Right on! If they could come up with a Lonsdale size, a la the VSG Illusion, I'd be all over that puppy. The Robusto would be very nice indeed for a slightly shorter smoke than the original size.
Times are good for being a cigar smoker. :thumbs:
Wilkey
I spoke with Steve Saka while enjoying a cigar at Casa Fuente. I asked Mr. Saka, "Why a double corona in the Liga Privada when the market is moving towards a smaller ring guage."
His response, "we have been working on a small format on the Liga." "We use 5 different filler tobacco and it hard to keep the flavor profile the same when using that many filler tobaccos, but trying to make a smaller rg cigar."
So they are working on making a smaller size. Just thought I would share what was told directly to me.
Mark
Mark,
Thanks for the info! That makes eminent sense.
Now, as I think about it, his comment seems to highlight a fundamental difference between Cuban cigars and non-Cuban cigars. It's been remarked occasionally through the years that NCs tend to taste more similar than not from the smallest to the largest frontmark
(NC cigars' "model name"). My experience certainly supports this to varying degrees from brand to brand. Cuban cigars, however, can vary quite dramatically in strength and flavor across vitolas
(Cuban cigars' "model name"). Case in point, in the Partagás marca the Shorts is one of their smallest "totalmente hecho a mano" cigars and is perhaps the kickiest. The Partagás Lonsdale is milder, more floral, markedly different in almost every way.
It would seem that NC makers strive for consistency across a line in a brand (e.g. Montecristo White in the Montecristo brand) revealing, perhaps, their belief that smokers' expectations run that way. In contrast, each Habanos vitola seems to have its own personality by design and intent.
As I think about it, it seems to make more sense from a blending perspective to allow the structural requirements of the size guide the blend and consequently the flavor and character of the cigar. For example, te 47 rg of a churchill will allow the use of 4-5 leaves in the filler whereas a laguito no.3 at 26 rg would have only one. It seems almost illogical, impossible to strive for perfect uniformity across sizes, but then again, my perception is that Habanos span a broader range of sizes (rg and length) than NCs. Perhaps this is why they've allowed the blend to follow the form.
Whoooo! So much to think about. Thanks again for sharing the intel, Mark!
