Product Fact Sheet 126

Philip Morris International (PMI) –Virginia S. Clear Finish

in South Korea – PMI´s First Super Slim Capsule Product

October 2013/ Global Lead Centre for Competitor Intelligence PRODUCT CENTRE / EUROPE
 Product Fact Sheet 126
Philip Morris International (PMI) –Virginia S.
Clear Finish in South Korea – PMI´s First Super
Slim Capsule Product

October 2013/ Global Lead Centre for Competitor Intelligence PRODUCT CENTRE / EUROPE
Global Lead Centre for Product Competitor Intelligence

For further information please contact

Sina Kasper
Product Centre Europe (PC-E)
Mail: sina_kasper@bat.com
Phone: +49 921 291 5554
Mobile: +49 172 45 16 18 8

© British American Tobacco Limited 2013. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced in any form or
by any means without the prior written consent of British American Tobacco (Investments) Limited.
This document is proprietary to British American Tobacco (Investments) Limited and is provided to employees during the
course of their employment and for no other purposes. Unauthorized possession or use of this material or dis-closure of the
proprietary information may result in legal action.

October 2013/ Global Lead Centre for Competitor Intelligence PRODUCT CENTRE / EUROPE
 Virginia S. Clear Finish in South Korea - Pictures
Virginia S. Clear Finish 4 Virginia S. Clear Finish 1
Tar: 4 mg, Nic: 0.3 mg, CO: x mgri Tar: 1 mg, Nic: 0.1 mg, CO: x mg

Hot Foil Stamping

Embossed/Debossed
Elements

Front Back Front Back

Mono Mono
Acetate Acetate
Multi Multi
Filter with Filter with
coloured coloured
capsule capsule
Tipping Tipping
paper paper

Cigarette Virginia S. 4 mg Cigarette Virginia S. 1 mg

October 2013/ Global Lead Centre for Competitor Intelligence PRODUCT CENTRE / EUROPE
Virginia S. Clear Finish in South Korea - Claims

Hot Foil Stamping

“Clear Ball – crush

capsule right
before last 2-3 puff
for a clean finish”

Open
Pack

“Crush the capsule

in the filter for a
clean finish”

October 2013/ Global Lead Centre for Competitor Intelligence PRODUCT CENTRE / EUROPE
 Virginia S. Clear Finish in South Korea– Conclusion I

Philip Morris International launched Virginia S. Clear Finish 1 mg & 4 mg in South Korea in July 2013. It is the PMI´s first Super Slim Capsule product.

Virginia S. Clear Finish 4 mg Tar: 4 [mg/cig], Nic: 0.3 [mg/cig], CO: x [mg/cig]

Virginia S. Clear Finish 1 mg Tar: 1 [mg/cig], Nic: 0.1 [mg/cig], CO: x [mg/cig]

Price per pack: 2.500 KRW (same as core range)

Segmentation: Premium

Share of market: Jul 2013: 0.1 % (both variants)

Share of market Virginia S. Family: Jun 2013: 4.1 %

Shortly after KT&G launched with Esse Change the world´s first Super Slim Capsule product in South Korea, PMI launched their first Super
Slim Capsule product Virginia S. Clear Finish in the same end market. PMI´s focus for their Virginia S. capsule product was not only to
deliver a cooling/freshness effect but also an additional benefit in the form of a clear finish. Communication on the pack tells the consumer
they should crush the capsule before the last 2-3 puffs to get a clear finish. So the aim is not to reach high menthol levels but a nice after
taste.

This concept could already be seen on the Pianissimo Viv launched in November 2011 in Japan*. This product had the following claim:
“After crushing the capsule, you can enjoy a sweet, strong menthol flavour with a refreshingly clean taste - crushing the capsule leaves you
with a cleaner aftertaste and less imposing tobacco odour in your mouth than not crushing it”.

In order to fulfil the claim the capsule of the Virginia S. Clear Finish contains not only menthol, spearmint and peppermint but also sweet
and smoothening agents which are detectable in the post crush smoke. The Virginia S. Clear Finish 1 mg and the Virginia S. Clear Finish 4
mg share the same US blend . The tobacco flavour is not very intense, no characterising substances can be found. Some sweet notes are
detectable in the smoke.

* Product Fact Sheet 50, „Japan Tobacco (JT): Pianissimo ViV Menthol in Japan – A Further Success Story of a Capsule Cigarette Product?”, published on the CKB

October 2013/ Global Lead Centre for Competitor Intelligence PRODUCT CENTRE / EUROPE
Virginia S. Clear Finish in South Korea– Conclusion II

The Virginia S. Clear Finish 4 mg and Virginia S. Clear Finish 1 mg are cased and flavoured. ~ 1.6 % Glycerine and 1.1-1.3 % Propylene glycol
are used as humectants. 0.7% liquorice and 0.1% cacao are applied as casing. The applied flavour is not intense and applied in a low amount.
Some sweet notes as vanillin are detectable but no real characterising flavour components in a relevant amount could be found.

