Cigar Term Glossary

Whether you're new to cigars or a seasoned aficionado, understanding these terms will deepen your appreciation of the craft and culture of cigars.

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Amatista

A sealed glass jar, typically holding 25 or 50 cigars, sold as “factory fresh.”
Common in older packaging styles or collectible formats.

Band

The decorative paper ring around the cigar’s head.
Used to identify brand, origin, or line. Many collectors save bands as mementos or artwork.

Barrel

The main body of the cigar between the head and the foot.
Describes the part you hold while smoking.

Belicoso

A short, tapered cigar—typically around 5 inches with a 50 or less ring gauge.
Often mistaken for Torpedos; Belicosos tend to have a more rounded taper.

Binder

The leaf that holds the filler tobaccos together, just beneath the wrapper.
A crucial part of the cigar's structure and combustion.

Blend

The specific mix of filler, binder, and wrapper tobaccos.
Blends define a cigar’s flavor profile and complexity.

Boite Nature

A traditional cedar box used for aging and storing cigars.
Still used today in premium presentations.

Book Style (Booking)

A rolling technique where filler leaves are stacked flat and rolled like a scroll.
Common in Honduras; contrasts with the Cuban "Entubar" method.

Bouquet

The overall aroma or scent of a cigar, both pre-light and while smoking.
Used when describing a cigar’s complexity and aging characteristics.

Box / Box-Pressed

A Box is the container cigars are sold in. Box-Pressed refers to cigars compressed into a square shape due to tight packing.
Box-pressed cigars often burn slower and draw slightly differently.

Bull’s-Eye Piercer / Piercer / Lance

A tool used to poke a hole in the cigar’s head, creating a small opening for draw.
An alternative to a guillotine or V-cutter.

Bunch

The combined filler leaves held together by the binder before the wrapper is applied.
The bunch impacts how a cigar draws and burns.

Bundle

A package of 20–50 cigars, usually without bands and offered at value pricing.
Often used for seconds or budget-friendly options.

Burros (Bulks)

Stacks of tobacco used during fermentation.
Careful monitoring prevents overheating and spoilage.

Cabinet Selection

Cigars sold in wooden boxes, often loosely packed for aging.
Preferred by collectors and for long-term humidor storage.

Candela / Double Claro

A green wrapper created by heat-curing to preserve chlorophyll.
Popular in the U.S. during the 1950s and now a niche offering.

Cap

The piece of wrapper leaf applied to the head to close the cigar.
Removed or pierced before smoking.

Capote

The binder leaf in Spanish; used often in blending and factory discussions.
“We’re using a Nicaraguan capote to hold the filler together.”

Capa

Spanish for "wrapper."
You may hear a cigar described as having a “beautiful capa.”

Case

To "case" tobacco means to moisten it slightly before rolling.
Prevents cracking during rolling.

Catador

A professional taster who evaluates cigars for quality.
Used in factories and blending sessions.

Chaveta

The rounded knife used to cut wrapper leaves in cigar factories.
Essential tool for torcedores (rollers).

Churchill

A larger format cigar (typically 7 x 47), named after Winston Churchill.
A popular size for longer smoking sessions.

Claro / Colorado / Maduro / Oscuro / Rosado

Color terms used to describe cigar wrappers, from lightest to darkest.
Used when describing appearance or selecting flavor intensity.

Corojo

A Cuban-seed tobacco often used in wrappers and grown in Honduras or Nicaragua.
Desirable for its spicy and robust characteristics.

Corona

A classic size (about 5.5 x 42), often used as a benchmark in blends.
Great for balanced flavor and moderate smoking time.

Culebra

A trio of thin cigars braided together.
Meant to be smoked individually, often used in novelty packs or events.

Curing

The initial drying of tobacco post-harvest.
Done in curing barns and vital for flavor development.

Diademas

A very large, tapered cigar with an open or closed foot.
Rare and often associated with celebratory smoking.

Dominican Republic

One of the largest cigar-producing countries in the world.
Known for smoother, aromatic profiles.

Draw

The resistance or ease of airflow through the cigar.
A "tight draw" is hard to smoke; a "loose draw" burns too quickly.

Draw Tester

A device used in factories to measure airflow before cigars leave the rolling table.
“That factory uses draw testers to ensure consistent construction.”

English Market Selection (EMS)

Refers to medium-colored wrappers preferred in the U.K.
Sometimes used interchangeably with “natural.”

Entubar

A rolling method where each filler leaf is individually rolled and then bunched.
Promotes better airflow and consistent burns.

Escaparates

Storage cabinets where freshly rolled cigars rest and stabilize.
Used before boxing and shipping.

Fermentation

A chemical process that enhances flavor, aroma, and color.
Done in bulks and essential to premium cigar production.

Fermentación Secundaria

A second fermentation process often done with wrapper leaves for deeper complexity.
“The maduro wrappers undergo fermentación secundaria for added richness.”

Figurado

Any non-standard shaped cigar (Torpedo, Belicoso, Perfecto, etc.).
Often hand-rolled and prized for their artistry.

Filler

The inner tobaccos that form the bulk of the cigar.
Different filler combinations create strength and complexity.

Finish

The flavor that lingers after exhaling.
A long, complex finish is usually a hallmark of premium cigars.

Flag

An alternative to a cap, often twisted or styled for presentation.
Common in older rolling styles or artisanal brands.

Foot

The open end of the cigar that is lit.
Inspect the foot to examine filler consistency.

