Two Guys Cigar Blog

tatuaje nobles

Fri, 04 Mar 2011 18:08:04 -0500

Decided to fire up one of these tasty NCs last night.have smoked probably a box or so of these since the initial release and i have to say though the cigar doesn’t evolve a ton during the actual smoking process, they are a fantastic example of what the right blend can be. These cigars have consistently be rated quite highly in all of the “national publications” but still are very consistent and at a very decent price point.

This particular cigar smoked fantastically ample amounts of smoke, snow white ash, and a nose that was quite enjoyable. Had lots of pepper notes on the finish but was smooth enough to enjoy all the way to the nub. If you have never smoked one of these than you really need to even if you are a set in your way Cuban smoker this cigar may surprise you and offer you a bit of an alternative especially with all the shipping issues that have come up in the last few months.

A little light reading with a Davidoff Special C and a Flor de Cana and Coke

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 16:10:10 -0500

So with the beautiful weather this afternoon i decided to sit out on my deck and enjoy a nice cigar that i hadn’t smoked in forever and read a little. The cigar i chose was a Davidoff special C culebra. Now there are a few interesting stories out there as to why this vitola originally went into production. My personal favorite is the one that starts with thieving rollers smoking too many of their own fresh rolled cigars. Supposedly the shift bosses took three smaller ring gauged cigars and wove them together and allowed them to dry then only allowed the torcedors to smoke those bent and odd looking cigars in order to ensure that all cigars rolled in the factory that day actually went out the door instead of being smoked up by the employees. I am reasonably sure this story was an old wives tale as i have also heard a story which i believe to be true and seems to make a lot more sense. There was a theory that a larger ring gauge cigar would age differently than the same amount of tobacco in smaller ring gauged cigars.

The rum i chose was one of my favorites Flor de Cana 4 year aged Nicaraguan dark rum. This particular bottle i brought back with me from a trip i took to the Rocky Patel factory in Honduras a few years back. I fell in love with this rum on that trip and we had to have drank 10 bottles in that week long trip. Its really a perfect mixing rum and relatively inexpensive.

The book I am currently re-readingis Gary Vaynerchuk’s “Crush it” its an awesome book all about finding what’s really going to make you happy in life and then how to turn that into your job. The guy is amazing he is high energy high intensity and most importantly spot on about how to be happy in life. i highly recommended you checking out his show on sirius/xm on thursday nights as well as his wine video blog www.winelibrary.com watch the videos even if you arent into wine he may just change your mind.

Now then on to the review. This cigar is approximately 4 or 5 years old they come in their own little coffin which is a really cool presentation. This cigar if I remeber correctly is about 30 dollars but you do have to remember that’s for 3 cigars. I know many look at non-Cuban Davidoff as a mild, pricey, and even a bit of a pretentious cigar, i cant disagree more. while they are a bit pricey they are comparable to many other ultra premium cigars Cuban or not. I find these cigars to be very complex and simply enjoyable.

So this particular cigar had a great rich body to the smoke that literally seemed to pour of this rather small ring gauged cigar. lots of great cedar and white pepper hints to the nose. Though this cigar is probably the weirdest shaped cigar ever it burns to a ridiculously sharp edge. never needed to touch up at all as well as the ash holding on quite well. A superb example of why i don’t mind paying a bit more for a fantastic cigar.

Ever wondered what it means?

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 12:51:16 -0500

If you have ever been having a conversation with someone over a nice cigar and they used a term that you had no clue what it meant this fairly extensive list of terms and definitions can be very useful. Who knows next time you are smoking maybe you can stump him back. check it out http://tobacconistuniversity.org/glossary.asp

2001 vegas robina classico

Wed, 17 Nov 2010 12:08:41 -0500

This cigar has quickly became one of my go to cigars. I have yet to have a bad one of these and i believe i have gone through at least 3 boxes. This cigar is flavorful but not overpowering. Its the perfect size, being a lonsdale, for a nice afternoon smoke. This particular cigar had a slight veinyness to it but nothing that hampered the smoking experience. The main flavor throughout this cigar is a cookie dough meets slight woodiness that gets stronger as the cigar goes on. the burn on it was perfect, razor sharp with no need to touch up at all.

