ANATOMY OF A CIGAR

Cap: The end of the cigar to stick in the mouth and where to make a cut

Foot: The end opposite of the cap and is where to light a cigar.

Wrapper: The wrapper makes up the exterior of a cigar. Made up of tobacco leaf that is oily, shiny and smooth. Wrappers come in distinct colors and textures that work to create added flavor to your cigar.

Binder: Located beneath the Wrapper, the Binder is half of a tobacco leaf and its main purpose is to hold the cigar in one piece.  The binder also provides additional flavor to a cigar

Filler: The inside of a cigar and is responsible for 98% of a cigars flavor, the 0 filler is comprised out of cut up pieces of tobacco and is broken down into three layers known as the Seco, Voldad and Ligero.

GLOSSARY

Anilla: Cuban term for a cigar band or ring

Belicoso: 5 in. x 50 ring gauge. Traditional Belicosos are short pyramids, often with a slightly rounded pyramid head. Example: Bolivar Belicoso Fino

Bonche : Filler leaves rolled together and wrapped with a binder leaf to form a round shaped cigar

Burros: Carefully monitored fermenting piles of tobacco

Capa: Outside wrapper of a cigar

Catadores: Tasters who monitor the finished cigars

Cervantes: 6 ½ in. x 42 ring gauge. Third in a trilogy of 42 ring gauge cigars. See also Lonsdale

Chaveta: The roller’s knife – blade used to cut the wrapper leaf

Churchill: 7 in. x 47 ring gauge. A large Corona format known as a Churchill because it was the statesman’s cigar of choice. Example: Julieta No.2

Claro: Light-brown wrapper

Colorado: Dark-brown wrapper

Corona: 5 1/2 in. x 42 ring gauge.  The traditional benchmark against which all other cigar formats are measured. Coronas are known for their cylindrical body, straight sides, one open end and a round tobacco leave cap on the other end. See also Parejos. Example: Montecristo No. 3

Corona Gorda: 5 5/8 in. x 46 ring gauge. A larger version of the Corona cigar. See also Toro. Example: Punch Punch

Culebra: 5 in. x 38 ring gauge. More popular in the past than it is today, a Culebra is perhaps the most exotic shape of cigar made, consisting of three panetelas braided together and tied with string, sold as one cigar. The three parts are unbraided and smoked separately. Often the other two braids are shared with friends, turning the smoking of a Culebra into a special occasion.  Example: Partagas Culebra

Dalia: 6 3/4 in. x 43 ring gauge. Dalia was the name of the galera in which the cigars were produced. See also 898.

Diadema: 8 1/2 in. x 40 ring gauge. Diademas are enormous, 8 1/2 inches or longer. The head is tapered, though often not to a complete point, usually with a 40 ring gauge. The cigar then tapers down to a foot that can be open like a Parejo or closed like a perfecto, usually with a ring gauge of 52 or greater. A cigar to be enjoyed when time is no object. Example: Hoyo de Monterrey Diadema

Double Corona: 7 5/8 in. x 49 ring gauge. The colossal leaves of this cigar are surprisingly delicate at first but then suddenly burst into an explosion of flavors.  See also Prominente

8-9-8: 6 3/4 in. x 43 ring gauge. 8-9-8 refers to the three rows of 8, 9, and 8 cigars in a package.  See also Dalia

Escarapate: A cooling room where cigars are kept for a few weeks after they have been rolled

Especial: 9 in. x 47 ring gauge. The largest classic form of cigars.  See also Gran Corona

Galera: The name used to describe factory workshops where cigars are made by hand. Translates to “galley.”

Gran Corona: 9 in. x 47 ring gauge. The largest classic form of cigars. See also Especial

Habanos: A denomination of origin for Cuban cigars, literally translates to Havanas.

Julieta No. 2: 7 in. x 47 ring gauge. Popular cigar originally from the Romeo y Julieta Factory. See also Churchill

Laguito No. 1: 7 1/2 in. x 38 ring gauge. Takes its original name from Havana’s el Laguito Factory. The slender length coupled with the twist of leaf on the cap makes the Laguito a most elegant cigar. See also Lancero

Lancero: 7 1/2 in. x 38 ring gauge. An elegant and slender cigar marked by the length and twisted leaf cap. See also Laguito No. 1

Lector: Traditionally, the person who read stories to the cigar rollers throughout the day

Ligador: The master blender in a cigar factory

Ligero: One of the three fillers of tobacco leaves. The word literally translates to light although it refers to the top most leaves of a plant that are richest in flavor and often darkest in color. See also Seco and Volado.

Lonsdale: 6 1/2 in. x 42 ring gauge. Named after the English sporting earl, Lord Lonsdale who preferred the elegance of a long cigar. The Lonsdale is generally longer than a Corona but thicker than a Panetela. Third in a trilogy of 42 ring gauge vitolas. See also Cervantes. Example: Montecristo No. 1

Maduro: Dark reddish-brown, almost black wrapper shade. Translates to the word “ripe” in Spanish.