Gum

A natural vegetable adhesive used to seal the cap or flag.
Tasteless and harmless when smoked.

Habano

A designation indicating Cuban origin—or a Cuban-seed tobacco grown elsewhere.
Also used to describe a rich, spicy wrapper type.

Hand / Hand-Rolled / Handmade

Refers to the traditional cigar-rolling process done by skilled torcedores.
A mark of quality and craftsmanship.

Head

The closed end of the cigar you cut before smoking.
Contains the cap or flag.

Hot

Describes an underfilled cigar that burns quickly and harshly.
Not ideal—often leads to an unpleasant experience.

Humidor

A humidity-controlled space or box for cigar storage.
Essential for maintaining cigar freshness and aging.

Hygrometer

Measures humidity levels inside a humidor.
Keep between 65–72% for optimal conditions.

Ligero

A strong, slow-burning filler leaf from the top of the tobacco plant.
Adds strength and boldness to a blend.

Long Filler / Short Filler

Long Filler uses whole leaves for superior flavor and draw. Short Filler is chopped tobacco, used in machine-made cigars.
Premium cigars are always long-filler.

Lonsdale

A slender, elegant cigar size (about 6.5 x 42).
Balanced and often used in limited editions.

Machine-Made

Cigars produced entirely by machine, using processed tobaccos.
Less expensive, but lacks the depth of flavor found in handmade cigars.

Marca

The brand or label of a cigar.
“Davidoff is the marca, but they have several distinct lines.”

Marrying

The process of storing cigars together to allow their aromas to harmonize.
“After rolling, the cigars marry in cedar cabinets for 30 days.”

Oil

Natural tobacco oils that surface on well-aged or properly humidified wrappers.
A sign of quality and freshness.

Panetela

A long, thin cigar; often harder to roll and prized for subtle flavors.
Popular in vintage blends.

Parejo

Straight-sided cigars (as opposed to Figurados).
Includes Coronas, Robustos, Lonsdales, etc.

Perfecto

A cigar closed at both ends with a bulging center.
Requires more skill to roll; often collectible.

Plug

A blockage in the cigar, usually due to tight rolling or stems.
May require massage or cutting to fix.

Priming

Specific levels or rows of tobacco leaves on a stalk, each offering unique characteristics.
“We used upper priming ligero for more strength.”

Puro

A cigar made with tobacco from only one country.
Example: a Nicaraguan puro contains 100% Nicaraguan leaf.

Pyramid

Tapered at the head with a wide foot; often confused with Torpedo.
Allows a concentrated, evolving smoke.

Ring Gauge

Measures the diameter of a cigar in 64ths of an inch.
Example: 50 ring gauge = 50/64” = 0.78 inches thick.

Robusto

One of the most popular sizes—around 5 x 50.
Provides full flavor in a manageable timeframe.

Salon de Despalillo

The area of a factory where tobacco stems are removed.
“The salon de despalillo is where they prepare the wrapper leaves.”

Seco

A milder filler leaf used for aroma and balance.
Often blended with Ligero and Volado.

Shade-Grown

Tobacco grown under tents to produce smoother, thinner wrappers.
Creates elegant and elastic leaf ideal for wrapping.

Shoulder

Where the body transitions to the head.
Cut above the shoulder to avoid unraveling.

Smoke Output

A casual term used to describe how much visible smoke a cigar produces.
“Great draw and tons of smoke output on this one.”

Spanish Cedar

Wood used in humidors and cigar boxes to repel insects and promote aging.
Also contributes a light aromatic note.

Spill

A strip of cedar used to light a cigar with a match or candle.
Prevents flavor contamination from butane or sulfur.

Sun-Grown

Tobacco grown under direct sunlight, resulting in thicker, bolder leaves.
Often used in fuller-bodied cigars.

Tapado

Spanish term for the cheesecloth tents used in shade-growing.
Crucial to producing wrapper-grade leaf.

Teeth

Slang for small bumps or grit on the wrapper, indicating leaf texture.
“This wrapper has some teeth, which usually means it’s sun-grown.”

Torcedor

A cigar roller.
Highly respected artisans in the cigar world.

Torpedo

Tapered at the head, with a pointed cap and usually straight body.
Focuses smoke for concentrated flavor.

Totalamente a Mano

“Totally by hand.” The gold standard of handmade cigars.
Printed on many Cuban boxes to signify quality.

Triple Cap

A Cuban-style finish using three layers of cap leaf on the cigar’s head.
“That cigar has a triple cap—great for a clean cut.”

Tubos

Cigars sealed in individual tubes for protection and aging.
Great for travel or gifting.

Tunneling

Uneven burning where the filler burns faster than the wrapper.
Usually a construction issue or improper lighting.

Vega

A term for a tobacco farm or plantation.
You’ll hear it often when talking about cigar-growing regions.

Vein

The visible ribs in wrapper leaf.
Fewer veins usually indicate higher wrapper quality.

Vintage

Refers to the harvest year of the tobacco.
Used to market cigars with aged tobaccos.

Viso

A mid-plant leaf that balances strength and combustibility.
Used in many blends for a smooth burn.

Volado

The lowest priming on the tobacco plant; valued for its burn qualities.
Helps maintain an even draw.

Wedge Cut

A V-shaped cut made in the cigar’s cap.
Preferred for a more focused draw.

Wrapper

The outermost leaf, chosen for beauty and flavor.
A cigar’s first impression—and a big part of the flavor profile.