terms glossary

In a gentlemen’s world, there are few things as satisfying as knowing what cultured term to use at the right time. Form ordering a drink like James Bond to keeping up with a server’s fancy presentation of your evening’s possibilities, knowing what terms are being used in a connoisseur’s conversation is always a good thing.

cigar terms

common terms

band – a paper ring around the head of most cigars. Legend has it that cigar bands were invented by Spanish nobles to keep their gloves from being stained. Cigar bands are often printed with the name of the brand, country of origin, and/or indication that the cigar is hand-rolled. They often have colorful graphics, which have made them a popular collectors’ item.

binder – the portion of leaf used to hold together the blend of filler leaves; with the wrapper and filler, it is one of the three main components in a cigar.

box-pressed – the slightly square appearance taken on by cigars packed tightly in a box.

candela – a bright green shade of wrapper, achieved by a heat-curing process that fixes the chlorophyll content of the wrapper while it’s still in the barn. Also referred to as double claro.

cap – a circular piece of wrapper leaf placed at the head of the cigar.

churchill – a large Corona-format cigar.

corona – the most familiar size and shape for premium cigars: generally straight-sided with an open foot and a closed, rounded head.

cutter – a device for preparing a handmade cigar for smoking by piercing or removing its cap, or head.

double corona / prominente – a big cigar, generally 7 1/2 to 8 inches by a 49 to 52 ring gauge.

draw – the flow of smoke from a cigar.

filler – the individual tobacco used in the body of the cigar. A fine cigar usually contains between two to five different types of filler. Handmade cigars have long fillers where machine made cigars usually contain smaller-cut leaf.

finish – a tasting term which refers to the taste that lingers on your palate after a puff. Smooth cigars do not have much finish, either in terms of length or complexity, but stronger, more full-bodied cigars have distinctive flavors that linger.

gran corona – a very large cigar; generally 9 1/4 inches by 47 ring gauge.

head – the closed end of the cigar opposite from the end one lights.

hot – describes a cigar that is underfilled and has a quick, loose draw. Can cause harsh flavors.

humidor – a room or a box, of varying sizes, designed to preserve or promote the proper storage and aging of cigars by maintaining a relative humidity level of 70 percent and a temperature of approximately 65 to 70 F.

hygrometer – a device that indicates the humidity (percentage of moisture in the air; used to monitor humidor conditions.

lonsdale – a long cigar; generally 6 to 6 3/4 inches by a 42 to 44 ring gauge, but there are many variations.

maduro – a cigar, very dark brown in color (like black coffee). These are usually selected by experienced smokers. Thought of as the traditional Cuban color.

plug – a blockage that sometimes occurs in the tobacco that can prevent a cigar from drawing properly. A plug can sometimes be alleviated by gently massaging the cigar.

punch cutter – a category of cigar cutter that creates a hole in the closed head of a cigar. Gently twisting and pressing with just the right amount of pressure removes a small amount of cap, typically in the form of a circle.

ring gauges – the circumference of cigars. A measurement for the diameter of a cigar, based on 64ths of an inch. A 40 ring gauge cigar is 40/64ths of an inch thick.

robusto – a substantial, but short cigar; traditionally 5 to 5 1/2 inches by a 50 ring gauge.

shade-grown – Wrapper leaves that have been grown under a cheesecloth tent, called a tapado. The filtered sunlight creates a thinner, more elastic leaf.

sun-grown – tobacco grown in direct sunlight, which creates a thicker leaf with thicker veins.

torch lighter – a type of lighter that uses a jet of very hot flame to light your cigar. Typically uses triple-refined butane fuel. These are very handy for lighting outdoors.

torpedo – a cigar shape that features a closed foot, a pointed head and a bulge in the middle.

tunneling – the unwelcome phenomenon of having your cigar burn unevenly. To prevent it, rotate your cigar now and then.

vein – the rib of the tobacco leaf. A quality cigar should not be too veined.

wedge cut – a v-shaped cut made in the closed end of a cigar.

wrapper / capa – leaves with elasticity are used to restrain the filler within the cigar. Good wrappers usually have no visable veins. Colors vary due to the maturing process.

all terms

amatista – a glass jar containing 50 or 25 cigars, sealed and sold as factory fresh.

barrel – the main body of the cigar.

belicoso – traditionally a short, pyramid-shaped cigar, 5 or 5 1/2 inches in length with a shorter, more rounded taper at the head and a ring gauge of 50 or less. Belicoso is often used to describe Coronas or Corona Gordas with a tapered head.

binder – the portion of leaf used to hold together the blend of filler leaves; with the wrapper and filler, it is one of the three main components in a cigar.

blend – the mix tobacco in a cigar, including up to five types of filler leaves, a binder leaf and an outer wrapper.

boite nature – the cedar box in which many cigars are sold.

book style / booking – a rolling method by which the cigarmaker lays the filler leaves atop one another, then rolls them up like a scroll. Book style, or booking, is common in Honduras. The alternate style is based on the old Cuban method called entubar.

bouquet – the smell, or nose of a fine cigar. A badly stored cigars can lose its bouquet.

box – the container used to package cigars.

box-pressed – the slightly square appearance taken on by cigars packed tightly in a box.

bull’s-eye piercer – a device for opening the closed head of A cigar before smoking.

bunch – up to four different types of filler tobacco blended to create the body of the cigar. The bunch is held together by the binder.

bundle – a packaging method designed with economy in mind that uses a cellophane overwrap. It usually contains 25 or 50 cigars, traditionally without bands. Bundles, oftentimes seconds of premium brands, are usually less expensive than boxed cigars.

burros / bulks – the piles, or bulks, in which cigar tobacco is fermented. They can be six feet tall and are carefully monitored. If the heat level inside them gets too high, the burro is taken apart to slow the fermentation.

cabinet selection – cigars packed in a wooden box rather than the standard cardboard or paper-covered cigar boxes. These are preferable when buying cigars for aging.

candela – a bright green shade of wrapper, achieved by a heat-curing process that fixes the chlorophyll content of the wrapper while it’s still in the barn. Also referred to as double claro.

