What's In a Taste and How Do We Know?

[e-dawg]

Gents and Ladies,

I am fairly new to "serious" cigar smoking (serious equates to paying attention to what I am smoking, reading reviews, lighting properly, smoking slowly, etc...) and I feel like I am finally developing my palate, but I am still quite mystified in how to pick out all of the subtle variations in flavors. I know what tastes good vs. what doesn't, but I am still hard pressed to be able to clearly identify oak from cedar, honey from floral, nutty vs. coffee, etc... When I read reviews, I am impressed by how much the reviewer can pull out of a smoke I am about to experience; I then ask myself why I couldn't find the same flavors... Perhaps I am still too green, but I feel like the nuances of a good smoke (or bad) may persist to evade me unless I change tactics. And then again, I ponder, why does it really matter after-all?

The question(s) I pose for this thread is "How do you identify flavors and is it biased by a review; or do you just not bother and enjoy the smoke because it tastes good.?"

I feel like I just might fall into the later category and just not worry about it. A good smoke is a good smoke and why bother to worry about it...

Thanks!

 

[Alwayslit]

It takes practice and some are better than others. The most important thing is to enjoy the experience and things will come in time.

 

[javajunkie]

large part is experience; you learn by smoking. many brands, and many years

part of it is innate; some people have naturally gifted palates.

my biggest thing is to ACTIVELY pay attention. not only stop and think about it, but try to put it into words, either written or spoken. yes, talk to yourself out loud if necessary! it is easier to retain the information as words linked to the sensory experiences, rather than just the memory of a smell, taste, or texture alone.

it also really helps when you carry this past just cigars. notice a smell or a taste, stop and pay attention to it. you ever really notice the smell of new leather, fresh cut lumber, all the exotica in your spice cabinet? stop and pay attention to it, verbalize it, and it is there for comparison later.

and, at the end of it all, don't sweat it! you can't pick up "aged suede with a hint of cassis"? if all you get out of a smoke is "i just enjoyed the HELL out of the last hour and a half", you're still doing fine. o)

 

[YodisMatt]

We all have different palates and pick up different tastes do to prior experiences. Say the wood notes one may pick it up do to a good amount of time working with said wood, or cooking with it or just being in a humidor all the time .

I like to read reviews as well and at first was told try smoking a stick while reading a review on it and it will help. I didn't think it did, instead of just sitting back and enjoying the smoke I was hunting for the notes the reviewer found. Screw that, sit back and enjoy it and try to pick out notes that remind you of something you experienced and it brings you back to that. Also don't be discouraged if you think you aren't picking up much, it will come.

Also on your statement about tastes good vs doesn't is up to you not someone else. We all don't like the exact same thing and all have unique tastes. Don't let someone else discourage you from trying something you may want to give a shot, they may hate it and you may love it.

Another note, what you pair it with will change what you experience, if you really want to see what the stick has I suggest going with room temp water.

 

[BrotherMaduro]

Part of it comes with experience and smoking a lot of different cigars. If I'm trying something new, I like to read the reviews so I know somewhat what to expect and I try to identify those flavors as I'm smoking. But like others have said, everyone's palate is different and people notice different things. Sometimes you just don't know what the hell to call the flavor but you know you like it. That's when you just sit back and enjoy and not worry about what it is.

 

[Mickeymorris626]

it also really helps when you carry this past just cigars. notice a smell or a taste, stop and pay attention to it. you ever really notice the smell of new leather, fresh cut lumber, all the exotica in your spice cabinet? stop and pay attention to it, verbalize it, and it is there for comparison later.

This right here is what I attribute my diverse palate to. I just sat down and really smelled a lot of different spices and other items (leathers and woods)

Experience with many different cigars matter, but if I don't know what the real thing smells like, it's hard to make the connection for ME.

 

[Cigary43]

All good responses here. Training your tastes takes time and effort and then being able to recognize particular flavors....even without smoking cigars you should be able to pick out tastes in food...if you can do that then you can do it when it comes to cigars as it's just repetition and associating the smoke to the closest flavor you know...that's it. If you don't taste things like "oak and others" then it's all about your olfactory senses in association.

 

[YodisMatt]

Totally forgot to mention trying to retrohale to pick up more from the cigar.

 

[POTOB]

All great responses so far. This is something I am keenly interested in. More on that at a later date.

Flavor can be an elusive sense to really hone in on. On top of that, taste is really subjective rather than objective. There is no "right" answer when it comes to what you taste in a cigar...there is just your experience and what YOU taste.

With that said, taste is about paying attention. When we recognize a taste in something, we are using our recall memory. We are associating that taste with something else we've tasted already accessing the prior taste through recall. For instance, if you taste cocoa in a cigar, it may bring you back to that dark chocolate bar you had a few days ago. So it goes to say that if you've never tasted something (e.g. oak vs. cedar) then it will be tough to access that recall.

So the best place to start is not with a cigar, but with some of the raw elements of the tastes you are curious about and maybe some of the tastes mentioned in a review. Eat some 60% / 70% cocoa. Chew on some oak. Sip some well made espresso...heck even crunch down on some coffee beans. Explore those flavors first, and then see if you can recall them when you are smoking your favorite cigar.

