Italians on Italians
Beyond Toscano
Il Sigaro della Sera
As with many products of fine craftsmanship, cigars have a wide range of words and terms associated with them. While some are obvious and descriptive, others are a little more obscure. Here are some of the lesser-known expressions used to talk about cigars.
Bloom – like a flower reaching its peak, when a cigar has bloom, it’s likely to be at its best. Not to be confused with mold, bloom is white film or spots on the outer wrapper of a cigar caused by the drying resins.
Draw – the process of puffing on a cigar, the draw is the pull of smoke and flavor down the cigar by the mouth.
Hot – if your cigar has a fast draw and smoke passes too quickly through it, chances are it’s hot. In other words, it’s badly wrapped or the filling is too loose. No one wants a hot cigar.

Plug – sometimes a blockage in a cigar prevents a smooth draw, whatever’s causing it, it’s known as a plug.
Green – a cigar that hasn’t been aged properly before use, or has suffered from poor fermentation. Green cigars can often be improved in a humidor.

Puro – a cigar with the filler, binder and wrapper all coming from the same country – just like Toscano.
Marrying – the process of using a humidor to even out the consistency of a cigar, creating a consistent, even burn during smoking.