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Ring Guage & Taste

Pugman1943

Pugman1943

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 15, 2009
Messages
8,318
Location
Duncanville, TX (near Dallas)
Just received one of my monthly cigar mags and found an article I thought I would share.

I not going to mention names, but will say these folks are huge in the business and dare say we have all bought from them at one time or another.

Not quite quoting, they come right out and say they stock it all, Opus-X, Padron, DE etc. their warehouse is full of outstanding sticks, but the larger ring gauges do not sell anywhere close in comparison to the smaller sizes, but not because of pricing.

Their premis is the smaller ring gauge ( lanceros - Churchill ) size out sells them all because there is more wrapper ( taste ) in the smaller size.

Yes, there is more tobacco in the larger format, but more wrapper in the smaller so you experience more of what the cigar was meant to be.

Keeping this short, that's it in a nutshell. I am looking forward to a great discussion on this.

*****. Since Tom36 already hopped on this, I will include their examples, AJ Fernandez Diesel, Man O' War Puro Authentico, DPG Blue Exquisitos, Tatuaje Black, Hamlet Tabaquero Corona.

Thanks BOTL's
 
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Pugman1943 said:
but the larger ring gauges do not sell anywhere close in comparison to the smaller sizes, but not because of pricing.

Their premis is the smaller ring gauge ( lanceros - Churchill ) size out sells them all because there is more wrapper ( taste ) in the smaller size.

Yes, there is more tobacco in the larger format, but more wrapper in the smaller so you experience more of what the cigar was meant to be.
Click to expand...

This is somewhat surprising. I think if you look around the forum, you see that the preferences here tend to lean toward smaller RG. Especially when you start getting into the 58+ areas. And there are lots of reasons for this, the wrapper:filler ratio being one of the biggest. I think the surprising part is that the smaller RG smokes are outselling the larger ones. We're all led to believe that the "average consumer" wants these huge RG smokes, and that's why the trends are all leaning that way. You'll be hard pressed to find a new release under 50.
 
First and foremost, most of those cigar rags are typically full of crap.

I've heard several times that small formats don't sell well due to comparative cost of the larger formats. This, of course, was before the more recent 54+ or so madness. Some of that is due to the tax rules, which are more favorable to fatter cigars.

Also, why is cuba jumping on the fatty wagon?

I don't consider a 50 ring cigar a small format. I gravitated to smaller and smaller ring gauges over the years. I think the Robusto is the most popular. Maybe they consider that a small ring gauge now. For flavor, which, if successfully blended, I think a smaller ring (46RG, or so, and down) makes a great smoke. The kicker is, not too many blenders do it really well. IMO, the Cubans do it best, with a much higher percentage of their smaller ring cigars being my preference. ( I guess it could be the tobacco is just friendlier to that format.)

The Lancero craze was another fiasco. Yes, more wrapper, if great, will make for a mighty nice smoke, but damn if most of the Lanceros were just bandwagon sticks, which did not feature a special wrapper tobacco. In most cases, I was very underwhelmed.
 
MadMonk, personally my guess is perception. Why by a thin stick for X when I can get this monster for just X +2, a case of bigger is better.

My own awakening was a few days ago when I wanted something different for a change and I took the DP Blue, you know, not a bad brand and Shits and giggles. After lighting and a few draws I had to sit back and pay my respects. I like a full smoke, and DP Blue is not full, but it had body and a good taste. I ended up being pleased with my choice, enough so that I ordered ten.

Living and still learning.
 
The only larger than 52 I've enjoyed is the RyJ wide Churchill. It is very good in my opinion but would love if RyJ has a corona with the same flavor/performance.
 
Most of what I smoke now is small sticks, lanceros and coronas. I'm pretty specific in my choices for them and I generally start trying a new brand in something close to the middle like a robusto to get a baseline, but I'm also surprised by this article's claims.

To me, the shorter and larger smoke seems to be on the rise moreso than the smaller and thinner smoke. Perception is a weird thing. When I bring out a lancero for a buddy who doesn't smoke often, he usually looks at me like I'm crazy. So I hand him one of my (imho) less superior Dominican churchills instead. I mean, he'll take whatever, but for some reason he just has it in his head that smaller sizes or thinner ones aren't as good. Works for me. I'll keep my ISOM corona's to myself and he can have the Churchill/robusto and up sizes that I've got lying around.
 
