Monday, November 29 1999
Q. In your [Famous Smoke Shop]
catalog you refer to the strength of a cigar as "mild to medium" or "mediun to full." What does this mean? Also, does the strength change with the shape of the cigar, or during smoking?
-Gene K.
A. Fair questions. First, we list some cigars as "medium to full" or "mild to medium," etc. b/c what may be a mild cigar to one cigar smoker, may be more full in flavor to another. So, we choose a range, or more specifically, a "comfort zone." IOW, if you like cigars that are generally mild in flavor, a "mild to medium" bodied cigar would most likely still meet your taste preference. The same would apply to "medium to full" accordingly. It's sort of a compromise, but the strength and flavor of a cigar are so subjective depending on one's palate, we feel this is the fairest way to present it.
To answer your second question: Yes, shape can affect the strength and/or flavor of a cigar as it smokes. The more tobacco, the more flavor, generally speaking. But note that there are many smaller cigars that can pack a real wallop. The Aurora 1495 Corona (5¼"x 43) is a great example of this, but more on how the blend affects the cigar later. A cigar with a tapered head, like a Torpedo or Belicoso is designed to concentrate the smoke by squeezing it through a smaller space, and these cigars do tend to get "stronger" as they burn, but I prefer to say "more full-flavored."
The finest cigars are much more consistent and tend to retain their "body" all the way through - especially if they're also well-aged. As I alluded to earlier, it's more the blend in combination with the shape that determines what goes on where in the cigar, which is why some cigars are described as being "complex" or "multidimensional" in flavor.
My rule is that once a cigar turns bitter it's time to put it out. And here's a funny thing. When it comes to expensive cigars, I've seen guys holding on to the bitter end (pun intended) merely because they want to get every penny out of it regardless of how harsh it may taste. Puffing more lightly, and less often, will help keep the cigar on an even keel, even with a stronger blend.
