Monday, November 29 1999
Q. My confusion arises from a cigar that is described as "medium bodied" with a "full flavor." Can you please explain what that means?
- Steve K.
A. This is a great question. In describing the "body" of the cigar, what is essentially being described is the strength, or "heaviness" of the smoke. Think of 'body" in wine tasting terms and you may have a better understanding of what this means, too. If the cigar is full-bodied, that usually means that is has a lot of strength and most often, a lot of flavor also. However, there are many full-bodied ("strong") cigars that may not be all that flavorful, just strong. Good examples of cigars that are full-bodied and also very flavorful would be the Padrón 1926, Oliva Serie V, Perdomo Habano, Alec Bradley Tempus, Rocky Patel Cuban Blend, Drew Estate Liga Privada No.9, and the 601 Habano Ocsuro "Green Label" series.
When a cigar is described as "medium-bodied, yet full-flavored," you're talking about a cigar that's somewhere in the middle with regard to its strength, but delivers a lot of flavor without being overpowering or too heavy like a full-bodied cigar would be. Good examples of cigars in this category would be the Rocky Patel Vintage 1990 & 1992 cigars, Don Lino 1989, Camacho Select, Perdomo Lot 23, CAO Italia, Arturo Fuente Don Carlos, Avo XO, Olor Fuerte, and Carlos Toraño Exodus 1959.
I could go on all day citing cigars in the medium-bodied, full-flavored category, since that's where my palate is most comfortable, but you get the idea. Try some of them and taste for yourself.
