Cigar 101 noob question

[badwhale]

I really enjoy smoking these Partagas Robustos. My only complaint is the length is a bit too short. The Partagas Naturales appear to be the same as the Robustos except with an additional inch and .20 cents per. When it comes to naming conventions for cigars of the same brand and blend (Corona, Robusto, Toro, etc.), are they basically just referring to the length and/or dia.?

Yep. Some manufacturers even make up their own names for each vitola in a line, rather than using classic vitola names.

Will

[hed]

I wish I had known that before buying a Padron Sampler a couple of months ago. As far as I'm concerned, it's not much of a sampler if the only diff is the shape.

[badwhale]

I wish I had known that before buying a Padron Sampler a couple of months ago. As far as I'm concerned, it's not much of a sampler if the only diff is the shape.

Different vitola, different flavor based on the wrapper / filler ratio.

If I could, I'd fill my entire humidor with those samplers there.

Will

[hed]

Different vitola, different flavor based on the wrapper / filler ratio.

If I could, I'd fill my entire humidor with those samplers there.

Will

They were a bit strong for my taste but still ok. But all four tasted the same. The only diff that I could discern were the size and shape.

[ashauler]

I wish I had known that before buying a Padron Sampler a couple of months ago. As far as I'm concerned, it's not much of a sampler if the only diff is the shape.

So, cigars should come in only one size? Which one would that be? Do you always have time to smoke a churchill size? Does a PC always satisfy?

Why don't you smoke more cigars of various sizes and revisit this thread someday when you feel like smacking your forehead.

[hed]

So, cigars should come in only one size? Which one would that be? Do you always have time to smoke a churchill size? Does a PC always satisfy?

Why don't you smoke more cigars of various sizes and revisit this thread someday when you feel like smacking your forehead.

Absolutely not. That's not at all what I'm saying. What I am saying is that I can save myself a few bucks by avoiding samples that taste identical and the only difference is .75". Cigars are expensive for me. Taste comes first. If I like the taste then I can find the size of that taste that suits me.

[ggiese]

Absolutely not. That's not at all what I'm saying. What I am saying is that I can save myself a few bucks by avoiding samples that taste identical and the only difference is .75". Cigars are expensive for me. Taste comes first. If I like the taste then I can find the size of that taste that suits me.

It's all about personal preferences. The cigar manufacturers create a blend of tobacco's for a "line" of cigars. They then create several different shapes and sizes within that blend. There are subtle differences between vitola, but from the sounds of it you're likely too new to smoking cigars to discern any differences in vitola's within the same blend. In that case - if it's only about cost and you're not influenced by the subtle differences between vitola - choose the blend you prefer and forget about the size of the cigar.

Personally - a "few bucks" is insignificant in the grand scheme of things. I'm about smoking what I enjoy and want to enjoy what I'm smoking, so I don't pay a lot of mind to the pricetag. I have also gravitated to a certain set of vitola's, so I go to those first when trying a new cigar.

[ashauler]

snip...... I'm about smoking what I enjoy and want to enjoy what I'm smoking, so I don't pay a lot of mind to the pricetag. I have also gravitated to a certain set of vitola's, so I go to those first when trying a new cigar.

Absolutely!! I would guess that most smokers tend to gravitate towards smaller, or less freakish anyway, RG's than the other way around. That's what I've done, and typically 50rg is about the largest I'll pick up any more.

[heftysmokes]

Absolutely!! I would guess that most smokers tend to gravitate towards smaller, or less freakish anyway, RG's than the other way around. That's what I've done, and typically 50rg is about the largest I'll pick up any more.

I'm of the same mindset, but have you noticed a lot of makers aren't even offering anything under a 50-52 anymore? I can pick up all kinds of retarded 60 rg dog turds but the PC seems to be few and far between.

[hed]

Why don't you smoke more cigars of various sizes and revisit this thread someday when you feel like smacking your forehead.

I have returned. Consider my forehead smacked!

[Mangyrat]

Don't rule out the smaller cigars when sampling to find what you like.
One of my favorite quick smoke is Trinidad Maduro Trini Petites 4x33 and the taste is so much more intense in the smaller cigars.
Time is a big factor when I'm picking a cigar to smoke if i don't have 2 hrs to sit back and enjoy a cigar i pick something smaller like a robusto.

