thumb|Café Crème, sold in 115 countries, is the best-selling cigarillo brand in the United Kingdom and France.
A cigarillo (; in turn (diminutive suffix); in parts of Latin America, in Spain) is a short, narrow cigar. Unlike cigarettes, cigarillos are wrapped in tobacco leaves or brown, tobacco-based paper. Cigarillos are smaller than regular cigars but usually larger than cigarettes. Cigarillos are typically made without filters, similar to cigars, and are meant to be smoked without inhaling to the lungs. A typical cigarillo contains three grams of tobacco.
Description
A cigarillo is a short, narrow cigar. Unlike cigarettes, cigarillos are wrapped in tobacco leaves or brown, tobacco-based paper. Cigarillos are smaller than cigars but typically larger than cigarettes. Normally made without filters, cigarillos are smoked like a cigar and not inhaled (except those made in this form only for specific tax issues).
Generally, a cigarillo contains about three grams of tobacco; the length varies from and the diameter is about 6–9 mm, usually 8 mm. Comparatively, a cigarette contains less than one gram of tobacco, and is about in length and 8 mm in diameter. Most cigarillos are machine-made, which is cheaper than hand-rolling. It is unusual to store them in humidors, partly because they are smoked in large quantities and so have a short shelf-life.
Cheap cigarillos are typically marketed as a brand rather than with the term cigarillo. In the United Kingdom, common consumer brands include Henri Wintermans Signature (formerly Café Creme) and Hamlets.
Taxation
thumb|Two cigarillos - Cohiba Mini and Dannemann Moods, the latter being the best-selling brand in Germany
In the United States, cigarillos (and cigars) were taxed at a lower rate than cigarettes. In February 2009, an increase from 5 cents to 40 cents per pack as part of the SCHIP expansion bill set a tax rate similar to that for cigarettes.
Health concerns
Like other tobacco products, cigarillos are a health risk to those who smoke them.
See also
- Beedi
- Cheroot
- Blunt (cigar)
- Smoking culture
- Swisher Sweets