Handsome Jimmy Sweet 46 Figurado from Mercer Cigars

Sat, 16 Oct 2010 13:35:42 -0400

This cigar was sent to us by Mercer cigars in Merida, Mexico. They hosted Handsome Jimmy this past August. He is a level 9 roller from the Partagas factory. In this particular blend Handsome Jimmy was able to accomplish the best blend by forgoing ligero, and doubling up on the seco in order to bring out the sweetness of the tobacco with out making it a sickeningly sweet blend.

So I clipped the cigar and took a a pre-light draw. The best way I can describe the pre-light draw is a sweet non-descript wood. Once I lit the cigar the flavor became a bit more clear. The overwhelming flavor on it was a strongly brewed sweet tea that was served in a wooden cup. Just a fantastic custom rolled cigar. If you have never ventured into the custom rolled world this is a great cigar to start with as its very pleasant flavors as well as a great aroma. As with many custom rolled cigars this one was a tad looser on the draw than many regular production cigars. The burn was very good for such a freshly rolled cigar. The ash held very nicely and was a bit whiter than i expected it to be.

If you would like to know more about these custom rolled cigars feel check out http://www.mercercigars.com/

and if you’d like to watch a video interview with handsome jimmy check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwSXB2i0tng

Casa Fuente Corona Gorda

Tue, 28 Sep 2010 17:35:29 -0400

First off let me say this cigar was a surprisingly good cigar I tend to be a little hard on Fuente smokers mostly because in my opinion they are alot of hype and a very little amount of actual value. A little background on this cigar, to the best of my knowledge they can only be gotten in Fuente shops, I purchased this one on a trip to Vegas earlier this year. They are an Opus X with a Cameroon wrapper. Let me tell you if they could make every opus like this id buy boxes of them. The first benefit to this cigar over a normal Opus is the wrapper itself. Cameroon wrappers stay lit which to me is the exact opposite of the normal Opus with out age. It also gives a wonderfully hazelnuty finish to the cigar that is not present on a normal production opus. This stick had a wonderful sharp burn to it that didn’t require me to touch it up almost at all. It had a great draw and was amazingly flavorful through the nose. The flavor most present in it would have to be a nutty cedar note that i have really never had in any other cigar. For anyone that really wants to argue the amount of the taste that comes from the wrapper i would beg you to smoke one of these and then smoke an opus. You will be able to tell how much the wrapper really makes the cigar. I would have to put this cigar in the top 5 or so Non-cubans that i have ever smoked.

2001 Partagas 898 and 2007 Bitch Grenache

Fri, 24 Sep 2010 13:50:07 -0400

So I decided since today is grenache day that id open a bottle of wine and smoke a cigar to accompany it. Decided to go with a more spicy cigar due to my past experiences with grenache’s sweetness. I went with a Party 898 mostly because it was a a cigar that i knew what the cigar would deliver. This cigar was constructed perfectly and had no real visible veins in the wrapper. The pre-light draw was very earthy, so i torched the foot and was hit with a great aroma to me there is very few cigars that smell like a Partagas. The nose on this cigar was fantastic it had a creamy spiciness that was very interesting. As i got to the middle of the cigar or so i noticed it picking up some buttery flavors which was a bit unexpected but very nice. If i had to describe the second half of this cigar it would be like waking up in the morning after camping and making toast on the still red embers from the night before. just a smokey butteryness that was totally fantastic. The wine went quite nicely with this cigar. The initial nose was sour cherries and lots of ripe red fruit. This is one of the few wines i have drank that really delivers almost exactly what the nose would suggest. lots of cherries and strawberrys and a decent amount of alcohol. It was a bit thin and watery in consistency but it was a bit bigger than the way it was presented. It was a very interesting pairing as the spiciness played well off the sour cherry notes in the wine. Overall id give the cigar a 94 the wine a 92.

Pre-embargo Dutchmaster Presidente

Wed, 22 Sep 2010 15:14:49 -0400

This cigar is old clearly. Its Pre-homogenized wrappers, meaning its all tobacco. I have been lucky enough to smoke a few of these over the years and it really is interesting to see how much flavor is still left in them after so many years. The pre-light draw was a musky, old, cedary goodness. Its an interesting balance of flavor and very smooth and mild. Its got notes of cinnamon, vanilla, white pepper. In all honesty its a great cigar that most wouldn’t expect to smoke as well as it does. I for one would recommend that if you have the chance to try one do so. i have never smoked a cigar quite like it. The burn was impeccable, the draw was perfect. There was so little about this cigar to be disappointed in that i cant even think of one thing to mention.

