The Washington times., 1902-08-24
THE MYSTERIES OF
CIGAR NOMENCLATURE
Most Smokers Do Not Un-
derstand the Terms Used.
SOME POPULAR FALLACiES
Manufacturers Give Names With Ref
erence to Size, Shape, and Color.
Fashions Are Always Changing-The
Light and Dark Varieties.

Whenever the average untutored to-
bacco lover wishes to indicate to his
envious friends that he is in possession
of cigar of the first quality, he Usual
| ly says that he has perfecto. BY per-
fecto he means the best cigar obtaina5lS, !,
and, as rule. he applies the name -
all products of the Havana factories.
But, in truth. good many cigars that
never saw Havana are genuine perfectos,
and good many made in the most IA
nous factories of the Cuban capital are
not. The word, as matter o: iact,
does pot refer to the quality OF cigar
at all. 1t is simply a term used to de-
scribe the shape. A perfecto may cost
81 and it may cost 21z cents.
| There are half dozen cigar terms
thus misused by the average smoker.
And there are several times as many
words of the same sort whose meaning
he is utterly unable to fathom. What
native, corn-fed smoker, for instance,
knows the difference between panetela
and a Reina Victoria? And how ms ny
know whether there is a real difference
between maduro and an oscuro? Yet
all of these terms are the common prop
erty of cigarmakers all over the world.
Like many cigar brand names, they are
OF Spanish origin, but the wanderings Of
Havana tobacco and Cuban cigars have
taken them into all countries and all
languages.
Boxing of Cigars.
The great majority of cigars are
packed fifty in a box, with thirteen on
the top row, twelve in the row next 20
the top, thirteen on the next, and twelve
on the bottom row. When a londres
cigar is packed 100 in a box in two
bundles. tied>with ribbon. it becomes a
Reina Victoria, which is Spanish for
Queen Victoria. Early in the late Queen's s
reign Cuban manufacturer invented
this method of packing, and called the
resultant brand after Great Britain S
sovereign. The name has remained ever
since.
The word perfecto is a term indicating
certain shape in cigars. perfecto is
a smoke having what is generally called
the cigar shape'-that is to say. it is
swelled near the end which is lighted,
and tapers gradually down to the point,
or head. The end of cigar which Il
smoker puts in his mouth is known
among cigarmakers IS the head, The
other end THAT which is lighted is
called the tuck. When as often hap
pens in a perfecto, the tuck is very
small. it is called needle tuck or
feather tuck. All others follow these
lines more or less closely
A thin, straight cigar. with little more
| thickness in the middle than at the tuck.
is called a panetela. The average pane
.t..t. ~.
though the matter of size has nothing
| to do with the shape Panetelas are e5-
teemed because they burn more regular
ly and are usually better, because more
easily made. The virtue of the perfecto
is that its smaller tuck lights more
readily. and its more artistic curves give
! 1t greater beauty.
a londres is a sort of cross between
| the perfecto ana the panetela- 1t is
| perfecto from the head to the thickest
part, and from there on to the tuck it
| is betwixt and between. Usually the
slope from the thickest part 10 the tuck
| has a gradual curve. The tuck. as II
| rule, is as large as that OF panetela.
Short and Long Makes.
partega is a cigar shaped much like
a londres. except that the slope from
! the thickest part to the head is usually
not so rounded. 1t is shape not now
so fashionable as it used to be. and even
when cigars are genuine partegas the
/ box is seldom stamped with the name.
| A concha is a small, blunt cigar. AS
/ rule 1t is very satisfactory smoke,
and usually il lasts as long as per-
| fecto. This is because the thin tuck OF
! the latter burns down rapidly. The op
era is avery small cigar of any standard
| shape 1t derives its name from the
fact that it is designed for short smoke
! between the acts. and very often it is
| called an entr'act. The breva is large
clumsy cigar. good for an hours putting.
The largest size of all is the Napoleon.
Sometimes Havana Napoleons are six or
seven inches in length The blacker
ones are positively terrifying.
The better grades of cigars are usually
made In several shapes and sizes. There
may be. for instance, the La Flor de
Habana perfectos, the La Flor de Ha-
bana panetelas, the La Flor de Habana
operas. the La Flor de Habana parte-
gas, and the La Flor de Habana ecu
chas. The label is the same on all of
! the sizes and shapes, but on the front
of the box the name of the shape is
. stamped.
On one end Of each box of cigars VIII
be noted another word. Sometimes it
is colorado. sometimes IL is claro. and
at other times it is maduro. This indi-
Gates the color OF the cigars within or.
as uniformed smokers say, the
Strength" The lightest of all cigars
are yellowish brown. They are called
claros. Next in order come the colorado