Glossary
The technical terms found in the Codex articles and in Vitolarium, one line each. Each term leads to the article that explains it best.
- Accordion
- A way of arranging the filler with the leaves folded, as Cigar Aficionado describes it. The folds stay inside the bunch and cannot be seen from the wrapper. Read the article
- Ageing
- The rest given to the leaf before it goes into a blend. The word is also used for keeping the finished cigar; the two stages are best recorded separately. Read the article
- Bale
- A package of prepared leaf. Habanos describes identifying bales with labels showing harvest, packing date and grading, among other details. Read the article
- Band
- An element that Habanos describes as part of each cigar“s presentation, alongside the box”s habilitaciones. Read the article
- Blend
- The combination of tobaccos a manufacturer uses for a cigar (in Spanish, ligada or mezcla); it covers the filler and the leaves that wrap it. It can bring together leaves from several countries, regions and positions on the plant. Read the article
- Blender
- The person who decides how leaves are combined in a blend. Their work is easier to study when the specification sheet reports each component. Read the article
- Bofetón
- The protective sheet of the traditional box, which Habanos describes alongside the box’s habilitaciones. Read the article
- Booking
- A way of arranging the filler by laying the leaves one over another, as Cigar Aficionado describes it. It is one of the techniques for building the inside of the bunch, along with accordion and entubado. Read the article
- Bunch
- The assembly formed by the filler laid on the binder. It goes through a mould before receiving the wrapper. Read the article
- Capa (wrapper)
- The outer leaf of the cigar, the one seen when looking at it; it provides the finish. Read the article
- Capote (binder)
- The leaf that wraps the filler, helps give it shape and holds the assembly beneath the wrapper. Some constructions use two leaves: a double binder. Read the article
- Chaveta
- One of the roller“s tools, alongside the work board and the instruments for measuring and cutting, in Habanos” description. Read the article
- Connecticut Shade
- Connecticut-seed tobacco grown under shade in the Connecticut River Valley, according to Cigar Aficionado; the cover favours a thin, flexible leaf used for wrapper. It is not the same as Connecticut-seed leaf grown in another country. Read the article
- Corojo
- A tobacco variety. A Cigar Aficionado report describes work with this variety on a farm belonging to the Eiroa family in the Jamastrán valley, Honduras. Read the article
- Curing
- The stage in which freshly harvested leaf, hung in tobacco barns, gradually loses moisture and turns from green to yellow and then brown. According to Cigar Aficionado, ventilation adjusts the conditions and the length depends on the climate and the material. Read the article
- Draw test
- A factory check that Habanos describes as suction applied to the bunch before the wrapper is put on. It adds to the inspection of weight, dimensions, consistency and finish. Read the article
- Entubado
- A way of arranging the filler by rolling each leaf into a small tube before the bunch is assembled. Cigar Aficionado links it to creating air passages. Read the article
- Escogida (colour sorting)
- Sorting cigars by wrapper colour before packing. Habanos describes an initial grading by colour and a later selection of shades so that each box has an even presentation. Read the article
- Fermentation
- A stage that follows curing. In Habanos’ explanation for filler and binder, the leaves are gathered into supervised piles where moisture and compaction generate heat. Read the article
- Filetes
- Elements of the box that run along its edges; Habanos counts them among the habilitaciones. Read the article
- Filler, binder and wrapper
- The English terms used on many specification sheets. Their Spanish equivalents are tripa, capote and capa. Read the article
- Habilitaciones
- Habanos“ name for the traditional elements of a box”s presentation, such as the outer cover, the inner vista and the filetes along the edges. Read the article
- Head
- The part of the cigar that the roller finishes after covering it with the wrapper. Finishing it is one of the last steps of rolling. Read the article
- Humidor
- The container where the collection is kept. Its temperature and humidity are worth recording regularly; a new wooden one needs seasoning before it receives the cigars. Read the article
- Humidor seasoning
- The preparation a new wooden humidor needs before it receives the collection, because dry wood absorbs moisture. The procedure and how long it takes depend on the system chosen and its instructions. Read the article
- Hygrometer
- The instrument whose reading guides the monitoring of humidity in the humidor. It is worth checking it against a known reference and noting any deviation. Read the article
- Hygrometer calibration
- Checking a hygrometer against a known reference to detect how far its reading deviates. Boveda describes a test with its kit at 75 % relative humidity for at least 24 hours. Read the article
- Lector
- The person who read news and literature aloud in the rolling gallery while the torcedores worked. In Ybor City, according to the J.C. Newman museum, lectors were chosen by the workers themselves and paid for through their contributions. Read the article
- Lot
- In Vitolarium, a group of identical cigars that entered the collection together, with their date, humidor and days of rest.
