A Torpedo is a figurado cigar that tapers to a pointed head while keeping a parejo’s straight cylindrical body. Most Torpedoes measure roughly six inches in length by fifty-two ring gauge at their widest point, narrowing to a sharp head that the smoker cuts before lighting. The shape is closely related to the Belicoso and the Pyramid, with subtle differences in taper angle and head sharpness.
The taper does real work. As the cigar burns, the smoke is funnelled through the narrowing head before reaching the smoker’s mouth, which concentrates the flavour and gives the early third a more focused intensity than a parejo of similar size. Many smokers find that Torpedoes show wrapper-driven cigars (especially maduros and full-bodied habanos) at their most dramatic.
Cutting a Torpedo takes a moment of thought. Cut too low on the head and you create a parejo-style opening that gives up the figurado advantage; cut too high and you risk a tight draw. The cleanest method is to cut about a quarter inch from the tip with a straight cutter, perpendicular to the body.
For more on cigar shapes and construction, see The Anatomy of a Cigar.