Developing your own taste

[jkittle99]

New to the forums, and tons of questions to ask, I've been browsing for the last couple of hours and I came up with a great question that I thought might be addressed by a forum post. Mods please move this if I should place it elsewhere, still learning my way around.

So for the question - how long did it take you / what was your experience in developing your own 'taste' for what you like and what you don't, or what your own preferred style of cigar is?

A little background... I've been smoking on and off since my early 20s and I've been recently getting into cigars, however the first several (10?) that I smoked didn't really seem to have much of any specific flavor, and really left me feeling sort of indifferent to the particular smoke. I wasn't using (just) cheap sticks, it was a good assortment of various things, and they all just tasted 'bland' without any real anything. Last night, for the first time, I had a 'WOW, this is amazing' experience with a Gurkha Beauty, and I'm sure it's probably more of just beginning to develop my taste and starting to identify what I like moreso than the quality of what I'd smoked before. I'd love to hear your thoughts / feedback / stories of developing your own taste.

Let the storytelling begin

Josh

 

[Eric_kruger]

I'm still new I cigars but watching a review and then smoking that cigar myself has helped me to identify different flavors. Also taking notes while I smoke has helped as well.

 

[homebrewjourneys]

I'm in the same boat too. I have had some cigars I really liked but I have no idea why I liked them or how to find similars. I just keep smoking what's popular on here and new in stores to see if I like it. I'm very into craft beer and know everything there is to know but I feel it's easier with craft beer because right on the label it says IPA or RIS or Doppel Bock. And I can figure out very easily if I'm going to like it or not. Too often I'm looking at a cigar box or cigar and it really says nothing about where it's made or what it's going to taste like. You have to do all the research your self a lot of times unless you know before hand

 

[ItsBarbarino]

As far as using a cigar to gauge what other cigars you would like, for me that came from reading and understanding what's in them. I'm not sure that you can say "tobacco from the DR tastes like this, while Nica tastes like that", but you start to get a sense of what different tobaccos smell and taste like. Knowing what kind of wrapper leaf you have, binder, filler, it will help you begin to understand. Smell is a big part of tasting what you like. Size plays a factor. There's a lot to it.

Shortest answer would be to read a lot, smoke a lot, don't buy boxes, try to sample as much as possible, and have fun doing it.

 

[jonesry09]

For me it was important to try a wide scale of "bodied" smokes. When I started out it was almost all "light-medium" body. At that point in time I was in the same boat as you, I might as well have been smoking a swisher cause they all tasted the same. A friend suggested I try something more "medium-full" and that blew my mind. I was a whole different taste. Since then, I don't usually venture to far below a medium-bodied smoke. Remember, body does not equal strength. Just incase you were worried about turning green.

If you have tried a bunch along the body scale then I would just say that it will all come with time. Your senses will learn to pick things up more and more over time. I wouldn't say there is a set timeline. What took me 3 years to develop might take someone else a few months etc. You get what I am saying anyways.
I just think to when I started drinking beer. You could hand me anything and I would say, "Meh, taste like beer". Now I have certain tastes, "hopyness" etc. that I like in my beers.

Enjoy the process, you'll look back an appreciate it all

 

[CWS]

About ten years... First smoked cigars to smoke cigars. Later began to find cigars I really liked

 

[RamzaFreak20]

First smoked cigars to smoke cigars. Later began to find cigars I really liked

This was my method for both cigars and beer.

 

[machanical]

I find that reading reviews of the cigar you're smoking helps you identify a few notes here and there. Also, practice retrohaling. It's probably the most rewarding practice flavorwise.

It burns like hell while starting out, but quickly becomes second nature.

 

[javajunkie]

I find that reading reviews of the cigar you're smoking helps you identify a few notes here and there. Also, practice retrohaling. It's probably the most rewarding practice flavorwise.

