This thread has been illuminating to me. I usually describe the power of a cigar as body, but I think that this thread has explained the difference between power (strength) and body for me pretty clearly. A few questions pop up from examples given. Here's one:
A good example of a cigar that's about a medium-full body but quite mild in strength is the Man o' War Virtue. That thing exudes huge clouds of thick, dense, flavourful smoke with a creamy texture and sweetness, but you could smoke it first thing in the morning and not bat an eye.
I'm a medium to full strength with medium to full flavor smoker. I'm pretty accustomed to cigars that are big on strength, ala LFD Double Ligero, AB Tempus, Oliva Serie V. These cigars no longer make my head swim, but I was shocked when I smoked the MoW Virtue. I expected a mild strength cigar, but by the end, my head was swimming.
Now, palates differ. That goes without saying, but is it possible for people to experience strength differently, even among those who are accustomed to cigars that are BIG on strength?
Also, my two cents on compexlity:
I have to agree with a previous statement about complexity, that complexity is the variety of flavors being experienced, not how the cigar changes. I usually use the word
eventful to describe a cigar that changes a lot in flavor as the cigar burns. An
eventful cigar will exhibit certain flavors at different moments as the cigar burns down. A
complex cigar will exhibit an array of flavors at any given moment. These can often accompany each other, but not always.
When discussing complexity and eventfulness of a cigar, I usually like to specify depth as well. My two cents on dept:
I usually refer to the
depth of a blend as the layers of flavor present within the profile. Like complex music, you may experience a lot of one note at the fore-front while other notes hang in the background. Ex: I am currently smoking an El Mejor Emerald. In the forefront, I taste cedar with a buttery richness. Supporting, but not in the background, is a nutty flavor akin to cashew. Subtle notes of spice linger enticingly in the background, but only make themselves truly known through the nose. The levels of flavor described here determine the depth of this cigars flavor. Top: cedar and butter; Middle: nutty; Background: spice.
This can also be described visually. Imagine you are on a shooting range and there are three targets. the first target is 10 feet away and can be seen clearly without effort, taking up a good portion of your vision. The second target is 75 feet away and is more difficult to hone in on, taking up much less of your field of vision. The third target is 150 feet away and, although you can see it, it is much more difficult to see detail due to the lack of space in your field of vision. You can see all three at once, but the degree to which you experience each is vastly different.
And there's my two cents. Thanks for reading this lengthy post!
