The high price of tobacco?

[Dutch]

I recently visited a local tobacconist in Marietta, GA. I was interested in one of their lines, but could only find it in a 60 plus ring gauge. I asked if they had it in a toro or robusto size, as I have never liked the mega ring gauges. I made the comment that I was surprised that the mega ring gauge fad had lasted as long as it has. The clerk informed me that some folks come in not searching for a particular brand or blend, but rather the largest ring gauges available. I suppose for them, it's all about the image that the cigar presents in a particular size.

It's easy for us to forget I suppose, that some people smoke not for enjoyment or hobby, but instead for the image they hope to project to other people.

Yeah, what's with the fellatio bit, anyhow? I don't get it either. Guess I'm biased, preferring the corona size, or maybe a toro when feeling gay.  :lol:  

Richard, some of the best tasting cigars I have ever smoked, were in the smaller ring gauges. It's also interesting to note that a 50 ring gauge Cuban is a large ring gauge in their culture. Most of their cigars fall in the 40 ring gauge sizes, and I believe it is probably the sweet spot balancing filler and wrapper.

Here in America, we like 4000 calorie meals, Lincoln Navigators, and cigars so large they make the owner look ridiculous. How can you blame the cigar companies for marketing them, regardless the experience they deliver.

Look at it this way, it gives the rest of us some one else to laugh at.

Definitely! :lol:

 

[monbla256]

I recently visited a local tobacconist in Marietta, GA. I was interested in one of their lines, but could only find it in a 60 plus ring gauge. I asked if they had it in a toro or robusto size, as I have never liked the mega ring gauges. I made the comment that I was surprised that the mega ring gauge fad had lasted as long as it has. The clerk informed me that some folks come in not searching for a particular brand or blend, but rather the largest ring gauges available. I suppose for them, it's all about the image that the cigar presents in a particular size.

It's easy for us to forget I suppose, that some people smoke not for enjoyment or hobby, but instead for the image they hope to project to other people.

Yeah, what's with the fellatio bit, anyhow? I don't get it either. Guess I'm biased, preferring the corona size, or maybe a toro when feeling gay.  :lol:  

Richard, some of the best tasting cigars I have ever smoked, were in the smaller ring gauges. It's also interesting to note that a 50 ring gauge Cuban is a large ring gauge in their culture. Most of their cigars fall in the 40 ring gauge sizes, and I believe it is probably the sweet spot balancing filler and wrapper.

Here in America, we like 4000 calorie meals, Lincoln Navigators, and cigars so large they make the owner look ridiculous. How can you blame the cigar companies for marketing them, regardless the experience they deliver.

Maybe some of you older guys can confirm, but haven't pipe bowls also gotten larger? Did Savinelli 320s with 1" wide bowls exist back when Dunhill still made tobacco?

From what was told to me and I observed back in the late '60s early '70s, most of my European friends that were pipe smokers smoked what would have been considered mostly grp2/ grp 3 in size due to the cost of tobacco over there compared to what it was over here. Because Americans were able to buy tobacco at comparably lower costs, they tended to demand and the makers produced much larger sized pipes for the American market. I remember one B&M that had trouble selling many of it's grp 2 sized Dunhill to the point that they sold many of the same style of the smaller pipes at reduced prices to the more usual grp 4 or grp 5 sizes that they tried to stock. The really BIG pipes came in with the "Danish Freehand" era of the '70s /'80s when folks started wanting something "newer" in style. We seem to have always smoked larger sized pipes than they have in Europe especially in Great Britain. But then we've ALWAYS paid LESS for our 'baccy than they do across the big pond. STILL DO :twisted:
My father was a cigar smoker back then and I never saw him with anything bigger than a ring size 42 Carona whether it was a domestic or Cuban cigar. He always said that "... those larger sizes were for idiots that didn't know what a good cigar tasted like ! "  When I smoked more cigars than I do now, I found the ring size 40/42 seemed to truly give the best all around aspects flavor and smoking wise than the larger sizes did so he was somewhat correct. But "back in the day' we had $.15/gal gas and 16'-0" Cadillacs too! :twisted: :twisted:

 

[DrumsAndBeer]

Interesting, and makes perfect sense. You know, every Tom, Dick and Harry that's new to piping prefers a ridiculously big pipe until they smoke 1792 or Happy Brown Bogie.

