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Acetic- Wines, no matter how well made, contain quantities of acetic acidity that have a vinegary smell. If there is an excessive amount of acetic acidity, the wine will have a vinegary smell and be a flawed, acetic wine.
Acidic- Wines need natural acidity to taste fresh and lively, but an excess of acidity results in an acidic wine that is tart and sour.
Acidity- The acidity level in a wine is critical to its enjoyment and livelihood. The natural acids that appear in wine are citric, tartaric, malic, and lactic. Wines from hot years tend to be lower in acidity, whereas wines from cool, rainy years tend to be high in acidity. Acidity in a wine can preserve the wine's freshness and keep the wine lively, but too much acidity, which masks the wines flavors and compresses its texture, is a flaw.
Aftertaste- As the term suggests, the taste left in the mouth when one swallows is the aftertaste. This word is a synonym for length or finish. The longer the aftertaste lingers in the mouth (assuming it is a pleasant taste), the finer the quality of the wine.
Aggressive- Aggressive is usually applied to wines that are either high in acidity or have harsh tannins, or both.
Angular- Angular wines are wines that lack roundness, generosity, and depth. Wine from poor vintages or wines that are too acidic are often described as being angular.
Aroma- Aroma is the smell of a young wine before it has had sufficient time to develop nuances of smell that are then called its bouquet. The word aroma is commonly used to mean the smell of a relatively young, unevolved wine.
Astringent- Wines that are astringent are not necessarily bad or good wines. Astringent wines are harsh and coarse to taste, either because they are too young and tannic and just need time to develop, or because they are not well made. The level of tannins (if it is harsh) in a wine contributes to its degree of astringency.
Austere- Wines that are austere are generally not terribly pleasant wines to drink. An austere wine is a hard, rather dry wine that lacks richness and generosity. However, young Rhônes are not as austere as young Bordeaux.
Backward- An adjective used to describe (1) a young largely unevolved, closed, and undrinkable wine, (2) a wine that is not ready to drink, or (3) a wine that simply refuses to release its charms and personality.
Balance- One of the most desired traits in a wine is good balance, where the concentration of fruit, level of tannins, and acidity are in total harmony. Balanced wines are symmetrical and tend to age gracefully.
Barnyard- An unclean, farmyard, fecal aroma that is imparted to a wine because of unclean barrels or unsanitary winemaking facilities.
Berrylike- As this descriptive term implies, most red wines have an intense berry fruit character that can suggest blackberries, raspberries, black cherries, mulberries, or even strawberries and cranberries.
Big- A big wine is a large-framed, full-bodied wine with an intense and concentrated feel on the palate. Most red Rhone wines are big wines.
Blackcurrant- A pronounced smell of blackcurrant fruit is commonly associated with certain Rhone wines. It can vary in intensity from faint to very deep and rich.
Body- Body is the weight and fullness of a wine that can be sensed as it crosses the palate. Full-bodied wines tend to have a lot of alcohol, concentration, and glycerin.
Botrytis cinerea- The fungus that attacks the grape skins under specific climatic conditions (usually alternating periods of moisture and sunny weather). It causes the grape to become super concentrated because it causes a natural dehydration. Botrytis cinerea is essential for the great sweet white wines of Barsac and Sauternes. It rarely occurs in the Rhone Valley because of the dry, constant sunshine and gusty winds.
Bouquet- As a wine's aroma becomes more developed from bottle aging, the aroma is transformed into a bouquet that is hopefully more than just the smell of the grape.
Brawny- A hefty, muscular, full-bodied wine with plenty of weight and flavor, although not always the most elegant or refined sort of wine.
Briery- I think of California Zinfandel when the term briery comes into play, denoting that the wine is aggressive and rather spicy.
Brilliant- Brilliant relates to the color of the wine. A brilliant wine is one that s clear, with no haze or cloudiness to the color.
Browning- As red wines age, their color changes from ruby/purple to dark ruby, to medium ruby, to ruby with an amber edge, to ruby with a brown edge. When a wine is browning it is usually fully mature and not likely to get better.
Carbonic maceration- This vinification method is used to make soft, fruity, very accessible wines. Whole clusters of grapes are put into a vat that is then filled with carbonic gas. This system is used when fruit is to be emphasized in the final wine in contrast to structure and tannin.
Cedar- Rhone reds can have a bouquet that suggests either faintly or overtly the smell of cedar wood. It is a complex aspect of the bouquet.
