The hardness measurement is not specific to the tobacco world. It can be found in areas as diverse as engineering, ergonomics, fruit and vegetable farming, etc. In addition, the way in which the consumer judges the quality of this parameter varies greatly. It would thus be utopian to think of designing a universal device capable of reproducing this tactile sensation. Generally, the various methods used call on the same principle: the application of a set force over a given period and the observance of the resulting crushing. Applied to cigarettes, this method has the merit of being simple but does not give full information on the capacity of the product tested to react to the force. We envisage a new method of characterizing hardness, based on a three-parameter physical model . This model would take into account the elastic and plastic deformation together with the relaxation phenomenon. For tobacco, it applies equally to the measurement of cigarette hardness and to the measurement of the blend filling power. Associated with a regression software program, it provides the means for fully specifying the deformation of the product tested under stress and is the subject of experimental validation.