These notes, unless where otherwise stated, refer to Cigars from Cuba

AMS – American Market Selection, these have a greenish coloured outer wrapper. (Pre Embargo).

Band – A paper ring placed around the head of the cigar, used to protect white gloves from tobacco stains (or so the story goes). It was taken up by merchants as a way of advertising their brand, which allowed them to distinguish their cigars from those of their competitors.

Binder (Capote) - Leaves from the Criollo plant are used to bind the bunched filler leaves together before they are dressed with the outer Wrapper leaf. There are usually two halves of a Binder leaf in a Havana Cigar. The leaf is sun grown, and is rougher and darker than the wrapper leaves.

Blend – The mix of tobacco in a cigar that gives it its flavour

Bloom – This may appear as spots of white mould. It is harmless if dealt with in good time, and usually indicates that the cigars are ageing well. Lightly remove it with a soft brush (we use a badger bristle shaving brush), brushing from head to foot. ‘Bloom’ should not be confused with mould. Mould is bluish-green, stains the wrapper and usually indicates storage conditions have been too warm or excessively humid.

Boite Nature –The wooden (cedar) box in which some cigars are presented (e.g. Montecristo – Especial).

Box Codes – Shown on the underside of the cigar box. They indicate the date of manufacture and, in some cases, the factory of production.

Box Pressed (Flat box) – The standard presentation of cigars where they have been pressed flat after being placed in their boxes, producing the square shaped body.

Bunch – The different types of filler tobacco which is blended to create the body of the cigar. This is held together by the binder.

Bundle – A presentation of cigars where they are either tied with a ribbon (cabinet SLB) or wrapped in cellophane in groups of 25 or 50 cigars, normally without bands.

Cabinet Selection (Slide Lid Box - SLB) – Cigars are packed in cube shaped boxes with sliding lids (SLB – slid lid box). Most are plain boxes (e.g. Hoyo de Monterrey – Epicure No2) and the cigars are without bands. The exception is Cohiba which comes in varnished boxes, with banded cigars. The main advantage of the Cabinet Selection is that the cigars are stored as a bundle allowing air to circulate and this produces the perfect conditions for ageing.

Capa – See Wrapper

Capote – See Binder

Chaveta – The knife used in a cigar factory for cutting the wrapper leaf. This is the only ‘tool’ used in the production of hand made cigars.

Churchill – A large Havana, given its name by Sir Winston Churchill who was famously known for smoking this size. 7’’ long x 47 ring gauge

Cigarillos – Thin, generally three-inch cigars, popular in Europe. These are machine-made.

Corona – The benchmark Havana cigar size. 5 ½” x 42

Corojo Plant – Shade grown Cuban tobacco plant used to provide the Wrapper Leaf (Capa).

Criollo Plant – Sun grown to provide the Binder Leaf (Capote) and the three leaves for the filler bunch (Ligero – upper part of the plant, Seco – middle part of the plant, Volado – bottom part of the plant). The Ligero gives the strongest flavours and the Volado provides the best burning characteristics.

Culebra – Three Panatelas braided together. Cigar rollers may have been allotted 3 cigars a day. Their allowance was braided together in this fashion to denote that the cigars were their take for the day. Thus factory managers could see, at a glance, that the rollers were not smoking cigars destined for sale and export as they would be puffing ones that were ‘twisted’.

Cutter – A device that prepares the cigar for smoking, as Havanas have a closed end at the head. There are different types of cutter, ranging from the single / double bladed cutter which removes the top of the cap, the punch cutter which removes a circular piece from the cap and the V cutter which as its name implies cuts a ‘V’ shape in the cap of the cigar. We do not recommend that you use the ‘V’ cutter as this may cut through the cap into the main body, which could lead to the whole cigar unravelling.

Draw – The ease of the flow of smoke through a cigar.

English Market Selection (EMS) – A guarantee of the quality and authenticity of the cigars. EMS guarantees that the box has come directly from Habanos SA in Cuba through the appointed UK importer, and that all UK duties have been paid, and that they were properly stored and looked.

Fermentation – Tobacco leaves are bundled into large bulks (or piles), the leaves are moistened and allowed to ferment. Temperatures may reach 140°F before the bulk is broken down and re-stacked until fermentation stops naturally.

Figurado – A Spanish term that refers to cigars with exotic shapes (i.e. not a straight sided Parejo shape), such as torpedos, pyramids, perfectos and culebras.