The capsule contains menthol (3.9 mg) as well as pulegon (11 µg/cap) , carvon (~2 µg/cap) and some sweet and smoothening agents like ethyl
palmitate. The smoke taste pre-crush is Virginia driven, slightly dry and has no detectable special flavour notes. Post crush is highly minty
with medium sweet notes detectable with a low to medium cooling effect.
Smoke menthol after crushing is 0.4 mg per cigarette for the 4 mg version and 0.2 mg per cigarette for the 1 mg version.
The Virginia S. Clear Finish 4 mg and the Virginia S. Clear Finish 1 mg utilise the same blend, a USB without CLD treated Burley. The blend
nicotine is at 1.9 % and the proportion of Virginia, Burley and Oriental (including the expanded tobacco proportion) can be estimated as:
FCV 55% / BUR 28% / OR 9% of the total blend. 13 % Expanded Tobacco is used (80% Virginia/20% Burley) . No Stem but 8 % Recon (PTR
and BCR) can be found as well.
The cigarettes are in a Super Slim format with a length of 97.1 mm and a circumference of 17.1 mm.
The mono acetate filter of both variants is 32 mm long and combined with a 36 mm tipping paper in nacre white. The capsule position is
16 mm DME. The open pressure drop of the filter is 81 mmWG for the Virginia S. Clear Finish 4 mg and 82
mmWG for the Virginia S. Clear Finish 1 mg. .
The verge cigarette paper is a non LIP paper with a permeability of 73 CU (4 mg) respectively 91 CU (1mg) and a grammage of ~ 27 gsm.
The ventilation for the 4 mg product is at 72% and for the 1 mg product at 88%. Both ventilation zones are applied via an online laser (2
line, 11mm DME).
The Virginia S. Clear Finish 1mg & 4mg come in a hinge lid square corner format. The main colours are white for the 1 mg version and grey
for the 4mg version. The board is printed via gravure and features spot embossing and debossing as well as hot foil stamping and a relief
varnish. The square corner format in combination with a good SBB board (250/245 gsm and a thickness of 320/330 µm) result in a strong
pack stability. The innerframe is a printed asymmetric SBB board (250 gsm and a thickness of 320 µm). An instruction how to crush the
capsule is printed on the innerframe. The silver alu-foil laminated innerfoil is in a waffle design.

October 2013/ Global Lead Centre for Competitor Intelligence PRODUCT CENTRE / EUROPE
Virginia S. Clear Finish in South Korea – At a Glance I*
Product: Virginia S. Clear Finish *) Abbreviations:
see last slide .
Product Claim: Clear Ball Capsule Additional analytical
End Market: South Korea data can be provided
upon request

Virginia S. Virginia S.
Smoke Deliveries Virginia S. Clear Virginia S. Clear
Clear Finish 4 Clear Finish 1 Casing & Flavouring
Finish 4 Finish 1
Tar 4 1
Imprint [mg/cig] Nicotine 0.3 0.1 Humectants Glycerine 1.7 1.6
[%] Propylene Glycol 1.3 1.1
CO x x
Tar 3.2 0.9 Casing Components Liquorice 0.7
uncrushed

Smoke Deliveries [%] Cacao 0.1

Nicotine 0.34 0.12
[mg/cig]
CO 2 0.6 Menthol [mg/cig] 0 0

Puff Count 6.3 6.7 Menthol Pulegon [µg/cig] 0 0

Menthol in Smoke [mg/cig] 0 0 Carvon [µg/cig] 0 0

Tar 3.7 1.5 Menthol [mg/cap] 3.9 3.9
Smoke Deliveries
crushed

Nicotine 0.33 0.13 Capsule

[mg/cig] Pulegon [µg/cap] 11 11.1
CO 2 0.7
Carvon [µg/cap] 2.3 2.0
Puff Count 6.4 7.1
Flavour Profile Tobacco:
Menthol in Smoke [mg/cig] 0.4 0.2 The amount of applied flavour is very low. Some sweet notes as
vanillin are detectable but no real characterising flavour
components in a relevant amount
Capsule Information Virginia Clear Finish
Flavour Profile Capsule:
Gelantine and gellan gum,
Material Besides menthol, spearmint and peppermint some sweet and
suppplier: Mane Flavour
smoothening agents like ethyl palmitate are detectable
Colour green
Diameter [mm] 3.3 Smoke Taste:
pre crash: Modified Virginia driven taste, slightly dry and no
Weight [mg] 17.5 special flavour notes detectable
Position DME [mm] 16 post crash: High minty and medium sweet notes. Low -
medium cooling.
Raw Capsule Crush Strength [N]* 10.98

