Size Matters: Making Sense of Cigar Sizes

Looking back on my first cigar experience, a Vega Fina by Tabacalera Garcia enjoyed at a friend's camp on Lake George which I purchased at the suggestion of the girl behind the counter, I recall enjoying the cigar immensely.  A few days later curiosity got the best of me and I looked online to try to find a review, to see if what I had enjoyed so much was actually a "good" cigar.  When I began to sift through these reports, I found myself glazing over words like robusto, Churchill, and petit corona.  I figured they must mean something, but unwilling to admit I was in over my head I trudged on trying to make sense of what I was reading.  All this time later, a friend who is new to cigars was reading a post on here and asked what I meant by "robusto."  It reminded me of my own struggles with new terminology, so in the interests of accessibility I've decided to do a series of posts on here regarding the fundamentals to help those new to cigars adapt to the good life that is fine tobacco.   

Before we get to all of the fun names, it is important to understand just how cigar size is measured.  There are two principle measurements that determine the size of a cigar: the length and the ring gauge.  The length of a cigar is rather self-explanatory and is usually, at least in the United States, measured in inches.  The ring-gauge is a measure of the thickness of a cigar in 64ths of an inch, so a 64 ring-gauge cigar is 64/64, or one inch in diameter.

Now on to the fun names!  While it would seem easier if cigar sizes were simply conveyed in their two principle measurements, it would be rather time consuming to continuously spit out dimensions while on the factory floor, and so there exist special  appellations for many of the most common sizes.  Here I have collected some of the more common sizes and their names for easy reference.  These sizes aren't absolute, as every cigar maker has their own take on them, but these will help the novice cigar smoker navigate his or her way around a cigar shop.

Petit Corona: 5 x 42
Corona: 5.5 x 44
Robusto: 5 x 50
Toro: 6 x 50
Churchill: 7 x 48
Presidente: 7-8.5 x 52-60
Torpedo: 5.5-6 x 50 (this is a cigar with a tapered end shaped much like a cone)

While this isn't an exhaustive list, it covers a wide range of sizes that one is likely to encounter on a trip to the tobacconist. 

There are, however, additional aspects to consider when discussing cigar sizes.  Let us for the sake of example consider a King Havanos Oscuro cigar.  This cigar has a very dark wrapper which has a distinct flavor that contributes to the overall taste.  In a size with a smaller ring-gauge, like a petit corona, the wrapper constitutes a larger percent of the total cigar and will therefore have a larger impact on the flavor.  Consider the same blend but this time in a Churchill size, and the wrapper will constitute a significantly smaller percentage of the total cigar, and therefore will have a smaller effect on the taste.  In short, ring-gauge can seriously affect the flavor profile of your favorite stick. 

Additionally, the length of a cigar can play a role in how a cigar smokes.  Longer cigars tend to burn more slowly, as there is much more tobacco to consume.  Combined with the slower burn, the additional length gives the air passing through your cigar longer to cool before it reaches your mouth.  This extra airflow has another effect.  As smoke passes through the tobacco along its journey from the tip of the cigar to your mouth, it imparts some of its flavor profiles as it goes by. Whether this is a good or a bad thing tends to be up to personal preference, but knowing about it makes those choices a little bit easier. 


Now that we've taken some of the mystery out of cigar sizes, stay tuned for more posts tagged "Novice" to help those who are new to the world of fine tobacco find their way around.  Enjoy your stogies!