6 x 60

FNAWrite

So I read in one of consumer mags that the 6 x 60 is the third most popular size in the US market after robustos and toros.

When the question has been asked on another couple cigar boards, the 60 ring gauge doesn't seem all that popular.

So, wondering who is smoking all those 6 x 60s, I'll ask here: Is it the smoke for you?

Do you smoke or buy much in the 60 or greater ring gauge?

Do you prefer a smaller ring gauge than 60?

For me, the answers are no, no and yes.

Carillo has the new INCH line - I don't anticipate smoking this cigar, I don't like 'em that fat. I bought a box of 10 Nat Sherman maduro Bankers some few years ago, still have half probably.

Rail_Jockey

I like the 6X52 the best. But I also like the padron 5X50's as well. The 60 ring gauge is just too damn big for me. I have a few 60's but after I smoke them i feel I need my jaw set back in place.

Gray4lines

That is no surprise it is so popular. I will not bash anyone who enjoys fat rg's, but I believe a common misconception when purchasing cigars is, "oh, just 50 cents more and I get that HUGE 'gar!?" Or, "Bigger is better and manlier!" More experienced smokers know, it isn't about "bang for your buck" when it comes to size (not talking about value-priced sticks) but only about preference, flavor, and maybe time.

Think about it, a fairly new aficionado walks into a humidor and a fat 6x64 is $8.00 and a skinny, wimpy 6x38 lancero shape is $7.75. Anyone without having a preference for size will pick the big honker. Lanceros can be pricey because they're tough to roll, so they usually do rival the big rg's in price, even though you do get "less cigar."

As for me, I am only looking for rg's under 50 right now. Usually closer to 40. My humidor is mostly full of 50-54's which are a little bigger than I am looking for now. I will occasionaly smoke a biggie size... some cool summer nigts, hanging out, you just want a real long smoke with tons of smoke. I think all rg's have their place. I really enjoy the fat Gurkha Titans and the fat Undercrown size, I enjoy how smooth they can be.

SleevePlz

Lol, just read Gray's sig to get my views on the topic!

Gray4lines

SleevePlz:

Lol, just read Gray's sig to get my views on the topic!

kuzi16

we are the nerds of the cigar world. the people who post on forums are the minority in the cigar world. most guys dont know/care and the above "bang for the buck" theory is somewhat true.

of course there is also one other theory. this is that larger rings gauge cigars smoke cooler and therefore the newer smokers and infrequent smokers like them more because they dont turn bitter if they are smoked too fast. there is a learning curve in smoking small ring gauge cigars. lets face it, there are way more casual cigar smokers than die-hard nerds like us.

Rhamlin

Generally I prefer a 6x52 or 54 gage. But there are lots of 60's that I just love, especially perfectos.Gurkha Vintage 2001, Graycliff turbo Limitada, Gurkha Centurian, Obsidian are great 60 rings.

webmost

I dropped in on a couple of street fairs where Cigar Volante was selling Panacea cigars. At both, they had a big basket of seven inch mandingoes front and center. Fair strollers grabbed them up. Best seller by far.

Mandingoes deliver too much filler, not enough wrap. Robusto is just right and available in most every blend. To compare one blend to another, you need a consistent size. Problem with lanceros and such is they are hard to find if you want to compare blends as a relative beginner like me. So I am trying to concentrate on all robusto all the time.
So no, no, yes.

Gray4lines

kuzi16:

of course there is also one other theory. this is that larger rings gauge cigars smoke cooler and therefore the newer smokers and infrequent smokers like them more because they dont turn bitter if they are smoked too fast. there is a learning curve in smoking small ring gauge cigars. lets face it, there are way more casual cigar smokers than die-hard nerds like us.

This is absolutely true as well. I only mention the "bang for the buck" theory because I have seen it firsthand with some friends who are more casual smokers. It definitely takes a little more "practice" to get your pacing down to smoke a smaller rg.

Martel

I understand the "bang for buck" attitude, but I don't equate it with ring gauge. I do see why some would, but the forum here educated me pretty quickly! What great info there is to be found here.

I don't mind something right around 50, but much bigger and it's not as mouth-comfortable. On occasion, I'll smoke something bigger, and smaller is almost always acceptable.

Glock1975

Not that it is 2 big, on 2nd thought they are, but who has time to smoke something that big anyways, surely not me.

RampMonkey

Here is my .02 cents on the topic...6x60 only comes into play when I'm out hitting a round of golf or out in the boat fishing. =D

pelirrojo

I agree with RampMonkey. Larger ring gages are perfect for when smoking is a secondary activity like when playing golf or fishing. They require less attention. I usually reach for something Toro sized for golf or occasionally a churchill. When I'm home and can focus more on the cigar I go with something 52 or smaller and usually a shorther length as well.

kuzi16

pelirrojo:

When I'm home and can focus more on the cigar I go with something 52 or smaller and usually a shorther length as well.

thats interesting. i usually go for the longest cigars i can find. i have been a big fan of the lonsdale for this reason. i get coplexity of the longer filler and a good wrapper to filler ratio. its more often than not a complex very flavorful cigar.

Rain

This commercial is broguht to your by....coronas.

