Vitola
Corona gorda
A corona gorda is a corona with four extra rings: 5 5/8 inches long by a 46 ring gauge. Cubans call the size Coronas Gordas. Gorda means fat.
Coronas Gordas, the factory size
Coronas Gordas is the Cuban vitola de galera for a 5 5/8 x 46 cigar, and Wikipedia's vitola table files it with the bigger coronas. Same length as the Cuban corona. Wider by four sixty-fourths of an inch, about 1.6 mm.
Small number. Noticeable in the hand. The corona feels slim and quick. The corona gorda feels like it has a bit more shoulder, without tipping into robusto territory.
Where does it sit among the Hermosos?
The Hermosos are a run of Cuban factory sizes at a 48 ring, two rings fatter than the corona gorda, at lengths from 5 to 6 5/8 inches. Wikipedia files them with the robustos and toros, not the coronas. They're the corona gorda's chunkier neighbors, and the No. 4 is short and stout.
| Size | Factory name | Length x ring | Width | Our time estimate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corona | Coronas | 5 5/8 x 42 | 16.7 mm | ~49 min |
| Corona gorda | Coronas Gordas | 5 5/8 x 46 | 18.3 mm | ~53 min |
| Hermoso No. 4 | Hermosos No. 4 | 5 x 48 | 19.0 mm | ~48 min |
| Hermoso No. 2 | Hermosos No. 2 | 6 1/4 x 48 | 19.0 mm | ~61 min |
| Toro | No Cuban factory name | 6 x 50 | 19.8 mm | ~60 min |
Read the table by girth. Each row adds width, and the time grows with it, but length still moves the clock more. The 5 inch Hermoso No. 4 finishes sooner than the corona gorda despite the fatter ring. Times are our estimate at a relaxed pace.
Is a corona gorda just a toro?
Usually not: a corona gorda is 5 5/8 x 46, while a toro is commonly listed at 6 x 50, so the toro is both longer and wider. That's the clean answer.
The messy one: Cigar Aficionado's size primer says the corona gorda is "also called a toro." Some brands do exactly that, and a box labeled toro can hold a 46 ring cigar. Neither name is wrong. Neither is a measurement. The printed length and ring are the only things you can trust.
Want to check a box? Convert the ring to millimeters with the ring gauge converter and compare.
What do four extra rings change?
Four rings add about 20 percent more tobacco across the face of the cigar and, on our estimate, about 4 more minutes of smoking: roughly 53 against 49 for a corona. The draw opens a little. The wrapper's share of each puff drops a little.
None of that makes a corona gorda stronger. Strength is the leaf, not the shape. Width changes how much smoke you pull and how the filler blends, which can make the same blend feel fuller in body. The strength and body scale separates the two.
The corona gorda is also a common base for other shapes. Cigar Aficionado notes that many modern belicosos are coronas or corona gordas with a tapered head.
Corona gorda naming questions
What size is a corona gorda?
The Cuban factory size Coronas Gordas is 5 5/8 inches by a 46 ring, about 143 x 18.3 mm. Wikipedia lists the same 5 5/8 x 46 as the general corona gorda size.
Is a corona gorda the same as a toro?
Not by the usual numbers. A toro is commonly 6 x 50, longer and wider. Cigar Aficionado notes the corona gorda is also called a toro, so some brands use the names loosely.
What does gorda mean in cigars?
Gorda is the feminine form of the Spanish gordo, meaning fat. A corona gorda is a fat corona: same length as a Cuban corona, four rings wider.
Corona gorda size references
- Vitola: Coronas Gordas and Hermosos factory sizes, Wikipedia
- Cigar: parejo sizes, corona gorda and toro, Wikipedia
- Cigar Shapes, Sizes and Colors, Cigar Aficionado
- gordo, gorda: Spanish for fat, Wiktionary