Body vs. Strength

[rjfunk]

Can someone briefly explain Body vs. Strength? Thanks.

[El Presidente]

» Can someone briefly explain Body vs. Strength? Thanks.

Body is mouthfeel of the cigar. It is the weight of the cigar on the palate.

Strength is the impact of the cigar on the senses (aroma, flavour on the taste buds and spice through the nose).

You can have a full bodied mid strength cigar. Take the Ramon Allones Gigantes for example. It is full and lush on the palate with excellent weight, but while complex in flavour it is not overly "strong".

[Tave1225]

» » Can someone briefly explain Body vs. Strength? Thanks.

»

»

» Body is mouthfeel of the cigar. It is the weight of the cigar on the

» palate.

»

» Strength is the impact of the cigar on the senses (aroma, flavour on the

» taste buds and spice through the nose).

»

»

» You can have a full bodied mid strength cigar. Take the Ramon Allones

» Gigantes for example. It is full and lush on the palate with excellent

» weight, but while complex in flavour it is not overly "strong".

Nicely put.

[Mel]

I like the explanation by the Prez. and the educated palates have no problem with this but the less experienced could find this issue troubling. IMHO most full bodied cigars are on the strong side and light bodied stuff tends to be mild. Complexity can be found equally among all descriptions of body and strength.

[Ginseng]

» » Can someone briefly explain Body vs. Strength? Thanks.

»

»

» Body is mouthfeel of the cigar. It is the weight of the cigar on the

» palate.

»

» Strength is the impact of the cigar on the senses (aroma, flavour on the

» taste buds and spice through the nose).

»

»

» You can have a full bodied mid strength cigar. Take the Ramon Allones

» Gigantes for example. It is full and lush on the palate with excellent

» weight, but while complex in flavour it is not overly "strong".

Excellent explanations by Rob and Mel. Because strength and body tend to be correlated, any deviations from this (weak, full-bodied cigars and strong, light-bodied cigars) are uncommon, but notable.

In fact, many in the cigar industry, either retailers or writers tend to lump body and strength into one characteristic that primarily reflects the strength.

Good point about the complexity. Sometimes I want a strong, lush and complex cigar. Sometimes I want something light and refreshing yet complex.

Wilkey

[El Presidente]

Actually, this is one post where ken can have intelligent input. I would be interested to hear his thoughts from the perspective of a professional wine taster.

[Mel]

» Actually, this is one post where ken can have intelligent input. I would be

» interested to hear his thoughts from the perspective of a professional wine

» taster.

Get to work Ken and try to keep it real simple for the likes of me.

[cigardawg]

I have always thought of body similar to the explanation given by Rob. It is the fullness of the smoke, the impact on the palate, the lushness and richness of the smoke as it invades the senses. To me, that is body.

Strength for me is simple...nicotine content. Of course I think that for years I have been mistaking tannins as nicotine, but that is another discussion. I have had cigars that were not the rich, lush bombs that I mentioned above that just kicked my a$$ with the amount of nicotine in them. They were strong, though not necessarily full-flavored/bodied.

I think it is an interesting note that all of the cigars that I label as "strong" are non-Cubans. Cuban cigars just don't seen to contain that much nicotine. I never get the shakes, the sweats, nauseated, etc. from Habanos. I smoke many that I would consider full-bodied, but I don't think of any of them as strong.

There's my 0.02.:-P

[oneizzzz]

On 5/1/2006 at 8:30 PM, El Presidente said:

Actually, this is one post where ken can have intelligent input. I would be interested to hear his thoughts from the perspective of a professional wine taster.

Wanted to revive this thread and see if @Ken Gargett would be so kind as to drop some knowledge.  Curious about this topic.

[Juliano88]

Body is the density of flavors on the palate. Larger/Thicker cigars will have more filler ratio and will deliver more complexity. As the larger volume of smoke enters the palate, the flavors tend to linger longer since more taste buds are engaged which results in a long finish. Strength comes down to nicotine content and that will occur in the higher priming leaves which receive more sunlight, so the leaf will develop nicotine to protect the glucose and nutrients within the leaf from bugs and insects. 

