"Cigar Shaped"

[bennett]

I'm brand new here and am fairly ignorant about cigars. I have a question but perhaps a little background is in order.

I grew up in the 60's & 70's and my personal experience with cigars began in the mid-late 70's. I left off around 1980 and just recently renewed my interest in them.
My dad didn't smoke them but he had friends who did and I remember seeing a good many of the smaller sort with wood or plastic tips but some smoked corona sized cigars.
Maybe they didn't know better or didn't care but they were all "gas station cigars", as far as I know.

I remember hearing the phrase "cigar shaped" from time to time and I remember seeing cigars with tapering ends. The only modern cigar that I have seen with that shape is a King Edward Imperial.

Did the tapered ends go out of style? Had it only been a feature of cheap cigars? All handmade cigars seem to have straight sides, so was it only a gimmick to help sell machine made cigars? The tapered end does seem easy to light and if one is outdoors that's a plus.

[ashauler]

Welcome to the board from Kansas.

Hand-made cigars come in lots of different shapes and sizes. Use the search for Perfecto, Figurado, culebra,etc......also go to some on-line retailers and look around, you will see many examples, same thing with your local tobacconist.

[mrtr33]

Welcome from the high desert of central Oregon.

Looking forward to you sticking around. There are many knowledgeable cigar smokers here willing to provide an abundance of information. I'm kind of new here, too, and new to cigars, and am always searching the forums and asking questions and learning.

Enjoy.

[WOXOF]

Welcome. Try the Chisel by La Flor Dominicana. That may be what you are looking for.

[JFellows]

The shape you're talking about is a "perfecto":

http://images.google.com/images?clie...-8&sa=N&tab=wi

[bennett]

Perfecto it is!
I was kinda suspecting that but I found a thread describing one brand as being double ended and the ones I remember were definitely asymmetrical.

One link mentioned how Perfectos were popular between the 20's-40's, and the men I remember smoking them were young men in those days.

[JFellows]

Woo! What do I win?

[SmoknTaz]

Welcome from BC. When you're ready, check out the Newbie Sampler thread. That's where I got started.

[stjohnroe]

Welcome from the UK. Perfectos used to be the standard forms for cigars, but nowadays the parejo is more common. I think that the figurados that you are thinking of are the Topedo or Belicoso.