Media Rueda Bundle of 50 cigars wrapped together. Translates to the word “half-wheel in Spanish.

Moja: Moisturizing tobacco leaves to prepare them for the rollers

Panetela: 5 in. x 36 ring gauge. Long, thin and elegant cigar that can often vary in length and ring gauge. The Panetela offers a variation of 5 to 7 1/2 inches with a ring gauge of 34 to 38. Example: Cohiba Lancero

Parejos: Parejos are straight-sided cigars; most have an open foot for lighting and need to be cut before smoking.

Perfecto: The perfecto has a closed foot and a bulge in the middle, similar to Torpedo cigars.  Although unlike torpedos, the head of a perfecto is rounded like the head of a parejo. Perfectos vary greatly in length, from a diminutive 4 1/2 inches to unwieldy 9-inch cigars, with ring gauges from 38 to 48. Example: Partagas Presidente

Perla: 4 in. x 40 ring gauge. Part of the small Vitola group. The smoke is brief but very full of Habano flavors.  See also Tres Petit Corona

Partido: Specializing in the cultivation of wrapper leaves, this region of Havana Cuba forms a historic group of growing regions founded in the early 17^th Century. Partido encompasses the Cuban capital and is the base for some of the most famous Habano factories

Petit Corona: 5 1/8 in. x 42 ring gauge. Essentially a miniature corona, this cigar allows for the three filler leaves to be evenly blended allowing for a smooth smoke. Example: Montecristo No. 4

Piramide: 6 1/8 in. x 52 ring gauge. Known for its distinct torpedo shape, containing a tapered head and shoulder, giving it a pyramid shape.  Also believed to have better combustibility.

Prominente: 7 5/8 in. x 49 ring gauge. The colossal leaves of this cigar are surprisingly delicate at first but then suddenly burst into an explosion of flavors.  See also Double Corona

Puro: The Spanish term for cigar

Pyramid: Pyramids are cigars with cut feet, like Parejos, but with heads tapered to a point. The cigars measure from 6-7 inches in length, with ring gauges from 40 at the head to 54 at the foot. The pyramid is treasured because the tapered head allows the complex flavors           of the cigar to meld in the mouth. Example: Montecristo No. 2

Robusto: Known for its short, fat shape the Robusto cigar has become the most popular cigar size in America. The size is             generally 4 3/4 to 5 ½ inches by 48 to 52 ring gauge. Example: Cohiba Robusto

Seco: Filler leaf taken from the middle of the plant often contributes to the aroma of a cigar and is usually medium-bodied.  See also Ligero and Volado.

Semi Vuelta: Situated in the Western part of Cuba, it is known mainly for cultivation of binder and filler leaves.

Tabacuba: Cuban corporation that manages the agricultural and manufacturing aspects of Cuba’s tobacco industry.

Tapado: The muslin cloth tent under which shade-grown wrapper leaves are grown.

Tercios: Palm bark wrapped bales in which tobacco leaves are aged after fermentation.

Torcedor: A Cigar roller. The word literally means twister even though it is the last thing a roller should do when making a cigar.

Torpedo: 6 1/8 in. x 52 ring gauge. The Torpedo cigar offers better combustibility because of its tapered head and shoulders.  The closed foot and bulge in the middle offer it a unique shape and smoke.  Example: Cuaba Millennium

Totalmente a Mano: A term that often appears on cigar boxes and means completely made by hand. The term ‘Hecho a Mano’ often means it is made partially by hand partially by machine ‘Envuelto a Mano’ means packed by hand.

Tres Petit Corona: 4 in. x 40 ring gauge. The Tres Petit Corona offers the smoker the true taste of a Cuban cigar.

Tripa: The filler of a cigar, which is made from leaves that form the heart of a Habano. The three fillers are Seco, Ligero and Volado.

Tubos: Cigars packed individually in wood, metal or glass tubes.

Vitola: Refers to the size and shape of a cigar

Vuelta Abajo: The main source of tobacco for Habanos and the only region that grows all types of tobacco leaves. Growing regions include Pinar del Rio, San Luis and San Juan y Martinez.

Volado: Tobacco leaves that are taken from the bottom part of the plant and are used to help the cigar to obtain an even burn. See also Ligero and Seco

MEASUREMENTS

Another aspect of a cigar’s anatomy is its size, measured in both width and length. Length in a cigar has far less to do with the smoke than the width.

Width is more commonly known as ring gauge, which is essentially measured in 1/64 of an inch. A cigar with a ring gauge of 64 is one inch around, a 32 ring gauge is half an inch, and so forth.

The length of the cigar is either measured in inches or millimeters. The width of your cigar, along with the cut, will determine how smooth your smoke is, and to some extent, how long the smoke will last (the way you smoke the cigar will also factor into this).

Other features of a cigar include the shape, which also determines how smooth a cigar feels.