Strength, flavor, body. What is the difference?

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.

Nicely done!

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?

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.

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.

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Originally Posted by 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?

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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).

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.

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.

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.

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Originally Posted by 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.

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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.

Great info everyone. I think I’m guilty of mixing these terms. This makes perfect sense. Thank you!

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Originally Posted by HabanoMan

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).

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Thanks! I smoked a pack a day for 30 years, but gave them up 6 years ago. I have only gotten a cigar buzz once or twice, and then on a empty stomach.

I love flavor, and pepper in particular, so that's not what I think of as "strong."

I guess what I find objectionable in the Oliva V and La Gloria Series R is not "strength," but that they are too full-bodied for my liking.

I will endeavor to utilize the correct terminology from here on.

Awesome thread topic! Very well written, thanks!

This is an awesome thread!

I think I sometimes casually interchange some of these terms. This will remind me to more specific when describing a cigar.

Excellent break down of the characteristics.

Nice post. Like many if not most here I'm guilty of interchanging strength and flavor in my description of cigars. I think when I smoke a cigar that a lot would consider "strong" it's really the heavy, deep earth flavors that give that impression. I smoked a MF LE Bijou 1922 the other day and while it was definitely strong in the nicotine dept it also has a very heavy body to the smoke as well as deep earth and espresso flavors with no sweetness or floral notes that lighten it. The overall impression is that the cigar is very 'strong'.

Very well written and great info for a noob like me. It cleared up some of the misconceptions I had about the reviews and descriptions. Thanks for taking the time to put this together.

Reno

I never really got this.

I've always used it kind of like FireRunner says. I always mentally substitute intensity for body.
I have had some cigars with heavy smoke. You know that thick heavy smoke you feel you can practically chew the flavor out of as it rolls around in your mouth? But it wasn't all that strong in nicotine and didn't have a lot of flavor shifting so without too much surprise the website had them listed as medium bodied, so I'm still lost!

Could someone give an example of a mild cigar that is a flavor bomb? I love full flavored/full bodied cigars but always thought I needed to smoke medium-full to full strength cigars to get full flavor.

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Originally Posted by mi000ke

Could someone give an example of a mild cigar that is a flavor bomb? I love full flavored/full bodied cigars but always thought I needed to smoke medium-full to full strength cigars to get full flavor.

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While separate things, they do tend to run together. It's not often you'll find a cigar that's full flavored, but mild in strength.

It bothers me to no end that the major big-box retailers constantly intermix these terms when describing cigars. It would be nice to see some standardization regarding the use of these terms.

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Originally Posted by mi000ke

Could someone give an example of a mild cigar that is a flavor bomb? I love full flavored/full bodied cigars but always thought I needed to smoke medium-full to full strength cigars to get full flavor.

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I find that you can get this in some of the Davidoffs, AVO, Ashton and Fuente lines. Some amazing flavors that you can smoke on an empty stomach or in 90 degree heat without the nicotine crippling you. Just remember that what may be mild to one may be pretty strong to another.

BTW That is not a complete list of mild, full flavored cigars but just the lines that popped into my head. If you want to see this in all of it's glory then look into the world of Havanas.

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Originally Posted by HabanoMan

I find that you can get this in some of the Davidoffs, AVO, Ashton and Fuente lines. Some amazing flavors that you can smoke on an empty stomach or in 90 degree heat without the nicotine crippling you. Just remember that what may be mild to one may be pretty strong to another.

BTW That is not a complete list of mild, full flavored cigars but just the lines that popped into my head. If you want to see this in all of it's glory then look into the world of Havanas.

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Yeah, just got in my first few boxes of CCs this past few weeks for that reason. But tried one from each box and they are not ready for prime time, so now the waiting begins. Have smoked a lot of Fuentes but they seem to be on the stronger side. I'm OK with strong/full-flavored, but thought it would be interesting to try a full-flavored mild cigar because I've not found one yet.

I think Big Poopa summed it up nicely. I also feel that a big part of the problem or misuse of the terms and descriptions is on the retailers. look at CI, they have the little yellow to red meter like on a jar of peppers or salsa. What does that mean? Flavor? Strength? Body? I guess since it so subjective that may be the best they can offer, but it can be quite wrong (to me) at times. I mean they list Padron 64 as full strength, not full flavor or body. I wouldn't describe it that way.

I guess the closest I've come to a mild strength/full-flavored cigar is the DC Julius Caesar, which for me was medium strength but full-flavored. I really enjoyed having the flavors be more dominant than the strength. Will try some of the Davidoffs suggested by habanoman when the budget allows.

Davidoffs are indeed expensive. But they are one of the most flavorful smokes I indulge in every now and then. The great thing about Davidoff / avo lines is that you are not fighting through intense nicotine strength to enjoy the flavors.

this should be a sticky, with a side thread on comments.....all in favor say yay

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Originally Posted by sparky426

this should be a sticky, with a side thread on comments.....all in favor say yay

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I agree. Lots of great info here for us noobs!!

Reno

Really great post. Clears up a lot of misunderstanding / misinformation.

It is probably true to say that as a rule, strength, flavor and body tend to increase/decrease approximately in step. I.e. it's often true that strong cigars are also full flavoured and full bodied. Obviously there are many exceptions.

I'm interested to know, can anyone recommend a very full bodied cigar that is mid or mildly flavored, and/or a very full flavored and full bodied cigar that is not very strong at all. Note, this is NOT because I think you can't, but rather because I'd be interested to try such sticks.