Chewy- If a wine has a rather dense, viscous texture from high glycerin content, it is often referred to as being chewy. High-extract wines from great vintages can often be chewy, largely because they have higher alcohol hence high levels of glycerin, which imparts a fleshy mouth feel.
Closed- The term closed is used to denote that the wine is not showing its potential, which remains locked in because it is too young. Young wines often close up about 12-18 months after bottling, and depending on the vintage and storage conditions, remain in such a state for several years to more than a decade.
Complex- One of the most subjective descriptive terms used, a complex wine is a wine that the taster never gets bored with and finds interesting to drink. Complex wines tend to have a variety of subtle scents and flavors that hold one's interest in the wine.
Concentrated- Fine wines, whether they are light-, medium-, or full-bodied, should have concentrated flavors. Concentrated denotes that the wine has a depth and richness of fruit that gives it appeal and interest. Deep is a synonym for concentrated.
Corked- A corked wine is a flawed wine that has taken on the smell of cork as a result of an unclean or faulty cork. It is perceptible in a bouquet that shows no fruit, only the smell of musty cork, which reminds me of wet cardboard.
Cuvée- Many producers in the Rhone Valley produce special, deluxe lots of wine or a lot of wine from a specific grape variety that they bottle separately. These lots are often referred to as cuvées.
Decadent- If you are an ice cream and chocolate lover, you know the feeling of eating a huge sundae of rich vanilla ice cream lavished with hot fudge and real whipped cream. If you are a wine enthusiast, a wine loaded with opulent, even unctuous layers of fruit, with a huge bouquet, and a plump, luxurious texture can be said to be decadent.
Deep- Essentially the same as concentrated, expressing the fact that the wine is rich, full of extract, and mouth filling.
Delicate- As this word implies, delicate wines are light, subtle, understated wines that are prized for their shyness rather than for an extroverted, robust character. White wines are usually more delicate than red wines. Few Rhône red wines can correctly be called delicate.
Demi-muid- 650-liter Burgundy barrels which are essentially the equivalent of three regular barrels.
Diffuse- Wines that smell and taste unstructured and unfocused are said to be diffuse. When red wines are served at too warm a temperature they often become diffuse.
Double decanting- This is done by first decanting the wine into a decanter and then rinsing the original bottle out with non-chlorinated water and then immediately repouring the wine from the decanter back into the bottle. It varies with the wine as to how long you cork it.
Dumb- A dumb wine is also a closed wine, but the term dumb is used more pejoratively. Closed wines may need only time to reveal their richness and intensity. Dumb wines may never get any better.
Earthy- May be used in both a negative and a positive sense; however, I prefer to use earthy to denote a positive aroma of fresh, rich, clean soil. Earthy is a more intense smell than woody or truffle scents.
Elegant- Although more white wines than red are described as being elegant, lighter-styled, graceful, balance red wines can be elegant.
Extract- This is everything in a wine besides water, sugar, alcohol, and acidity.
Exuberant- Like extroverted, somewhat hyper people, wines too can be gushing with fruit and seem nervous and intensely vigorous.
Fat- When the Rhône has an exceptionally hot year for its crop and the wines attain a super sort of maturity, they are often quite rich and concentrated, with low to average acidity. Often such wines are said to be fat, which is a prized commodity. If they become too fat, that is a flaw and they are then called flabby.
Flabby- A wine that is too fat or obese is a flabby wine. Flabby wines lack structure and are heavy to taste.
Fleshy- Fleshy is a synonym for chewy, meaty, or beefy. It denotes that the wine has a lot of body, alcohol, and extract, and usually a high glycerin content. Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Hermitage are particularly fleshy wines.
Floral- Wines made from the Muscat or Viognier grape have a flowery component, and occasionally a red wine will have a floral scent.
Focused- Both a fine wine's bouquet and flavor should be focused. Focused simply means that the scents, aromas, and flavors are precise and clearly delineated. If they are not, the wine is like an out-of-focus picture-diffuse, hazy, and possibly problematic.
Forward- An adjective used to describe wines that are (1) delicious, evolved, and close to maturity, (2) wines that border on being flamboyant or ostentatious, or (3) unusually evolved and/or quickly maturing wines.
Foudre- Large oak barrels that vary enormously in size but are significantly larger than the normal oak barrel used in Bordeaux or the piece used in Burgundy. They are widely used in the Rhône Valley.
Fresh- Freshness in both young and old wines is a welcome and pleasing component. A wine is said to be fresh when it is lively and cleanly made. The opposite of fresh is stale.
