A little cigar is roughly the size and shape of a cigarette, usually with a filter, while a cigarillo is a slim cigar that's a bit larger, often tipped, and wrapped in tobacco leaf or a tobacco-based sheet. Both are machine-made and sold in packs. This White Birch Post guide explains how to tell them apart and how each compares with cigarettes and full cigars.
What is a little cigar?
A cigar built like a cigarette. Little cigars are about cigarette length and diameter, usually have a cellulose acetate filter like a cigarette, and are sold in packs. The difference is the wrapper: instead of white cigarette paper, a little cigar is wrapped in tobacco leaf or in reconstituted tobacco sheet (a paper-like sheet made from tobacco).
Defined by weight in law. Canada's federal Tobacco and Vaping Products Act treats "little cigars" as a category of their own, defined by weight. That legal category matters for packaging and sale rules, which is one reason manufacturers pay close attention to how much their products weigh.
What is a cigarillo?
A small, slim cigar. Cigarillos are larger than little cigars but much smaller than a full cigar. Many have a plastic or wooden tip; some are untipped. They're usually machine-made with short filler (chopped tobacco) and wrapped in either natural leaf or a homogenized tobacco sheet.
Sold in packs, smoked in minutes. Like little cigars, cigarillos come in packs and take only a few minutes to smoke. Lines like Castro and Dumont are cigarillos.
Cigarillo vs little cigar at a glance
| Little cigar | Cigarillo | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | About cigarette size | Slightly larger, slim |
| Mouth end | Usually a cigarette-style filter | Often a plastic or wood tip, sometimes untipped |
| Wrapper | Leaf or reconstituted tobacco sheet | Leaf or homogenized tobacco sheet |
| Construction | Machine-made | Machine-made, short filler |
| Sold in | Packs | Packs |
| Needs cutting | No | No |
How do they compare with cigarettes?
The wrapper is the key difference. A cigarette is cut tobacco wrapped in paper. A little cigar is a very similar shape, but the wrapper contains tobacco, which is what legally makes it a cigar.
Taxed and regulated differently. Federal and provincial tobacco taxes are applied by product type, so cigarettes, cigars and loose tobacco are each taxed under different rules. Our guide to Canadian tobacco tax by province covers how that works.
Health risk is not lower. Neither format is a safer alternative to cigarettes. Little cigars and cigarillos carry the same kinds of serious health risks as other smoked tobacco.
How do they compare with full cigars?
Full cigars are larger, untipped and usually capped. A full cigar is measured by length and ring gauge, has a cap that needs cutting, and takes half an hour or more to smoke. Many are hand-made with long filler (whole leaves).
Cigarillos and little cigars are ready to go. No cutting, no toasting routine, and no humidor needed while the pack is sealed. For the full comparison, read cigars vs cigarillos.
Where other names fit in
- Machine-made cigars — full-length cigars made by machine with short filler, often sold in packs of a few.
- Premium cigars — hand-rolled with whole-leaf filler, sold singly or in boxes. White Birch Post doesn't carry premium hand-rolled cigars.
Which one do you have?
Look at three things:
- The mouth end. A cigarette-style filter usually means a little cigar. A plastic or wood tip usually means a cigarillo.
- The size. If it's the same size as a cigarette, it's likely a little cigar. If it's a bit longer or thicker, it's a cigarillo.
- The pack. Manufacturers label their products — the pack will usually say cigarillo or little cigar.
Brand naming isn't always consistent. Some products marketed as cigarillos are close to little cigars in size, and vice versa, so the pack label is the most reliable guide.
How should you store them?
Like cigarettes, while sealed. Sealed packs keep for months somewhere cool and dark. Once opened, use them within a couple of weeks or keep the pack closed tightly. Unlike full cigars, they don't need a humidor. See how to store tobacco for more.
How long do they take to smoke?
A few minutes for a little cigar, and a few minutes to around a quarter of an hour for a cigarillo, depending on size and pace. How long does a cigar last compares them with full cigars.
What does White Birch Post carry?
Our cigar range is mostly cigarillos and machine-made cigars, including Colts, Captain Black, Prime Time and Bulls Eye. Product pages list the format and pack size for each line.
The bottom line
Little cigars are cigarette-shaped and usually filtered; cigarillos are slightly larger, slim and often tipped. Both are machine-made, sold in packs, need no cutting, and are regulated and taxed as cigars rather than cigarettes. Browse both in our Cigars section.
White Birch Post sells to adults 19 and over only. Smoking is harmful to your health. If you're thinking about cutting back or quitting, our responsible use page lists free Canadian support services.