A two-piece wooden or plastic form with cavities cut to a specific vitola, into which bunches are laid to set their shape. Bunches sit under press for roughly forty-five minutes to an hour and are rotated partway through.
Why it matters
Molding fixes length and diameter and closes the binderseam; shortening or skipping the stage leaves cigars that will not hold shape once wrapped.
In context
"Turn the molds at the half hour or you will get a seam line down the side."