You may want to have a humidor full of different sized cigars so you always have the right size for the right amount of time.
If I'm rushed to smoke a cigar i don't enjoy it as much and i hate to waste a good cigar by leaving half of it in the ashtray.

[craig]

I wish I had known that before buying a Padron Sampler a couple of months ago. As far as I'm concerned, it's not much of a sampler if the only diff is the shape.

Depends on the cigar. Some cigars are blended slightly differently by vitolla so that the brand taste is the same regardless of vitolla. Other cigars use the same blend, and thus, the taste changes as the size changes, as, for example, the proportion of wrapper to filler changes as the cigar ring changes.

Of course, the differences will generally not be as great as the differences between brands, but it is still a sampler.

AFAIK, Padron doesn't change the blend. For example, among the thousand series (2000 to 7000), I find the 4000 to be clearly my favourite. I have no opinion on the four different 1926's which you refer to; I haven't smoked enough of each different vitolla to have an opinion.

[hed]

Other cigars use the same blend, and thus, the taste changes as the size changes, as, for example, the proportion of wrapper to filler changes as the cigar ring changes.

Now, I can see how that can produce a different taste using the same blend.

[VancouverMark]

Now, I can see how that can produce a different taste using the same blend.

That's what badwhale said in the second post in this thread. If cigars are expensive for you, may wish to avoid the Padron 1926's in the first place.

I'm about as green as you can get when it comes to cigars, but by doing a lot of reading on this site, I have recently discovered some cigars I really enjoy at well under $5 per stick.

Cheers,

Mark

[hed]

That's what badwhale said in the second post in this thread.

My bad, I missed that.

If cigars are expensive for you, may wish to avoid the Padron 1926's in the first place.

I've read good things about Padron and the sampler seemed like a good buy. Certainly not an everyday smoke for me, but sometimes you just have to splurge a bit for special occasions.

I'm about as green as you can get when it comes to cigars, but by doing a lot of reading on this site, I have recently discovered some cigars I really enjoy at well under $5 per stick.

I agree. And with the exception of the Padrons and one or two others, all of my purchases (boxes, samplers, bundles) average < $5 per.

[CoventryCat86]

I wish I had known that before buying a Padron Sampler a couple of months ago. As far as I'm concerned, it's not much of a sampler if the only diff is the shape.

Sometimes the same cigar in different vitolas aren't much different the way they smoke or taste and sometimes they are indeed different. For example, an Opus X #5 smokes and tastes a whole lot different from an Opus X Double Corona or an A size.

That 1926 sampler pack is a great way to let you figure out what size or vitola suits you best. I personally like all four of those sizes for different situations, the #6 for a quick smoke, the #1 if I have about an hour, the #9 for a 35 minute smoke and my favorite is the #2 because I think that's the best vitola for consistency mostly related to construction. It's been my experience over the years that with the #9s and the #1s that the draw varies quite a bit, one day it will be too loose and thus burn too hot and another day it will be just right. However I don't think I've ever had a bad #2.

[FindingRelevance]

I agree that taste is going to vary with each size even though they're made with the same intent. Length and burn are going to be different for each size. The longer the smoke, the more it has to go through in the cigar before it touches your lips. That will cause a difference to.

Me, personally, I gravitate towards figurados or torpedoes primarily because there is a more flavoable tip. Even a Chisel, is you punch the top and smoke through that hole, the smoke run over the top of your mouth first with is it's own intriguing taste. Enjoy!

[hed]

I have since smoked a box of the Partagas Naturales. The only physical difference between them and the Robusto was 1", but they tasted very different. Still good, just different. I was hoping they would taste like the Robustos with an extra inch of smoke time.

I'm a bit confused with some of the lingo though. On the FSS website, the Partagas Robusto are referred to as Rothschild, and the Naturales are referred to as Toro.

I'm assuming that may be what what badwhale was referring to.

Yep. Some manufacturers even make up their own names for each vitola in a line, rather than using classic vitola names.

[ashauler]

Forget the names.....use the numbers.