I agree, Pleiades are very well made, mild smokes, that I enjoy very much. I bought a box before vacation at the beach, always looked forward to coffee, newspaper, and a Pleiades on the dune deck to start another day. I've tried both the torpedo and churchill sizes, both are the same. As for brands similar, it reminds me of the old Por Larranaga's before they changed the blend. I hear that they are going back to the old style soon.