Glossary of Cigar Terminology

A:

Amarillo - A light yellow tobacco used as a wrapper, that is typically grown in shady conditions.
Amatista - A glass jar sold with 50 or 25 cigars sealed in it.

B:

Band - The ring of paper wrapped around the closed head of a cigar. The band often displays the cigar maker's logo.
Belicoso - A short, pyramid shaped cigar with a tapered head.
Binder - One of the three main components of a cigar. It's the portion of tobacco leaf used to hold the blend of filler tobacco together.
Blend - The mixture of different tobaccos found in a cigar.
Boite Nature - A cedar box for packaging cigars.
Book Style - A cigar rolling method where the cigar maker lays the filler tobacco leaves on top of each other, and then rolls them up like a scroll.
BOTL - Brother Of The Leaf - A cigar smoking friend.
Box Pressed - A cigar that has been pressed into a box, leaving it with a square shape.
Bull's Eye Piercer - A cutter that pierces a small hole in the head of the cigar for smoking.
Bunch - Up to four different types of filler tobacco blended to create the body of the cigar. The binder holds the bunch together.
Bundle - A group of 25 or 50 cigars wrapped in cellophane to save money on packaging.
Burros - Piles of fermenting cigar tobacco.

C:

Cabinet Selection - Cigars that are packaged in a wooden box, rather than the standard cardboard cigar boxes. This is the preferred packaging if you're buying cigars to age.
Candela - Or a double claro - A bright green shade of wrapper, created by a heat curing process.
Cap - A circular piece of wrapper leaf, which is placed at the head of the cigar.
Capa - A cigar's wrapper.
Case - A slight moistening of aged tobacco so it will be easy for hand rollers to work with.
Catador - A professional cigar taster who determines a cigar's qualities of taste, texture, and aroma.
Chaveta - The knife used in cigar production for cutting the wrapper leaf.
Churchill - A large cigar named for the personal favorite of Sir Winston Churchill.
Claro - The lightest shade of wrapper, which is a tan color, and is also sometimes referred to as a natural.
Colorado - A medium brown to brownish red shade of wrapper tobacco.
Corojos - Tobacco plants chosen to provide wrapper leaves.
Corona - The most popular size and shape for a premium cigars. A corona is straight sided, with an open foot and a closed, rounded head.
Culebra - A cigar made by braiding three Panetelas together.
Curing - The process of drying freshly harvested tobacco.

D:

Diademas - A very large cigar with a closed and tapered head. Diademas are typically around eight inches long.
Double Claro - A greenish brown wrapper created from an immature tobacco leaf that was dried quickly.
Double Corona - A large cigar that is typically 7 1/2 to 8 inches long with a ring gauge between 49 and 52.
Draw - The flow of smoke from a cigar while taking a puff.

E:

Entubar - A cigar rolling method in which the roller folds each individual filler leaf back on itself, and then bunches the leaves together. The method is intended to create a more even draw and burn.
Escaparates - Large coolers in which cigars are stored for a few weeks after they have been rolled.

F:

Fermentation - The process where harvested tobacco leaves are gathered in large piles, moistened, and then allowed to ferment. Fermentation releases ammonia from the tobacco.
Figurado - Spanish term for cigars with unusual shapes and sizes, such as Belicosos, Torpedos, Pyramids, Perfectos and Culebras.
Filler - The individual tobaccos that are rolled together to create the body of the cigar.
Finish - The taste that lingers on your palate after taking a puff.
Flag - An extension of the wrapper leaf shaped to finish the head of a cigar. A flag is used in place of a cap. Flags are sometimes tied off in a pigtail.
Foot - The end of the cigar a smoker lights.

G:

Gran Corona - A very large cigar that is typically 9 1/4 inches long, with a ring gauge of 47.
Gum - A vegetable based adhesive used to secure the head of the wrapper leaf around the finished bunch.