Fruity- A very good wine should have enough concentration of fruit so that it can be said to be fruity. Fortunately, the best wines will have more than just a fruity personality.
Full-bodied- Wines rich in extract, alcohol, and glycerin are full-bodied wines. Most Rhône wines are full-bodied.
Garrigue- In the southern Rhône Valley and Provence, this is the landscape of small slopes and plateaus. This Provençal word applies to these windswept hilltops/slopes inhabited by scrub-brush and Provençal herb outcroppings. The smell of garrigue is often attributed to southern Rhône Valley wines. Suggesting more than the smell of herbes de Provence, it encompasses an earthy/herbal concoction of varying degrees of intensity.
Green- Green wines are wines made from under ripe grapes; they lack richness and generosity as well as having a vegetal character. Green wines are infrequently made in the Rhone, although vintages such as 1977 were characterized by a lack of ripening.
Hard- Wines with abrasive, astringent tannins or high acidity are said to be hard. Young vintages of Rhône wines can be hard, but they should never be harsh.
Harsh- If a wine is too hard it is said to be harsh. Harshness in a wine, young or old, is a flaw.
Hedonistic- Certain styles of wine are meant to be inspected; they are introspective and intellectual wines. Others are designed to provide sheer delight, joy, and euphoria. Hedonistic wines can be criticized because in one sense they provide so much ecstasy that they can be called obvious, but in essence, they are totally gratifying wines meant to fascinate and enthrall-pleasure at its best.
Herbaceous- Many wines have a distinctive herbal smell that is generally said to be herbaceous. Specific herbal smells can be of thyme, lavender, rosemary, oregano, fennel, or basil and are common in Rhône wines.
Herbes de Provence- Provence is known for the wild herbs that grow prolifically through- out the region. These include lavender, thyme, sage, rosemary, and oregano. It is not just an olfactory fancy to smell many of these herbs in Rhône Valley wines, particularly those made in the south.
Hollow- Also known as shallow, hollow wines are diluted and lack depth and concentration.
Honeyed- A common personality trait of specific white Rhône wines, a honeyed wine is one that has the smell and taste of bee's honey.
Hot- Rather than meaning that the temperature of the wine is too warm to drink, hot denotes that the wine is too high in alcohol and therefore leaves a burning sensation in the back of the throat when swallowed. Wines with alcohol levels in excess of 14.5% often taste hot if the requisite depth of fruit is not present.
Inox vats- This is the French term for stainless steel vats that are used for both fermentation and storage of wine.
Intensity- Intensity is one of the most desirable traits of a high-quality wine. Wines of great intensity must also have balance. They should never be heavy or cloying. Intensely concentrated great wines are alive, vibrant, aromatic, layered, and texturally compelling. Their intensity adds to their character, rather than detracting from it.
Jammy- When wines have a great intensity of fruit from excellent ripeness they can be jammy, which is a very concentrated, flavorful wine with superb extract. In great vintages such as 1961, 1978, 1985, 1989, 1990, and 1995, some of the wines are so concentrated that they are said to be jammy.
Kisselguhr filtration system- This is a filtration system using diatomaceous earth as the filtering material, rather than cellulose, or in the past, before it was banned, asbestos.
Leafy- A leafy character in a wine is similar to a herbaceous character only in that it refers to the smell of leaves rather than herbs. A wine that is too leafy is a vegetal or green wine.
Lean- Lean wines are slim, rather streamlined wines that lack generosity and fatness but can still be enjoyable and pleasant.
Lively- A synonym for fresh or exuberant, a lively wine is usually young wine with good acidity and a thirst-quenching personality.
Long- A very desirable trait in any fine wine is that it be long in the mouth. Long (or length) relates to a wine's finish, meaning that after you swallow the wine, you sense its presence for a long time. (Thirty seconds to several minutes is great length.) In a young wine, the difference between something good and something great is the length of the wine.
Lush- Lush wines are velvety, soft, richly fruity wines that are both concentrated and fat. A lush wine can never be an astringent or hard wine.
Massive- In great vintages where there is a high degree of ripeness and superb concentration, some wines can turn out to be so big, full-bodied, and rich that they are called massive. A great wine such as the 1961 or 1990 Hermitage La Chapelle is a textbook example of a massive wine.
Meaty- A chewy, fleshy wine is also said to be meaty.
Monocepage- This term describes a wine made totally of one specific varietal.
Monopole- Used to denote a vineyard owned exclusively by one proprietor, the word monopole appears on the label of a wine made from such a vineyard.
