Strength, flavor, body. What is the difference?

[HabanoMan]

I often see this confused on forums and in person. While discussing cigars someone will say that they like full strength cigars when what they are actually trying to convey is that they like full flavored cigars. Usually when discussing cigars the terms strength, flavor and body are separate and unique terms. I have had cigars that had such a vitamin N kick that they would make your head spin but were completely lacking in flavor. I will try to define these terms to the best of my ability below.

Strength - This mainly refers to the nicotine content of the cigar. You can have a cigar that is very strong but completely lacks flavor or a complexity of flavors as well as any body to it. Of course you can also have any combination of these in any given cigar. A cigar can be mild, medium or strong in terms of strength.

Flavor - The word itself says it all. This is what you "taste" when you are smoking. There are so many flavors available in cigars that it is often difficult to pinpoint them or describe them. There is leather, hay, nutmeg, etc, etc. The flavors may be bold or they may be subtle (or they may be missing). This has nothing to do with the strength of the cigar. There are very mild cigars that are just absolute flavor bombs just as there are many strong cigars that have no flavor or that are one dimensional. Flavors are usually described as being bold (you notice it right away and have very little problem pinpointing it) or they may be subtle (you have to concentrate and pay attention to "get it"). Of course there is no set scale to this since taste is subjective and what may be bold to one person may be completely lacking to another.

Body - The best way I can describe this one is "how the smoke feels in the mouth (commonly referred to as "mouth feel"). Some adjectives used to describe this are creamy, heavy, light, etc. Ever had a smoke that when you drew on it the smoke just seemed to coat your mouth and tongue? This is what is described as creamy. Of course just like flavor this one is very subjective.


As stated above, you can have any combination of the above. What you taste, the strength and the feel are all completely subjective but the category each falls under is pretty much used across the hobby, obsession or "hobsession" as I call it. You will see and hear these terms used on forums, is B&Ms, and in general chitchat with fellow BOTL.

I hope I did a good job describing these categories for those who may not have been sure. If you have any questions feel free to ask and either another BOTL or myself will be glad to try to answer for you.

[cheaphumidors]

Nicely done!

[Indyhp]

Excellent topic. I've been at this for several years and still don't use the terms right. I think I get "flavor", but the other terms confuse me.

I can't easily use nicotine as a strength indicator, because I smoked cigarettes for years and am largely immune to nicotine.

There have been a couple of good "tasting" cigars that were too "strong" for my liking, but that was the smoke, not nicotine.

How would you classify Oliva V and La Gloria Series R, as they were both "tasty," but too "strong" for my liking?

[FireRunner]

Flavor: What does the cigar taste like?

Strength: How strong is the nicotine in the cigar?

Body: To me "body" is the combination of both flavor and strength. However, many use it in different ways.

[HIM]

Great post I think you did a good job describing each. I always try to explain to people full bodied cigars don't always have to be nic bombs.

[HabanoMan]

Excellent topic. I've been at this for several years and still don't use the terms right. I think I get "flavor", but the other terms confuse me.

I can't easily use nicotine as a strength indicator, because I smoked cigarettes for years and am largely immune to nicotine.

There have been a couple of good "tasting" cigars that were too "strong" for my liking, but that was the smoke, not nicotine.

How would you classify Oliva V and La Gloria Series R, as they were both "tasty," but too "strong" for my liking?

Henry, I feel you on the cigarette thing. I currently smoke 11/2 - 2 packs a day. I have found that a lot of the nicotine heavy cigars seem to dry my mouth out quite a bit. As far as the Series R and the Olive V, maybe someone with more experience on them can chime in. I don't smoke them often enough to have an informed opinion (Have not had a V in a couple of years and do not think I have ever smoked the series R). Most of my smoking these days come from that little island south of Miami. I do recall the V being a bit of a spice bomb so maybe that is what you noticed. Some people don't care for overly spicy cigars and may describe them as "strong". That would not be entirely incorrect since they would be strong in that particular flavor (Bold).

[HIM]

I'd agree the Oliva V is a full bodied and full strength cigar. As @HabanoMan described before think of body as mouthfeel, smoke thickness, texture. Strength is what it is and if your used to nicotine you'll have trouble noticing it unless you smoke way too fast or on an empty stomach. Sometimes pepper gives the impression of strength but they don't necessarily have any relation.

[HabanoMan]

One more thing concerning strength. I think some people use the term "too strong" when what the smoke is is actually harsh. I have seen some who say the cigar is too strong for their liking and offer to let me try it and it is not that strong at all but instead very harsh. This can be caused by a number of things including the cigar being too dry to just being an overall bad blend.

[Dijit]

Very well done. Funny thing is it took me 10 years to figure all this out. That still has left me with nearly 20 years to enjoy though.

[Tobias Lutz]

One more thing concerning strength. I think some people use the term "too strong" when what the smoke is is actually harsh. I have seen some who say the cigar is too strong for their liking and offer to let me try it and it is not that strong at all but instead very harsh. This can be caused by a number of things including the cigar being too dry to just being an overall bad blend.

I agree with this. Frequently I see people describe a medium strength cigar as "too strong" because they're smoking it too hard and too fast.