The ligada (also called the liga) is the recipe for a cigar's filler: which leaves go into the bunch and in what proportions. In the Cuban tradition it combines ligero for strength, seco for aroma, and volado for burn. Outside Cuba the ligada may also mix leaf from different countries, seed varieties, and harvest years. Each line has its own ligada, and some companies use slightly different ones for different sizes in the same line. Companies rarely publish the exact proportions. The person who sets them is the master blender.
Also called: liga