Morsellated- Many vineyards are fragmented, with multiple growers owning a portion of the same vineyard. Such a vineyard is often referred to as a morsellated vineyard.
Mouth-filling- Big, rich, concentrated wines that are filled with fruit extract and are high in alcohol and glycerin are wines that tend to texturally fill the mouth. A mouth-filling wine is also a chewy, fleshy, fat wine.
Musty- Wines aged in dirty barrels or unkept cellars or exposed to a bad cork take on a damp, musty character that is a flaw.
Nose- The general smell and aroma of a wine as sensed through one's nose and olfactory senses is often called the wine's nose.
Oaky- Many red Rhône wines are aged from 6 months to 30 months in various sizes of oak barrels. At some properties, a percentage of the oak barrels may be new, and these barrels impart a toasty, vanillin flavor and smell to the wine. If the wine is not rich and concentrated, the barrels can overwhelm the wine, making it taste overly oaky. Where the wine is rich and concentrated and the winemaker has made a judicious use of barrels, however, the results are a wonderful marriage of fruit and oak.
Off- If a wine is not showing its true character, or is flawed or spoiled in some way, it is said to be "off."
Overripe- An undesirable characteristic; grapes left too long on the vine become too ripe, lose their acidity, and produce wines that are heavy and balance. This can happen frequently in the hot viticultural areas of the Rhône Valley if the growers harvest too late.
Oxidized- If a wine has been excessively exposed to air during either its making or aging, the wine loses freshness and takes on a stale, old smell and taste. Such a wine is said to be oxidized.
Peppery- A peppery quality to a wine is usually noticeable in many Rhône wines that have an aroma of black or white pepper and a pungent flavor.
Perfumed- This term usually is more applicable to fragrant, aromatic white wines than to red wines. However, some of the dry white wines (particularly Condrieu) and sweet white wines can have a strong perfumed smell.
Pigéage- A wine making technique of punching down the cap of grape skins that forms during the beginning of the wine's fermentation. This is done several times a day, occasionally more frequently, to extract color, flavor, and tannin from the fermenting juice.
Plummy- Rich, concentrated wines can often have the smell and taste of ripe plums. When they do, the term plummy is applicable.
Ponderous- Ponderous is often used as a synonym for massive, but in my usage a massive wine is simply a big, rich, very concentrated wine with balance, whereas a ponderous wine is a wine that has become heavy and tiring to drink.
Precocious- Wines that mature quickly are precocious. However the term also applies to wines that may last and evolve gracefully over a long period of time, but taste as if they are aging quickly because of their tastiness and soft, early charms.
Pruney- Wines produced from grapes that are overripe take on the character of prunes. Pruney wines are flawed wines.
Raisiny- Late-harvest wines that are meant to be drunk at the end of a meal can often be slightly raisiny, which in some ports and Sherries is desirable. However, a raisiny quality is a major flaw in a dinner wine.
Rich- Wines that are high in extract, flavor, and intensity of fruit.
Ripe- A wine is ripe when its grapes have reached the optimum level of maturity. Less than fully mature grapes produce wines that are underripe, and overly mature grapes produce wines that are overripe.
Round- A very desirable character of wines, roundness occurs in fully mature wines that have lost their youthful, astringent tannins, and also in young wines that have soft tannins and low acidity.
Savory- A general descriptive term that denotes that the wine is round, flavorful, and interesting to drink. shallow- A weak, feeble, watery or diluted wine lacking concentration is said to be shallow.
Sharp- An undesirable trait, sharp wines are bitter and unpleasant with hard, pointed edges.
Silky- A synonym for velvety or lush, silky wines are soft, sometimes fat, but never hard or angular.
Smoky- Some wines, either because of the soil or because of the barrels used to age the wine, have a distinctive smoky character. Côte Rôtie and Hermitage often have a roasted or smoky quality.
Soft- A soft wine is one that is round and fruity, low in acidity, and has an absence of aggressive, hard tannins.
Spicy- Wines often smell quite spicy with aromas of pepper, cinnamon, and other well-known spices. These pungent aromas are usually lumped together and called spicy.
Stale- Dull, heavy wines that are oxidized or lack balancing acidity for freshness are called stale.
Stalky- A synonym for vegetal, but used more frequently to denote that the wine has probably had too much contact with the stems, resulting in a green, vegetal, or stalky character to the wine.
Supple- A supple wine is one that is soft, lush, velvety, and very attractively round and tasty. It is a highly desirable characteristic because it suggests that the wine is harmonious.
