Large ring gauge

[TBird55]

I went to a local B&M, yesterday to enjoy a cigar and watch a little college football. I bring my own, and always give the proprietor a cigar or two. Was sitting in a room with 15 or so, smoking a 47 ring gage espi. Looking around everyone had a cigar at least a 54, many larger. I walked out to a back patio, another 10 to 15 guys sitting around, not a cigar under 54. I am curious, is this something that's unique to my area, or are large jaw breakers the norm now?

 

 

 

[fitzy]

Unfortunately it’s become the norm. I have no freaking clue why. 

[Derboesekoenig]

These days, it seems like everyone thinks the bigger the ring gauge, the more "manly" you look. I don't know who started this, but they can have 'em. 

[BeerPimp]

I remember many years ago when I was just getting into cigars there was a phase where people were going for very large ring gauge cigars.   These were all NC and there was some companies (not well known or large) producing comically large ring gauge cigars.   I think people always have equated a large ring gauge the more manly you looked.   But overall I think every culture goes through its phases.  Take micro brew beers filtering beer has been through many evolutions.  There was a phase where they filtered all beers except wheat beers.  Then they stopped filtering darker beers.   Then they stopped filtering most beers unless it was a lager or light ale.   Now they intentionally make beers cloudy.

[99call]

45 minutes ago, Derboesekoenig said:

the more "manly" you look

Never understand this.

To me there is a certain user friendly ease to a cigar RG. i.e 50 max. No need for anything more

When I see someone trying to lock lips around a 70rg cigar,   they look anything other than manly. 

Gladly Europe is still largely free of this nonsense. 

[ponfed]

I feel like it's mainly an American thing.

And by that, I mean in the NC market where there are more "marcas" than there is vitolas in all the cuban catalogue, marketing is on overdrive trying to differentiate.

When you've gone as far as you can on packaging, not much to do.

Seeing as the a certain segment of American consumer does respond really well to "bigger is better" a couple of makers did well in the first cigar boom by going 50+rg.

Not hard to see that a Ring gauge arms race develop.

And I assume that when you see a lot of people smoking these huge rg as a new smoker, it just seems like the norm.

Now if you wanna know whether or not the US is a big market for Habanos SA, I'd say look at the RG trend in new vitolas, RE and LE.



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[TBird55]

2 hours ago, Derboesekoenig said:

These days, it seems like everyone thinks the bigger the ring gauge, the more "manly" you look. I don't know who started this, but they can have 'em. 

https://goo.gl/images/ajmLhb

Gotta love Clint.

[TBird55]

"I feel like it's mainly an American thing. 

And by that, I mean in the NC market where there are more "marcas" than there is vitolas in all the cuban catalogue, marketing is on overdrive trying to differentiate. "

Ponfed, I think you may be right. While I was there yesterday, a rep of a major NC brand was there, also. I spoke with him for a bit, discussing cigars in general. He was there promoting a new line they had coming out. The smallest rg of the new line was 50.

[99call]

23 minutes ago, TBird55 said:

https://goo.gl/images/ajmLhb

Gotta love Clint.

Yep.....I can see Clint gagging on some Gorilla finger.  

[ShortFatHokie]

I think its overcompensation for lack of "manhood"...they are just showing off their cigars instead of...well, you know.

It's like the ugly guy with the fancy car, or, the puny guy with the biggest truck...always lacking something and trying to make up for it with something else...

And, if you are wondering, I love small ring gauge cigars and drive a Honda CRV...?

 

 

[BG1165]

They need the exercise? ?

[PigFish]

Marketing!

NC cigar makers don't have much flavor to sell. So they prop up brands with gimmicky crap. US thing.... Maybe... Surely where (this round) started. But people around the world are buying the Big Hillbilly line... The Mag this and Mag that. Not me mates! Tabacuba has not the balls to lead a trend but follows a bunch of ex-pats, like my horses follow carrots, and their cigars are getting fatter and fatter as well.

The sooner one realizes that 'good' taste is a rare commodity, cigars are no exception, one will realize that this is a worldwide epidemic, symptomatic of mankind as a whole.

Cheers! -the Pig

[CubanConnoisseur]

32 minutes ago, PigFish said:

NC cigar makers don't have much flavor to sell. So they prop up brands with gimmicky crap. 

My experience has been the exact opposite. I don’t think one is necessarily better than the other when comparing non-Cuban and Cuban Cigars, merely different. There are bad cigars (Monte open, cough) and there are good cigars. As for “gimmicky crap” I think you could find evidence of that in many products/brands/consumer goods. For the premium price and the sometimes lack-lustre flavour profiles of REs and Limitadas, I’d definitely describe some of them as gimmicky crap. Like you said, it’s marketing. 

As a side note I’ve never smoked any Big Hillbillies so I could be wrong about everything I just said ?.

Of course this is all just my opinion and you know what they say about those....

Lol, the more I think about this hypothetical Big Hillbillies brand, the more I laugh! What if it were real?.......ha! 

 

[mk05]

I personally do not mind the larger formats as long as the flavors justify the size. 

[RupertPupkin]

I try not to be critical of people~ if they’re smoking and enjoying themselves then I’m happy. Personally, I don’t prefer the larger ring gauges. Anything upward of 52.. not for me. 

something to note.. I’ve overheard far too often in local B&Ms when someone is looking at a cigar with a large ring gauge, “that looks bad ass!” I rarely hear “oh, this is suppose to have a great flavor profile.”

