Wednesday, June 01 2011
Q: I'm a beginning cigar smoker, and at 55 I don't imagine I will ever graduate to full, strong, robust
cigars. I like the mild selections and have been experimenting by buying 5-packs from
Famous Smoke Shop. So here goes...
- Does cutting a torpedo small cause the cigar to smoke milder due to less air draw from the smaller cut?
- Will a thinner cigar smoke more mildly than a thicker one of the identical blend? For example: a Lonsdale vs. a Churchill.
- Tom in Tennessee
A: First of all, regardless of your age, even though you enjoy smoking mostly all mild cigars now, if you're like most cigar smokers, you will naturally drift toward cigars with more flavor and strength. You may end up avoiding extra-full-bodied cigars like those found in the
Full Body 6-Pack #1 (
shown) for a while, but your palate will eventually shift toward stronger cigars in general. Besides, as you experiment, you may be surprised by some of the full-bodied blends and discover that there are some real keepers among them. Now to your questions...
1) Whether cutting a very small portion of a Torpedo's
cap will make it smoke milder, the answer is
no. Actually, the smaller the hole, the
more concentrated the smoke will be. Moreover, the draw may be a bit tight, too. The more of the
head that's exposed, the cooler it will smoke.
2) As far as thinner cigars vs. thicker cigars within the same blend being milder goes, it's more the reverse,
but not entirely. Because you have more
wrapper leaf on a small
ring gauge like a Lonsdale (42-44 ring), or a Lancero (36-38 ring), the smoke will more likely be
richer, but not necessarily stronger. Of course, it depends on the blend, too. Relatively speaking, a line that's blended with a mild filler &
binder and a Connecticut Shade wrapper should have approximately the same mild "character." The
key difference is, regardless of the wrapper leaf used, you'll taste more of the wrapper's flavor in the smaller ring gauges. So, if you love the natural sweetness of
Cameroon wrapper, you might want to opt for the thinner shapes in brands that are rolled in Cameroon.
