Cigars 101: Part 2, Tasting

Is a smoke (Rudyard Kipling). Smoking has been around since the beginning of time but insofar as more recent times the home of both rum and cigars - a wonderful combination - remains the Caribbean. If you can't find a Cuban, you might try an expatriate smoke like one from Gran Papi Rodriguez and Family in Key West.
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Capn Jimbo
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Cigars 101: Part 2, Tasting

Post by Capn Jimbo »

Proceed with caution...

I am in no way qualified to advise anyone here, but on the other hand, I'm not at all new to cigars, certainly enjoy those I consider good, and have a few preferences shared by both Sue Sea and I. But I did find a few posts I found rather intriguing:

The first:
"Read reviews, buy the flavors mentioned, try the cigar, and decide for yourself. At worst you’ll enjoy a few good smokes.

Now a few years on I'd like to restate how important it is that you learn how to get smoke through the nose. when you get a bit of it through the nose your sense of smell can really go to work for you. You will start to see complexities in cigars that you thought were simple and you may even start to not like cigars you did before. it opens a new world up to you.

I would also like to make a point that if you familiarize yourself with common flavors and tastes in cigars such as Cedar, Coffee, Leather, Earth, Nuts, Sweet, Spice, Pepper, etc, the easier it will be for you to understand cigars. smoking a ton of cigars helps, but if you have no concept of what anise is supposed to taste like then how will you identify it in a cigar? Developing your palate is more than about cigars. its about understanding taste and aroma in all aspects of your life."
The value of running a bit of smoke out through the nose seems logical, as does understanding the most common aromas and flavors. Most of these emanate from the wrapper, and the inner core, or liguero. In our own experience Sue Sea and I have come to really enjoy the leafy, vegetal qualities of cigars made with Camaroon wrappers,

Many of the Arturo Fuentes feature Camaroon, especially the well respected Hemingway series.
Last edited by Capn Jimbo on Sun Aug 02, 2015 4:37 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Post by Capn Jimbo »

Continued...



This same poster copies a lovely post that speaks to how preferences and appreciation develop over time...
" Alex Svenson:

I have a theory on how a smokers palate progresses over time.

Most often they will start by trying and enjoying less intimidating blends. Mild up to medium as they master the art of smoking and the action itself. Drawing, swirling, using the nose. They are not able to differentiate the flavors but rather are able to identify a cigar as one they like or dislike and make some generalizations about the overall flavor but have a hard time picking up individual components. Now the smoker tries ventures into stronger territory, more medium and medium to full bodied cigars. By now he has the basics down on how to smoke and falls in love with all new blends and brands (cursing that he filled his humidor up with all that mild stuff). By now the flavors are more pronounced and through experience, the smoker can more easily identify nuances and things like finish and competing aromas.

At this point you know what flavor is, you know what you like and you cant get enough of it. You try everything and really develop a taste for full bodied cigars as you seek out richer and richer flavors. After this stage, you have sworn off mild cigars but then the day comes that you light up a medium or medium to full bodied cigar and you swear it is the best you have ever had. At this time, you realize that the flavor you thought you were detecting was merely the training wheels on the bike. The training wheels are off and you are riding by yourself. You detect all the richness you love in your full bodied blends but in a smooth and non overwhelming format. The lighter body allows allows you palate to zero on literally dozens of aspects in cigars you never thought existed.

Now you pick up some rich mild cigars, maybe even stuff you thought you no longer liked and threw out years ago and find new characteristics you never thought the cigar had. You go back to some lesser strength favorites then back to some full bodied. Holy *** you say, you are now pulling even more richness out of the full bodied stuff!! Now you buy a big cabinet humidor, your wife leaves you because you spent your retirement money on cigars and you are really off the races LOL. In all seriousness though, from here a smoker does settle in on what he really likes the most. Could be medium, could be mild and could be full. That said, while the lock in on a strength profile they like, the don't smoke it exclusively. they appreciate some cigars or brands at all strength levels because they have mastered the concept of "flavor". For example, I prefer medium to full or full bodied cigars as my regular smoke of choice but there are some mild and medium smokes in the humi for when the occasion calls for one. Cigars I think have every bit as much flavor as some of my full bodied favorites.

I want to go on record now having said all this that this is a major generalization that I think pertains to many smokers but certainly not all and this theory is based solely on my observations over many years. It is also my experience that this progression takes on different forms and different intervals for each person. Some people progress right to full bodied cigars in a matter of weeks and some stay in the initial stages much longer. There are not certainties in this hobby nor rules. Everyone is different. That said, I do believe that the idea of mastering flavor is really the pinnacle of cigar enjoyment. Frankly, it is hard to describe in words. It uses all the senses. For those who may not know what I am talking about, I cant describe for you exactly what it is like, but I will tell you, you will know the day you "get it". It is like an epiphany. You will literally go back and resmoke every cigar you have already tried and it will be like you never smoked it before. It did not happen for me until 2003 really."

It may be just me, but there seems to be a lot to learn here. Two of this gentleman's observations really struck me: first, the progression to fuller bodied cigars followed by a return and the greater appreciation of milder cigars. Second was his description of "mastery", which uses all the senses and leads to a revisiting and greatly enhanced experience of cigars that you may not have appreciated at all the first time.

Fascinating...




*******
http://www.cigar.com/cs/forums/thread/11121.aspx
BTW, this link is the first page of 14 discussing tasting, and the trials and tribulations of newer cigar smokers working toward developing a palate...
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Post by Capn Jimbo »

Another exerpt from this thread...


...listing 4 cigars illustrating different "styles":

"To get a very wide range on blending styles\ I would pick up 4 cigars:

1) 3x3 by Davidoff. (Kelner blend) they represent a milder muskier style that many enjoy, and they do it on the cheap (unlike any other Davidoff).

2) Don Pepin Garcia Blue. (Don Pepin Garcia Blend) This smoke gets you a very good feel of what the spicier end of the spectrum can offer and a good idea of a typical Nicaraguan cigar has to offer

3) La Flor Dominicana Air Bender. ( Litto Gomez blend) This cigar will give you a feel for a solid medium bodied Dominican can be. there are woody notes and old school licorice notes in there are well. it is unlike any other cigar on the market.

4) Joya de Nicaragua Celebracion. (Dr. Alejandro Martinez Cuenca blend) when smoked at the correct pace, this cigar can show you what Nicaraguan tobacco can be like with less spice. leathery and earthy, it is my go to cigar that i buy by the box."
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