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Which is Right for Me?
You will know doubt be asking yourself this very question, as you are confronted with the plethora of options presented to you at the local smoke shop. Never mind choosing the right ring gauge and length, the right wrapper color and sheen, or the right cut – how about the strength of the smoke? Do you want a mild cigar or a full bodied?
That of course, depends on you. And more so, it depends on the day, or the occasion. Just like coffee, cigars come in a variety of strengths. Are you a die-hard who always drinks the strongest coffee? Maybe for desert you like to have a wimpier, milder coffee. There's also Java, Espresso...the list goes on and on.
I do not drink coffee myself. But I imagine if I did start, I would probably try a milder coffee first, then work my way up. It is important also to keep in mind that one company's full-bodied cigar is not the same as another, and the same with milds. You will have to experiment (which you should want to do anyway) to find not only the body that is right for you, but the brand as well.
One caveat to this to consider also is what actually makes a cigar full-bodied or mild. They say the devil is in the details, and the devil, in this instance, is nicotine and tar. Because of this, even if you start off smoking a mild cigar, there may come a time that you find yourself graduating to heavier and heavier cigars, as your body becomes used to the amount of nicotine. Moderation is always key in everything you do, and cigar smoking is no different.
Is It Really Full Bodied?
One more note on full-bodied cigars. Not all cigars are made equally. If you find yourself smoking a so-called full-bodied cigar, and think it is too strong, there could be many reasons for this. Do not give up on the full-bodied varietal yet. It could simply be a bad cigar, or a cigar that has been crammed with nicotine and tar. The tobacco could be bad, or even the process used to cure the tobacco. If you encounter this problem, your best bet is to try several other full-bodied cigars from other lines, or better yet, other manufacturers, until you are certain it is not just that line.
An improperly aged cigar, or a tobacco lead taken before its time, can lead to a huge amount of nicotine and other chemicals you may not wish to think about. Bottom line: don't just stop at one.
Comments
Ok sorry to be long winded, getting off my soap box now.
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"The strength of most cigars sold today can be judged by the country where they were manufactured. The following list shows cigar manufacturing countries and the general strength of the cigars produced there:
Strength Country of Origin
Light Bodied or Mild
Jamaica
Dominican Republic
Puerto Rico
United States
Philippines
Medium Bodied
Mexico
Honduras- (Med-Full)
Nicaragua-(Med-Full)
Brazil
Full Bodied
Honduras
Nicaragua
Costa Rica
Cuba "
Also, this link provides a lot of information on the different regions in case any smokers were interested in reading up on it a bit more than what was offered in the article here.
www.jrcigars.com/index.cfm?page=jrcu_cigar-regions
I just say that because it can give you a better idea of what to expect from a cigar containing tobacco from these various regions and in particular, puros from these countries. Especially since the article implied that the only puros in the world came from Cuba even though I'm smoking a nicaraguan puro at the moment, nicaraguan puros are constantly getting high reviews, and a Dominican puro is now probably the most if not one of the most sought after cigar in the world- the OpusX. Dominican tobacco is known for being superb, and typically the wrapper will be the only thing that is not from DR, simply because they have such a hard time growing good wrapper leaf down there, although it is being done.
Just wanted to throw that out there since the article was using such an authroitative tone to say things that were a bit misleading.
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