Am I smoking too slow?
Ok so I was reading THE COMPLETE IDIOT'S GUIDE TO CIGARS 2nd Edition (I've only been at this for a month) and there is a section in the book that shows the different shapes and sizes along with the estimated burn time. The robustos they estimate at 20-40 minutes and coronas at 30-45 minutes.
Now I gotta say. I have smoked both robustos and coronas and after an hour I am still around an inch away from reaching the band! I can't be smoking too slow because my sticks stay lit.
So whats the deal with those estimated times? How long do your robustos and coronas last you? And is this estimate supposed to be to the nub? or the band? or halfway? or what?
Comments
Robusto is an hour to 1.5 for me.
Corona -hour
I honestly think coronas or other skinny sizes need more time, given how small they are. Smoking fast will heat up a small ring gauge really fast and it will turn bitter and plug up. As long as you aren't letting it go out between every puff, you're doing perfectly fine! Times can vary wildly between people and even cigars of the same size depending on the roll.
Ok, a bit of advice here. It's great to read all these things, but try not to put so much credence in all that stuff.
20-40 minutes on a robusto??? Are they hotboxing it?
If your pace is working for you, go with it.
Robustos generally will last me almost an hour.
Ask Kuzi, he can get 3 hours out of a cigar. ROFL!!
Seriously, there are so many variables in cigar smoking, don't take anything written about cigar smoking as gospel. Each person is different and will find their own pace and tastes.
As for nubbing a cigar.........The only cigars I nub are really, really good ones.
6.2 x 54 --- 2 hours 50 minutes.
6 x 52 --- 2 hours 25 minutes
4 x 42 --- 1 hour 40 minutes
5.5 x 52 --- 2 hours 20 minutes
6.5 x 45 -- 1 hour 45 minutes
4.5 x 52 --- 1 hour 45 minutes.
6 x 44 --- 1 hour 55 minutes.
the entire goal as stated above is to find a pace that works for you. i find that VERY slow is a great pace for me. as long as it stays lit.
a good starting point to know if you are on a good pace is this:
the cone created by the cherry on the cigar should only be as tall as half of the ring gauge at most. other than that, it is as slow as you want to smoke without it going out.
Wow. I can smoke that in the time it takes to warm up the grill and cook 2 burgers. I usually keep some cheaper corona's or small sticks around for those times. If I am smoking something really good on a nice night, I will make it last. If I know I can get another smoke in or have something I really don't care about, burn it up.
It takes me about 2 hours to smoke a robusto and 3 hours for smoke a churchill and it rarely goes out but at this pace the tobacco never heats up and it's about as smooth as you can deal with. Another thing to think about is that some cigars are really dense which allows a longer smoking experience while a thinner packed cigar is going to smoke quicker.