Cigarillos

I am thinking about buying flavored cigarillos. Should i buy flavored cigarillos with a filter or without a filter? Should i light them with a match or a lighter? Are cigarillos actually "flavored cigarettes" or real little cigars? Are they as harmful as cigarettes? Will i need a humidor? What are the best brands in France? (i live there)

Thanks in advance.

[Snake Hips]

I'd go without a filter, but it doesn't matter. They are pretty much flavored cigarettes, but usually minus many of the chemicals. In Europe I think Henri Wintermann and Schimmelpenninck probably rule the market, but I don't live there. Some of the smal cigars made by the big brands like Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta and La Gloria Cubana are quite good, but not flavored.

[elderboy02]

The CAO Gold Mini's are pretty darn good.

[groogs]

Why waste the money, just buy small non flavored cigars, and start living the good life.

I think filtered cigarillos would probably take away too much flavour, but regardless they are meant to be smoked like cigars and not cigarettes in that you shouldn't inhale the smoke. Matches or lighters don't seem to make a difference. People use wooden matches (not paper) or butane lighters all the time (some people use flint lighters with Zippo/low-odour fluid too, but that's a whole other debate). Like non-flavoured cigarillos, they are tiny cigars, not cigarettes, and will probably not taste like a cigarette. I do not smoke cigarettes, but I do know that the smoke that comes off of my cigarillos is much more pleasant. They are probably slightly less harmful than common cigarettes, but they are still burning tobacco products with nicotine... the greatest difference between cigarettes and cigars in general is probably the simple facts that you do not inhale them, and that they are reputed to have fewer additives. The vast majority of cigarillos are stored dry, even though most stores here keep them in their humidors anyway. I think it depends in North America, but I believe almost 100% of the European-made brands were intended to be dry. I think most of the major brands that I've seen, like Agio/Mehari and Panter make a "sweet" cigarillo, but I can't suggest any European brand that makes actual flavours like vanilla, cherry, grape, chocolate-pomegranate-lavender etc... A Dominican brand, Tatiana, has a lot of different flavours and I found them quite nice, but I don't know if they sell them over there. In general, flavoured and sweet products tend to be absolutely hated by most people on cigar forums, but I still like them for a change of pace.

Thank you everybody for taking the time to answer. I just tasted a "Café crème black coffee" cigarillo, which sucked so hard, it has no taste at all.

Hmm, funny you mention Cafe Creme (and thanks for posting, I was wondering where this thread went). I bought a couple Cafe Creme Originals to try a while back and finally managed to smoke one of them the other day. Even though it was a different product, it was also very flavourless and I actually found it unpleasant at times. I usually smoke everything completely, but I decided not to finish this (stopped with over 1" left) and I had to chase it with a Davidoff cigarillo just to make sure that my senses were working properly. Oh well, no Cafe Cremes for me I guess, but I will smoke the other one later just to make sure.

[captain53]

I searched this old thread out, as many know Famous throws in a couple of samples sometimes with your order and I always appreciate that. But the last two orders have come with a handfull of 2-paks of Cafe Creme and I could figure out what the he.. they were. Stupid looking things, thought maybe you stick them in your nose or something, maybe up the gazoo, hell just don't know. If you walked down the street with them cops would grab you for sure. Anyway, if anyone likes these silly things pm me and I will sure send them to you.

[Pilon]

Ashton senoritas are the bomb!