ESSE Cigarettes Lineup: Lights vs Special Gold vs Black Super Slim

By Cigarro | 9/7/2026

The three ESSE super slims on the Cigarro shelf are not the same smoke. Here is how Lights, Special Gold and Black actually differ in tar, flavour and feel.

ESSE, made by KT&G of South Korea, is a super slim cigarette brand sold in the slim 100 mm format. Cigarro stocks three variants, and they look almost identical. They do not smoke the same. This is a side-by-side so you can tell them apart.

ESSE Lights Super Slim - the everyday choice

ESSE Lights Super Slim is the cleanest of the three: tar 4.5 mg, nicotine 0.45 mg, smooth Virginia blend. The lightest draw, the most popular with first-time slim smokers. Available per packet (Rs.330) or carton of 10 (Rs.2,805).

ESSE Special Gold - the smoother middle

ESSE Special Gold drops the tar to 3.5 mg and the nicotine to 0.4 mg while keeping the same 100 mm format. Smokers who find Lights just slightly too light usually land here. It has a touch more body and a softer finish. Same packet and carton pricing as Lights.

ESSE Black Super Slim - the bold one

ESSE Black Super Slim is the richest-tasting of the three: tar 3 mg, nicotine 0.3 mg, but the deepest tobacco flavour of the line. Cheaper too, at Rs.270 per packet and Rs.2,295 per carton. If you like a fuller-tasting slim, this is the one.

Tar vs flavour - which matters more

Tar numbers tell you how much smoke the cigarette delivers; they do not tell you how it tastes. Lights has the highest tar of the three on paper but the mildest feel. Black has the lowest tar but the boldest body. If you are moving from a king size (e.g. Marlboro Red) to slims, Special Gold is the middle ground.

All three on one page

The full ESSE brand page has all three side by side. Cartons of 10 ship nationwide from Cigarro.