---

Cigar Glossary

American Market Selection (AMS) - Characterized by a green-colored wrapper.

Amarillo -   A yellow wrapper leaf grown under shade

Amatista - A glass jar containing 50 cigars (occasionally 25), sealed to be sold "factory fresh."

Band  - A ring of paper wrapped around the closed head of most cigars. Legend says that cigar bands were invented by Catherine the Great or by Spanish nobles to keep their gloves from being stained. Others credit this invention to a Dutch advertising and promotion genius named Gustave Bock, who stated that the band helped keep the cigar wrapper together. Cigar bands are often printed with the name of the brand, country of origin, and/or indication that the cigar is hand-rolled. They also often have colorful graphics, which have made them popular collectors' items. In many folk tales, a cigar band served as a wedding band in impromptu ceremonies. For the record, it is equally appropriate to leave the band on while smoking a cigar or to remove it, as long as the cigar's wrapper leaf is not torn when the band is removed.

Barrel  - The main body of a cigar

Belicoso - Traditionally, a short, pyramid-shaped cigar, 5 or 5½ inches in length with a shorter, more rounded taper at the head and a ring gauge generally of 46-50. Today, that shape is more often called a Belicoso Jr., whereas the standard "Belicoso" is usually 6" or longer with a ring gauge of 50 or wider rolled with the traditional tapered (pointed) head.

Binder  -  One of the three main components in a cigar; the binder is the portion of leaf used to hold the blend of filler leaves together

Blend  -  The tobacco mix in a cigar, including the filler leaves, binder, and outer wrapper

Body - The part of the cigar between the foot and the head.

Bloom - A fine white powder that forms on the wrapper of the cigar caused by the oils that exude from the tobacco. It can be gently brushed off with a small camel hairbrush, though there is no need to do this. Bloom indicates the cigar is alive, maturing as it should inside a well-maintained humidor. Bloom should not be confused with mold. Mold is a bluish-green and stains the wrapper. Mold usually indicates a humidor is too warm or has excessive levels of humidity.

Blue mold - Blue mold is a damaging fungus that forms on the tobacco leaf and can ruin the crop. Blue mold is a big problem when there's a lot of dampness or rain.

Boite Nature (BN) - A natural wooden box for high quality cigars.

Book Style (also, Booking) - A rolling method by which the cigarmaker lays the filler leaves atop one another, then rolls them up like a scroll. Book style, or booking, is common in Honduras. The alternate style is based on the old Cuban method called "entubar"

Bouquet -  The smell or aroma of the tobacco blend

Box  - A container used to package cigars

Box-pressed or "square-pressed" -  The square shape taken on when cigars are packed tightly into the box.

Breva - A type of Corona. It is known more commonly as a Rothchild in today's market.

Bulk -  A large pile of tobacco leaves in which fermentation occurs.

Bull's-Eye Piercer -  A device for opening the closed head of a cigar before smoking. It creates a circular opening like a target's bull's eye.

Bunch - The mix of filler and binder leaves before they are rolled into a wrapper.

Bundle -  A method of packaging cigars using cellophane as opposed to a box. A bundle usually contains from 25 to 50 cigars and are less expensive than boxed cigars. Bundled cigars usually contain the seconds from premium brands.

Burros -  The piles, or bulks, in which cigar tobacco is fermented. They can be as tall as a person and are carefully monitored. If the heat level inside them gets too high (over 110°F), the burro is taken apart to slow the fermentation.

Cabinet Selection -  Cigars packed in a wooden box rather than the standard cardboard or paper-covered cigar boxes. These are preferable when buying cigars for aging. Many "cabinet" selection cigars are often packaged without protective cellophane outer wrappers

Café - A medium-brown colored wrapper.

Cameroon - A wrapper leaf grown primarily in Cameroon, West Africa, preferred by cigar smokers for their delicately spicy taste, sweet aroma, excellent burning properties and similarity to native Cuban wrappers. Prime examples of Cameroon wrapper cigars are Partagas, Don Tomás Cameroon Collection, Arturo Fuente and La Aurora cigars.

