Is Hestia actually independent of Big Tobacco?
Obviously. Of course. And we could not have it any other way. Hestia remains a burgeoning family-owned business. You can read more about us here.

What is Hestia’s affiliation with Native / First Peoples?
Hestias are proudly manufactured by members of the Seneca Nation in upstate New York. Tobacco is indigenous to the Americas, and has been a part of the history and culture of this land since the dawn of time, and we remain honored to partner with them to continue this legacy of excellence and beauty.

Are Hestias Healthy?
As our packs plainly read, “Hestia cigarettes are not safer than other cigarettes.” Smoke is a known carcinogen and putting it in your body is harmful. Yes, even your smoked meats, and grilled steaks. And abusing any drug will hurt you. I can no more say Hestias don’t cause cancer than your beers don’t cause cirrhosis of the liver.

Are Hestias “Fire Safe Compliant”?
Yes. Legally, we must be. And yet, our cigarettes are still void of any and all chemicals. Our paper *is* “fire safe compliant” — but we use a wonderful new paper that infuses natural algae substrates into the flax fibers to accomplish this, instead of the vinyl-acetate from years past.

How are Hestia filters constructed?
Our filters are currently an industry-standard cellulose filter. But are thrilled to be working with an incredibly innovative company that has created totally natural fully biodegradable plant-based filters, and we hope to have the FDA approve them this year.

Why don’t you sell single packs?
We would LOVE to sell single packs — but the issue is shipping. We cannot use FedEx, USPS, UPS, DHL, etc — and are forced to use a constellation of regional shippers.

Our minimum flat-rate shipping cost is $25. So, we absorb over half that cost in our carton shipping cost, to make it more reasonable — but we cannot realistically do that on one or two packs  — and we just don’t think there are enough folks interested in paying $35+ for a pack. Seems like selling the whole carton creates a much better value.

In the meantime, we are quickly building comprehensive and complete distribution throughout the major metro areas of Texas, Florida, Minnesota and Mississippi (the only States in which we are currently licensed).

How can you ship cigarettes?
Short answer: very carefully. As stated above, we are embargoed from using all the normal shippers, and are relegated to a constellation of regional shippers, for which we are eternally grateful. We hold licenses as both distributors and resellers in the States into which this site will let you order, and are additionally registered with the ATF, as required by the PACT Act. It’s a reporting and regulatory nightmare, but we do it all for the love. And remain so very grateful for your support of our fledgling little tobacco company.

Why is the price higher at checkout?
Thank your elected representatives. We charge a fair and honest $55 per carton ($50, if you subscribe) to empower our farmers to grow you the tastiest, most flavorful leaf. Then the government taxes you. They charge you a $10.07 per carton federal excise tax. They mandate the FDA regulates your cigarettes, and charge about $0.80 per carton for the privilege. Next you get charged a “Settlement Fee” that varies by State, notwithstanding Hestias didn’t exist when said settlement was settled! Finally, each State charges you for a tax stamp in addition to their sales tax. It’s delightful.

We wish there were a way around it — and this is why we’re working to bring attention to the fact, by exposing these hidden taxes you likely never knew you paid.

If you have any other questions, JUST ASK!

DS