Oliva Serie V lancero

Mon, 20 Sep 2010 13:18:23 -0400

The Oliva serie V was a cigar i used to smoke a lot of. There were a few reasons for this, they were a relatively inexpensive cigar that still has a ton of flavor. Then they blew up in cigar aficionado and every other publication out there and suddenly they were more rare than ‘76 clos du bois. Unfortunately the backlash of great publicity is high demand, which usually leads to inferior products being rushed to market. In the case of the serie V that didn’t happen. They continued to put out a very consistent product while stepping up their production and trying to fulfill there new found popularity. This cigar was no exception. Quality was there first priority when they produced this cigar. The dark chocolate wrapper had a few minor veins in it but nothing that affected the smoking process. One of the unexpected pleasantries of this cigar was how well it drew the whole way through. Many times with non-cuban lanceros they get rolled a bit too tight and are virtually un-smokable without hyperventilating. The cigar put out enough smoke but not a huge amount. The flavors in this cigar were fairly basic but very enjoyable. lots of chocolate notes a bit woody but for the most part it was just a raw tobacco taste. a very enjoyable cigar and reminded me why i used to smoke them so often a great value cigar.

Don Pepin Garcia Cuban Classic Toro

Sat, 18 Sep 2010 10:19:04 -0400

This Cigar was flawless. No noticeable veins, no sun spots just a beautiful example of what pepin can do with great tobacco. the draw was excellent. Pre-light notes of cedar and vanilla. The smoke billowed from this cigar I mean literally billowed. Absolutely perfect razor sharp burn the whole way through the cigar. The flavors of the cigar were amazing for a young non-cuban, beautiful cedar, semi-sweet chocolate, and interesting citrus notes. The best part of this cigar was there was no ammonia to this cigar at all. just a great specimen of what can be done if non-cuban rollers really step up their quality control.

Diplomatico #7 Photos

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 17:15:00 -0400

Dip #7 and ERdM CS Comparison

Diplomatico #7 Photos

Diplomatico #7 Review (Pre-'85)

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 17:13:32 -0400

First of all, I would like to thank Heiko for sending this to me to try. I have been wanting to smoke one for a while and was glad to be able to document this experience. I went over to Jason’s (Beachcougar) house last night and fired this bad boy up while he smoked a ‘97 ERdM CS. I explain why his cigar is significant a little later.

The wrapper is Colorado in color, slightly rough to the touch and showed very few veins. It is very well constructed, but fragile. If you pressed lightly to feel the roll, you could hear it crackle. For me it was perfectly humidified for long term aging. The cold aroma of the cigar was musty with a blend of exotic wood and saw dust. I guess it’s time to put the blade to him.

Great draw! And I barley shaved the pigtail off. There is nothing better than a vintage stick that is rolled tight, that presents a perfect draw. The cold draw revealed green apples and slight flower bouquet. As the flame touches the foot, an aroma of cocoa lifts in to the air. It kind of took me by surprise. Very pleasant. The initial taste is sour wood and a hint of pepper on the nose. It begins to burn a tad hot, but not too much that it cover up any flavors. Still woody with a light touch of green pepper. The burn is pretty even, but you can begin to see where they missed a leaf in the middle as a small hole appears. Peering into it I could that it would not be that way for long.

In the 2/3, the ash has tightened up and the cigar has become a lot more complex. The combustion is great and it shows on the ash. It was almost completely white at one point. There is a lot of cedar coming through, as well, as some vegetal flavors. A slight rancio flavor underlying, which leads me to believe that the vintage taste will shine through in the next few years.

So, as I am smoking this, Jason and I are passing our cigars back and forth for compare and contrast purposes. To be honest, it was as if we were passing the same cigar around. At first I thought maybe it was my taste buds, but we did this several times with the same results. The Choix Supreme was slightly stronger, but displayed the same profile. So needless to say, both cigars are great.

Ok, I know this is getting a little long, so I’ll hurry it up. The final third is starting to turn a tad one-dimensional, but very tasty nonetheless. It taste as it began, but with a little more complexity. The pepper and vegetal flavor is more pronounced as it comes down the end. If I had as many boxes as Heiko , I would, without a doubt, recommend this as a great morning cigar. But for me, it was a great way to end the night!

