Cigar Glossary
Short meanings for words this shop uses on a product, a filter, or a page. The letters above jump to that part of the list. A gray letter has no entry yet.
A
Accessory
Something you use with a cigar and do not smoke: a cutter, a lighter, an ashtray, fuel, a punch, or a small humidification piece. The Accessories list filters by that type.
Apparel
Clothing sold with the shop: a cap, a polo, a t-shirt, a hoodie, or a jacket. Size and color are the choices on the product.
Ashtray
A rest for a lit cigar. A wide groove holds the cigar so the ash does not fall on the table. How to choose one is on Ashtrays 101.
B
Binder
The leaf that holds the filler together, under the wrapper. You do not see it. It is part of how the cigar is built, not a flavor added later.
Brand
The name on the band. On a cigar or a humidor it is the product's own brand. On a sampler it is the brands of the cigars inside the pack.
C
Capacity
How many cigars a humidor is made to hold. The number is the attribute on the product: 20 is a 20-count humidor. The shop shows it as "20 Count". Filters and the "25 and under" shortcut use that number.
Cap
The small piece of wrapper that closes the head. Cut on the cap side of the seam, not through the body. See Cigar 101.
Cigar
A roll of tobacco with a filler, a binder, and a wrapper. You cut the head and light the foot. You do not inhale it.
Color
On apparel, the color of that item. A product can be sold in more than one.
Cutter
The tool that opens the head. A straight cut, a V cut, a punch, and a less common X cut open the cigar differently. See Cutters 101.
F
Factory second
A cigar with a small cosmetic flaw, sold for less than the regular line. The flaw is usually the look: an uneven wrapper shade, a small repair in the leaf, a band left off, or a shape that is slightly off. The draw and the burn should still be sound. It is not a dry cigar, a moldy one, or one with a cracked head. On this shop, factory seconds are sold under the house brand Cigar Shop, and the product is marked Factory second. You can filter for that flag.
Filler
The leaves bunched inside the cigar. Long filler is whole leaves. Short filler is pieces. The filler is most of what you taste.
Finish
On a humidor, the outside color or surface (a stain, a canvas, a paint). It is not the wood or fabric the box is made of. That is Material.
Flavored
Flavoring was added to the tobacco, such as vanilla, coffee, or a spirit. The product page names the flavor when we have it. An unflavored cigar has no added flavor. This is one of the three flags on a cigar.
Foot
The open end you light. The other end, the head, is the one you cut.
Form factor
The kind of humidor: a desktop box, a cabinet, or a travel case. It is the main way one humidor differs from another before you look at capacity.
G
Gift
A product we marked as suitable to give. The Gifts list is that flag, not a separate kind of product. A gift can be a cigar, a sampler, a humidor, or an accessory.
H
Handmade
Rolled by a person rather than a machine. The product says so when we know it. It does not, by itself, say the cigar is better.
Has tip
The head is finished with a small tip or a shaped cap you should notice before you cut. Cut only enough to open the draw. Cutting past the tip can split the wrapper. This is one of the three flags on a cigar.
Head
The closed end you put in your mouth. Cut it before you light the foot.
Humidor
A sealed box or case that holds cigars near a steady humidity, commonly about 70%. Capacity is how many it holds. Care of the box is Humidor 101.
Hygrometer
The gauge that reads the humidity inside a humidor. It is not the device that adds moisture. That is the humidifier.
L
Length
How long the cigar is, in inches, from head to foot. Together with ring gauge it is the size, written like 6 x 50.
Lighter
What you light the foot with. Butane or a match. A gasoline lighter changes the taste. See Lighters 101.
M
Maker
Who made the humidor, the lighter, or the other non-cigar product, when that is not the same word as the brand on a cigar.
Material
What the product is made of: cedar, ballistic nylon, metal. On a humidor this is separate from the finish color.
O
Origin
The country the cigar is associated with, such as Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, or Honduras. It is where the cigar is presented as coming from, and it is a filter on the cigar list.
P
Price per cigar
The price of one cigar in a pack or a box, so a five-pack and a box can be compared. It is a filter on cigars, not a sort. The sort is the price of the item you add to the cart.
Profile
How strong the cigar is, in the words this shop uses: Mild, Medium, or Full. The filter calls it strength. A sampler can say the profile varies when the cigars inside are not all the same.
R
Ring gauge
How thick the cigar is, measured in 64ths of an inch. A 64 ring gauge is one inch across. A 50 is a little over three quarters of an inch. A 32 is half an inch. The size on a product is length by ring gauge, such as 5 x 50.
S
Sampler
A pack of cigars chosen to try together, often more than one brand or shape. The pack size is how many cigars are in it. The brands are the cigars inside, not a brand of the box.
Shape
The vitola: the named format of a cigar, such as Robusto, Toro, or Torpedo. Straight shapes and tapered shapes are both shapes. The names this shop uses are on Cigar shapes.
Size
On a cigar, the length and the ring gauge together (6 x 50). On apparel, the clothing size of that item (S, M, L).
Strength
The same scale as Profile: Mild, Medium, or Full. A stronger cigar is not a better cigar. It is a heavier taste.
Sweet
The cigar was finished with a sweetened cap or a light sweetener. It is still a tobacco cigar. It is not the same as a flavored cigar. This is one of the three flags on a cigar.
W
Wrapper
The outer leaf. It is a large part of the aroma and the look. The color of that leaf is Wrapper color.
Wrapper color
How dark the outer leaf looks, from a pale claro to a dark maduro or oscuro. It is a clue to the taste, not a guarantee. A darker wrapper is often richer, and it can still be mild.