Cigar Terms
Whether you are buying a gift or are new at cigar smoking, it is useful to learn the meaning of the terms that are commonly used to describe cigars.
Band
The ring of paper with the name of the cigar brand, wrapped near the closed head of the cigar and usually held on with a vegetable based glue.
Binder
The portion of a tobacco leaf that is rolled around the filler to hold it together.
Blend
A mixture of different types of cigar leaf tobacco, including up to four types of filler leaves, a binder and an outer wrapper.
Bloom
A fine white powder that forms on the wrapper of the cigar caused by the oils that exude from the tobacco. It can be gently brushed off with a small camel hair brush, though there is no need to do this. Bloom indicates the cigar is alive, maturing as it should inside a well maintained humidor. Bloom should not be confused with mold. Mold is a bluish-green and stains the wrapper. Mold usually indicates a humidor is too warm or has excessive levels of humidity.
Blue mold
Blue mold is a damaging fungus that forms on the tobacco leaf and can ruin the crop. Blue mold is a big problem when there's a lot of dampness or rain.
Bunch
The mix of filler and binder leaves before they are rolled into a wrapper.
Bundle
A method of packaging cigars using cellophane as opposed to a box. A bundle usually contains from 25 to 50 cigars and is less expensive than boxed cigars.
Cap
A circular piece of wrapper leaf cigar tobacco that is placed at the head of the cigar to secure the wrapper. Cuban cigar caps have a distinctive three to four-layer circular look.
Cutter
An instrument with a razor sharp blade used to remove the cap or flag from both machine made and hand made cigars.
Draw
The amount of air that gets pulled through a lighted cigar. It can be too easy (hot) or too tight (plugged).
Filler
The leaves of tobacco at the core of the cigar that provide a significant portion of its taste.
Flag
An alternative to a cap that involves shaping the wrapper leaf at the head of the cigar so that it secures the wrapper in place. Sometimes a flag can be tied off in a pig-tail or curly head.
Foot
The open end of the cigar you light.
Hand-rolled
A cigar made entirely by hand, usually constructed with a high quality wrapper and long filler and binder as opposed to cut filler used in machine made and cigar seconds.
Head
Refers to the closed end of the cigar, or the end you cut and smoke.
Humidor
An entire room, or a box, that's designed to preserve and promote the proper storing of fragile cigars. An optimum humidity and temperature level in a humidor is 70/70, or 70 percent humidity and 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius).
Ligero
One of the three basic types of filler tobacco. The name means "light" in Spanish.
Long filler
A term used to designate filler tobacco that runs the length of the body of the cigar, as opposed chopped up pieces know as "cut-filler."
Machine made
A term that refers to cigars made entirely by machine and less expensive cigar tobacco.
Mold
The wooden form used by cigar rollers to give shape to a finished bunch of cigar tobacco. Some molds have two parts which are then placed in a press.
Ring gauge
A standard industry measurement for the diameter of a cigar in 64ths of an inch. A 50 ring gauge cigar is 50/64ths of an inch thick.
Seco
One of three basic types of filler tobacco. The name means "dry" in Spanish.
Shade Grown
Prime tobacco leaf grown under cheesecloth tenting called a "tapado" to produce a thin, elastic tobacco leaf that is most often used in premium cigars.
Sun Grown
Tobacco grown in direct sunlight that creates a thicker veins that's often used in more hearty tasting cigars like maduros.
Volando
One of three types of filler tobacco.
Wrapper
A high-quality tobacco leaf wrapped around the finished bunch and binder. It is very elastic and, at its best, unblemished.
Tobacco & Liquor Phone
513-674-6000 ext. 6126
Tobacco Related Email
cigars@junglejims.com
Liquor Related Email
beerwine@junglejims.com
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