Vitola
Belicoso cigar
A belicoso is a straight-bodied cigar whose head narrows in a short taper to a slightly rounded tip. Think of a stubby pyramid. Classic ones run 5 to 5 1/2 inches at about a 50 ring.
Belicoso, torpedo or pyramid: the head tells you
All three are figurados with an open foot and a tapered head, and they differ in how long the taper is and how sharp its tip ends. Cigar Aficionado calls traditional belicosos "short pyramids," often with a slightly rounded head, and says makers generally use torpedo for a sharper point.
| Shape | Taper | Tip | Reference size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belicoso | Short, near the head only | Slightly rounded | About 5 to 5 1/2 in at a ring near 50 (Cigar Aficionado) |
| Torpedo | Varies by maker | Sharper point | Straight body with a pointed cap (Wikipedia) |
| Pyramid | Long, often from well down the body | Pointed | Cuban Piramides 6 1/8 x 52 (Wikipedia) |
Here's the catch. These names overlap in real life. Brands call the same shape different things, and some guides flip which one is sharper. The head in your hand settles it: short taper and a soft tip, belicoso. Long cone to a point, pyramid. See the torpedo page for the longer taper.
Where should you cut a belicoso?
Cut straight across the taper, a few millimeters below the tip, and work down only if the draw is tight. The short cone gives you less room than a pyramid. Go too low and you hit the shoulder, where the taper meets the body. That's where the wrapper lets go.
- Near the tip: a small opening and a focused stream of smoke.
- Midway down the taper: a wider opening and a fuller draw.
- At the shoulder: too far. The cap is gone and the wrapper can unravel.
A punch won't help here. There's no flat cap to bore into. A V-cut can work on the rounded tip if you keep it shallow. The full rundown on cutters is in how to cut a cigar.
Why "warlike"?
Belicoso is an ordinary Spanish adjective meaning warlike or bellicose, borrowed from the Latin bellicosus. Wiktionary traces it back to bellum, war. Why cigar makers chose it isn't recorded in the sources we checked. Any story you hear about it is a guess.
Today's belicosos are mostly reshaped coronas
Cigar Aficionado notes that today's belicosos are often coronas or corona gordas with tapered heads, and that short, small-ring mini-belicosos have appeared too. So the name now describes a head, not a fixed size.
In practice, that means a belicoso can be anything from a short mini to a full corona gorda body with a pointed head. The body tells you the smoke time. The head tells you the cut. Check the box for both numbers, and compare against the corona gorda it may be built on.
For a classic 5 to 5 1/2 x 50, our smoke-time estimate is about 50 to 55 minutes at a relaxed pace. The taper holds less tobacco than a straight head, so read that as an upper end.
Belicoso shape questions
What is the difference between a belicoso and a torpedo?
Mostly the tip. Cigar Aficionado says makers generally use torpedo for a sharper point, while a belicoso usually ends its brief cone in a soft, rounded nub.
What does belicoso mean?
Belicoso is Spanish for warlike or bellicose, from the Latin bellicosus. The cigar name borrows the word; the dictionaries do not explain why.
How do you cut a belicoso?
Make a straight cut across the taper. Cut close to the tip for a smaller opening, a little lower for a wider one, and never below the point where the taper meets the body.
How big is a belicoso?
Traditional belicosos run about 5 to 5 1/2 inches with a ring near 50, per Cigar Aficionado. Many modern ones are corona or corona gorda sizes with a tapered head.
Sources on belicoso shape and name
- Cigar Shapes, Sizes and Colors: belicoso, torpedo and pyramid, Cigar Aficionado
- belicoso: Spanish, warlike; from Latin bellicosus, Wiktionary
- Vitola: Piramides and other figurado factory sizes, Wikipedia
- Cigar: figurado shapes, torpedo and pyramid, Wikipedia