America's Cigar Shops Reveal What Size Really Sells

[JohnS]

This is an article based on Cigar Insider's recent annual Retailer Survey. No surprises really, in my opinion...

Image credit: Gentleman's Pursuits/Canva

By Menachem Kossowsky - Published at: 02-18-2026

Walk into just about any cigar shop in America today, and you'll notice something different than you might have seen a decade ago. The glass cases and walk-in humidors tell a clear story about what smokers are reaching for when they make their purchases, and it's not what traditionalists might hope to see.

The latest numbers from Cigar Insider's annual retailer survey paint a picture that's hard to ignore. Shop owners across the country were asked a straightforward question: what cigar size moves off your shelves faster than anything else? The answer came back with remarkable consistency.

Toros have taken over. Not just leading the pack, but dominating it in a way that leaves every other size in the dust. When the survey results came in, a striking 66.2 percent of retailers reported that toros were their number one sellers. That's two out of every three shops pointing to the same format as their top mover.

For those who need a refresher, the industry defines toros—sometimes called corona gordas—as cigars running between 5 1/2 and 6 1/2 inches in length, with ring gauges anywhere from 46 to 59. It's a sweet spot that seems to hit the mark for modern preferences: substantial enough to feel like a serious smoke, but not so long that it requires blocking out half an afternoon.

This marks a clear shift from earlier years. Previous surveys had crowned robustos as the reigning champion, but those shorter smokes have been knocked down a peg. The toro has replaced them at the top, and it's not even close.

Robustos still hold onto second place, but barely. Only 16.9 percent of retailers named them as their best seller. That's a massive drop from the top spot—we're talking about a gap of nearly 50 percentage points. It's the kind of difference that makes it clear this isn't just a slight preference. The market has spoken, and it's saying toro loud and clear.

Coming in third are the grandes, the big boys of the cigar world. These ultra-thick smokes, defined as any non-shaped cigar with a 60 ring gauge or fatter, were named by 10.8 percent of shop owners as their top seller. While that puts them in a distant third, it still reflects the broader trend that's been building for years: smokers want girth. The appetite for thick cigars has held strong, and the grande's presence in the top three confirms it.

After that, the numbers tell a different story—one that might frustrate anyone with a taste for the classics. Traditional sizes have been pushed to the margins. Coronas, once a standard bearer of the cigar world, were named as the top seller by only 3.1 percent of retailers. Lonsdales fared even worse, with just 1.5 percent pointing to them as their best mover. Double coronas matched that same 1.5 percent figure.

As for other traditional formats, they didn't even register. Figurados, Churchills, and petit coronas received zero mentions from the retailers surveyed. Not a single shop owner named any of these sizes as their top seller. For anyone who enjoys these formats, that's a tough pill to swallow. Finding them in shop humidors has become increasingly difficult, and the data explains why: there simply isn't enough demand to justify keeping extensive stock.

The survey results align with other trends that have been reshaping the premium cigar market over the past several years. Prices have been climbing steadily. Nicaraguan tobacco has become the dominant force in the industry, with demand for cigars from that country showing no signs of slowing. And thickness has become a defining characteristic of what sells.

The shops participating in this survey represent a cross-section of the retail landscape. Some are large cigar emporiums with vast selections and dedicated lounges. Others are small boutiques that cater to a refined clientele. Still others are neighborhood tobacconists who've been serving their communities for decades. What ties them together is that they all specialize in premium cigars, and they all reported remarkably similar sales patterns.

What's driving this overwhelming preference for toros? The answer likely involves several factors working together. The size offers a solid smoking time—usually around an hour or so, depending on how it's smoked—which fits well into modern lifestyles. It's long enough to feel like an event, but not so long that it becomes a commitment that's hard to fit into a busy schedule.

The ring gauge range also plays a role. Between 46 and 59, toros provide enough surface area for complex blends to shine without becoming unwieldy. They're comfortable to hold, easy to cut, and they tend to burn well when properly constructed. From a practical standpoint, they check a lot of boxes.

There's also the matter of availability and marketing. Manufacturers have taken note of what sells, and they've responded by producing more vitolas in the toro format. When a new blend is released, you can bet there will be a toro offering, often as the flagship size. This creates a self-reinforcing cycle: more toros are produced because they sell well, and they sell well partly because there are more of them available.

For retailers, stocking decisions follow the money. Shelf space and humidor real estate are valuable commodities. When two-thirds of shops report that toros are their top sellers, it makes business sense to allocate more room to that format and less to sizes that move slowly. This explains why hunting for a good corona or lonsdale has become such a challenge. They're not absent because shop owners don't appreciate them—they're absent because the numbers don't justify keeping them in quantity.