It burns like hell while starting out, but quickly becomes second nature.

two solid points. get in the habit of putting what you experience into words, even if only to yourself; making a sensory image (taste, smell, texture) into a verbal one helps build a "vocabulary" that allows you context by which you can judge further experiences. and the retro more fully involves your palate. but, at the end of the day, it comes down to smoking a LOT of cigars, and learning to pay attention to your reactions.

and, for the record, my experience was about the same as CWS: five years to understand that i truly enjoyed cigars, five to understand why, and five again to get what i was looking for mapped out and formalized.

 

[Whtwtrman79]

So do you pipsters follow the same methodology In developing your palate with pipe baccy?

 

[Dave]

So for the question - how long did it take you / what was your experience in developing your own 'taste' for what you like and what you don't, or what your own preferred style of cigar is?

Don't know yet....started smoking cigars 10 years ago.....my 'taste' still changes frequently....less frequently than it did 5 years ago, but it is continually evolving. Funny....I was recently contemplating that I could probably get away with ONLY buying/smoking about 5 different NC brands and 5 different Cuban brands from now on.....and then I read about a 'new' brand/blend that I have to try.

 

[ga_stogies]

It took me about 2 to 3 years to truly figure out what sticks I really enjoyed. It wasn't until I figured out the whole retrohaling thing that I fully appreciated all of the flavors and nuances. The origin of the tobacco also plays in heavily and you will soon figure out what you like just by reading about what is in the whatever particular smoke you are enjoying at the moment

 

[reidmorebooks]

As far as using a cigar to gauge what other cigars you would like, for me that came from reading and understanding what's in them. I'm not sure that you can say "tobacco from the DR tastes like this, while Nica tastes like that", but you start to get a sense of what different tobaccos smell and taste like. Knowing what kind of wrapper leaf you have, binder, filler, it will help you begin to understand. Smell is a big part of tasting what you like. Size plays a factor. There's a lot to it.

Shortest answer would be to read a lot, smoke a lot, don't buy boxes, try to sample as much as possible, and have fun doing it.

What he said. For me knowing where the tobacco came from gave me an idea of what I would taste. I also really like watching reviews while I smoke to better pickup on flavors, but it is very subjective and everyone can taste something completely different in the same smoke. It has taken me about 6 months of a smoke a day to even begin to learn what I like, but I'm now more into medium full and love me some maduros.

 

[mark_j]

I gave up on picking up specific flavors a few months ago. I just smoke cigars I "like" and stopped trying to figure out exactly why I like them. It's been liberating. When a specific flavor does hit me (like wood, cream, pepper, etc) it is a pleasant surprise that just adds to the overall experience.

 

[jonesry09]

I gave up on picking up specific flavors a few months ago. I just smoke cigars I "like" and stopped trying to figure out exactly why I like them. It's been liberating. When a specific flavor does hit me (like wood, cream, pepper, etc) it is a pleasant surprise that just adds to the overall experience.

I like this… went through a little period where I was trying to pick up on every little thing. If I wasn't picking up something that was in a review it was a little frustrating. For the last little while I have just been enjoying the hobby to enjoy it. I have no shame in saying that 90% of the time I can't pick out the cocoa or nutmeg in a smoke ahhaha
I like certain smokes and don't like others for my own reasons. Shouldn't turn anyone off of those particular smokes.

 

[javajunkie]

So do you pipsters follow the same methodology In developing your palate with pipe baccy?

that goes for EVERYTHING. learning to taste, and articulate tastes (and smells and textures), is a skill used for spirits, food, pipe, cigar, really anything you don't NEED but enjoy anyway.

 

[CWS]

A great method is to find someone that seems to like the same cigars as you. Probably one of the best concepts of a forum is smoking a cigar and then reading someone that loved the same cigar. I follow three or four people on t he forum that have constantly matched up on cigars with me. If they really like something, I buy a box.

 

[StogieNinja]

Great post with a great question!

Personally, it took me about a year or two of regular smoking (1-2x a week) before I developed any kind of real sense of direction. Before that it was "I like it" or "I don't like it."

