Big Ring Gauge Cigars, What's the Deal With That!

There is definately a movement occuring in the cigar world from my perspective. The movement has been occuring for the last couple of years and I don't see an end in sight. That movement is cigar smokers reaching for the bigger, fatter cigars in the humidor. Before I go too far into this, let me first explain to you what ring gauge numbers mean.

You will usually see cigars given 2 numbers to denote their size. Additionally you will also see names given to cigar sizes. When it comes to names, good luck trying to keep up with each brand's name and the size they are referring to. A Toro for one manufacturer could very well be a 1/2 inch shorter than a Toro for another guy. One cigar maker may it a robusto, and another calls it a shorty. The only way to know the exact size of a cigar is to find out the 2 numbers describing the size of a cigar. For example, 5x52, 6 1/2 x 48. The first number is easy, it's the length of the cigar in inches. The second number references the diameter of the cigar. 64=1 inch, therefore a 64 ring gauge cigar has a 1 inch diameter. A 52 ring gauge is 52/64th's of an inch in diameter.

Now back to the movement. Traditionally, Cuban cigars are not known for being consumed in large ring gauges, hence, most domestic cigars were not larger ring gauges. However, in the last several years, guys seem to be gravitating to the larger cigars. Not long ago, a 60 rg was a ridiculously large cigar enjoyed by few. Nowadays, almost every manufacturer makes a 60 rg to go along with their line of cigars. As if the 60 rg wasn't large enough we are now carrying a 66 rg cigar and there is even a 77 rg cigar coming out this year!

So the question is, is a large rg cigar better or worse than it's smaller counterpart? Like anything else cigar related, it boils down to personal preference. Here's some advantages to buying the large rg cigars. 1) you will find the liklihood of having a tight draw or poor construction to be lower in larger cigars. The torcedores having a greater margin for error. 2) You get much more bang for your buck when buying a larger cigar. If you plan to sit and smoke for 3 hours you could buy 1 large cigar for 10 bucks, or 2 smaller cigars for 7 bucks. So you are gonna save some money if you smoke alot of cigars. For me, these are the disadvantages I find with large rg cigars. 1) I find it uncomfortable to have such a large cigar clamped between my jaws. 2) I find that taste is sacrificed with larger cigars. This is because a majority of the flavors of a cigar comes from the wrapper. In a large cigar, your wrapper to filler ratios are much more distant than in a smaller cigar of the same blend. 3) I personally loose interest in a cigar after about an hour. I like variety in tastes, and I feel like my mouth needs a break when it smoke a cigar that large.

Personally, I can't figure out this craze in large rg cigars, but that's just one guys opinion. We sell a ton of larger rg cigars, and when those crazy 77 rg cigars come in, they will sell well I'm sure. There's only one way for you to find out, go get you a big fatty and smoke it!

As always, I'd love to hear your comments.