A yellow wrapper leaf grown under shade.
Abbreviated AMS, a seldom-used term created by the major importer of Cuban cigars in the 1950s to designate claro-colored wrappers. (Also see English Market Selection.)
A glass jar containing 50 cigars (occasionally 25), sealed to be sold "factory fresh."
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.
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.
The portion of a tobacco leaf used to hold together the blend of filler leaves called the bunch; with the wrapper and filler, it is one of three main components in a cigar.
The mixture of different types of tobacco in a cigar, including up to five types of filler leaves, a binder leaf and an outer wrapper.
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.
To smoke a cigar or pipe. (This term was used in Queen Elizabeth's reign)
Peronospora tabacina is a fast moving, airborne fungus that can ruin a tobacco field in just a few days. It flourishes in cool, cloudy weather with light rain and riddles tobacco leaves with small round blemishes.
The plain cedar boxes in which many cigars are sold.
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" (see entry).
The smell, or "nose" (as in the wine term) of a fine cigar. Badly stored cigars or cigars that have dried-out too much will lose their bouquet.
The container used to package cigars. There are several traditional styles: -- "Cabinet Selection" refers to wood boxes with a sliding top, designed to hold 25 or 50 cigars. "8-9-8" refers to a round-sided box specifically designed to accommodate three rows of cigars-- eight on top, nine in the middle, eight on the bottom. "Flat Top," or "13-topper," is the flat rectangular box most popular today, with 13 cigars on top and 12 on the bottom. divided by a cedar block spacer.
The square shape taken on when cigars are packed tightly into the box.
A large pile of tobacco leaves in which fermentation occurs.
A device for opening the closed head of a cigar before smoking. It creates a circular opening like a target's bull's eye.
Up to four different types of filler tobacco that are blended to create the body of the cigar. The bunch is held together by the binder.
A packaging method, designed with economy in mind, that uses a cellophane overwrap. It usually contains 25 or 50 cigars, traditionally without bands. Bundles, oftentimes seconds of premium brands, are usually less expensive than boxed cigars.
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.
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.
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.
A bright green shade of wrapper, achieved by a heat-curing process that fixes the chlorophyll content of the wrapper while it's still in the barn. Also referred to as "double claro" or "jade."
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.
A circular piece of wrapper leaf placed at the head of the cigar to secure the wrapper.
The cigar's wrapper.
A naturally occurring compound found in aged cigars.
In the cigar production process, workers "case," or slightly moisten, aged tobacco so that it will be easy for hand rollers to work with.
Spanish cedar, that is. The kind of wood used to make most cigar boxes and humidors.
The knife used in a cigar factory for cutting the wrapper leaf.
Favored by some aficionados and scorned by others, these thin, three-inch cigars, popular in Europe, are generally machine-made, and many brands use homogenized wrappers or binders.
A pale-green to light-brown wrapper, usually shade-grown.
A cigar made in the United States prior to the embargo with Cuban tobacco.
A medium-brown to brownish-red shade of wrapper tobacco.
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.
Plants that are chosen to provide wrapper leaves and are grown under a gauze sunscreen.
The most familiar size and shape for premium cigars: generally straight-sided with an open foot and a closed, rounded head, traditionally measuring approximately 5½" x 43.
Usually refers to plants grown in non-Cuban countries with seeds from Cuba.
Formerly the worldwide distribution company for Cuban cigars; now called Habanos S.A.
Spanish for "snake." Culebras are cigars made of three panetelas braided and banded together; usually 5 to 6 inches in length, most often with a 38 ring gauge.
A big cigar with a closed and tapered head. Generally about 8 inches long; the foot may be open, or closed like a perfecto.
(See Candela.)
A big cigar, generally 7 1/2 to 8 inches by a 49 to 52 ring gauge.
The amount of air that gets pulled through a lit cigar. It can be too easy (hot) or too tight (plugged).
Abbreviated EMS, a term used to designate a natural color wrapper, not claro or lighter shades, nor maduro or darker shades. In the United Kingdom, an EMS sticker found on boxes of Cuban cigars refers to inventory that has been vetted by Hunters & Frankau, cigar distributors. (Also see American Market Selection.)
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.
Cooling cabinets in which cigars are kept at the factory for a few weeks after they have been rolled.
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.
A Spanish term that refers to cigars with shapes sizes, such as belicosos, torpedos, pyramids, perfectos and culebras.
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.
A tasting term. It refers to the taste that lingers on your palate after a puff. Mild cigars do not have much finish, either in terms of length or complexity. But stronger, more full-bodied cigars have distinctive flavors that linger for a while.
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.
The end of the cigar you light. Most often it is pre-cut, except in the case of Perfectos and "old Havana-style" Torpedos.
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.
A very big cigar; generally 9 1/4 inches by 47 ring gauge.
A vegetable adhesive used to secure the head of the wrapper leaf around the finished bunch.
(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.
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.")
the worldwide distribution company for Cuban cigars; formerly called Cubatabaco.
A bundle of 50 cigars. Cigar rollers usually use ribbon to tie the cigars they produce into half-wheels.
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.
A cigar made entirely by hand with high-quality wrapper and long filler. All premium cigars are handmade. Hand-rollers can generally use more delicate wrapper leaves than machines.
A cigar made entirely by hand with high-quality wrapper and long filler. In some cases "hand-rolled" refers to cigars bunched by machine and rolled by hand.
