Tonight my neighbor and I did a two cigar night side by side.

My buddy Ron, Whistlebritches, sent me a Room 101 Roxxo in a welcome aboard RAOK package. I loved it and ordered some. Well, kind of. I got the Monstro - 5 x 60 vice the Roxxo - 4 x 48 that he sent.

When I got the box I realized I made a mistake. So I ordered the Roxxo's so now I have both.

Thus, my buddy and I were in a great position to do a side by side tonight in search of enlightenment for posterity.

These were two completely different smokes. Same blend, same wrappers, just 48rg vice a 60rg. Both of us decided that the Roxxo was a much more intense flavorful cigar than the Monstro. The larger ring was a much milder smoke.

Honestly that surprised me. Both were great smokes, but the monstro, while a great cigar, was milder than the smaller roxxo. My buddy said it was not as flavorful, I thought it was but just wasn't as intense. We settled on milder and more subtle flavors.

A great night, great smokes, and I learned something. I am not driving to do the same thing with a different set of smokes to see if this is repeatable.

Damned if I don't love this stuff. =d>

Yeah I've noticed that as well with larger RG's. I'm pretty sure it's b/c the filler tobacco isn't as flavorful as the wrapper so the extra filler will kind of water down the flavor.

I distinctly noticed this between the robusto and the gordo with the Esteban Carreras Mr Brownstone Maduro.

You're new to cigars, so you may not know that this is generally the standard situation for most brands and blends, not just this one. It's all about the wrapper-to-filler ratio, it seems.

Here's a house-brand example where this is quite noticeable: (Competitor-Name-I-Can't-Mention) Nicaraguan 3000, in the robusto vitola (54-ring I believe), compared to the big 60-ring vitola. Large intensity difference, despite only a 6-ring diameter difference! Both are good enjoyable smokes though.

Me, I like big and small rings, they're both good in their own way, and suitable for different moods and situations, and different amounts of time available for smoking.
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Unrelated to this thread, but USNGunner, I mentioned retrohaling in another thread I just posted a reply to, and it reminded me to tell you, like I tell all newbies, that about 80% or more of a cigar's total flavor is smell not taste, so if you're not retrohaling you're missing the majority of what most cigars have to offer. I've explained retrohaling to new and even veteran cigar smokers who just didn't know about it, and while sometimes it takes them awhile to figure out how to get their muscles to do what's required, and awhile after that to get used to the sensations (it can sting until you acclimate to it), after they're used to it the reaction is usually "HOLY CRAP it's a WHOLE NEW WORLD!" Which it truly is.

I probably ought to start a thread about it for the newbs, but basically instead of pushing the smoke out your mouth, you do some out the mouth and some out the nose. It takes practice, but not much. Eventually it becomes automatic and you'll even notice yourself blowing different percentages out your mouth and nose based on the blend you're smoking... it's really cool when that happens because the brain's just automatically judging the smoke and changing the nose/mouth expulsion mix ratio all by itself. It's a "wow, cool!" moment the first time you notice that's happening. And at that point, you start getting the best and most out of your cigars.

Analogy: driving a car. When you first learn, you have to consciously focus on every action. Years later, it's so automatic you can daydream and still end up at the supermarket, sometimes with no memory of the individual driving actions you took. The brain is good at delegating repeated tasks (driving, retrohale mix adjustments, etc.) to a subconscious, automatic level!
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It’s not a set rule though.....keep in mind a larger RG cigar naturally has more leaf which can also mean more ligero. So “milder” isn’t always a set fast rule.....flavor now is more subjective but would be closer to a rule IMO than strength.

YMMV

Good post BTW even if that brown water squib sent you the cigar.

First off it's no secret around here that I am a small RG guy,when you're hung like a mule you have to impress no one, just ask Frankie T.Few cigars have ever improved as I went up the RG scale and none in the larger RG's have ever seem to balance well.I have a few so called robusto's in the 52-54 rg that I smoke with some regularity...……..but that's mostly due to the non-availability of a smaller rg in that particular stick.I look for sticks in the 42-46 rg but it seems these smaller rg's are harder to come by than they used to be.If a stick comes in the corona gorda vitola(5 3/4X46) I have to try it.....I'm a sucker for a CG.


I used to enjoy some Perdomo sticks,then they decided to cut the standard sizes and offer a long 54 rg,mammoth toro,and a 56 rg jawbreaker robusto.Between this and discontinuing the Perdomo2 Perfecto's back in the mid 2000's...….I just stopped buying their crap when they decided to cater to pole smokers.

I didn't stay on the large ring guage train very long. They just don't have much flavor, though as ZRX alluded to, they can have a ton of ligero if what you're looking for is a nic-kick. I've found that 50 is generally the highest ring guage I generally like, and have gravitated to smaller, with a few exceptions (Connie A is a staple).

Allegedly, Illusione is one of few companies that makes adjustments to larger ring gauge cigars so they more accurately resemble the flavor of the smaller ring gauge versions... Allegedly...

OK Donkey Diyk,
do you hang the schlong to the right or left?
Or do you mooseknuckle it?

It has it's own reel...……..and parking spot for that matter

Thanks for all the feedback. It's appreciated.

Granted, impressions are subjective, so yeah.

Retrohaling. I actually had just discovered this concept last week on one of the blogs. Then I was on the Cigar Aficionado website and voila, they have some videos up, one of which covered retrohaling. So I have been trying it, and I explained the concept to my buddy last night and he was trying it as well. LOL. So I was actually trying that out on both.

It does change the experience considerably. Very cool.

I learn something here everyday it seems like. 🙂

Valet parking? VIP club?
You da man

Having danced with Whistlebritches drunk (he’s a very “hands” on type of guy) I’ll tell you.....hotwheel

I thought what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas? 😳

Well it used to anyway!#-o

The hep follows you home...

Most of my retrohales taste like wood.

I also think (opinion not based on any facts) that it is also a function of (1) the extra amount air going through the fatter cigar and (2) the less concentration on the tongue with the increased surface area of the cut end.

I think I’ve been able to replicate this - take 2 torpedos - snip one properly and cut the other down past where it tapers. Smoke them both.

I also think (opinion not based on any facts) that it is also a function of (1) the extra amount air going through the fatter cigar and (2) the less concentration on the tongue with the increased surface area of the cut end.

I think I’ve been able to replicate this - take 2 torpedos - snip one properly and cut the other down past where it tapers. Smoke them both.

Well since the proverbial cat is out of the bag...….the next morning I told wifey that I'd had a wild dream.She gave me the "oh Dear Lord do I wanna hear this look" but insisted I go on.Told her I was dancing with this gal and she put the biggest set of knockers I'd ever touched in my hands...….Wifey gives me this crazy look and says "That was Jamie you drunk bastid……...and I have video to prove it".I do not share my dreams with her anymore and I have asked her repeatedly to stop sharing that video.I'm just glad it didn't make the Freemont Street Experience highlight reel.