I prefer small pipes because I don't have time for a 2 hour smoke, ever. 30-45 minutes sure, but 1.5 to 2 hours are impossible for me unless the wife and kids are out of town. That said I either smoke a smaller pipe or I pack 1/2 bowls..

 

[oldbear58]

I have been trying my hand at making perique style tobacco and the result is smoke-able and pleasant, but I would agree that, in the end it is more cost efficient to allow a master tobacco producer and blender make a great blend than to try yourself, probably spending years just to get it right.  Hardly cost efficient, though probably more self satisfying to smoke your own.

But re-blending is definitely something I recommend: never enough perique!

Oldbear

 

[Thomas Tkach]

Interesting, and makes perfect sense. You know, every Tom, Dick and Harry that's new to piping prefers a ridiculously big pipe until they smoke 1792 or Happy Brown Bogie.

I prefer small pipes because I don't have time for a 2 hour smoke, ever. 30-45 minutes sure, but 1.5 to 2 hours are impossible for me unless the wife and kids are out of town. That said I either smoke a smaller pipe or I pack 1/2 bowls..

THIS! I recently did a video about how I like smaller pipes for the most part. Though some blends taste and smoke better in bigger bowls, stronger blends and especially pressed tobaccos go in smaller pipes. This time of year I almost only smoke while on my short commute, so it's either DGT or a partial bowl in a small pipe.

 

[Thomas Tkach]

I recently visited a local tobacconist in Marietta, GA. I was interested in one of their lines, but could only find it in a 60 plus ring gauge. I asked if they had it in a toro or robusto size, as I have never liked the mega ring gauges. I made the comment that I was surprised that the mega ring gauge fad had lasted as long as it has. The clerk informed me that some folks come in not searching for a particular brand or blend, but rather the largest ring gauges available. I suppose for them, it's all about the image that the cigar presents in a particular size.

It's easy for us to forget I suppose, that some people smoke not for enjoyment or hobby, but instead for the image they hope to project to other people.

Yeah, what's with the fellatio bit, anyhow? I don't get it either. Guess I'm biased, preferring the corona size, or maybe a toro when feeling gay.  :lol:  

Richard, some of the best tasting cigars I have ever smoked, were in the smaller ring gauges. It's also interesting to note that a 50 ring gauge Cuban is a large ring gauge in their culture. Most of their cigars fall in the 40 ring gauge sizes, and I believe it is probably the sweet spot balancing filler and wrapper.

Here in America, we like 4000 calorie meals, Lincoln Navigators, and cigars so large they make the owner look ridiculous. How can you blame the cigar companies for marketing them, regardless the experience they deliver.

Maybe some of you older guys can confirm, but haven't pipe bowls also gotten larger? Did Savinelli 320s with 1" wide bowls exist back when Dunhill still made tobacco?

From what was told to me and I observed back in the late '60s early '70s, most of my European friends that were pipe smokers smoked what would have been considered mostly grp2/ grp 3 in size due to the cost of tobacco over there compared to what it was over here. Because Americans were able to buy tobacco at comparably lower costs, they tended to demand and the makers produced much larger sized pipes for the American market. I remember one B&M that had trouble selling many of it's grp 2 sized Dunhill to the point that they sold many of the same style of the smaller pipes at reduced prices to the more usual grp 4 or grp 5 sizes that they tried to stock. The really BIG pipes came in with the "Danish Freehand" era of the '70s /'80s when folks started wanting something "newer" in style. We seem to have always smoked larger sized pipes than they have in Europe especially in Great Britain. But then we've ALWAYS paid LESS for our 'baccy than they do across the big pond. STILL DO :twisted:
My father was a cigar smoker back then and I never saw him with anything bigger than a ring size 42 Carona whether it was a domestic or Cuban cigar. He always said that "... those larger sizes were for idiots that didn't know what a good cigar tasted like ! "  When I smoked more cigars than I do now, I found the ring size 40/42 seemed to truly give the best all around aspects flavor and smoking wise than the larger sizes did so he was somewhat correct. But "back in the day' we had $.15/gal gas and 16'-0" Cadillacs too! :twisted: :twisted:

That's interesting about the difference between the States and Europe. It still seems that way back in the day smaller pipes were more common. From some of the really old estate lots I've gotten, the pipes do tend to be smaller.