Robustos, why do you smoke them?

[busdriver]

So I have only been smoking cigars consistently for a little over five years; however, robustos are in my rotation.  Mostly JL No2, Bolivar Royal Coronas, and RyJ Ex No 4.

I have to ask though, why?  They don’t tend to be the most complex, all are regular production, and are not a long or short smoke.  They aren’t to thick, to slim, to long, or  to short!

All of the above reasons could be pros or cons, depending upon your prospective.  Most of all I see the robusto as generally a great bang for the buck, must be a reasonably easy cigar to roll since the construction tends to be decent, and is pretty consistent profile wise.  I don’t have to think to hard and can socialize or relax while smoking them.

Anyhow, I am asking why do YOU smoke robustos?   This is a post to celebrate the size, so if you like and smoke them let us know, but if you don’t, do the same!

[hey76]

The robusto is a great size and usually a go to vitola for me when trying a brand for the first time. While trends go up and down with big / small ring gauges , the robusto is a classic that I don’t see going anywhere (hopefully)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[IanMcLean68]

Not my favourite size by a long shot really, just a little too fat to be comfortable without a tapered end. The size and length of smoke is convenient otherwise. The other trouble is, there are too many damn good robustos coming out of Cuba! All the ones you mentioned + D4 and CORO for me.

[luckme10]

Hits the sweet spot for me if I’m looking for a good hour break. Usually lack the patience for much longer. This usually takes a chunk of the commute time. Ring gauge I agree is a little too thick for my tastes. But they’re just a workhorse in my humidor. Psd4, RASS, JL2, and CORO are all timeless staples.

[IanMcLean68]

18 minutes ago, crking3 said:

I love this post! For me I love the length of a robusto but not the ring gauge ..48-50 is honestly a little fat and uncomfortable for me BUT I admire the consistency of the roll across so many marcas .....it definitely is a staple showcase-type vitola, like you said, to ‘gauge’ a brand of cigars ......I personally think that a corona is more suitable ...something around 5 inches but more close to a 42-46 ring


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Totally agree! I wish the corona and corona gorda had the same variety and consistency across marcas as the robustos enjoys.  I would much prefer to see these two vitolas, my favourite, used to showcase blends in all brands. Its really just the ring gauge. I wish the 42-46 were used more often, rather than 50-54 gauges more commonly used, for showcasing new blends today. I realise this isn't possible for several logistical reasons, but I can still wish ?

 

 

[Hurltim]

A petit corona fits my time frame for most of my cigar time. With the reduction of the petit corona lineup, I supplement  with Robustos. I prefer a smaller ring gauge for the most part. Hermoso #4's fit the bill better than robustos.

For me, its all about how much coffee I have. Lol! I drink a full french fress (970 grams of h2o) so it has to fit in that time frame. 

Unless I am drinking booze of course

[BrightonCorgi]

I am big fan of Robustos for much of the reasons the OP stated.  Just an easy smoke and doesn't have to be taken so serious or can be.  

[joeypots]

It's the cigar I smoke despite it's size. There are too many good ones to ignore the vitola. Even though the hermoso #4 is a bit thinner I dislike it. I don't know why. I used to keep loads of the Conni 1 around but even though the cigars were good it feels a little off to me. 

[Stump89]

I like a good robusto. Not my favorite by any means, but there are some really great ones out there.  I love a good BRC. 

Also, do you folks consider the hermoso no.4 size (5x48) to be a robusto or Corona extra?  I also really enjoy cigars in this size.

[Doctorossi]

10 hours ago, busdriver said:

not a long or short smoke.  They aren’t to thick, to slim, to long, or  to short!

So, they're... "just right"?

[Acclaym]

I love me some 5x50. How many of you guys say roe-BUS-toe? And who says roe-BOOS-toe?

[torsion]

I like the robusto vitola, I am pretty sure it was the first cigar I tried.

I hate underfilled ones, I seem to smoke them more in the cooler months or when I don't have as much time to smoke. I find they take a fair bit of (unintended) abuse, on occasion when time is really limited I can blast through one sub 45mins which is quick for me without making them too hot or distorting the taste, on the other hand I will stretch them out and change the pace to enjoy really slowly.