Capsule in Filter Crush Strength [N]* 23.34 * 1 N ~ 0.102 kP

October 2013/ Global Lead Centre for Competitor Intelligence PRODUCT CENTRE / EUROPE
Virginia S. Clear Finish in South Korea – At a Glance II*
Product: Virginia S. Clear Finish *) Abbreviations:
see last slide .
Additional analytical
Product Claim: Clear Ball Capsule data can be provided
upon request
End Market: South Korea

Virginia S. Clear Finish 4 mg & 1 mg

Virginia S. Virginia S.
Blend
Clear Finish 4 Clear Finish 1

Blend Style USB

Blend Nicotine [%] 1.9
CLD treated Burley No
Virginia 45
Burley 25
Oriental 9
ET (V%/B%) 13 (80/20) 9% 55%
Blend Stems 0 0% 28%
Composition [%]
Recon (PTR) 4**
Recon (BCR) 4**

Virginia incl ET 55

Burley incl ET 28
Tobacco Rod Weight [mg] 338 328

DIET 13%
By-Products - Stem 0%
By-Products - Non-Stem 8%
**) values <5 % can not be considered as a real blend component

October 2013/ Global Lead Centre for Competitor Intelligence PRODUCT CENTRE / EUROPE
 Virginia S. Clear Finish in South Korea – At a Glance III*
Product: Virginia S. Clear Finish *) Abbreviations:
see last slide .
Product Claim: Clear Ball Capsule Additional analytical
data can be provided
End Market: South Korea upon request

Virginia S. Clear Virginia S. Clear Virginia S. Clear Virginia S. Clear

Cigarette Design
Finish 4 Finish 1 Packaging Finish 4 Finish 1
Super Slim
Format Super Slim Outer Polypropylene (23 µm)
Cigarette Length [mm] 97.1 97.1 Format Hinge Lid, Square Corner
Circumference [mm] 17.1 17.07
Board SBB
Filter Type Mono Acetate & Capsule Mono Acetate & Capsule
Filter Length [mm] 32 32 Board Grammage [gsm] 245 250
PD Open [mmWG] 81 82
PD Vent Blocked Pack Board Thickness [µm] 330 320
[mmWG] 233 299
Printing Technique Gravure
PD Filter Plug [mmWG] 113 183
Filter
Ventilation [%] 72 88 Embossing Spot and Debossing
Ventilation Technique Laser Online Laser Online
Specials Hot foil stamping, relief varnish
Amount of Lines 2 2
Position DME 11.09 11.08 Pack Stability Strong (Level 9)
Charcoal Loading [mg] Material SBB (250 gsm, 320 µm)
Tipping Width [mm] 36 36
Innerframe
Paper Appearance Plain, Nacre Plain, Nacre Appearance Asymmetric, Printed, U- shaped
Marking Verge Verge

Opacity 76.8 76.2

Material Alu-Foil laminated
Permeability [CU] 73.1 91.4 Innerliner
Cigarette
Paper Grammage [gsm] 27.4 25.7 Appearance Silver. Waffle design

LIP Paper No No

Burn Additive Citric Acid: 0.49 Citric Acid: 1.03

October 2013/ Global Lead Centre for Competitor Intelligence PRODUCT CENTRE / EUROPE
 Abbreviations

B I R
BAT: British American Tobacco IMP: Imperial/Reemtsma RCT: Reconstituted Tobacco
BY: Burley Tobacco ISO: International Standard Organisation
BCR: Band-cast reconstituted tobacco
J S
C JTI: Japan Tobacco International SBB: Solid Bleached Board
CRT: Cut Rag Tobacco
SS: Super Slim (format)
C&F: Casing and Flavouring K
CLD: Case Leaf Dried Burley KS: King Size (format)
CT: Clear Taste KSSS: King Size Super Slims (format) T
KT&G: Korean Tomorrow & Global T/N/CO: Tar/Nicotine/Carbon monoxide
D
DME: Distance from mouth end TRD: Tobacco rod density
DS: Demi Slim (format) L TRF: Tobacco rod firmness
LMV: Lightly Modified Virginia Blend
TW: Tobacco weight
E LSS: Less Smoke Smell
ESS: Expanded Shredded Stems
ET: Expanded Tobacco U
M
USB: US Blend
F MSS: Main Stream Smoke
FBB: Folding Box Board
FCV: Flue cured Virginia
O
G OL: On-line laser (filter ventilation)
GLY: Glycerine (humectant) OT: Oriental Tobacco

H
HL: Hinge Lid (pack format)
HMV: Heavily Modified Virginia
HOP: High Opacity (cigarette) Paper
P
PD: Pressure drop (filter)
PG: Propylene Glycol (humectant)
PMI: Philip Morris International
PTR: Paper-type reconstituted tobacco

October 2013/ Global Lead Centre for Competitor Intelligence PRODUCT CENTRE / EUROPE