The Case of the Expanding Ring Gauge

[icehog3]

Thanks, Geoff...yeah, all the rollers I had mentioned were from Cuba.

[Whipper Snapper]

Aside from hurting the jaws and making me feel slightly uncomfortable which would make me want to dismiss large rg cigars anyway... i've noticed i've never had a large rg smoke where i thought it provided a better overall flavor profile/smoking experience. Just personal experience.

[Col. Kurtz]

Originally Posted by OLS

... Puros Indios Chief ...

A cigar called "chief". What do you make of that

[Mr. Ed]

Originally Posted by lenguamor

As a smoker, all you want is to know that the cigars you love, that those you value and enjoy, will be available when you want them.

If you like the smaller gauges and the cigar-making world as a whole is moving toward larger gauges, that's worrisome; when that happens to the exclusion of the vitolas you hold dear, you react like a dog who's just had his tail stepped on: you yelp and maybe try to bite something.

My first cigar, and the only size I smoked for decades, was a corona. Since I discovered ninfas, that became my favorite vitola. I will always prefer a corona, petit corona, ninfa and lancero to any other size. Over the last decade I've seen the cigars I hold dearest discontinued in favor of larger gauges.

That does tend to piss one off.

I couldn't care less what anyone else smokes; as long as it's not a Kuba-Kuba anywhere near where I'm smoking one of my cigars.

But when a pattern of larger rings displacing those I love and enjoy becomes institutionalized to the point where I can't even find my preferences anymore, then yeah—there's gonna be resentment.

That's not to say that all 55+RG are bad; certain cigars like the FFP stand out as prime examples that a larger stick can still be a good one. But fact is, cigar shops only have space for so many cigars, and my preferences are getting pushed out in favor of the large stuff.

When I was at Casa Fernandez earlier in the year, they showed a prototype 7x70 they were working on. Now, CF's blends are all ass-kickers, across the board...put that in a 7x70 and what you have amounts to a prank, a novelty.

It leaves me wondering when this cigar passion of ours became a testosterone-fueled endurance contest.

Beer bong and a clown cigar, anyone?

I generally agree, except for the yelping like a dog part.

[mithrilG60]

Originally Posted by lenguamor

It leaves me wondering when this cigar passion of ours became a testosterone-fueled endurance contest.

When did The Sopranos start airing?

[Mr. Ed]

Originally Posted by mithrilG60

When did The Sopranos start airing?

Really? You think The Sopranos has something to do with this trend? That's interesting. It definitely was a fairly large pop culture phenomenon, but I don't know how wide its influence went. I think it also has to do with advertisers trying to play up our male "machismo".

[mithrilG60]

Originally Posted by Mr. Ed

Really? You think The Sopranos has something to do with this trend? That's interesting. It definitely was a fairly large pop culture phenomenon, but I don't know how wide its influence went. I think it also has to do with advertisers trying to play up our male "machismo".

Male "machismo" pretty much sums up the Sopranos image in a nutshell. My comment was a tongue in cheek reference to that.

Vendors make what people will buy, that's what it boils down to. It doesn't really bother me one way or the other if some random cigar maker wants to make a 150rg cigar that requires a step-down funnel just so you can wrap your lips around it to take a puff. I'm never going to buy them, frankly I'm never going to buy cigars made by 95% of the makers mentioned in this thread, so it really doesn't matter to me.

If all of a sudden Cuba decided that it was going to discontinue all it's classic lines and sizes in favour of 55+ RG power bombs will no real flavour or dimension I might have an opinion, but I really don't see that happening. Consider me a disinterested spectator on the the sidelines of the "large ring gauge wars" going on amongst the non-Cuban rollers.

[Brooks W]

I am willing to bet that 90% or more of cigar smokers:

~have never been on a cigar forum
~have never read an online review
~have no idea what "Capa" or "Viso" are
~have no idea that the wrapper is (almost always) the most flavorful part of a cigar

etc etc..

We as the online cigar smoker community may FEEL like we are a big part of the cigar world, but I assure you, nothing is further from the truth.

