Cigar brands and sizes explained

Pick up a box of cigars and the first thing you notice is a pair of numbers, something like 6 x 54. Brands get the attention, but those two numbers tell you more about the next hour of your evening than the label does. This guide covers both: how sizes work, and what the makers we stock are known for, using only figures from the makers' own pages and our product pages.

How to read a cigar size

Drew Estate's cigar academy puts it simply: a size is called a vitola, and it is written as two numbers. The first is the length in inches. The second is the ring gauge, which is the diameter measured in 64ths of an inch. So a 7 x 38 cigar is seven inches long and 38/64 of an inch across, a little under 0.6 inch.

A bigger ring gauge means a fatter cigar. A 54 ring is about 0.84 inch across and a 60 ring is about 0.94 inch, close to a full inch. Drew Estate says the vitola shapes both the experience and the taste profile, which is why makers sell one blend in several sizes. A short fat cigar and a long thin one of the same blend will not smoke the same way.

Vitola names are not a strict standard. A Toro can be 6 x 52 from one maker and 6 x 54 from another, and you will find both on our shelves. Read the two numbers, not just the name.

The sizes you will meet most often

Here is one example of each, all listed in our cigar brands section today. Sizes are length in inches by ring gauge, as the product pages give them.

Vitola	Size	Example we list	Our price
Nub 460	4 x 60	Oliva Nub Cameroon 460	PKR 5,799
Petit corona (Mareva)	5 1/8 x 42	Montecristo No. 4	PKR 10,999
Corona	6 1/4 x 44	Plasencia Reserva Original Corona	PKR 6,499
Toro	6 x 54	Gurkha Prize Fighter Toro	PKR 3,699
Corona doble	7 x 54	Drew Estate Undercrown Maduro Double Corona	PKR 6,349
Lancero	7 x 38	Oliva Serie V Lancero	PKR 5,999

Short and thick

The Nub 460 is 4 inches long with a 60 ring gauge. Oliva says the Nub format started in 2008 and is rolled by hand in Esteli, Nicaragua, with the idea of starting the cigar at its sweet spot, where flavour and body peak from the first draw. The Cameroon version is called smooth, earthy and naturally sweet by the maker. It suits a short break rather than a long sitting.

The Montecristo No. 4 is slimmer and a little longer, 129mm with a 42 ring gauge. Habanos puts the smoke at around 30 minutes. It is a Cuban cigar, and we sell it as a single stick, so you can try one before you think about a box.

The middle of the range

The Plasencia Corona is the slim size of the Reserva Original line. Plasencia describes the blend as medium-bodied, and the wrapper, binder and filler are all Nicaraguan. A 44 ring is easy to handle if you find the very fat sizes awkward.

The Gurkha Prize Fighter Toro is a Dominican blend with a Connecticut seed wrapper grown in Ecuador, which Gurkha rates mild. At 6 inches with a 54 ring it is long enough to give you a proper look at the blend without taking a whole evening. If you are unsure which size to start with, a Toro is a sensible place to begin.

Long and slow

The Undercrown Maduro Double Corona is 7 inches with a 54 ring gauge, which Drew Estate lists as the Corona Doble. Drew Estate rates the body medium to full. Give it time, because a cigar this size is built for a long evening.

The Oliva Serie V Lancero is 7 inches too, but with only a 38 ring, so it is the slim size of the Serie V range. A thin cigar heats up fast, so leave a good pause between draws to keep it burning cool and even.

Cigar brands we list, and what each is about

You will see a lot of names on the shelf. This is what the main makers say about themselves, taken from their own descriptions on our product pages.

Drew Estate

Drew Estate works out of Esteli, Nicaragua. Its Undercrown line was, in the maker's words, born on the factory floor at La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate. Factory Smokes is the handmade line Drew Estate prices for everyday smoking, and Nica Rustica Adobe is named after the countryside around Esteli, rated mellow to medium by the maker.

Oliva

Oliva Serie V is a Nicaraguan long-filler blend built around specially fermented ligero from the Jalapa Valley, finished with an Ecuador sun-grown wrapper. Oliva describes the smoke as rich coffee and dark chocolate with a subtle, balanced spice. Nub, from the same maker, is the short and stout format covered above.

Gurkha

Gurkha makes its Prize Fighter in the Dominican Republic, with filler aged for three years. We also list the maker's Heritage and Revenant lines, so you can compare a mild cigar with something heavier from the same brand.

Plasencia and Aganorsa Leaf

Plasencia's Reserva Original is a Nicaraguan puro, grown in Esteli, Condega and Jalapa and made in Nicaragua by the Plasencia family. Aganorsa Leaf sells its La Validacion range in four wrapper blends, so you can hold the size steady and change only the wrapper to see what it does.

Montecristo and Havana Q

Montecristo is the Cuban name on our shelf, with Habanos sizes such as the Mareva above. Havana Q is a J.C. Newman cigar rolled by hand at the company's PENSA factory in Nicaragua, and the maker rates it medium.

How to choose a size and brand

Start with the time you have. A 30-minute cigar and a 7-inch cigar are different evenings, and the size tells you which one you are signing up for. Then pick a body: maker ratings such as mild, mellow, medium or full are each maker's own opinion, so compare them within a brand rather than across brands.

After that, think about ring gauge. If very fat cigars feel awkward in the hand, stay at 50 or below. If you like a lot of smoke and a slower burn, look at 54 and up.

Once you have your cigars, keep them in a humidor or a sealed bag with a humidity pack. Our guide on how to smoke a cigar covers cutting, lighting and storing them properly. If you want to know where our stock comes from, the authenticity page explains it.

The cigars and tobacco department is the way back to the whole range whenever you want to compare sizes side by side.

Sold to adults aged 18 and over only. Nicotine and tobacco are addictive.