Diesel - Unholy Cocktail Review

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 14:04:41 -0400

This is our 2nd guest review and would like to thank Jeff for his time and dedication to the blog!!! Here is his impression of the Diesel:

   Last night I agreed to suffer and review a cigar for everyone else. I chose the Diesel - Unholy Cocktail, one of the newer cigars produced by A.J. Fernandez. At present, this cigar only comes in two sizes - 5.0” x 56 torpedo & 4.5” x 60 shorty. It has a PA Broadleaf wrapper and Nicaraguan filler (Jalapa, Condega, & Esteli). I must confess that I have had several of these in the past and have enjoyed them since the very first draw. However, since it is relatively new, the Diesel is ripe for review.

INITIAL IMPRESSION

    This stick has aged about one month in my humidor, with an electronically controlled 70 RH so it is relatively immature. The dark brown wrapper presents very nicely with little to no veins. It is firm, but responsive to solid compression. Upon first glance, it does not look like a 56 ring gauge. Once you take the first draw, this illusion is quickly debunked. The pre-light smell gives warning that it is a full-flavored stick. I used a Xikar Xi to cut the tip of the torpedo. The point, which can not be smoked, is relatively long. Although you can not enjoy this part, it makes it very difficult to cut past the cap.

FIRST THIRD

    The stick lights easily and evenly. From lighting, the draw is easy and full. The initial taste is a toasty cocoa/cinnamon with slight leathery undertones that enhance the dominant flavor. After a couple of minutes, it fills your entire mouth with flavor. The initial third is full flavor and medium-full bodied. It tends to burn slightly unevenly at times. That is solved by simply turning the slower burning side downwards in the ashtray and on the draw. It evens out quickly. It holds its ash well, up to an inch in the first third. It is very enjoyable up to this point.

SECOND THIRD

    The stick grows noticeably stronger at the 1/3 - 2/3 transition. It also becomes less spicy and more woody (maple) and earthy in flavor. The body transitions more towards medium and burns much more slowly. The aroma is very nice during this third and is more encompassing than the body during the initial phase of this third. The ash begins to flake off after about an inch. An inadvertent bump while picking it up will cause ash to fall. About half way through the second third, the body amps back up towards full and the spiciness returns. The spiciness is different than the original in that it is primarily cinnamon with little to no cocoa.

FINAL THIRD

    As with most cigars, this third has the fullest body and flavor by far. It is truly a full/full at this juncture. It transitions to very earthy/woody flavor with a spicy undertone that was complex and different than any previous combination. Even though it is stronger than at any time previous, it is also smoother in the final third. The good draw is even better than the first two thirds and the rate of the burn picks up again. The ash falls off on its own to about ¼ - ½ an inch. The structure of the stick begins to fall apart during the last ¾ - ½ an inch, at the burn your fingertips juncture. I finished this stick in about 1 hour and 45 minutes. That is a bit slow for this stick, but I am a bit slow because I enjoy my cigars and rarely take more than a puff every 1 & ½ minutes instead of 1 minute. I also had to take pictures and make notes. Fairly, it is a 1 hour to 1 hour & 15 minute cigar.

OVERALL IMPRESSION

    The Diesel ranks high on my scale. I prefer full bodied/full flavor cigars so I have a bias towards them. This cigar is definitely not for neophytes or those who prefer mellow cigars. This cigar is very dynamic in that it is enticing from lighting to finish with a range of flavors that flow and develop throughout and gives a good change of body that allows for the palate to cleanse a bit and prepare for the final flavor complex and injection of body. As a good friend of mine would say, it is “eventful”.