Filler (Tripa)– The tobacco that makes up the middle of the cigar. There are three different types of filler leaf. The Criollo plant provides the three leaves used, taken from different levels of the plant. The top level provides the strength, the middle level the aroma and the bottom the combustibility. These leaves are bunched and rolled into shape to form the beginning of the cigar. All Havanas are made of long filler which means that whole leaves are used, whereas short filler is similar to cigarette tobacco which is chopped up. Short filler is used in machine made cigars.

Flag Leaves – An extension of the wrapper leaf shaped to finish the head of a cigar. This technique is used instead of using a cap (e.g. Trinidad – Fundadores). Flags are sometimes tied off in a pigtail or a curly head.

Foot – This is the end of the cigar that you light.

Galera –The room in which cigars are rolled at the factory.

Gum – This is the vegetable adhesive used to secure the head of the wrapper leaf and the cap. It is both tasteless and odourless and therefore does not taint the flavour of the cigar.

Habano (Havana)– When inscribed on a cigar box it indicates that the cigar is Cuban.

Head –This is the part of the cigar that is cut and the end that you smoke from

Havana – The capital of Cuba and nickname given to handmade cigars from Cuba.

Hecho en Cuba –‘Made in Cuba’. This is stamped on the bottom of cigar boxes from Cuba.

Hot – Describes a cigar that is under filled. It will be easy to draw but will be very hot to smoke. It may also have very harsh flavours. This is sometimes known as a ‘Wind bag’.

Humidor – This is a box, cabinet or room designed to maintain the correct levels of humidity to store your cigars so that they are in perfect condition to smoke. The humidity should be 65% to 70% RH (relative humidity), with a temperature of approximately 16 to 20 degrees Centigrade.

Hygrometer – A device that indicates the relative humidity (RH) being the percentage of moisture in the air. They are used to monitor the conditions in a humidor. There are analogue (which need to be kept calibrated) and digital gauges.

Long Filler – See Filler

Parejo – A cigar with straight sides.

Plug – A blockage that prevents the flow of smoke through the cigar. Caused by the filler being poorly bunched or twisted when the binder is wrapped around the bunch. There is nothing you can do about this except to return it to you cigar merchant.

Pre-embargo Havana– This is a Cuban cigar made before President Kennedy introduced the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba in 1962.

Premium Cigar - A high grade cigar made by hand from 100% tobacco using long leaf filler.

Pyramid – A cigar with a wide foot which then tapers at the head (e.g. Montecristo - No 2). This cigar is a figurado shape, these are sometimes referred to as a torpedo.

Relative Humidity (RH) – This is the percentage of moisture in the air. This can be measured with a digital or analogue Hygrometer.

Ring Gauge – The diameter of the cigar. It is measured in the 64ths of an Inch (and mm).

Semi Boite Nature (SBN) - A presentation of cigars in a wooden box. The brand name is Hot-stamped into the wood. The cigars are always round.

Shade grown – Leaves from the Corojo plant grown under a muslin cloth called a Tapado. This filters the sunlight and creates a thinner and more elastic leaf, ideal for the Wrapper.

Short filler - See Filler

Shoulder - The part of the cigar where the cap and the main body of the cigar meet. If you cut below the cap the cigar can unravel.

Tapado – A cheesecloth tent under which shade-grown wrapper leaf is cultivated.

Torcedor – A skilled artisan who rolls cigars.

Totalamente a Mano – ‘Made Totally by Hand’ - stamped on the bottom the cigar box.

Tripa – See Filler

Tubos – Cigars which are packed in individual aluminium or glass tubes.

Wrapper (Capa) – This is the outer leaf that ‘dresses’ the cigar. It is smooth and silky. It produces the final touch to the cigar. Aesthetically pleasing, it is one of the joys of smoking a Havana cigar. Wrapper leaf comes from the Corojo plant. This is produced under a muslin cover, to produce a thin, smooth and silky leaf necessary for a nice looking wrapper for a cigar.

Weevil – Lasioderma Serricorne. The tobacco weevil can eat through the cigar leaving small round holes. If you lightly tap the foot of the cigar onto a white piece of paper, you will see very fine brown dust. If you find any suspicious cigars, isolate the whole box from other cigars. Unfortunately you cannot smoke the damaged cigars. You can kill weevils by placing the box in the freezer in a sealed bag for three to four days, then transfer them to the fridge for a few hours and finally bring them back to room temperature. Discard any cigars that are damaged.