Gray4lines

Puros Indios "Chief" It's a 18" by 66 rg

pelirrojo

kuzi16:

pelirrojo:

When I'm home and can focus more on the cigar I go with something 52 or smaller and usually a shorther length as well.

thats interesting. i usually go for the longest cigars i can find. i have been a big fan of the lonsdale for this reason. i get coplexity of the longer filler and a good wrapper to filler ratio. its more often than not a complex very flavorful cigar.

Could also be due to the fact that it has been winter and I don't want to be outside for very long. If I could smoke indoors it would be a different story.

Stsepas

I find myself buying more 6-60's I even ventures to the LFD double Digger which I believe is 8.5-60 it's good for a long smoke
I do smoke stuff in the mid 50's.
I find the smaller ring guage and smaller sticks I smoke to fast
therefor they get to hot and bitter on me. Just my 2 cents

ehehat

Gray4lines:

Puros Indios "Chief" It's a 18" by 66 rg

That's insane

puffmaster

NO NO AND YES size matters in this case the opposite of her expectations lol

nickiam

I agree with most people on this. Im not so much a fan of 60RG. I tend to like right around 50 ish. Much bigger than 54 and Im out.

pelirrojo

Gray4lines:

Puros Indios "Chief" It's a 18" by 66 rg

Well, she looks pretty excited about it. Also, it looks like that thing ate one of her fingers.

Gray4lines

It probably did. At first I thought, "Oh, that'd be fun to smoke maybe with a group of guys just cause they're soridiculous!". But I am pretty sure I'd vomit... that article where I found the pic said the quickest smoke time was 2:45... that's really damn quick.

Jasonc1982

I generally enjoy anything larger than a robusto. There are a few blends that I enjoy more as a 6x60 than a smaller size. (The Gurkha Royal Challenge and Rocky Patel - Patel Bros.)

ddubridge

Stsepas:

I find myself buying more 6-60's I even ventures to the LFD double Digger which I believe is 8.5-60 it's good for a long smoke
I do smoke stuff in the mid 50's.
I find the smaller ring guage and smaller sticks I smoke to fast
therefor they get to hot and bitter on me. Just my 2 cents

It's a good idea to take it slower, especially on smaller rg's. Set them down for a min. This really helps with the bitter taste and IMO changes the flavor profile. There are some super tasty corona's out there that arent super tasty when I smoke them in a 1/2 hour. Just food for thought.

As far as 6x60 goes, I will go there when I'm doing something that takes awhile and I dont want to smoke multiple cigars. Hangin out on the patio all night with friends for example.

brianetz1

must be a newbie thing.

i like the bigger ones. I think it has more to do with the look and feel of a big cigar at this point. To me smoking a cigar is a luxury time and it just feels more luxurious and manly to be smoking a nice big ring gauge. it gives me more time to pick out flavors (which i am horrible at right now), and in general just "feels" like i am smoking a cigar.

secondly at times the smaller ring gauges feel like i am smoking a cigarette.

lastly i smoke WAY too fast and the small ones get bitter quick.....that's why i am saving a lot of the small ones i have gotten in bombs for a year from now when i get my smoking pattern down

y2pascoe

As I understand it, to the uninitiated, bigger is better. But we are initiated, aren't we? Members of the League of Shadows....oh wait, I'm thinking of something else. I guess to the casual cigar smoker, the bigger ring cigars seem to appeal more. Bigger is better to the average American consumer. Most of us on this board seem to be the niche. Case in point. I live in a touristy area. My B&M does a lot of tourist business. Biggest sellers: big ring cigars. He bought a few boxes of the Kristoff Kristania 7x70's, and they've been selling like wildfire. I love Kristoff, but when I see 7x70, all is think is bad burn, constant touch ups, etc. I'm always busting his hump to bring in more coronas. The big rings just sell better. When it comes to retail, gotta cater to the masses I guess.

I think this makes sense.

bbass2

I've only bought one 60rg and that was because I wasn't paying attention. I think cigars, much like TVs, look smaller in the store than they do when you get them home lol. There are lots of smokers and lots of preferences. As long as the 6x60 and bigger smokes don't decrease the availability of smaller vitolas I don't mind.

I started smoking cigars a few years after quitting cigarettes and it took quite some time before I found the real flavor of cigars and why people enjoy them. Since cigarette flavor doesn't change no matter how fast you smoke I didn't consider the fact that it has a drastic effect on cigars, so I was smoking them waay too fast. Due to that a larger rg tasted better because it burned cooler.

kuzi16

Gray4lines:

that article where I found the pic said the quickest smoke time was 2:45...

i would light that cigar when i woke up and let it go out right before bed.
it usually takes me 4+ hours to smoke an "A" and thats 9x50

xmacro

When I started smoking cigars, I loved 60 ring gauges - never knew the were popular, it was just what I liked to smoke. Lately though I've been transitioning; now I like 52 gauge, but can't really stand anything smaller. Go figure.

blurr

What I'm getting from this, and my extreme hatred of 60rg bulls hit fad, is that newbs smoke our puff entirely to fast and often. I did it my first few months, until I learned to sit back and relax and treasure the flavors. Plus learning your own puff method of preference. Mines 2 short to heat her up, then one long to enjoy the flavors. Never realized how much newer smokers go bigger because of "bitter flavors". That means you're puffing to fast show down and relax. Reminds me of the first time in high school with my female friend...oh wait too much.