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What am I missing?

kirkoakirkoa Posts: 2
in General Discussion

Hey everyone!

I am a long time cigarette smoker who wants to get into something more refined (nice terminology for something with more taste!)

I have tried about six cigars.  I was given a ten dollar cigar (dont ask me what kind) and threw it out because it tasted like crap!  I have tried several others, but they all taste like cigars (obviously).

I then found this website and was immediately informed on the difference between the Churchills, Torpedos, etc and thought I would try the house blend Cuban label robusto, the purple label robusto and the red label robusto.  This is because I called cigar.com and told them that my favorite drink was Johnny Walker Red and they suggested the red and purple label.

I just tried the Cuban label and found that I like the cigar in that it was very relaxing, didn't turn me off to the point of throwing it away like the aformentioned ten dollar cigar did, had a mellow taste, and I found I smoked it to the nub without thinking about it.  All in all it was 49 minutes (yes, I timed it) well spent.

I read the reviews of the cigar and found "smooth creamy smoke", "leathery coffee earthy with a hint of sweetness" and "spicy".  I caught the hint of sweetness, but nothing else.  My question is, how long does it take to catch these things?  Is it the fact I am a newbie, or do I need to face the fact that a cigar is a cigar to me?  Don't get me wrong, I think this is a good cigar evidenced by the fact I smoked it to the nub, which I rarely do, and I would describe it as a mellow smoke with no bite and after taste (which is about as far as my pallete has developed I guess).  What should I be looking for in cigars that maybe I am missing?

Comments

  • kuzi16kuzi16 Posts: 14,633 ✭✭✭✭
    well... quit smoking cigs first. you cannot refine a palate if it is constantly burned out.
    even then developing your palate is a difficult thing to do. I once wrote an article about it. here it is:


    Developing Your Palate


    I am by no means an expert on the topic of cigars but (being a cook and a wine connoisseur) I do know a bit about taste.
    When you taste food most of the taste comes from smell. We all know this. All that the human tongue can actually taste is salt, sweet, and bitter. To develop your palate you need to develop you sense of smell. This may seem like a difficult task but it isn’t hard. It just takes practice. Another thing that helps is knowing what you are looking for.
    I do enjoy a glass of wine. If it was up to me I would have a glass of wine with every meal. I like to taste all the little flavors going on in the wine, but being able to identify them took practice. Here is how I taste wine:
    1) Pour glass less than half way full.
    2) Swirl and look for impurities (cork from opening)
    3) Take a deep sniff of it.
    4) Take a small amount in and hold in the mouth
    5) Smell again
    6) Swallow

    When I do this I can smell everything in the wine and identify what is in it. But, how do I know what to look for?
    Good question.
    Look up what other people say about the wine. If they say it has a black cherry smell to it, go out and buy a black cherry. (Try it: Blackstone Merlot does in fact taste like black cherry) Cut the cherry in half and place it in a wine glass and smell it. Then pour the wine in another glass and smell it. Notice the similarities. After a while you learn to point out taste on your own.
    How does this relate to cigars?
    Another good question.
    Read reviews. If someone says it has a hint of coffee then smell some coffee while smoking a cigar. I recently red a thread here where someone said they could taste Macadamia nuts. Buy that cigar and some macadamia nuts. Smoke the cigar and eat the nuts. Notice how they are the same. How else are you supposed to identify a taste if you don’t have a reference point? Basically, you need to learn the common smells and tastes of cigars. (Nutty, pepper, leather, and so on)
    Develop a smoke strategy. Much like my wine tasting, I have found a way to taste cigars better then when I first started. I feel the cigar, I look at it closely and I spend a lot of time smelling the cigar pre-smoke. Before I clip, I lick the cap. I use the method described in “lighting cigars 101.” (that was a great thread) I make sure to blow at least one puff out through my nose (albeit a small one). All of this helps me understand the cigar better.
    Read reviews, buy the flavors mentioned, try the cigar, and decide for yourself. At worst you’ll enjoy a few good smokes.

    i wrote this about 2 or so years ago. i hope it helps.
    Kuzi's Forum Links Page
  • kuzi16kuzi16 Posts: 14,633 ✭✭✭✭
    hmmm... i make refrences to other threads. this is in the old AmBack forum. the threads still exist...

    http://www.eotacforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=133&t=7028

    i hope it makes mroe sence now.
    Kuzi's Forum Links Page
  • ashmasterashmaster Posts: 237 ✭
    kuzi....nicely written, some good info.
  • kirkoakirkoa Posts: 2
    Thanks for the info Kuzi, good advice on approaching it like a wine.  I did notice that the terms used to describe cigars mimic terms used for wines, so that makes sense!
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