It goes without saying that RG has a tremendous affect on cigar flavor. For nearly any blend, a toro tastes much different than, say a lancero of same blend. But, what about same blend and same or nearly same RG in different lengths? I have often thought that smoke traveling up through the cigar must impart some of the flavor changes as a cigar progresses. But, I must admit that my immature pallete has rarely been able to tell much difference in similar RG's, regardless of length. Thoughts?
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It most definitely affects flavor, especially on the finish. I cannot stand Churchills, generally. I find that I have to purge them constantly on the last third just to get anything pleasant out of them. So, I simply avoid them. Short lengths can cheat you out of great flavors you my get out of a slightly longer stick. It really, in the end, boils down to personal opinion.
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It sure does. Every vitola of every cigar has a little something different to offer (sometimes a big difference). I remember when I was developing my cigar tasting acuity, I was completely convinced this was all hooey. Just give yourself some time, smoke as many cigars as you can get your hands on, and before you know it, you'll notice differences.
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Oh, honey, come in here for a minute and respond to this post for me...

j/k

I tend to migrate toward longer, skinnier cigars. Also like a PC or smaller on occasion. The amount of leaf used in the cigar does make a difference in the taste.
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I Like Churchills & Torpedos! More To Smoke! :-)
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In relation to this length question, comparing different vitolas can be misleading as, for a given line, different length sticks of a similar RG may be made of very different leaves (different size, different priming of the plant, etc.). An easy way to understand the impact of length is to buy a pair of double coronas and then chop one of them down to robusto length. This will give you an even-playing-field impression of the effect of length (which is a combination of the cumulative impression on your palate and the build-up of residue inside the cigar as smoke is drawn through it).
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:-) :-)
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:-) X2
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More wrapper flavor on the smaller RG.

I prefer the long skinnies as well. You can get 80-90 minutes out of a Lancero.
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Maybe You Can! :-) 60Min. Max For Me! :-)
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I used to think that smoking a longer stick would be a better thing. Lately I am finding coronas have a whole lot more flavor than the "big" sticks. :-)
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I Like Smaller RG On CC's, Larger & Longer On NC's. :-)
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For an everyday smoke I try to stay between 5-6". If I know I'm going to have plenty of time for the smoke I'll break out something longer. I look at Rg more than length. Generally I like to stay under 52-54 rg, with 46-52 being my favorite.
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:-):-):-) I was thinking it!!!
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Longer the better! Monte A's are one of my favorites.
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Since flavor in a cigar is derived much more from plain smoke's interaction with the filler
on it's way to the mouth, you BET it affects flavor. There is a flavor to burning tobacco,
of course, but again, it's the hot smoke's time spent caressing the oily, unburned leaves
in the bunch that creates a cigar's true flavor.
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^^This!

The longer the stick is, the longer the smoke passes through the filler leaves, I would imagine heating the oils more/differently than a shorter smoke.

aj
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Yuppers. :-)
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I take it for granted that the length affects the flavor but I don't ever think about that aspect when it comes time to pick out a smoke. Longer ones just take longer to smoke, that's all.
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Thanks, all.
Doc, it was actually cutting cigars that got me thinking about this. I've been cutting some lanceros in half at times and have been convinced that the two halves taste different than a whole. Taking into account that there are a LOT of variables that affect the way an individual cigars tastes, I still feel that there is a difference.
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