The Ultimate Cigar Guide
Learn the Language of the Leaf
Cigar Shapes
The two main categories of cigar shapes are the Parejo and the Figurado. Parejo refers to the standard shape of cylindrical cigars with straight sides. All other shaped cigars are Figurados.
Parejo
Flat; equal on all sides.
Figurado
Figured; shapely.
These leaves, also known as Connecticut wrappers, are usually light tan or yellow in color, grown and aged under gauze or cheesecloth to limit sunlight, giving them a mild flavor that allows the flavor of the binder and the filler to come through more fully.question go to app settings and press "Manage Questions" button.
Also known as Double Claro, these leaves have a light, sweet taste, and they are picked before they have fully matured and aged for a comparatively short time, allowing them to retain some chlorophyll that gives these wrappers a pale green tinge.
A Maduro cigar stands out due to its prolonged fermentation and aging process, which can last several years. This results in a dark brown color and a distinctive sweetness, with natural sugars becoming more pronounced over time.
Sometimes referred to as Double Maduro, these are the darkest leaves in the lineup of cigar wrappers. They are aged for even longer than Maduro leaves, deepening their inherent sweetness and building a richer, deeper flavor profile.
Originally grown in Cuba, the fertile soil of Honduras now supplies the American market with these medium brown tobacco leaves, which have a slightly spicy flavor reminiscent of black pepper.
A Habano wrapper, grown from Cuban seed in Nicaraguan soil, is known for its spiciness and strong flavor profile. These wrappers are typically enjoyed by experienced cigar smokers, as their robust flavor might be too intense for beginners.
These leaves are the original tobacco used to roll cigars and were once the most popular leaf used to roll Cuban cigars, though fell from popularity due to the rise of Corojo and Habano wrappers. Their flavor combines a hint of sweetness with some of the peppery spice present in Corojo wrappers.
The reddish-brown hue of these wrappers is distinctive to tobacco plants grown in Cuban soil, making them some of the rarest cigar wrappers available. These wrappers are quite spicy and often have an almost earthy flavor.
These sweet, mild leaves originate from the Indonesian island of Sumatra, and they are often used in infused cigars as their mildness enhances the added flavors in the binder and filler.
Cameroon wrappers, grown in Cameroon and the Central African Republic, are known for being delicate and brittle with fewer oils, making them less elastic. They offer a rich, smooth taste and are often described as "toothy" due to the raised bumps in the leaf grain.
Length: 3.5
Ring Gauge: 21
The smallest vitola of a cigar, with the most variation in size, cigarillos can be bought in the United States very cheaply.
Length: 4.5
Ring Gauge: 48
Invented by one of the Rothschilds themselves, this vitola will give you more filler flavor than the thicker Corona and more wrapper flavor than from a longer Robusto.
Length: 4.9
Ring Gauge: 50
The most popular size of cigar, the Robusto is known for delivering the truest flavor to what the tobacco blender intended.
Length: 5.5
Ring Gauge: 42
The smaller ring gauge of a Corona allows more intense flavors to come from the wrapper tobacco than from the smaller amount of filler tobacco.
A Toro cigar is typically 6 inches long with a ring gauge of 50. It's one of the most popular sizes, providing all the flavor of a Robusto but with an extra inch for a longer smoke.
Length: 6.5
Ring Gauge: 34
The long, skinny Panatela vitola has a smoother burn and taste than bigger vitolas, as well as having a cooler burn.
Length: 6.5
Ring Gauge: 42
This longer vitola was created for connoisseurs who wanted a longer smoke that had all the flavor complexity of longer cigars with a similar flavor balance between the wrapper and the filler of Coronas.
Length: 7
Ring Gauge: 47-50
Named after the British Prime Minister, the Churchill has an extra inch on the Toro, and the longer the cigar, the more time the heat and smoke have to season the filler tobacco, potentially making the flavor even more complex.
A Lancero cigar is usually 7.1 inches long with a ring gauge of 38. It shares similar proportions with a Panatela and offers a smoking experience akin to a Churchill, providing extra complexity and flavor while burning cool and smooth.
The Culebra is an unusual specialty size that merits mention, even if it is not necessarily a parejo. Constructed of three Panatelas twisted together, Culebra cigars are often split apart before being smoked, either by oneself or shared among friends.
Figurados may have two ring gauges due to their irregular shapes, usually listed like this example: 34/56. The first number refers to the thinnest part of the diameter of the cigar, and the second number refers to the thickest part.
