Português (named Português Suave until 2001) was a
Portuguese brand
A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...
of
cigarette
A cigarette is a narrow cylinder containing a combustible material, typically tobacco, that is rolled into Rolling paper, thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end, causing it to smolder; the resulting smoke is orally inhale ...
s manufactured by Tabaqueira, a
subsidiary
A subsidiary, subsidiary company, or daughter company is a company (law), company completely or partially owned or controlled by another company, called the parent company or holding company, which has legal and financial control over the subsidia ...
of
Philip Morris International
Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) is a multinational tobacco company, with products sold in over 180 countries. Marlboro is PMI’s most recognized brand, but in the last quarter of 2023, Iqos generated the greatest revenue. Philip Mor ...
.
[Tabaqueira vai acabar com marcas Português azul e vermelho](_blank)
Luís Villalobos, Público, 18 de Novembro de 2011
History
The brand was founded in 1929 during the
Dictatorial Portugal regime and was one of the most popular brands in Portugal during the 1980s and 1990s. However, after foreign brands were introduced and started to dominate the market, the brand gradually lost appeal to Portuguese smokers. The original name of the brand was called "Português Suave" (literally "Smooth" or "Soft Portuguese"), but the name was changed in 2001 to respect the anti-tobacco laws that prohibit the sale of cigarettes with names like "smooth", "light" or "mild".
Português was one of the first unfiltered cigarettes in Portugal, and was one of the last to be discontinued in 2003, when the brand was sold with a filter only.
As of 2011, the variants ''"Português Vermelho (Red)"'' and ''"Português Azul (Blue)"'' have been discontinued.
Packaging
The packs feature various colour patterns (red, blue, yellow, etc.) but it is mainly distinguished by the
Belém Tower
Belém Tower (, ; literally: Bethlehem Tower), officially the Tower of Vincent of Saragossa, Saint Vincent () is a 16th-century fortification located in Lisbon that served as a point of embarkation and disembarkation for Portuguese explorers a ...
on the top of the pack. Português Suave was based on the architectural style with the same name, which marked the 1930s. The suave Portuguese style emerged from a chain of architects, at the beginning of the 20th century. Also known as the
Estado Novo style, it sought to create a ''"genuinely Portuguese"'' architecture. The result was the creation of a style of architecture that introduced new engineering techniques, such as the use of concrete structures, which came to revolutionize not only the way of building but also the way of thinking about buildings. The style was a mixture of exterior aesthetic elements taken from the Portuguese architecture of the 17th and 18th centuries and the traditional houses of the various regions of Portugal.
Various
special edition
The terms special edition, limited edition, and variants such as deluxe edition, collector's edition or expanded edition are used as a marketing incentive for various kinds of products, originally published products related to the arts, such as b ...
versions have also been released over the years, containing other known Portuguese monuments on the packs.
Controversy
Presence of pesticides in cigarettes
In November 2004, the newspaper Portugal Resident revealed that various Portuguese cigarette variants contained
dieldrin
Dieldrin is an organochlorine compound originally produced in 1948 by J. Hyman & Co, Denver, as an insecticide. Dieldrin is closely related to aldrin, which reacts further to form dieldrin. Aldrin is not toxic to insects; it is oxidized in the i ...
, which is a banned
carcinogen
A carcinogen () is any agent that promotes the development of cancer. Carcinogens can include synthetic chemicals, naturally occurring substances, physical agents such as ionizing and non-ionizing radiation, and biologic agents such as viruse ...
ic pesticide in
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
and the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. A few variants of the
SG brand were found to contain this pesticide, but this pesticide was not found in the Português cigarettes.
See also
*
Soft Portuguese style - an architecture style named after the brand's former name
*
Tobacco smoking
Tobacco smoking is the practice of burning tobacco and ingesting the resulting smoke. The smoke may be inhaled, as is done with cigarettes, or released from the mouth, as is generally done with pipes and cigars. The practice is believed to hav ...
References
{{Philip Morris International
Philip Morris brands