Thoughts About Giant Ring Gauges
- Thread starter RaleighNCSmoker
- Start date
Chicks,guns, and cigars good call!!
7x70 sounds like a minibat from dodger stadium!
I used to buy a lot of 54-60 RG in the beginning because i thought I was getting more bang for the buck. But then i started (still learning) to pay attention to what flavors the wrapper brings to the table and how the blend differs in the smaller rg for cigars I was experimenting with.
Now with new (to me) cigars it's reversed. corona/lonsdale/corona gorda first and then bigger if I feel so inclined. Nowadays I'm less inclined to buy something if its only offered in 52 RG and above. I may be selling myself short by not experimenting, but...(shrug)
Which brings up another discussion on certain blends only working well in particular formats. But I'm pretty sure there's another thread for that.
I used to buy a lot of 54-60 RG in the beginning because i thought I was getting more bang for the buck. But then i started (still learning) to pay attention to what flavors the wrapper brings to the table and how the blend differs in the smaller rg for cigars I was experimenting with.
Now with new (to me) cigars it's reversed. corona/lonsdale/corona gorda first and then bigger if I feel so inclined. Nowadays I'm less inclined to buy something if its only offered in 52 RG and above. I may be selling myself short by not experimenting, but...(shrug)
Which brings up another discussion on certain blends only working well in particular formats. But I'm pretty sure there's another thread for that.
Like some, I smoked big rg when I wa younger at 18. Then I grew into normal sizes then when i started working at a b&m I began sticking under 50s. That made my selection a little smaller because of how annoyingly there seems to be little in new lines under 50rg.
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The concept of giant ring gauges must be about image and not flavor. Any time I've tried a larger ring gauge cigar I was disappionted. I'm a fan of Ashton's VSG. I usually smoke the Sorcerer (a churchill). But I tried a Wizard which is a fatter cigar and quality and richness takes a dive. I'll stick with quality over quanity any day.
Mike W
Mike W
50RG is the biggest I like to go. I think any bigger is just to much filler. Call me old school 
Is the tobacco in the large RG cigar of less quality than the smaller RG?
Based on simple math I calculated that if a 5x50 cigar costs $5, then a 5x60 would have to be just over $8. Based on what I see the typical difference between a 5x50 and a 6x60 is $1-$1.50. So if the tobacco is of the same quality then the company would be losing money making 6x60 cigars.
Is that the case?
Rene'
Based on simple math I calculated that if a 5x50 cigar costs $5, then a 5x60 would have to be just over $8. Based on what I see the typical difference between a 5x50 and a 6x60 is $1-$1.50. So if the tobacco is of the same quality then the company would be losing money making 6x60 cigars.
Is that the case?
Rene'
Tobacco cost is not the only variable to consider... Ease to make also plays a part. Packaging, also.
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I agree, but why would a 6x60 be easier to roll and cost less in packaging than a 5x50? Also, I was looking at retail prices for a single cigars to try to eliminate some of the other cost drivers.
I am just speculating and was wondering if anyone has smoked a 5x50 and a 6x60 of the same line and made the comparison of strength and flavor.
Rene'
BrooksW
BoM June '09
In a typical cigar (and there are always exceptions, of course), the cost difference of the tobacco between a Robusto and a larger size (say, Toro or Toro Grande) is negligible.
Just like other things in life the cost of raw materials is not most of the product cost. Labor is the most expensive in most cases and if a 60rg takes the same amount of time to make as a 50rg then the price difference will be small like it is. Now if you start talking tapered heads or both head and foot, the rollers production output is much less due to the extra work associated with those shapes. Plus I suspect that due to the size they can throw some of their less desirable filler in the smoke and it would be less noticeable compared to a smaller cigar. So maybe it can be a way to use up surplus leaf laying around a little at a time.
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ATL
BoM 10/12, 9/13, & 8/14
I've smoked a few 60s, especially when I was getting back into it and thought it meant more bang for your buck. I've love the V line, one of my favorite regular production, the difference in the 6x60 and the no.4 is dramatic. It's like having a great sandwich and then thinking you'll make it better by adding four pounds of lettuce. Yeah, it's a bigger sandwich but the flavors are gone.
scrolled through replies thus far and a careless observation with zero analysis: seems that with few exceptions, most of those unopposed to big RG's have BOTL join dates of rather recent vintage.....doesn't reflect on their experience, knowledge or taste......so you can draw your own conclusions without regard to existence or accuracy of any relavent data
StogieNinja
Derek | BoM June 2014
Good question. From my understanding, it has to do with volume and size. I have kids so I'll use playdoh as an example. Trying to roll a thin roll of playdoh and have it come out even is much harder than trying to roll a fat roll of playdoh. The fatter the roll, the less noticeable the inconsistancies are in the roll. As you get thinner, you'll notice even tiny discrepancies in width, and trying to fix or fill those tiny spots is much harder.
I assume the same thing is true with thin cigars and fat cigars.
The problem is you can't extrapolate that from a retail price because the tobacco leaf is only a portion of the cost, and not the most significant.
A good case of this is Liga Privada. Steve Saka and JD have claimed that they price based on a fixed margin, meaning they want to make a similar margin on all their cigars, regardless of cost. If you look at the MSRP, an L40, a Feral Flying Pig, and a UF-13 all retail for about the same price, despite the fact that they're all different sizes and use different volumes of tobacco.
Additionally, large and small cigars in the same line are often blended using different ratios of tobacco, and not all filler leaves are created equal. So, sometimes adding additional filler doesn't mean adding much cost at all.
Furthermore, often the smaller RG cigars cost more to make, as (among other things) the rollers need to be more experienced, and there's more waste created (pieces of wrapper and binder leaf, for example). However, many cigar companies charge more for the larger sticks because the perception of the consumer is that larger must mean more expensive - people expect to pay more for a longer or larger experience. The higher margin made on the fatties helps offset the smaller margin on the thin ones.
Yeah, I've done it in several cigars, most recently the Undercrown and the MUWAT. The 6x60 is often easier to smoke, and can handle more vigorous puffing without being harsh, but the flavor profiles can be muted. The thinner versions are almost always a little more sensitive to how their smoked, but the flavors shine brighter.
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I feel a study coming on...
I've noticed a similar trend even in my local herf club. The newer guys don't mind the bigger RGs. The more they show up, the sooner they start heading to coronas and lanceros.
Is this a function of experience, or a function of group mentality?
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But, not when you can make French Fries!