Vitola 101
The elegant and classic corona was once the benchmark cigar size. The term corona was synonymous with cigar in old Havana. In today’s premium cigar landscape, consumer demand has pushed the corona to the fringes but the size still holds extraordinary appeal with cigar industry insiders.
The corona, which is Spanish for crown, is the quintessential old-world vitola. In the class of parejos or straight-sided cigars, it was the size to which all other cigars were compared, hence petit corona, corona gorda, doble corona, and the like. To this day, older Cubans or Spaniards will often use corona or coronita (diminutive corona) when referring to a cigar. Because of the greater balance in proportions between the wrapper, binder, and filler, master blenders at a cigar factory will often times use a corona as the basis for a blend they are working on. The consumer front is where the proportions become a negative for the corona. Cost-conscious consumers get more smoking time per dollar on the bigger, thicker ring gauges, making the corona and other small ring gauge sizes less attractive.
Size and ring gauge range of what is commonly considered a corona in premium cigars.
Three Standout Coronas
TATUAJE MIAMI
WRAPPER: Nicaragua
BINDER: Nicaragua
FILLER: Nicaragua
VITOLA: Noellas
PHYSICAL SIZE: 5 1/8 x 42
MSRP: $ 9.00
A. FUENTE DON CARLOS
WRAPPER: Cameroon
BINDER: Dominican Republic
FILLER: Dominican Republic
VITOLA: #3
PHYSICAL SIZE: 5 1/2 x 4
WARPED FLOR DEL VALLE
WRAPPER: Nicaragua
BINDER: Nicaragua
FILLER: Nicaragua
VITOLA: Cristales
PHYSICAL SIZE: 6 x 42
MSRP: $ 8.95
“It is unfortunate that after the SCHIP, sizes like corona and robusto became endangered species because of the extra $1.00 at retail. My first choice is a robusto and second is the corona. The corona is a very elegant size, perfect for 45 minutes and the tobacco blends perfectly well. I miss that shape.”
Christian Eiroa
CLE Cigars
“I live for coronas (5”-5.5” x 42). The corona was once the “middle” of the size spectrum so blends were often created in corona formats. You could
Michael Herklots
interpret blends up to a 50 and down to a 30 ring gauge. So personally I’m very nostalgic about coronas because some of the best and most exciting cigars I’ve had were coronas during blend development. For me they are the benchmark. They require attention but don’t hog your whole day yet are thick enough to be able to make complex blends. I think The La Aurora/León Jiménez “Don Fernando” with a Cameroon wrapper is a perfect corona.
Nat Sherman