    Although this review is very positive, Diesel is not a super-premium stick. It is a very good stick that I highly recommend. It is at a price point ($3.00 - $4.00 per stick) that allows it to be an everyday cigar that delivers much more than a run of the mill stick. It lives up to the high standard for full/full sticks that A.J. Fernandez is known for rolling.

    by: Jeffery Stubbs

Romeo y Julieta 07 belvedere vs 06 sport larga

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 23:49:00 -0400

This will be the first of hopefully many side by side smoking comparisons. Both cigars are fairly in expensive coming in around 2 dollars or so a cigar. Both have a bit of age on them and of course both have a wonderful name behind them and are kind of slept on cigars. Obviously if you know much about the ryj line the flagship of the line is probably the Exhibition #4 or the Churchill. Both are spectacular but in my opinion much like some other lines people jump at those well known marcas and forget other great sizes that may not get the publicity that the big dogs do. Id liken both of these cigars to the wines from California before the original judgment of Paris. (If you have no clue what I’m talking about Netflix the movie bottle shock). The first cigar I decided to cut and light was the belvedere its nicely constructed slightly bigger ring gauge than that of the sport larga and just a hair longer. The smoke on this cigar, as most of my cigars lately have been, is nice and billowing. Its like a thunderstorm in the room while smoking this bad boy so many grey clouds of smoke. This cigar is in all honesty a bit harsh for its age. Still could go along way before it mellows into a mature cigar. For an ryj its got quite a bit of spice and could honestly pass for a Partagas if I didn’t know what the band was. As the cigar went on it definitely got creamier and a less harsh.

the Sport Larga was everything that the Belvedere wasn’t. It was smooth from the first puff. it was also considerably milder. The nuances in the Sport Larga were considerably more prevalent. it almost had a cinnamon flavor on the finish that reminded me of snicker doodles. It was a bit tighter draw to it probably simply because it was a smaller ring gauge. A floral note to the smoke as well as what you would expect from ryjs, cedar and creaminess.

These two cigars were worlds apart but they both were fantastic cigars. It would be like Ali and Tyson meeting in their primes. I am sure everyone would have their favorite going in and I’m not sure who would win but id gladly watch that fight a few times over. If i had to give the edge to one or the other it would probably be the sport larga only because it was closer to what i was in the mood to smoke at the time both were great and at the price should be in everyone’s humidor.

2002 Rafeal Gonzales Slenderella and Fred Spring water

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 23:56:00 -0400

This small ring gauge cigar is really what I consider a perfectly aged habanos. The nutty, cedarness, is undeniable the creaminess is a little more subtle. Their isn’t much peppery spice to it as it would have probably had in a younger year. The amount of smoke that come out of this tiny ring gauge is actually pretty surprising. This cigar is so refined and so lingering on the pallet that it makes you smoke it slowly and not getting hot like you would expect it to. I have to personally say this is by far my favorite sized cigar ever produced. Unfortunately every cigar that is this size has long since been discontinued. So the water is great I had never seen this kind of water till last week its in a super cool bottle. The bottle is fully recyclable as in you can totally use it as a flask once you drink the water out of it. Id compare this cigar to watching lemuiex in his prime just a pleasure from start to finish, I mean come on that dude never disappointed. if I had a thousand boxes of these I still wouldn’t have enough.

El Baton Robousto

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 14:04:00 -0400

Another night another J.C. Newman cigar, today its The El Baton which they were apparently referring to a police baton cause this thing beats the heck out of you. I smoked this thing half expecting a repeat performance of the brickhouse. Wow was i way off on that prediction. After cutting this fairly dark firm cigar i did a test draw, not a lot of distinguishable flavors but over all very pleasant. I proceeded to put flame to it and was immediately beaten like it was Brock Lesnar and i was some dude that just looked at his wife funny. To say this cigar was strong would be to say that Oprah has a few dollars in her bank account, this thing is possibly too strong. While strong as a mule kick to the throat this cigar does almost have some redeeming qualities with its kind of burnt wood flavors. no chocolate no creaminess just hell fire and brimstone. All in all id say this cigar is somewhere between trying to smoke a campfire and snorting hot sauce.

Old Allegheny Private Reserve toro

Sat, 17 Jul 2010 15:28:40 -0400

I believe this to be a house brand of a cigar from a Pittsburgh. My guess would be a bundle style what I like to call “humidor fillers”. Honestly not too bad of a cigar a bit papery cardboard-ish but not a bad mild cigar for the under 2 dollar price tag. Has a decent amount of cedar, as these cheaper mild cigars tend to, a odd muskiness that tells me they were probably sitting in someones humi for quite some time. The cigar actually burns and smokes nicely beautiful white ash with a very nice sharp burn line. Its a hand made cigar but it smokes like a short filler as the ash doesn’t seem to hold very long. I keep wanting to pan this cigar based solely on the price and quality of the tobacco but it really isn’t the worst cigar I have ever smoked. I tend to pick up what I like to consider novelty cigars when I go to a given smoke shop. Those being made for the store specifically or for the region by a particular manufacturer and some of them are really really awful this one isn’t that bad and I might have actually thought about buying this at twice the price. I have to say though I don’t know for sure the manufacturer id be willing to stake my claim that its a Camacho as I have smoked a few other house brands that have a similar flavor profile and that was their origin.

