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Amarillo:
A yellow wrapper leaf grown under shade.
Amatista:
A glass jar containing 50 cigars (or 25), sealed to be sold factory fresh.
American Market Selection (AMS):
Abbreviated AMS on many cigar boxes, 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.)
Band:
A ring of paper wrapped around the closed head of most cigars. 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 collector items.
Belicoso
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.
Binder
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 major components in a cigars construction.
Blend
The mixture of different types of tobacco (or the same types) in a cigar. (Also see the term Puro)
Bloom (or Plume)
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.
Blue Mold
An 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. Its real name is Peronospora tabacina.
Boite Nature
The plain cedar boxes in which many cigars are sold.
Booking or Book Style:
A cigar rolling method by which the cigar roller lays the filler leaves atop one another, then rolls them up like a scroll. Book style, or booking, is common in Honduras. An alternate style is based on the old Cuban method called entubar.
Bouquet
The smell of a fine cigar. Badly stored cigars or cigars that have dried-out too much will lose their bouquet.
Box-pressed (or square-pressed)
The square shape taken on when cigars are packed tightly into a cigar box.
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 process.
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.
Candela
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.
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 burn. To prevent this, it helps to rotate the cigar often and let it rest.
Cap
A circular piece of wrapper leaf placed at the head of the cigar to secure the wrapper. Most premium cigars have a double or triple cap.
Capa
Another name for the cigar's outer wrapper.
Carotene
A naturally occurring compound found in aged cigars.
Chaveta
The knife used in a cigar factory for cutting the wrapper leaf.
Churchill
A large corona-format cigar, traditionally 7 inches by a 47 ring gauge but often a 48 to 50 ring gauge today. Primarily named after Sir Winston Churchill, who was famous for almost never being seen without a cigar.
Cigarillos
Thin, three-inch cigars generally machine-made with homogenized wrappers or binders. Some companies handroll their cigarillos and use regular tobacco leaves. The term mainly relates to the size and thickness of the cigar being 3” long and closer to the 20 RG size.
Claro
A pale-green to light-brown wrapper, usually shade-grown.
Colorado
A medium-brown to brownish-red shade of wrapper tobacco.
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 US Connecticut seed.
Corojos
Plants that are chosen to provide wrapper leaves and are grown under a gauze sunscreen.
Corona
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 RG.
Culebra
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.
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
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 candela or jade.
Double Corona, or called Prominente
A big cigar, generally 7 1/2 to 8 inches by a 49 to 52 ring gauge.
Draw
The amount of air that gets pulled through a lit cigar. It can be too easy (hot) or too tight (plugged). A heavy draw on a thin cigar can cause it to become hot and bitter.
English Market Selection (or EMS):
Abbreviated EMS, a term used to designate a natural color wrapper. It does not refer to claro or lighter shades, nor the 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.
Entubar
A rolling method that originated in Cuba. Rather than booking (see 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.
Figurado
A Spanish term that refers to cigars with shapes sizes, such as belicosos, torpedos, pyramids, perfectos and culebras.
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
It refers to the taste that lingers on your palate after a puff on your cigar. 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.
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.
Foot
The end of the cigar you light. Most often it is pre-cut, except in the case of Perfectos and old Havana-style Torpedos.
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 long & big cigar; generally 9-1/4 inches by 47 RG.
Gum
A vegetable adhesive used to secure the head of the wrapper leaf around the finished bunch
Hand-rolled
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. (also see Handmade)
Handmade
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.
Head
The closed end of the cigar; the end you smoke.
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.
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 Burn
Describes a cigar that is underfilled and has a quick, loose draw. Can cause harsh flavors. Can also be caused by a heavy draw on too thin of a cigar.
Humidor
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.
Hygrometer
A device that indicates the humidity, or percentage of moisture in the air; used to monitor humidor conditions.
Ligero
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.
Long Filler
Filler tobacco that runs the length of the body of the cigar, rather than chopped pieces found in machine-made cigars.
Lonsdale
A long cigar; generally 6 to 6 3/4 inches by a 42 to 44 ring gauge, but there are many variations.
Machine-made
Cigars made entirely by machine, using heavier-weight wrappers and binders and, frequently, cut filler in place of long filler.
Maduro
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 or you may notice the dye on your lips when smoking it!
Mold
The wooden form used in cigar making to give shape to a finished bunch. It has two parts, which, when assembled, are placed in a press.
Mold (the bad one):
A potentially damaging fungus that forms on a cigar when it is stored at too high a temperature or in excessive humidity. Mold is NOT bloom!
Oil or Oily Wrapper
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
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.
Oscuro
A black shade of cigar wrapper, darker than maduro. Most often Brazilian or Mexican in origin.
Panetela
A long, thin cigar shape.
Parejos
Straight-sided cigars, such as coronas, panetelas and lonsdales.
Perfecto
A distinctive cigar shape that is closed at both ends, with a rounded head. Sometimes with a bulge in the middle of the cigar.
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 / Plugged
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. If not, a cigar poker is commonly used.
Plume (or 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.
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 ALL from a single country. All Cuban cigars use 100 percent Cuban tobacco, so all Cuban cigars, according to modern usage, are considered to be puros.
Pyramid
A sharply tapered cigar with a wide, open foot and a closed head.
Ring Gauge (or RG)
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.
Robusto
A substantial, but short cigar; traditionally 5 to 5 1/2 inches by a 48-50 ring gauge.
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 or the Punch Rare Corojo cigars.
Seco
The Spanish word for dry, seco is a type of filler tobacco. It often contributes aroma and is usually medium-bodied.
Shade-grown
Wrapper leaves that have been grown under a cheesecloth tent, called a tapado. The filtered sunlight creates a thinner, more elastic leaf.
Shoulder
The area of a cigar where the cap meets the body. If you cut into the shoulder, the cigar will begin to unravel.
Short Filler
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.
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.
Sugar
Sugars occur naturally in tobacco. Darker wrappers, such as maduros, contain more sugar, making them sweeter. However, the lowest priming leaves also contain 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.
Sun-grown
Tobacco grown in direct sunlight, which creates a thicker leaf with thicker veins and a darker color.
Tercios
The large, palm bark-wrapped bales in which tobacco is fermented and shipped to cigar factories.
Tooth
The grain pattern characteristic of less smooth wrapper leaf, such as leaf from Cameroon or Maduro leaf
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.
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 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 similar problem is canoeing were the wrapper burns uneven to one side.
Vein
A structural part of a leaf; prominent veins can be a defect in wrappers. In some cases, the veins may actually contribute to the flavor and some leaves are naturally more veiny than others, like Cameroon, for example.
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.
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.
Wrapper
A high-quality tobacco leaf wrapped around the finished bunch and binder. It is very elastic and, at its best, unblemished. It contributes to much of the cigars body and taste.
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