[357]

Originally Posted by Brooks W

I am willing to bet that 90% or more of cigar smokers:

~have never been on a cigar forum
~have never read an online review
~have no idea what "Capa" or "Viso" are
~have no idea that the wrapper is (almost always) the most flavorful part of a cigar

etc etc..

We as the online cigar smoker community may FEEL like we are a big part of the cigar world, but I assure you, nothing is further from the truth.

The fact that machine made cigars sales dwarf handmade cigar sales is proof of this.

[CRIMPS]

Originally Posted by Brooks W

I am willing to bet that 90% or more of cigar smokers:

~have never been on a cigar forum
~have never read an online review
~have no idea what "Capa" or "Viso" are
~have no idea that the wrapper is (almost always) the most flavorful part of a cigar

etc etc..

We as the online cigar smoker community may FEEL like we are a big part of the cigar world, but I assure you, nothing is further from the truth.

We are merely just pawns in this sick, twisted game...

[markem]

Originally Posted by CRIMPS

We are merely just pawns in this sick, twisted game...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKRma7PDW10

[icehog3]

Originally Posted by markem

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKRma7PDW10

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=as62Ad4EvkE

[Mr. Ed]

Originally Posted by markem

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKRma7PDW10

[RWhisenand]

So I've never have a 60 RG or larger cigar but I just 'won' 3 San Cristobal Elegancia Grandiosos from CB which are 60 x 6" so after they sit in my humi for a couple weeks I'll have that experence. Anyway when I unwrapped them today, I thought of this thread! Wow they are big!


BTW I usually prefer 50 RG smokes.

[akumushi]

Originally Posted by mithrilG60

Male "machismo" pretty much sums up the Sopranos image in a nutshell. My comment was a tongue in cheek reference to that.

Vendors make what people will buy, that's what it boils down to. It doesn't really bother me one way or the other if some random cigar maker wants to make a 150rg cigar that requires a step-down funnel just so you can wrap your lips around it to take a puff. I'm never going to buy them, frankly I'm never going to buy cigars made by 95% of the makers mentioned in this thread, so it really doesn't matter to me.

If all of a sudden Cuba decided that it was going to discontinue all it's classic lines and sizes in favour of 55+ RG power bombs will no real flavour or dimension I might have an opinion, but I really don't see that happening. Consider me a disinterested spectator on the the sidelines of the "large ring gauge wars" going on amongst the non-Cuban rollers.

Just look at the disco lists from the last five years, then compare them to the new vitolas added during those same years and then tell me again that this hasn't already begun.

[mithrilG60]

I see a change in the vitolas that would be considered outside the core range, but that section of the product line is always in flux in response to trends. The core range has stayed mostly the same, and that's really what matters. Cuba doesn't jump on trends quite like the non-Cuban makes do, not as much competition or guys trying to make their name and stand out. Like anything, this trend towards monster cigars will end and it will move back towards smaller gauges.

[Weelok]

I think big ring gauges are just the fad of the moment. Personally I get bored of a cigar about half way into a 6x60. My personal feeling is people perceive the large RG cigars as a value and reflect the state of the economy. I often see large RG cigars set down half way through.

Seeing this trend reminds me of the Nub craze about three years ago and those slew of clone fire plugs but those have almost disappeared. Cigar smokers often are looking for the "what's new cigar" on the shelves and I see the large RG cigars just being the latest trend. Next year the trend will be different IMHO

[akumushi]

Originally Posted by mithrilG60

I see a change in the vitolas that would be considered outside the core range, but that section of the product line is always in flux in response to trends. The core range has stayed mostly the same, and that's really what matters. Cuba doesn't jump on trends quite like the non-Cuban makes do, not as much competition or guys trying to make their name and stand out. Like anything, this trend towards monster cigars will end and it will move back towards smaller gauges.

Depends on what you consider core. 42 used to be the standard ring guage, but now the corona has been replaced by the Robusto at 50 as the standard of our era. For those who prefer ring guages 46 and below, the core of the habanos profile has been gutted. If you smoke mostly robustos, pyramides and churchills, then sure, you're fine, but many lonsdales, coronas, petit coronas and an ungodly number of lanceros and panatelas have been abandoned in favor of jawbreakers. From my vantage point, the damage is done.