70/70- Generally considered the ideal Temperature (70F) and Humidity (70%) for
storing cigars.
898- A packaging tecnique of placing eight cigars on bottom, nine in the
middle and eight cigars on top in a box.
Binder or Capote- Pliable leaf with good burning qualities used to wrap the
filler to hold it together.
Bloom / Plume- A harmless, pale powder that forms on cigars from exuded
oils. Indicates peak or perfect storage conditions.
Body- The complexity of flavors, smoothness and strength of a cigar.
Referred to as light to full body.
Box Pressed- Shaping a finished cigar into a specific lenghtwise design
using presses and weights.
Cedar- Aromatic wood that deters insects that are attracted to tobacco.
Spanish Cedar is considered the best for humidors.
Chaveta- A rounded, semi-circular knife used by Torcedors (Cigar Rollers) to
cut tobacco.
Cuban Sandwich / Mixed Fill- Short filler mixed with whole leaves for
stability and consistency.
Cuban Seed- Tobacco grown from a seed originating from Cuba with strong
Cuban Tobacco caracteristics.
Culebra- Three thin cigars intertwined into one. An old roller's
trick to get three cigars when told they could have one.
Curing- Removing moisture and ending photosynthesis by hanging fresh leaves
in heat-managed barns called curing barns.
Double Maduro- Either two Maduro leaves (wrapper & binder) or one very
dark, double fermented leaf.
Fermentation- The removal of harsher elements in tobacco (ammonia)
by stacking leaves, attaining certain temperatures through chemical reactions and then rotating the stack over weeks or months.
Filler or Tripa- Tobacco comprising the center of a cigar. It
may be the same or a combination of different tobaccos.
Flavor- Bitter, Sweet, Salty, Sour or a combination of tastes sensed
by your tounge, nose or lips when enjoying a fine cigar.
Foot- The bottom end of the cigar that is left open to show filler,
unless taped as in a Perfecto. It is the end you light.
Guillotine Cut- A straight cut that is even across the head and should
not remove the entire cap or head of the cigar.
Hand-Made- Finished cigar made entirely, at all stages, by the torcedors
hands withour any machines. Most premium cigars are hand-made.
Hand-Rolled- Bunched and binded with aid of a machine but with the
wrapper leaf rolled by hand.
Head or Cap- The top end of a cigar, closed with a cap, that is cut
or punched and put into your mouth to smoke.
Heated or Baked- Adding artificial moisture, chemicals and/or heat
to ferment and darken leaves.
Infused- Tobacco exposed to vapors or mist to gently and evenly flavor
it.
Ligero- Durable, full-bodied leaf found ar the top of the plant.
It gains incredible strength and flavor from the sun.
Long Filler- Filler tobaccos comprised of only whole leaves.
Usually running the full length of the cigar.
Maduro- Leaf color or fermentation resulting in a dark colored, smooth,
clean floavored leaf. Uaually milder and more rounded in strength.
Molding- Pressing bunched and binded tobacco into a specific shape
and ring gauge before wrapping.
"Name of the Nation Here" Grown- Non-native leaf grown from foreign
seed in another named nation or country.
Natural / Colorado- Leaf fermented ar moderate temperatures, lighter
in color and strength.
Oleoresins- Oils and resins in the tobacco leaf which give tobacco
irs distinctive smoking qualites.
Parejo- Cylinder shaped cigar with a rounded cap and straight, parallel
sides.
Perfecto or Figurado- Usually tapered at both ends, but occasionally
only one, with a bulging or rouded center section.
Priming- Harvesting leaf crops according to the position of leaves
on the plants from bottom to top.
Punched- Piercing and removal of a circular piece of the head or cap
of the cigar to allow a narrow whole to draw through.
Puro- Spanish term for pure. A premium cigar made with tobacco
originating from only one country.
Pyramid- A tapered or pointed cap with sides that flare continuously
from the head to the foot.
Ring Gauge- The circumference or width of a cigar usually measured
in 1/64th of an inch. Ex. A 64 ring gauge cigar is one inch across.
Seasoning- Storing freshly finished cigars to allow blending of oils
and aromas from the different leaves.
Seco- Medium bodied leaf found in the middle of the plant. It
contributes to balance and aroma.
Shade Grown- Tobacco grown under cheese cloth to protect it from the
sun and nature. Leaves are lighter in color and in strength.
Short Filler- Filler made up of many small pieces of various different
leaves. Usually used in machine-made cigars.
Stogie- Slang for cigars. Originated in the early 1800's from
pioneers smoking in their Conestoga wagons.
Strength- The physical affect felt from the nicotine level of tobaccos.
Referred to as mild to strong.
Sun Grown- Tobacco plants grown in the open sun (unshaded) or leafs
harvested from the top of the plant. Usually stronger in flavor.
Tobacco Beetle- An insect whose larvae eat cigars. Temperatures
below 70F and Spanish Cedar detures them.
Torcedor- A craftsman trained in the art of bunching, binding and rolling
cigars. The Cigar Roller.
Torpedo or Belicoso- Cylinder shaped cigar with a tapered or pointed
cap and straight, parallel sides.
Triple Capped- Cuban "signature" of using three pieces of tobacco to enclose
the head or cap of a cigar.
V-Cut- A cut that removes a pie-shaped wedge while leaving the head
or cap intact.
Volado- Leaf growing lowest and shaded longest. This leaf is
mildest and makes a good binder.
Wrapper or Capa- Highest quality leaf chosen for cosmetic appeal and
flavor. It completes the cigar and is what you see and feel.