- Machine-made
- A phrase that says how a cigar was made, not what material each component is made of. According to Cigar Aficionado, some machines work with natural wrapper and even long filler. Read the article
- Mata Fina
- A Brazilian variety used for wrapper, according to Cigar Aficionado, which places its cultivation in the Recôncavo, an area near the coast of north-eastern Brazil. Read the article
- Mould
- The tool the bunch goes through to take shape before receiving the wrapper. It marks an intermediate stage of rolling. Read the article
- Natural leaf
- Leaf that keeps the structure of the harvested and processed leaf. It is distinct from reconstituted leaf. Read the article
- Pilón
- A way of gathering leaves together during their preparation, before rolling. Joya de Nicaragua describes pilones of moistened leaves that build up heat as they transform. Read the article
- Primings
- Cigar Aficionado’s glossary term for the levels of leaves on the plant, which are harvested progressively from the lower ones upwards. Read the article
- Reconstituted (homogenised) leaf
- A sheet made from fragmented tobacco combined with a binding agent. According to Cigar Aficionado, it is used for the wrappers and binders of many machine-made cigars. Read the article
- Relative humidity
- The humidity percentage recorded, together with temperature, to monitor storage in the humidor. Habanos recommends 65–70 % for its cigars, at 16–18 °C. Read the article
- Reserva and Gran Reserva
- Habanos designations for productions whose leaf is aged before rolling: it states a minimum of three years for all the leaves in a Reserva, and five for a Gran Reserva. Read the article
- Resting
- The time a cigar rests: at the factory, before packing, and then in the keeper’s humidor. Vitolarium counts the days for each lot. Read the article
- Ring gauge
- The diameter of a cigar, in sixty-fourths of an inch: a 50 ring gauge equals 50/64 of an inch. In Spanish, cepo. Read the article
- Rolling
- Making a cigar by hand: bringing filler and binder together into a bunch, shaping it and covering it with the wrapper. Read the article
- Rolling gallery
- The space where the torcedores work. In the Ybor City workshops, the lector read news and literature there while they worked. Read the article
- San Andrés Negro
- A variety grown in the San Andrés valley, in Mexico. Cigar Aficionado describes it as harvested by cutting the plant and used for maduro leaves. Read the article
- Seco, viso and ligero
- Names for leaves according to the level of the plant they come from. Joya de Nicaragua places them, in that order, from the lower levels to the upper ones. Read the article
- Seed
- The seed type of a leaf, which may bear a place name and be grown in another country. In “Ecuador Connecticut”, the first term places the field and the second the seed. Read the article
- Shade-grown
- Growing under a cover that filters the light to obtain thinner, more elastic leaves, according to Cigar Aficionado’s glossary. In Spanish, cultivo bajo sombra. Read the article
- Storage
- Keeping the finished cigar, in the humidor. It is distinct from ageing the leaf before rolling. Read the article
- Stripping
- Removing the central vein of the leaf, also called despalillado. According to Cigar Aficionado, it is complete for wrapper and binder leaves and partial for filler. Read the article
- Tapado
- The cloth cover, which filters the light, under which Habanos grows wrapper leaf. For filler and binder, Habanos describes growing in the sun. Read the article
- Tasting
- In Vitolarium, the record of a cigar: cold, by thirds, with a score and notes.
- Third
- In Vitolarium, each of the three parts a tasting is divided into, from the foot to the head.
- Torcedor
- The roller who turns prepared leaves into a cigar of defined dimensions: preparing the wrapper, covering the cigar, finishing the head and adjusting the length. Read the article
- Tripa (filler)
- The leaves that form the core of the cigar; in Habanos’ explanation, they play different roles within the blend. Read the article
- Vista
- The inner element of the box that Habanos lists among the habilitaciones. It can be lost or altered while the box remains in use. Read the article
- Vitola
- The format of a cigar: length, diameter and shape. Names such as robusto or corona help, but the format is identified by the measurements the manufacturer publishes. Read the article
- Vitola de galera
- The name of a format used in the factory, in Habanos’ distinction. It may or may not match the vitola de salida. Read the article
- Vitola de salida
- The name under which a format is sold, in Habanos’ distinction. It may or may not match the vitola de galera. Read the article