Tannic- The tannins of a wine, which are extracted from the grape skins and stems, are, along with a wine's acidity and alcohol, its lifeline. Tannins give a wine firmness and some roughness when young, but gradually fall away and dissipate. A tannic wine is one that is young and unready to drink.
Tart- Sharp, acidic, lean, unripe wines are called tart. In general, a wine that is tart is not pleasurable.
Thick- Rich, ripe, concentrated wines that are low in acidity are often said to be thick.
Thin- A synonym for shallow; it is an undesirable characteristic for a wine to be thin, meaning that it is watery, lacking in body, and just diluted.
Tightly knit- Young wines that have good acidity levels, good tannin levels, and are well made are called tightly knit, meaning they have yet to open up and develop.
Toasty- A smell of grilled toast can often be found in wines because the barrels the wines are aged in are charred or toasted on the inside.
Tobacco- Some red wines have the scent of fresh tobacco. It is a distinctive and wonderful smell in wine.
Troncais oak- This type of oak comes from the forest of Troncais in central France.
Unctuous- Rich, lush, intense wines with layers of concentrated, soft, velvety fruit are said to be unctuous.
Vegetal- An undesirable characteristic, wines that smell and taste vegetal are usually made from unripe grapes. In some wines, a subtle vegetable garden smell is pleasant and adds complexity, but if it is the predominant character, it is a major flaw.
Velvety- A textural description and synonym for lush or silky, a velvety wine is a rich, soft, smooth wine to taste. It is a very desirable characteristic.
Viscous- Viscous wines tend to be relatively concentrated, fat, almost thick wines with a great density of fruit extract, plenty of glycerin, and high alcohol content. If they have balancing acidity, they can be tremendously flavorful and exciting wines. If they lack acidity, they are often flabby and heavy.
Volatile- A volatile wine is one that smells of vinegar as a result of an excessive amount of acetic bacteria present. It is a seriously flawed wine.
Woody- When a wine is overly oaky it is often said to be woody. Oakiness in a wine's bouquet and taste is good up to a point. Once past that point, the wine is woody and its fruity qualities are masked by excessive oak aging.
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Amarillo - A tobacco leaf, yellow in color and grown in the shade, used for wrapping.
Amatista - A glass jar of either 25 or 50 cigars that is sealed tight and sold as being “factory fresh”.
AMS (American Market Selection) - A wrapper that is Claro-colored. The term was created by Cubari in the early to mid 1950s.
Baling - The process of taking fermented tobacco leaves and packing them into a bale. The bale covering is made of the sheath from palm trees and is then covered in burlap, where they will stay as they age and get relocated.
Band - A piece of paper wrapped around the cigar near the head, signifying which manufacturer made the cigar. Alongside the name, you can typically find the country it originated in, and whether or not the cigar was hand or machine made. Bands make good collectors items, and are nice to paste into a cigar diary.
Belicoso - There are two types of Belicoso - The JR is a shorter, pyramid shaped cigar ranging from 5 to 5 ½ inches in length. The head of the cigar tends to be short and tapered, and has a ring gauge of between 46 and 50. The regular Belicoso is six inches (sometimes longer) and sports a ring gauge of around 50, and likewise, has the same tapered head.
Binder - One of the three components that make up a cigar, the binder is a tough tobacco leaf that is used to hold the filler in place. Not to be confused with the wrapper.
Blending - The process of mixing tobaccos from different countries to achieve a desired flavor and strength. Cuba is the only country that does not blend from other countries, but instead uses regions within its own country to achieve the same effect.
Bloom - During the aging process, oils rise to the surface of the cigar, leaving behind a white powder. Also called plume, this powder does not harm the cigar and is easily brushed aside. If the powder has a blue tint, then it is mold.
Blowing a Cloud - Term popularized during the Elizabethan era that means to smoke a cigar or pipe.
Blue Mold - A bane of manufacturers, blue mold is a fungus of the airborne variety, capable of destroying entire crops within a very short period of time. Scientifically known as Peronospora tabacina, the fungus thrives in cooler temperatures and does well in light moisture.
Boite Nature - A plain looking cigar box used to sell cigars, such as the Excalibur. Made of a cedar wood. Boite Nature, for those of you who are curious, if French for “natural box”. In addition to cedar boxes, boxes can also be found covered in paper, cardboard, and basswood.
Booking - Popular in Honduras, booking is the method of stacking multiple filler leaves atop one another and rolling them as you would a parchment or scroll.
