The tobacco used in a cigar, and how it’s prepared and packed, is the most essential element in smoking. But, smoking is a physical experience as well as one of taste, and that aspect shouldn’t be entirely neglected.
Here’s a table of lengths and diameters that will help you start your selection process.
Name   Length   Ring Gauge
Panatela 5½ to 6½ 34 to 38
Lonsdale 6 to 6½  42 to 44
Corona   5½ to 6  42 to 45
Churchill 6½ to 7  46 to 48
Torpedo  5½ to 6½  46 to 52
Robusto  4½ to 5  48 to 50
Toro   6 to 6½  48 to 50
Note that length is listed in inches (mostly in the U.S.) or centimeters (used everywhere else). The ring gauge (to use the common term for diameter) is measured in 64ths of an inch (in the U.S.).
You’ll notice that the table is in order by ring gauge, rather than length or by name. There’s a reason for that. Though cigar selection is an individual matter, many prefer slimmer cigars. A fat cigar looks and feels like, well, a fat cigar. Some find that uncomfortable and difficult to smoke. For others, it just evokes an image of sweaty politicians in back rooms.
Length isn’t irrelevant, of course. But if the cigar is too long for comfort you could always chop off a section from the end. Very few aficionados would want to decrease the value of their cigar simply by eliminating an inch or so of weight. But, if you only plan to smoke a certain amount and not save the remainder, there’s no reason not to start with a shorter cigar.
Many smokers actually prefer the longer heft and substantial diameter of a Churchill. After all, Churchill – for whom the cigar is named – certainly did. Others prefer a short, fat Robusto. Still others find a slim, relatively short Panatela suits them best. To each his own (or her own, women smoke cigars, too).
For those who want something a little less traditional in shape, there is the whole class of figurados. Those are cigars that do not have straight sides. Most are tapered, but increasingly the Torpedo – with a tapered end at both the head and foot – is becoming popular.
The truly daring can try a Culebras. These are truly fat cigars, produced by taking three Panatelas and spiraling them around one another. The result is bound and smoked as a single cigar. It’s a mystery why anyone but a serious addict would want to take the trouble with these monsters but, again, to each his own.
Smoking a cigar should be a complete experience of taste, feel and frame of mind. Complete the experience with a fine Cabernet or a wonderful cognac. Then sit back in your red leather chair and enjoy a good conversation about the state of the world. Just stay away from discussions of politics. Smoking is supposed to be relaxing.
