Cigars are commonly categorized by the size and shape of the cigar, which together are known as a vitola.


The size of a cigar is measured by two dimensions: its ring gauge (its diameter in sixty-fourths of an inch) and its length (in inches). For example, most non-Cuban robustos have a ring gauge of approximately 50 and a length of approximately 5 inches. Robustos which are of Cuban origin always have a ring gauge of 50 and a length of 4 7/8 inches.

Follow up:

=== Parejo ===

The most common shape is the ''parejo'', which has a cylindrical body, straight sides, one end open, and a round cap on the other end which is cut off before smoking. ''Parejas'' are designated by the following terms:


* ''Coronas''
** Petit Corona (5" x 42)

** Corona (5 1/2" x 42)
** Corona Extra (5 1/2" x 46)

** Robusto (5" x 50), also called ''Rothschilds'' after the [[Rothschild family]]
** Long Corona (6" x 42)

** Toro (6" x 50)
** Lonsdale (6 1/2" x 42), named for [[Hugh Cecil Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale]]

** Grand Corona (6 1/2" x 46)
** Julieta a.k.a. Churchill (7" x 47), named for [[Winston Churchill]]

** Giant Corona (7 1/2" x 44)
** Double Corona (7 3/4" x 49)


* ''Panatelas'' – longer and generally thinner than Coronas

** Small Panatela (5" x 33)
** Short Panatela (5" x 38)

** Slim Panatela (6" x 34)
** Panatela (6" x 38)

** Long Panatela (7 1/2" x 38)


=== Figurado ===
Irregularly-shaped cigars are known as ''figurados'' and are sometimes considered of higher quality because they are more difficult to make. ''Figurados'' include the following:

* Torpedo - Like a ''parejo'' except that the cap is pointed.
* Pyramid - Has a broad foot and evenly narrows to a pointed cap.

* Perfecto - Narrow at both ends and bulged in the middle.
* Presidente/Diadema - shaped like a ''parejo'' but considered a ''figurado'' because of its enormous size and occasional closed foot akin to a perfecto.

* Culebras - Three long, pointed cigars braided together.


Arturo Fuente, a large cigar manufacturer based in the Dominican Republic, has also manufactured figurados in exotic shapes ranging from chili peppers to baseball bats and American footballs. They are highly collectable and extremely expensive, when publically available. In practice, the terms Torpedo and Pyramid are often used interchangeably, even among very knowledgable cigar smokers. Min Ron Nee, the Hong Kong-based cigar expert whose work "An Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Post-Revolution Havana Cigars" is considered to be the definitive work on cigars and cigar terms, defines Torpedo as "cigar slang." He adds, "In the old days, [torpoedo] could mean a perfecto or a pyramid shape cigar. After the [Cuban] Revolution the meaning leans toward the pyramid rather than the perfecto. Some cigar authorities insist that the correct meaning of a torpedo should be referring to a perfecto and not a pyramid. The majority of people [who use torpedo to mean pyramid] have got it wrong. I find it rather funny that a slang word can be incorrectly misunderstood by the majority." In other words, Nee thinks the majority is right (because slang is defined by majority usage) and torpedoes are pyramids by another name.