One of my recent daily-driver cigars is the RP Sun Grown Maduro, one of only two RP offerings I really care for (the other being the Vintage 2003 Cameroon). Prices on Cbid for them have been up recently, but nabbed a box of the 7.5 × 38 "Lancero" size for a very good auction price.
This is not a size/style that I traditionally buy (and perhaps nobody else either & why they were significantly cheaper) and did not think they would be great for cold weather smokes on the back porch or while walking unless I maybe cut them in half to make a mini-smoke. I was wrong.
First off, if you like the RP SG Maduro to begin with, you will really enjoy these. Less smoke of course, but the flavors are a just bit stronger and more intense than the larger ring-gauge, perfect for this time of year when I am not looking for subtlety.
The burn is great and stands up to cold windy conditions. No need to touch-up or relight. When you are bundled up, you want to be able to just light the thing then forget about it. Had not thought about it before but it makes sense that - all else being equal - a smaller ring-gauge cigar is going to have less issues with uneven burn than a larger version. On the other hand, if it is not a well-made cigar, I would think a thinner version might have more issues staying lit. Fortunately, that has not been a problem at all with this one. Good firm ash that does not flake or blow off, you have to give it a good firm bump to get the ash to fall at all.
Most importantly the smaller ring + longer length is perfect for smoking with gloves on! Unlike a larger-diameter cigar, this one fits well and secure in even a heavily gloved hand and, because of the length, you can smoke away for quite a while without worrying about torching the gloves (yes, I have done that before...)
This is one cigar that I have not yet seen any drop-off in quality from when it got the high honors (#2 back in 2016, albeit a different vitola). Sure, we all know the yearly rankings from a certain magazine suspiciously favor the big advertisers - of which RP is probably the biggest - but this one is worth a top 10 for sure.
