This is gonna sound weird but...
- Thread starter truckingtiger
- Start date
I buenwd an old perdomo today and trued this way of doing it. I could tell a major difference In what I was tasting. Slowed the draw, breathing through my nose as I did the draw at normal pace, and retrohaled about every 5 draws. MAJOR difference!
Thats just it for me...Im into taste. I KNOW there're things in a smoke that I can taste...just like with wine or tea...I smoke cigars s much for the taste profiles as the relaxation. I just need to figure out HOW to taste the cigar. Otherwise why even bother? Just my opinion, though.
I don't even bother trying to pinpoint what flavors I'm tasting and frankly I don't taste half the stuff I read that others do. Not saying they don't taste that but I don't. Also some have better palletes than others. I have a friend who has an incredible pallette. Mine is pretty well rounded being that I've worked in kitchens for a decade. Long story short just enjoy the smoke and slowly you will pick up the subtle flavors. The main thing is that you enjoy the flavors not so much that you can identify them. Again every has different tastes.
squaresoft
It's dangerous to go alone, take this.
yeah as others have stated, you get alot of the "flavor" from a cigar through your sense of smell. It's just like with wine that way. That said, everyone will taste different flavors in a cigar because of how subjective it is, and noone can say how much of what you "taste" is actually there or is a figment of your imagination. alot of times I wonder if im just convincing myself I taste a flavor when it isnt actually there...
who cares though as long as the experience is enjoyable.
who cares though as long as the experience is enjoyable.
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- Nov 25, 2015
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What I always suggest is to smoke a cigar that has a singular flavor profile, until you can pick up that flavor. Or at least until you can tell a difference between that cigar and another.
For example, in my opinion, to get a good feel for what leather tastes like try a Montecristo Media Noche or a Carlos Torano Exodus Silver. They both have heavy leather. The Torano Silver in Robusto has more chocolate than Leather, and in Double Perfecto it has more Leather than Chocolate! Once you have smoked several of these, all while practicing that super important retrohale, then move on to another cigar.
The Ramon Bueso Odyssey is a cigar heavy in the nut department. I mean HEAVY! After smoking some of those you should be able to tell the difference between nut, leather and chocolate.
For finding the cream flavor/feel I recommend getting some of the Verina Farms Breakfast Blend in Churchill. That is one of the creamiest cigars I have had. The upside to those, is they can be had fairly cheap as well.
For Raisin or Fruit, I reccommend the Romeo Y Julieta RYJ. Super good.
After trying those, and you start feeling more comfortable distinguishing flavors, then try the Alec Bradley Sanctum. That has a very good profile with Coffee, Sweet Cream and Nuts. That would be a good one to test how well you can pick out flavor differences.
In short, it just takes time to pick up these flavors. Pepper/Spice were the first flavors I picked up. Then with the Carlos Torano Exodus Silver I discovered Chocolate and Leather. Leather is one of my favorite cigars, so I always hunt down cigars with that flavor! Keep practicing the retrohale, as that is the most important tool in a cigar smokers arsenal. Take your time, enjoy the cigars and be patient! It will come.
For example, in my opinion, to get a good feel for what leather tastes like try a Montecristo Media Noche or a Carlos Torano Exodus Silver. They both have heavy leather. The Torano Silver in Robusto has more chocolate than Leather, and in Double Perfecto it has more Leather than Chocolate! Once you have smoked several of these, all while practicing that super important retrohale, then move on to another cigar.
The Ramon Bueso Odyssey is a cigar heavy in the nut department. I mean HEAVY! After smoking some of those you should be able to tell the difference between nut, leather and chocolate.
For finding the cream flavor/feel I recommend getting some of the Verina Farms Breakfast Blend in Churchill. That is one of the creamiest cigars I have had. The upside to those, is they can be had fairly cheap as well.
For Raisin or Fruit, I reccommend the Romeo Y Julieta RYJ. Super good.