Bouquet - As the name infers, a cigars bouquet is the way it smells (or its nose). If a cigar is not stored properly or is too dry, it will lose its bouquet.
Boxing - This is the process used to place cigars in a package. Boxes can be found in a number of varities, including the Cabinet Selection, whereby a wooden box has a top that slides open and closed. You will find either 25 or 50 cigars in this type of box. There is also the 8-9-8 discussed above. The 13-Topper is flat and rectangular, sporting 13 cigars on the top (hence the name) a cedar block divider, and twelve on the bottom. When cigars are packed too tightly, they take on a look known as box-pressed. While most premium makers avoid this, some actually do it on purpose, to give a retro look to the cigar.
Bull’s Eye - A type of cutter used to puncture a target or bulls-eye shaped opening in the closed cigar head.
Bunch - Four types of tobacco that are bound together with a binder, creating the body of the cigar. Individuals who do this process are known as bunchers, and are typically apprentices to higher-level rollers.
Bundles - Sold in units of 10, 25, or 50, bundles are often seconds of premium cigars. Instead of being sold in boxes, these fellows are wrapped in plastic. They can be a good buy for the bargain hunter.
Burros - We mentioned bulks earlier. The burros is just that. Averaging around the site height as a man, these stacks of tobacco are monitored to ensure that their temperature never exceeds 110 degrees. To lower the temperature, they may be disassembled and reassembled with less tobacco, to ensure the fermentation process is not ruined.
Diademas - An eight inch long, cigar with a tapered head. You may find the foot to be open or closed, depending upon the cigar.
Double Claro - This is another name for the Candela.
Double Corona - A cigar that is between 7 ½ to 8 inches long with a ring gauge between 49 and 52. Also commonly known as the Prominente.
Draw - The draw, technically speaking, is the quantity of air that is pulled through your cigar when you puff on it. Hot means it is to easy to draw, and plugged means it is too difficult.
EMS (English Market Selection) - English Market selection denotes that a wrapper has a natural color wrapper (ie; not a lighter or darker shade).
Entubar - Another method of rolling cigars. Begun in Cuba, this method calls for the roller to roll the individual leaf back upon itself, bunching them all together when he is finished. It is said that this method creates both an even draw and an even burn, and is often favored to the booking method.
Escaparates - A cabinet used to cool and keep cigars while they are still at the factory. After being rolled, cigars are kept in an Escaparates for several weeks.
Fermentation - The process of composting tobacco under a very controlled process. Tobacco leaves are placed in large piles (remember bulking?) causing them to heat up and remove excess chemicals and concentrate the flavors.
Figurado - This Spanish word references cigars with shaped sizes, such as the pyramid and the torpedo.
Filler - This is another component of a cigar. The filler can consist of anywhere from two to five different types of filler tobacco. There are two fillers - long and short. Short means that the filler is made of scrap of tobacco and tells you that the cigar is most likely machine made. Long means that the filler is made up of long strands of tobacco leaf.
Finish - After you take a puff on a cigar, you may not a lingering taste. This is known as the Finish. The strength of your cigar determines the degree that you will notice this finish.
Flag Leaf - These are used in place of a cap, and are simply a continuation of the wrapper leaf, shaped to the head of the cigar.
Foot - The end of the cigar that you light.
Gorda - Gorda is a type of Corona cigar, that is around 5 5/8 inches long and sporting a ring gauge of 46. In case you were curious, Gorda is Spanish for fat.
Gran Corona - A rather large cigar, the Gran Corona is about 9 ¼ of an inch long, with a ring gauge of 47.
Gum - This is a sort of glue, made from vegetation, that holds the head of the wrapper around the bunch.
Habana - Habana has two meanings with regards to cigars. First, it means Havana, the capital of Cuba, the hub of cigar manufacturing in that country. Outside of Cuba, Habana is a type of cigar tobacco grown out of Cuban Seed in countries like the Honduras, Nicaragua, and Dominican Republic.
Habano - If you see this on a cigar band, it means that it is a Cuban cigar, though in truth, not every Cuban cigar will bare this insignia.
Half Wheel - A phrase referring to a bundle of 50 cigars.
Hand - A hand is a single tobacco leaf that is hung with other leaves to form a bulk.
Hand-Rolled - If you hear this in reference to a cigar, it can mean one of two things - the cigar has been made entirely by hand or a machine bunched the cigar and it was rolled by hand.
Handmade - A term used to describe a cigar that has been entirely made by hand, with no machine interference.