cap – a circular piece of wrapper leaf placed at the head of the cigar.

capa – the cigar’s wrapper (also called the binder).

capacity window – a small section of a lighter which allows you to easily see how much fuel is left in the lighter.

case – in the cigar production process, workers case (slightly moisten) aged tobacco so it will be easy for hand rollers to work with.

catador – a professional cigar taster who determines a cigar’s qualities of taste, texture and aroma.

chaveta – the knife used in a cigar factory for cutting the wrapper leaf.

churchill – a large Corona-format cigar.

claro – the lightest in color (like milky coffee) wrapper, usually smooth and is also sometimes called a “natural.”

colorado – a medium-brown to brownish-red shade of wrapper tobacco. Colorado cigars are usually aromatic and are associated with well-matured cigars.

corojos – plants chosen to provide wrapper leaves and grown under a gauze sunscreen.

corona – the most familiar size and shape for premium cigars: generally straight-sided with an open foot and a closed, rounded head.

culebra – a cigar made of three Panetelas braided together.

curing – the process of drying newly harvested tobaccos.

cutter – a device for preparing a handmade cigar for smoking by piercing or removing its cap, or head.

diademas – a big cigar with a closed and tapered head, generally about eight inches long; the foot may be open or closed like a Perfecto.

double claro – a cigar, greenish brown, from an unmatured leaf that was dried fast. These cigars are smooth or bland with little oil. (See Candela)

double corona / prominente – a big cigar, generally 7 1/2 to 8 inches by a 49 to 52 ring gauge.

draw – the flow of smoke from a cigar.

english market selection – a color designation for wrapper leaves that are somewhat lighter in color than Maduro, specially selected for taste and bouquet. Also referred to as Naturals.

entubar – a rolling method that originated in Cuba. Rather than booking the filler leaves, the roller folds each individual filler leaf back on itself, then bunches the leaves together. Proponents of this method say it creates superior airflow through the cigar, which results in a more even draw and burn.

escaparates – cooling cabinets in which cigars are kept at the factory for a few weeks after they have been rolled.

fermentation – after harvest, the tobacco leaves are gathered in large bulks (or piles), then moistenedand allowed to ferment. Temperatures may reach 140 F before the bulk is broken down and restacked until fermentation stops naturally. This process, called working the bulk, releases ammonia from the tobacco.

figurado – a Spanish term that refers to cigars with shapes sizes, such as Belicosos, Torpedos, Pyramids, Perfectos and Culebras.

flag – an extension of the wrapper leaf shaped to finish the head of a cigar; used instead of a cap. Flags are sometimes tied off in a pigtail or a curly head.

foot – the end of the cigar one lights. Most often it is pre-cut, except in the case of Torpedos and Perfectos.

gran corona – a very large cigar; generally 9 1/4 inches by 47 ring gauge.

gum – a vegetable adhesive used to secure the head of the wrapper leaf around the finished bunch.

habana – a designation which, when inscribed on a cigar band, indicates that a cigar is Cuban. (Note: not all Cuban cigars are marked with “Habana” or “Havana.”)

half-wheel – a bundle of 50 cigars. Cigar rollers usually use ribbon to tie the cigars they produce into half-wheels.

hand – individual tobacco leaves hung together after harvest and tied at the top. These hands are piled together to make a bulk for fermentation.

handmade – a cigar made entirely by hand with high-quality wrapper and long filler. All premium cigars are handmade. Hand-rollers can generally use more delicate wrapper leaves than machines.

hand-rolled – a cigar made entirely by hand with high-quality wrapper and long filler.

head – the closed end of the cigar opposite from the end one lights.

homogenized binder – binder made of chopped tobacco leaf and cellulose; used most often in machine production and to facilitate the burn of certain products.

hot – describes a cigar that is underfilled and has a quick, loose draw. Can cause harsh flavors.

hygrometer – a device that indicates the humidity (percentage of moisture in the air; used to monitor humidor conditions.

lance – a cutter used to pierce a small hole in the closed end of a cigar. Also called a piercer.

lector – traditionally, the person who reads to the cigar rollers while they work.

ligero – one of the three basic types of filler tobacco. The name means light in Spanish, but this aromatic tobacco lends body to a blend.

long filler – filler tobacco that runs the length of the body of the cigar, rather than chopped pieces found in machine-made cigars.

lonsdale – a long cigar; generally 6 to 6 3/4 inches by a 42 to 44 ring gauge, but there are many variations.

machine-made – cigars made entirely by machine, using heavier-weight wrappers and binders and, frequently, cut filler in place of long filler.

maduro – a cigar, very dark brown in color (like black coffee). These are usually selected by experienced smokers. Thought of as the traditional Cuban color.

oil – the mark of a well-humidified cigar. Even well-aged cigars secrete oil at 70 to 72 percent relative humidity, the level at which they should be stored.

oscuro – a cigar, black, very strong with little bouquet and are not produced in large quantities.

panetela – a long, thin cigar shape.

parejos – straight-sided cigars, such as coronas, panetelas and lonsdales.

perfecto – a distinctive cigar shape that is closed at both ends, with a rounded head; usually with a bulge in the middle.

piercer – a cutter used to pierce a small hole in the closed end of a cigar. Also called a lance.

planchas – boards on which tobacco leaves are spread before fermentation.

plug – a blockage that sometimes occurs in the tobacco that can prevent a cigar from drawing properly. A plug can sometimes be alleviated by gently massaging the cigar.

primings – the rows of leaves on a tobacco plant. The number of primings varies, but six is average. The first priming is closest to the ground, the sixth is near the top. The higher the, priming the stronger the tobacco.

puro – a Spanish term used to distinguish a cigar from a cigarette. Modern usage refers to a cigar blended with tobaccos from a single country. (All Cuban cigars use 100 percent Cuban tobacco, so all Cuban cigars, according to modern usage, are puros.)

pyramid – a sharply tapered cigar with a wide, open foot and a closed head.

ring gauges – the circumference of cigars. A measurement for the diameter of a cigar, based on 64ths of an inch. A 40 ring gauge cigar is 40/64ths of an inch thick.

