Cigar Sizes Part 1

Cigar Sizes - The Complete Guide

There are 47 acknowledged shapes to handmade Cuban cigars. Of these, 42 are regularly produced, and30 are considered the most popular. They vary in length from under four inches to over nine inches. The diameter of a cigar is referred to as it gauge, and is measured in 64ths of an inch, from 26/64 to52/64. Of course, there are special edicions which are shorter, longer, thinner, and thicker. The first dimension is the length of the cigar in inches. The second is the ring gauge, or the diameter, of the cigar, measured in 64ths of an inch. So a Churchill is about 7 inches long and 3/4 of an inch in diameter.

The names given a cigar size (vitola) can be confusing. For example, a 7 x 47 cigar can be called a Churchill, Prince of Wales, Coronas Gigantes, or an Esplendidos, depending on the particular Brand, called the Vitola de Salida. There is, however, a standard name for all vitolas, found in the Vitola de Galera, or factory name, for each type of Havana.

There more than 100 different formats of hand-made and machine-made Havana cigars; most of them are described in this page. Their lengths vary from 3 7/8 to 9 1/4 inches, while their ring gauges vary between 26 and 57. 

THE SMALLEST CUBAN CIGAR

At one time the ROCHA BOLIVAR was famous for offering the world's smallest Cuban cigar, the Delgado, measuring only 1 7/8ths inches by 20. It is said that the royal nursery at Windsor Castle once housed a spectacular dollhouse complete with a miniature box of Bolivar Delgado cigars in residence.

THE LONGEST CUBAN CIGAR

A Cuban cigar maker has shattered his own record for the world's longest cigar by rolling a 45-foot-longstogie, the Guinness Book of World Records said. It took Jose Castelar Cairo five days to manufacture the cigar - a feat that far surpassed his 35-foot cigar that set the record in 2000. The latest and greatest cigar was only recently certified by Guinness. Castelar proudly displays both Guinness certificates, proudly. Castelar's first milestone was a 9-foot cigar he and his buddies rolled in 1999, as a way to attract passing tourists.

Some of the cigar names, like Panetelas, are used to denominate vitolas in different Havana brands, although their measures are not always the same. For instance, a Romeo y Julieta Panetela measures 4 5/8" x 34, while a Cohíba Panetela measures 4 1/2" x 26.

On the other hand, cigars of the same format receive different commercial names. For example, a 7" x 47 cigar, usually known as Churchill, can be named as Prince of Wales, Coronas Gigantes or Espléndidos depending on whether has it been manufactured by Romeo y Julieta, Bolívar or Cohíba, respectively.

Fortunately, there is a comprehensive relation of names for each Havana format, that used by the people who make them at the factory. They employ a unique Vitola de Galera to distinguish each type of cigar.

Below is the complete Vitola de Galera, with their names and measurements.

HAND MADE CIGARS

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