Your Taste for Cigars.

[La Suerte]

Picture the scene...

A busy herf, your first one; you've just finished an aged Montecristo that had all the taste & flavour you expected from it...

Wisely you had paired it with a Islay malt, knowing they would complement each other...

Ahhh! taste heaven..you listen into animated conversations & smile...

A big felow approaches with all the good nature & kindness of a fellow BOTL & insists pleasantly that you try the latest LE..

50 RG maduro wrapped double corona...

Out of sheer politeness, you accept the offering with the knowledge that this well meaning brother has just ruined your evening...

Later that evening, as you wind your way home home, with a mouth tasting of tobacco & alcohol, you wonder if your the only 'one' who actually likes cigars for themselves..& can savour the tastes & aroma's of a exquisite cigar...

or are you joining the mass of sheep who have nothing but visible consumption & the next shiny new box on their mind:

It's time to choose...........sweet dreams!

[Pilgrims]

good poll. There is quite a gap between the top 2 options though I feel and you can definitely move up the scale with some "hard work"!!

[Puros Y Vino]

My answers in "blue"

How would you rate your own tastebuds.?.."I get the main drift..."

Do you practice any palette cleansing techniques? I try and drink fizzy water between cigars. No sodium. I find it helps and it's cheaper than Champagne.

Do you think there are ways of "educating" the palette to seek out the deeper flavours? I took wine courses and the first thing they did was test our smell and taste. We were given various numbered containers with some air holes. Many identified at least 50% of the contents. I think it comes down to "training" your ability to detect aromas and tastes. I've heard that a little bit of salt on the tongue opens up the taste buds. An ex co-worker took more advanced tasting courses and it came down to this. A good 40-50% of the population will not be able to enjoy every nuance of a wine due to their own biology/chemistry. They did a test where everyone was poured a glass of a clear odorless vinegar (unbeknownst to them). Each person had to drink it back to back so they couldn't see each other's reaction. The instructor then asked to raise their hand if they tasted water, or something bitter and horrible tasting. Those that tasted water were the unlucky ones in terms of overall enjoyment. The rest couldn't wait to spit out what they just drank. Sometimes, it just your physiology that determines how much you can taste. You can burn out your tastes buds as well though. Spicy foods, chain smoking cigars, strong liquor can all affect and numb your taste buds.

Are you bothered? A serious question in a way, as you may be quite happy swigging your wine and puffing on your cigar.

Not really. I do enjoy a wide range of flavours in my wine and cigars. I think some of the exotic tastes are somewhat feigned by "experts" to set themselves above and apart from you. It's usually a bit of peer pressure when you go to wine tastings I find. You get poured a Chianti and immediately the rep asks, "do you taste the oak, isn't the acidity level nice and crisp? Do you taste crushed and dried elderberries? etc." The same goes for cigars. I do find that my palate tends to match those of people I smoke with. Some have some very exotic findings, others have more common ones that I relate to. It's not always perfect but that's expected. Your palate can be affected by what you just ate or drank, or even if you're sick or not.

[Habanos2000]

Keeping to the topic, I voted that I can get the main drift but also fall short when it comes to picking out the subtle nuances.

As far as training your palate is concerned, i suppose you could to a certain extent if you wanted to but the end result could not be much better than where you're starting from. For me personally, I like and find cigars to taste like cigars. Sure there's a little bit of this and a little bit of that, but I'm not interested in finding every hidden flavor. I really want to and do enjoy the overall "experience".

To that point, I'm not "cleansing" my palate or participating in any other rituals to heighten my cigar enjoyment. I do find that I enjoy them more and get more out of them when I'm in a good/relaxed mood. But then the consistency of the cigar comes into the equation and all bets are off!

[brazoseagle]

Really? Yet another of my posts has been deleted?! Can whoever the moderator that felt the need to do this PLEASE message me and explain why?

Shlomo, love you bro, but can't resist this one either......

[Puros Y Vino]

Better than unicorn man...

X2....and well played David.

[CaptainQuintero]

Hey there Supertaster! I find some foods are more fragrant/tingly/pungent etc. and not because of the recipe or ingredients, like you say.

Of course if you are drinking any wine/beer or me, probably a shot of single malt, how do you get a pure taste of a cigar? And how long after a meal will your tongue actually be taste free to smoke a cigar without prejudice?

I never really thought about this til now.

I cant drink anything with a cigar it blocks out all flavour, if I have a one dimensional stick then sometimes some milk or iced coffee is a nice combination but the cigar at that point just goes into 'tobacco' flavour for 15 min at least after a sip. I normally leave 45 min/an hour after a meal or eating something before smoking a cigar, it depends on what I ate though, something such as chocolate stays with me for a long time.