Candle - A light-green wrapper leaf.

Candela  - A green shade of wrapper

Canoeing - When a cigar burns unevenly or at an extreme angle, producing a "canoe-like" ash in which a section of the wrapper does not ash. To prevent this, it helps to rotate the cigar often and let it rest. Biting down too hard on your cigar can affect the draw and may also cause canoeing.

Cap -   A circular piece of wrapper leaf cigar tobacco that is placed at the head of the cigar to secure the wrapper. Cuban cigar caps have a distinctive three to four-layer circular look that distinguishes them from cheaper counterfeit look-a-likes.

Capa -  The cigar's wrapper.

Carotene -  A naturally occurring compound found in aged cigars.

Case -  In the cigar production process, workers "case," or slightly moisten, aged tobacco so that it will be easy for hand rollers to work with.

Catador -   A professional cigar taster who determines the qualities of a cigar (taste, texture, and aroma)

Cedar - Spanish cedar, that is. The kind of wood used to make most cigar boxes and humidors.

Chaveta  - The knife used in a cigar factory for cutting tobacco leaf

Churchill - A type of Corona. It is very thick, and has an average length of seven inches.

Cigarillo - a short, thin cigarette-sized cigar, most common in the European market.

Claro -   A light brown shade of wrapper sometimes referred to as natural

Clear Havana - A cigar made in the United States prior to the embargo with Cuban tobacco.

Colorado -  A brownish-red shade of wrapper

Colorado Claro - A darker wrapper than the standard Claro, suggestive of a Cameroon.

Colorado Maduro - A dark brown wrapper, also known as a Honduran wrapper.

Connecticut Wrapper -  A wrapper leaf grown in the Windsor Valley of Connecticut used for both natural and maduro cigars. Today, many "Connecticut" wrapper cigars are rolled with leaves grown in Ecuador from U.S. Connecticut seed. (e.g. Astral, La Gloria Cubana, Zino Gold)

Corojos - Plants that are chosen to provide wrapper leaves and are grown under a gauze sunscreen.

Corona - A sub-category of Parejos cigars that have an open foot and rounded head. Coronas include

Double Coronas, Presidentes, Robustos, and Churchills.

Cuban Seed - Usually refers to plants grown in non-Cuban countries with seeds from Cuba.

Cubatabaco -  Formerly the worldwide distribution company for Cuban cigars; now called Habanos S.A.

Culebra  - A cigar made from three Panetelas (long, thin cigar) braided together

Cubanito - This is a direct descendant of the original Havana grown in Cuba, and is grown in Nicaragua, Honduras and Mexico. It furnishes a rich, full-bodied smoke.

Curing  - The process of drying harvested tobacco

Cutter -   A device used to cut off a small portion of the closed end of the cigar

Diademas - A big cigar with a closed and tapered head. Generally about 8 inches long; the foot may be open, or closed like a perfecto.

Double Claro - The lightest of wrappers: a green-colored wrapper that results from picking the tobacco leaves before they reach maturity.

Double Corona, also called "Prominente" -  A big cigar, generally 7 1/2 to 8 inches by a 49 to 52 ring gauge.

Draw  - The flow of smoke through a cigar

English Market Selection (EMS) - Characterized by a medium-brown colored wrapper, with more taste, and slower burning than a Claro.

Entubar - A rolling method that originated in Cuba. Rather than "booking" (see entry above) the filler leaves, the roller folds each individual filler leaf back on itself, then bunches the leaves together. Proponents of this method say it creates superior air flow through the cigar, which results in an even draw and burn.

Escaparates - Cooling cabinets in which cigars are kept at the factory for a few weeks after they have been rolled.

