About Finck

Cigars of All Shapes and Sizes

Names like Panatela, Churchill, and a Presidente probably sound familiar, but few people know the size and shape these names describe. To complicate the matter, manufacturers will produce the same size of cigar and term it radically different things. So you have a better idea of what you’re getting yourself into, we’ve outlined a few basic criteria of the shapes and sizes of cigars.

Shapes
These terms don’t appear too often, because a lot of people think there’s only one cigar shape in the world: the cylinder, which is technically called a parejo. Parejos span anywhere from 4.5 to 8.5 inches in length and as wide a range in diameter. Another shape exists, though: the figurado, which has a cone-shaped head. It’s not hugely popular (the Torpedo is the most prominent), but its name will appear from time to time.

Names

These are a bit hard to outline, since they vary so widely, and cigars with the exact same length and diameter, like the Corona and Lonsdale, have almost arbitrarily different names. Because there is such overlap, it’s probably best we describe only the most infamous names. They’re all parejos.
 

  • A Panatela isn’t the shortest cigar, but it’s easily the thinnest. Almost resembling dime store cigarillos, it burns quickly but richly.
     
  • Robustos are quite the opposite: short and thick, they provide a surge of flavor that can overwhelm new smokers.
     
  • Named for the famous British Prime Minister, Churchills have a reputation for being the largest in the cigar world. They’re not, but at seven inches, they’re close.
     
  • The Presidente reigns as the biggest cigar available. Almost nine inches long and as thick as a Rubosto, only the most serious aficionados smoke them.