Two points I'd add to everything above:
- You're never really "tasting" or "smelling" the nuances listed in reviews, but more smelling/tasting something that "reminds" the reviewer of said item. People with very refined palates have become attuned to pointing out those references, whereas you or I might never pick these things up because we haven't trained ourselves to pick out these individual traits. I know I've seen scent kits available for people training to become master sommeliers so they can clearly define scents in their purest form. Don't feel bad about only picking up a small fraction of what a reviewer calls out!
- Do some blind reviews! I got in on a round of blind reviews last fall and was amazed at how much more attuned to the cigar I was when I had zero prior knowledge about what I was getting myself in to. If you see someone running a round of these again, jump on it! (or just arrange some with a buddy, trade some fivers and replace the bands with letters/numbers. Then, after you've both completed your reviews you can reveal what each one was - and make sure you post them up in the review section!!)
Good points.
My two cents:
1.
Retrohale. Blow 95% of the smoke out your mouth, and let just the last 5% trail out your nose. Or if that's to much, blow all the smoke out your mouth, and then just exhale out your nose after. You'll notice new flavors that really add richness and depth to what you taste on the tongue.
2.
French inhale. Bring a little of the smoke up your nostrils. Too much will burn you, especially if you're new, so sometimes it's just sniffing the room note of the smoke, but that too will add dimensions to the flavor
3.
Get a flavor wheel. Google one, print it, and have it around when you smoke. You'll begin to notice certain aspects of the smoke remind you of things, and the wheel will help you put a finger on 'em
4.
Reviews. Write stuff down that occurs to you when you smoke. As you concentrate on what to write, you'll discover your more able to identify flavors.
5.
Blind Reviews. Sometimes getting the brand and preconceptions out of the way make a world of difference, and concentrating only of the cigar itself, nothing else, will allow you to free your mind and be more open to the flavors
6.
Smell stuff. I'm serious here, go into your pantry and smell all the spices. Go outside and smell grass, dirt, flowers, trees, bark, soil. Try to commit those aromas to memory, so when you light up a cigar you'll be able to go back and say "aha!"
As was already mentioned, slower pulls will result in better flavor. Also, another thing to note is to smoke more frequently, but not all the time. Too much smoking will kill your palate, but smoking regularly will desensitize your palate in a proper way, allowing you to get past the initial roughness and taste more of the good stuff. It's like playing an instrument - you have to desensitize your fingertips to play well, and actually be able to feel the instrument the right way. Same with cigars, there's a certain way in which you need to do it enough to build your calluses, but not so much or so hard that you blister or chafe.
