Smoking
Cigar smoke time estimator
A cigar takes about 10 minutes per inch at a relaxed pace, so a 5 x 50 robusto lasts roughly 45 to 60 minutes. Set the size and your pace for your own window.
Model midpoint: 50 min. Budget the top of the range if the evening matters.
The smoke time formula we use
Minutes = length in inches x 10 x (ring / 50)0.75 x pace. That is our model, not a measurement. It starts from one assumption: a relaxed smoker gets through about one inch every 10 minutes on a 50 ring.
Width adds time, but not one for one. A thicker cigar has more leaf per inch, and it also has a wider coal burning it. The 0.75 power splits the difference. Go from 50 to 60 ring and each inch takes about 15% longer, not 20%.
Pace multiplies the lot. Quick is 0.8, relaxed is 1, slow is 1.25.
Why a range beats a single number
No two cigars burn the same, so a single minute count would be false precision. Hand-rolled cigars vary in how tightly the filler is packed. Your pace drifts with the conversation. A relight adds minutes.
So the estimator gives the midpoint plus or minus 15%. If you have a hard stop, plan on the high end. If you finish early, you get to sit there. Fine.
Cigar smoke time chart for common sizes
Every row comes from the same formula, at a nominal size. Real cigars run a quarter inch and a few rings either side.
| Size | Length x ring | Quick | Relaxed | Slow | Relaxed window |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petit corona | 4½" x 42 | 30 min | 40 min | 50 min | 35 min to 45 min |
| Corona | 5½" x 42 | 40 min | 50 min | 1 h 00 | 40 min to 55 min |
| Lancero | 7" x 38 | 45 min | 55 min | 1 h 10 | 50 min to 1 h 05 |
| Robusto | 5" x 50 | 40 min | 50 min | 1 h 05 | 45 min to 55 min |
| Corona gorda | 5⅝" x 46 | 40 min | 55 min | 1 h 05 | 45 min to 1 h 00 |
| Toro | 6" x 52 | 50 min | 1 h 00 | 1 h 15 | 55 min to 1 h 10 |
| Torpedo | 6⅛" x 52 | 50 min | 1 h 05 | 1 h 20 | 55 min to 1 h 15 |
| Churchill | 7" x 48 | 55 min | 1 h 10 | 1 h 25 | 1 h 00 to 1 h 20 |
| Gordo | 6" x 60 | 55 min | 1 h 10 | 1 h 25 | 1 h 00 to 1 h 20 |
| Double corona | 7½" x 50 | 1 h 00 | 1 h 15 | 1 h 35 | 1 h 05 to 1 h 25 |
Need the millimeter width behind a ring number? The ring gauge converter does that.
What speeds a cigar up or slows it down
Five things move the clock besides size. Treat them as tendencies, not rules.
- Draw. A loose draw pulls a lot of air and burns fast and hot. A tight draw slows the burn, but you puff harder to compensate, so the net effect often evens out.
- Humidity. A cigar kept too wet burns slowly and goes out often. A dry one burns fast and sharp.
- Puff frequency. Every puff feeds the coal. Puff twice as often and you take a big bite out of the time.
- Retrohale. Pushing smoke out through the nose doesn't change the burn by itself. It tends to slow people down, though, because they're paying attention.
- Wind. Outdoors, a breeze keeps feeding the coal between puffs. Expect faster and less even.
Lighting matters too. A foot toasted evenly burns evenly. See how to light a cigar for the technique.
How long should you wait between puffs?
There's no official interval, but a slow, steady rhythm keeps the coal lit without overheating it. Puff too often and the smoke turns hot and bitter. Wait too long and it goes out. Somewhere between those two is your pace, and the setting above lets you match it.
Smoke time questions people ask
How long does it take to smoke a cigar?
Most cigars take between 30 and 90 minutes by our model. A relaxed smoker needs about 10 minutes per inch at a 50 ring, so a 6 inch toro runs about an hour and a 7.5 inch double corona about 75 minutes.
How long does it take to smoke a robusto?
About 45 to 60 minutes at a relaxed pace. A 5 x 50 robusto models at 50 minutes, with a quick smoker nearer 40 and a slow one past an hour.
Why does a thick cigar take longer than a thin one of the same length?
There is more tobacco in every inch, so the coal has more leaf to get through. It is not proportional, though. Our model scales time by ring to the 0.75 power, so a 60 ring takes about 15% longer per inch than a 50.
Does a cigar burn faster outside?
Usually, yes. Moving air feeds the coal oxygen between puffs, so it burns faster and often unevenly. Shade it from the breeze and expect it anyway.
Where the size figures come from
- Cigar: sizes, shapes and ring gauge in 64ths of an inch, Wikipedia
- Retronasal smell, Wikipedia
Pair the timer with these tools
Every common vitola in one sortable chart, with two cigars drawn in proportion to compare.
Ring Gauge ConverterRing gauge to millimeters and inches, both ways, with a chart from 26 to 70 ring.
Cost per Cigar CalculatorBox against five-pack against singles, with tax and shipping, per cigar and per hour.