The grande's presence in the top three reinforces another key point: bigger is better in the current market. These 60-plus ring gauge monsters appeal to a segment of smokers who want maximum surface area and long burn times. While they don't have the universal appeal of toros, they've carved out their own niche and are selling well enough to claim third place.

Looking at the complete picture, the survey reveals a market that has consolidated around a narrow range of sizes. The top three formats—toros, robustos, and grandes—account for 93.9 percent of the retailers' top sellers. That leaves less than 7 percent of shops naming any other size as their number one mover. It's a level of concentration that would have been hard to imagine in decades past, when cigar culture embraced a wider variety of formats.

The data from 2025 also shows remarkable consistency with the previous year's results. Toros dominated in 2024, and they're dominating again now. This isn't a fluke or a temporary blip. It represents a sustained shift in consumer preferences that shows no signs of reversing.

For the industry, these numbers provide valuable intelligence. Manufacturers know where to focus their production efforts. Retailers know what to stock. And smokers, whether they realize it or not, are voting with their wallets every time they make a purchase.

But what about those who prefer the traditional sizes? The ones who reach for a corona or a lonsdale when they want a more refined smoking experience? They're still out there, but they're swimming against the tide. The market hasn't forgotten about them entirely—those sizes are still being produced and can still be found with some effort—but they've been relegated to supporting roles rather than starring ones.

The survey included input from reputable establishments across the country, ensuring that the data reflects actual sales patterns rather than speculation or wishful thinking. These are the people who see every day what customers pull from the humidor and take to the register. Their perspective carries weight because it's grounded in real transactions, not surveys or focus groups.

One thing the numbers don't tell us is whether this trend will continue indefinitely or if there might eventually be a swing back toward more variety. Tastes change. Nostalgia can be powerful. And there's always the possibility that a new generation of smokers might rediscover the appeal of traditional sizes and drive renewed demand.

For now, though, the toro rules. It's not just popular—it's dominant in a way that leaves little room for debate. When two-thirds of cigar shops point to the same format as their best seller, that's not a trend, it's a mandate. The American cigar market has made its choice, and retailers are responding accordingly.

Whether this represents progress or a loss of tradition depends on who you ask. What's undeniable is that it represents reality. The humidors are stocked with what sells, and what sells are toros. Everything else is fighting for scraps.

Source: https://www.gentlemanspursuits.com/news/luxury/cigars/americas-cigar-shops-reveal-what-size-really-sells-697e60325e75fc6386199fb0

[Ruggerpgh99]

This is frustrating, but not surprising. Toros never make it to my selection choice, we need more Coronas, Lonsdales, Lanceros across the board. 

[Tunkat92]

Toro, 46-59 RG? That seems like a wide range. Personally I don’t really look at NW vitola names. They just get way too confusing, but I don’t think I would consider anything under 50RG or over 56RG a Toro. 

I do not love the Toro size, but I can see the allure. I feel like many NWs blends do well with the Toro size and provide a good smoking time. I've smoked too many NW Robustos that just burn way too quick, 35-40 minutes and Im down to the band. I have never smoke Grande and most likely never will so I cannot chime on there.

[Bagman]

A cigar ranging from 46-59 rg and 5.5 inches to 6.5 inches beats any other single sized cigar. You don't say! What a stupid article. That's like pointing out that there are more people aged 20-40 than 40 to 50. I guess anything to write an article.

[zacca]

Sure with that definition of Toro, I’m not surprised at all. At first I was going to say 46-59rg by 5.5-6.5 covers about 10 vitolas, but I just went on Cubancigarwebsite.com and 63(!!) actually fit within that range. Sure, some are obscure, but still there’s probably a dozen common vitolas. 

Cigar Insider is overstating if that’s the way “toro” is defined. Would be better off just saying “big cigars” are better sellers…which would surprise precisely nobody. But I guess they gotta create suspense to get clicks. 

Regardless, I think the interpretation here of what it may signal is the more interesting topic. To me it means maybe the number of cigar smokers is increasing - with formats that big, I don’t see this as a signal that the same cigar smokers are smoking more (who has enough time in the day for more toros??). So I’d be surprised to see any data showing cigar smokers are smoking more…I would think if this were true you’d see more smaller formats dominating because they’re more suited to more regular consumption. The alternative possibility could simply be that hoarding is on the rise. Either way it would be interesting to see some data on cigar smokers vs cigars smoked. 

[yuppie]

New Worlds never come in anything smaller than a 46 rg. Is that because the market doesn't want them or because they're not around to be had? I think it's because New Worlds are pepper and leather spice bombs and going smaller in ring means more of a punch to the face with harsh flavors. Cubans, have such subtle and smooth flavors, you can go down to a panetela without getting too harsh.