A few things that will help:

1. Get your sticks right. What I mean is, find a stable environment to keep your sticks, get the rH dialed in to a 65%, and then let any new purchases acclimate. Don't smoke directly out of the B&M humidor unless the B&M keeps the rH low enough for the cigars to smoke well (most store humidors seem to be dialed in to 70+, which is too high) This was the first major "light-bulb" moment for me. Once I got the rH dialed in right, and let my sticks acclimate, suddenly everything tasted better. Like the difference between trying to find something at night and in the daytime.

2. Retrohale. This takes a lot of getting used to, and is hard at first. Try retrohaling the tail end of a puff, as little as 5%. Blow nearly all the smoke out of your mouth, and then push just that laaaast little bit through your nose. This will open up new worlds of flavors you didn't even know were there, and again the difference will seem like night and day.

3. Write reviews. Whether you post them or not, the experience of writing a review will surprise you in it's helpfulness. I used to say that I hated writing reviews because it interrupted my enjoyment of the stick. But the concentration that writing a review takes helps you focus on the cigar itself, what you like and dislike, what flavors you can identify, and over time, this attention will help you dial in what you like.

4. Read reviews, but ignore the reviews! Yeah, confusing, I know. What I mean is, check reviews for a few specific things, like where the cigar is made, what kind of wrapper/binder/filler is being utilized, and what the reviewer is picking up in terms of flavors. Whether the reviewer likes it isn't really relevant, as all palates are different. But, if 8 of 10 reviewers are saying it has cinnamon, and you've discovered you like cinnamon, it might be worth a shot. Or if 9 of 10 reviewers loved it, but said it was harsh and needed more rest, perhaps you buy a fiver and put it down for a while. That kinda thing. Over time, you'll start to realize that of the last 5 sticks you loved, 4 were Nicaraguan Puros, or maybe they were all Connecticut wrappers, or whatever. Knowing about the cigar will enable you to start to pin down just what it was about the cigar you liked, helping you identify similar things in the future.

5. Smoke more often. I started smoking cigars in college. It was a number of years before I smoked with any regularity. But when I started smoking about 1-2 times a wee, that's when my palate developed and I began to understand what I liked and disliked.

6. Enjoy the ride. Cigar smoking is an experience that takes time and patience, and developing your palate is exactly the same. Don't rush it or you'll get burned. Take it slow and you'll enjoy it!


EDIT:

A great method is to find someone that seems to like the same cigars as you. Probably one of the best concepts of a forum is smoking a cigar and then reading someone that loved the same cigar. I follow three or four people on t he forum that have constantly matched up on cigars with me. If they really like something, I buy a box.

Also, this!!!

 

[rdomfoto]

I had been smoking "good" cigars (now what I'd refer to as an everyday stick) for a couple of months when I was turned on to Fuente's Hemingway line and, specifically, the Short Story. To this day, if I want to have a cigar that I know I will enjoy, that's my go to cigar. In fact, all of the Hemingway sizes. From there, I discovered that I liked every Fuente that I've ever had.

I was lucky enough to receive a Casa Fuente from someone and that was probably the best cigar I've ever had.

So, to answer your question, I started with Fuentes and I stay with them while happily trying almost anything that comes my way.

 

[ga_stogies]

I had been smoking "good" cigars (now what I'd refer to as an everyday stick) for a couple of months when I was turned on to Fuente's Hemingway line and, specifically, the Short Story. To this day, if I want to have a cigar that I know I will enjoy, that's my go to cigar. In fact, all of the Hemingway sizes. From there, I discovered that I liked every Fuente that I've ever had.

I was lucky enough to receive a Casa Fuente from someone and that was probably the best cigar I've ever had.

So, to answer your question, I started with Fuentes and I stay with them while happily trying almost anything that comes my way.

The short stories are a great line for getting acquainted with Fuente.