Vitola Profiling

[big bill]

Mrtr 33 thanks for this thread never thought of the ratio between wrapper and filler that btw brought up. this is kind of stuff noobs like me need to learn.and so much more to learn from you'll thanks.

[craig]

To confound the issue, some cigarmakers change the blend to compensate for differences in ring. For example, Habanos excludes ligero in narrow-ring cigars.

One can also play with the placement of the filler leaves within the cigar - although, AFAIK, this is only done in perfectos.

[Shelby07]

Usually a fatter ring gauge will have a milder profile. From what I understand, this is because the larger girth makes the leaf burn slower, hence cooler.

As for the taste profile changing, I could guess that different tobaccos react differently as the cigar heats up and the oils build in the cigar from the heat. I'd guess it's due to the cigar itself changing as it's smoked, not the tobacco leaf being different in parts of the cigar. If this is true, then Cuban leaf seems to be more susceptible to the effects of the burn, hence they are more "complex." Not sure about this one, but it seems to make sense.

EDIT: after thinking about this for a little bit, it occurs to me that this would also explain why certain blends or puros taste better at different humidities.

Again, I'm just surmising things here... I will defer to those who know more than I.

[DeeDubya]

Double-Figuardo's around 6x48/54/48

[mrtr33]

Double-Figuardo's around 6x48/54/48

Were you pointing this size out as an ideal taste-changing smoke?

Something else I was wondering was the length of a cigar of a consistent ring gauge. I have been told that the cigar acts as a filter, with the tars of the smoke being sucked through the length of the cigar throughout smoking. This would lead me to think that by the end of the cigar, not only are you tasting the wrapper, but any residue that has built up within the filler leaves. Any truth to that? Could that cause taste to change throughout a cigar?

I have noticed that I normally get the most amount of flavor out of a cigar at about the 3 - 4 inch range. Other smokers I know enjoy the taste at about that size as well. I guess it has something to do with the engineering of the cigar, that allows for optimal taste and amount of smoke, at just the perfect size. One can only assume that this contributed to the creation of shorter cigars (NUB comes to mind immediately).

Do you agree with this? I guess I do, but I still like my larger cigar sizes. I still enjoy churchills, still enjoy toros and even gordos. But I'm starting to take more notice of taste vs. size, and would like to know what you all think about this.

Thanks for reading.

[ashauler]

The NUB is a marketing gimmick imho.

Yes, tar builds up in the leaves as you smoke a cigar. With some you can see this build up in the end of the cigar, and yes, I believe that this contributes to the "development" in flavor during smoking. I have seen photos and read of instances of the tar-build up at the head of some cigars being extreme, but I have never experienced any that I couldn't deal with.

[DeeDubya]

The NUB is a marketing gimmick imho.

Yes, tar builds up in the leaves as you smoke a cigar. With some you can see this build up in the end of the cigar, and yes, I believe that this contributes to the "development" in flavor during smoking. I have seen photos and read of instances of the tar-build up at the head of some cigars being extreme, but I have never experienced any that I couldn't deal with.

I nearly always use a v-cutter for all but torpedos, etc. and I have noticed on some of the heavy bodied cigars a build-up of tar on the "lips" of the v-notch. I think that is a point of condensation where the vaporized tar meets a cooler medium.

I guess that's better than it building up on your teeth.

[badwhale]

To confound the issue, some cigarmakers change the blend to compensate for differences in ring. For example, Habanos excludes ligero in narrow-ring cigars.

One can also play with the placement of the filler leaves within the cigar - although, AFAIK, this is only done in perfectos.

I was thinking someone said that before...now I'm sure.

I was just emailing Irish79 the other day that I notice different flavors / body between different sizes of the same line. He was basically asking the same question. So, I agree that this happens.

Edit: This is also why I think its important to list the size for a review.

Will

[basil]

To confound the issue, some cigarmakers change the blend to compensate for differences in ring. For example, Habanos excludes ligero in narrow-ring cigars.

This is done in the Cabaiguan line - the Guapo being a stronger cigar than the others due to a different blend.

I think they came out and said is was different - marketed it as differrent; a limited run?