Torpedos and belicosos are figurados: their heads taper to a point instead of having the round cap of a straight-sided parejo. The foot is usually open. These shapes take more work to roll than a straight cigar, but that does not necessarily make them better cigars, only differently built ones.
Short entries: belicoso, figurado. Shapes that are tapered at both ends are covered in perfecto and figurados. Size measurements: cheat-sheet.
Torpedo, belicoso, pyramid
Shops and factories do not always use these names the same way.
- Torpedo — in American shops, a cigar with a pointed head and usually an open foot, often between robusto and toro length. Some companies use “torpedo” and “pyramid” interchangeably for the same family of shapes.
- Belicoso — traditionally a shorter figurado, about robusto length, with a tapered, pointed head. The word means “warlike” in Spanish; it is a name, not a measure of strength.
- Pyramid / pyramide — often has a longer pointed head and a wider foot; Cuban and New World catalogs give different exact measurements. Go by the printed length and ring gauge first, and then by what the cigar looks like.
A belicoso is sometimes described as a short torpedo, and a torpedo is sometimes sold as a belicoso. What defines both is the pointed head that you cut, not the name on the band.
Why the head is pointed
The taper concentrates the wrapper at the head and changes how the cigar smokes in the first third after you cut it. To keep the shape, you usually cut off less of a pointed tip than you would of a round cap. If you cut too deep, you lose the point and end up with a blunt, parejo-like head. A V-cut or a small, careful guillotine cut is common; a large punch does not suit a sharp tip unless the head is blunt enough for the punch to bite into.
Bunching a pointed cigar takes longer. Factories that still focus on figurados treat them as specialty items. Arturo Fuente’s Hemingway line is one of the better-known modern examples of bringing shaped cigars back to American smokers after they had become somewhat rare outside Cuba; see Arturo Fuente. Padrón’s Anniversary lines include well-known pointed sizes among others; see Padrón.
Not a perfecto
A perfecto is closed or tapered at both ends, with a bulge in the middle. Torpedos and belicosos usually have an open foot. If both ends are shaped, the cigar belongs to the perfecto family; see that guide.
Pointed cigars can also be box-pressed. Pressing does not turn a figurado into a parejo; it only changes the cross-section from round to square. See box press.
On this site
Compare straight-sided sizes in the robusto, corona, and Churchill guides. Brands: hub. Reviews: Reviews. Bands: museum. Tools: cutters, lighters. Smoke Rings does not sell tobacco; for the cigars themselves, our sponsor AbsoluteCigars.com is your best source.
Sources: Trade distinctions among belicoso, torpedo, and pyramid as pointed figurados; Fuente Hemingway figurado revival (1981) as manufacturer history; cutting practice for tapered heads.