Figurados: what a Torpedo, Belicoso and Perfecto actually do
A changing diameter means a changing cigar. That is the whole point of the shape.
A figurado has a diameter that changes as it burns, so the cigar you finish is not the one you started. Straight-sided parejos hold their ratio constant; figurados deliberately do not.
The tapered head
A pointed head concentrates smoke into a narrower opening, which increases the perceived intensity and puts more of it on the front of your tongue. It also gives you a choice most cigars do not: cut small for concentration, or deeper for a looser, cooler draw.
That adjustability is the real argument for a torpedo. Start with a small cut — you can always take more, and you cannot put it back.
The shapes worth knowing
- Torpedo: straight body, tapered pointed head.
- Belicoso: shorter, with a rounded, shorter taper.
- Perfecto: tapered at both ends, often with a bulge in the middle.
- Salomon: a large perfecto with a pronounced belly; effectively three ring gauges in one cigar.
Do this: with a closed foot perfecto, toast for longer than feels necessary. The narrow tip has very little tobacco to catch, and most complaints about perfectos going out are lighting complaints from the first thirty seconds.
Why they evolve
As the burn moves into a wider section, the wrapper-to-filler ratio drops and the filler takes over — the same mechanism as choosing a fatter cigar, happening live. A salomon can genuinely taste like three different cigars, which is either the appeal or the problem depending on your patience.
A construction warning
Figurados are harder to roll and easier to get wrong. The tapered sections are where plugs live, and a badly made torpedo is unrescuable in a way a badly made robusto is not. Buy them from makers with a reputation for construction, not from whoever has the prettiest box.
Shape is part of the record
The band scan fills in the cigar details including the format, so a torpedo and the parejo version of the same blend end up as separate entries with separate scores. Over time your journal answers whether the shape suits you, which is not a question any review can answer on your behalf.
Read next
Ring gauge, explained by what it changes in your mouth
More filler, cooler smoke, and a shift in what you actually taste.
Formats & vitolasRobusto or Toro: the fifteen minutes between them
Same diameter, different endings. The choice is about the last third.
Buying & authenticityReading a cigar band
Brand, line, factory marks and the words that are there purely to sell.