Perfecto Cigars

About Perfecto Cigars

What makes a cigar a perfecto

Cigar Aficionado's glossary defines a perfecto as "closed at both ends, with a rounded head; usually with a bulge in the middle," and puts it inside the wider family of figurados, "any cigar that isn't straight sided." Makers often give two ring gauges to show the swell: Arturo Fuente lists the Hemingway Short Story at 42/49, Between the Lines at 45/54 and the Work of Art at 46/60. The name is used loosely, so the longer Hemingway Signature and Classic carry a single 46 ring, the Julius Caeser Troublemaker is a soft perfecto, and El Septimo lists the Michelangelo as a Perfecto (Eagle).

Why perfectos are hard to make

Writing about the Padrón 60th, Cigar Aficionado noted that perfectos "are not easy to roll, tapering at both the head and the foot." Fuente calls its Hemingway perfecto shape one of the most challenging cigars to make. Only a few bunchers and rollers at La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate in Estelí are certified to make the Flying Pig, and J.C. Newman named the Troublemaker for how hard it was to make, building custom molds from a hand-carved dowel that matched the shape on a vintage cigar poster.

How the perfecto came back

Carlos "Carlito" Fuente Jr. recalls that his grandfather made perfectos, popular from the 1920s into the 1940s, and that only a true master could roll one. When the family began making cigars in the Dominican Republic in 1980, he has said, "nobody was making shaped cigars." Cigar Aficionado credits his father, Carlos Fuente Sr., with finding the old perfecto molds in an Ybor City warehouse and teaching his master roller the shape; the Hemingway line followed in 1983. In a 2005 Cigar Aficionado interview, Carlito said the 4-inch Short Story became perhaps the most imitated shape. Other makers looked back too: Drew Estate says the Flying Pig's size and pigtail are "based on a photograph in an 1895 cigar salesman's size selection catalog," and Foundation's Nicholas Melillo has said the perfecto was the connoisseur's shape in the Connecticut cigar brands of old.

Perfectos by maker

Arturo Fuente. Fuente's Hemingway line is a family of perfectos on Dominican binder and filler, in Short Story, Best Seller, Work of Art, Signature and Classic sizes, plus the Maduro-only Untold Story and the 9-inch Masterpiece, the only Hemingway packed 10 to a box. Every Arturo Fuente Rare Pink size is a figurado under an Ecuadorian wrapper from the Oliva Tobacco Co.; the Happy Ending is a shape made for Rare Pink rather than borrowed from the Hemingway line. In OpusX, the Heaven and Earth series includes the 6⅜ x 50 El Escorpión and the 6 x 74 Big B, a perfecto with a flat cap, and halfwheel reports the small Love Affair was made to honor the 55th wedding anniversary of Anna and Carlos Fuente Sr. in 2008. More is on Opus X cigars.

Padrón. Cigar Aficionado notes the 60th Anniversary Perfecto is only the second perfecto shape the Padróns have released commercially, and rates it medium-full and stronger than many Padróns. The 1926 Serie 80th Anniversary is a 6¾ x 54 perfecto, tapered at both ends and released in honor of José O. Padrón's 80th birthday, eight to a box, in Natural and Maduro. See Padrón Family Reserve and Padrón 1926 Serie.

Drew Estate. The Flying Pig comes in the Liga Privada No. 9, T52 and H99 blends, which Drew Estate rates full, and in the medium-bodied Undercrown Shade. The Feral Flying Pig is the 5⅜ x 60 Liga Privada Unico version, which Drew Estate calls extremely full-bodied.

Ashton. Three Ashton perfectos, all made at Tabacalera A. Fuente: the short, thick VSG Enchantment, the slim ESG 24 Year Salute, the only 48 ring in the ESG line, and the 7½ x 52 Cabinet Selection No. 10 in Connecticut Shade, mild to medium in strength. See Ashton cigars.

Davidoff. The Colorado Claro Short Perfecto wears an Ecuadorian sun-grown Connecticut wrapper and is a different cigar from the Short Perfecto in Davidoff's Aniversario Series. The Puro Dominicano Perfecto returned in 2026 as a full-production line in Davidoff's Black Band Collection; Cigar Coop scored it 87 in September 2026. See Davidoff Puro Dominicano.

J.C. Newman. We are an official Diamond Crown Cigar Lounge, and the Julius Caeser 1895 is a size J.C. Newman reserves for those lounges, first offered in the fall of 2013 as the 1895 Perfecto Special Reserve. The Troublemaker scored 91 in Cigar Aficionado in October 2025. Both are rolled at Tabacalera A. Fuente; see Diamond Crown Julius Caeser.

Foundation, El Septimo and Oliva. The Tabernacle Havana Seed David is the 5 x 54 half of Foundation's David and Goliath pair; El Septimo's Michelangelo is the shortest cigar in its Sacred Arts Collection; and Cigar Aficionado described the limited Melanio Maduro Figurado as a "tapered, box-pressed perfecto." See Foundation cigars, El Septimo cigars and Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro.

Award-winning perfectos

Each has placed in Cigar Aficionado's annual Top 25; the product page shows what is in the humidor today.

