Most Definitive Cigar Assertions Ever...

[Smallclub]

1 hour ago, dicko said:

When people say a thinner ring guage is more concentrated flavours is that because the ratio of ligero and seco to volado is different? Is that the sole reason people assert this?

Does volado assist only burning and filling size? Or does it impart its own flavour? It must have some tobacco flavour profile.

 Take the Monte 5 or the RG Perlas: they offer a concentrate of the marca's typical flavor, but they contain probably very little ligero. Cigars under a certain ring gauge (39? can't remember) are often said to have NO ligero… not sure if it's true… Anyway the size itself must have a role in the sensation of "intensity"…

Yes, volado assists burning… the fact that "volado rolls" (ie cigars badly blended, too light, tasting diluted, etc.) have a tendency to taste all the same makes me think volado tastes "neutral", whatever its origin…

[JohnS]

39 minutes ago, dicko said:

When people say a thinner ring guage is more concentrated flavours is that because the ratio of ligero and seco to volado is different? Is that the sole reason people assert this?

 

It's likely because the wrapper-to-leaf ratio is more and they burn hotter than a large ring gauge cigar. Hence why it is more critical to smoke slower the smaller the ring gauge.

[polarbear]

1.  Skinny cigars are not ‘better’ than fat cigars. 

Depends on the Cigar.

I'd rather have a Cohiba Siglo VI over a Rocky Patel Maduro Lancero 
But, I'd rather have a Monte Especial over a MUWAT 770

2.  Old discontinued cigars are not ‘better’ than current production cigars.  

Depends on the Cigar.

The Connie A is a superb example of what HSA can do if they put their minds to it
But, the RA898 was one of the finest cigars to ever come out of Cuba (IMO)

3. Business (State run or otherwise) wants your money.

Yes. In other news, the sky is blue and water is wet

4. They don’t make them like they used to is… malarkey…MALARKEY!

This is an interesting one
There is no doubt that Cigars coming out of Cuba now are more approachable while they are less than 24 months old
20 years ago, you wouldn't dare open the box of Cuban cigars before they hit 18 months old as the Ammonia smell would be so strong you'd pass out
The rub here is what happens when a cigar rolled in 2016 isn't smoked til 2056

[polarbear]

Double post

[Fugu]

16 hours ago, bnasse9900 said:

- Anyone have a good example for comparison sake?  A skinny cigar from a brand that blows away a similar fat cigar from the same brand?

 

I'd actually have a hard time giving you an example of a brand where it is the other way round.

[Lant63]

23 hours ago, bnasse9900 said:

@PigFish I know you were using arbitrary numbers for the ease of proving your point.  A few questions/comments (and the comments are actually questions too, since I'm a novice when it comes to Cuban cigars).

- This logic only works if a. you've had the opportunity to try all discontinued cigars, and all new production cigars, and b. you feel that the old ones are better than the new ones.  In your experience, do you think this is accurate?  And, if so, what the heck happened?  What's the root cause of replacing good cigars with bad cigars (I know that good and bad are subjective...)? Is there simply less "good" product to start with?  Or do you think demand has forced Habanos SA to push out product too quickly and with less quality control (I'd compare this to a craft brewery pushing to a larger distribution network, and the product potentially being compromised for speed)?

- Anyone have a good example for comparison sake?  A skinny cigar from a brand that blows away a similar fat cigar from the same brand?

 

In my opinion skinny is better. Now, don't get me wrong, the ED54 and Torreon are some of my favorite cigars.  But given the choice I would choose a small ring gauge almost every time. All of these are just my opinion. Do not crucify me please 

The best cohiba IMHO Cola, cce, esplendido Worst: Behike 54, siglo 6

Uppman pc, Sir winston > Mag 56( maybe the worst cuban I have ever smoked)

Trinidad while the TREX is fabulous, I tend to like the Fundadores better.  Really just splitting hairs with this one

Monte Especiales > Edmundo, petit edmundo, 520  *side note I do really enjoy the DE

Bolivar CG, inmensas, CE, especiales> royal corona 

LGC any of the MDO are better than the taino or any regional I've tried * Ive never smoked the Cuban regional, or the UK maybe these will change my line of thinking. 

JL no 1 > no 2 

RAS> RASS, gigantes

Where I break my rule:  I do enjoy a wide churchill every once in a while. The Torreon IMHO the best SCDH ever I am saving a O'reilly for this summer

Por larranaga: Anything from this brand is great to me.  Even the large ring gauge regionals.  

Some of the RA libano regionals are mind blowingly good as well.  

 

[PigFish]

On 2/5/2017 at 11:24 AM, bnasse9900 said:

@PigFish I know you were using arbitrary numbers for the ease of proving your point.  A few questions/comments (and the comments are actually questions too, since I'm a novice when it comes to Cuban cigars).

- This logic only works if a. you've had the opportunity to try all discontinued cigars, and all new production cigars, and b. you feel that the old ones are better than the new ones.  In your experience, do you think this is accurate?  And, if so, what the heck happened?  What's the root cause of replacing good cigars with bad cigars (I know that good and bad are subjective...)? Is there simply less "good" product to start with?  Or do you think demand has forced Habanos SA to push out product too quickly and with less quality control (I'd compare this to a craft brewery pushing to a larger distribution network, and the product potentially being compromised for speed)?

- Anyone have a good example for comparison sake?  A skinny cigar from a brand that blows away a similar fat cigar from the same brand?

 

 

No I have not, so your question is a very fair one. But what I have is experience, and for me this means that I can rely on my affinity for certain 'vitolas.' For me, the brand matters not, and the vitola matters most. So, the equation works because the losses are not really counted as random independent cigars as much as they are (were) prime choice losses in vitolas that I favor, replaced by the ones that I don't favor.

 

While some folks are scratching their eyes out looking to make connections on 'brand similarity' I am not one of them. The brand means little to me, other than the price and the popularity of the cigar. But as you kill 42 ring cigars (of which I have an affinity for) and replace them with 48 ring plus cigars, that I have an aversion to, then the analysis makes sense.

 

You and others may need to continue to validate your likes. I don't. I have learned to trust them. Am I wrong sometime and do I miss a great cigar? Sure, any cigar could be a great one. But overall, when your best smoking experiences come from certain vitolas, you learn to depend on your wisdom to make choices, and rely on your own palate, not the marketing department at HSA...

 

Ultimately, I have to log this under “shoot yourself in the foot theory.” I mean no one needs to shoot themselves in the foot to know that it hurts… Our experience allows us to understand it without experiencing it first hand.

 

So I will continue to smoke a few larger ring cigars that I occasionally enjoy, Piramides and Belicosos, and I will never state that larger ring cigars are ‘all bad.’ Of course they are not, they are just not what I consider consistently excellent cigars. I want to smoke an excellent cigar every time I light one. While will never achieve that goal, what I can do is smoke cigars with a higher likelihood of delivering that smoking level based on my smoking experience. And that, means that I buy medium and thin ring regular production cigars that have a proven track record of good taste performance.

 

What I don't need is a slightly larger Punch cigar in a 10x package, with two bands and a shiny box. Do I know how it will taste? Of course not. But, I am willing to trust my tastes and will continue to believe that I will get more, high-line smoking time from a 25x box of Upmann PCs, than these. And since buying a cigar is akin to making a bet, I am willing to bet on it...

 

-Piggy

[Dave001]

well I know this is just a matter of opinion of course but ill take the skinny RG's over anything and sadly theres so many discontinued smokes that I just adore and sadly theres no way I can ever find (yes ive even attended auctions and still no luck)