Formats and Vitolas

Robusto, Churchill, Torpedo — behind each of these names stands a format with a defined length and diameter, known in the trade as a vitola. The system behind it is simpler than the many names suggest.

Two Basic Families

All formats belong to one of two families. The Parejo is the classic straight cigar: parallel sides, rounded head, open foot — the great majority of all cigars. Figurados are everything else: the Torpedo with its pointed head (as a Pirámide in fully conical form), the Belicoso with its short, rounded tip, or the Perfecto, which tapers at both ends.

Length Times Ring Gauge

A format is described by two numbers: the length and the ring gauge — the diameter measured in sixty-fourths of an inch. A ring gauge of 50 therefore corresponds to just under 20 millimetres. A notation such as “6 × 52” reads as six inches in length by ring gauge 52; in many markets the measurements are also given metrically alongside — then the length appears in centimetres whilst the ring gauge remains unchanged. Typical vitolas as reference points:

• Corona: around 14 centimetres, ring gauge 42–44 — the classic reference
• Robusto: around 12.4 centimetres, ring gauge 50 — short, compact and probably the most widely smoked format today
• Toro: around 15.2 centimetres, ring gauge 50
• Churchill: around 17.8 centimetres, ring gauge 47–50 — named after Winston Churchill
• Panetela: long and slender, typically ring gauge 35–39

Format also shapes the smoke: thicker cigars tend to burn cooler and let the filler blend take centre stage, whilst in slender formats the wrapper contributes a larger share of the flavour — the same blend tastes different in a Panetela than in a Toro.

Factory Name and Commercial Name

One and the same vitola can carry two names. In Cuban factories, the Vitola de galera is the format as the roller knows it; the Vitola de salida is the name under which the cigar is sold. The format Julieta No. 2 — 17.8 centimetres, ring gauge 47 — appears at Romeo y Julieta as “Churchill”, for instance. If two cigars remind you of the same dimensions, it is quite possible that they share the same factory name.