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Anyone else like the last 1/3 of a cigar the most?

I have found myself enjoying the final 1/3 of almost every cigar I smoke more then any other part of the cigar. I just feel like the smoke gets thicker, smoother, and is loaded with flavor at this point. Am I strange for enjoying the last 1/3 more or do others feel the same?
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Comments

  • kuzi16kuzi16 Posts: 14,633 ✭✭✭✭
    thats not to strange. there are a few that are that way for me. not every one though. maybe you should try more full bodied cigars if you like that fuller taste that it builds to.
  • BigginBiggin Posts: 52
    I was thinking a similar thing earlier.  I, however, like the first 1/3 of a cigar the most.  The flavors always seem to be more clean and easier to discern.  Does that make me the weird one?
  • JFJF Posts: 54
    I agree 100%. The last 1/3 of a (decent) cigar always seems to get almost a viscosity to it to me - it's often in that portion that I get the lion's share of nut flavors, if any are present.
  • betasynnbetasynn Posts: 1,249
    It's been a mixed bag for me. For instance, I had a cohiba red dot last night, which I hated the first fifth or so of, but as it progressed, the spice built up to compliment the very harsh cedar flavor, and ended up working very well together. The final third was awesome. On the flip side, there are cigars like the CAO Black that seem to work for me more at the top then the bottom. Might be cigar-specific.
  • PuroFreakPuroFreak Posts: 4,131 ✭✭
    For me it really depends on the cigar. I guess it all really depends on how it is blended and what flavors come out at different portions of the cigars. The only 601 Green I've had I thought was amazing for the first half of the cigar because it had stong wood and cedar flavors but it mellowed a bit during the 2nd half. It was still a great cigar during the 2nd half, but the first half was amazing.
  • madurofanmadurofan Posts: 6,219 ✭✭✭
    I'm with kuzi here, it all depends on the cigar. SOme are best out of the gate, other need time to build.

    Zino Davidoff would tell you you are not a gentleman though. He said many times and wrote in his books that a gentleman only smokes the first half of a cigar, because there are things that come out in the second half that a gentleman doesn't want to taste.
  • kuzi16kuzi16 Posts: 14,633 ✭✭✭✭
    madurofan:
    Zino Davidoff would tell you you are not a gentleman though. He said many times and wrote in his books that a gentleman only smokes the first half of a cigar, because there are things that come out in the second half that a gentleman doesn't want to taste.
    what a douche bag
  • madurofanmadurofan Posts: 6,219 ✭✭✭
    kuzi16:
    madurofan:
    Zino Davidoff would tell you you are not a gentleman though. He said many times and wrote in his books that a gentleman only smokes the first half of a cigar, because there are things that come out in the second half that a gentleman doesn't want to taste.
    what a douche bag
    LOL .. yea he's a elitist.
  • PuroFreakPuroFreak Posts: 4,131 ✭✭
    kuzi16:
    madurofan:
    Zino Davidoff would tell you you are not a gentleman though. He said many times and wrote in his books that a gentleman only smokes the first half of a cigar, because there are things that come out in the second half that a gentleman doesn't want to taste.
    what a douche bag
    Who? Davidoff, or Maddy? haha Kidding Mad!
  • madurofanmadurofan Posts: 6,219 ✭✭✭
    PuroFreak:
    kuzi16:
    madurofan:
    Zino Davidoff would tell you you are not a gentleman though. He said many times and wrote in his books that a gentleman only smokes the first half of a cigar, because there are things that come out in the second half that a gentleman doesn't want to taste.
    what a douche bag
    Who? Davidoff, or Maddy? haha Kidding Mad!
    Damn Texans ... Apparently even their mouths are bigger down there. :)
  • PuroFreakPuroFreak Posts: 4,131 ✭✭
    madurofan:
    PuroFreak:
    kuzi16:
    madurofan:
    Zino Davidoff would tell you you are not a gentleman though. He said many times and wrote in his books that a gentleman only smokes the first half of a cigar, because there are things that come out in the second half that a gentleman doesn't want to taste.
    what a douche bag
    Who? Davidoff, or Maddy? haha Kidding Mad!
    Damn Texans ... Apparently even their mouths are bigger down there. :)
    Damn right! haha Sorry, I'm just fired up cause I have 3 days of work then I'm off for vacation for 11 days!!! I'll be spending at least half of that down on the lake drinkin and smoking cigars!
  • madurofanmadurofan Posts: 6,219 ✭✭✭
    Sweet Puro, enjoy!
  • JFJF Posts: 54
    It seems like wood and cream is more pronounced in the first 1/3 and nut/coffee/chocolate int he last, at least to me (far from an expert). It may be that the flavor profile of a cigar matches with the best portion. I'd imagine this sort of progression in when different flavors become pronounced is a major factor in blending.
  • gmill880gmill880 Posts: 5,947
    PuroFreak:
    madurofan:
    PuroFreak:
    kuzi16:
    madurofan:
    Zino Davidoff would tell you you are not a gentleman though. He said many times and wrote in his books that a gentleman only smokes the first half of a cigar, because there are things that come out in the second half that a gentleman doesn't want to taste.
    what a douche bag
    Who? Davidoff, or Maddy? haha Kidding Mad!
    Damn Texans ... Apparently even their mouths are bigger down there. :)
    Damn right! haha Sorry, I'm just fired up cause I have 3 days of work then I'm off for vacation for 11 days!!! I'll be spending at least half of that down on the lake drinkin and smoking cigars!

