What does Ligero, Seco, and Volado mean?
These are the classifications of leaf types that a single plant, regardless of its variety, will yield. Every tobacco plant for cigar applications has these three leaf types. Each is from a different part of the plant. Every cigar should have some combination of these leaves to burn correctly. The “ligero” leaves (pronounced lee-hair-oh) are taken from the top third of the plant. These offer the strength to the cigar’s flavor. The leaves from the middle third of the plant are called “seco” (pronounced say-ko). These have a mild flavor, and contribute to overall aroma. Finally, at the bottom third of the plant, are the “volado” leaves. These have little flavor, but are a necessary part of the blend due to their excellent burning characteristics. Ligero and seco leaves do not burn very well and need the help of the volado leaf to keep the cigar lit and burning smoothly. When a manufacturer is creating a blend, they will take some combination of these classifications, from various strains
