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Home | Cigar Glossary | B

Cigar Glossary - B

Barrel

The main body of the cigar, between the head and foot.

In high-quality cigars the cigar body should be straight and smooth. Any visible leaf canes or other blemishes, including some roughness, indicates a low-quality cigar.

A cigar’s barrel should also be elastic. If you lightly press a cigar between your fingers, you should not feel any stiff areas. The stiffness may be due to very tight rolling, which will negatively affect the cigar suction and burning.

However, a cigar that is too soft can burn too quickly. Single stiff spots can be treated with careful and gentle finger work.

See also Body.

Belicoso

A sub-category of the Figurados cigar shapes.

Traditionally, the Belicoso is a small, pyramid-shaped cigar, 5 to 5 1/2 inches in length, with a rounded head. The Belicoso has a ring gauge of 50 or less.

Belicoso is often used to describe a Corona or Corona Gorda with a tapered head.

Binder

One of the three main components in a cigar.

The binder is a tobacco leaf underneath the wrapper that secures the filler. On a quality cigar, it is usually one piece of tobacco, but it could sometimes be a half-leaf of tobacco or pieces of chopped tobacco processed into sheet form.

Blend

The mixture of different types of tobacco in a cigar, which could include up to five types of filler leaves, a binder leaf and an outer wrapper. The blend provides each cigar with its unique character.

Bloom

A harmless, fine white powder that forms on the wrapper of the cigar.

This naturally occurring phenomenon is caused by oils in the tobacco leaves rising to the surface during a cigar’s aging process. Bloom can be gently brushed off a cigar.

Also called plume, bloom indicates the cigar is alive and maturing inside a well-maintained humidor. Some consider the presence of bloom as a sign of a well-aged cigar. It is also indicative of a stronger smoke.

Bloom should not be confused with cigar mold, which is bluish-green and stains the wrapper. Mold cannot be wiped off a cigar.

Blue Mold

A damaging fungus that forms on the tobacco leaf. Under the right conditions, it can ruin an entire tobacco field in a matter of days.

Blue mold flourishes in cool, cloudy weather with light rain. Tobacco leaves affected by blue mold have small round blemishes.

Body

The middle part of the cigar. Also called the barrel.

A cigar’s body also refers to its strength or intensity, and should not be confused with the flavour of a cigar. A cigar that is full-bodied would be perceived as “strong”, but not necessarily as “flavorful”.

For example, Sancho Panza, and Rey Del Mundo Cuban cigars are considered to be to quite strong (full bodied), but not very flavorful. Many Montecristos, characterized by their complex “taste” (full flavor) are relatively mild.

Boîte Nature

The cedarwood box in which many cigars are sold.

Book Style

A rolling method where the filler leaves are laid atop one another, then folded by hand along their length. This allows a passage through which the smoke can be drawn when the cigar is lit.

The name of this method (also called “booking”) comes from how the filler leaves would resemble the pages of a book if one were to slice open a cigar lengthwise.

Many cigar lovers believe this method of cigar rolling, due to the heavier concentration of filler along the fold, causes the cigar to burn unevenly. As a result, the taste of tobacco is not evenly distributed throughout the cigar.

See also Entubar.

Bouquet

The smell of an unlit cigar.

Cuban cigars have a certain bouquet that is quite distinct. According to some, only the slightest hint of ammonia should be present when you open a box of Cuban cigars. If the smell of ammonia is more pronounced, chances are the cigars are fake Cubans.

Badly stored cigars will lose their bouquet.

See also Ammonia.

Box-pressed

The slightly square appearance cigars take when they are packed tightly in a cigar box.

The practice of box-pressing cigars originated in Cuba. There are two methods of box-pressing - standard box-pressing and trunk-pressing.

Standard box-pressing has cigars tightly packed into the boxes, so that over time the cigars conform to the shape of the cigar box.
Trunk-pressing uses a wooden trunk press that has about 10 shelves; each shelf hold approximately 25 cigars. Once the cigars are put in place, the press is closed and clamps are used to apply pressure to the cigars. Trunk-pressing produces a very pronounced boxy shape.

Standard box-pressing is more common than trunk-pressing because it is less time-consuming.

Bulk

A large pile of tobacco leaves being fermented.

It is extremely important that all that tobacco leaves in a bulk have the exact same texture, so that they ferment with uniformity. Otherwise, it could ruin the entire process.

See also Burro, Fermentation.

Bull's-Eye Piercer

A type of cutter that pierces a hole in the end of a cigar without removing the cap.

A bull's eye piercer uses a cutter with a hollow tip that is turned in a circular manner, creating a circular opening like the bull's eye of a target.

When using a bull’s eye piercer, you don’t want to penetrate too deeply into the cigar. A large, exposed surface of cleanly cut filler leaves is needed so there can be an equal draw from the core and the rim of the cigar.

See also Bullet Cutter.

Bullet Cutter

A cigar punch to open a cigar.

Bullet cutters make a small, circular opening in the cap of a cigar. Bullet cutters are ideal for Parejos or straight-sided cigars, and for those who dislike the taste of a cut head, preferring the feel of a smoother cigar cap.

Unfortunately, bullet cutters are almost impossible to use on a Belicoso, Torpedo or Pyramid cigars. The small opening can worsen the accumulation of moisture and tars near the head of the cigar, making the cigar more likely to be bitter early.

See also Bull’s Eye Piercer.

Bunch

Refers to the cigar when the blend of the filler leaves has been rolled into the binder, but before the application of the wrapper leaf.

Up to four different types of filler leaves are blended to create the body of the cigar.

Bundle

A method of packaging cigars using cellophane instead of a cigar box.

A bundle usually contains between 25 and 50 cigars, usually without cigar bands. Because they contain the seconds of premium brands, cigar bundles tend to be of lesser quality. As a result, they are also less expensive than boxed cigars.

See also Amatista Jar, Cigar Box, Tubos.

Burro

Carefully monitored, fermenting piles of tobacco leaves.

Also called a bulk, a burro can be as tall as a person. Monitored closely during fermentation, if the heat level inside one gets too high (over 110°F), the burro is taken apart to slow the fermentation.