How much should we smoke?

[reaganyouth84]

I could be wrong, but I think that different cigars change flavors at different points in the cigar. One cigar may burn down 3/4 of the way down and taste great, another cigar may only burn down 1/4 of the way before it starts to taste a little rough. Just my 2 cents.

-Mike

[cls515]

maybe it is the cigar you are smoking.

[prophetic_joe]

from hanging out on these forums and thanks to these guys here you'll learn quite a bit. My experience with taste change is that it can be cause by many different factors. I tend to be a bit impatient and smoke the cigar a bit faster than you should resulting in hot boxing which happens when that tobacco gets too hot and burns too quickly. (I think if I'm wrong one of the more experienced guys will let me know) You may also want to check your humidity % in the Humidor you want it to be anywhere from 65% - 70%. If your cigar gets too humid it will effect the burn and also the taste. You will also want to drink something while you smoke, your favorite beer, liquor, soda or water. Not something like OJ though cause they do not go well together.

Well that's my 2 cents. Welcome to the board and enjoy smoking.

[Yeagermeister]

Well, In general, as your cigar burns lower and lower, flavors will get more complex, which can be hard for young palettes to appreciate. Assuming your humidity is correct and all that jazz, and the sticks you're smoking aren't total garbage, I'll tell you to just keep practicing until you're able to appreciate this phase of your smoke.

[Cohibanut]

There's a couple of things here. First of all the quality of the cigar will indeed matter. The second is that "How much should you smoke" is a question of taste. If you don't like the changing taste after the first third (a cigar is usually split in between three distinct changes in taste) who says you should carry on smoking it. It may be a waste but if you don't like it then put it down.

My advice would be to try and smoke a few different brands and find one you like.

Enjoy!

[SuperChuck]

I tend to smoke pretty quickly, myself, which tends to change the flavour early... If I notice it's starting to change, I usually slow down a little. If the flavor doesn't come back, I usually toss it aside. If the flavor is still there, I keep on puffin'...

bigger ring gauges burn cooler, too...

[Jonsey5484]

In addition to everyone's comments, which are very excellent suggestions, another suggestion would be.....as the cigar burns lower and lower the flavor gets stronger. This might be caused by the tar build up at the end that you are smoking from. Try cutting a little more off the end of the cigar to try and eliminate some of the build up. I have found this helpful once in a while. Worth a try.