Cigar 101 Glossary of Cigar Terms
By: Jason P. Lasher (JLasher22443)
Band-- A ring of paper wrapped around the closed head of most cigars which normally possesses the name of the cigar, country it is from, and whether or not it is hand rolled. Some cigars have more then one band.
Legend says that cigar bands were invented by a Russian Queen named Catherine the Great. It’s said she ordered her cigars wrapped in silk to protect her royal fingers from tobacco stains. Thereafter, silken cigar rings were adopted by all in imitation of the queen. And so, the tale goes, the cigar band was born.
Barrel--A term for the body of the cigar, also known as a Cannon.
Beetle or Tobacco Beetle-- The evil cigar bug called Lacioderma; the only insect that will eat tobacco; all tobacco has the Lacioderma larva; most established manufactures treat the tobacco and finished cigars to kill the larva; however, the larva will hatch if the cigars are kept in temperatures over 78 degrees (see also Freezing)
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 main components in a cigar.
Blend-- 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.
Bloom (also called 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 Blue Mold; which is bluish and stains the wrapper.
Blue Mold-- Peronospara 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.
Book Style (also, Booking)-- A rolling method by which the cigar maker lays the filler leaves atop one another, then rolls them up like a scroll.
Bouquet-- The smell, or "nose," of a fine cigar. Badly stored cigars can lose their bouquet.
Box-- The container used to package cigars.
Box-Pressed-- The slightly square appearance taken on by cigars packed tightly in a box and then actually pressed in their boxes, giving them a somewhat squared look.
Bull's-Eye Cutter-- A device for cutting open the closed head of a cigar before smoking. It creates a circular opening like a bull's eye on a dart board in the “Cap” end of the cigar.
Bunch-- Up to four different types of filler tobacco that are blended to create the filler of the cigar. They are then bunched together and held together by the binder. Hence the name.
Bundle-- A packaging method, designed with economy in mind, which uses cellophane or paper over wrap. It usually contains 25 or 50 cigars, traditionally without bands.
Cap-- A separately circular cut piece of wrapper leaf placed at the head of the cigar to secure the wrapper.
Capa-- The cigar's wrapper. The outside wrapper leaf of a cigar. Also called the “Binder” of a cigar.
Carotene-- A naturally occurring compound found in aged cigars.
Cedar-- The kind of wood that is used to make most cigar boxes and humidors. Also can be used to light cigars as a “Spill”.
Churchill-- 1. A large corona-format cigar, traditionally 7 inches by a 47 ring gauge but often a 48 ring gauge today. This cigar is enjoyable for over an hour.
2. Popularly referred to as a Churchill because it was the British Politician; Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, who was famous for almost never being seen without a cigar.
Cigarillos-- 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.
Corona-- The most familiar size and shape for premium cigars: generally straight-sided with an open foot and a closed, rounded head.
Culebra-- Spanish for "snake." Culebra’s 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 Corona, also called Prominente-- A big cigar, generally 7 1/2 to 8 inches by a 49 to 52 ring gauge. This cigar tends to be a very long smoke.
Draw-- The amount of airflow that gets pulled through a lit cigar when being puffed on. It can be too easy (hot) or too tight (plugged).
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.
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. Normally, handmade cigars have long fillers where machine made cigars usually contain smaller-cut leaf.
Finish-- 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.
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 torpedos and perfectos.
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-- A vegetable adhesive used to secure the head of the wrapper leaf around the finished bunch.
Habana-- A designation which, when inscribed on a cigar band, indicates that a cigar is Cuban. (Note: not all Cuban cigars are marked with "Habana" or "Havana.")
Habanos S.A.-- the worldwide distribution company for Cuban cigars; formerly called Cubatabaco.
Handmade or Hand-rolled -- 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 would have in your mouth to smoke.
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.
Hot-- Describes a cigar that is under filled and has a quick, loose draw. Can cause harsh flavors.
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.
Inhale-- What you don't do with cigar smoke. To breathe in, or draw the cigar smoke into the lungs through the nose or mouth.
Lance-- A cutter used to pierce a small hole in the closed end of a cigar. Also called a piercer.