Am I missing something............

[SuperChuck]

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.

[Dickson]

Thanks guys.....CgarDan, I'll do just that. Really makes sense.

[cigar no baka]

I have tasted chocolate, woody-flavors, spicy flavors, tangy flavors and creamy flavors from cigars. But thats it for me. I tend to have a hint of suspicion about reviews that talk about picking up hints of cardamom or curry or the like; either they have a very refined palate (unlikely) or they are just blowing shit out their piehole to impress people.

[JHarri31]

Personally I've found that the cigars that I enjoy tend to follow the same pattern of "pretend flavors". I dont' know that I've really ever tasted cocoa in a cigar, but I know that most of the cigars I routinely enjoy are described in that fashion. Similarly, I tend not to like those cigars with an "earthy" taste.

I suggest that as you try new smokes to read reviews afterward. You'll probably begin to notice a trend in your prefernces, which in turn can make it easier for you to pick what cigars you want to try going forward.

Oh...and when you find the Bacon Cheesburger tasting cigar please let me know ASAP!

[MCsommerreid]

It's something that will come with time, depending on if you put any focus into it, or just smoke and run. When I started I was always "Psh, cocoa and leather my ass. I taste tobbaco". But now with more of a focus on relaxing and enjoying and less of a hectic smoke, I've been picking up things like earthy flavors, cedar, cocoa, coffee, spice; generally the things tobacco has probably be introduced to while growing and aging and what not.

It will also depend on the strength of the cigar and its wrapper. Don't expect to taste some of the stronger and weirder flavors like spice and leather in a mild cigar. Maduro can have a good "Hey, thats not tobacco flavor..I wonder what it is" side to it, and from what I've experienced dark wrappers like obscuros can have a "what the eff is that flavor and what's it doing in my cigar.." side to it.

So just practice and enjoy. If you find the flavors you find them, but so long as you enjoy the cigar it doesn't really matter.

[pierce652]

Not to jump on a soapbox but this thread is a great example of why I particularly enjoy this cigar forum. This was a legit question and the responses were helpful and insightful without the wise comments or put downs.

I wanted to take the opportunity to thank everyone for having patience with us new guys.

[bigpoppapuff]

Not to jump on a soapbox but this thread is a great example of why I particularly enjoy this cigar forum. This was a legit question and the responses were helpful and insightful without the wise comments or put downs.

I wanted to take the opportunity to thank everyone for having patience with us new guys.

what the fuck are we doing??.....where are the wise comments and put-downs??....there's something very wrong...and dammit!!!...we need to buckle down...





now back to todays edition of mr wizard....