|
Cigar sizes:
Cigars come in a wide variety of sizes. From the
cigarette-like "Cigarillos" to the behemoth "Giant". The
industry uses size names such as "corona" and "panatella"
but there is no standard size matched with each of these names. For example, you
can buy two different "Robusto" size cigars from two different
manufacturers. One will be 4.5 x 48 and the other will be 5 x 50. Although there
are no size standards set, most cigars fall pretty close in size according to it’s
name. The following listings will give you an idea as to the sizes available
today.Length is measured in inches. Ring gauge is the cigars
girth. It is measured in 64ths of an inch, therefore a 32 ring gauge would be
1/2 inch.
| Shape |
Classical Size |
Length Range |
Ring Gauge |
| Cigarillos |
4 x 26 |
up to 6" |
up to 29 |
| Small Panatella |
5 x 33 |
4 - 5 |
30 - 34 |
| Slim Panatella |
6 x 34 |
5 and up |
30 - 34 |
| Short Panatella |
5 x 38 |
4 - 5 3/8 |
35 - 39 |
| Panatella |
6 x 38 |
5 1/2 - 6 7/8 |
35 - 39 |
| Long Panatella |
7 1/2 x 38 |
7 and up |
35 - 39 |
| Petit Corona |
5 x 42 |
4 - 5 |
40 - 44 |
| Corona |
5 1/2 x 42 |
5 1/4 - 5 3/4 |
40 - 44 |
| Long Corona |
6 x 42 |
5 7/8 - 6 3/8 |
40 - 44 |
| Lonsdale |
6 1/2 x 42 |
6 1/2 x 7 1/4 |
40 - 44 |
| Giant Corona |
7 1/2 x 44 |
7 1/2 and up |
42 - 45 |
| Corona Extra |
5 1/2 x 46 |
4 1/2 x 5 1/2 |
45 - 47 |
| Grand Corona |
6 1/2 x 46 |
5 5/8 x 6 5/8 |
45 - 47 |
| Robusto |
5 x 50 |
4 1/2 x 5 1/2 |
48 - 54 |
| Toro |
6 x 50 |
5 5/8 x 6 5/8 |
48 54 |
| Torpedo |
6 1/2 x 52 |
all |
tapered |
| Pyramid |
7 x 36 x 54 |
all |
flared |
| Perfecto |
Varies |
all |
all |
| Churchill |
7 x 47 |
6 3/4 x 7 7/8 |
46 - 48 |
| Double Corona |
7 3/4 x 49 |
6 3/4 x 7 3/4 |
49 - 54 |
| Giant |
9 x 52
|
8 and up |
50 and up |
Cigar Shapes:
As with sizes, shapes of cigars vary widely. The
following are the most common shapes.
While this chart can be used as a rule of
thumb, many manufacturers name their cigars differently.
Parejo:
Any straight sided with an open foot for lighting and a rounded head.
Cigars falling in this category would be Coronas, Robustos, Churchills, Toros
etc.
Belicoso: The meaning of this shape has
changed quite a bit over the years. It is currently known as a straight sided
cigar with an open foot and a tapered head
Torpedo: Tapered at both ends with a bulge
in the middle. A Belicoso is sometimes called a Torpedo.
Perfecto: Rounded head tapering toward the
end with a closed foot. (this shape varies)
Pyramid: Usually tapered from 44 at a
rounded head head to 50 at the open foot.
Culebra: 3 Panatella sized cigars braided
together
Cigar Construction:
Most handmade cigars are made from 3 elements:
Filler: The filler is what makes up the
body of the cigar. Long filler is a tobacco leaf that runs the length of the
cigar. Short filler is usually cuttings and clippings from the manufacturing of
long filler cigars.
Binder: The binder is made from a heavier
leaf and is wrapped around the filler to start to make the final shape of the
cigar.
Wrapper: The finest tobacco leaves become
wrappers. These leaves are smooth and silky and are the finishing touches that are wrapped around the binder to
give the cigar its final appearance.
These three components all take part in the
flavor of a cigar.
The cigar roller will take tobacco leaves and
gently fold them over in his hand to make a basic shape of the cigar. This is
referred to as hand bunching. He will usually take leaves from different tobacco
blends to acquire just the right flavor for the cigar. Then he will take a
binder leaf to wrap around the hand bunched filler. This is rolled and shaped on
the cigar rollers table. Then the cigars are placed in a wooden mold and pressed
together for a short time. This makes the final shape of the cigar consistent.
While the cigars are in the press, the roller will prepare the wrapper leaf. The
leaf is dampened, shaped and prepared for the final application. After the
cigars are un-molded, each cigar will be individually wrapped and trimmed.
|
