Last month, I put together a list of cigar terms and slang that new smokers might hear but do not understand. When you are first becoming a member of the cigar community, you might find yourself confused or feeling left out when hearing some of the terminologies.

I want everyone who wants to smoke cigars to feel comfortable and like a member of the group, so to ease the transition, I’ve put together another list of the cigar terms and slang you might need to know.  It is important to note, that even though through this list, you might know the terms, it is important for you to experience them and understand them on your own.  This is more like a cliff notes version to help get you in the door.

The most common piece of advice given to the new cigar smoker is not to inhale the cigar.  Unlike a cigarette, cigars are not meant to be inhaled. Instead, the smoke should be pulled into your mouth and then expelled the same way.  However, if you are looking to find the utmost flavor and the little nuances that a great cigar can offer, you can do something called retrohaling.

Retrohaling is when a small amount of smoke is pulled into your mouth but then exhaled through your nasal cavity.  Seeing as your nose and olfactory senses are responsible for a good amount of your sense of taste, this can really expand your flavor experience with a cigar.  Not everyone retrohales, as it can be difficult for a new cigar to pull off without coughing. However, after you get the hang of it, it is the best way to get the optimal experience.

Ligero is a term you might hear quite often when smoking a fuller body or a stronger cigar.  Ligero actually refers not to a tobacco strain, but to the tobacco that grows at the top of the tobacco plant.  A tobacco plant ripens from the bottom up, so the top leaves take much longer to ripen.  They are exposed to more direct sunlight and therefore are much thicker and offer a heavier and spicier flavor.

Due to the increased strength and flavor, Ligero tobacco is usually placed in a cigar to beef up the strength and profile.  It is often placed at the front of a cigar so that the flavor will pull through and stay for the entire smoke.  Ligero has become much more popular over recent years, as stronger, fuller cigars have become the norm.

The cap of a cigar is simple to identify, as it is a piece of tobacco that covers the head to help secure the wrapper leaf in place.  While many people believe the wrapper is just one solid piece, the cap is often a small piece of wrapper tobacco that is placed on separately after the cigar has been rolled.

There are a few types of caps that are recognizable.  A triple cap, or Cuban cap, is seen with three distinct lines at the head of a cigar.  The cap is important to see where you want to cut the cigar.  Rule of thumb dictates to cut just above the cap line.  This ensures that the cap and wrapper will stay intact.

This is a term you might see a lot in review blogs or from a cigar review video.  The cold draw is the act of cutting a cigar and puffing on the end of it before you light it.  This might seem ridiculous and pointless, but usually, it is a preferred process when doing a detailed cigar review.

A cold draw will give you some hints at the flavors to come when you light the cigar.  While a burning cigar will taste different, a cold draw helps identify what your profile should be.