The Corona was the standard or universal cigar shape long before the modern robusto. In traditional size charts it is longer and thinner than a robusto, often about 5½ inches long with a 42 ring gauge. Actual factory measurements vary, so the name on the box describes a general size range, not an exact measurement.
Short glossary entry: corona. For the measurement terms used for all sizes, see the ring gauge and length cheat-sheet.
Corona, petit corona, corona gorda
These three sizes are related, but they are not the same.
- Corona — the classic medium size: historically about 5½ × 42, a straight-sided parejo with an open foot and a capped head.
- Petit corona — a shorter version, often about 4 to 5 inches long with a similar thin ring gauge. It has the same shape and takes less time to smoke.
- Corona gorda — Spanish for “fat corona,” a thicker version of the size that sometimes overlaps with what shops now call a robusto. When a band says gorda, check the printed ring gauge.
Do not confuse the corona size with brand names that use the word “Corona” as a trademark.
What the thin ring does
A thinner cigar gives you more wrapper in each puff and leaves less room for a thick core of ligero. This is a matter of construction. It does not mean that coronas are always mild or that robustos are always strong. Both Cuban and New World companies still make coronas, because blenders like the effect a high proportion of wrapper has on a blend, and because some smokers prefer a slimmer cigar.
A classic corona is usually a little shorter than a lonsdale. It is shorter, and typically thinner, than a Churchill. Compared with a robusto, it is the older, slimmer shape that the robusto partly replaced in the American market.
History
Until the cigar boom of the late twentieth century, much of the export trade and the American market thought of a standard cigar as something close to a corona rather than a thick fifty-ring cigar. The Cuban embargo and the growth of New World factories did not end the corona; they added many other sizes alongside it. The corona is still a common size today.
For how leaves become a finished cigar, see how cigars are made. For background on cigar companies, see brands. For bands, see the museum. Reviews of individual cigars: Reviews. Accessories on this site: cutters and humidors. Smoke Rings does not sell tobacco; for the cigars themselves, our sponsor AbsoluteCigars.com is your best source.
Continue with robusto, lancero, or the cheat-sheet if you want to match a box to a size name.
Sources: Traditional corona / petit corona / corona gorda naming in trade vitola tables; common factory ranges near 5½ × 42 for classic corona.