How Long Does a Cigar Last? Smoking Times by Size

A cigar lasts two ways. Lit, a Robusto burns 40 to 60 minutes, a Toro about an hour, a Churchill 75 to 95, and a 56-ring Toro Gordo can run past 90. Unlit, a cigar keeps a day or two on a desk, about four weeks in its cellophane, and years in a humidor held at 65 to 70 percent humidity. The table below gives estimated smoking times for eleven cigars on the After Action shelf, worked out from length and ring gauge at a normal pace, and the shelf-life section tells you when a forgotten cigar is still worth lighting.

Smoking time by size, on cigars in stock

These are estimates, not stopwatch numbers. The method is the standard one: one puff every 45 to 60 seconds from first light to the band, which burns a 50-ring cigar at roughly an inch every 10 to 15 minutes. Thinner rings burn a little faster per inch, fatter rings a little slower, and you stop about an inch short of the head. Your own pace will move any of these by ten minutes either way.

The Rocky Patel Sixty is a 6.5 x 52 in the catalog; the name marks an anniversary, not a 60 ring. For the general size-by-size numbers, a Petit Corona runs about half an hour, a Corona 35 to 45 minutes, a Robusto 45 to 60, a Toro 60 to 75, a Churchill 75 to 90, and a Double Corona 90 minutes to two hours. Small cigars and cigarillos fit a 10 to 20 minute window.

What changes the burn time

Ring gauge and length

Length is the biggest factor; ring gauge is second. More tobacco takes longer to burn, and a fat ring burns cooler and slower per inch than a thin one. A 6 x 60 will usually outlast a 7 x 48. The ring gauge guide goes into how the ring changes flavor as well as time.

Wrapper and blend

Thick Maduro and Broadleaf leaf is denser and burns slower than thin Connecticut Shade. Tightly packed ligero-heavy blends burn slower than loose, mild ones. Well-aged, well-rolled tobacco burns more evenly than a cheap bundle, which is part of what you pay for in a premium cigar.

Your pace

The biggest thing you control. One puff every 45 to 60 seconds keeps the cigar cool and the flavor clean; puff every fifteen seconds and you will finish a Robusto in half an hour and taste tar the whole way. Slow and steady wins.

Humidity

Dry cigars burn hot and fast and taste sharp. Wet cigars burn slow, go out, and need relights. 65 to 70 percent RH is the window; in a dry climate aim for the top of it, in a humid one the bottom. See storing cigars in dry vs humid climates.

Wind, cut and light

Wind on a porch or a golf course fans the ember and shortens the smoke. A cut that takes off too much of the cap opens the draw and speeds the burn. An uneven light causes canoeing, which wastes tobacco on one side. Cut just the cap, toast the foot until it glows evenly, then draw. The cutting guide and uneven burn fixes cover both.

Does a Maduro really burn slower? Same blend, two wrappers

Foundation Charter Oak Connecticut Toro ($6.99) vs Foundation Charter Oak Maduro Toro ($7.29). Same 6 x 52 size, same Nicaraguan filler, one Ecuador Connecticut wrapper and one US Connecticut Broadleaf. Broadleaf is a thicker, oilier leaf, so the Maduro should run longer by a few minutes at the same pace, and it usually needs a slightly slower draw to stay lit. The Connecticut burns faster and cooler and tends to hold a straighter burn line. If you want to see it for yourself, light both on the same evening, same cutter, same pace, and note the minutes to the band; at $14 for the pair it is the cheapest experiment in cigars. The Charter Oak Connecticut review and Charter Oak Maduro review cover how each one smokes on its own.

How long a lit cigar lasts if you set it down

Left alone in the ashtray, a cigar goes out in about 10 to 15 minutes. A fat ring holds its ember longer than a thin one, so a 56-ring Toro Gordo will still be glowing when a 43-ring Petit Corona has gone cold. To relight, knock off the ash, blow gently through the cigar to clear stale smoke, toast the foot again, and draw. The first two puffs will taste sharper, then it settles. If it has been out more than a couple of hours, the smoke will taste stale; cut off the burned end before relighting, and if it has sat overnight, let it go and light a fresh one. How to put out a cigar covers the rest.

How long a cigar keeps before you smoke it

Shelf life by scenario, at room temperature:

Signs a cigar has dried out

It crackles when you pinch it gently by the band, the wrapper feels papery, the foot flakes, and it burns hot and harsh. Most dried-out cigars can be brought back; see how to rehydrate dry cigars.

Signs a cigar is too wet

Spongy when pinched, hard to draw, goes out constantly, and the wrapper may split at the foot when lit. Move it to a drier spot for a week; see fixing over-humidified cigars.

When to throw it out

Fuzzy white or green mold that smears (bloom, a dry white dust that brushes off, is harmless), a sour smell, or pinholes with tobacco dust nearby, which is beetles. Toss it and check the rest of the box. The beetle guide covers what to do next, and do cigars go bad covers the borderline cases.

Aging

Cigar Aficionado describes aging as developing a mellower flavor over time, much like wine. Most cigars improve for a year or two in a humidor; full-strength blends often peak between five and ten years. Aging does nothing for a cigar that has dried out first. How to age cigars has the method.

A four-week cello test you can run at home

The four-week cellophane number is the one most smokers want to check for themselves, and it takes no gear. Take two of the same cigar out of the humidor, a Warfighter 5.56 Field Connecticut Shade Robusto works because the Connecticut wrapper shows dryness early. Put one back. Leave the other in its cellophane on a desk away from sun and vents, and note the room's temperature and humidity if you have a hygrometer. Here is what to expect: through the first week the pinch test feels normal. By week two the cello stick feels firmer than its twin, and in a heated or air-conditioned room the wrapper starts to look matte instead of oily. By week four it is firm, may crackle faintly, and burns faster and hotter than the humidor stick when you light them side by side. That is the point where cellophane storage stops being storage and starts being a slow dry-out. If your room sits above 50 percent humidity you will get more than four weeks; below 35 percent, with the furnace running, you will get less.

Cigar smoking time FAQ

How long does a Robusto take to smoke?

30 to 60 minutes. The spread is real: a 4.5 x 50 mild Rothschild puffed steadily can be done in half an hour, while a dense 5 x 54 full-bodied Robusto smoked slowly goes an hour. Plan on 45 minutes as the middle.

How long does a Toro take to smoke?

55 to 75 minutes at a relaxed pace, and closer to 90 for a 56 or 60 ring.

How long does a Churchill take to smoke?

75 to 95 minutes. Save it for when you have the time.

Can you smoke half a cigar and save the rest?

You can, but it will taste different. Let it go out on its own, clip the burned end, and smoke it within a day. Most smokers pick a smaller size instead.

Pick the size that fits the time you have

Match the cigar to the window: a Petit Corona for the coffee break, a Robusto for the hour after the job, a Churchill for the night with nothing else on. Every cigar in the table is linked above; browse by size in the Robusto, Toro and Churchill collections, and keep them fresh with a humidor or Boveda pack. The rest of the basics are in Cigar 101 and the sizes and shapes guide.