What’s in a Name? Understanding Cigar Brands
Walk into any well-stocked cigar shop and you’ll quickly discover that the world of premium cigars comes with its own language — one that can feel deliberately cryptic at first. One manufacturer’s Churchill is another’s Double Corona. The numbers and foreign words on the bands seem to multiply the more you look. The good news? Once you understand three fundamental elements — brand, wrapper color, and size or shape — you’ll be able to confidently navigate any humidor in the world.
The brand is the name a manufacturer assigns to a particular line of cigars — names like Punch, Partagas, Macanudo, Montecristo, and Davidoff. You’ll find the brand printed on the cigar band, which is wrapped around the head (the closed, smoking end) of the cigar.
One important nuance: many beloved brand names exist in two versions — a Cuban original and a non-Cuban counterpart. After the Cuban Revolution in 1959, cigar makers who fled the island believed they could take their brand names with them. Cuba disagreed, arguing the brands belonged to the country. The result is that today you’ll find brands like Punch, Romeo y Julieta, Partagas, H. Upmann, Hoyo de Monterrey, La Gloria Cubana, and others produced both in Cuba and in countries like Honduras, the Dominican Republic, and Nicaragua. A small Habano or Havana inscription on the band typically identifies the Cuban version.
Reading the Wrapper: The Six Major Color Grades
The wrapper — the outermost leaf of a cigar — is one of its most expressive components. It contributes significantly to flavor and aroma, and its color gives you an immediate clue about what to expect. While historically cigar makers used dozens of descriptive shade terms, the industry has largely settled on six major color grades:
- Claro Claro (Candela): A light green wrapper, produced by heat-curing the leaf to lock in the chlorophyll. These wrappers often carry a slightly sweet, mild flavor. Once very popular in the American market, they are less common today.
- Claro: A pale tan wrapper, typically grown under shade tents. Prized for its neutral, smooth flavor profile, it lets the filler and binder flavors shine through.
- Colorado: A rich brown to reddish-brown wrapper, usually shade-grown. Colorado wrappers deliver complex flavor with a subtle, pleasing aroma.
- Natural: A light brown to medium brown wrapper, most often sun-grown. Natural wrappers tend to be slightly fuller in flavor than Claro.
- Maduro: From the Spanish word for “ripe,” this deep, dark-brown wrapper requires an extended fermentation process. A well-made Maduro should feel silky and slightly oily, offering a rich, full flavor and a mild, sweet aroma.
- Oscuro: The darkest wrapper of all — also called negro or black in tobacco-producing regions. Oscuro leaves spend the most time on the plant and go through the longest fermentation, producing a bold, intense smoke.
Wrapper tobacco is grown in many countries today, including Cuba, Ecuador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Cameroon, Brazil, and the United States, each imparting its own character to the leaf.
Size & Shape: Parejos and Figurados
With brand and wrapper sorted, the next variable is size and shape — collectively referred to as vitola in Spanish. Cigar size is measured in two ways: length (in inches or centimeters) and ring gauge (the diameter expressed in 64ths of an inch). A classic Corona, for example, is described as 6 × 42 — meaning six inches long with a ring gauge of 42/64ths of an inch.
All cigars fall into one of two broad shape categories: parejos (straight-sided) and figurados (irregular shapes).
Parejos: The Straight-Sided Cigars
Parejos are the most familiar cigar shape — straight cylinders with an open foot (the end you light) and a closed, typically rounded head (the end you smoke). There are three main groups:
- Coronas: The benchmark size against which all other cigars are traditionally measured. The classic Corona is 6 inches × 42 ring gauge. Notable variations include the Churchill (7 × 47), the Robusto (5 × 50), and the Double Corona (7½ × 49).
- Panetelas: Longer and noticeably thinner than coronas, a standard Panetela runs about 7 inches × 38 ring gauge. They share the same open foot and closed head construction.
- Lonsdales: Splitting the difference between a Corona and a Panetela in terms of girth, a Lonsdale is typically 6¾ inches × 42 ring gauge — longer than a corona but slimmer.
Figurados: The Irregular Shapes
Figurados are any cigar that departs from the straight-sided form. These shapes require more skilled craftsmanship and are prized by many aficionados:
- Pyramid: A pointed, closed head that gradually widens toward an open foot — one of the most visually striking cigar shapes.
- Belicoso: Similar to a pyramid but with a shorter, more rounded point at the head rather than a sharp taper.
- Torpedo: Features a pointed head, a closed foot, and a distinctive bulge in the middle.
- Perfecto: The classic cartoon cigar — closed, rounded ends at both head and foot, with a bulge in the center.
- Culebras: Three Panetelas braided together. Primarily a novelty, but a conversation-starter in any lounge.
- Diademas: An oversized cigar of 8 inches or longer, usually with an open foot, though some feature a perfecto-style closed foot.
Keep in mind that shape names are not standardized across manufacturers. A “Torpedo” from one brand may look identical to another brand’s “Pyramid.” Never assume two cigars with the same shape name will be the same size — always check the actual dimensions.
A Few More Terms Worth Knowing
- 8-9-8: A packing style in which cigars are stacked in three rows inside a distinctive rounded box — eight on the bottom, nine in the middle, and eight on top.
- Amatista: A glass jar of 50 cigars, originally introduced by H. Upmann, designed to deliver a factory-fresh smoke to the consumer.
- Tubos: Individual cigars sealed in aluminum, glass, or wooden tubes. A well-sealed tubo can keep a cigar fresh for an extended period.
Put Your Knowledge to Work
Armed with an understanding of brands, wrapper shades, sizes, and shapes, you’re now equipped to walk into any tobacconist with confidence. Use these parameters as your compass, and you’ll find it much easier to explore new smokes, communicate your preferences to a knowledgeable retailer, and ultimately discover the cigars that best suit your palate. The world of premium cigars is vast — enjoy the journey of exploring it.