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. Also known as Habana.
The closed end of the cigar; the end you smoke.
A lively gathering of cigar-smoking comrades who meet in a restaurant, club, cigar store or home to share their appreciation of fine cigars.
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.
Binder made of chopped tobacco leaf and cellulose. Scorned by purists, it facilitates machine production and can facilitate the burn of certain products.
Describes a cigar that is underfilled and has a quick, loose draw. Can cause harsh flavors.
A room, or a box, of varying sizes, designed to preserve or promote the proper storage and aging of cigars by maintaining a relative humidity level of 70 percent and a temperature of approximately 65°F to 70°F.
A device that indicates the humidity, or percentage of moisture in the air; used to monitor humidor conditions.
What you don't do with cigar smoke.
A cutter used to pierce a small hole in the closed end of a cigar. Also called a piercer.
Traditionally, the person who reads to the cigar rollers while they work.
One of the three basic types of filler tobacco. The name means light in Spanish, but this extra-rich, aromatic tobacco gives body and strength to a blend. Full-bodied cigars and cigars often referred to as "fuertes" primarily use mostly or all ligero tobaccos in the blend.
Filler tobacco that runs the length of the body of the cigar, rather than chopped pieces found in machine-made cigars.
A long cigar; generally 6 to 6 3/4 inches by a 42 to 44 ring gauge, but there are many variations.
Cigars made entirely by machine, using heavier-weight wrappers and binders and, frequently, cut filler in place of long filler.
A wrapper shade from a very dark reddish-brown to almost black. The word means ripe in Spanish. The color can be achieved by sun exposure, a cooking process or a prolonged fermentation. Beware of Maduro cigars that have been dyed!
See Half-wheels
Another term for cigarillo.
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.
A variety of mild Dominican cigar tobacco known for its big leaves and aromatic properties; it is used as filler tobacco and especially as binder tobacco.
A black shade of wrapper, darker than maduro, most often Brazilian or Mexican in origin.
A long, thin cigar shape.
Straight-sided cigars, such as coronas, panetelas and lonsdales.
A prime tobacco growing area in Cuba.
A distinctive cigar shape that is closed at both ends, with a rounded head; usually with a bulge in the middle.
A cutter used to pierce a small hole in the closed end of a cigar. Also called a "lance" or "punch."
A popular variety of rich-tasting Cuban-seed tobacco grown in the Dominican Republic.
Boards on which tobacco leaves are spread before fermentation.
A blockage that sometimes occurs in the tobacco that can prevent a cigar from drawing properly. Sometimes caused by a stray stem, a plug can sometimes be alleviated by gently massaging the cigar.
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.
A Cuban cigar made before Fidel Castro's rise to power in January 1959.
A Cuban cigar made before President Kennedy enacted the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba in 1962.
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.
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.")
A sharply tapered cigar with a wide, open foot and a closed head.
A measurement for the diameter of a cigar, based on 64ths of an inch. A 32 ring gauge cigar is 32/64ths of an inch thick, or 1/2 inch in diameter. A 48 ring is approximately 3/4 inches in diameter.
A substantial, but short cigar; traditionally 5 to 5 1/2 inches by a 48-50 ring gauge.
A Spanish term that means "rose-colored." It is used to describe the reddish tint of some Cuban-seed wrapper.
The Spanish word for dry, seco is a type of filler tobacco. It often contributes aroma and is usually medium-bodied.
Wrapper leaves that have been grown under a cheesecloth tent, called a tapado. The filtered sunlight creates a thinner, more elastic leaf.
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.
The area of a cigar where the cap meets the body. If you cut into the shoulder, the cigar will begin to unravel.
Used mainly in machine-made cigars, it consists of chopped scraps of leaf. Short filler burns quicker and hotter than long filler, but very often, short filler is comprised of cuttings from top-grade, longfiller tobaccos.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Tobacco grown in direct sunlight, which creates a thicker leaf with thicker veins and a darker color.
A cheesecloth tent under which shade-grown wrapper leaf is cultivated.
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.
The grain pattern characteristic of less smooth wrapper leaf, such as leaf from Cameroon or Maduro leaf.
Cigar rollers.
A large cigar shape that resembles an "extended" Robusto, traditionally measuring at 6" x 50 ring.
A cigar shape that features a closed foot, a pointed head and sometimes a bulge in the middle.
"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).
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.
The unwelcome phenomenon where the wrapper does not ash causing the cigar to burn up through the center. Tunneling can occur from improper lighting, or if the wrapper is moist and the filler & binder are too dry. You will also notice a sudden harshness to the smoke. To prevent tunneling, be sure the wrapper is properly lit and the cigar is producing ash evenly across the entire foot.
A tobacco plantation.
A structural part of a leaf; prominent veins can be a defect in wrappers. However, in some cases, the veins may actually contribute to the flavor and some leaves are naturally more veiny than others, like Cameroon, for example.
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.
A glossy wrapper leaf grown under cover.
A factory term for a cigar shape. Robusto and corona are two examples of vitolas.
A type of filler tobacco chosen for its excellent burning qualities.
The valley in Cuba that many believe produces the best cigar tobacco in the world.
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.
A high-quality tobacco leaf wrapped around the finished bunch and binder. It is very elastic and, at its best, unblemished.