Blog & Cigar News | Mardo Cigars

This week, we're going to talk about the many different cigar sizes and shapes of cigars. Whoa. That's going to be a lot. But before I get going. Remember to click the Subscribe button to be notified weekly about our new episodes on Mondays with Mardos.

All about Cigar characteristics

All right, you guys. So this week, we will go over many different sizes and shapes of cigars. There are many cigar measurements, shapes and sizes. It can be tough to choose the right one for you. Well, we're not going to get into that. So, we will talk about what we have here on this map. We have different shapes and sizes of cigars. Now, traditionally, you usually have the Robusto and the Toro. These are the two dominant sizes that dominate the industry.

So, what I'm smoking is a Toro. A Toro can span anywhere between five and three quarters to about six and a quarter, six and a half inches in length, and the ring gauge can be from 50 to 54 ring gauge. Even like a Gordo Toro or Toro Gordo, we get a 58.

But the majority is between 652 and 654. That's going to be a Toro. Now, a Toro has a better wrapper balance, binder, and filler ratio. So, that's why the majority of the industry always goes for Toro sizes. Now, if you have never tried a cigar and want to try it for the first time, there are many different sizes. You're not sure what size to go with. A Robusto is one of the safe bets, right? It's like the equilibrium of the axiom of the balance. I don't even know if I'm saying it right.

But it is like right in the middle. It splits it from a  Lancero all the way to like a fat Gordo, right in the middle. It will give you what the blend should taste like. It's usually a five-inch by 50-ring gauge. It is a great cigar to test if you've never tried it before. So hopefully, that made some sense. If you've never tried a cigar before, and want to try one, go with Robusto. That's that.

Now, in between a Robusto and a Toro and much more the  Jake Wyatt Toro style cigar is like a  Belicoso. A Belicoso is going to be tapered in. However, the difference, it was going to be usually a smaller ring gauge in Belicoso. Sometimes, it can be the same ring gauge as a Toro, but if you have a cigar company that makes a Belicoso with the same ring gauge as your Toro, no one will buy the Belicoso. So therefore, they usually alter the ring gauge and either make it bigger or smaller ring gauge than the Toro, and that's how you're going to have a Belicoso.

And this will give you a bit of a different experience on how it rests on your lips. Believe it or not, it does make a difference. That's the Belicoso. Now on the other end of the spectrum, on skinny cigars, we have what we call Lanceros. Lanceros are going to usually span from about seven to seven and a half inches in length, and it's going to be anywhere between... A true Lancero should be 38 ring gauge, but you can go all the way up to 42 ring gauge. That's a little bit going too far, but more and more today, 40 ring gauge Lanceros, the reason being is because of the construction, when it comes to Lanceros, if you go up to a 40, it's going to ash better. Right?

It will hold ash much better if it's not a 38. A 38, the ash is going to be a little flakier, but in tradition, a true Lancero should be a 38. Now in a Lancero, you will get a lot more flavor in the wrapper than in the filler. That's pretty common sense here, right? You got a lot more wrapper wrapping the cigar, so your ratio between filler and binder will be less than the wrapper, and you will get a lot more flavor from the wrapper.

A little more to know about Lanceros

Lanceros are usually enjoyed by cigar snobs, guys chasing that new flavor. They want that intense fire, and will burn a lot hotter too, right? Smaller, so the heat's going to be more trapped inside the cigar. The Toro, it's not going to be as trapped. There's more surface area, so more air is being introduced to the cigar, so it will not burn as hot. If you go up from a Lancero, you can go to a Corona, I invite you to see our Corona cigars by  clicking here. Coronas usually are in the mid to high 40s in ring gauge. This one is going to be a 46-ring gauge. It's about a six and a quarter to... Yeah, about five and three quarters to six and a quarter inches in length, but the ring gauge again is smaller.

As I said, it can be in the 40s, like 44 to 46 to 48. It's a little bit more like a Corona Gordo, but a 44, or 46 is going to be a Corona. And this is going to be a cigar that's going to be fast to smoke because the ring gauge is smaller. And the burn is going to be more intense than a Robusto because it is a smaller ring gauge. On the other side, fat cigars are now getting much more popular. It's a 6 x 60. 6 x 60s, a lot of industries are introducing Gordos at the same price as a Toro, so the guy that is looking for the best bang for the buck is going to want to go a 6 x 60 because he wants to have a cigar for at least an hour and three quarters, or an hour and 45 minutes, I should say, or two hours, and that's going to give you a lot of flavor of the filler, and this guy may be wanting to chase flavors of the filler rather than the wrapper.

And again, he wants the best bang for his buck, so 60-ring gauge cigars are very popular. We have cigars up to 80 ring gauge. That's not my preference, but I recommend you punch this cigar rather than cutting because, if you cut it, trying to have a good vacuum seal with your lips will be very tough. So if you have just a punch, it's going to be a lot, lot easier.

Tricks about selecting exotic size cigars

Now, when it comes to very exotic sizes, these things are something I would be very careful to pick up. Number one, Perfectos are usually pretty expensive because of the way they're shaped. It takes a master Torcedor, meaning a master of rolling, to roll these. You have to have a lot of experience, so you must pay that guy a lot more money than the regular cigar rollers to make something like this.

It is more expensive compared to a Robusto, as you can see, they're almost the same size. And since it's tapered here, you can't smoke this down to the nub like you would on a Robusto. This one, you're going to have to, like, stop right here just because of how you're holding it, and there's not a lot of tobacco. So to me, sometimes I stay away from Perfecters unless it's a good cigar. And in any other size, that cigar doesn't taste good. So, I'm bound to get the Perfecto, so therefore I'll go for it.

Now, if I can find a Figurado, about a dollar or two dollars more than a Perfecto, I'll go with the Figurado because there are much more cigars there. If it's $17, $18, and a Figurado's only like $21, I'll move on and splurge the extra bucks and get the Figurado. Again, this is going to be a very exotic size. You've got to be careful with how it burns so that the company that makes them does have some experienced rollers. Just being around for quite some time, you're going to know what is a household brand when it comes to a cigar brand.

So if this is a cigar company you've never heard of, they're very new, and they're already coming out with very extravagant sizes, I'd be very, very careful because they may not have the experienced rollers. But if money means nothing to you, go ahead and give it a gamble, and then see how it goes. Anyways, this is my little cigar 101 in different sizes and shapes.

Let me know in the comments if this video helped you enough, but I'll see you guys next week. Move on and follow us on Instagram, like us on  Facebook, and remember to subscribe to your YouTube channel. Peace out.