When I started working for Famous Smoke Shop in the summer of 2001, I came into the business on the cusp of a new wave in cigar making. It was several years after the end of the cigar boom, and good premium tobacco (which had become scarce during the boom) was just starting to come back in quantity. This gave many cigar manufacturers the opportunity to begin producing and introducing more full-bodied blends. The timing was perfect, too, because with the rise in popularity of premium imported cigars from the boom, many cigar smokers’ palates were ready to move on to new things.

There was a time when cigars like Partagas, Hoyo de Monterrey, Romeo y Julieta and several other “classic” brands were considered “full-bodied.” By 2006 standards, these brands are now considered “medium-bodied,” or even “mild” by some cigar epicureans.

Stronger cigars like Joya de Nicaragua Antaño 1970, Partagas Black Label, Gurkha Master’s Select, Oliva Serie O, CAO Brazilia, Carlos Toraño Signature, Aurora 1495, Padron 1926, The Edge by Rocky Patel, La Gloria Cubana Serie R, Camacho Coyolar Puro, and many others, including the infamous Fuente Fuente OpusX have now become en vogue from a marketing and consumer demand standpoint. In addition, many of the more robust blends are either produced in Honduras and Nicaragua, or use tobacco from those countries, where the soil is rich and ideal for growing and curing a heartier-tasting leaf.

Many cigar smokers still prefer the milder brands like Macanudo, Arturo Fuente, and Montecristo. However, I know cigar smokers who just can’t get enough full-bodied flavor, and smoke nothing but the hard stuff. More power to them (pun intended).

As one smokes more and more cigars, the palate seems to naturally adjust to richer tobacco flavor. Some brands that I considered too strong several years ago, I’m now quite comfortable with – like the Indian Tabac Super Fuerte, Joya de Nicaragua Antaño 1970, and the La Gloria Cubana Serie R Maduro.

Speaking of Maduros, the idea that they’re stronger is a fallacy. OK, some are because dark tobacco leaves get more sunlight, so they’re richer in flavor, but they’re also naturally “sweeter,” too. Maduro means “ripe,” not strong. Fuerte is the Spanish word for “strong.” It’s the curing and fermentation process that determines the actual strength of the tobacco.

Try not to confuse strength with body, either. A cigar can be full-bodied, yet not taste strong in the “blow-your-head-off” sense of the word. A better term for this is “full-flavored.” Oliva’s finer cigars are great examples of this; they’re very rich in flavor, full-bodied, yet not overpowering. The CAO Brazilia selection is another good example of a full-bodied cigar that smokes very smoothly with no “bite.”

As more of a medium to full-bodied smoker, I don’t normally smoke cigars that I know are going to be very spicy, but I can still appreciate their finer nuances and complexities. Moreover, in reviewing some of the heartiest cigars, I have given some of them very high scores, primarily because they are simply much more flavorful. For example, one of the strongest cigars I’ve smoked in the past couple of years was the Avo LE5 Limited Edition Robusto (now discontinued). I scored it a 9.2 out of 10. You may notice that a lot of the cigars that get the highest ratings (90+) in Cigar Aficionado and other publications tend to be in the full-bodied camp.

By their nature, the most devoted cigar smokers always want to try new things, and I suppose it’s the spiciness or the hot peppery taste on the back of the throat that tends to keep a lot of new, and even not so new cigar smokers away from the bolder blends. However, like wine, liqueur, coffee and other naturally-made products that are “blended” to suit a certain taste, a lot of smokers just love very spicy, peppery-tasting cigars. Remember the Avo LE5 I mentioned? My head was buzzing after I smoked it. That’s why I couldn’t believe it when one Famous Smoke Shop customer told me he smoked eight in one day! Then there’s my friend Lenny whose credo is “the stronger the better” – and he also inhales!

Regardless of its strength, if a cigar is well-balanced it can be enjoyed by just about any cigar smoker. The better-made full-bodied blends, even including some bundle brands, tend to be very smooth and well-balanced, which instead of causing the spiciness to be uncomfortable, allows you to savor the taste that the blender intended. Of course, extra-long aging plays a big role in tempering the strength of a tobacco leaf. The longer the better, which is why extra home aging can also play a big role in “settling” a cigar.

So, even though you may be a Macanudo man (or woman), every so often, go ahead, dive in to the deep end of the pool and try something like an Aurora 1495, Bahia Gold Maduro, La Gloria Serie R, The Edge, El Rico Habano Maduro, CAO Brazilia, or if you’re really brave, a Padron 1926. You might be surprised just how enjoyable all those zesty tobacco flavors swirling around your palate will make your cigar smoking experience.