robusto – a substantial, but short cigar; traditionally 5 to 5 1/2 inches by a 50 ring gauge.

rosado – a Spanish term that means “rose-colored.” It is used to describe the reddish tint of some Cuban-seed wrapper.

seco – the Spanish word for dry, seco is a type of filler tobacco. It often contributes aroma and is usually medium-bodied.

shade-grown – Wrapper leaves that have been grown under a cheesecloth tent, called a tapado. The filtered sunlight creates a thinner, more elastic leaf.

short filler – used mainly in machine-made cigars, it consists of chopped scraps of leaf. Short filler burns quicker and hotter than long filler.

smoking time – a 5-inch cigar with a 50 ring gauge, such as a robusto, should provide anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes of smoking pleasure. A double corona, a 7 1/2-inch cigar with a 50 ring gauge, may give over an hour’s worth of smoking time. A thinner cigar, such as a lonsdale, smokes in less time than a cigar with a 50 ring gauge.

shoulder – the area of a cigar where the cap meets the body. If you cut into the shoulder, the cigar will begin to unravel.

spanish cedar – the kind of wood that is used to make most cigar boxes and humidors.

spill – a strip of cedar used to light a cigar when using a candle or a fluid lighter, both of which can alter the taste of the cigar.

sugar – sugars occur naturally in tobacco. Darker wrappers, such as maduros, contain more sugar, making them sweeter.

sun-grown – tobacco grown in direct sunlight, which creates a thicker leaf with thicker veins.

tapado – a cheesecloth tent under which shade-grown wrapper leaf is cultivated.

torcedores – a person who rolls cigars.

torch lighter – a type of lighter that uses a jet of very hot flame to light your cigar. Typically uses triple-refined butane fuel. These are very handy for lighting outdoors.

torpedo – a cigar shape that features a closed foot, a pointed head and a bulge in the middle.

tubos – cigars packed in individual wood, metal or glass tubes to keep them fresh.

tunneling – the unwelcome phenomenon of having your cigar burn unevenly. To prevent it, rotate your cigar now and then.

vega – a tobacco plantation.

vein – the rib of the tobacco leaf. A quality cigar should not be too veined.

vintage – when a vintage is used for a cigar, it usually refers to the year the tobacco was harvested, not the year the cigar was made.

viso – a glossy wrapper leaf grown under cover.

volado – a type of filler tobacco chosen for its burning qualities.

wedge cut – a v-shaped cut made in the closed end of a cigar.

wrapper / capa – leaves with elasticity are used to restrain the filler within the cigar. Good wrappers usually have no visable veins. Colors vary due to the maturing process.

For an even more comprehensive list of cigar terms, visit https://www.cigaraficionado.com/glossary.

pipe terms

common terms

acrylic – In pipe parlance, acrylic stems are those made of polymers of acrylic acid or acrylates, most often polymethyl methacrylate, also called acrylic glass. Some prefer this material for pipe stems due to the lack of oxidation, while others prefer a traditional vulcanite stem due to softness.

aging – The term used to describe the tendency of pipe tobacco to improve over time through either aerobic or anaerobic fermentation. The term is used interchangeably to describe increased sweetness on the part of Virginias, mellowing on the part of Latakia, or a generally more complete melding of the blend. The effect is often simulated through the use of heat or pressure.

aromatic – A type of tobacco which is either cased or top flavored in order to produce a taste and room note other than the tobacco’s natural smell, whether simply sugar or molasses, whiskey or other alcohols, or many other flavorings. Used as a major category for pipe tobaccos, along with non-aromatic and latakia based blends.

ent pipe – A generic term used to refer to any pipe where the shank is not a straight horizontal line, regardless of the nature or amount of the shank bend.

bit – A less than precise term, usually used to refer to the entirety of the stem or mouthpiece on a pipe, but occasionally also used to refer to the bite zone.

bite zone – The last approximately three quarters of an inch of the mouthpiece or stem of a tobacco pipe, including the button.

bloom – Also referred to as plume, bloom is a fine white powder which appears on well aged tobacco on occasion, and despite the tendency to confuse it with mold is actually a good sign that the leaf is maturing well. Bloom is caused by the crystallization of sugars on the surface of the tobacco leaf.

briar – Actually a mistranslation of the French bruyère, briar among pipe smokers refers to the wood of the erica arborea, a species of flowering plant in the heather family. After 30 to 60 years of growing time, the football sized plants are harvested, cooked, dried for several months, and further processed before they are made into pipes.

burnout – A term used to refer to a possible condition in estate pipes which, short of extraordinary effort on the part of a capable restorer, generally means the death of a particular pipe. A burnout is a spot where char has actually penetrated or begun to penetrate the outer layer of the bowl. Usually caused by hot smoking, although some claim burnout is always the fault of an unseen flaw in the briar. Uneven packing can also result in one spot suffering more damage than others. While most smokers stop smoking a particular pipe when burnout begins to appear, some continue smoking until they have burned straight through a wall or the foot of the pipe.

button – The button is the raised portion at the end of a pipe mouthpiece or stem intended to permit the teeth purchase to hold the pipe.

cake – Cake refers to the buildup of residual carbon that forms in the bowl of a pipe. Most recommend trimming back the buildup to keep it at roughly the width of a dime in a briar pipe in order to create a protective layer which cools the pipe and reduces moisture. Cake is frowned upon in meerschaums, and the subject of much debate among corn cob pipe smokers.

casing – Whether sprayed with or soaked in a sauce, casing refers to the addition of flavoring, sugar or the like prior to the finishing of the tobacco, as opposed to top-flavoring, which is added by spraying the finished blend with scents and flavors.

char – Used to refer to wood that has actually begun to burn, usually at the start of a burnout in a bowl or, far more likely and most often due to lighter abuse, at the rim.

cigar leaf – A generic term used to describe a great many different types of leaf primarily used in cigars which are also included in pipe tobacco. Connecticut Broadleaf and Cuban-Seed Varietals are frequently used among others to add flavor to a blend.

coin – A term used to refer to a single slice of tobacco cut from a rope or twist, and resembling a flake, except that it is round and often thinner.

