Does size matter?

[Mickeyray5]

I am sure there has been a thread on this at some time , so excuse me if this is rehashing old news.

When I started smoking cigars, I was given several robustos. Being a novice (then as well as now) I stayed with what I knew. I tended toward larger ring gages and bought larger cigars even though I didn't always have time to smoke them. Recently however, I won some lots on C-bid. 5 Vegas A series, Anomaly (petit corona) and Fonseca Habana seleccion, Delicias (lonsdale). These are both much different in size than what I have usually smoked, but both are pretty good even though they still need some time in the humi.

So the question. How does size effect the cigar experience? I eagerly await the knowledge filled responses!

[TexaSmoke]

You should smoke what you like, but as for ring guage:

yes it does. on the smaller RG cigars you will get much more on the flavor from your wrapper than the filler.

[cvm4]

Much more flavor in the small RG cigars.

[jrohrer]

You should smoke what you like, but as for ring guage:

yes it does. on the smaller RG cigars you will get much more on the flavor from your wrapper than the filler.

very true...but with the smaller RG (PC, Lonsdales, Panatela) you really need to be conscious to smoke them slow. If rushed, these smokes will overheat and alter the taste of the cigar.

generally speaking a larger RG (robusto, Toro) tend to smoke a little cooler.

just my $.02

[Electric Sheep]

The longer I smoke, the more I gravitate to smaller ring cigars. A couple years ago, you wouldn't catch me with anything under 50. Nowadays, it's pretty rare to catch me with anything over 50!

[Boppa-Wasch]

You should smoke what you like, but as for ring guage:

yes it does. on the smaller RG cigars you will get much more on the flavor from your wrapper than the filler.

Agree.....IMO

[vperlman]

Much more flavor in the small RG cigars.

Sure couldn't prove that by me. DIFFERENT flavor profile as you change sizes within the same line, sure, but not necessarily more flavor as you reduce the ring gague.

[kirscovitch]

i usually select a cigar's size by the time i have to smoke it. but i can tell a difference in flavor between sizes. one good example, (for me at least) is the difference between a Sig I and a CoRo.

[slcraiders]

The longer I smoke, the more I gravitate to smaller ring cigars. A couple years ago, you wouldn't catch me with anything under 50. Nowadays, it's pretty rare to catch me with anything over 50!

Bingo! I have started migrating smaller as well. Robusto is about as big as I get unless I have at least 2 hours to puff. I have found myself partaking in a lot of PCs, lanceros and lonsdales lately.

[Donk]

The longer I smoke, the more I gravitate to smaller ring cigars. A couple years ago, you wouldn't catch me with anything under 50. Nowadays, it's pretty rare to catch me with anything over 50!

I totally agree, It happened to me too!

[mealstrom]

Both ring gauge and length have a HUGE impact on the taste of the cigar. The reason ring gauge does is just what they've mentioned earlier. Larger gauge cigars give you a much more in-depth taste of the filler. That's the majority of what you're tasting through the smoke. While if you take the exact same cigar, but a smaller ring gauge you're going to get a much stronger, spicier taste. You get a strong taste of the binder and wrapper as they're burning much faster. They're right that with thinner cigars you have to make a point to smoke them a bit slower or you overheat the oils in the cigars and burn away a lot of the taste.

The reason length plays a part is because of the time it takes for the different burned components of the cigars to build up toward the head. The longer the cigar, the more chance it has of being complex. (That's not to say that shorter cigars can't be complex though) The longer the cigar, the more likely you are to notice big changes in taste profile. If you start to get a taste you don't like, just purge the cigar and you'll notice it go back to its old flavor.


It used to be that I only smoked big cigars, but I've quickly gotten into cigars in the 44 - 48 range. Anything over 50 is just a jawbreaker to me and I don't enjoy it.

[Rank_Tyro]

What do you mean by "purge" the cigar?

Knock the end off and let it rest a bit?

[indyrob]

(*Time to talk out my ass again...)

Short answer: Larger RG cigars tend to be "More Complex" than smaller RG cigars.

Long answer:
The three main types of filler (Volado, Seco & Ligero) all add to the over all profile. Volado being lighter bodied is used primarily for fluff and doesn't add a whole lot on it's own but does help tame down the latter types. Seco is more of a medium bodied filler that makes up the majority of the filler in a cigar. Ligero is the most potent of all the three and is used to give a cigar it's kick.

(*Example: A mild cigar might have 50% Volado, 40% Seco and 10% Ligero while a fuller bodied cigar might have 50% Seco 30% Volado and 20% Ligero. It's all just a guess on my part, I haven't done any research to back this up so brothers...feel free to correct!)

When you think of how much room you have in a 32 RG cigar, you have to pick your leaves carefully because there isn't much of a margin for error while a larger RG cigar is more forgiving and gives a master blender more room to show of his/her talent.

Length of a cigar:
If you take a Julieta sized cigar and want to tweak it so that it turns out a certain way in the first third, you'll wedge cut some of the long filler and make a "plug" of a different leaf. For example, if you wanted to blend a cigar that started of like a creamsicle you would probably wedge out some of the Ligero and insert more Seco or Volado and let it ease into a fuller bodied cigar.

If you tried that with a TPC you would end up with something more like fire craker with a 1 second fuse.

I like to have a mix of different sizes from a 28 RG to a 60 RG because I don't know what my mood will be like when I open the cooler. Try a good selection of vitolas and you'll settle into your own format whether it's a Corona Gorda or a Panatella or a Laguito #1 or a Corona.

[indyrob]

What do you mean by "purge" the cigar?

Knock the end off and let it rest a bit?

Blow air through the cigar instead of drawing air through the cigar.

[dre]

well my girlfriend tells me its all about how you use it................