As much as I enjoy the cigar, I am looking forward to really being able to distinguish one flavor from another. I know everybody is different, but how long should I expect it to take to be able to honestly say that I enjoy one cigar much more than others and I am ready to buy the whole box? My taste for beer has morphed as I age. Does a seasoned cigar smoker find as much variety in cigars as he does in beer or is that a bad analogy?
Tasting flavors
- Thread starter NC Ninja
- Start date
I think its hard to put a time stamp on it. Heck, I couldn't even say when it happened for me. You will just start tasting other flavors as you mature in it I believe. Just take your time when you smoke and if possible smoke alone and relaxed. Not busy mowing lawn or working on project. Just relax and enjoy what the cigar has to offer. It will come.
indyrob
BoM Feb '06 & Sept. '08
You like what you're exposed to. Think of it more in terms of food with herbs and spices. Some agree with you and others dont and hit you in a certain memory center with your tastebuds. Tobacco doesnt take on the flavors you see described but you can remember certains things that remind you of leather, nutmeg, cinnamon or ass.
Expand your pallet with beer and food and you will enjoy your cigars more.
Expand your pallet with beer and food and you will enjoy your cigars more.
breathing in through your nose while drawing smoke from the cigar helps....your nose plays a big part in what you taste/experience.
Lmao.
Might sound nuts but a great way to help determine underlying flavors and develop the palate is (if you have the time and enough cigars) Smoke two at once. The idea is to grab to twos sticks from different brands and alternate pulls between them. Of course smoking 2 smaller sticks can save you time as well so try that. It really helped me so far. Theres a lot I haven't experienced yet but my palate is maturing.
Eventually one will just hit you. It might not even be the first time with it, but one will hit you and you'll think "damn I need a box of those". Then you'll buy a box and they will be really good but none of them will live up to that great one you smoked that brought on the box purchase. So you'll forget about em and then 6 months later you'll try one again and be like "now that's what I'm talking about". At least this has been my experience so far.
indyrob
BoM Feb '06 & Sept. '08
Yeah!!!
Yep. The problem is cigars are not static. Your enjoyment of a cigar depends on your mood, time of day, what you ate, wind, heat, humidity, place etc. I have smoked a cigar with friends that seemed like the ultimate stick only. Sadly, rarely reach that same level again.
I find I pick up flavors best when I make sure I am just smoking; no yard work, no conversations, etc. To help define flavors, I sometimes keep notes of what I am picking up and then compare it to reviews of the same cigar. It has helped and continues to help me sharpen my palette.
In addition, if I really want to concentrate on the cigar, I only smoke with water. I find that if I have a scotch or beer, it makes it harder for me to pick up individual flavors from the cigar (but usually heightens the overall enjoyment).
Like others have said, your tastes will change. Just keep smoking what you like as often as you can
In addition, if I really want to concentrate on the cigar, I only smoke with water. I find that if I have a scotch or beer, it makes it harder for me to pick up individual flavors from the cigar (but usually heightens the overall enjoyment).
Like others have said, your tastes will change. Just keep smoking what you like as often as you can
StogieNinja
Derek | BoM June 2014
Well, after a while, you'll just know that one cigar is better than others. If you're brand new to cigars, the absolute best thing you can do right now is just sample everything. When you smoke one you think you like, buy a single, and smoke it again, and then find out what it's made of and grab a few singles with similar blends, or post here what you liked about the stick and we can recommend you cigars with similar profiles.
As you smoke more, you'll begin to get a feel for what you like and dislike. More on that in a bit...
The best advice anyone ever gave me is this: Smoke a single. If you liked it, smoke another. If you still liked it, buy a fiver. After that, if you still think it's boxworthy, buy another fiver. If after that you still think it's boxworthy, then get a box. But 9 times out of 10, you'll have moved on to something you like even more during that process.
Frankly, I would recommend that you don't buy anything but singles and fivers for the first couple years. For one thing, you might think "this is a great cigar" and then tomorrow smoke a very similar cigar that you like even more, and wouldn't you rather have a box of the latter? So don't be in a rush to buy a box of anything. I've been at this for years, and (apart from the boxes I bought for the births of my kids) I still only have maybe three or four full boxes. The rest are assorted fivers and singles.
No, it's actually a great analogy. Like good beer, cigars are made from natural products and put through a refined process. Like beer, small batches can turn out slightly different from batch to batch. Like beer, there are a million nuances in flavor that can take something from light and mild to deep and dark and bold, and everywhere in-between. Like beer, your palate will slowly acclimate to what a cigar has to offer and after some time, you'll find you have a favorite. After more time, you might find yourself drifting from that favorite for something else as your palate develops. And like beer, the journey is the fun part!
This x1000!!! I made the mistake of buying boxes early on and just recently wound up donating a bunch of 8+yr old aged sticks to the troops because my tastes had changed from when I started. There was about a 6yr period I didn't smoke much and within the last year came back hard and heavy. There is so much out there and so many things I want to try I buy mostly singles with a few 5 packs mixed in with the exception of a 10ct box of some outstanding lanceros that will hold up over time. As a brewer, I also agree that beer is a good analogy. Tastes are always changing and also change with seasons.
StogieNinja
Derek | BoM June 2014
GREAT point I neglected to mention! In the wintertime cold, I absolutely love a dark, heavy maduro, whereas in the summertime heat, nothing can beat the aroma of a CC.