[oneizzzz]

Thanks for the reply.  I tend to get more complexity from thinner ring gauges actually.  Topes vs Coloniales comes to mind.  I love the buttery flavor of the Topes, but I find it pretty one-dimensional and almost boring at times.  In contrast, I find the Coloniales has that same buttery flavor but with more depth and development in terms of chocolate, sweetness, and dough.  I was under the impression that the volado used in larger ring gauges is actually more for combustion and less for flavor/complexity. 

That's cool about nicotine developing to protect the glucose and nutrients - didn't know that.

[Juliano88]

12 minutes ago, oneizzzz said:

Thanks for the reply.  I tend to get more complexity from thinner ring gauges actually.  Topes vs Coloniales comes to mind.  I love the buttery flavor of the Topes, but I find it pretty one-dimensional and almost boring at times.  In contrast, I find the Coloniales has that same buttery flavor but with more depth and development in terms of chocolate, sweetness, and dough.  I was under the impression that the volado used in larger ring gauges is actually more for combustion and less for flavor/complexity. 

That's cool about nicotine developing to protect the glucose and nutrients - didn't know that.

That makes sense. I can see how the thinner ring gauge will deliver less circumference of smoke which intensifies the flavors. I agree that thicker cigars can over complicate the palate. 

[adgemis]

On 5/2/2006 at 12:33 AM, cigardawg said:

I have always thought of body similar to the explanation given by Rob. It is the fullness of the smoke, the impact on the palate, the lushness and richness of the smoke as it invades the senses. To me, that is body.

Strength for me is simple...nicotine content. Of course I think that for years I have been mistaking tannins as nicotine, but that is another discussion. I have had cigars that were not the rich, lush bombs that I mentioned above that just kicked my a$$ with the amount of nicotine in them. They were strong, though not necessarily full-flavored/bodied.

I think it is an interesting note that all of the cigars that I label as "strong" are non-Cubans. Cuban cigars just don't seen to contain that much nicotine. I never get the shakes, the sweats, nauseated, etc. from Habanos. I smoke many that I would consider full-bodied, but I don't think of any of them as strong.

There's my 0.02.:-P

It's interesting to see people say this. I've actually found that Cubans can be just as strong nicotine wise as non-Cubans. In fact, the strongest cigar I've ever smoked was a Bolivar Petit Corona. I've smoked some real nicotine bombs on the NC side (e.g. La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero) too. Do you only smoke well-aged stock?

[El Presidente]

I can have/blend a "strong" cigar but I have never been able to blend one that is totally in balance. When pepper (white/black) dominate,  the cigar is ruined for me.  

You mentioned the Boli Pc. It can be among the strongest and full bodied cigars in the Cuban lineup. It is generally "in balance" however.  Mind you I have had plenty that aren't balanced.  Same goes for other cigars that I love in the Upmann 46,Partagas 898 and BBF.  Get them right and they are a treat. Get them wrong and they are unforgiving. It is one of the reasons i have liked 2021 BBF and Mag 46. Generally they have got the balance right. Max flavour and palate weight, minimal pepper/bite. 

 

[nKostyan]

Here on FOH there was a well-understood explanation on the example of alcohol (If I'm not mistaken, the author is a CigarSurgeon)
Body, strength, balance....

I use three indicators of cigars for myself:
- body (concentration of taste)
- aroma (odor concentration)
- strength (nicotine level)
Balance - body/strength ratio

[GavLew79]

Instead of :full-bodied:, I use 'full-flavoured'. Avoids the confusion that people have confusing body and strength. 

[Carrie Nation]

Body is a measure of flavor. Strength is a measure of nicotine level. 

 

[bmac]

Very well explained by Prez

[Ken Gargett]

On 5/1/2006 at 12:07 PM, El Presidente said:

» Can someone briefly explain Body vs. Strength? Thanks.

Body is mouthfeel of the cigar. It is the weight of the cigar on the palate.

Strength is the impact of the cigar on the senses (aroma, flavour on the taste buds and spice through the nose).

You can have a full bodied mid strength cigar. Take the Ramon Allones Gigantes for example. It is full and lush on the palate with excellent weight, but while complex in flavour it is not overly "strong".

yep. i think it sums this up very well.