Cigar Speak

Terms all Cigar Smokers Should Know

Hand Made: A cigar that is bunched, bound and wrapped entirely by hand with no machines being used whatsoever in the fabrication process (excluding the mold).

Head: The end of the cigar that you put into your mouth.

Cap: The small flag of wrapper leaf that the roller lays down and seals to the head of the cigar with a vegetable gum based glue. Shoulder: The area where the head of the cigar meets the barrel.

Barrel: The main body or shank of the cigar.

Ring Gauge: The diameter of a cigar's barrel, expressed in 64ths of an inch. A 32" "ring" is 32/64" or 1/2", for example.

Wrapper: The outer leaf of high quality, first grade tobacco which is wound around the binder of the cigar. It is chosen for its perfect complexion, elasticity, silky texture and delicate veins.

Binder: A strip of high quality 5th grade tobacco leaf that is wrapped around the filler leaf. The binder's thickness gives it its fuse-like ability to carry the coal the length of the cigar.

Filler: The rolled up inner core of high quality 2nd and 3rd grade leaves in a cigar also referred to as the "bunch". Long Filler: Tobacco leaf that is long enough to run the entire length of the cigar.

Blend: The particular mix of different strains of tobacco that give each cigar its unique character.

Foot: The end of the cigar that you light.

Tooth: The natural occurrence of the almost-microscopic array of sandy bumps on the surface of some tobacco leaves.

Bouquet: The smell of the unlit cigar, including the wrapper and filler through the open foot.

Aroma: The smell of a cigar when burning. Finish: The lingering after taste each time you take a puff and exhale.