CIGARS 101.3: Ring Gauge

Ring Gauge (rg) is the diameter of a cigar, as measured in 64ths of an inch (in the United States).  A cigar that is 64rg is exactly one inch in diameter.  

In general, thinner rg cigars will express more of the cigar wrapper's flavor (see Wrapper Geometry) while thicker rg cigars will contain more filler tobacco and have the potential to deliver a broader range of flavor.  Thicker rg cigars will also tend to smoke cooler and produce a larger volume of smoke per toke (see Cigar Shapes & Sizes).   

While the ring gauge (rg) of a parejo is consistent from foot to head, the rg of a figurado usually refers to the thickest part of the cigar.  The specific tapering of a figurado is unique to its vitola, but if two rg, such as 16/40rg are given for a figurado, then the smaller number refers to the thinnest part of the cigar.  The shape of a figurado will create a unique and specific flavor journey.  

Click below to learn more about:

Cigar Shapes & Sizes

 American Ring Gauge Standards

Figurado Geometry

Wrapper Geometry

Figurado Geometry

  

Figurados come in a variety of lengths and shapes. Some taper at the Head, some taper at the Foot, and others taper at both ends. Furthermore, the taper, Ring Gauge (rg), and shape of the cigar can also vary. This is why Figurados can be some of the most difficult cigars to roll. And, in the end, each Figurado Vitola will smoke, feel, and taste differently, depending on its construction, composition, and geometry.

  

In particular, Figurados with a tapered Foot, such as Perfectos and Salomones, tend to have the most flavor changes – as their Ring Gauge (rg) expands. In general, the smaller rg towards the Foot pronounces the Wrapper and Binder flavors more; while the Filler flavors begin to express themselves as the cigar is smoked and the rg expands. These Figurados ‘start slow’ but enable the smoker to isolate the Wrapper and Binder flavors towards the beginning.

Watch the video below to see how extraordinary Figurados get rolled.

 

 

Wrapper School: Cigar Geometry

 
Geometry is helpful to study the composition of a cigar since it represents the Wrapper, Binder, and Filler proportions. As consumers, we are always interested in the Diameter (Ring Gauge – rg) of a cigar, but we rarely think of the Circumference (Wrapper + Binder) and Area (Filler) implications.
 
Imagine looking directly at the Foot of a cigar: what you see is a circle. The Diameter of that circle is the Ring Gauge (rg) – where the rg is measured in 64ths of an inch. If you look at a 32rg cigar, its Diameter is 1/2 inch. The Circumference (distance around) of that circle is 1.57 inches: this means that it takes 1.57 inches of both Wrapper and Binder to cover the cigar*. A 32rg cigar has an Area of .1963 inches: this means that the Foot (Filler) Area is .1963.

When you double the rg (Ring Gauge) of the cigar, extraordinary changes occur. A 64rg cigar has a 1 inch Diameter and a Circumference of 3.14 inches – the Diameter and Circumference have simply doubled. More importantly, the Area (Foot – Filler) of the cigar has increased from .1963 (32rg) to .7854 (64rg) – a four fold increase. This means that when the rg doubled, the Filler quadrupled!

So, doubling the rg quadruples the Filler. From this you could infer that a thinner cigar will express more of the Wrapper and Binder flavor; making the Filler flavors less pronounced. Alas, this is too simple. Cigar makers and blenders must adjust the Filler components (ligero, seco, volado) to make the cigar burn properly. If the cigar maker wants to pronounce the Wrapper more on a thinner cigar, then they will adjust the ligero and other components accordingly. If they want to recreate the same flavor profile as the thicker cigar, then they will adjust the Filler blend to that end. Ultimately, the cigar will reflect what the maker and blender are trying to achieve, and that all depends on their vision.

* It will take slightly less than 1.57 inches of binder since the wrapper covers the binder. In addition, this formula does not account for wrapper overlap which occurs naturally during cigar rolling. Nonetheless, the math is accurate enough for our purposes.