Fermentation - After harvest, workers gather the tobacco leaves in large bulks (or piles), moistening the leaves and allowing them to ferment. Temperatures may reach 140°F before the bulk is broken down and restacked until fermentation stops naturally. This process, called working the bulk, releases ammonia from the tobacco.

Figurado - A Spanish term that refers to cigars with shapes sizes, such as belicosos, torpedos, pyramids, perfectos and culebras.

Filler -   One of the three major components of a cigar; filler is the individual tobacco leaves used in the body of the cigar

Filler Leaves -  The individual tobacco leaves used in the body of the cigar. A fine cigar usually contains between two and five different types of filler tobacco.

Finish  - The taste that lingers on your palate after a puff

Flag -   An alternative to a cap that involves shaping the wrapper leaf at the head of the cigar so that it secures the wrapper in place. Sometimes a flag can be tied off in a pigtail or curly head.

Flag Leaves - An extension of the wrapper leaf shaped to finish the head of a cigar; used instead of a cap. Flags are sometimes tied off in a pigtail or a curly head.

Flavor -  The actual taste of the cigar

Foot -  The end of the cigar one lights

Gorda - Spanish for "fat," as in the corona gorda shape, a "fat" corona. The traditional size is 5 5/8 inches with a 46 ring gauge.

Gran Corona - A very big cigar; generally 9 1/4 inches by 47 ring gauge.

Gum -  The vegetable adhesive used to secure the cap and wrapper

Habana -  (Havana) Capital of Cuba. The traditional center of manufacturing of Cuban cigars for export, and a term widely used to designate Cuban cigars. Also refers to the tobacco types grown from Cuban seed in the Dominican Republic, Honduras and Nicaragua.

Habano - A designation which, when inscribed on a cigar band, indicates that a cigar is Cuban. (Note: not all Cuban cigars are marked with "Habano" or "Havana.")

Habanos S.A -  the worldwide distribution company for Cuban cigars; formerly called Cubatabaco.

Half-wheel (media ruedas) -  A bundle of 50 cigars. Cigar rollers usually use ribbon to tie the cigars they produce into half-wheels.

Hand -  Individual leaves of tobacco that are hung together after harvest and tied at the top. These hands are piled together to make a bulk for fermentation.

Handmade -  A cigar made by hand

Hand-rolled -   A cigar made entirely by hand, usually constructed with a high quality wrapper and long filler and binder as opposed to cut filler used in machine made and cigar seconds. Head  - the closed end of the cigar, or the end you cut and smoke.

Head - The end of the cigar that goes in the mouth.

Herf - A lively gathering of cigar-smoking comrades who meet in a restaurant, club, cigar store or home to share their appreciation of fine cigars.

HHS - A manufacturing term describing a natural wrapper.

Holder - Cigar holders are an interesting affectation and collectible, but true aficionados let nothing come between their lips and the head of a cigar they're smoking.

Homogenized Binder - Binder made of chopped tobacco leaf and cellulose. Scorned by purists, it facilitates machine production and can facilitate the burn of certain products.

Hot -  Describes a cigar that is underfilled and has a quick, loose draw. Can cause harsh flavors.

Humidor -   An entire room, or a box, that's designed to preserve and promote the proper storing of fragile cigars. An optimum humidity and temperature level in a humidor is 70/70, or 70 percent humidity and 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius). What StogiesHumidors.com does best.

Hygrometer -  A device that indicates the percentage of moisture in the air

Inhale - What you don't do with cigar smoke.

Jade - A Claro wrapper, as described by a specific manufacturer.

Lance - A cutter used to pierce a small hole in the closed end of a cigar. Also called a piercer.

Lector -  Traditionally, the person who reads to the cigar rollers while they work.

Ligero - One of the three basic types of filler tobacco. The name means "light" in Spanish.

Long Filler - A term used to designate filler tobacco that runs the length of the body of the cigar, as opposed chopped up pieces know as "cut-filler".

Lonsdale - A sub-category of Parejos cigars that are in-between Coronas and Panatelas in length and thickness.