After trying those, and you start feeling more comfortable distinguishing flavors, then try the Alec Bradley Sanctum. That has a very good profile with Coffee, Sweet Cream and Nuts. That would be a good one to test how well you can pick out flavor differences.
In short, it just takes time to pick up these flavors. Pepper/Spice were the first flavors I picked up. Then with the Carlos Torano Exodus Silver I discovered Chocolate and Leather. Leather is one of my favorite cigars, so I always hunt down cigars with that flavor! Keep practicing the retrohale, as that is the most important tool in a cigar smokers arsenal. Take your time, enjoy the cigars and be patient! It will come.
Leather has always kind of boggled my mind. How does one go about finding out how leather tastes?
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- Nov 25, 2015
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For me it goes back to using smell and taste together.
Have I ever chewed on a piece of leather to see what it taste like? Maybe once when I was young. Lol. But no.
And I have never chewed cedar or oak or any other kind of wood to know what that actually tastes like.
The flavor I call leather is a flavor that reminds me of how leather smells! It can be a mild leather or a work boot leather (strong). Smell a brand new piece of leather or a boot and then find the flavor in a cigar that reminds you of it.
Same goes for wood flavors. What I get between my taste and smell combines to remind me of the smell of cedar or oak.
Another way to help pick out any flavor is to take a day to smell different things. Woods, leathers, spices, fruits, etc. Then when you go to retrohale the flavor you get will trigger that memory of how that specific flavor smelled.
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- be patient
- slow down the smoking rhythm (also referred to as cadence)
- drink water or seltzer water basically nothing flavored. The water is there to cleanse the palate.
- take a puff, exhale and retrohale at the same time and think about it. It may or may not make a connection to a flavor for you.
For me... some cigars are heavy on flavor and easy to pick up and others are light and require concentration. In both cases if I can't relate the flavor to something then I just know its there but I can't pinpoint it.
Read reviews while you smoke and it will help. Don't be upset if you don't make the connection though, it takes time.
- slow down the smoking rhythm (also referred to as cadence)
- drink water or seltzer water basically nothing flavored. The water is there to cleanse the palate.
- take a puff, exhale and retrohale at the same time and think about it. It may or may not make a connection to a flavor for you.
For me... some cigars are heavy on flavor and easy to pick up and others are light and require concentration. In both cases if I can't relate the flavor to something then I just know its there but I can't pinpoint it.
Read reviews while you smoke and it will help. Don't be upset if you don't make the connection though, it takes time.
Makes sense I guess I rarely smell leather. I'm going to go sniff my couch.
Can't say I'm enamored with the way this smells!
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THIS!!! Thesis awesome! I truly have a good palette. I can honestly taste differences in wines and teas. Can tell you foods with my eyes closed and blindfolded. This is why I really wanted to figure out HOW to taste a cigar. Iy look me some time to pick ut notes in wine. All I ever tasted was the alcohol until I had someone teach me how to taste it. The same with the teas...I KNEW there was a way to do so with cigars, because I have done it. My problem was, I hadn't even SMELLED a cigar in over four years until the Clemson playoff game last week whenI had a "victory cigar" after the game...this got my ass bit by the bug again and now I'm back in the game!
Im gonna try some of those cigars that you mentioned above @JJCigarReview and will be retraining myself and my palette to distinguish the flavors. Doing that...finding the flavors...is as much fun for me as it is relaxing while smoking the cigar! Thanks Brother!!
@BigEasy...woud that help or hinder, though? Would the power of suggestion come into play by "looking" for the flavors that the others say are there? Eh...im overthinking this.
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You bet man. Glad it helped. They are all great cigars and can be had for good prices.
Unfortunately I had a good cry from my Sooners loosing and didn't smoke until the next day...
But I hate Alabama so much I will have to go for the Tigers in the BCS game.
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i would usally wait until after i was done smoking a cigar to read a review for that specific reason. even I think alot of these are a little too specific but if you stick to the middle of the wheel then maybe after awhile you can get to the outside of the wheel
