Developing Your Cigar Flavor Profile: Body, Flavor, and Strength

July 26, 2018

Once you’ve covered the basics of cigars, you will want to develop your cigar flavor profile which consists of three main elements: body, flavor, and strength.

Since everyone’s palate is different, you will develop your own preferences and likes. Here is how to get started on finding the cigar that you feel is ideal for your preferences – and that’s just part of the pleasure.

Body

The body of a cigar is also the intensity and strength and is made up of a variety of sensations. For instance, there are light-bodied and full-bodied cigars. Think about the volume of smoke, the aroma, the complex richness of the flavor, the smooth texture of the smoke, and how heavy the smoke feels on the palate. All of this encompasses the body of the cigar.

Flavor

The flavor of a cigar is more than just its taste – it is also in the nose as well. Each cigar will differ in flavor profile depending on where the tobacco was grown because soil types affect the flavor just like it has a direct effect on coffee’s body, flavor, and aroma.

What Affects Flavor?

Along with the region where the tobacco comes from, the aging process, harvesting, blending, how it is cured, and how it is fermented also has an effect on the flavor you will experience.

For instance, a cigar from Ecuador may have a milder flavor while those from Honduras and Nicaragua produce a full-bodied tobacco with strong, spicy flavors and heady aromas.

There are also flavor levels with light, light-to-medium, medium, medium-full or full and this is also based on our senses of taste and smell.

Another factor in flavor is ring gauge; a different diameter on the same cigar from the same manufacturer can have a different flavor. A good rule of thumb is that the larger the diameter of the cigar, the flavor will be more fuller.

Last but not least, even how you light your cigar can affect the flavor. If using something other than butane, you may experience a flavor change while even butane does slightly change the taste.

Strength

The immensity of a cigar’s strength can be rated as light, light-to-medium, medium, medium-full or full. Just like with a cigarette or alcohol, our internal senses are affected by the intensity of a cigar’s strength.

A strong one may make you feel euphoric or even dizzy. It is recommended that if you are new to cigar smoking to start out with a light one until you know your tolerance level. You can then build up to what you feel is your comfort level in the strength of a cigar.

Create Your Flavor Profile

Along with these components of developing your flavor profile, be sure to keep track of which cigars you have tried, don’t be too fast to make a decision, and don’t be afraid to experiment outside of your usual comfort zone.

Once your experiment a little, you will find that perfect cigar that becomes your favorite go-to smoke.

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