Quote Originally Posted by Kenyth
Flavors like that are all subjective and only meant to try and give cigar smokers verbal tools to describe the smoke. If you taste leather or cedar, that doesn't mean you literally taste those things like you're licking a coat or a humidor, only that the combination of smell and taste on your palate remind you of that thing. I find that these descriptive flavors seem to apply more to the aroma than the actual taste on your tongue. It takes a little practice and concentration to pick up subtle flavors and smells and be able to describe them effectively. People who have previous experience at gourmet food, fine wine, and artisian beer tasting have previous practice at this. That certainly doesn't mean you have to do it. It's all a matter of personal preference. Cigar smoking is primarily about enjoyment. Smoke what you like, and smoke it however you like. If you don't want to screw with pretend flavors, by all means don't.
I actually taste ingredients in artisan beers, not "flavors".

To me, it's more like food. If a dish contains cinnemon, a food critic will describe it as having a dash of cinnemon, not earthy with a touch of spice. Well, at least they SHOULD describe it as cinnemonny. :)

There's also a level of snobbery or buzzworditis involved in tasting definitions. If someone tells you a wine tastes like bartlet pear, you're not likely to question that assessment. He could be completely full of shit. He may have seen bartlet peaches at the grocery store that day and decided it would sound more sophisticated than just saying peaches. It's really no different than a crooked mechanic or computer tech. A friend of mine once had $2000 worth of work done to a K car because the heater didn't work.