[Cigar Surgeon]

3 hours ago, yuppie said:

New Worlds never come in anything smaller than a 46 rg. Is that because the market doesn't want them or because they're not around to be had? I think it's because New Worlds are pepper and leather spice bombs and going smaller in ring means more of a punch to the face with harsh flavors. Cubans, have such subtle and smooth flavors, you can go down to a panetela without getting too harsh.

For New Worlds there are hundreds and hundreds of companies, with thousands of brands and another layer of vitola variations on top of that. Some companies release more traditional vitolas and others don't.  It's going to vary quite widely.

Some New Worlds are pepper and leather spice bombs, most are not. A Black Label Trading Company Bishop's Blend is on the opposite spectrum of the flavor wheel from an JRE Aladino Cameroon. Changing the ring gauge size is definitely going to have an impact, but it hasn't been my experience that it would make a non-peppery cigar peppery.

I believe the primary driver behind the large ring gauge trend in the US is price and value proposition along with a lack of customer education.

[Hoosh]

3 hours ago, Cigar Surgeon said:

I believe the primary driver behind the large ring gauge trend in the US is price and value proposition along with a lack of customer education.

What is the customer education you find lacking?

I find myself enjoying cigars mentioned within the sizes described in the article. Labeling them a “Toro” is very generic, but more apropos that I think we are willing to be honest about. Tim Ozgerner (ex-CAO, current Oz Family Cigars) was firm when he started his new company about having a particular size - a 5 1/2x55 - in all the lines. In most lines, it the letter+55, but it is a “double Robusto” in the Karatoba line. I find it to be a nice size that allows for a good smoke. I’m not looking for the quick smoke, as I’ve mentioned before that I’m about the experience first and foremost, and it seems to me cigars in this stated size allow for such.

[Cigar Surgeon]

58 minutes ago, Hoosh said:

What is the customer education you find lacking?

Off the top of my head: Smoking time, an explanation of tobacco ratios to ring gauges, how smoking smaller ring gauge cigars is a different technique than large ring gauge cigars.

[MrBirdman]

8 hours ago, Cigar Surgeon said:

Off the top of my head: Smoking time, an explanation of tobacco ratios to ring gauges, how smoking smaller ring gauge cigars is a different technique than large ring gauge cigars.

I entirely agree - almost all NC-only cigar smokers I’ve met not only smoke too quickly but have absolutely no idea that burn temperature has an influence on flavor (and this included me before I got into collecting more seriously). There’s little generational knowledge passed down so most smokers rely on marketing for education. Most brands don’t publish suggested smoking times - which may be a good thing considering Davidoff’s suggested time for a 5.25 inch “robusto” is 45 minutes.

I do also think there is a rather juvenile, peculiarly American-male element to the large ring gauges. Super thick cigars are frequently sold with “hyper-masculine”, even animalistic marketing to flatter the apparent need of some straight American men to connect with their primordial instincts or some such nonsense. I don’t know how else to explain lines like the “Neanderthal” with its 46 RG petit corona. And it’s not a gimmick cigar from some no-name brand - RoMa is a serious cigar maker. Why thick cigars = masculine is self-evident if you know the first thing about Sigmund Freud 😉.

I used to think it was harmless fun. But now that there are “male influencers” advocating against women working or even voting, I’m less amused.

[Hoosh]

Which of those knowledge bases would make someone switch from a larger to a thinner ring guage? Asking legitimately here, not just pot stirring. It’s not rocket science to know a smaller RG will be a shorter smoke than a larger RG. I started off smoking smaller cigars more than thirty years ago and progressed to what I like now. A Ninfa sized cigar provides me with a good morning smoke occasionally, but it would never be anything I would reach for given a choice.

You can educate me on peaty scotch, but I’m not going to actually know whether that’s my thing or not unless I try it.

I think “educators” need to stop BSing customers about what cigars actually are; telling a newb that a cigar tastes like brioche is setting that person up for failure, especially when it’s probable they don’t even know how to spell the word.

Rather, “educators” need to find out why a given person wants to smoke cigars. Education can go on from that point but I feel like we’re simply missing the most basic of jumping off points and then further clouding it with ‘facts’ that may or not be correct, all in the name of “education.” I’m all for sharing my knowledge gained over a s-ton of years smoking cigars, but I’m more about letting “X” become their own smoker, not the one my education leads them to be. It’s uncountable how many times I’ve heard high nicotine content somehow takes away from a cigar; “You miss out on the flavors” or other assorted odd things. I know what I like exactly because I spent years figuring it out. Telling some newb in a cigar store that it takes longer to smoke a Gordo than it does a Corona is just going to make him inwardly wonder why you think he’s a smuck. 

What’s good for the goose often turns out to not be good for the gander. Just my opinion of course. 🙂

[Ford2112]

That narrows it down. 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫

[Hammer Smokin']

Imagine starting a cigar brand that every size needs a something by 55 gauge - in all lines. 