    Yeah I got me a phat vacation coming up--June 8 ...8 days off and there will be plenty of smoking and drinking and whatever the he-ll else I feel like doing !!!
  • jihiggsjihiggs Posts: 469 ✭✭
    in my experience the first half inch is uninteresting on almost all cigars. it then gets better up till about 3/5ths down. maybe a 1/4 of the cigars I smoke it goes downhill from there. of the remaining 3/4, half of them level off and the other half keep getting better and better. usually the ones that keep getting better and better, their 25 brothers and sisters come home with me.
  • kent1146kent1146 Posts: 86
    There are three things going on here that would make the last 1/3rd taste different than the first 1/3rd.

    1)  Tobacco blending.  Each part of the tobacco leaf tastes different, so skilled cigar rollers will blend their tobacco as they roll to produce certain flavor profiles as the cigar is smoked.  You may simply enjoy the flavor of the blend used on the final 1/3rd.

    2)  Tar / nicotine.  As you know, cigar smoke travels from the lit end (the foot) down through the body of the cigar, and out the head where you draw smoke with your mouth.  As a cigar is smoked, the unburned tobacco will begin to accumulate things like tar, nicotine, and aromas from the smoke.  The accumulation of these substances can impact, and even enhance the flavor of the smoke. 

    3)  Heat.  As you get near the end of the cigar, the smoke travels a shorter distance, and has less chance to cool before it hits your mouth.  That means the average smoke from the final 1/3rd of the cigar will be hotter than the average smoke from the first 1/3rd.  Things like temperature can alter taste and texture, even if the flavor components aren't changed (think about how a warm chocolate chip cookie tastes different than a room-temperature cookie, even though they are both the same cookie).  This warming effect alters the way you perceive the taste and texture of the smoke.


    So, if you end up smoking a cigar all the way down to the nub, you can thank the person that rolled your cigar  for blending their tobacco to accommodate for all of these effects.  When you get a "finger burner" cigar, remember the name, and buy a few more when you can.  Those cigars are true gems once you can find them :)


  • nsezellnsezell Posts: 294
    jihiggs:
    in my experience the first half inch is uninteresting on almost all cigars. it then gets better up till about 3/5ths down. maybe a 1/4 of the cigars I smoke it goes downhill from there. of the remaining 3/4, half of them level off and the other half keep getting better and better. usually the ones that keep getting better and better, their 25 brothers and sisters come home with me.
    ...but only 1/2 of that 1/4 is part of the 1/3 of the first 1/5, while 3/5 of the remaining 1/2 are better than 2/3 of the last 1/4 I originally spoke of...CLEAR!!!???
  • KriegKrieg Posts: 5,188 ✭✭✭
    kent1146:
    There are three things going on here that would make the last 1/3rd taste different than the first 1/3rd.

    1)  Tobacco blending.  Each part of the tobacco leaf tastes different, so skilled cigar rollers will blend their tobacco as they roll to produce certain flavor profiles as the cigar is smoked.  You may simply enjoy the flavor of the blend used on the final 1/3rd.

    2)  Tar / nicotine.  As you know, cigar smoke travels from the lit end (the foot) down through the body of the cigar, and out the head where you draw smoke with your mouth.  As a cigar is smoked, the unburned tobacco will begin to accumulate things like tar, nicotine, and aromas from the smoke.  The accumulation of these substances can impact, and even enhance the flavor of the smoke. 

    3)  Heat.  As you get near the end of the cigar, the smoke travels a shorter distance, and has less chance to cool before it hits your mouth.  That means the average smoke from the final 1/3rd of the cigar will be hotter than the average smoke from the first 1/3rd.  Things like temperature can alter taste and texture, even if the flavor components aren't changed (think about how a warm chocolate chip cookie tastes different than a room-temperature cookie, even though they are both the same cookie).  This warming effect alters the way you perceive the taste and texture of the smoke.