Head - The end of the cigar that you smoke from.
Herf - A group of cigar smokers that gather in a social setting, such as a bar, a restaurant, a cigar store, or a home.
Holder - Holders are used to “hold” your cigar while you smoke it. Mostly collectible items.
Homogenized Binder - Used in the production of cigarillos, Homogenize tobacco product is tobacco that is mashed up and blended with other binders.
Hot - Giving off a harsh flavor, hot cigars have a loose draw to them.
Humidor - This is where you store cigars, be it a box or an actual room, which was designed specifically to keep the relative humidity at 70 percent, and the temperature at around 70.
Hygrometer - This tool is used to tell the humidity level.
Inhale - A common misconception is that cigar smokers inhale. If you are reading this, you probably know that you should not.
Lance - A type of cutter, also known as a piercer, that places a hole in the closed part of your cigar.
Lector - This curious profession calls for someone that will read aloud to the cigar roller as they work.
Length - The size of your cigar, lengthwise, as measured in either inches or millimeters.
Ligero - Ligero is Spanish for light, and is one of the basic types of cigar filler. Known to be very rich and aromatic and found in man full-bodied cigars.
Lonsdale - A cigar that is around 6 to 6 ¾ inches in length with a ring gauge between 42 and 44, though in truth, this can vary even greater.
Machine-Made - Cigars that are made entirely by machine. These machine-made cigars use short filler and thicker wrappers (otherwise the machines would easily tear them) and are incapable of producing a premium cigar.
Maduro - A wrapper with a deep, reddish brown (some might even say black) color. Meaning ripe in Spanish, this cigar wrapper gets its dark color by tanning in the sun. Cooking and fermentation can also cause this color as well. And lastly, rumor has it that there even exist dyed Maduro wrappers…
Media Ruedas - This has the same definition as the Half-Wheel.
Mini Cigarillo - No, this is not a somehow smaller cigarillo; simply another name for a cigarillo.
Mold - In cigar lingo, mold can have two meanings. The first is fungal, as in the dreaded blue mold. The second is less sinister, and that is a mold that you place a bunch in to give a distinctive shape. Once in the mold, they are pressed, finishing off the process.
Oil - A cigar that has been well stored and humidified properly will produce oil. If you store them at around 70 relative humidity, you will see notice the distinctive sheen.
Olor - Olor is a wrapper, produced in the Dominican Republic, and used as both filler and a binder. It is very mild in flavor.
Oscuro - Usually from Brazil or Mexico, this cigar wrapper is black in color (darker than the maduro).
Packing - As the name implies, packing is the process of…well…packing your cigars. In terms of premium cigars, there are two ways manufacturers pack - square and round.
Panatela - Panatela is a cigar shape. Cigars of this type are long and thin.
Parejos - You can find this type of cigar in varieties such as the Corona and Lonsdales. They feature straight sides.
Partido - An area known for growing tobacco in Cuba.
Perfecto - Known for its bulging middle, this cigar is closed at both ends and features a round head.
Piloto Cubano - Grown in the Dominican Republic, this tobacco is grown from Cuban seeds. It is known for its rich, luxurious taste.
Pinch Test - To see if a cigar has been made well, one conducts the pinch test. Simple pinch the cigar between your thumb and index finger (not too hard!). You are looking for a firm response. If it is hard or too squishy, it is poorly made and not the cigar for you.
Pinhole Cutter - Another name for the drill cutter.
Planchas - Prior to being fermented, tobacco leaves are laid out on boards, known as Planchas.
Plug - If you notice that your cigar is not drawing properly, it could be do to a plug, or blockage, such as a rogue stem. Try giving your cigar a gentle massage and it might do the trick.
Plume - Another name for Bloom, or the white powder found on cigars as oil rises to the surface.
Pre-Castro - This refers to any Cuban cigars made prior to January of 1959, or after Fidel Castro took office.
Pre-embargo - Any Cuban cigar made prior to the US trade embargo against Cuba. This was initiated by John F. Kennedy in 1962.
Premium - A cigar brand that is magnificent in both construction and taste, and that is consistently the same from cigar to cigar, box to box. Always handmade.
Primings - A tobacco plant has rows of leaves, six to be exact, and these rows are known as primings. The number one priming is the one closest to the ground; number six at the top. This affects flavor because the primings closer to the top are stronger in flavor, due to their closeness to the sun.
Puncture Cutter - A tool used to remove a plug from the head of the cigar when pressed against it. The plug is typically ¼ of an inch in diameter and allows for large air hole.
