A Glossary of Cigars
In category: Cigar Basics
Amarillo:
A type of shade-grown yellow wrapper leaf.
Amatista:
A glass jar that containing 50 pieces of cigars.
Belicoso:
A pyramid-shaped cigar with a rounded taper at the head. Its length is around 5 to 5 ½ inches and its ring gauge is about 50.
Bloom (also called plume):
A fine white powder that results from the aging process as caused by the exuding oils from the tobacco. It can be brushed off without leaving any effects on the taste of the cigar.
Booking:
A method of cigar rolling in which the filler leaves are first laid atop one another before they are finally rolled up like a scroll. It is commonly used in Honduras.
Bunch:
A group of up to four different tobacco fillers that are blended to create the bulk of the cigar.
Capa:
The wrapper leaf that forms 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 a closed and tapered head and either an open or closed foot.
Draw:
The amount of smoke produced from a cigar.
Hot:
A harsh-tasting underfilled cigar that produces a quick, loose draw.
Hygrometer:
A device used to measure the humidity inside a humidor.
Olor:
A big-leafed tobacco that is used as a filler or a binder. It is from the Dominican Republic.
Plug:
A tobacco obstruction that decreases the draw. It can be lessened by rolling the cigar between the thumb and the forefinger.
Primings:
The rows of leaves on a tobacco plant. It has an average of six – with the first one closest to the ground the sixth nearest to the top. A higher priming number indicates a stronger tobacco.
Ring Gauge:
The standard measuring unit of the diameter of a cigar. It is about 64th of an inch.
Seco:
An aromatic filler tobacco with a medium body taste.
Shade-grown:
Tobacco leaves grown under a cheesecloth tent called a tapado. Filtering the sunlight produces thinner and more elastic leaves are intended to be used as cigar wrappers.
Shoulder:
The cigar portion where the cap meets the tapers into the main body. Cutting into the shoulder may cause the cigar to unravel.
Special Solution:
A 50/50 water and propylene glycol solution used in a humidor in order to reduce the rate of evaporation.
Spill:
A small strip of cedar used to light a cigar without introducing unwanted flavors into the cigar. This strip is lit first using a match or a lighter before being raised to the cigar.
Sun-grown:
Tobacco leaves grown in direct sunlight that have thicker leaves and thicker veins. These leaves produce a more robust, deep-bodied smoking tobacco.
Tunneling:
The production of smoke in a small tunnel within the cigar that causes uneven burning. This uneven burning may be cured by rotating the cigar periodically.