Pulling Back the Curtain: Vitolas

Alright, I am finally getting around to looking at the results from my polls regarding vitola preferences. I had asked these 5 questions across 3 platforms and gathered 63 results. 

1. What is your favorite vitola?
2. What is your least favorite vitola?
3. What vitola do you smoke most often?
4. How long have you been a cigar smoker?
5. How often do you smoke?

My answers are as follows:

1. Rothschild/Short Robusto
2. Large Ring Gauge
3. Robusto
4. 11 Years
5. Nearly Daily

My intent with this Pulling Back the Curtain Post is to share my predictions, the results from the polls, discuss the results, and finally compare that to what I have seen as a retailer and what I will do from a retailer’s perspective with the data.

Many smokers have strong opinions on vitola, which is to be expected. There are certainly some vitolas that get a lot of love and others that get a lot of hate (think Lanceros and Large Ring Gauges). From a retailers perspective, or at least a micro-retailers perspective (which is mine), there is a lot to consider when ordering inventory. Beyond just selecting blends that we think will perform well, we have to decide on the sizes. Larger retailers have the luxury of just bringing on every vitola of a cigar - at least to start. I am just not capable of that at this time, so I have to pick and hope. My predictions drive what I pick and hope for.

Predictions

My predictions for the first three were as follows:

1. Corona Gorda
2. Large Ring Gauge
3. Robusto

I didn’t really have a prediction for the last two, as I knew that would vary greatly. However, I was curious if I would see some kind of correlation. As for the correlations, I did predict that those who smoke more frequently and have smoked for longer would lean towards smaller ring gauges like Coronas and Lonsdales. The smokers who smoke less and have smoked shorter would lean towards Toros. 

My reasoning is that smaller ring gauge sizes are typically touted as more “connoisseur” sizes. A “connoisseur” usually has more experience in something to reach that status. However, that assumes that they are not influenced. The vast number of cigar communities out there that house many “cigar connoisseurs” brings influence into play. I posed these questions to such communities. So, a more “inexperienced” smoker that has taken enough of a liking to cigars to become active in communities is likely to be exposed to more of the “connoisseur” cigars and will get information from these more “experienced” smokers. And, as I mentioned, many smokers have strong opinions on their preferred (and not so preferred) vitolas. 

Results

As for question number 1, the top three “favorite vitolas” were, in order, Corona/Corona Gorda (32%), Robusto (21%), and Toro (13%). The bottom was Large Ring Gauges (5%). As for question number 2, the number one response was Large Ring Gauges (62%). 3% said Corona, 5% said Robusto, and no one said Toro. Question 3 was resoundingly in favor of Robustos (52%), with Corona and Toro coming in at 30% and 29% respectively. The average length of time the respondents had been smoking cigars came in at 10.2 years with the extremes being 1 month and 30 years and the median being 7.5 years. The average each person smoked per week was 5 cigars with the extremes being 0.14 and 35 and the median being 4 per week. 

I debated going into further analysis for fun. However, due to time restrictions, and a relatively low and isolatedly number of data points, I think that the above information is sufficient. 

Discussion

Compared to my predictions, I hit the nail on the head. I believe my reasoning in the predictions segment above is the explanation for that. 

There is no predetermined length of time someone has smoked, or frequency that someone smokes that is considered a “connoisseur threshold”, however, I would consider the average respondent, having smoked 5 cigars a week for 7.5 weeks would be considered a connoisseur. 

Why does a connoisseur prefer Corona/Corona Gorda sized cigars? Why do they smoke Robustos most often? And why don’t they smoke their favorite size most often?

One of the most common things you hear is that thinner ring gauges (i.e. Coronas and Corona Gordas) are fuller, stronger, more flavorful, etc, etc. That is not always true, however, in general there is merit to it. Blending a cigar is an art form and it requires a proper balance of tobacco leaves to get the desired taste, strength level, and maybe most importantly, proper burn characteristics. Generalizing, there are 3 primings of tobacco (i.e. if you break the tobacco plant into three levels starting at closest to the ground and ending at closest to the sun). These are voladao, seco, and ligero (starting at the bottom). Volado leaves are the “mildest” in flavor and strength, but are the thinnest and have the best combustion. Conversely, ligero leaves are the “fullest” in flavor and strength, but are thickest and have the worst combustion.

Blending a cigar requires a delicate balance of these leaves to ensure the cigar tastes and performs at its best. The ratios of these tobaccos is not necessarily linear when scale up from a smaller ring gauge to a large ring gauge. As a result, the percentage, by weight of seco and ligero in a smaller ring gauge can be larger than that of a larger ring gauge. As a result, the blend will take on more of those leaves’ characteristics (i.e. fuller in flavor and strength). 

Another factor is that cigar blenders know that the smaller sizes are more “connoisseur” sizes and thus it makes sense to blend these sizes towards the profile of a connoisseur. As with anything that you do more and more of, you become more tolerant of it. So an inexperienced smoker may be overwhelmed by full flavored and full strength cigars, while a more experienced smoker may (and often does) crave that intensity. To please the consumer, the blender can blend the cigar towards the tastes of the target market. 

This is my explanation for why the smaller ring gauge (corona/corona gorda) is the preferred vitola of the average smoker that responded to this poll. It also met my prediction because I posed the question to communities, and I knew that a smoker that was actively engaged in a community would more likely be a serious cigar smoker.

As for why the Robusto is the most smoked size - I think it is simply availability. The Robusto is nearly a perfect “medium” size on the spectrum of vitolas. If there was an industry standard size, the Robusto would be it. Nearly all blends are offered in some version of the Robusto, with the typical being a 5 x 50. The Toro is the other size that is also practically standard, however I give the Robusto the nod because it is more uncommon to not at least see a Robusto offering. Interestingly, the third “industry standard” is the 6 x 60 Gordo… 

Anyhow, it makes since that if there are more cigars offered in a Robusto than a Corona/Corona Gorda, that more Robustos would be smoked. The thing with a cigar-nerd is that they love the industry and they love cigars. They are excited by new releases and trying new things. It is a passion, unlike other tobacco products where someone chews the same Copenhagen every time or smokes the same Marlboro Lights every time.

The Cigar Farm’s Take

My predictions were based off a combination of my experience immersed in the cigar community, my smoking preferences as a self-proclaimed cigar-nerd/connoisseur, and what I have seen as a retailer. 

The Cigar Farm sells Robustos the most, followed by Corona Gorda and Toro being close. 

Now, this is skewed. As I mentioned, I don’t have the luxury to offer every cigar in several vitolas and in reality, I mostly carry Robusto, Toro, and Corona Gorda, but hey, that is by design considering my target is the kinds of smokers that are found in communities like where I shared the poll.

What I learned from this, however, is that I need to focus on improving my inventory to ensure I offer these 3 vitolas in each blend, when applicable. I always go after the Robusto first and will continue to get Robustos if I can only get 1 size at that time. 

What I need to stop doing is letting my personal favorite preference influence my purchasing.. Man, I love me a Rothschild, but the polls are not favorable to it, and my experience with sales would agree…

Till next time,

-Trevor