Few product names generate as many questions as “Change Double”. Is it a type of cigarette, a brand, a filter, a flavour? The short answer is that it is a product line within the Esse brand, built around a filter containing two flavour capsules. The longer answer touches on filter engineering, flavour chemistry, consumer psychology and some of the most active areas of tobacco regulation in the world. This article explains what Change Double products are, how the dual-capsule mechanism works, how the line is named and organised, and why so many governments have taken an interest in capsule cigarettes.
Starting With the Name
“Change” refers to the ability to change flavour while smoking. In a conventional cigarette, the taste is fixed from the first puff to the last. In a capsule cigarette, the smoker can alter it by squeezing the filter and breaking a small bead inside. “Double” simply means there are two such beads rather than one. The name therefore describes the function accurately: a cigarette whose character can be changed, with two options for doing so.
What a Capsule Actually Is
A flavour capsule is a tiny sphere, usually a few millimetres across, with a thin shell around a liquid core. The shell is designed to be firm enough to survive manufacturing, packing, transport and storage but fragile enough to break under finger pressure. The core liquid contains flavouring compounds dissolved in a carrier, such as a food-grade oil.
When a smoker squeezes the filter, the shell cracks and the liquid is absorbed into the filter fibres, usually cellulose acetate. As smoke is drawn through the filter, it carries some of the flavour compounds with it, which changes the taste and often the sensation of coolness or sweetness.
How the Dual-Capsule Design Works
In a double-capsule filter, two beads sit in separate positions. In practical terms this gives the smoker four options:
1. Smoke the cigarette without breaking either capsule.
2. Break the first capsule only.
3. Break the second capsule only.
4. Break both together.
Each option produces a different flavour experience, and the product is marketed on the idea that the smoker is in control of that experience. Manufacturers describe the combinations in their product material, though the exact sensation varies from person to person and depends on how hard the filter is squeezed and when.
The Variants in the Line
The Change Double category on the store lists variants built on an applemint theme, with different accents such as wine or orange. Each variant is sold as a carton of ten packs of twenty cigarettes. You can see every current listing by browsing the esse change double cigarettes category, where each product has its own page showing the full name and carton format.
Because the variants share the same construction, the differences between them come down to flavour. That is a useful point to remember when reading product descriptions, which tend to emphasise taste and style rather than technical differences.
Slim Construction
Change Double products also follow the brand’s slim format. The narrow diameter affects how the filter feels in the mouth and how the capsule region is positioned. It does not alter the fundamental nature of the product. A slim capsule cigarette burns tobacco and delivers nicotine and toxic combustion products exactly as any other cigarette does.
Carton Format Explained
Product pages describe Change Double cartons as “10 packs x 20s”. This means:
•10 packs per carton
• 20 cigarettes per pack
• 200 cigarettes in total
If you plan to compare prices between sellers, divide the total price by 200 to find the cost per cigarette, and do the same for any other carton you are comparing. This gives a fair basis for comparison even when sellers use different notation.
The Appeal of Capsules, and Why It Worries Regulators
Capsules are popular because flavour makes smoke feel smoother. Menthol and fruit flavours can mask the harshness of tobacco smoke, and that effect is precisely what concerns public health authorities. Research reviewed by health agencies suggests that flavoured cigarettes are especially attractive to young people and first-time smokers, because the sensory experience feels less unpleasant. If flavour makes starting easier, it can contribute to initiation and, ultimately, dependence.
For this reason, several jurisdictions have acted:
European Union: the Tobacco Products Directive prohibits cigarettes with a characterising flavour other than tobacco, and capsules that create a characterising flavour fall under this restriction. Menthol was phased out of the ban’s exemption in 2020.
United Kingdom: menthol cigarettes and capsule cigarettes were prohibited in 2020, following the EU framework.
Canada: flavoured tobacco, including menthol, is banned under federal regulations.
United States: flavoured cigarettes other than menthol have been banned since 2009, and ongoing regulatory action has targeted menthol.
Australia: plain-packaging and product-requirement rules restrict flavour capsules and other flavoured cigarettes.
These rules change, and they differ in detail, so always check the current law in your own country.
What Regulators Say About Safety
No regulator approves capsule cigarettes as safer. In fact, some of the evidence points the other way. Reviews have found that capsule smokers can be more likely to be younger and that flavour can ease early use. Beyond this, adding chemical flavourings means adding further compounds that are heated and inhaled. Even where the capsule liquid is food-grade, food-grade does not mean safe to inhale.
Reading a Change Double Product Page
When you open a product page for a Change Double variant, a few things deserve your attention:
• The full name, so you know exactly which variant you are looking at.
• The carton format, to confirm the pack and cigarette count.
• Any legal notices, such as age restrictions and health warnings.
• Shipping information, including whether the seller ships to your country at all.
• Seller policies, covering returns, damaged goods and complaints.
If any of these are missing, that is a reason to be cautious.
