[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!