TYPES of CIGARS

Types of Cigars

There are many types of cigars, but each consists of two primary elements that produce its smoking and flavor characteristics. The first is the wrapper, and the second is its construction, or style.

Wrappers

The wrapper of cigars are broadly categorized by their color.

• Candela - very light, slightly greenish (also called American Market Selection)
• Claro - light tan or yellowish
• Colorado Claro - light brown (also called English Market Selection)Colorado - reddish brown
• Maduro - dark brown to almost black (also called Spanish Market Selection)
• Oscuro - black, often oily in appearance

Styles of Cigars

Cigars are commonly categorized by the size and shape of the cigar, which together are known as a vitola. The most common shape is the parejo, which has a cylindrical body and a round cap.

The parejos include the following vitolas (from shortest to longest):

• Robusto (aka Rothschild)
• Panatela
• Petit Corona
• Corona
• Lonsdale
• Churchill
• Double Corona

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:

• Pyramide - Like a parejo except that the cap is pointed.
• Torpedo - 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.
• Culebras - Three long, pointed cigars braided together.

Other types of cigars:

• stogie or stogy - a cheap type of cigar
• list of fictional cigars

Ring gauges

In some parts of the world (especially America), cigars are measured with two dimensions - ring gauge (numerator of the widest diameter in 64ths of an inch), and length. For example, most Robusto cigars have a ring gauge of approximately 50, and a length of approximately 5 inches.