Tasting Cigars

[Monk]

Hi everyone,

So.. next topic.. "tasting" cigars. Can you FOGs give us newbs the lowdown on your methods, or how you determine the flavours when smoking. I seem to get some but I seem to be more sensitive to nutty, or earthy tones... maybe its just my luck that all the cigars I have been smoking have those flavours.... heh. Anyhow, guidance as usual is appreciated :)

-W.

[Diesel Grinch]

I just taste tobacco. Once in a while I get a hint of tobacco. At other times some tobacco's remind me of other tobacco flavors. Good thing I enjoy good tobacco. Not so crazy about cheap tobacco.



DG

[Newfie]

WOW DG, you have it all figured out!!

Monk, I've been thinking about the same sort of question. Personally, I seem to be more sensitive to spices and especially pepper.

I rewad reviews and see people describe the smoke as "chewy" and "leathery". I always wonder if there's a site that tells you how to recognize smoke as "chewy", among other things.

[Cabaiguan Juan]

I seem to be partial to the cedar flavors of cigars. Sometimes I even taste some metal, which I don't like. But I also taste spices and vanilla on some cigars.

[Shagaroo]

I never got the whole leather, coffee, chewy, molasses covered pine tree and dirt flavors thing. I can tell a difference between spicy and not spicy, and the sweetness of a good maduro, but I would rather just sit back and enjoy the cigar than play 30 flavors with it anyway.

[Diesel Grinch]

I agree with Shagaroo. I gave up trying to figure flavors out a while ago as I wasn't enjoying the cigars because I couldn't figure the different flavors out.

DG

[Newfie]

I agree Shag. Two of the most enjoyable smokes I've had to date was a CAO Pressed Maduro and the Sancho Panzo I had today at lunch. While there were flavours that I had no idea what they were, they were both very pleasureable smokes.

Many times I'd tried to figure out what chewy meant, or leathery, or as you say "molasses covered pine tree", I just give up and enjoy the cigar.

[Monk]

Well I'm glad I'm not alone

Lets see what the others respond :). As for Maduro's I didn't know that they tended to be sweeter, but walking home from a large cigar purchase today (Newfie, thats another 20 cigars on top of the 35 from the weekend ;) I'll post a list of what I got elsewhere ;)) I decided to have one of the Ashton Aged Maduro #20s that I picked up on the walk back to work on this lovely day... with this cigar I noticed more of the taste, and certainly the sweetness... but then, I also paid more attention to that aspect.... well.... that and all the ladies dressed for summer already

-W.

[Cigar Penguin]

Like wine,if drank/smoked calmly while sitting there focusing on the experiance,the first flavor,smell,taste of something even for a split second is used to describe the flavor profile.This shouldnt be considered work,it should be done in a relaxed manner.
Working while smokeing/drinking,eating while smokeing/drinking,how you feel,the surroundings,etc etc all have an impact on your cigar/drink results,if at all just slightly.

A good way to try this is close your eyes after the cigar is lit,slowly take a puff to desired amount of smoke you would consider a mouthful.Let it slowly come out of your opened mouth on its own and then breathe out your nose while tasteing(that opening and closeing,tasteing your tounge movement we do when something just tasted great).
The first flavor that comes to mind without think,the first thing the taste in your mouth reminds you of,thats the profile you would add in a review if describeing the cigars flavor profile.The finish...long short is the amount of time before the flavors leave your mouth before takeing another puff...sometimes its very long sometimes very short.The flavor you have may be different from the initial one you were reminded of in the initial puff.

Some cigars will change in flavors 1/3rd,half way down,and last 1/3rd of the cigar till the nub,this is what makes a cigar multi dimensional,varying flavor profile throught the entire cigar at different points.One dimensional would be the same flavor throught start to finish.

It is like wine and yes there are some flavors that people just cannot pick out so whats the first thing it reminds you off would be a way to describe it.Some of us will not experiance the same flavor profiles so it shouldnt be written in stone that you got a bad stick,a fake,or not fresh stogie because it doesnt match.Its just a basic area to expect/describe.

Wine blindfolded is a good way to pick flavors.Of course there are 4-5 methods in tasteing that should be done in order to describe the profile.Cigar smokers sometimes breath out the nose while tasteing there tounge or chewing motion to taste the smoke better.I do this but do not smoke the entire cigar blowing out my nose nor do I blow the entire mouthful out my nose,heck,my nose would be blowing brown snot if I did this.

Hope this helps,try it.

[Newfie]

snip....the 35 from the weekend ....snip

You still haven't told us what you picked up at Duty Free and what ya spent on 'em!!

[nhcigarfan]

I had a break through the other day when I could recognize a black pepper taste in a specific cigar rather than general "spice" taste but that's about it. Other than that I know what I like and what I don't.

[Kenyth]

A lot of the "taste" is actually the smell or aroma of the smoke. I get more from the aroma than I do from the actual taste. I like to take a mouthful of smoke and let it slowly escape my mouth. I gently sniff the smoke during this. The flavors aren't actual flavors, but rather approximations of flavors that remind you of other things. Some popular perceived flavors are:

Wood or cedar. Considering it's a plant leaf aged in cedar, this analogy isn't too surprising.

Vanilla, sweet spice, or clove. Generally the sweet flavor found in good maduro, corojo, and sometimes cameroon tobaccos.

Pepper, heat, strong, harsh or bite. The tingly or burning sensation caused by nicotene, or other irritating substances found in tobacco smoke. Ligero is a good example of peppery tobacco.


It takes a little practice to start recognizing flavors. There are distinct flavor differences among cigars. Cameroon for example, has a very distinct flavor to me.

[hex1848]

Most of the time I simply sit back and smoke a cigar and don’t pay too much attention to the flavors associated with any given smoke. However If I’m sitting down to review a cigar I try to really pay attention to what flavors I’m tasting as I smoke. Most of the times it is very subtle in nature, but usually the idea pop’s into my head “hey that tasted kind of creamy or chocolaty”. I write it down, keep smoking and let my olfactory sense and taste buds make the comparisons for me.

It’s really more of a novelty to be honest with you. It’s fun to write "my cigar had subtle hints of cream and a fine leathery aroma". It makes for better reading too ;-)

[Lopaka]

Just smoke the darn thing and enjoy it!





If you are not enjoying the smoke...drink lots of Scotch!

[Monk]

Thanks for all the replies so far :)

Make no mistake I am enjoying my cigars immensely... but I am also keeping a journal... it is part of the fun for me... that said, any cigar I have when drunk just tends to get edited out of my inventory with no comments . BigPoppaPuff would be proud, the only Macanudo I had was taken out specifically on a night where I knew I would be drinking so much it didn't matter if I smoked it or an envelope . I'm still not sure which I ended up smoking!

-W.