Definition of "body" help!

[Blakes]

I'm a little confussed understanding what the term "body" means in a cigar.. People i ask seems to have different opinions on what it means also. Some think its strength of the nicotine in the cigar. Other think its the strength of the flavours/how much flavour a cigar has, and other the thickness of the smoke... Understandably this has left me rather perplexed. :confused:

So my fellow FOH'ers it would be greatly appreciated if you could help clear this up for me, and anyone else who gets confussed with this once and for all.

Thanks B.

[Guest rob]

I would have thought the 'texture' or 'viscosity' of smoke would have been what was being referenced,

[Smallclub]

I would have thought the 'texture' or 'viscosity' of smoke would have been what was being referenced,

Not at all. What you describe is the "mâche" in the wine vocabulary.

"Body" is the combination of strenght AND quantity of flavor. Synonym: well structured ("charpenté" in french).

[Ginseng]

I have always considered "body" in the context of cigars to be a combination of density of flavor and textural density of the smoke. Strength is what I liken to intensity of flavor. While I think flavor terms may apply reasonably well to both liquids and gases, textural terms take on a different sense with smoke. But the meta-point to be made here is that achieving and using a common terminology with common meanings is so essential to the sharing of experiences within a domain, whether music, poetry, beer, or cigars.

Wilkey

[gersonmorelli]

"Body" is the combination of strenght AND quantity of flavor.

x2.

[Blakes]

using a common terminology with common meanings is so essential to the sharing of experiences within a domain, whether music, poetry, beer, or cigars.

Wilkey

+1 I couldn't agree more.

One of the reasons for this thread was with all the confusion i had with how everyone interprets "body" in different ways how do i know what people are refering to in their reviews. For example, a FOH review on the deck.. the chaps talk about a cigar been medium/medium full in body.. How do i know what they are referring to? strength? flavour? texture of the smoke? a combination? etc, etc... It can completely change ones understanding of the cigar been reviewed if your not singing from the same hymn sheet so to speak.

[mk05]

Big body Bordeaux

Everything you think it means

[PigFish]

Body is a deliberately ambiguous term! It is a fill all for one to put his/her own values on. I use a few terms like body but it has never really been a term I have embraced. Body manifests itself in mouth feel, a part of the unctuous aspect of cigar smoke, and a component to strength of flavor and perhaps even nicotine.

I prefer to use the word unctuous when I mean unctuous and use character, and constitution for other aspects. I call out nicotine for what it is and what it does, and so on.

Since there are definitions for words that describe human characteristics, I apply those to cigar smoking, for what I see as less ambiguous terms.

Cheers. -the Pig

[Guest rob]

Upon re-reading my initial reply, it's apparent I was somewhat knee jerk with my response. It is clear to me now that flavour strength has to be tied up in there as well.

[Squarehead]

I'll have to go with Wilkey on that one.

[Colt45]

While there is often overlap with other elements of cigar characteristics, for me, body in and of itself has always meant the weight / density

of the smoke on the palate. For me flavor intensity, strength, etc can be viewed on their own, but as I mentioned, often overlap.

You can have a medium bodied, full flavored cigar that is not overly strong, etc. Using a wine analogy, I find great pinot noir or nebbiolo to

be intensely flavorful, but rarely past medium in body.

This is, of course, my subjective view.

[Blakes]

Bump.

Opinions certainly do seem to differ from person to person regarding the definition of body in a cigar.

Is there anyone else who'd like to share their interpretation?

B.

[Dbone]

This is a great read.

Body for me I guess relates to overall strength. But I always talk body and finish separately. Short.. medium... long... finish. Meaning how long the flavor stays with me. It can be a dry finish or sweet as well.

[Smallclub]

But I always talk body and finish separately. Short.. medium... long... finish. Meaning how long the flavor stays with me. It can be a dry finish or sweet as well.

Body has nothing to do with finish ("longueur") or with "texture/thickness" ("mâche") in the wine tasting vocabulary; I don't see why it should be different in the cigar tasting vocabulary…

[CaptainQuintero]

Body for me is something I know in my mind but maybe harder to put into words. It's about mild to medium to full personality.

-The body of say a QDO is mild- the flavours are subtle, gentle and you can get lost in searching for nuances and changes.

-The body of a Partagas 898v is big and in your face, nothing subtle and you don't have to search for the flavours they hit you in the mouth and are very obvious.

Maybe this will explain better than words:

QDO is mild bodied/Bach's Goldberg Cariations is mild.

Partagas 898v is full bodied, brash and in your face, it's big and uncompromsing. / Prokofiev's Dance of the Montagues and Capulets knights is Bold.