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PhrasesAt the TobacconistAvete sigarette mentolate?
A2

Avete sigarette mentolate?

Do you have menthol cigarettes?

Pronunciation

men-to-LA-te — four syllables; stress on the third. Do not stress the 'men' at the start.

When to use it

Use this specifically to ask for menthol cigarettes. Note that flavoured cigarettes including menthol were banned in the EU in May 2020, so the answer will typically be negative.

What it means

'Mentolate' is the plural adjective agreeing with 'sigarette'. Since the EU Tobacco Products Directive banned menthol cigarettes in 2020, standard menthol cigarettes are no longer sold legally in Italy. Some brands offer 'click' filters that can add a menthol flavour, which occupy a legal grey area.

Variations

Avete sigarette con il filtro click?

Do you have click-filter cigarettes?

A post-menthol-ban alternative with crushable menthol capsule in filter

Da quando non si trovano più le mentolate?

Since when are menthol cigarettes no longer available?

Starting a conversation about the EU ban

Qual è la sigaretta più leggera che avete?

What is the lightest cigarette you have?

Asking for the mildest option as an alternative

Mini Dialogue

— Avete sigarette mentolate? — No, dal 2020 sono vietate in Europa. — Ah, non lo sapevo. Cosa mi consiglia? — Queste con il filtro click — ci si può aggiungere un po' di mentolo schiacciando il filtro. — Le provo.

— Do you have menthol cigarettes? — No, they've been banned in Europe since 2020. — Ah, I didn't know. What do you recommend? — These with the click filter — you can add a bit of menthol by squeezing the filter. — I'll try them.

Cultural Note

The EU ban on menthol cigarettes, which came into force on 20 May 2020, was one of the most discussed changes to tobacco rules in a generation. Many Italian smokers of menthol cigarettes felt the loss strongly and tobacconists across Italy fielded daily requests from unaware customers for months after the ban.