Perfecto sizes and prices

Shortest to longest. Singles as listed in October 2026; each product page shows the current price, the 5-pack and box prices, and live stock.

Rare Pink, OpusX and the Padrón 60th arrive in small allocations and can sell out quickly. When a size is sold out, Notify me on its product page is the way to hear first.

Choosing a perfecto

• Short and wide: the Flying Pigs, the Rare Pink Queen of Hearts and the Ashton VSG Enchantment, each with a 60 ring. More wide cigars are on gordo cigars.
• A first perfecto: the Hemingway Short Story or Best Seller, the two lowest-priced singles on this page as listed in October 2026.
• Milder: the Ashton Cabinet Selection No. 10, mild to medium in strength.
• Fuller: the Liga Privada Flying Pigs and the Padrón 1926 80th Anniversary.
• The long session: the 9 x 52 Hemingway Masterpiece.
• Allocated: Arturo Fuente Rare Pink, OpusX Heaven and Earth and the Padrón 60th Anniversary Perfecto.

How to cut and light a perfecto

Cut only the head, with a guillotine or scissors cutter, taking just enough of the cap to open the draw; in Cigar Aficionado's words, "it's better to cut too little than too much—you can always cut more." On a Flying Pig, snip the pigtail off first. Leave the closed foot as it is: it catches quickly, and the first draws are gentle until the burn reaches the belly, so take the first few puffs slowly. Our cigar cutter guide goes further, or browse cigar cutters.

What to pour with a perfecto

Two makers give their own pairings: Drew Estate suggests a grapefruit soda or a hefeweizen with the Undercrown Shade Flying Pig, and Davidoff paired the Puro Dominicano Perfecto with drinking chocolate at its U.S. in-store tastings. Our house suggestions for the rest: a cognac or an aged rum with the Cameroon-wrapped Hemingways, a high-proof bourbon or rye with the Liga Privada Flying Pigs, a sherry-cask Scotch such as the Macallan 12 Year Sherry Oak with the Padróns, and an Irish whiskey with the Ashton Cabinet No. 10. Our cigar and whiskey pairing guide has more, and in the lounge you can ask the bar for a pour from the spirits menu.

Keeping them fresh

Store them at a steady 65 to 70 percent relative humidity, in a humidor or a sealed bag with a two-way humidity pack. Every order ships with a Boveda humidity pack, and our cigar storage guide covers the rest.

Common questions

What is a perfecto cigar? A cigar closed at both ends, with a rounded head and usually a bulge in the middle, per Cigar Aficionado's glossary. The foot is closed or narrowed, and the body swells between the foot and the head.

What is the difference between a perfecto and a figurado? Figurado is the wider term: Cigar Aficionado uses it for any cigar that isn't straight-sided, which takes in perfectos, torpedos, pyramids, belicosos and culebras. A perfecto is the figurado that tapers at both ends.

What is the difference between a perfecto and a torpedo? A torpedo tapers only at the head and keeps an open foot; a perfecto tapers at both ends. Torpedos are on torpedo and figurado cigars.

Has a perfecto been Cigar of the Year? Yes. The Padrón 60th Anniversary Perfecto, in its Natural wrapper, was Cigar Aficionado's No. 1 for 2025 at 97 points. Two other shaped cigars took the top spot: the Oliva Serie V Melanio Figurado (2014) and the La Flor Dominicana Andalusian Bull (2016), a salomon.

When did the perfecto come back? In the early 1980s, by the Fuente family's account: Carlos Fuente Sr. found old perfecto molds in an Ybor City warehouse, and the Arturo Fuente Hemingway line followed in 1983.

How do you cut a perfecto? Cut the head a little at a time with a guillotine or scissors cutter, and leave the closed foot alone; it lights as it is.

How much are perfecto cigars? As listed in October 2026, singles run from $9.99 for the Hemingway Short Story to $90.00 for the OpusX El Escorpión and Big B.

How much is shipping? $9.99 flat, free on orders of $125 or more. Every order ships with a Boveda humidity pack.

Where do perfecto cigars ship from? Our walk-in humidor in Yuma, Arizona, to every state, including San Diego and California, Los Angeles, Orange County, San Francisco and the Bay Area, Santa Barbara and Montecito, Las Vegas and Nevada, Scottsdale and Arizona, Texas, Florida, New York City, the Hamptons, Boston, Princeton and New Jersey, Washington, DC, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. Collectors abroad order through a U.S. forwarding address. Every order ships with a Boveda humidity pack.

Where can I buy perfecto cigars online? Right here. The perfecto cigars on this page show their current price and live stock, and ship from our walk-in humidor in Yuma, Arizona. Every cigar comes through authorized distribution.

Where can I buy perfecto cigars in Yuma, AZ? At Sun of a Gun Cigars & Spirits, 1651 S Arizona Ave, the official J.C. Newman Diamond Crown Cigar Lounge, with a walk-in humidor and a full bar; see our Yuma cigar lounge page. Call 928-276-3500 to check a size before you visit.

More shapes: torpedo and figurado cigars, box-pressed, lancero, panatela, lonsdale and Churchill cigars, every award winner on Cigar of the Year & Top 25 Cigars, or browse every brand we carry, A to Z.