regular)/8(fresh)
Odor: 6(mild, yet noticeable)
Value: 7(average cost of smokes)

img via: http://www.bethecatalyst.org/users/NicBuron