A pilón is a way of gathering leaves together during their preparation. The term appears in factory explanations and helps to identify a stage that takes place before rolling.

Joya de Nicaragua describes leaves arranged in pilones, with moisture and heat linked to their transformation. This explanation places the work on the already harvested tobacco within the path towards production.

The distinction is useful when touring a factory. The leaves gathered in processing are still part of the raw material, while the cigars in the humidor have already gone through rolling. A pilón and a box of cigars can be seen on the same tour, but their conditions belong to different tasks and moments.