Some serious smokes recently have been aged Epi 2 - blowing my mind with the ones I have from '12. PSD4 is a classic staple, my '14s are almost gone - they also have been quite outstanding. Not forgetting the king of inconsistency (IMO) the mighty CoRo - love/hate relationship with these. Been smoking more of these this year.

RASS would probably be in there somewhere too, I only have 1 left. Made me realize I don't think I've ever tried the Bolivar Royal Corona!

Not had enough JL in general to comment.

[Kitchen]

As with others, I find robustos to the be the best compromise in terms of many things.  

Not so thick to be uncomfortable.  Not too thin so the draw is tight.  Provides a good hour of relaxation, just enough time for most of the time.  Consistency across the Marcs in terms of both blend and construction.  Easy to find room to store.  All around great size.  

With this being sad, I would certainly trade the robusto size for a Hermoso #4.  I think the 48 gauge to be more comfortable, but you can't always get what you want.  

[JGD]

12 hours ago, busdriver said:

 Most of all I see the robusto as generally a great bang for the buck, must be a reasonably easy cigar to roll since the construction tends to be decent, and is pretty consistent profile wise.

This is one of the reason I like robustos - I seem to have very few with construction issues. While they are not my favorite viola (like many others I prefer a smaller ring gauge), I will often grab a robusto if I'm meeting up with friends to going somewhere to smoke away from my humidor as I don't have to worry about tunneling or them being plugged. 

[OrdinarySmoke]

@busdriver I think you hit all the reasons why I prefer robustos.  Plus, the size is just right for my typically allotted smoking time

Like others have mentioned - there are some really good regular production cigars in that size.  I can't get enough Epi 2's right now

[Doctorossi]

2 hours ago, Acclaym said:

I love me some 5x50. How many of you guys say roe-BUS-toe? And who says roe-BOOS-toe?

I'm a BOOS.

[torsion]

29 minutes ago, Doctorossi said:

I'm a BOOS.

did someone mention BOOBS?!

Sorry wrong forum  (sorry setting the tone and humour for the weekend!)

[mike74]

Not my dream vitola, but practical. Feels like you’re enjoying a bigger smoke, but you can fit it in when you don’t have time for anything larger. 

[Doctorossi]

2 hours ago, torsion said:

did someone mention BOOBS?!

Sorry wrong forum  (sorry setting the tone and humour for the weekend!)

I leave the thread for 5 minutes...

[Habana Mike]

If you were to average out the length and girth of all cigars Cuba has ever produced you would probably end up around 5" x 50RG

10 years ago the result would have been longer and thinner.....

Agree OP hit many of the points why I also gravitate to this vitola. 

[Ericbrobes]

I think I tend to gravitate towards robustos because they were the majority of what was available to me as I started smoking. Also I believe it hits many of the marks I look for in a cigar under most circumstances.

[JamesKPolkEsq]

Great time length 

Ease of rolling means relatively consistent experience 

Generally a decent price point 

Good ring gauge for blending complexity 

[raidercraig]

5 hours ago, JamesKPolkEsq said:

Great time length 

Ease of rolling means relatively consistent experience 

Generally a decent price point 

Good ring gauge for blending complexity 

The decent price point does not exist for Cohiba Robustos. Now HDM epicure no 2 that has a decent price point over the Cohibas.

[Connoisseur Kim]

Every cigar has own characteristics but for choosing what to smoke is merely depended on mood and situation in my opinion. For example, if I am seeking for big and thick smokes, I would definitely look for Robustos, Pyramids, etc (not for Petit Robustos as I would rather smoke more Petit Coronas instead, same goes on extremely thick RGs with no taste). Also, if I want to have a companion cigar for classy moments, then I would go for Churchills, Double Coronas, Lonsdales and Panetelas (those were popular sizes before millennium came) ☺️.

By the way, Petit Coronas and Coronas Gordas are in the medium between two examples that I mentioned above according to my standard (they are deserved to be my regular rotations).

[Cubadust]

The decent price point does not exist for Cohiba Robustos. Now HDM epicure no 2 that has a decent price point over the Cohibas.

Then again, that could be said about Cohiba versus any other cigar no matter vitola. Anyway, I smoke robustos mainly because I love the PSD4 so damn much.