Many Thanks, Fellas

[aldecaker]

Not so long ago, and in the course of another thread, I asked for suggestions for small cigars to smoke when I couldn't futz with a pipe while at work. I got quite a few good suggestions, in the thread and via PM. So I wanted to thank youse guys for the suggestions, and let you know what I tried and the results thereof. As always, you guys are the greatest!
Henri Winterman's Cafe Creme Arome: Not bad, would probably buy again someday. If anything, they're a little too small.
Alta Gracia Irish Cider: Again, not bad, but not great. Same size as the Winterman's. Both have kind of a generic "cigarry" taste.
Backwoods Sweet Aromatic: Now we're talkin'! More pipe-like than cigar-like to my palate, and that's exactly what I was after. Mild flavor, great non-cigar room note (vanilla-ish), burn very well. I like them far better than the regular Backwoods.
Bandidios: Sweet Molly Malone, are these things stellar! I could easily smoke these mild, delicious little babies all day long. Mild yet full flavor, with a definite cigar note, but very mellow and tasty. They burn very well and very consistently. The room note, according to my wife, is "one step above a cigarette". Can't have it all, I guess.
Red Lion Cheroots: I would not buy these again. The flavor is bland and empty with occasional hints of unpleasantness; the construction is poor and tends to tunnel so much that you have to burn the wrapper back to catch up to the cherry quite a few times per smoke. In addition, they tend to unwrap in your mouth while you're smoking one. I'm tempted to chop one up and see if it smokes any better in a cob.
I have on order Parodi Kings and Kentucky Cheroots; I have heard good things about both and am looking forward to them. Meanwhile, I'm going to reset my palate with a Bing full of Luxury Navy Flake. Thanks again, gents!

 

[mcitinner1]

I bought two bundles of the Bandidos last week. Pretty good smoke. I don't like a big strong tasting cigar. The Bandidos are more like you see Clint Eastwood smoking in his old spaghetti westerns. 8) :rofl:

 

[aldecaker]

They do have a rough-hewn look, which is why I was surprised at how well they were constructed. I'm not a cigar fan, so I was looking for something to complement my pipe smoking; I think Backwoods and Bandidos both fill the bill. The obvious answer was Middleton's Pipe Tobacco Cigars, but the homogenized wrapper has much more of an acrid chemical taste than I remember, so I gave those the "thumbs down".

 

[jndyer]

I have on order Parodi Kings and Kentucky Cheroots

I really like the Kentucky Cheroots, and as an added bonus you do not need to keep these in a humidor and they are not loaded with propylene glycol because they are air cured. They have a little bit of a tight draw, and have a decent cigar taste.

 

[oldmojo]

I smoked Backwoods Sweet Aromatic exclusively for many years. They got to be more expensive than good pipe tobacco, so I switched to the pipe.

 

[aldecaker]

The Parodi Kings and Kentucky Cheroots have arrived, and I have tried them both. Both are delicious and taste markedly similar, with the KC being a tad sweeter and milder, the PK being slightly more robust. Not, surprising, I suppose, as they are both made by Avanti Cigar Co. Both have good construction and burn, and being dry-cured, are hard as a rock. The Parodi draws a bit better; the KC burns longer. Both get a "will definitely buy again" rating.
I now consider my experiment to be over, having successfully yielded four good-tasting, inexpensive cigars to smoke when a pipe is just not practical.

 

[deathmetal]

The Parodi Kings are also ranked at strength "Medium to Full" which seems very much what is needed for the type of smoke you describe. Extremely tempting.

 

[brian64]

They do have a rough-hewn look, which is why I was surprised at how well they were constructed.

Bandidos are great. Basically a higher quality, hand-made version of Backwoods...and less expensive. Can't beat 'em.