Originally Posted by T.G
Couple things to start off... criollo, corojo, etc are top-level varieties of tobacco. Within each, there are different strains that have been developed, such as Corojo 99, corojo 06, etc. Ligero is typically used to refer to the top primings on the plant (leaves located at the top of the tobacco plant).
Both are tied to the strength, or body (the terms are interchangeable), of the tobacco in their own ways.
On a tobacco plant, the primings down at the bottom are older, larger leaves that have had limited sun exposure prior to harvest and really aren't that strong. As you progress up the plant, the leaves become fuller bodied (stronger), finally getting to the crown of the plant, where the most flavorful and strongest leaves are found.
From the bottom up, the primings (about 3-5 leaves per priming depending on the variety of tobacco - some plants are bigger than others) are named, if you are in Nicaragua, Honduras or Central/South America: Seco, Viso and finally Ligero at the top. If you are on an island (Cuba, DR, etc): it's Volado, Seco and Ligero. Same things, just two different names. This goes for any tobacco plant, although some manufacturers, Joya de Nicaragua in particular, are working with such strong tobaccos that they have an extra classification, "Laheron", which is basically the ligero's ligero, it's "super ligero". Unbelievably strong, a whole leaf in a cigar blend would light your nose on fire.
The varieties of tobacco vary in strength/body from strain to strain. Some are stronger than others. Criollo is typically stronger and fuller than Sumatra for example, which in turn is fuller than some of the Connecticut strains.
So it's not straight across. Viso from one strain might actually be as strong as ligero from another.
Lastly, how and where it's grown along with how it's processed can all further change the relative strength of the tobacco.
If you're looking for body in the cigars, I would recommend the simpler route of the manufacturer descriptions, since the full bend information and tobacco specifics are never fully revealed, and they can give a better overall assessment of the strength of a cigar as a whole than one can get by guessing at the partial descriptions.
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