Machine - Uses machinery to combine "short filler" with the binder and wrapper. Often Homogenized tobacco is use because of the tension caused from the machinery.

Maduro  - A very dark brown cigar

Media Ruedas - See Half-wheels

Mini Cigarillo - Another term for cigarillo.

Mold - The wooden form used by cigar rollers to give shape to a finished bunch of cigar tobacco.

Natural EMS - A medium brown wrapper; often reffered to as Colorado, Cafe or Sun Grown.

Oil - The mark of a well-humidified cigar. Even well-aged cigars secrete oil at 70 to 72 percent relative humidity, the level at which they should be stored.

Olor - Is hybrid obtained from crossing Connecticut Valley strains with Havana. It is grown mostly in the Olor province of the Dominican Republic and is cured a year longer than other tobaccos for a mild, aromatic smoke.

Oscuro - The darkest brown-black wrapper.

Panatela - A sub-category of Parejos cigars that are usually longer and thinner than Coronas.

Piercer - A cutter used to pierce a hole in the closed end of a cigar

Parejos - Straight-sided cigars, such as coronas, panetelas and lonsdales.

Partido - A prime tobacco growing area in Cuba.

Perfecto - A distinctive cigar shape that is closed at both ends, with a rounded head; usually with a bulge in the middle.

Piercer - A cutter used to pierce a small hole in the closed end of a cigar. Also called a "lance" or "punch."

Piloto Cubano -  A popular variety of rich-tasting Cuban-seed tobacco grown in the Dominican Republic.

Planchas - Boards on which tobacco leaves are spread before fermentation.

Plug -   A blockage or hard spot in a cigar that prevents a proper draw

Plume (also called Bloom) - A naturally occurring phenomenon in the cigar aging process, also called plume, caused by the oils that exude from the tobacco. It appears as a fine white powder and can be brushed off. Not to be confused with mold, which is bluish and stains the wrapper.

Pre-Castro Cigar - A Cuban cigar made before Fidel Castro's rise to power in January 1959.

Pre-embargo Cigar -  A Cuban cigar made before President Kennedy enacted the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba in 1962.

Primings - The rows of leaves on a tobacco plant. The number of primings varies, but six is average. The first priming is closest to the ground, the sixth is near the top. The higher the priming, the stronger the tobacco. Sun-grown leaves are generally higher-priming.

Puro - A Spanish term used to distinguish a cigar from a cigarette. Modern usage refers to a cigar blended with tobaccos from a single country. (All Cuban cigars use 100 percent Cuban tobacco, so all Cuban cigars, according to modern usage, are "puros.") Other examples of Puros are Baccarat, Padron and Oliva "O" Bold cigars.

Pyramid - A sharply tapered cigar with a wide, open foot and a closed head.

Ring Gauge -   A standard industry measurement for the diameter of a cigar in 64ths of an inch. A 50-ring gauge cigar is 50/64ths of an inch thick and/or the circumference of a cigar, measured in 64ths of an inch; a 48 ring gauge cigar is 48/64ths of an inch

Robusto - A type of Corona that is short and thick.

Rosado -  A Spanish term that means "rose-colored." It is used to describe the reddish tint of some Cuban-seed wrapper. Examples of this shade can be found in Partagas Spanish Rosado, Punch Rare Corojo and Aspira cigars.

Seco - One of three basic types of filler tobacco. The name means "dry" in Spanish.

Shapes - Although there are many variations, there are two basic cigar shapes: Parejos (cigars with straight sides) and Figurados (cigars of irregular shape). Parejos are further divided into three sub-categories: Coronas, Panetelas, and Lonsdales. Figurados are further divided into four subcategories: Belicosos, Pyramids, Perfectos, and Diademas.

