For those who smoke cigarettes

[Kaleva]

I've switched to cigarette sized cigars. Where I live, it's $1.99 a pack (20 to a pack) plus 6% sales tax. That's about a 1/3 of the cost of pack of cigarettes.

Not trying to promote smoking here but am making a suggestion to those who are trying to quit or plan to quit and are on a very tight budget.

[cbayer]

1. Wow, that''s quite a price difference. How do they differ?

Do you inhale them?

[Kaleva]

2. They are cigars and not cigarettes so the tax is much less

And yes, I inhale them. They have filters just like regular cigarettes and the brand I smoke comes in many different flavors such as wild cherry, vanilla, peach and so on.

[cbayer]

3. Thanks. I will check that out.

[Curmudgeoness]

4. Why does that sound like they would taste much stronger

or different from cigarettes? Do they? Are they something that would look stupid for a woman to smoke? Although I do suppose that trying on pack of them would not kill me.

They had stores where you could use a machine to roll your own, just buying the tobacco and the tubes/filters, but they just outlawed those stores here in PA. I am smoking the cheap brands right now.

[Kaleva]

5. I'm a heavy smoker so they are not too strong for me.

I don't smoke lights as it's like sucking on air. The paper is brown and not white but I have no idea if it'd look stupid for a woman to smoke them as they are the same size as a regular cigarette.

[LiberalAndProud]

6. I made that switch about a year ago.

Old-ish female. I don't care much how it looks.

[Kaleva]

7. The Murano brand are cheaper yet at $1.39 a pack where I live.

But the nearest store that sells them is about 12 miles away and as I don't have a car, I try to buy several cartons when I do manage to make it out there.

[eShirl]

8. My brother smokes those for the same reason

As far as I can tell they are just cigarettes with brown paper instead of white. (hey, maybe that makes it dioxin-free, like coffee filters; I dunno)

[TheKentuckian]

9. I make my own and they are much cheaper and better tasting than the lil cigars

I usually use fine pipe tobacco which also gets taxed at much lower rate as class L. A pound makes about 3 cartons (maybe a part of another) and runs maybe $16 bucks. Tubes with filter are about $3 a carton so not including time and labor, I'm at under $10 bucks a carton for better than Marboros. Even If I buy the fancy imported cigarette tobacco that is subject to the much higher tax rate and end up with far superior to Marlboros, I'm still under $20 a carton.

The time and labor is minimal, I just make a pack while watching TV for a few minuets.

If you are a menthol person, I make them so well that the Newport people prefer them and you know how dedicated to their crazy expensive brand those folks are I can do lights and can probably make an ultra-light too.

If you don't make your own you are insisting on paying more for lower quality with a lot more additives.

[RebelOne]

10. No thanks. I need my cigarettes filtered. I think those would be too harsh. n/t