Sometimes you can learn a lot, about cigars in particular, just by reading through a glossary. Some of these terms will actually help you select a better cigar. Read on…
Amarillo:
A type of yellow wrapper leaf that is grown in the shade.
Amatista:
A glass jar containing 50 cigars.
Belicoso:
A pyramid-shaped cigar, between 5 and 5½ inches with a ring gauge (see below) of about 50. It has a rounded taper at the head.
Bloom (also called plume):
A fine white powder that results from the aging process. It’s caused by the oils that exude from the tobacco. It can be brushed off the cigar with no effect on the taste.
Booking:
Common in Honduras, it is a rolling method by which the cigar maker lays the filler leaves atop one another, then rolls them up like a scroll.
Bunch:
A group of up to four different filler tobaccos blended to create the bulk of the cigar.
Capa:
The wrapper leaf forming the exterior of the cigar.
Case:
The method of slightly moistening aged tobacco to make it easier for hand rollers to roll it.
Diademas:
An 8 inch cigar with an open or closed foot and a closed and tapered head. In other words, one heck of a smoke.
Draw:
The amount of air the smoker is able to pull through the cigar. It can be too easy, producing a hot smoke, or too tight (plugged).
Hot:
An underfilled cigar that will produce a quick, loose draw. Such a cigar will likely taste harsh.
Hygrometer:
The device used in humidors to measure humidity.
Olor:
A tobacco from the Dominican Republic known for its big leaves. It is used variously as filler or binder.
Plug:
An obstruction in the tobacco that decreases the draw. It can sometimes be lessened by gently massaging the cigar by rolling it between the thumb and fingers.
Primings:
Rows of leaves on a tobacco plant, with six the average. The one closest to the ground is the first, the sixth is near the top. Other things being equal, the higher the priming number, the stronger the tobacco.
Ring Gauge:
The standard measuring unit of the diameter of a cigar. For example, a 44 ring gauge cigar is 44/64ths of an inch thick.
Seco:
A type of aromatic filler tobacco, it has a medium body taste.
Shade-grown:
Leaves intended to be used as wrapper are often grown under a cheesecloth tent, called a tapado. Filtering the sunlight helps produce a thinner, more elastic leaf.
Shoulder:
The portion of a cigar where the cap (at the head) meets tapers into the main body. When cutting, take care not to cut into the shoulder, as the cigar will tend to unravel.
Special Solution:
A 50% water/50% propylene glycol solution used in a humidor to reduce the rate of water evaporation.
Spill:
A small strip of cedar used to light a cigar. The strip is lit with a match or lighter, then raised to the cigar. Used to avoid introducing unwanted flavors into the cigar.
Sun-grown:
Tobacco grown in direct sunlight tends to have thicker leaves with thicker veins. This produces a more robust, deep-bodied smoking tobacco.
Tunneling:
The production of smoke in a small tunnel within the cigar. This causes uneven burning. The cure is simple: rotate the cigar periodically.