There are countless ways to categorize cigars. The shade of their wrapper leaf, their size and shape, even their country of origin. But there is another distinction that actually has quite a bit of bearing on how a cigar tastes and burns: the type of filler tobaccos used. Let’s dissect the differences between short- and long-filler tobacco and explore the areas in between.

Short-Filler Tobacco

Also known as chop, short-filler consists of tobacco scraps that have been, well, chopped up. As you could imagine, this is more commonly used in inexpensive, machine-made cigars and cigarillos. Short-filler also burns fast and hot compared to long-filler, making it preferable for a quick, efficient smoke rather than a slow burn with a complex flavor profile.

Long-Filler Tobacco

As you could probably guess, since short-filler is used for machine-made cigars, long-filler tobacco is used in premium hand-rolled cigars. Rather than getting chopped up, these high-quality filler leaves are left intact and are then rolled or folded together. These leaves (referred to as Seco, Viso, and Ligero) come from the middle and higher parts of the tobacco plant, where there’s more flavor.

Mixed Fill

Every now and then a blender will combine short-filler and long-filler in a single cigar. These mixed fill cigars are commonly referred to as Cuban sandwiches, and can lend an extra layer of flavor to relatively inexpensive smokes.