Burn After Reading

FROM THE EARTH

TO YOUR HAND,

HERE'S WHAT1

MAKES A

CIGAR A CIGAR

, VITOLA: SIZES & SHAPES c

FIGURADO SIZES

PAREJO SIZES

Some of the terms used to describe cigar shapes and sizes are confusing. If I say "I'll have a Monte two." that one word and number convey size, shape and brand (a Montecristo brand Torpedo No. 2—see size and shape in the chart at left). Let's clarify matters some more....

Length: In America the length of a cigar is cited in inches. Diameter: The unit of measurement for a cigar's girth is the ring gauge, which is based on increments of one sixty-fourth of an inch. A standard toro size is six by 50, which means it is six inches long and fifty sixty-fourths of an inch thick.

Shape: All cigars can be divided into two categories: parejos. or straight-sided cigars, and figurados, or irregular-shaped cigars (torpedo shaped, etc.). The chart here shows the general widths and lengths of different cigars that various brands make. Box pressed: Parejos start out round and straight However, some are then made squarish and are known as box pressed. Rollers use several tech-