Short answer: a robusto is a short, thick cigar, generally 4¾ to 5½ inches long at a 48 to 52 ring gauge, Cigar Aficionado says. A toro is longer: traditionally 5⅝ x 46, though "cigars of 6 inches by 50 ring have also become popular." Cigar Aficionado calls toros "essentially slightly longer, slightly fatter robustos." The extra length means a longer smoke; Cigar Aficionado says size and strength are not correlated.
Toro vs. robusto at a glance
| Robusto | Toro | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical size (Cigar Aficionado) | 4¾ to 5½ inches, 48 to 52 ring; traditionally about 5 x 50 | Traditionally 5⅝ x 46; 6 x 50 has become popular |
| Also called | — | Corona gorda |
| Smoking time | 20 to 30 minutes for a 5 x 50 (Cigar Aficionado glossary); at least 45 minutes for a five-inch robusto (Gregory Mottola, Cigar Aficionado) | Longer; we found no published figure. The glossary gives over an hour for a 7½ x 50 double corona. |
| Strength | Not set by size (Cigar Aficionado) | |
| Best-selling size at U.S. shops (Cigar Insider, 2025) | Named by 16.9% of retailers | Named by 66.2% of retailers |
Where the names come from
"Robusto" began as "simply the name the rollers used to describe the shape in the factory," Cigar Aficionado reported in 2007, in an article that credits the Cohiba Robusto with starting the trend. By the early 1990s, the magazine says, the robusto was the country's most popular size. The toro is also called a corona gorda, which Cigar Aficionado's glossary says "literally translates to fat coronas."
Which is more popular now?
The toro. In Cigar Insider's 2020 retailer survey, published by Cigar Aficionado, 51.7 percent of tobacconists named the toro their best-selling size, against 24.1 percent for the robusto, which had been "the most popular for roughly the past quarter century." In Cigar Insider's 2025 survey the gap widened: 66.2 percent named the toro, and only 16.9 percent the robusto.
How size changes the smoke
- Not the strength. "There is no correlation between the size of a cigar and its strength," Cigar Aficionado says.
- The burn. Cigar Aficionado says "thin cigars have a tendency to burn hotter than fatter ones," and halfwheel adds that bigger ring gauges allow "more room for the heat to dissipate."
- The blend inside. halfwheel says the filler is what adds girth as the ring gauge grows, and Cigar Aficionado, reporting the view of J.C. Newman's Stanford Newman in 2002, wrote that in a thinner cigar "the wrapper and binder account for a majority of the cigar's flavor." In the pairs below, the toro is half an inch to two inches longer than the robusto, and the ring gauges differ by two or less.
- The time. More length, more minutes; see the table above.
Same blend, two sizes: pairs we stock
We suggest trying one blend in both sizes to see what length does. Sizes are the makers' own, except Davidoff Grand Cru's (as cigar-coop reported them at the 2016 launch) and Le Bijou's (from its Cigar Aficionado ratings). Ratings are the most recent we found from Cigar Aficionado or Cigar Insider for that size; a dash means we found none.
| Blend | Robusto | Toro | Ratings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liga Privada No. 9 | Robusto, 5 x 54 | Toro, 6 x 52 | Robusto: 91, Cigar Aficionado, December 2022 |
| Liga Privada T52 | Robusto, 5 x 54 | Toro, 6 x 52 | Toro: 90, Cigar Aficionado, October 2017 |
| Undercrown Shade | Robusto, 5 x 54 | Gran Toro, 6 x 52 | Robusto: 88, Cigar Aficionado, October 2021; Gran Toro: 86, Cigar Insider, January 2016 |
| Oliva Connecticut Reserve | Robusto, 5 x 50 | Toro, 6 x 50 | Robusto: 88, Cigar Insider, July 2009; Toro: 88, Cigar Aficionado, February 2024 |
| Rocky Patel Vintage 1990 | Robusto, 5½ x 50 | Toro, 6½ x 52 | Robusto: 92, Cigar Aficionado, October 2004, and No. 22 on its 2004 Top 25; Toro: 87, Cigar Insider, June 2004 |
| My Father Le Bijou 1922 | Petit Robusto, 4½ x 50 | Toro, 6 x 52 | Petit Robusto: 88, Cigar Insider, July 2021 (Cigar Aficionado: 89, December 2018); Toro: 93, Cigar Aficionado, June 2026 |
| Diamond Crown (natural) | No. 5, 4½ x 54 | No. 3, 6½ x 54 | No. 5: 87, Cigar Aficionado, December 2018 |
| Davidoff Grand Cru | Robusto, 5¼ x 52 | Toro, 6 x 54 | — |
| Java Latte | Robusto, 5½ x 50 | Toro, 6 x 50 | — |
Which should you choose?
From our lounge (house suggestions):
- Short on time, or trying a blend for the first time: the robusto.
- A long evening, or a cigar alongside a pour: the toro. Our cigar and whiskey pairing guide matches pours to strength.
- Can't decide: buy one of each as singles and compare.
Browse every size: robusto cigars and toro cigars, or see all shapes on our cigar size chart. New to cigars? Start with how to smoke a cigar.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a toro and a robusto?
Mostly length. Cigar Aficionado gives the robusto as 4¾ to 5½ inches long at a 48 to 52 ring gauge, and calls toros "essentially slightly longer, slightly fatter robustos."
Is a toro stronger than a robusto?
No. Cigar Aficionado says "there is no correlation between the size of a cigar and its strength."
How long does a robusto take to smoke?
Cigar Aficionado's glossary puts a 5 x 50 robusto at 20 to 30 minutes, while the magazine's Gregory Mottola says a five-inch robusto should last at least 45 minutes. Mottola ties it to pace, suggesting "puffing every 30 seconds to a minute."
What size is a toro cigar?
Traditionally 5⅝ x 46, Cigar Aficionado says, with 6 x 50 now popular. Cigar Insider's 2025 retailer survey counted cigars 5½ to 6½ inches long, with ring gauges of 46 to 59, as toros.
Which sells more, toro or robusto?
The toro. In Cigar Insider's 2025 retailer survey, 66.2 percent of tobacconists named it their best-selling size, against 16.9 percent for the robusto.
Sources: Cigar Aficionado: "Cigar Shapes, Sizes And Colors," "The Fat Cigar Trend" (2002), "The Robusto Generation" (2007), "2020 Cigar Retailer Survey: Toros Supplant Robustos As Best-Selling Size" (July 2020), "2025 Cigar Insider Retailer Survey: The Best-Selling Cigar Sizes in America" (January 2026), Gregory Mottola, "10 Things Every Cigar Smoker Should Know" (2017), its glossary (robusto, toro, smoking time) and the rating pages for each size listed; halfwheel, "Ask halfwheel: How Does Wrapper to Filler Ratio Work?"; makers' size lists at drewestate.com, rockypatel.com, jcnewman.com and olivacigar.com; cigar-coop.com on Davidoff Grand Cru (August 2016).
