Is "carteira" a different product from "maço"?

No, they refer to the same object — a cigarette pack — with carteira being the more colloquial word.

What is a "volume" of tobacco?

It's the everyday term for a pouch of loose roll-your-own tobacco, sold by weight rather than by cigarette count.

What should I do with a beata (cigarette butt)?

Dispose of it in an ashtray or bin, never on the street — Lisbon's municipal cleaning rules treat discarded butts as litter subject to a fine.

Guide

A glossary of tobacco terms you'll meet in Lisbon

Ordering or buying tobacco in Lisbon involves a small, specific vocabulary in Portuguese. This glossary defines the terms plainly, in both languages, without recommending any product.

Last checked: September 2026

In short

The core vocabulary is: maço (a cigarette pack), carteira (colloquial synonym for a pack), tabacaria (a specialist tobacco shop), quiosque (a kiosk that may also sell tobacco), volume or pacote de tabaco de enrolar (a pouch of loose rolling tobacco sold by weight), mortalhas (rolling papers), filtros (roll-your-own filter tips), isqueiro (lighter), fósforos (matches), beata (a cigarette butt), and cinzeiro (ashtray) — each a neutral descriptive term, not a brand or a claim about the product.

Key points

Maço and carteira both mean cigarette pack; carteira is more colloquial.
Tabacaria is a licensed specialist tobacco shop; quiosque is a street kiosk that may also sell tobacco.
Mortalhas (papers) and filtros (filters) are accessories for hand-rolling, sold separately from tobacco itself.
Beata refers specifically to a used cigarette butt, relevant to correct disposal.

Packaging and format

Maço: the standard cigarette pack, usually of 20 units under EU minimum-size rules. Carteira: an everyday, interchangeable word for the same object, more common in spoken Portuguese than in official text. Volume or pacote: the pouch a roll-your-own tobacco is sold in, typically labelled by weight in grams rather than by cigarette count.

Places to buy

Tabacaria: historically a shop specialising in tobacco products, often also selling newspapers, lottery tickets and stamps; a licensed retail point for tobacco. Quiosque: a street kiosk, some of which are also licensed to sell cigarettes, alongside drinks, snacks and press.

Rolling accessories

Mortalhas: rolling papers, sold in booklets, used to hand-roll cigarettes from loose tobacco. Filtros: small cylindrical filter tips, sold separately, inserted into a hand-rolled cigarette before smoking.

Lighting and disposal

Isqueiro: a lighter, whichever type. Fósforos: matches. Beata: a spent cigarette butt — a term also used in municipal anti-litter guidance about correct disposal. Cinzeiro: an ashtray, mandatory in some establishments' outdoor smoking areas under local smoke-free rules.

Common questions

Is "carteira" a different product from "maço"?: No, they refer to the same object — a cigarette pack — with carteira being the more colloquial word.
What is a "volume" of tobacco?: It's the everyday term for a pouch of loose roll-your-own tobacco, sold by weight rather than by cigarette count.
What should I do with a beata (cigarette butt)?: Dispose of it in an ashtray or bin, never on the street — Lisbon's municipal cleaning rules treat discarded butts as litter subject to a fine.

Sources

This page is general information about Portuguese rules and Lisbon practice, not legal advice. Rules change; check the sources for the current text. Tobacco is for adults 18 and over.