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Cigar Views
Los Angeles, August 26, 2010 – Ask a smoker about the "body" of the cigar he's smoking and you're liable to get just about any answer. Same for "strength" and "finish." So who's right?
One of the best explanations we're seen recently is from the energetic Michael Herklots (pictured), general manager of the Davidoff of Geneva boutiques in New York City in his most recent (and always informative) e-mailed newsletters:
"Body refers to the 'weight' or 'mouth-feel' of the smoke. While it is most common to have a full-bodied smoke with stronger cigars and a lighter body with milder cigars, there are certainly exceptions. I'll often use words like silky, creamy and velvety to help convey a clearer picture of a cigar's body. Silky evokes a lighter body, one that is mild and simply dances on your palate. Creamy introduces a heavier mouth feel but one that is not overwhelming and suggests a slightly 'rounder' character. Velvety would suggest a thick, dense yet still pleasant body- however one that is certainly more dominant on the palate that would linger longer. Most common is mild, medium or full to describe body, but again not to be confused with strength."
"Tobacco tastes like tobacco, just like wine tastes like wine. However trying to find hints of other flavors that remind you of what you taste is important as it allows you to 'split hairs' and find the unique subtle characteristics that make cigars different from each other. Whether broader descriptions like spicy and earthy, or more specific flavors like orange peel or buttered toast, they should be flavors that you can relate to and can recognize in the smoke you're tasting at the moment."
"A cigar's strength is measured in different ways. First, the cigar's flavor has a particular strength. Is the flavor one that overpowers or overwhelms you when you smoke, or is it perhaps quite faint and subtle? Is it obvious? Is it offensive? Also the strength of the tobacco itself may affect you differently - some tobaccos; often from higher positions on the plant and perhaps lacking sufficient fermentation and aging, may cause dizziness, or nausea because they're so strong. Older tobaccos or those from lower leaf positions, tend to be much gentler. This type of strength is one that is felt rather than tasted but still important to consider nevertheless."
"The finish refers to the cigar's aftertaste, though it is sometimes mistakenly used to describe the 'end' of a cigar, or the final third,. The finish is the flavor that lingers once the smoke has been released from your mouth. Some cigars have a short finish, meaning the flavor does not linger much at all while others a long finish, where the flavor remains dominant once the smoke has been expelled. The flavors you may experience on the finish can be similar to those of the smoke itself, but can also highlight a note that perhaps wasn't as obvious with the smoke in your mouth."
Good advice from one of the most knowledgeable people in the field. (You can sign up for Herklots' newsletters at the Davidoff Madison Web site.)
One more note, this time from La Aurora chief Guillermo Leon, who has pointed out that when speaking about a particular brand - in which all the sizes should taste the same - "The size doesn't matter, even though the thinner the cigar, the stronger they are if they have the same blend. It’s all about the combustion, the quantity of air and smoke that you bring into your mouth. If you have a thinner cigar, you have less air, more smoke. With the thinner, it burns hotter. You will have more smoke in your mouth than with a big one." That's why recipes vary slightly, depending on size, for many brands which cover a wide range of sizes.
Now you know.
~ Rich Perelman
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