curly cut – A term used to refer to tobacco which has been sliced from rope or twist tobacco into thin “coins”, similar to flakes excepting that they are thinner and round.

cut – Pipe tobacco may be cut as shag, ribbon, flake, plug, rope, discs, coins, or in other forms. These terms simply refer to the manner in which the finished product is reduced into a small enough size to consume. The most common cut is ribbon cut.

czech tool – Also called a 3-way pipe tool, a combined tamper, shank clearing tool and dottle spoon on a single rotating rivet. Called a Czech tool for the original country of manufacture of most of the tools, they are largely Chinese made today.

delayed gratification technique – Or DGT, the habit of some pipe smokers to light a pipe and leave it to sit for hours or even days before completing the smoke. Many blends gain a far different taste profile from this technique which some find pleasant.

dottle – The leftover plug of unburnt tobacco and ash left in the heel of a pipe bowl after smoking. Dottle is avoided by smokers as a waste of tobacco and occasionally souring of the bowl, but is sometimes unavoidable.

draught hole – Also Draft Hole, the point at which the airway enters the bowl of the pipe, preferably in the center back of the heel to avoid leaving excessive dottle.

fill – A void, pit or flaw in the briar which is made level with the surface of the pipe with either putty or a mix of briar dust and cyanoacrylate glue and which, despite staining, is often visible on close inspection.

fire-cured – Unlike flue-cured tobacco, which is cured by indirect heat without smoke, fire-cured tobacco is cured with smoke, in the tobacco equivalent of barbecuing. Dark Fired Kentucky and Latakia are both fire-cured, and the process results in lower sugars and higher nicotine in the leaf.

flake – Flake tobacco is made by slicing thin sheets off of a cube, which in turn is formed by pressing whole tobacco leaves into a compressed form, usually under significant pressure for long periods of time. Flake tobacco may be sold in slices, or fully or partially broken or rubbed out.

flue-cured – Flue-cured tobacco is cured by heat without smoke, generally by being hung from sticks in a barn exposed to heat from external fires through flues. Traditionally the method for curing brightleaf tobacco, this method results in sweeter leaf with lower nicotine.

foot – The bottom of the outside of the bowl, as opposed to the heel, which is the bottom of the inside of the bowl.

ghost – A ghost is the taste or smell of a previously smoked tobacco remaining in a pipe and coloring the taste of a different blend smoked in the same pipe. Generally the cause of tar in the shank, but usually blamed on cake.

gravity fill method – Also called the Three Step Method, this is the method of packing a pipe most often taught to new smokers, and involves drizzling enough tobacco into the bowl to cover the heel, tamping very lightly, followed by drizzling tobacco to the rim twice and tamping after each time, with more pressure the on the last.

hand – A hand is a bundle of tobacco tied at the end and hung from the knot for curing purposes.

heel – The heel is the bottom of the combustion chamber, the inside of the bowl.

intricate curve – In pipemaking, a term sometimes used to describe the transition from the rear wall of the bowl to the top of the shank.

kentucky – Dark-Fired Kentucky is a type of pipe tobacco made from burley which is cured over a fire and flavored by its smoke.

latakia – Named for the principal port city of Syria, latakia is not a specific plant varietal, but rather one of a number of Turkish varietals which are fire cured over a stone pine or oak wood fire, giving it a smoky flavor. Most latakia, despite the name, is now grown in Cyprus, not Syria, and camel dung has nothing to do with the process of its creation.

maryland – An extremely mild tobacco used in a number of American tobacco blends, especially to add a nutty flavor to Burley. Sadly the state of Maryland now pays farmers not to grow tobacco.

meerschaum – A mineral hydrous magnesium silicate called sepiolite, primarily found in Turkey near Eskisehr, which is used in the making of tobacco pipes. The word means “seafoam”.

melding – The term used to refer to a tobacco blend’s property to acquire a single homogeneous taste over time, as a result of aging in an airtight container.

mellowing – Particularly used in referring to Latakia’s tendency to be less overpowering after some aging, the term is sometimes used to refer to a general tendency of tobacco to become more smooth with age.

mortise – A mortise is at its most basic a hole cut or drilled to accept a smaller tenon and make a joint. The joint has been used in woodworking for thousands of years, and in pipe construction generally appears as a hole drilled larger than the airway and at the same depth as the stem tenon. Variations, however, are unlimited.

mouthpiece – A term used interchangeably with stem and to a lesser degree bit, the mouthpiece is the portion of the pipe meant to be placed in the smoker’s mouth, and includes the entire pipe from the end of the shank to the slot. Often made from vulcanite or lucite/acrylic.

pipe – A tube with a small bowl at one end used for the smoking of tobacco.

pipe nail – The simplest form of pipe tool is the venerable Pipe Nail, which generally looks much like its namesake, one end flat to tamp with and another coming to a point or spoon for clearing ash and tar.

pit – Briar grows underground and as such is prone to picking up bits of sand which create a void in the block, sometimes not noticeable until the pipe is nearly finished. Traditionally pits, or sand pits, would simply be filled with putty and stained over for a value-priced pipe.

p-lip – A type of pipe mouthpiece invented by Peterson of Dublin and relying on a small hole on the top of a stem rather than a hole at its end. Meant to reduce tongue bite by directing the flow of smoke away from the tongue.

plug – Whole leaf, pressed with moisture, becomes a plug, from which flakes can be sliced. Plug tobacco is prepared by slicing off and then rubbing out pieces of the block of tobacco.

push / pull – The term generally used to describe a two-part mortise and tenon system used in meerschaum pipes and developed by Andreas Bauer originally. A push/pull consists of a threaded Delrin tenon and a separate threaded plastic mortise. The preferred method of connecting stem and shank in meerschaum pipes, which lack the durability for long-term use of a standard mortise/tenon connection.

reaming – Trimming back cake from the bowl of a tobacco pipe.

reamer – A tool used to trim pipe cake back to an acceptable level. These have been made in countless different forms, adjustable and non-adjustable, for well over a century. Some simply use a pipe knife or sandpaper to accomplish the same task.

