In shops today, a torpedo is usually a cigar with a pointed head and an open foot, often robusto to toro in length with a ring gauge in the low 50s. Some manufacturers keep the sides straight and taper only near the head; others taper the whole body, the shape many size charts call a pyramid. Some older reference books go further and describe a torpedo as pointed at the head, wider in the middle, and narrowed or closed at the foot, which is closer to a perfecto.
Because the names overlap, one company’s torpedo is another company’s pyramid, and a short one may be sold as a belicoso. Check the printed length and ring gauge, and look at the shape.
The pointed head concentrates the smoke. Cut only a little at first, with a small guillotine cut or a V-cut, and cut more only if the draw is tight. Guide: torpedo and belicoso.