Brickhouse toro

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 22:45:00 -0400

Well she’s a brick house she’s mighty mighty just letting it all hang out… sort of. This cigar has an oily sheen looking something like shamu when she pops out of the water at the end of the killer whale show at sea world. Construction is fantastic I mean in all honesty probably one of the best looking cigars I have smoked. So I cut the head and went a little pretentious on this one and lit it with wooden stick matches. Initial spice crushes the palette. Some sort of mix of cedar, cayenne peppers, and hazelnuts. A locomotive worth of smoke out of this thing, unfortunately burns like hell through the nose. A lot of ammonia to this young cigar but its only really noticeable through the nose. Lots of nondescript spice to this cigar, unfortunately like many Non-Cuban cigars there is very little build up. It pretty much a one note spice, that I’m really not able to put my finger on, through out the cigar. Got down to about 2 inches or so left and put the cigar down no real pizazz to this cigar and really it needed something more in the blend to keep me interested. They say “the Newman family worked hard to recreate the original blend from Cuba” i’d say they did a good job of making an affordable cigar(under $5.00 retail) but still don’t come close to the complexity coming out of the forbidden land of milk and honey. All in all its not a bad cigar but nothing id run and grab a few boxes of. I would pick up another one, if only to be able to smoke at a local smoke shop and not look like the douche that only smokes and never buys.

So I decided to try one of these after almost a year since the...

Sat, 10 Jul 2010 20:41:00 -0400

Partagas Custom Lonsdale

Unfinished foot aka Shaggy

Nice color ash and burn

Just getting good!

The Finale

So I decided to try one of these after almost a year since the last one. It’s always good to see how a cigar is developing, especially if you have aged them from the get-go. The wrapper was a beautiful Colorado color that had a nice sheen and an aroma of cedar and leather. It wasn’t as in depth as most Partagas cigars, but this is rather young.

The pre-light tasted of pure cedar and maybe an underlying profile of spice. After lighting the cigar and getting into the first 1/3, there was a slight cocoa taste with cedar being rather dominant. On the exhale through the nose, the smoke was spicy…white pepper in profile. These cigars seem to have gained a lot of strength in the past year. The flavor is also revealing some herbal nuances; kind of like bay leaves.

Now into the 2/3, the other flavors have taken a backseat and a lot of woodiness has come to the front. In my best Gary V impression, I would say that it was almost like I cut and oak tree in half, sprinkled pepper on it, and took a bite. Although, it seems to be mellowing out on the back end and giving off some underlying sweetness.

The final third is an intensified profile of the last-maybe slightly bitter. This will only refine with age. Not bad for a 2 year old custom. The ash held very well during the smoke and showed moderate combustion. You can see that by the white striations. There were no touch-ups need during the 1hr smoking time. These should be a great smoke in another 4-5 years. It’s a shame I only have 3 left.

Davidoff 3000 NC (7x33)

Sat, 03 Jul 2010 21:00:30 -0400

this ninfa sized beauty is one of my all time favorite Dominican cigars. To me the thousand series has a bit more strength than the anniversary line, but still has all the creamyness that you would expect from a 12 dollar cigar. This cigar had been sitting in my humidor for a few years now so it definitely is starting to show its age on the initial draw. Lots of cedar and and just the right amount of spice. I find it hard to buy a 12 dollar cigar on an everyday basis but man to celebrate a holiday or special event this cigar is worth it. It has a bit of a vegital grassiness to the finish that is very interesting. I paired it with a nice sweet tea and it really is a beauty of a smoke. The small ring gauge of the 3000 is in my opinion massively important to the amount of flavor you get out of the cigar. to me the smaller the ring gauge means the less filler they put in the cigar. granted that’s just personal belief and i cant back that up but at least in my head it seems like a smaller ring gauge gives you more flavor.