Shade Grown -  Wrapper  leaves that have been grown under a cheesecloth tent

Short Filler  - Tobacco filler consisting of chopped leaf

Shoulder  - The area of the cigar where the cap meets the body

Smoking Time - A 5-inch cigar with a 50 ring gauge, such as a robusto, should provide anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes of smoking pleasure. A double corona, a 7 1/2-inch cigar with a 50 ring gauge, may give over an hour's worth of smoking time. A thinner cigar, such as a Lonsdale (6 1/2" x 43), smokes in less time than a cigar with a 50 ring gauge.

Spanish Cedar -   Although not a true cedar this type of wood is used in the lining of most cigar boxes and humidors

Spanish Market Selection - A manuafacturing term for a natural wrapper.

Special Solution or "50/50" -  A solution of 50 percent water, 50 percent propylene glycol. Added to your humidification device every three to six months, its presence will keep water from evaporating beyond 70 percent relative humidity and helps prevent bacteria and mold growth.

Spill - A strip of cedar used to light a cigar that is ignited with a candle or a fluid lighter, both of which can alter the taste of the cigar. Spills can be made taking the cedar sheets used in cigar boxes and breaking them apart along the grain.

Sugar - Sugars occur naturally in tobacco. Darker wrappers, such as maduros, contain more sugar, making them sweeter. However, the lowest priming leaves also contiain higher levels of sugar.

Sumatra - A wrapper leaf grown in Indonesia sought for its elasticity, minimal veining, mild flavor and pleasing aroma. Some of the best "Sumatra" leaf used today is grown in Ecuador with Sumatra seed and is often richer in flavor and aroma than the indigenous variety. Good examples of Sumatra-wrapped cigars include Hoyo De Monterrey, Flor De Oliva bundles and C.A.O. eXtreme cigars.

Sun Grown -  Tobacco grown in direct sunlight

Sun-Grown EMS - A natural (Colorado) wrapper.

Tapado - A cheesecloth tent under which shade-grown wrapper leaf is cultivated.

Tercios - The large, palm bark-wrapped bales in which tobacco is fermented and shipped to cigar factories. Tercios are also associated with the traditional method of curing Cuban cigars.

Tooth - The grain pattern characteristic of less smooth wrapper leaf, such as leaf from Cameroon or Maduro leaf.

Torcedores - Cigar rollers.

Toro - A large cigar shape that resembles an "extended" Robusto, traditionally measuring at 6" x 50 ring.

Torpedo-- A cigar shape that features a closed foot, a pointed head and sometimes a bulge in the middle.

Totalamente a Mano - "Made totally by hand;" a description found on cigar boxes. Much better than "Hecho a Mano" (made by hand, which can sometimes mean it is filled with machine-bunched filler), or "Envuelto a Mano" (packed by hand).

Tubos - Cigars packed in individual wood, metal or glass tubes to keep them fresh. Note that even Tubos should be kept in a humidor or they will dry out.

Tunneling -  The uneven burning of a cigar

Vega -  A tobacco plantation.

Vein  - The rib running though a tobacco leaf

Vintage - When a vintage is used for a cigar, as in wine, it usually refers to the year the tobacco was harvested, NOT the year the cigar was made.

Viso - A glossy wrapper leaf grown under cover.

Vitola - A factory term for a cigar shape. Robusto and corona are two examples of vitolas.

Volado - A type of filler tobacco chosen for its excellent burning qualities.

Vuelta Abajo - The valley in Cuba that many believe produces the best cigar tobacco in the world.

Wedge Cut or "V" cut - A V-shaped cut made in the closed end of a cigar at about a 1/8" depth. Ideal for tapered-head cigars like Torpedos, Belicosos, and Pyramids.           

Wrapper -   One of the three main components of a cigar; the wrapper is the tobacco leaf used on the outside of the cigar

Wrapper Colors - There are four basic color designations: Candela (Lt. Green); Natural (Med. Brown) or Cameroon if grown in Africa; EMS, a slightly browner brown known as English Market Selection; and Maduro, a dark brown.