[Lomey]

When I first started smoking cigars seriously about 7 years ago my thinking was you got more cigar for the money in the larger ring gauge.  I assumed all cigars in the same line were the same regardless of size.  Now I know better.  I prefer 50 rg or smaller now most of the time, but I'll still smoke larger on occasion.  

[Baccy]

What really sucks about this is that HSA is trying to follow suit by slowing phasing out many of the wonderful smaller RG vitolas...

[PigFish]

7 hours ago, mk05 said:

I personally do not mind the larger formats as long as the flavors justify the size. 

I think this really is the correct answer if there is one. I just don't believe they deliver in that department. I don't want to spin down a tangent here but I am a believer that certain things have efficiencies, optimal sizes, and the cigar is no exception to that generality. Fat cigar just don't hold up in the flavor department. MHO... -Piggy

[PigFish]

7 hours ago, CubanConnoisseur said:

My experience has been the exact opposite. I don’t think one is necessarily better than the other when comparing non-Cuban and Cuban Cigars, merely different. There are bad cigars (Monte open, cough) and there are good cigars. As for “gimmicky crap” I think you could find evidence of that in many products/brands/consumer goods. For the premium price and the sometimes lack-lustre flavour profiles of REs and Limitadas, I’d definitely describe some of them as gimmicky crap. Like you said, it’s marketing. 

As a side note I’ve never smoked any Big Hillbillies so I could be wrong about everything I just said ?.

Of course this is all just my opinion and you know what they say about those....

Lol, the more I think about this hypothetical Big Hillbillies brand, the more I laugh! What if it were real?.......ha! 

 

Big Hillbilly is what I call the Cohiba BHK.

I have always said, there is a ass for every seat! One should enjoy what they want to smoke when they want to smoke it.

Cheers! -tP

[joeypots]

I hear guys talk about big fat cigars like the fatter they are the better they are. I've been at it about 25 years and can't get into the real fattys. There are some good fat cigars. I love me a siglo VI, I think it's a 52RG, even that is a bit too much for me. A double corona is 49RG and it used to be that when I brought one out it was a big fat cigar. My, how times have changed. When I started smoking cigars I read an article in CA that stated the corona was the king of cigars. I know, CA, lol. The proportions were said to be perfect and I'm either used to those proportions or they are perfect. I love 42 to 47 RG and tolerate the larger and smaller because there are great cigars that don't fit my definition of the best size. I once gave a fat cigar loving friend an old lovely Siglo III. He wasn't impressed. Every cigar from that box was outstanding and this guy said, "meh." Was it the cigar, the guys preference, or was he just too contemptuous of a 42 RG masterpiece to  get it. If you think fat cigars are the best I think it'll be pretty hard to fall in love with the lowly corona no matter how good it is. 

[Derboesekoenig]

I don't see RG--the whole reason why I got into cigars was for taste and pairing. I'm huge into flavors, so I love quality in anything, be it food, beverages, or cigars. I've had tiny 3x RG cigars blow my mind, but have also had some pretty amazing 52-56 RG cigars. I just want a great cigar, and that's it.

[Vortigan]

I don't imagine that I'll make any new friends with this but I've sometimes felt that the often loud call for "short and skinnies" is in its own way just as much an affectation, a kind of "anti affectation" stand, if you will, against the tide of creeping girth. For me personally, my lower and upper limits of enjoyment are 42 and 54. 

[luckme10]

I don't tend to have very many cigars over 50 ring gauge. Mainly because I normally just don't like to smoke for longer than an hour and a half or so. Having said that, smaller ring gauge cigars certainly feel nicer to hold in your mouth and against the lips but in all honestly, I don't think it really matters. It just gets too awkward to hold it with your teeth for the entire duration and  holding it between your lips is a great way to end up with a soggy cigar. So whether it's a fat or skinny cigar, most of the time it's in my hands anyways. The only time you take it up to your mouth is for the draw.

[Ericbrobes]

I see this all too often and I find myself clueless looking for an answer that makes sense. ?‍♂️

[ponfed]

6 hours ago, Vortigan said:

I don't imagine that I'll make any new friends with this but I've sometimes felt that the often loud call for "short and skinnies" is in its own way just as much an affectation, a kind of "anti affectation" stand, if you will, against the tide of creeping girth. For me personally, my lower and upper limits of enjoyment are 42 and 54. 

I see what you mean. Surely there is a part of affectation in some people, some of the time.  Like people using a typewriter to make a point about anti modernity or something.

However two things that can't be discounted. The trend to larger cigars is killing production of dear favorites with smaller RG. 

Also, it's frustrating when your buying power is being dwarfed by the proverbial 800 pound gorilla who is pulling the rug from under you. It can lead to overreaction and an ascribing of less than noble motive to those you identify are doing this. 

Not saying it's good or fair, and there is a whole spectrum of people, cigars, businesses and motives in that trend. 

I know that for me, 50 RG is really big, and larger is an exception. Also, and that's key, the RG itself doesn't bother me as much as the fact that my favorites are smaller RG.

That's more rambling than I planned. Take it with a grain of salt.