room note – The smell of a particular tobacco as it is being smoked. Easier to detect by those not smoking the blend, and a key component to the choice of a pipe tobacco blend especially for those who smoke in public environments. Simply put, how pleasing the smoke would be to a bystander.

shank – The portion of a stummel between the bowl and mouthpiece, and generally containing the mortise. The length of the pipe shank is one of the key variables in the shape of a pipe, as is its shape, whether square, diamond, oval or round.

slot – A slot is the wide opening at the end of the mouthpiece tapering into the airway of the pipe. Generally seen only on vulcanite and acrylic stems from the last century, the slot is funneled both to make the insertion of a pipe cleaner easier and to make for a smoother flow for the smoke.

spiderwebbing – A term used to describe a possible condition of estate pipes, spiderwebbing is the result of oversmoking but, rather than showing in a single spot like char in the bowl or a burnout, is characterized by a pattern of char lines, which look like shallow cracks and are actually burnt into the wood of the bowl. Can be concealed by any amount of cake or even a bowl coating, and so it is usually only evident in a bowl which has been sanded back to bare wood.

spur – A small protrusion at the bottom of traditional clay pipes to ensure a hot bowl does not burn the table. Frequently included in cutty pipes made even in briar and meerschaum in later decades as an ornamental element of the cutty shape. Seen only occasionally today.

stinger – Sometimes referred to as a “metal filter”, “cleaner”, or “condenser”, a stinger is a metal protrusion containing the last portion of the airway in many pipes, primarily of the mid-20th century. A stinger extends from the tenon on a stem into the shank of the pipe, generally in turn drilled with a deeper mortise to allow space. Stingers were used commonly in non-filtered pipes for the majority of the twentieth century, but are no longer seen.

tamp – Using a tool or finger to compress the contents of the pipe bowl so as to bring unburnt tobacco into contact with the ember.

tamper – A tool used to tamp a pipe, generally with a flat end designed for that purpose and a handle. A tamper can be as simple as a piece of dowel or as ornate as the buyer may wish. While it seems inconsequential, tamping is important both for the care of the pipe and the coolness of the smoke.

tenon – The tenon is the smaller diameter protrusion at the end of a pipe stem which holds the stem to the stummel. It takes its name from one of the oldest joints in woodworking, the mortise and tenon joint. Over the last two centuries tenons have been made separately with bone screws, cut integrally into a vulcanite stem to fit a cut mortise in the stummel, made from threaded aluminum or plastic, made from aluminum to fit a pre-drilled mortise so as to hold a filter, made from delrin and placed into a drilled hole in the stem, and in other fashions as well.

tin note – As opposed to the aroma of burning tobacco, the tin note is the scent which can be smelled from the unsmoked tobacco when opened, and is considered a good way to begin to understand a new blend and determine to some degree its components and their relative strength.

twist – A form of tobacco, also known as rope tobacco, which is spun into a roll, largely by hand, rather than being pressed into flakes. One of the oldest forms of smoking tobacco.

vulcanite – Hard black vulcanized rubber used for making pipe stems. Made from rubber containing up to 30% sulfur, vulcanite is soft on the teeth but prone to turning brownish yellow and taking on a sulfur smell on exposure to sunlight. This process is called oxidation.

pipe styles

acorn – A pipe shape characterized by a conical shape sometimes extending to a point or near point below the shank or else with a bent shank flowing into the “point” of the acorn shape. Distinguishable from a dublin by a wider and more rounded rim in most cases.

apple – The classic apple shape is a rounded version of the billiard, and may be had in either bent or straight shanked and tapered and saddle stemmed versions. Popular variations of this shape include the Prince and Author.

army mount – Also called a “military bit”, a pipe with an army mount stem is designed to permit the stem to be removed from the pipe while hot by inclusion of a shank cap, often made of silver, to reinforce the briar. A more elaborate variation of the army mount is the spigot. According to most likely mythological history, the first army mount was invented when a World War One soldier fixed a broken pipe shank by inserting a spent rifle casing into it and piercing a hole for the stem.

author – Author is a beefed-up prince, featuring a flattened ball-shaped bowl and a heavy 1/8 to 1/4 bent stem.

ball – The ball shape, also referred to as a tomato, is very similar to an author but with a spherical bowl and thinner shank. The ball generally features a tapered stem with a 1/4 to 1/2 bent.

ballerina – A pipe shape originally created by Bo Nordh and resembling a ballet dancer’s foot while en pointe, curving from the heel at the front of the bowl to the toe at the meeting of bowl and shank, itself characterized by a full enough bend to permit the pipe to stand on its own.

bead – Now generally represented by two straight lines around the bowl of a bulldog or rhodesian, a bead is one of only three shapes which can be produced on a lathe, along with a flat and a cove. A bead is a rounded projection from the wood, and in the case of pipes today most beads are cut as inset beads, in that the surrounding wood is level with the top of the bead. Older pipes occasionally featured intricately carved beads. Today, however, rather than cutting a true bead the projection is left flat and only signified by the lines around it.

bent pipe – A generic term used to refer to any pipe where the shank is not a straight horizontal line, regardless of the nature or amount of the shank bend.

billiard – A pipe shape having a cylindrical bowl and tobacco chamber with a shank about the same length as the height of the bowl. Variations on the billiard shape include the pot and chimney.

blowfish – A pipe shape characterized by an asymmetrical flattened ball for a bowl, a bent stem blending into the body, and a combination of birdseye grain on the large panels and straight grain between.

brandy – Also referred to as a bent brandy or brandyglass, a pipe shape which resembles the glassware for which it is named. Characterized by a rounded base tapering up to a smaller rim, often in a 1/4 bent pipe.

bullcap – A squat straight rhodesian with a large bowl diameter.

bulldog – The classic bulldog has a tapered stem, diamond shank and slightly forward canted bowl shaped someone like two cones joined at the bases with the top cone cut off. The pipe is traditionally adorned with a bead around the bowl.

bullmoose – A squat rhodesian with a very heavy 1/4 bent stem.

calabash – A solid wood interpretation of the gourd calabash with a tapered bowl flared at the rim and a dome shaped top. The tobacco chamber is usually tapered and the pipe 3/4 bent, but there are variations.