Storing Capsule Cigarettes
Capsule cigarettes need slightly more care than plain cigarettes. Heat can soften or burst capsules, pressure can crush them and long storage can cause the flavour liquid to migrate. Keep cartons in a cool, dry place, avoid leaving them in a car or near a heater and do not stack heavy items on top. Store them out of reach of children, since colourful packaging and fruit-themed names can be attractive to young people.
A Closer Look at the Filter
The filter in a capsule cigarette is more complicated than the plain acetate plug in a standard cigarette. A conventional filter is a bundle of cellulose acetate fibres, often with a small amount of ventilation around the tipping paper that dilutes smoke with air. In a capsule filter, the manufacturer has to embed beads at a specific depth, hold them in place, and ensure that they survive the machine process without breaking.
Dual-capsule designs add another layer of complexity. The beads must be positioned so that one can be broken without necessarily breaking the other, and the filter must still draw properly in every combination. Manufacturers invest significantly in this engineering, which is one reason capsule cigarettes tend to cost more to produce than plain ones. It is also why damaged cartons are a legitimate concern: a crushed pack may contain filters with pre-broken beads, which changes the product from what the buyer expects.
Flavour Chemistry in Plain Terms
Flavours in capsules are made from a blend of aroma compounds. Some are derived from natural sources and some are synthesised, and a single flavour such as apple or mint is usually built from many individual compounds rather than from one. A flavourist, the specialist who designs these blends, will balance top notes that are noticed first, middle notes that give the flavour body and base notes that linger.
When a flavour is heated and inhaled, it behaves differently from the same flavour in food. Compounds that are safe to swallow have not necessarily been tested for inhalation, and combustion can transform some of them into other substances. Health agencies therefore caution against treating the food-safe status of a flavouring as evidence that it is safe in a cigarette.
Reading Research on Flavoured Tobacco
Articles about capsule cigarettes often cite studies, so it helps to know how to read them. Surveys of smokers tend to show that capsule use is more common among younger and newer smokers, but surveys cannot prove that capsules cause someone to start. Laboratory studies can measure what is in smoke, but they cannot tell you how people actually behave. Policy evaluations, such as those looking at what happened after a flavour ban came into force, offer the strongest evidence about real-world impact, and in several markets they have found falling sales of the banned products, with some smokers switching to other products and some quitting.
A balanced reader should hold two points at once. First, flavours clearly affect how pleasant smoking feels. Second, the available evidence does not support the view that any flavoured cigarette is safer than an unflavoured one.
Guidance for Websites and Publishers
Anyone publishing about capsule cigarettes online has obligations as well as opportunities. Good practice includes:
• Displaying a clear age warning and, where possible, an age gate.
• Including the relevant health warning in a visible position.
• Avoiding any implication that the product is healthier, milder or safer.
• Avoiding imagery or language that appeals to young people.
• Stating the markets in which the product can and cannot be sold.
• Seeking legal advice before targeting any country with strict advertising laws.
These practices protect readers and protect the publisher.
Capsules and Perceived Harshness
One reason capsules matter so much to regulators is the effect they have on perceived harshness. Tobacco smoke irritates the throat and airways, and that irritation is a natural deterrent for people who have never smoked. Cooling agents and sweet flavours dull the sensation, so a first cigarette feels less unpleasant than it otherwise would. Tobacco control researchers describe this as lowering the barrier to entry, and it is the main argument behind flavour bans.
Common Misconceptions
“Two capsules means more flavour, which means a stronger cigarette.” Flavour and strength are different things. Nicotine delivery is determined by the tobacco and construction, not by the capsule.
“Fruit flavours are lighter on the lungs.” There is no evidence for this. Inhaled smoke is harmful regardless of flavour.
“Capsule cigarettes are a way to cut down.” Some smokers report smoking more when the taste is more pleasant. If you want to cut down or quit, evidence-based support is far more effective.
Questions Smokers Ask
Can I break a capsule after lighting the cigarette?
Manufacturers describe the capsule as breakable before or during smoking, but this is a design feature, not health guidance.
Do I have to break the capsules?
No. The cigarette can be smoked without breaking either, though that defeats the purpose of the design.
Will the flavour last the whole cigarette?
That varies. Flavour intensity tends to change as the cigarette burns down, and individual experience differs.
Is Change Double available everywhere?
No. Availability depends on local law and on what the seller is permitted to ship.
A Note on Responsible Information
Writing about capsule cigarettes involves a balance. Smokers are entitled to accurate product information, and clear explanations help people avoid fakes and misunderstandings. At the same time, flavour-led marketing is a real public health concern, and no description of a product should be read as a suggestion to smoke. If you do smoke and wish to stop, free national quitlines and healthcare professionals can help.
Summary
Esse Change Double cigarettes are slim cigarettes with two breakable flavour capsules in the filter, giving the smoker the option to change flavour mid-cigarette. The line currently features applemint variants with different accents, sold by the carton of 200. The capsule format is closely regulated or banned in many countries because flavour can make smoking more appealing, so legality varies. Whatever the name, the flavour or the pack, every cigarette carries serious health risks. Check your local law, buy from verifiable sellers and seek support if you would like to quit.
