Questions You Thought Too Stupid To Ask

**Herf N Turf** · 02-23-2015, 05:47 PM

We had this at the old place and it was a very popular, educational thread. Mostly for the Newb, even the veteran can learn that something he's been doing for years isn't optimal.

Have fun with this one.

I'll start.

Q: What is "toasting" and what good is it?

A: Toasting is the practice of gently applying heat to the foot of the cigar, prior to actually, "lighting". By holding the flame slightly away and beneath the foot, a "char" is achieved, which serves to both pre-warm the tobacco as well as provide a layer of "protection" against scorching the tobacco during lighting. Scorching is our greatest adversary during lighting and should be avoided at all cost. Once the foot tobacco is scorched, it permeates and ruins the entire cigar.

**FireRunner** · 02-23-2015, 06:08 PM

I get this one from new cigar smokers all the time.

Question: Does the size of the cigar make a difference?

Answer: Yes.

A cigar is a blend of three main parts, all of which come together to give you the flavor of a cigar. The three parts are the wrapper, binder and filler. The smaller the cigar the less of each three parts used. The larger the cigar the more of each three parts used. Therefore, the flavor of a 46 ring gauge cigar will differ from a 56 gauge cigar. There are many factors, below are two major ones.

The Filler: The larger the cigar gauge the more filler is required. This changes the flavor of a cigar because there is more tobacco filler burning. Typically, smaller gauge cigars have stronger flavor and larger gauge have less.

The Draw: Larger gauge cigars allow more air to flow through while drawing. This changes many things (too many to get into) but the main factor is how quickly the cigar burns. A faster draw leads to more air. More air leads to faster burning. Faster burning leads to a different taste and possibly a harsh flavor from the cigar.

Again, there are many - many - factors that come into play regarding flavor and size. But, to me the above two are key. I'm sure others can elaborate.

**Herf N Turf** · 02-23-2015, 06:14 PM

Oh, crap! One thing I forgot to mention is, you DO NOT have to have the answer to a question to post it in here! This is about learning, not so much a show of knowledge. If you have the answer to a popular, "stupid question", like Henry, great. If not, just ask it and someone will surely come along with the answer.

**TCBSmokes** · 02-24-2015, 12:01 PM

Originally Posted by Herf N Turf

Oh, crap! One thing I forgot to mention is, you DO NOT have to have the answer to a question to post it in here! This is about learning, not so much a show of knowledge. If you have the answer to a popular, "stupid question", like Henry, great. If not, just ask it and someone will surely come along with the answer.

OOOooohhh! So that's how questions work. Thanks.