The impending death of thin cigars

I am off to Havana later this month for a mini-vacation and with that and the recent death of Fidel Castro, Cuba is much on my mind. So for the next couple of weeks, my blog goes south (literally, not figuratively). A version of this story originally appeared in the February 6, 2015 edition of UK Cigar Scene magazine. All photos by Casa di Sartoria from a feature on cigars and panama hats.

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Size matters. Think about the impact the width of your lapels and ties have on your outfit. Or how so many men today want really, really big watches. Size especially maters when it comes to cigars. The feel in your hand and in your mouth. The amount of smoke produced. The complexity of flavours. All of these are affected by size. At one end of the spectrum are large ring gauge cigars like double robustos – powerful, full of smoke, intense. At the other end are thin cigars like lanceros – subtle, elegant, complex. But your freedom to explore those differences in Cuban cigars is disappearing because the thin ring gauge is on the verge of extinction.

Some numbers. In the last 60 years, Cuba has created 200 regular production cigars under 40 ring gauge (which is thinner than a highlighter). 170 of those thin cigars have been discontinued. One third of those discontinuations have occurred since the year 2000. As of February 2015, of the 177 cigars in current production, only 17% are thin. Meanwhile, about 25% of current production cigars are over 50 ring gauge. Two thirds of those have been created in the last decade alone.*

There are a couple of reasons why we are moving from thin to thick. The first is economics. The profits are much smaller the thinner the ring gauge. They require more skill to make, thus more waste. But thin cigars also have a lower price tag because less tobacco is used. The obvious choice, then, are larger, easier to make cigars for which you can charge more money.

The second reason is social and this is true for watches as well, I think. Many new cigar smokers want a bang for their buck – a bigger cigar delivers more smoke and more power, which usually appeals to the new smoker. Plus, they want to look important and macho; in a world where so few cigars are smoked, a big one really makes a statement.

But does this really matter? Is this just the case of tastes changing and the market determining what is best?

I don’t trust the market or the tastes of others. I trust my own experience. When I started smoking cigars about ten years ago, I prefered big and bold. Bolivar belicosos (which at the time seemed pretty big at a guage of 52) were my first box. I wanted the power, the strength. But as the years passed and I smoked more and more cigars, the ring gauges in my humidor got smaller. I worked my way from robustos to coronas to lonsdales and finally to lanceros and panatellas. At first, thin cigars seemed boring. They were completely lost against an Islay scotch or in the midst of a compelling conversation.

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My revelation came a few years ago when a friend suggested I try a La Gloria Cubana Medaille d’Or number 1. At a ring gauge of 36 (just slightly thicker than the cigars pictured in this article) this is a pencil of a cigar. Reading reviews, a number of people had suggested it was one dimensional and boring. My friend suggested I smoke it alone, so I could fully concentrate on the flavours. And that smoke remains one of my all time best cigar experiences.

Now that my palate had matured and no longer screamed out for loud and powerful, I was able to appreciate the subtitles of thinner cigars. Like Jacques Brel singing “Ne me quitte pas”, there was such an intense power in its simplicity. Compare that to Brian Johnson screaming out AC/DC’s “You shook me all night long.” Power, absolutely, but no one would call it subtle. Thing is, I really like AC/DC. And Jack White. And loud, kicking rock ‘n’ roll. But I also like Portuguese fado. It doesn’t have to be white noise all the time. There are some moments when quiet reflection is more powerful than screaming your face off.

I have smoked a number of large ring gauge cigars that I loved – Cohiba Siglo 6, I’m looking at you – but none of them have provided the pleasure, both physical and spiritual, as some of the lanceros and panatellas I’ve enjoyed. In a perfect world, there wouldn’t be a problem. I’d head over to Havana whenever I wish – remember, perfect world – and there would be piles of Punch Ninfas (long discontinued) along with the latest 56 ring gauge special editions.

First world problem? Yes. But it’s also emblematic of other negative changes in our society. Putting cost above quality, image above substance. And throwing away history for the sake of the new.

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The now discontinued Quai d’Orsay panatella

I’d like to say that we can make a change, buy up all the thin cigars and send a message to Habanos (the company that distribuites Cuban cigars worldwide) to keep producing them. But we all know that won’t work. In the same way that wearing my custom made oxfords will do almost nothing to end the scourge of flip flops, I fear that smoking, even writing about thin cigars, is a lost cause.

And so the next time you light up a lancero or panatella, reflect on how wonderful and rare it truly is. And try not to think about the fact that those four remaining sticks in your humidor are the last ones left on earth.

*All statistics gathered from CubanCigarWebsite.com