canadian – A long-shanked billiard with an oval shank and a tapered bit. The shank is roughly twice as long as the height of the bowl. Variations on this shape include the lumbermand, lovat and liverpool.

cherrywood – A bent poker. The name cherrywood derives from the pipe shape’s origin as a copy of the cherry wood pipes made by Eugène-Léon Ropp and others in mid-19th century France.

churchwarden – The only pipe defined by the shape of its stem, rather than its bowl. Whether bent or straight, the stem on a churchwarden is 9 to 18 inches long, but not so long as to make lighting the pipe while holding it in the mouth impossible.

cob – The common parlance for a corncob pipe, which in its loosest definition is simply any pipe with a bowl made from a dried and drilled corncob. Traditionally fitted with river cane stems, most modern cobs have wood shanks and plastic bits.

cutty – A very canted tulip-shaped bowl and a slightly bent stem with a tapered bit. The word cutty simply means “cut shorter”. Cutty pipes occasionally and traditionally sport a “spur”, or a small foot protruding from the base of the bowl.

delphin – A variation on the Ulmer pipe where the shank runs directly up the back of the bowl and there is no gap between the bowl and the shank.

diplomat – A pipe shape similar to a prince but a bit larger generally and with an oval shank and stem.

don – A pipe shape similar to a Duke but with a rudimentary shank and a vulcanite bit. Sometimes, such as by Peterson, called a tankard.

foppelpfeife – A variation on the Ulmer shape hallmarked by two separate bowls, evidently intended to permit a smoker to mingle the tastes of two different tobaccos.

dublin – A pipe shape with the same proportions as a billiard but with a conical bowl and tapered combustion chamber.

duke – A Dunhill pipe shape that features a cylindrical bowl with no shank, a bone or vulcanite stem and a poker-type canted bottom.

egg – The egg is usually but not always a bent pipe with a bowl shaped like an egg, which can be thought of as an elongated apple shape.

elephant’s foot – A pipe shape originally created by Bo Nordh and characterized by straight grained side panels and wide front and back domed surfaces on the bowl exhibiting birdseye.

eskimo – A pipe shape by Tom Eltang created as a variation on Ed Burak’s bulldog design and sporting a smooth, flat stem and shank with a canted, domed bowl.

estate pipe – A previously owned pipe, whether smoked or un-smoked.

freehand – Not to be confused with the fixed freehand shapes made by some companies, a true freehand shape is defined by the pipemaker’s choice to let the grain of the briar shape the pipe, rather than forcing the pipe into a predetermined shape.

gesteckpfeife – Literally “pipe in parts”, a traditional European pipe made up of several interconnecting parts, usually held together with cork tenons. Bowls can be meerschaum, briar, or porcelain, commonly.

gourd calabash – A gourd calabash is a pipe made from a calabash gourd which is dried and the seeds removed and then fitted with a stem and meerschaum bowl cap. The driest and smoothest of all pipes.

hawkbill – A pipe shape characterized by an enlarged ball or tomato style with a long, tapering bent shank. The premiere example is the Castello 84.j

horn – A pipe characterized by its graceful freehand shape varying from a straight tapering tube to a more standard bent pipe, but in all cases with a smooth tapering from bowl to shank and no abrupt transitions.

hungarian – More commonly referred to as an Oom Paul, the Hungarian is a fully bent billiard named for former South African President Paulus Kruger.

kalmasch – A traditional German pipe shape, primarily seen in meerschaum, hallmarked by a bowl and shank of nearly the same, large diameter with a slightly bent shank, and often a very long stem made of cherry wood, flexible tubing, and various other materials.

lovat – A pipe shape which is essentially a Canadian but with a round shank instead of oval and a saddle stem.

meerschaum – A mineral hydrous magnesium silicate called sepiolite, primarily found in Turkey near Eskisehr, which is used in the making of tobacco pipes. The word means “seafoam”.

nautilus – A pipe shape originally created by Bo Nordh and named for its obvious resemblance to the shell of a nautilus, resulting in an airway passing through a shank curved in a loop and pierced in the center to suggest the closed portion of the shell, a bowl shaped like the long open mouth of the shell, and a foot curving in a near half circle beneath.

oliphant – A traditional name for a hunter’s horn made from an elephant tusk, the oliphant shape was first designed by Sixten Ivarsson for the Pibe-Dan shop in the late 1950s. The shape is a variation of the horn meant to resemble the tusk of an elephant, and with a flat curve and even and gradual tapering throughout.

oom paul – A shape name which actually means Uncle Paul in Dutch, Oom Paul pipes are full bent billiards. The name comes from the nickname for Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger, president of the South African Republic from 1883 to 1900 and the face of the Boer cause against Britain during the Second Boer War of 1899 to 1902. Also called a Hungarian.

opera – An “Oval” or Pocket pipe, the opera pipe is a billiard with a bowl “squashed” into an oval, with the long side of the oval parallel with the shank and stem. In fact, “opera” pipe is a misnomer. The original name of the pipe was the au pair pipe, as it gained popularity with domestic workers unable to smoke around children.

panel billiard – The Panelled Billiard, also called a foursquare, is a basic billiard shape with flat, or paneled, sides. The classic panel has four flat sides and a round shank.

pear – More commonly called an acorn today, the pear is a sort of softened dublin shape, with a conical bowl and tobacco chamber but with all sharp edges rounded.

pickaxe – The pickaxe is a freehand style of pipe characterized by a paneled, triangular bowl.

poker – The poker is a straight pipe with a cylindrical, flat-bottomed bowl designed so that the pipe will stand on its own.

pot – A billiard with a shorter bowl, but not a shorter shank than a standard billiard.

prince – A pipe shape characterized by a squat rounded bowl and along, usually slightly bent stem with a short shank. The pipe was named after Prince Albert, later King Edward VII, the Prince of Wales.

quaint – A pipe shape hallmarked, generally, by more than four panels, especially with a paneled shank as well.

ramses – A pipe shape created by Bo Nordh and later named by a visiting customer for its resemblance to the statue of Ramses II in Abu Simbel, Egypt. Characterized by a long, wide sloping shank which also serves as the foot of the pipe and a long, tapered bowl which rests almost vertically on the shank. Stems are generally partially bent.

