Strength, flavor, body. What is the difference?

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.