Ashes Cigar Lounge St. LouisCigar Lounge · St. Louis

Sizes

Cigar Sizes

Shape is mostly a question of time — how long you want to be sitting there. The names are worth knowing so you can ask for what you actually want.

You do not need measurements. What matters in the moment is roughly how long a shape lasts and how it draws, so you can match the cigar to the evening you have in front of you. Use the notes below as a sense of scale rather than a timetable — everyone smokes at their own pace.

I

Robusto

Short, thick and satisfying.

The shape most people reach for when they want a real cigar without committing the whole night to it. A generous draw, plenty of flavour, and it finishes while you are still enjoying it. When in doubt at the cabinet, this is rarely a wrong call.

II

Toro

The middle-length favourite.

A little longer than a Robusto, and the shape a great many people settle on for good. Big enough to feel like an occasion, manageable enough that you are not signing up for the evening. If you only ever learn one name, learn this one.

III

Corona

The classic.

Slimmer and a touch more elegant, with a slightly firmer draw that keeps the flavour tight and focused. This is the shape the old rooms were built around, and it still feels right in a low chair by lamplight.

IV

Churchill

Long and leisurely.

A proper sit. Slow, cool and unhurried, changing as it goes down, and best saved for a night with no particular ending. Order a drink you are happy to spend an hour over, because you will.

V

Figurado — Torpedo, Belicoso

A tapered cap and a concentrated draw.

These are the shapes that narrow to a point at the head rather than finishing flat. That taper gathers the smoke, so the draw arrives a little richer and more intense — which is why they pair so well with a cutting style that respects the point. There is a small ceremony to them that we happen to enjoy.

✦

Short satisfying, or long unhurried?

Ask for it that way and we will understand exactly what you mean. That question answers more than any of the names on this page.

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