Cigar Formats and How to Make the Best of It

Why do cigars come in so many sizes and shapes? Which one should you pick? This is a question I get asked time and time again by many cigar smokers – especially the newbies. I usually answer this question with a question of my own: “How much time do you want to allocate to a cigar in a given situation?”

No, it’s not advisable to smoke part of the cigar now and the rest later. One should smoke as much of the cigar as they desire in one sitting – with minor breaks in between, maybe.

Once a lit cigar stops burning and stays untouched for more than, say, 60 minutes, relighting that cigar will cause it to emanate a harsh and pungent aroma and simply not taste proper at all.

So, what are some of the standard formats of cigars and how much time do people usually spend smoking them? This totally depends on personal preference. Some will speed through a cigar and others will spend an hour or two with a small cigar.

My advice is to find the right balance for your own tolerance and preference. I would strongly advise against smoking a cigar fast, as this will not only make the cigar burn hot and taste harsh and bitter, but will also tend to cause unintended consequences, such as a head rush, head spin, nausea, etc.

Cigars come in 2 main categories, termed in Spanish as ‘Parejo’ (straight edged) and ‘Figurado’ (figured).

The first type are cigars shaped like a cylinder with the same cross-sectional diameter (or thickness) from the head to the foot of the cigar.

The second term refers to cigars that vary in thickness from one part of the cigar to the other, such as a tapered foot, head or both (or even more complicated shapes).

What do the measurements indicate? Let’s say a cigar is described as having a size of ‘6 x 50’. The ‘6’ is the length of the cigar in inches. The ‘50’ indicates the numerator of the fraction with the denominator being a constant “64”.

So, a cigar with a 50 ring-gauge has a cross-sectional diameter (thickness) of 50/64 inches. A cigar with a 48 ring-gauge has a thickness of 48/64 inches, or ¾ inches.

Under Parejo cigars, the most common sizes are the Corona, Corona Gorda, Robusto, Toro, Grande (or sometimes called Gordo) and Churchill.

These are standard naming conventions that can vary slightly from one cigar-maker to the other. But, on average, they are as follows:

Corona: 6 x 42

Corona Gorda: 6 x 46

Robusto: 5 x 50

Toro: 6 x 50

Grande: 6 x 60

Churchill: 7 x 48

Under Figurado cigars, the most common shapes are:

Torpedo (sharp and gradual tapering at the head)

Perfecto (a short cigar tapered on both ends)

Diadema (a long cigar tapered on both ends)

Belicoso (soft and short tapering at the head)

Some cigar makers will use standard naming conventions for the various sizes of their cigars.

For example, La Aroma De Cuba Robusto. This indicates the brand of the cigar (La Aroma De Cuba) and the size (Robusto) – sometimes referred to as the ‘format’ or the ‘vitola’. So, one already knows the size of the cigar from its name.

At other times, cigars may have proper names, words or numbers that will indicate the size of the cigar.

For example, Arturo Fuente Chateau Fuente. Here one must be familiar with the fact that ‘Chateau Fuente’ is the size of the cigar within the Arturo Fuente brand (and, to add to the complexity, the ‘Chateau’ sub-category).

Or an Ashton Magnum is really the robusto-sized cigar under the brand Ashton and the sub-category Connecticut.

Another example would be, say, Paul Garmirian Artisan’s Selection No. 2. So, the brand is Paul Garmirian (or P.G.), the sub-category is Artisan’s Selection, and No. 2 indicates the size of the cigar, which, in this case, happens to be a Toro size, or 6 x 50.

To conclude this concise discussion, estimate the amount of time you want to spend smoking a cigar, pick a size commensurate to your timeframe and enjoy your cigar in a relaxed state, with long enough breaks between draws.

Best practice is to wait one to two minutes between each draw you take from a cigar. Then, when you feel that you are done with your current endeavor of smoking a fine cigar, simply rest your cigar on the ashtray and allow it to extinguish itself.

Enjoyment is what you’re looking for after all. So let the cigar experience be as positive, relaxing and delectable as possible.