Nitro, Dulce Vita, VS 55 Infused, & other Thompson Exclusive Infuseds

[shopkins82]

First off, I'm not looking to start a Thompson bashing thread. I know to avoid ANY of their club/repeat-ship offers. I can deal with the spam, both email and snail-mail.

That said, I'm a sweet/infused smoker (not looking to start a flame thread there either) and I'm always looking for more reasonably priced alternatives to most of my Drew Estate favorites. It seems the CI and Famous offerings on the lower-end aren't doing it for me. I don't really care for Prof. Sila, Augusto Reyes Factory Select Dulce, Maroma Dulce, etc... the Prof. Sila has a strange sour aftertaste, the Augusto Reyes Factory Select has too much short filler, and the Maroma Dulce just doesn't do it for me either. The CI Legends Copper Label is one of my favorites and Isla Del Sol are quite smokable, but even $3 - $3.50/stick for either more than I like to spend on an every-day smoke.

I came across something today that is a bit surprising... Thompson of all places seems to have a fairly wide selection of sweet/infused house brands and exclusives that look like they MIGHT be right up my alley. I was tipped off to the Nitro, a coffee infused Thompson house brand on another forum... with the current (and frequent) 2-FER sale pricing and available short-thick vitolas, they caught my attention. A bit more digging showed the following that might be worth a shot:

- Nitro Java
- Victor Sinclair 55 Coffee
- Dolce Vita
- Escudo Cubano Coffee
- Loose Canon 1206

I'm about to pull the trigger on either the Nitro Java Sampler or one of the 2-FERs, either the Petit Torpedo (5x52) or Torpedo No. 1 (4 x 60), both of which are vitolas I generally enjoy. I'm thinking for $30-$50 I can test the general quality of their house infused stuff without breaking the bank. Thoughts? $1-$1.50/stick is usually where I like to be for a daily smoke.

Also, anyone know of any "filler" items I can use to push the $29.95 Nitro Sampler over the $30 threshold for free shipping?

Thanks in advance!

[sevans105]

Dani, my fiancé is partial to the CAO Flavours. Flavored without being sickeningly sweet. Based on your coffee flavors, I'd recommend the Carmelo Joe.

[shopkins82]

I've tried most of the CAO Flavors, mostly from a couple of CI Infused Brown Bags I've done... Carmelo Joe is one of the few I like, but it's also one of the flavors that isn't available in a Robusto. The others that are available in Robusto taste very much like dipped flavor and still come out to $4.50/stick even when buying a box.

I can usually get Acid, Tabak, Ambrosia, etc in the $3/stick range when the Wingmans and Samplers pop up on Monster. My last score was a Kuba/Mantra Wingman + 10-Stick Drew Sampler which netted the following for $60, all sticks I already knew I liked:

7 x Acid Kuba Kuba
5 x Acid Subculture Mantra
2 x Tabak Especial Negra
2 x Ambrosia Spice
2 x Isla Del Sol Toro
2 x Natural Clean Robusto
20 x Augusto Reyes Navegadors (coupon freebie)

The Navegadors will be what I hand out to mooches in Vegas and when playing golf, though it wasn't the worst freebie smoke I've ever tried. Overall not a bad haul, but if I like some of these Thomposon Infused offerings in the $1-$1.50/stick range, they'll make for the perfect daily smoke and will be easy to stock-up on when the 2-FER deals align with whatever I find to be my favorites.

[stearns]

not bashing infused, just a friendly reminder: do not store them in the same humidor as non-infused cigars, they will, along with everything you ever put in there, all end up being infused

[shopkins82]

I went ahead and ordered the Nitro Sampler for $30... found a free-shipping on $25+ coupon, payed with ******, and checked-out as a guest without creating an account. Probably won't limit the spam or mail flyers, but should at least prevent any kind of inadvertent club membership enrollment.

I'll report back on the Nitro sticks once I receive the sampler. It includes:

2 x Double Corona (7 x 52)
2 x Toro (6 x 52)
3 x Panatella (5 x 35)
3 x Lancero (7 x 39)
3 x Petite Torpedo (5 x 52)
3 x Half Corona (4 x 39)
8 x Slim Panatellas (4.5 x 26)

[shopkins82]

not bashing infused, just a friendly reminder: do not store them in the same humidor as non-infused cigars, they will, along with everything you ever put in there, all end up being infused

Looking at the sad handful of non-infused sticks I have on-hand, that might not be such a bad thing! Actually, my infused stuff stays in a Cigar Caddy in my desk at work or overflows into a quad-lock tupperdor at home. My non-infused stuff stays in a 30-stick humidor at home or a 20-stick humidor in my desk at work. I intentionally keep my infused stuff out of cedar humidors so as to not infuse the wood.

