A Question About Small Cigars

[Warbaby]

I recently acquired a beautiful art deco Russian Karelian birch cigar case with a carved and painted decoration (the decoration may be French). When I was bidding on it on eBay, I thought it was a cigarette case, but when I received it, it turned out to be larger and deeper than a cigarette case. I'd like to find some small cigars of decent quality to fit it so I can use it, but I don't know anything about small cigars. The size should be a maximum of 95mm long and about 13-14mm in diameter. Do you cigar smokers have any suggestions?

The case:

 

[Tomasso]

Lovely case! Sorry but I can't help with a cigar rec because I've never found any of that ilk worth smoking. I smoke the big fatties or nothing at all.

 

[Warbaby]

Bumping the thread in hopes of some more opinions. Gotta be a decent small cigar out there.

 

[Blackadder]

Cuban club size and mini size from brands like Cohiba, Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta etc. These sizes are universally called cigarillos. There are many out there.

 

[reeks1]

Agreed, but I'd try for the Cuban "petite corona" size. A bit larger ring gauge so some more flavor and complexity can be rolled in.

 

[HudsonHawk]

Agreed, but I'd try for the Cuban "petite corona" size. A bit larger ring gauge so some more flavor and complexity can be rolled in.

Even a petite corona would be about 130mm long and 16mm in diameter, depending on the cigar. That appears to go beyond the max of the case. He needs something in a ring gauge of about 32 or less. I can't think of anything off the top of my head, other than the cigarillos. Not a fan of them, however.

 

[Ghost Rider]

I saw these recently at a gourmet exhibition in Baden-Baden. They were selling rather well.

 

[KILO NOVEMBER]

The problem with small cigars is not the brand, it's the physics and chemistry of combustion.

When you draw a mouthful of smoke, the air is drawn through the burning surface at a speed which is related to the force exerted by the draw (relatively fixed, unless you consciously draw a good deal softer with a small cigar) and the size of the surface.

Drawing through a small surface with the same pressure as a large surface (small ring guage cigar versus a large ring guage cigar) over a constant time, means that you are forcing a larger amount of oxygen into the combustion process in that unit of time (the time it takes to puff). Other things being equal, more oxygen means buring at a higher temperature. Higher temperatures make for more complete combustion.

The flavor of a cigar comes from the products of incomplete combustion. The higher the buring temperature, the simpler the resulting compounds. To take an extreme analogy, think of a steak cooked rare versus one grilled to a cinder.

So, large ring guage cigars, cooler smoke, more complex flavors; small ring guage cigars, hotter smoke, flavors from nearer the end of the combustion process, a.k.a., ashes.

 

[HudsonHawk]

The problem with small cigars is not the brand, it's the physics and chemistry of combustion.

When you draw a mouthful of smoke, the air is drawn through the burning surface at a speed which is related to the force exerted by the draw (relatively fixed, unless you consciously draw a good deal softer with a small cigar) and the size of the surface.

Drawing through a small surface with the same pressure as a large surface (small ring guage cigar versus a large ring guage cigar) over a constant time, means that you are forcing a larger amount of oxygen into the combustion process in that unit of time (the time it takes to puff). Other things being equal, more oxygen means buring at a higher temperature. Higher temperatures make for more complete combustion.

The flavor of a cigar comes from the products of incomplete combustion. The higher the buring temperature, the simpler the resulting compounds. To take an extreme analogy, think of a steak cooked rare versus one grilled to a cinder.

So, large ring guage cigars, cooler smoke, more complex flavors; small ring guage cigars, hotter smoke, flavors from nearer the end of the combustion process, a.k.a., ashes.

That doesn't mean that thin cigars can't have lots of flavor. Old Cubans, for example, love the Lonsdale, which is one of the smaller regular sizes.

 

[ReynardTheFox]

I recently acquired a beautiful art deco Russian Karelian birch cigar case with a carved and painted decoration (the decoration may be French). When I was bidding on it on eBay, I thought it was a cigarette case, but when I received it, it turned out to be larger and deeper than a cigarette case. I'd like to find some small cigars of decent quality to fit it so I can use it, but I don't know anything about small cigars. The size should be a maximum of 95mm long and about 13-14mm in diameter. Do you cigar smokers have any suggestions?

The case:

I used to smoke La Paz cigarillos. Haven't had them for ages but they were the best I'd ever tried. Not even sure if you can still get them.

 

[belfastboy]

I used to smoke La Paz cigarillos. Haven't had them for ages but they were the best I'd ever tried. Not even sure if you can still get them.

WarBaby's post is from 2013 and has not been around the Lounge in a very long time. My go to small smoke is a Arturo Fuente Hemingway series..."Best Seller" or "Short Story". A perfect cigar to light up when you only have 30-40 minutes.

 

[ReynardTheFox]

WarBaby's post is from 2013 and has not been around the Lounge in a very long time. My go to small smoke is a Arturo Fuente Hemingway series..."Best Seller" or "Short Story". A perfect cigar to light up when you only have 30-40 minutes.

LOL

I better check the dates.

I still have a proper tobacconist in town here so I'll check out the small cigars. The La Paz ones were smaller than Hamlets and Castellas which are the easiest ones to find probably. Hamlet will be for sure.

 

[belfastboy]

LOL

I better check the dates.

I still have a proper tobacconist in town here so I'll check out the small cigars. The La Paz ones were smaller than Hamlets and Castellas which are the easiest ones to find probably. Hamlet will be for sure.

I buy online out of the US and prepandemic would have them shipped to a US border town. I would time it to pick them up when we crossed for holidays and bring them home duty free. To pay duty/taxes doubles the price. I do this once a year, fill my humidor and it affords me reasonably priced cigars for the year. I have exactly 3 Montecristos #4's left in my humidor and if the border doesn't open soon I will have to shop local.

 

[ReynardTheFox]

that mak

I buy online out of the US and prepandemic would have them shipped to a US border town. I would time it to pick them up when we crossed for holidays and bring them home duty free. To pay duty/taxes doubles the price. I do this once a year, fill my humidor and it affords me reasonably priced cigars for the year. I have exactly 3 Montecristos #4's left in my humidor and if the border doesn't open soon I will have to shop local.

Sensible! I normally get folk to buy me tobacco at duty free when they go away which helps a lot. Pipe tobacco isn't quite as highly taxed as cigarettes or rolling tobacco. And as everyone knows there's zero chance I'd ever roll pipe tobacco. nobody EVER does that sort of thing.

I liked that Bali Shag stuff you got in the US. It rolled nicely and in liquorice papers it was one of my favourites.

 

[Edward]

One of the nicest non-pipe smokes I ever had was a slim cigar close to the size of a cigarette. Cherry-flavoured, with a filter like a cigarette in-built, but brown paper. Most likely the cognescenti would consider it a 'cigar for girls', but I rather enjoyed them as an alternative to the pipe. Alas, I hear they are no longer available in the UK as they were banned owing to the flavour. I wish I could remember the brand name.