rhodesian – A subject of great dispute. Unlikely to have been named for Cecil Rhodes, and more likely to have taken its name from Rhodesian tobacco, a Rhodesian is considered by some to be any bent bulldog, by others to be any bulldog with a round shank, and by others any bulldog shape with a greater bowl width than height. For each accepted definition of the word there is a pipe sold which contradicts it, and no consensus is likely.

sphinx – A shape created by Bo Nordh and characterized by a wide domed bowl front cut so as to show birdseye at the center with straight grain radiating out from that point, giving a sunburst pattern. A similar shape, the Mounted Sphinx, was created by Love and Sara Geiger, but was not created as a variation on the shape.

stummel – German for stump, the stummel is a complete pipe minus only a stem and any final adornments, including the bowl, shank, and transition between the two.

ukulele – A pipe shape first designed by Sixten Ivarsson for the Pibe-Dan shop in the 1950s and named ukulele, some credit Ed Burak for the design which he considered a bulldog. A ukulele is characterized by a domed, wide bowl and a wide oval shank with a flat bowl bottom, according to the A.S.P. Pipe Parts Charts by Bill Burney.

ulmer – A pipe shape which took its name from the city of Ulm, Germany, and originally attributed to Johann Jakob Glöckle in the early 18th century, the ulmer is a full bent pipe in a “U” shape with a wider portion at the base.

vestpocket – A pipe characterized by its ability to fit in a vest pocket, notable for its stem, which swivels over the bowl for carrying and swings out for use, according to the A.S.P. Pipe Parts Charts. Generally all corners on the pipe are rounded to make it easier to remove from a pocket.

volcano – A pipe shape characterized by a conical bowl narrowing towards the top, usually with a rounded base and a bent shank and saddle stem, according to the A.S.P. Pipe Parts Charts.

yacht – Another name for the Zulu pipe shape, with a canted dublin bowl, oval shank and 1/8 bent stem. Among others, Kaywoodie used the term Yacht for pipes of this shape.

zulu – A shape of smoking pipe hallmarked by a canted dublin style bowl, an oval shank and a 1/8th bent stem. Also referred to as a Woodstock or a Yacht.

zeppelin – A name often used to refer to a cigar-shaped pipe of briar with a separate mouthpiece often of vulcanite, usually with a metal cap at the end to hold in the tobacco. Also called a Torpedo.

tobacco varieties

agonya – A type of Turkish tobacco of a kabakolak leaf type, meaning it has distinct stems with “wings” on the leaf stems, Agonya was originally grown in the foothills below Xanthi, but is now grown south of the Sea of Marmara, in the region east of Kanakhale, Turkey.

bafra – Bafra is a district and village in the Samsun province of Turkey, and the name sometimes given to the Samsun-Maden strain of tobacco, which is a smaller basibali Turkish varietal with low nicotine and a rich flavor.

basma – 1. The group of Turkish small-leaf varietals in which the stem of the leaf does not extend beyond the leaf at the main stalk 2. The larger leaves primed from the middle of any variety of Turkish tobacco plant 3. A long, rectangular bale-style of packing cured Turkish leaf, approximately 50-60 pounds, of any variety.

basibali – A family of Turkish tobaccos characterized by a distinct stem separating the leaf from the stalk. Sometimes referred to as Bashi Bagli.

burley – A tobacco of light-colored variety grown primarily in Kentucky and Tennessee, the bulk of burley tobacco produced in the United States is used for cigarette production. All burley today is of the white burley variety, and is often sweetened due to the low natural sugars present in the leaf. Most aromatics use a base of burley due to its ready ability to absorb flavors. While some claim burley does not age, it does improve with time. However, this takes time measured in the several decades at least.

cavendish – There are two forms of Cavendish, which is more a process of curing and a method of cutting tobacco than a type of it. Common cavendish is made when tobacco leaves are pressed into a cake about an inch thick and heated before being allowed to ferment, resulting in a mild and sweet tobacco. Flavoring is often added before the leaves are pressed. English Cavendish uses a dark flue or fire cured Virginia , which is steamed and then stored under pressure to permit it to cure and ferment for several days or weeks.

djebel – Sometimes referred to as Xanthi-Djebel, Dejebel tobacco is grown closer to the ridge, or djebel, of the Rhodope mountains above Xanthi. While the leaf is probably of the same strain as Yaka leaf, it is much less highly regarded.

drama – A sweet type of tobacco with a natural olive oil fragrance grown on the Southern slopes and foothills of the Rhodope Mountains in Greek Eastern Macedonia, and taking its name from the town of the same name. A kabakolak variety, meaning that the leaf has a distinct separate stem similar to basibali, but with “wings” on its leaf stems.

english cavendish – The name commonly used to refer to dark flue-cured or fire-cured Virginia tobacco which is steamed and then pressed over a period of several days to weeks. It is not flavored as other forms of Cavendish generally are. Rattray’s Dark Fragrant is one example of an available English Cavendish blend.

izmir – A type of Turkish tobacco with rich flavor, low nicotine, and cool smoke. It has a very aromatic nature and is often blended with Latakia to somewhat subdue this property. Primarily used as a condiment with pipe tobacco, but occasionally offered by itself. Also called Smyrna.

jatim – A form of Indonesian tobacco and the abbreviated name of the province of East Java (Jawa Timur), where the tobacco is grown.

kabakolak – A family of Turkish tobacco strains similar to Basibali, but with wings on their leaf stems in addition to distinct stems.

katerini – A Turkish varietal of the Samsun basibali type, with a milder, sweeter leaf. Grown southwest of Thessaloniki in the Greek province of Macedonia.

kentucky – Dark-Fired Kentucky is a type of pipe tobacco made from burley which is cured over a fire and flavored by its smoke.

mahale – A Turkish tobacco with a basma leaf type grown downslope from Xanthi.

maryland – An extremely mild tobacco used in a number of American tobacco blends, especially to add a nutty flavor to Burley. Sadly the state of Maryland now pays farmers not to grow tobacco.

