Bigger isn’t Better! |Two Cents Tuesday

Many people would say bigger is always better, but that is not the case for us when it comes to cigar ring gauges. Around 2009, was when we first started to see the larger ring gauge (RG) cigars from more and more companies. Today it seems that new and old cigar manufactures are upping the ante and their cigars are continuing to get fatter.

The largest cigar we have in the wineadore is a Surrogates Animal Cracker made by L’Atelier Cigars that weighs in at a chunky 6×60. This is one of those cigars that has been a little harder to throw into the rotation. It’s very enjoyable, but the size just feels very different in your hand and sometimes there just isn’t enough time to smoke a bigger RG cigar. The latest gargantuan size on the market is an Asylum 13 6×80. This so-called cigar is more of a tree trunk than a stick at this point! Try to imagine smoking the fat end of a yellow whiffle ball bat, it’s that big!

Within the past year some cigar companies like Warped Cigars, Caldwell Cigar Co., and Illusione Cigars are coming back with a vengeance in the midst of competing companies beefing up their cigar sizes. They continue to practice traditonal sizes because it’s always sold for them; why change it? With smaller sized cigars you get more wrapper to filler ratio.The Connecticut Broadleaf is one of our favorites, because smoking these cigars gives you a true realization of the wrapper qualities. The leaves themselves are very rugged and tough looking so if your looking for a pretty cigar, look elsewhere. With a smaller RG and a CT Broadleaf wrapper, the leaf presents itself jam-packed with deep earthy and sweet flavors. What’s inside matters as well, but cigar wrappers are just as high of a priority when rolling a stellar cigar.

Ultimately, our perspective on large cigar ring gauges comes down these 5 things:

1. Bigger ring gauges mean less space in your humidor.
2. The bigger the cigar the more tobacco is going into it, which means your cigars will cost more.
3. The more tobacco you roll into a cigar, the less quality tobacco will make its way inside.
4. The larger the cigar the higher risk of poor construction.
5. Finally, a fatter cigar heightens the possibility of a strange burn line

Our two cents are simple. Smoke what you feel comfortable smoking, but for us, bigger is not always better. Quality over quantity is our motto. Don’t always follow the trend, follow tradition!