Havanas vs NC - filler...

T

thebiglebowski

Lowland Gorilla
ok, is it just me or do cuban cigars, in general, seem to have more filler leaf than NCs (in general)? by this, i mean - cubans seem to last longer. here are two examples:

- a Monte #2 vs a NC La Gloria Cubana Torpedo #1. these cigars have almost exactly the same dimensions (6 1/8 x 52). both are typically well-made examples of each manufacturer. a Monte #2 will last about 1 hour and 30 minutes for me - an LGC #1 will maybe last an hour and 10 minutes.

- a Bolivar Coronas Gigante vs a CAO Gold Churchill. again, almost exactly the same dimensions (7 x 47 - and actually the CAO is a 48 ring gauge). Boli will smoke for an hour and 40 minutes and the CAO for an hour and 15 minutes.

across the board, with few exceptions (the LFD Chisel being one) cubans will smoke much longer than similarly shaped NCs. so, what gives? more filler leaf? or, does cuban leaf burn slower? anyone have the answer and/or similar experience?

if this has been discussed elsewhere, i apologize.

cheers.
 
Thats a very good observation, methinks. I've only had on ISOM, and it was a cohiba siglo I, and I smoked an NC (forgetting which one) that was about the same size, and the cohiba lasted about twice as long.
Scott
 
I think the cubans last longer becuase I slow way down when smoking a habana to really enjoy the taste. Maybe you are doing that too, unconsciously of course.

Just my :2


:ms NCRM
 
NCRadioMan said:
I think the cubans last longer becuase I slow way down when smoking a habana to really enjoy the taste. Maybe you are doing that too, unconsciously of course.

Just my :2


:ms NCRM
Click to expand...

I was wondering if this may be the case. I have noticed no difference in burn between the Cuban and the better NC cigars beyond the normal differences between one brand of NC and another. Most of the Cubans that I have smoked tended to be well filled and burned slowly. Most of the NC cigars that I smoke are also well filled and burn equally slowly, some even more slowly than the Cubans. The more loosly packed NC cigars burn faster. Given the variables involved (fill, moisture content, length of draw, number of draws per given time), I'm not sure that one can say with certainty that Cubans burn slower than others in all cases and for all smokers.
 
weight two cigars of the same size and see, one would assume the same amount of wrapper would be on both cigars...
 
mosesbotbol said:
weight two cigars of the same size and see, one would assume the same amount of wrapper would be on both cigars...
Click to expand...
This is a good point. You might find a weight difference if you use a very sensitive (electronic) balance.

A well made cigar (Habano or Domestic) should burn steadily & evenly and impart some nice flavors based on its blend. OK, we all nkow that.

One observation I've made about Cubans is that the ash tends to be firmer and when well made, the burn VERY even. This tells me that the filler is bunched in a very dense fashion, denser than with Domestics, which tend to flake easier.

This makes sense when you realize how fanatic the Cubans are about their cigar craftsmanship. There's a very good interview article with Carlito Fuente in the July/Aug 2005 Cigar Aficionado where he discusse how they're training their new rollers in the old methods of cigar rolling.

Just MHO.
 
MoTheMan said:
This is a good point. You might find a weight difference if you use a very sensitive (electronic) balance.

A well made cigar (Habano or Domestic) should burn steadily & evenly and impart some nice flavors based on its blend. OK, we all nkow that.

One observation I've made about Cubans is that the ash tends to be firmer and when well made, the burn VERY even. This tells me that the filler is bunched in a very dense fashion, denser than with Domestics, which tend to flake easier.

This makes sense when you realize how fanatic the Cubans are about their cigar craftsmanship. There's a very good interview article with Carlito Fuente in the July/Aug 2005 Cigar Aficionado where he discusse how they're training their new rollers in the old methods of cigar rolling.

Just MHO.
Click to expand...


thanks for the info mo
 
NCRadioMan said:
I think the cubans last longer becuase I slow way down when smoking a habana to really enjoy the taste. Maybe you are doing that too, unconsciously of course.

Just my :2


:ms NCRM
Click to expand...

I've noticed this too. Just last night I was enjoying an H. Upmann PC and spent probably an hour and a half enjoying it! I really take my time when smoking cubans, taking everything in while smoking them. There's probably more to it, such as what has been suggested above, but slowing down and enjoying the smoke is probably a big part of the reason for me.
 
agreed! they deffinitly seem to last longer, but it is probably more our brains then anything.... though i just had a RyJulieta Churchill ISOM and while it produced more then satisfying clouds and air flow, it deffinitly burned slow and drew with a slight hesitation... or (as Afish would say...) Grace :rolleyes:
 
thebiglebowski said:
ok, is it just me or do cuban cigars, in general, seem to have more filler leaf than NCs (in general)? by this, i mean - cubans seem to last longer. here are two examples:
Click to expand...

It's just you. No such generalization can be made, there are thousands of brands of cigars.
 
moki said:
It's just you. No such generalization can be made, there are thousands of brands of cigars.
Click to expand...

??? i don't understand your point here. i'm not really speaking in generalizations - i've cited two good examples - and those experiences are consistent and i can give more if necessary (almost any NC robusto vs almost any cuban robusto - and typically the NC robustos will be a bigger cigar, etc). and i've cited an example of an NC that does smoke longer - the LFD chisel...

are you saying you've had NO such similar experiences, moki?

and to the others who have posted regarding subconsciously prolonging the havana experience - while i understand what you're saying, i don't think that's true in my case. :)

no big deal here - i'm new to the forum, i've only a handful of cigar smoking friends and was curious if any of you BOTL had any insight.
 
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