How to read a cigar band and spec sheet

Every review here, and every retailer page, lists the same handful of specs. Here's what they mean.

The three parts

• Wrapper: the outer leaf. It's the one you see and usually the biggest single influence on flavor.
• Binder: the leaf that holds the filler together under the wrapper.
• Filler: the leaves in the middle, often a blend from several regions or countries. Long filler means whole leaves running the length of the cigar. Short filler means chopped leaf, found mostly in cheaper cigars, machine-made or bundled.

Size

Length is in inches. Ring gauge is the diameter in 64ths of an inch, so a 50 ring cigar is 50/64 of an inch across. A robusto is usually around 5 x 50, and a toro around 6 x 50 to 54. The shapes guide covers the rest.

Wrapper color and style

From light to dark you'll see Candela (green), Claro, Colorado, Maduro and Oscuro. Maduro means the leaf was fermented longer, which darkens it and usually adds sweetness. The wrappers guide covers each leaf.

Words you'll see

• Puro: every leaf in the cigar comes from one country.
• Habano or Cuban seed: on a non-Cuban cigar, leaf grown from Cuban seed outside Cuba. In Cuba, a Habano is simply a Cuban cigar.
• Box-pressed: squared off in the box or a press, which changes how it feels in the hand and how it burns.
• Figurado: any shape other than a straight cylinder, like a torpedo or perfecto.
• Strength: how much kick the smoke has, from mild to full.
• Body: how rich and dense the flavor is. It's separate from strength, and a cigar can be full-bodied and still mild, the way a wine can be rich without being high in alcohol.

The band itself

The main band carries the brand. A second band, often lower on the cigar or at the foot, names the line or marks a special release. You can smoke with the band on, and if you want it off, wait until the cigar has warmed so the glue lets go without tearing the wrapper.