There are just so many shapes out there – what makes belicoso cigars special?
Well, to explain that, we have to back up a second. There are two main types of cigar shapes: parejo and figurado. Parejos have straight sides and a rounded head. figurados play around and have various kinds of tapers and shapes. These include chisels, torpedos, pyramides, presidents, perfectos, and our friends, the belicoso cigars.
Belicoso cigars feature more or less straight sides but have a tapered head (the end you smoke). Instead of tapering to a point like a torpedo cigar, belicoso cigars have a more rounded head at the end of the taper. This is also distinguished from the pyramide, which tapers along the entire length of the cigar.
People often select belicoso cigars when they like the concentration of a taper, but don’t want the tiny opening and comparatively hotter smoke you would get with a torpedo. They like the openness of the belicoso and find it preferable.
A huge number of world-class smokes are offered in the belicoso format. These include Drew Estate Liga blends, Fuente OpusX cigars, and highly rated stogies from My Father, Oliva, Padrón, and so many more. It’s a popular shape that you’ll find for many popular releases, unlike the more specialty formats that sometimes only come around for limited edition smokes or cigars that are in need of a gimmick. So if you become a fan of it, you will have tons of options from lots of premium cigar companies.
Belicoso cigars are a classic shape that is time-tested and smoker-approved. They present less of a challenge to rollers, and so aren’t as hard to make as perfectos, presidentes, salomones, and other cigars that incorporate strange shapes. This makes it easier to manufacture and sell them and doesn’t require limited production or occupy a factory’s best rollers as much.
Smoking a belicoso is fairly simple. Many cigar lovers prefer the straight cutter for getting a head opening just right, but there are also plenty of people who will v-cut a belicoso. There are even some folks who will cut belicoso cigars on an angle (the “dickman cut”) for sending the smoke in a particular direction in the mouth. It’s really a matter of personal preference, although punch cutting could be a bit challenging due to the narrow head you find on many belicoso cigars. Also, one final note on cutting: a very deep cut will sort of defeat the purpose of the narrow head. If you’re cutting the head super far down, you may not have much narrowing left.
That said, experiment and enjoy belicoso cigars your own way. It’s the only method that’s going to help you figure out just how to tackle these beauties!
Please browse our selection of belicoso cigars at your leisure.