All in all, its subjective. There is no definitive answer...even in a review. It all comes down to what you like. My motto has become:

If it tastes good, stick it in your mouth!

Hope that helps.

 

[POTOB]

Totally forgot to mention trying to retrohale to pick up more from the cigar.

Absolutely GREAT point YodisMatt. This gets some of that flavor through other taste receptors. Swish it around in your mouth for a minute, then retrohale. Then take three short, hard breaths to draw air back over your taste buds. This will enhance the flavor and help you discern what you are tasting and the nuances therein.

 

[e-dawg]

Gents,

Thanks for the great feedback. I am definitely on this journey to get the most out of the experience and trust (in time) that my palate will yield the more nuanced results.

@ YodisMatt... Not entirely clear on how to retrohale yet. I've read that you swallow the last bit of smoke and blow out through your nose.

 

[AdamJoshua]

Totally forgot to mention trying to retrohale to pick up more from the cigar.

Well not an NC ... ouch. LOL

I like the term Snorking

 

[javajunkie]

no SWALLOWING smoke, please! retrohaling is taking part of the drawn smoke off a cigar (or pipe, for that matter), and passing it out your nostrils through the sinus cavity. i find closing my mouth and pushing up against the roof of the mouth with the tongue the easiest way to explain it. the idea being, your sense of smell is so large a part of your sense of taste, involving your nose actively helps identify flavors and aromas, and even pick up some you would haveissed otherwise.

 

[gui_tarzan]

I would just add that you may never "taste" wood or leather or any other particular flavors, but you may taste something similar or that reminds you of those things. I had a cigar once that reminded me of dark chocolate. I haven't experienced that since but once in a while I pick up nuances of other flavors. Unfortunately my sinuses are such that I don't get much separation of flavors, I'm looking more for spice and pepper in my nose these days. When I first started I tried paying close attention to flavors but anymore it's just the relaxation factor and not trying to get too analytical.

 

[maduro marauder]

Gents,

Thanks for the great feedback. I am definitely on this journey to get the most out of the experience and trust (in time) that my palate will yield the more nuanced results.

@ YodisMatt... Not entirely clear on how to retrohale yet. I've read that you swallow the last bit of smoke and blow out through your nose.

[video=youtube;Ba5rz_eTFPA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ba5rz_eTFPA[/video]

This should help. Retrohaling is a big part of picking out flavours. Just keep smoking and it will come.

 

[JEB]

I agree with all the responses. One thing I'll add on the reading a review and trying to find those tastes. Find a reviewer that has your same thoughts on what cigars you like. Me, I like a lot of what Brooks from Halfwheel likes. Not always, heh heh. But try to pick out and recognize flavors they get. It takes time and many cigars but it gives you a baseline to go on. I remember Charlie from HW saying he got a grapefruit note on the Mimi Mummy, I thought grapefruit? C'mon, but sure as shit, I got it. Try to remember these flavors and find them elsewhere.

 

[e-dawg]

no SWALLOWING smoke, please! retrohaling is taking part of the drawn smoke off a cigar (or pipe, for that matter), and passing it out your nostrils through the sinus cavity. i find closing my mouth and pushing up against the roof of the mouth with the tongue the easiest way to explain it. the idea being, your sense of smell is so large a part of your sense of taste, involving your nose actively helps identify flavors and aromas, and even pick up some you would haveissed otherwise.

I am so glad to hear that! I had a sneaking suspicion that it wasn't favorable... I think I know what to do... as I've been retrohaling as you described.

This place rocks! Thanks to all for sharing their experiences...

 

[POTOB]

I know this is a little off topic, but I am curious.

On a scale of 1-10, how important is the taste (flavor profile) of the cigar to you?

EDIT: For me, I'd say it would be a solid 8.5 - 9. My mood usually determines what flavor I am after when I crack open the humidor.

 

[FullBody Smoker]

I know this is a little off topic, but I am curious.

On a scale of 1-10, how important is the taste (flavor profile) of the cigar to you?

EDIT: For me, I'd say it would be a solid 8.5 - 9. My mood usually determines what flavor I am after when I crack open the humidor.

Mood and what I am in the mood to drink. Dark beer=dark maduro, whiskey=strong natural, coffee in the AM= conneticut. So, I would say 9.

 

[CasualStogie]

I'd like to suggest that whereas the flavor descriptors of a cigar only give an idea of what the cigar reminds you, the true flavors are those of different tobaccos. If we were to describe a cigar by its leaves, then a description might look very different.

Example:
Desription- strong notes of espresso and chocolate
Alternative- strong notes of CT broadleaf maduro

Now by no means do I know everything about every cigar that I smoke (blend, vintage, etc) so obviously the flavor descriptors are a good substitute that allows us to communicate what one might taste when smoking a particular cigar. But, I think, in a perfect world everyone would be on a better page if we could describe the blend as it is rather than describing our own perception of it. People would then be able to derive what their personal perception would be via knowing what each leaf tastes like and how it might affect others in the blend.

--Somewhat unrealistic but, as I said, in a perfect world.--