H:

Habana - A cigar band designation indicating that a cigar is Cuban.
Half Wheel - A bundle of 50 cigars.
Hand - Tobacco leaves that have been tied together and hung after harvest.
Handmade - A cigar made entirely by hand, where machines are never involved in the process.
Hand Rolled - A cigar whose final rolling process is done by hand, but much of the work before this final step is mechanized.
Head - The closed end of the cigar that you smoke from.
Herf - A gathering of cigar enthusiasts to enjoy some smokes and friendship.
Homogenized Binder - Binder that is made from chopped tobacco leaves and cellulose.
Hot - Describes a cigar that has a quick, loose draw. A hot cigar can cause harsh flavors.
Humidor - A room or a box designed to promote the proper storage and aging of cigars by maintaining consistent and appropriate relative humidity and temperature levels.
Hygrometer - A gauge that measures relative humidity. A hygrometer is used to monitor humidor conditions.

I:

J:

K:

L:

Lance - A cutter used to pierce a small hole in the head of a cigar. A lance is also referred to as a piercer.
Ligero - One of the three basic types of filler tobacco.
Long Filler - Filler tobacco that runs the length of the body of the cigar.
Lonsdale - A cigar style that is typically 6 to 6 3/4 inches long, with a 42 to 44 ring gauge.

M:

Machine Made - Cigars that are made entirely by machine, and are usually low in cost, and quality.
Maduro - A very rich, dark brown cigar. Maduro is thought of as the traditional color for Cuban cigars.

N:

O:

Oil - Over time, a cigar stored at the correct humidity level will secrete oil.
Oscuro - A black, very strong cigar.

P:

Panetela - A long, thin cigar.
Parejos - Cigar shapes that don�t taper, such as coronas, panetelas and lonsdales.
Perfecto - A cigar shape that is closed at both ends, with a rounded head, and typically has a bulge in the middle.
Piercer - A cutter used to pierce a small hole in the head of a cigar. A piercer is also referred to as a lance.
Plug - A blockage in a cigar that prevents it from drawing properly.
Primings - The rows of leaves on a tobacco plant. The first priming is the one closest to the ground. Stronger tobacco is found in the higher primings.
Puro - A cigar blended with all tobaccos from a single country, including the fillers, binders, and wrapper.
Pyramid - A sharply tapered cigar with a wide, open foot and a narrow, closed head.

Q:

R:

Ring Gauge - The measurement of the diameter of a cigar, represented by 64ths of an inch. A cigar with a ring gauge of 52 is 52/64 of an inch in diameter.
Robusto - A substantial, but short cigar. A robusto is typically 5 to 5 1/2 inches long, with a ring gauge of 50.
Rosado - A term used to describe the reddish tint of some Cuban seed wrappers.

S:

Seco - A type of filler tobacco that is often use contribute aroma to a cigar.
Shade Grown - Wrapper leaves that have been grown under a cheesecloth tent.
Short Filler - Filler tobacco that consists of chopped scraps of leaf. Short filler is typically found in cigars produced by machines.
Shoulder - The area of a cigar where the cap meets the body.
Spanish Cedar - The preferred type of wood for making cigar boxes and humidors.
Spill - A thin strip of cedar used to light a cigar when using a lighting method that might alter the taste of your cigar.
Sun Grown - Tobacco grown in direct sunlight, creating a thicker leaf with thicker veins.

T:

Tapado - A cheesecloth tent used for coultivating shade grown wrapper leaves.
Torcedores - A person who rolls cigars.
Torpedo - A cigar shape that features a closed foot, a pointed head, and a slight bulge in the middle.
Tubos - Cigars packed in individual wood, metal or glass tubes to keep them fresh.
Tunneling - The uneven burning of a cigar.

U:

V:

Vega - A tobacco plantation.
Vein - The rib of the tobacco leaf.
Vintage - The year in which a cigar's tobacco was grown.
Viso - A glossy wrapper leaf.
Volado - A type of filler tobacco chosen for its burning qualities.

W:

Wedge Cut - A V-shaped cut made in the closed end of a cigar for smoking.
Wrapper - Tobacco leaves that are grown specifically to be the outer wrap of the cigar. A good wrapper has more elasticity than regular tobacco leaves, and no visible veins. Wrapper colors vary by cultivation methods and maturing processes.

X:

Y:

Z: