Walk into just about any cigar shop in America today, and you'll notice something different than you might have seen a decade ago. The glass cases and walk-in humidors tell a clear story about what smokers are reaching for when they make their purchases, and it's not what traditionalists might hope to see.
The latest numbers from Cigar Insider's annual retailer survey paint a picture that's hard to ignore. Shop owners across the country were asked a straightforward question: what cigar size moves off your shelves faster than anything else? The answer came back with remarkable consistency.
Toros have taken over. Not just leading the pack, but dominating it in a way that leaves every other size in the dust. When the survey results came in, a striking 66.2 percent of retailers reported that toros were their number one sellers. That's two out of every three shops pointing to the same format as their top mover.
For those who need a refresher, the industry defines toros—sometimes called corona gordas—as cigars running between 5 1/2 and 6 1/2 inches in length, with ring gauges anywhere from 46 to 59. It's a sweet spot that seems to hit the mark for modern preferences: substantial enough to feel like a serious smoke, but not so long that it requires blocking out half an afternoon.
This marks a clear shift from earlier years. Previous surveys had crowned robustos as the reigning champion, but those shorter smokes have been knocked down a peg. The toro has replaced them at the top, and it's not even close.
Robustos still hold onto second place, but barely. Only 16.9 percent of retailers named them as their best seller. That's a massive drop from the top spot—we're talking about a gap of nearly 50 percentage points. It's the kind of difference that makes it clear this isn't just a slight preference. The market has spoken, and it's saying toro loud and clear.
Coming in third are the grandes, the big boys of the cigar world. These ultra-thick smokes, defined as any non-shaped cigar with a 60 ring gauge or fatter, were named by 10.8 percent of shop owners as their top seller. While that puts them in a distant third, it still reflects the broader trend that's been building for years: smokers want girth. The appetite for thick cigars has held strong, and the grande's presence in the top three confirms it.
After that, the numbers tell a different story—one that might frustrate anyone with a taste for the classics. Traditional sizes have been pushed to the margins. Coronas, once a standard bearer of the cigar world, were named as the top seller by only 3.1 percent of retailers. Lonsdales fared even worse, with just 1.5 percent pointing to them as their best mover. Double coronas matched that same 1.5 percent figure.
As for other traditional formats, they didn't even register. Figurados, Churchills, and petit coronas received zero mentions from the retailers surveyed. Not a single shop owner named any of these sizes as their top seller. For anyone who enjoys these formats, that's a tough pill to swallow. Finding them in shop humidors has become increasingly difficult, and the data explains why: there simply isn't enough demand to justify keeping extensive stock.
The survey results align with other trends that have been reshaping the premium cigar market over the past several years. Prices have been climbing steadily. Nicaraguan tobacco has become the dominant force in the industry, with demand for cigars from that country showing no signs of slowing. And thickness has become a defining characteristic of what sells.
The shops participating in this survey represent a cross-section of the retail landscape. Some are large cigar emporiums with vast selections and dedicated lounges. Others are small boutiques that cater to a refined clientele. Still others are neighborhood tobacconists who've been serving their communities for decades. What ties them together is that they all specialize in premium cigars, and they all reported remarkably similar sales patterns.
What's driving this overwhelming preference for toros? The answer likely involves several factors working together. The size offers a solid smoking time—usually around an hour or so, depending on how it's smoked—which fits well into modern lifestyles. It's long enough to feel like an event, but not so long that it becomes a commitment that's hard to fit into a busy schedule.
The ring gauge range also plays a role. Between 46 and 59, toros provide enough surface area for complex blends to shine without becoming unwieldy. They're comfortable to hold, easy to cut, and they tend to burn well when properly constructed. From a practical standpoint, they check a lot of boxes.
There's also the matter of availability and marketing. Manufacturers have taken note of what sells, and they've responded by producing more vitolas in the toro format. When a new blend is released, you can bet there will be a toro offering, often as the flagship size. This creates a self-reinforcing cycle: more toros are produced because they sell well, and they sell well partly because there are more of them available.
For retailers, stocking decisions follow the money. Shelf space and humidor real estate are valuable commodities. When two-thirds of shops report that toros are their top sellers, it makes business sense to allocate more room to that format and less to sizes that move slowly. This explains why hunting for a good corona or lonsdale has become such a challenge. They're not absent because shop owners don't appreciate them—they're absent because the numbers don't justify keeping them in quantity.
The grande's presence in the top three reinforces another key point: bigger is better in the current market. These 60-plus ring gauge monsters appeal to a segment of smokers who want maximum surface area and long burn times. While they don't have the universal appeal of toros, they've carved out their own niche and are selling well enough to claim third place.
Looking at the complete picture, the survey reveals a market that has consolidated around a narrow range of sizes. The top three formats—toros, robustos, and grandes—account for 93.9 percent of the retailers' top sellers. That leaves less than 7 percent of shops naming any other size as their number one mover. It's a level of concentration that would have been hard to imagine in decades past, when cigar culture embraced a wider variety of formats.
The data from 2025 also shows remarkable consistency with the previous year's results. Toros dominated in 2024, and they're dominating again now. This isn't a fluke or a temporary blip. It represents a sustained shift in consumer preferences that shows no signs of reversing.
For the industry, these numbers provide valuable intelligence. Manufacturers know where to focus their production efforts. Retailers know what to stock. And smokers, whether they realize it or not, are voting with their wallets every time they make a purchase.
But what about those who prefer the traditional sizes? The ones who reach for a corona or a lonsdale when they want a more refined smoking experience? They're still out there, but they're swimming against the tide. The market hasn't forgotten about them entirely—those sizes are still being produced and can still be found with some effort—but they've been relegated to supporting roles rather than starring ones.
The survey included input from reputable establishments across the country, ensuring that the data reflects actual sales patterns rather than speculation or wishful thinking. These are the people who see every day what customers pull from the humidor and take to the register. Their perspective carries weight because it's grounded in real transactions, not surveys or focus groups.
One thing the numbers don't tell us is whether this trend will continue indefinitely or if there might eventually be a swing back toward more variety. Tastes change. Nostalgia can be powerful. And there's always the possibility that a new generation of smokers might rediscover the appeal of traditional sizes and drive renewed demand.
For now, though, the toro rules. It's not just popular—it's dominant in a way that leaves little room for debate. When two-thirds of cigar shops point to the same format as their best seller, that's not a trend, it's a mandate. The American cigar market has made its choice, and retailers are responding accordingly.
Whether this represents progress or a loss of tradition depends on who you ask. What's undeniable is that it represents reality. The humidors are stocked with what sells, and what sells are toros. Everything else is fighting for scraps.