Other than coupon freebies, I haven't really been buying non-infused for the last few months (other than a 10-pack of 5 Vegas Gold Bullions from CBID that I'll split with a friend on a Vegas trip next month).

[emopunker2004]

Drew Estate Tabak Especial line is great for an infused smoke. My :2

[shopkins82]

I agree but, in general, the price precludes them from being an every day smoke for me.

[shopkins82]

I received the Nitro sampler today. Given the price, I'm happy enough with the quality.

Despite the "Java" in the name, these are much more of an herbal infusion along the lines of Acid and not much like Tabak, Java, or Isla del Sol from Drew. I would really consider these a Kuba Lite... less infusion flavor, less sweet, less smooth. The lower tip sweetness surprised me as I though they might have gone overboard here to compensate for less flavor elsewhere.

The larger vitolas (Petit Torpedo, Double Corona, Toro, Cetro Largo) are well made but densely packed to the point of having a slightly tough draw. It's a trait I've seen especially with some cheaper torpedos (nearly identical to Flor de Oliva) where the taper at the foot is particularly densely packed. A quick poke with a draw tool opened things up, though. Overall, enjoyable enough for a cheap every-day infused.

The smaller vitolas (pantela, slim pantela, half corona) are pre-cut and seem to be a bit over-humidified. They are also firm to draw but feel moist and spongy. They have even less sweetness and infused flavor. Coming back to the Acid comparisson, the Half Corona is not Blondie replacement by any means... the Slim Pantela might make due as a C-Note replacement for anyone who smokes those, but that speaks more to the lack of quality of the C-Note than the prowess of the Slim Pantella.

I can't find any reason I would buy boxed of the smaller vitolas, but the larger ones are of adequate quality and still seem like a solid deal in at "2-FER" box pricing. If I do purchase, it will likely be a "2-FER" of Torpedo No. 2 (6 x 62) for $50... if the Torpedo No. 1 (4 x 62) were any cheaper I'd go that route, but they're the same price. That said, I may give the Dolce Vita sampler a try first to see if it's more along the lines of Tabak or Java (as it appears to be an attempt at a Tabak clone). If it's no better, the Nitro 2-FER might be in my near future.

[shopkins82]

Just ordered the Dolce Vita sampler. If they compare to Tabak/Java in a similar fashion to the way the Nitros compare to the most common Acids, then I should be happy with them. A 2-Fer of Nitro Torpedos No. 2 (6 x 62) and a box of Dolce Vita Barber Pole Figuridos (6 x 54) should keep me smoking daily during the work week for almost 3 months for well right at $1.40/stick (depending on the coupons available at the time).

[equetefue]

Drew Estate Tabak Especial line is great for an infused smoke. My :2

A good alternative to these are the DE Isla Sol.

[shopkins82]

A good alternative to these are the DE Isla Sol.

I pick up Isla del Sols often when they pop up on Cigar Monster... usually around $12-$15 for a 5-pack, but it's 50/50 on whether they include free shipping. It seems like the Robustos usually don't include free shipping, while the Toros usually do... even though they're both usually $13 for a 5-pack.

I usually try to buy during Mash-ups when I can get the Spiced Wingman (5 Acid Kubas and 5 Acid Mantras) for $30, Isla 5-pack for $12, and either Natural or Tabak 5-pack for $18... 20 drew sticks for $60 shipped is tough to beat, especially when you can usually throw a Famous $50+ freebie coupon of some sort on top (usually a bundle of whatever to hand out to moochers).

[shopkins82]

My impressions of the Dolce Vita are mixed. The Cafe Con Leche (Connecticut) 4.5 x 54 Figurado was harsh the whole way through. The Cafe Espresso (Maduro) 6 x 54 Figurado was smooth with hints of coffee and chocolate... this was a bit of a surprise as it has an intense pre-light smell of chocolate bubble-gum, but none of that comes through in the smoke. The Barber-Pole 7x38 Lancero wasn't bad but smoked hot. The Sweet Connecticut 6 x 50 Toro was very similar to a Baccarat.

If I were to purchase these again, it would probably be the Cafe Espresso 6 x 54 Figurado, or possibly the Barber Pole 6 x 54 Figurado.