Shapes and sizes

A vitola is the size and shape of a cigar. Corona, Robusto, and Churchill are vitola names. The name tells you the format. It does not tell you the brand, and it does not tell you whether the smoke will be mild or full. That comes from the tobacco.

Each vitola is a length and a ring gauge. Length is in inches, from the head you cut to the foot you light. Ring gauge is the thickness, in 64ths of an inch. A 64 ring gauge is one inch across. A 32 is half an inch. A cigar marked 6 x 50 is about 6 inches long and 50/64 of an inch thick. On the chart, every straight size is drawn as a parejo: a closed head and a flat foot. A listing can sit a little off these numbers and still use the name.

Sizes

These are the usual figures. Ring gauge first, then length.

• Rothschild, 48 by 4 1/2 inches.
• Robusto, 50 by 4 7/8 inches. Many on the shelf are closer to 5 inches, and some are thicker, up toward a 54.
• Small panatela, 33 by 5 inches.
• Petit corona, 42 by 5 1/8 inches. A shorter one, near 4 1/2 inches, is also sold under this name.
• Carlota, 35 by 5 5/8 inches.
• Corona, 42 by 5 1/2 inches.
• Corona gorda, 46 by 5 5/8 inches.
• Panatela, 38 by 6 inches.
• Toro, 50 by 6 inches.
• Double toro, also called a gordo, 60 by 6 inches.
• Corona grande, 42 by 6 1/8 inches.
• Lonsdale, 42 by 6 1/2 inches.
• Churchill, 50 by 7 inches.
• Lancero, 38 by 7 1/2 inches.
• Double corona, 49 by 7 5/8 inches.
• Presidente, 50 by 8 inches.
• Gran corona, 47 by 9 1/4 inches.

Why the size matters

Two cigars with the same name are about the same length, thickness, and outline, even when the blends are nothing alike. A Corona is a Corona. What changes the taste is the leaf, not the factory name on the band.

Size changes the burn and the time, more than it changes the flavor. A thin cigar burns hotter and faster. A thicker, longer cigar burns cooler and slower, and it can be an hour or more. Pick a small thin one when you have a short sitting. Pick a thick long one when you have the afternoon.

A cigar can sit a little off the usual numbers and still use the name. The figures below are the ones people mean by that name.

Parejos and figurados

There are two families.

A parejo has straight sides. The foot is open, ready to light. The head is closed, so you cut it before you smoke. Most of the names in this shop are parejos. What changes from one to the next is the length and the ring.

A figurado is any shape that is not that straight cylinder. The head may come to a point, the foot may be closed, or the middle may bulge. They are less common, and they are the shapes people notice.

Straight shapes

Corona

The corona is the benchmark. Other names are often "longer than a corona" or "thicker than a corona." A traditional corona is about 5 1/2 inches long, with a ring gauge of 42 to 44.

A petit corona is the short one, sometimes called a mareva. About 4 1/2 inches, ring 40 to 42.

A long corona keeps the corona ring and stretches the length to about 6 inches. A corona extra steps up in thickness, about 5 1/2 inches by a 46 ring. A corona grande is that thicker ring at about 6 1/2 inches. A giant corona is the long end of the family, around 7 1/2 inches, still only moderately thick.

Lonsdale

A lonsdale is a little longer than a corona and just as slender. About 6 1/2 inches by a 42 ring. It is a longer sitting than a corona, without the thickness of a robusto.

Panatela

A panatela is long and thin, classically around 6 inches by a 34 to 38 ring. A long panatela is the same idea past 7 inches, still in that thin ring. These are the quicker, sharper smokes.

A cigarillo is smaller still, short and thin, often finished in well under half an hour.

Robusto

A robusto is one of the sizes people smoke most. The length is modest, about 5 inches, and the ring is chunky, about 50 to 54. A lot of tobacco in a short sitting. It burns cooler than a thin corona of the same blend.

Toro

A toro keeps a robusto's thickness, about a 50 ring, and adds length, classically 6 inches. It is a longer robusto. A gran toro is the thick version, about 6 inches by a 60 ring. The extra tobacco makes a slower, cooler burn.

Churchill

A churchill is larger than a corona: about 7 inches by a 50 ring. The name comes from the long, fairly thick cigars Winston Churchill smoked, not from a brand. Plan on an hour or more.

Double corona and giant

A double corona is the corona idea at nearly twice the length. It can run toward 7 1/2 or 8 1/2 inches, with a ring of about 49 to 52.

A giant is the large end of the straight shapes: about 8 inches and up, with a ring of 50 and up.

Tapered shapes

Torpedo

A torpedo has a straight body and a head that tapers to a point. A common size is about 6 inches by a 52 ring. The name is the point, not one measurement. Cut only the tip. A small opening is enough. Cutting down into the shoulder makes a wide hole and a hot draw.

Pyramid

A pyramid, also called a piramide, tapers the whole way. The head comes to a point. The foot is cut and open, like a parejo, and it is the wide end. A usual one is about 6 to 7 inches, near a 40 ring at the head and about a 54 ring at the foot. The cut is the same as a torpedo: only enough of the point to draw.

Perfecto

A perfecto has a rounded head, a closed foot, and a bulge in the middle instead of straight sides. Length varies more than it does for the other names, from a compact 4 1/2 inches to around 9. The ring often sits somewhere from the high 30s to the high 40s, and it is thickest at the bulge. The foot is closed, so that end needs a small opening before it will light, or a careful light on the closed leaf.

The names on a product in this shop are these formats. If a cigar is sold in more than one, each one is its own size on the product page.

Wrapper colors

The color is the wrapper leaf, not a stain on the outside. From light to dark, the usual names are candela, claro, colorado claro, colorado, maduro, and oscuro.

Candela is the pale green. The leaf was cured fast, so the green stayed. Claro is a light tan. Colorado claro is a light reddish brown. Colorado is a medium reddish brown. Maduro is dark brown, and the leaf was fermented longer. Oscuro is nearly black, darker still. A darker wrapper is often sweeter and heavier, but the filler still decides the strength. The color on a product is this name when we have it.