oriental – Used interchangeably with “Turkish” to refer to sun-cured condimental tobaccos grown in the Eastern Mediterranean. This category of tobaccos includes Yenidje, Smyrna, Samsun, Izmir, Drama, Xanthe, and often Basma, which is not a particular leaf but a generic Turkish blend, and all that pipe tobacco blenders are often able to find due to the purchase of most oriental varietals by cigarette manufacturers.

perique – Mistakenly believed to be a nickname for Pierre Chenet and actually a French mispronunciation of an American slang word for a part of the anatomy, perique is a type of tobacco grown only in St. James Parish, Louisiana, sauced and kept under massive pressure in barrels until it turns nearly black. Perique has flavors of spice and plum, and is prized as the truffle of pipe tobaccos.

prilep – A Sirdily variety of Turkish tobacco commonly grown in the region of the town of Prilep, which is located in the Independent Republic of Macedonia.

samsun – A Turkish tobacco of the basibali variety with a heart-shaped leaf, grown near the town of Samsun, Turkey on the shores of the Black Sea. Low nicotine tobacco, but with strong flavor and dark color.

samsun-maden – Also called Bafra for the village near Samsun, Samsun-Maden is a basibali Turkish tobacco characterized by leaves which are small sized and oval the leaf faces are red to bright red. This strain can be smoked without blending. Nicotine content is often lower than 1% and sugar content is 9-12%.

shirazi – Named for the ancient city of Shiraz in south-western Iran and claimed to be native to that country, Shirazi tobacco is thought to have reached Iran from the Americas in the mid-1500s. Once called Nicotiana Persica.

sirdily – A category of Turkish basma sub-varietals characterized by small, narrow, acutely pointed leaves.

smyrna – A type of Turkish tobacco with rich flavor, low nicotine, and cool smoke. It has a very aromatic nature and is often blended with Latakia to somewhat subdue this property. Primarily used as a condiment with pipe tobacco, but occasionally offered by itself. Also called Izmir.

sokhoum – A type of Turkish varietal of the Samsun basibali type which is deeply fermented. Grown in the mountains above the town of Sokhoum Kale (Sokhumi) in the Republic of Georgia.

soppeng – A type of Indonesian tobacco prepared much like a traditional cavendish but using palm sugar as the sweetener, and then fired. Primarily smoked in cigarettes but enjoyed as pipe tobacco also, Soppeng is sometimes flavored with cinnamon or other tastes during preparation.

srintil – A type of heavily fermented, air cured Indonesian tobacco grown in the Java region in the Temangung valley which grows at the top of a plant and by abnormality produces an extreme amount of resin, making it highly potent. Fermentation details are thought to be similar to perique, and in 1983 approximately 3 tons a year of Srintil were grown worldwide. Sometimes extracted in an aqueous solution for use as a flavoring agent.

tambolaka – An Indonesian tobacco grown in limestone heavy soil and after harvesting rolled into long sticks which are bound and stored for five years. Sold both as pipe tobacco and as a component of Indonesian cigars. Very high in nicotine with a tin note best described as pungent.

trebizond – No known as Trabzon, Trebizond is grown in Turkey at the southeast shores of the Black Sea. A basibali varietal resembling Samsun, but coarser and stronger.

vaper – A portmanteau of Virginia and Perique, vaper is simply the contraction used to refer to blends primarily composed of these two types of tobacco.

virginia – More appropriately called Brightleaf tobacco, Virginia is used to refer to milder tobacco leaf, lighter in color, which is grown in infertile, sandy soil, largely in North Carolina and Virginia, and which was first grown in approximately 1839.

white burley – First grown in Brown County, Ohio in 1865 by George Webb, White Burley is the result of planting Red Burley seeds purchased from Kentucky in the different soil of Ohio, which resulted in a mutation of whitish, sickly looking plants. White Burley soon became the chief ingredient in chewing tobacco, American pipe tobacco, and American-style cigarettes. As Red Burley no longer exists, White Burley is simply referred to as Burley today.

xanthi – Sometimes spelled Xanthe, this grade of Basma tobacco is named for a city in the Thrace region of northeastern Greece, first led into prosperity around 1715 due to the quality of its highly aromatic tobacco. The scientific name of the leaf is Nicotiana tabacum L. cv Xanthi.

yenidje – Named for the town of Yenidje, Thrace, today called Genisea, Greece, Yenidje is also called Yenice, Jenidze, Yenidge, and Yeniji, and is a variety of Yaka tobacco, the best regarded form of Xanthi. Yenidje was an Ottoman tobacco production center until 1843 when the town burned and the growers moved up the slopes of the Rhodope Mountain range. Those slopes, called the Yaka, were made of a red clay loam mixed with small flint stones giving rise to short, low-yielding plants of the basma type, meaning (in this usage) that the leaves are small, almost round and with no free stem. The leaf burns badly on its own and was traditionally mixed with Bafra to cure this issue.

all terms

air-cured – Air-cured tobacco is hung in well-ventilated barns immediately after plants are cut or leaves pulled from the field and allowed to dry for a period of one to two months. During this process the yellow colors of the leaf turn to varying shades of brown, until they are ready to be fermented and processed. Burley is an air-cured tobacco.

amber – Prior to the wide adoption of vulcanite, first invented in 1844 by Charles Goodyear, as a substance for pipe stem making, by far the most common form of pipe stem was one carved from amber. The stems were carved by hand from fossilized tree resin, at which point they could be bent only after heating in oil and over an alcohol flame. While amber is a beautiful natural material which comes in a large variety of colors, the stems are exceedingly brittle and hard on the teeth. Amber stems are still made only in very rare cases.

author – Author is a beefed-up prince, featuring a flattened ball-shaped bowl and a heavy 1/8 to 1/4 bent stem.

ball – The ball shape, also referred to as a tomato, is very similar to an author but with a spherical bowl and thinner shank. The ball generally features a tapered stem with a 1/4 to 1/2 bent.

bakelite – A trade name for Polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride. Harder than vulcanite and softer than acrylic, bakelite stems do not oxidize. Largely seen in shades of white and amber yellow.