Friday, October 29 2010
Q: Like many others these days I often light up a
Churchill,
Torpedo, etc. and know I won't have the time to
finish or come back to it. Does it affect a larger
handmade cigar's performance to reduce its size by a few inches before lighting, or to just smoke as much as time allows? I know, life's a bitch, but this happens more and more these days, hense why I have been buying a variety of sizes from
Famous Smoke Shop these last 4 years.
My opinion was/is that large cigars were made to be smoked 'large,' but not to get to the final third seems a crime. So again, in your expert view, is it better to just smoke as much as time allows or to chop it beforehand?
Roy R. in The U.K
A: Anytime you alter the size of a cigar, you're going to affect its character. Moreover, if the cigar is also a relight, just that alone will reveal different flavors in the mix.
Traditionally speaking,
cigars are meant to be smoked in one sitting without interruption. These days that's not often the
case, and a lot of premium cigars bloom in the final act when all the flavors are converging. You probably don't want to miss that. On the other
hand, the last third can sometimes be the point where the cigar "turns," or becomes bitter and tarry, at which point you should just let it go out.
I would never shorten a cigar for the sake of time. So, taking a cue from your question, you're better off smoking it from the beginning and see where you end up. Better yet, I would try to find a smaller cigar with a decent ring size so you can enjoy it without having to put it out early. Try taking a look at some Petite Coronas (about 4½ --> 5½ x 38 --> 40).
Here are some suggestions in Petite
Corona sizes.
Famous Private Selection Nicaraguan Corojo CoronaRocky Patel Rosado Petite CoronaPuros Huerfanos 143 LanceroRocky Patel Vintage 1992 Petite Corona* * *