Gross. 

 

[Hoosh]

6 hours ago, Hammer Smokin' said:

Imagine starting a cigar brand that every size needs a something by 55 gauge - in all lines. 

Gross. 

This is, of course, is exactly why I wrote above that “educating” the budding cigar smoker is wonky. I’d posit Tim Ozgener is doing pretty good in the cigar business and while a 55 rg cigar in all his lines may seem “gross” to those unaffiliated with his company, he has his reason…

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTjGnLSDSIc/?igsh=MWs0ODh5N2tweW93bg==

[Cigar Surgeon]

The discussion around ring gauge and smoking time had me curious so I pulled a few reviews I've done based on vitola. I may have to put a bunch of data into Spotfire and see if there's something more interesting going on.

Lonsdale:

• Volstead VO 1920 Judas Hole, 6.5" x 44 - 2 hr 15 min
• La Capitana, 6" x 43 - 1 hour 46 min
• Solita Red, 6.25" x 46 - 2 hour 12 min
• Telephone Booth Series Teal, 6.5" x 44 - 2 hour 15 min

Other than the La Capitana, most of the Lonsdales seem pretty consistent in the 2 hour+ category for me.

Corona Gorda:

• Equanimity Moderation, 5.5" x 46 - 1 hour 53 min
• Project Broadleaf Skywalker, 6" x 48 - 1 hour 56 min
• The Vow 7.05, 6" x 48 - 2 hours

Pretty consistent here too just over the 1 hour 50 min mark.

Robusto:

• MIcallef Purple, 5" x 52 - 1 hour 52 min
• Macanudo Emissary France, 5" x 52 - 1 hour 43 min
• Bandolero Premium Bravos, 5.25" x 52 - 2 hours 1 min
• ADVentura Blue Eyed Jack’s Revenge Robusto, 5"x52 - 1 hour 51 min

That sounds right to me, my target time for a Robusto is almost always 1hr45 to 2hr.

Toro:

• PG Gourmet Series 35th Anniversary Connoisseur, 6"x52 - 1 hour 49 min
• Martin Kove’s The Prodigal Son , 6"x52 - 2 hours 2 min
• La Aroma de Cuba Habano Reserve Monarch, 6"x52 - 2 hours
• Cavalier Genève Project Broadleaf Wayfinders - 2 hours 28 min

Much more variation here, my typical target time for a Toro is 2 hours to 2 hours 30 min.

Ring gauge doesn't seem to play a huge part in my smoking times. 

[Tunkat92]

6 hours ago, Cigar Surgeon said:

Ring gauge doesn't seem to play a huge part in my smoking times.

I find the same thing to be true. While it’s hard to argue that RG doesn’t add smoking time, I find length and construction play more of role in smoke duration than RG.

[Boss Hog]

On 2/24/2026 at 8:23 AM, MrBirdman said:

I do also think there is a rather juvenile, peculiarly American-male element to the large ring gauges. Super thick cigars are frequently sold with “hyper-masculine”, even animalistic marketing to flatter the apparent need of some straight American men to connect with their primordial instincts or some such nonsense.

One thing I quickly realized after embarking on this wonderful journey almost two decades ago…the cigar community is comprised of way more Gilligan than Clint Eastwood types.

If smoking a cigar with a large ring gauge and a skull on the band helps a poor bloke land Mary Ann, I mean. 🤣

[Çnote]

5 hours ago, Boss Hog said:

If smoking a cigar with a large ring gauge and a skull on the band helps a poor bloke land Mary Ann, I mean. 🤣

I feel attacked 😂 😆 

[Chibearsv]

34 minutes ago, Çnote said:

I feel attacked 😂 😆 

I believe you have been...but only if you didn't land MaryAnn.  😁

[Çnote]

9 hours ago, Chibearsv said:

MaryAnn

She's a Corona and Ginger is a Double Perfecto.

[StoagieSnape]

Wow. I expected to the see the trend move in the opposite direction with more PC's weighting down the retail metrics than Toros. Maybe people are realizing they have more time than they thought. Either way...this is great news and an excellent post. Thanks @JohnS.

[Çnote]

7 hours ago, StoagieSnape said:

Wow. I expected to the see the trend move in the opposite direction with more PC's weighting down the retail metrics than Toros. Maybe people are realizing they have more time than they thought. Either way...this is great news and an excellent post. Thanks @JohnS.

Supposedly this is due more to the US Federal tobacco tax being per unit than by weight, so bigger cigars are incrementally less expensive on a laid in basis when counting cost of inventory. It's not new, the Davidoff rep 10 years ago said his #1 seller was Avo #2, a toro, when I would have thought Davidoff #2 or GC#3. America likes it big and cheap. 😄