    So, if you end up smoking a cigar all the way down to the nub, you can thank the person that rolled your cigar  for blending their tobacco to accommodate for all of these effects.  When you get a "finger burner" cigar, remember the name, and buy a few more when you can.  Those cigars are true gems once you can find them :)


    I would have to agree, I just so happen to find one of these cigars for myself a few weeks ago. Padilla Miami I got it in a Ccom sampler and it blew me away. Great smoke, I will be buying more of these when they are on the Daily Deals.

    "Long ashes my friends."

  • kuzi16kuzi16 Posts: 14,633 ✭✭✭✭
    kent1146:
    There are three things going on here that would make the last 1/3rd taste different than the first 1/3rd.

    1)  Tobacco blending.  Each part of the tobacco leaf tastes different, so skilled cigar rollers will blend their tobacco as they roll to produce certain flavor profiles as the cigar is smoked.  You may simply enjoy the flavor of the blend used on the final 1/3rd.
    this is actually part of the theory that brought you the NUB. to keep it in the "sweet spot" the rollers actually trim the wrapper leaves down.
    kent1146:


    2)  Tar / nicotine.  As you know, cigar smoke travels from the lit end (the foot) down through the body of the cigar, and out the head where you draw smoke with your mouth.  As a cigar is smoked, the unburned tobacco will begin to accumulate things like tar, nicotine, and aromas from the smoke.  The accumulation of these substances can impact, and even enhance the flavor of the smoke. 

    sometimes it does impact the flavor, but many times it does not. i cant tell you how many times i put a cigar down because it had zero complexity. the flavor never changed grew and the entire thing was flat. there is more to the building/changing/complexity of cigars over the duration of the stick than sediments deposited from the smoke.
    as stated above, blending has something to do with it. I feel that blending has way more to do with it than the build up of tar and nicotine.
    kent1146:
    3)  Heat.  As you get near the end of the cigar, the smoke travels a shorter distance, and has less chance to cool before it hits your mouth.  That means the average smoke from the final 1/3rd of the cigar will be hotter than the average smoke from the first 1/3rd.  Things like temperature can alter taste and texture, even if the flavor components aren't changed (think about how a warm chocolate chip cookie tastes different than a room-temperature cookie, even though they are both the same cookie).  This warming effect alters the way you perceive the taste and texture of the smoke.


    So, if you end up smoking a cigar all the way down to the nub, you can thank the person that rolled your cigar  for blending their tobacco to accommodate for all of these effects.  When you get a "finger burner" cigar, remember the name, and buy a few more when you can.  Those cigars are true gems once you can find them :)


    mmmmm cookie....
  • betasynnbetasynn Posts: 1,249
    I am now going to bake some cookies when I get out of work.
  • bnccna2bnccna2 Posts: 44
    i tend to like the middle third the best - the last third starts getting too heavy on some flavors, not quite sure how to describe them. of course i'm still a n00b so that could be affecting my taste.
  • LukoLuko Posts: 2,003 ✭✭
    For me it's impossible to say cause as others have point out, it varies from cigar to cigar, based on blending, vitola, other factors...but, if you had a gun to my head, I'd say I prefer the middle 50 percent over the 25 percent at the beginning and the end...isn't that the sweet spot nub was after?
  • kuzi16kuzi16 Posts: 14,633 ✭✭✭✭
    bnccna2:
    i tend to like the middle third the best - the last third starts getting too heavy on some flavors, not quite sure how to describe them. of course i'm still a n00b so that could be affecting my taste.
    look at the developing your palate thread in my signature. ask questions on it if you have them.
    Luko:
    .but, if you had a gun to my head, I'd say I prefer the middle 50 percent over the 25 percent at the beginning and the end...isn't that the sweet spot nub was after?
    it sure is.
  • jlzimmermanjlzimmerman Posts: 282
    I'm a middle-third type of smoker I guess. That tends to be my favorite. The last one-third is good as long as I take it nice and easy.
  • FourtotheflushFourtotheflush Posts: 2,555
    Totally depends on the cigar for me!
    See a normal conn V. Nub V. a Decade
    Normal conn 1st half is the best
    Nub Conn whole thing is great
    Decade gets better toward the end.

    I am thinking that this is totally cigar dependant and each will have its own properties.
  • I think it depends on the cigar.
  • madurofanmadurofan Posts: 6,219 ✭✭✭
    DowneastBob:
    I think it depends on the cigar.
    I'd have to agree ... Welcome to the forum
  • dep691dep691 Posts: 311

    madurofan:
    DowneastBob:
    I think it depends on the cigar.
    I'd have to agree ... Welcome to the forum

     

    Agree with this also.

  • EFLAGGSEFLAGGS Posts: 19
    It's because it's the "meat of the cigar" They say its's suppossed to be the best part.
  • j0z3rj0z3r Posts: 9,403 ✭✭
    I'd definitely agree that it depends on the cigar, however, in general I like the middle third the best, I think that is when the flavor is at its peak.
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