Shape and Size

Habanos come in length from under 4 inches (100 mm) to over 9 inches (230mm). The diameter, known as ring gauge, varies from 23 (23/64 inch or 9.1 mm) to 52 (52/64 inch or 20.6 mm). The ring gauge is expressed in 64ths of an inch.
The sizes are called vitolas.

Vitolas de galera is the size name used in the factories - factory name.

Vitolas de salida is the size name written on the box - market name.

Sometimes, the factory name is used for the market name.

You can find same size in different brands with different market names.
For example, a 7 x 47 cigar can be called a Churchill, Prince of Wales, Corona Gigantes or an Esplendidos, depending on the particular Brand.

You may also find different size in different brands using the same market names.
Giving example to above: some vitolas have popular generic name as torpedo.

Confused? Following are the cigars listed by factory name with their popular names. These 12 is useful to remember.

Estimated smoking times are given as a guide particularly for newcomers to the world of Habanos. Individuals may find the times vary accordingly to their personal practices.

Affect the taste
Each brand has its own characteristic flavor, but different vitolas can vary the sensation of the taste.

The bigger the cigar, the richer the taste will tend to be and the cooler the smoke.
Fat cigars burn slowly and deliver a large volume of rounder smoke that drenches the plate with the full mixture of flavors.
Double Figurados offer a unique flavor at the start dominated by the wrapper and binder. The taste of its blend is revealed when the widest part is reached.
Thinner cigars smoke more quickly and concentrate the flavor on the tongue giving a slightly sharper taste.

Habanos with ring gauge less than 36 contain no ligero.

Below are the basic chart of ring gauge:

And following is the basic chart of size:

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.

A Cuban cigar maker has shattered his own record for the world's longest cigar by rolling a 45-foot-long stogie, 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's first milestone was a 9-foot cigar he and his buddies rolled in 1999, as a way to attract passing tourists.

Later will be here:
33 brands with more than 240 different cigars between them that you can find them all in the chart.