Using The Nose....
clearlysuspect
Posts: 2,124 ✭✭✭✭
in Cigar 101
Any avid cigar enthusiast will tell you that using the nose in cigar smoking is essential to tasting all the flavors a cigar has to offer. For a long time I had a really hard time doing this. I couldn't figure out how I was supposed to get the smoke to come out through my nose without inhaling. I read a blog by Alex Svenson which included notes on how to do this where he eluded to a half swallowing motion followed by an exhale. While I use a lot of methods that I've heard Alex recommend, and while this may work for many, it certainly didn't for me and I soon found myself gagging.
For any BOTL's out there who are new to this and trying to figure this out as well, perhaps struggling the same way I did, here is a rather simplified method that I use for breathing the smoke out of my nose and extracting those true flavors from my cigar.
1.) Take two large draws from your cigar releasing the smoke almost immediately. This is to heat up the oils.
2.) After the two large draws, take a smaller draw around half the size of the first two.
3.) Close your mouth and start breathing out your nose. The smoke will find its way there without any additional help and without going to your lunges.
4.) Blow as much out as you are comfortable with and then blow the rest out your mouth. The point is not quantity of smoke, but that you're actually allowing the smoke to reach your nose. I personally blow very little, just until I see or feel smoke coming out and then I release the rest from my mouth.
Step 4 is the part that takes practice. Only you know what you're comfortable with and you will soon be able to determine the precise amount for any cigar. This method has helped me immensely with differentiating flavors in a cigar and I'm sure it will help many of you as well.
Cheers,
Phil
For any BOTL's out there who are new to this and trying to figure this out as well, perhaps struggling the same way I did, here is a rather simplified method that I use for breathing the smoke out of my nose and extracting those true flavors from my cigar.
1.) Take two large draws from your cigar releasing the smoke almost immediately. This is to heat up the oils.
2.) After the two large draws, take a smaller draw around half the size of the first two.
3.) Close your mouth and start breathing out your nose. The smoke will find its way there without any additional help and without going to your lunges.
4.) Blow as much out as you are comfortable with and then blow the rest out your mouth. The point is not quantity of smoke, but that you're actually allowing the smoke to reach your nose. I personally blow very little, just until I see or feel smoke coming out and then I release the rest from my mouth.
Step 4 is the part that takes practice. Only you know what you're comfortable with and you will soon be able to determine the precise amount for any cigar. This method has helped me immensely with differentiating flavors in a cigar and I'm sure it will help many of you as well.
Cheers,
Phil
0
Comments
If I were to hazard a guess, I'd say the reason you only detect "spice" is due to blowing too much smoke through the nose and overwhelming the senses. Try it with just a little smoke and see if you notice a difference.
Again, like j0z3r said, just a little bit of smoke is all that's needed, just enough to introduce the flavors in the smoke to the nose.
the way i do it is a bit different. I get that puff in my mouth and let out about 1/4 of it and puff out my cheeks. then i stop letting it out my mouth and start to breathe out through my nose while collapsing my cheeks a bit. this forces the smoke out my nose a bit. when i feel that its getting too much i let the rest out my mouth again.
since smell and taste are so closely related, this is a great way to get the most out of any cigar.
great post CS.
Hope this helps
I remember doing this the first time and it was a bit tough, I just kept a bit of smoke in my mouth before I did it. Now it's second nature. I still don't push a huge amount of smoke.
So, this may sound weird, but I find if I "flare" my nostrils, it opens up the back of my throat a bit and I can get the smoke out my nose a little easier. And it certainly adds a ton to the enjoyment of smoking, but you gotta be careful with the spicy ones.
I think also that the best way to describe filling your mouth with air is not to fill it with "air," but to fill it with lots of "space".
Another method I used when first learning the technique, is to first try breathing in and out with your mouth wide open. Without stopping breathing in and out, and right before you exhale, close your lips. You will realize that all the air that was in your mouth will have escaped out through your nose. This method teaches you how to hold the back of your mouth and throat open so that expelling the smoke out of your nose from your mouth is even possible. It seems to me like this may be the problem for the people that have still yet to make it happen.