I recall David Garafallo saying that they are now selling more large ring gauge cigars than ever before. So it's the vitola with the most amount of growth, but it's largely a 'singles' sort of sale. Box sales and therefore the greatest overall quantity sold is still in the toro and robusto categories.
 
MNBrian said:
... Perception is a weird thing. When I bring out a lancero for a buddy who doesn't smoke often, he usually looks at me like I'm crazy. So I hand him one of my (imho) less superior Dominican churchills instead. I mean, he'll take whatever, but for some reason he just has it in his head that smaller sizes or thinner ones aren't as good. Works for me. I'll keep my ISOM corona's to myself and he can have the Churchill/robusto and up sizes that I've got lying around.
Click to expand...

I was the same way for a long time. I'd look at an array of vitolas on the shelf at my local walk-ins and would grab what I thought was the better bargain. The bigger cigar is only $0.50 more.....and so I'd grab that one.

Lately, I'm digging the Lanceros.
 
I agree that the smaller RG is most of our preference, but walk into any cigar shop for an hour and you'll see more large RG go off the shelf to the "novice" smoker. I even see a lot of the regulars buying the 52+ RG stuff more often then not any more.

They can all have them, as long as they keep making 46 and under I'll be perfectly happy (and I don't mind a robusto now and then).
 
Having really good luck with the larger RG Cubans lately, I ordered some Trinidad Vigias... fat little 4x54 sticks. A good Fundadore is my top lancero by a long shot, one of my favorite smokes bar none. I don't know wherein the magic lies, but lanceros are the sweet spot for me. It will be interesting to compare these Trinidads.....in 5 years when the Vigias are ripe ;).
 
Although I smoke mostly torpedoes, my favorite vitola is actually the corona gorda: 46 rg by 5 1/2 or so. Like the Illusione eccj, the Tatuaje Verocu (actually a lonsdale, since it's about 6") and a few others. Lanceros, while tasty, are just too narrow for my habitual draw and heat up on me. Corona gordas have been the perfect balance of draw and flavor, consistently so.

And I don't generally smoke anything over a 52, although a 54 in a torpedo, chisel, perfecto or figurado is tolerable.

~Boar
 
I started out going for the bigger cigars because of price as well. I have settled into preferring 6x50-54 because it holds up to my smoking style best. I do enjoy a Churchill when I have the time to devote to it and getting into the CG's more because of the flavor quality.
 
I rarely smoke anything over 50rg with 40-46 my favorite size in most cigars. I also really like the lancero and petit Lancero. In most circumstances I get bored with a cigar after 75-90 minutes, but there are exceptions.
I have little doubt much of my reference is due to the wrapper/filler, binder ratio.
 
I am far from the experienced smokers as many of you, but my preference has settled in the mid-40's as far as RG goes. I still enjoy some larger cigars, but if I could stock my fridgidor with nothing but 5.5x46 smokes, I'd be a happy camper.

I get the impression that these magazines and sites cater to the casual smoker -- the golf course with buddies type of guy, or the yard work guy, or the poker night guy -- not the serious aficionado, if you will. For those types, bigger is better. Sure, they might have a certain cigar they like more than others, but I get the feeling it's more about simply "having a cigar" rather than having the cigar. It's image more so than enjoyment. Not saying they don't enjoy that cigar, but they possibly don't appreciate it. Know what I mean?
 
I am a fan of smaller RG myself. Holding a big hog in my hand is unwieldy. 40-46 here. Then again I would rather be smoking a fatty than not smoking at all.
 
Devil Doc said:
Well I'll be damned. Shooter's back.

Doc
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Yea man... the expensive habit of buying cigars ceased when two kids came along. It was private school or my monthly cigar budget. ;) Good thing I had enough cigars to last 7 yrs with out buying any. Got a new job and the spousal unit got a job at my kids school, which cuts tuition in half. So back to stocking up on cigars!
 
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