Puro - In the olden days, the term Puro was used to separate a cigar from a cigarette. Nowadays, it refers to cigars that use tobacco from only one country (ie; not blended). Any Cuban cigar is a Puro.
Pyramid - This unique, tapering cigar shape features a wide and open foot and a head that is closed.
Ring Gauge - A unit of measurement measuring the diameter of a cigar in terms of 1/64 of an inch. For instance, a cigar that has a ring gauge of 32 is half an inch in diameter; 64 ring gauge means a full inch. Likewise, a 48 inch ring gauge is ¾ of an inch.
Robusto - A short, fat cigar. 5 or 5 ½ inches in length with a ring gauge between 48 and 50.
Rollers - The people that roll the cigars. Depending on the manufacturer, different rollers may do different aspects of the rolling, with the more experienced doing the more difficult tasks.
Rosado - A red-hued Cuban-seed wrapper. Found in Punch Rare Corojo, Aspira, and others.
Scissor Cutter - A straight cutting tool that looks like a pair of scissors.
Seco - Meaning dry in Spanish, Seco is medium-bodied filler.
Seconds - These are the rejects from a manufacturer. They are cigars that may have a big blemish or one so small that the untrained eye wouldn’t even notice. They are packaged cheaply and can make for a good deal.
Shade-Grown - Shade grown leaves are usually darker in color. They are grown beneath tapados, which also gives them a thinner, stretchier feel.
Shape - Not as simple as it may seem, shape is not just the shape of a cigar, but its shape in relation to its ring gauge. Examples include the Corona and Robusto.
Shoulder - The part of the cigar where the cap and body meet. Cutting into the shoulder of a cigar will make the cigar start to come undone.
Size - Another way of saying shape.
Smoke Shop - A tobacconist or store where they sell premium tobacco.
Smoking Time - The amount of time a cigar averages with regards to time it takes to smoke.
Special Solution - In order to ensure that water does not evaporate beyond the 70 percent relative humidity point in your humidifier, you should add a mix of 50 percent water, 50 percent propylene glycol. You should do this every three to six months as needed. In addition to preventing the evaporation, it also helps fight bacteria and mold.
Spill - If you want to avoid adding the taste of a candle or lighter fluid to your cigar, one method is to create a spill. A spill is a piece of cedar (usually from a cigar box that has been broken), which is then lit from the candle or lighter, and then used to light the cigar.
Straight Cut - This is another name for the guillotine cutter, which behaves in a similar fashion as the execution device of the same name.
Strength - Strength is how strong your cigar is - mild, medium, or full-bodied.
Stripping - When tobacco leaves are left intact, they continue to have chemical changes, even after being picked. To stop this from occurring, the stem is removed from the leaf, leaving behind two halves. Note that the leaf will continue to change and become mild after this.
Sugar - Tobacco contains natural stores of sugar. Lower priming tobacco leaves (those closer to the ground), contain more than high priming leaves. Dark tobacco leaves contain more sugar.
Sumatra - A mild, pleasant smelling and pliable wrapper grown in Indonesia. It is also grown in Ecuador from Indonesian seeds, making it more flavorful and letting it present a fuller bouquet. One such cigar is the Hoyo De Monterrey.
Sun-Grown - Tobacco grown in direct sunlight, resulting in darker colors.
Tapada - A cheesecloth tent, used to cover shade-grown tobacco.
Tercio - Palm bark used to wrap bales of tobacco so that it can ferment and be shipped. Also used in the Cuban curing process.
Tobacciana - Smoking collectibles.
Tooth - A grainy pattern on tobacco leaves.
Torcedores - Another name for a cigar roller.
Toro - A big cigar, around six inches in length and 50 in ring gauge.
Torpedo - A closed footed cigar that bulges in the center.
Totalamente A Mano - Meaning made completely by hand. Found inscribed on cigar boxes.
Tubos - Cigars that are packed in tubes.
Tunneling - An unpleasant effect where a cigar burns through the center, often due to improper lighting.
Vintage - The year the tobacco was harvested, not the year a cigar was made.
Vuelta Abajo - A region in Cuban renowned for its tobacco growing.
V-Cut - A type of cutter that leaves a v-shaped wedge in the cigar.
Wrapper - A tobacco leaf that is wrapper around the bunch and binder. The outside leaf of a cigar.
Young Tobacco - Tobacco that has not been properly aged, fermented, or cured. Beware, as it can make you sick.
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