[Hubba]

Generally i know what taste i like......the taste of cuban cigars. 9 times out of 10 i'm smoking with friends and am enjoying the experience not studying the cigar in a review-like fashion. I find it tends to take a greater level of concentration to taste subtle nuances and i'm rarely in that state. The general flavours are enough for me....i don't need to reach and label flavours like white truffles and stewed dingleberries to enjoy a cuban cigar.

[Orion21]

If you you drink or eat something with a cigar it should hopefully compliment the flavors of the cigar you are smoking and vice versa. I made the tragic mistake of lighting up a BHK 52 with the guys in Toronto in 2011 and then we ordered nachos. Not just any nachos, but nachos with wonderfully pickled jalapenos that COMPLETELY blew out my palate and destroyed the very delicate flavors of the BHK 52.

They should reserve a special place in cigar hell for guys like me that waste cigars like BHK 52's on nachos!!!!

On the other end of the spectrum my all time favorite cigar pairing is a Montecristo Petit Edmundo and an Americano with some milk in the morning. These two go together perfectly.

[canadianbeaver]

The general flavours are enough for me....i don't need to reach and label flavours like white truffles and stewed dingleberries to enjoy a cuban cigar.

Priceless. But being specific about flavours is clever and has merit. I would love to see a video with Sacha Baron Cohen reviewing a big cigar!

[Hubba]

Priceless. But being specific about flavours is clever and has merit. I would love to see a video with Sacha Baron Cohen reviewing a big cigar!

Oh i agree Lisa......i owned a restaurant for many years and feel like i've experienced a wide spectrum of flavours through food and wine. I often revisit flavours that i've tasted before in my cigars. I just enjoy the ceremony of smoking a cigar with friends and everything else is a bonus.

[mazolaman]

Well, I'm pleased to see I'm not alone in not tasting the stewed dingleberries! Are they like Whinnets?

As I mentioned above, the question often arises for me, as I smoke an RE or something and think...."am I missing something"?

By the same token, if you just enjoy the act and the sociability, great, as do I.

But I also cherish the individuality of the different brands, in terms of flavour.

[LGC]

Is it wrong to smoke a Dunhill while eating curry?

I can detect major flavors in cigars, but things like... a hint of sweetness similar to that of honey produced by bees of the southwest Arabian peninsula that feast on pollen produced by the Sidr tree... don't typically jump out at me.

[Hubba]

@ Maz.......But I also cherish the individuality of the different brands, in terms of flavour.

X2

[Cigar Surgeon]

I think a lot of my taste sensitivity comes from a lifetime of cooking. It really trains you to pick out subtle flavors.

[jjdolphin]

My ultimate dream is to taste roast lamb in my cigars.

I generally can only taste wood and a little bit of leather. Everything else is a no go. I went through a 2 year battle with sinus issues where every cigar tasted like shite. I am now relatively fine with the sinuses however, the resulting battle has destroyed my sense of cigar taste. Not food taste or other smells, but just cigars. Not sure if it is permanent or not. It drives me crazy that the only cigar I can enjoy is a Padron. Anything that is supposedly sweet or caramel, etc, nothing. So, I envy you guys out there that can fully enjoy cigars.

[CaptainQuintero]

My ultimate dream is to taste roast lamb in my cigars.

I generally can only taste wood and a little bit of leather. Everything else is a no go. I went through a 2 year battle with sinus issues where every cigar tasted like shite. I am now relatively fine with the sinuses however, the resulting battle has destroyed my sense of cigar taste. Not food taste or other smells, but just cigars. Not sure if it is permanent or not. It drives me crazy that the only cigar I can enjoy is a Padron. Anything that is supposedly sweet or caramel, etc, nothing. So, I envy you guys out there that can fully enjoy cigars.

I hear the Partagas P2 has that sometimes, I can't comment myself as I've never got around to having one..yeah I know I know lol

[jjdolphin]

I hear the Partagas P2 has that sometimes, I can't comment myself as I've never got around to having one..yeah I know I know lol

Funny you should mention P2 since I split a box with a friend of mine. I haven't touched even one due to my sinus affliction. Didn't want to waste a good P2, but I will try one now that you mentioned it. It has been in my humidor for over a year.

[CaptainQuintero]

Funny you should mention P2 since I split a box with a friend of mine. I haven't touched even one due to my sinus affliction. Didn't want to waste a good P2, but I will try one now that you mentioned it. It has been in my humidor for over a year.

Sounds perfect to snip and set fire to!

[khomeinist]

Supertasting always brings out the comedians. Both those that claim to be and those that don't get it.

I think the subject is fairly controversial and highly dependent on many factors over time. I think I can taste many things with a good degree of nuance. I don't think I need a special title or handshake though.

No offense to the TRUE supertasters

[khomeinist]

Here is an excellent conversation about taste:

http://www.oregonlive.com/foodday/index.ssf/2011/03/how_we_taste_--_and_the_truth.html

It isn't just about receptors. We are not sampling machines. Experience and association are very important. It's all about the brain ultimately.

[mazolaman]

Supertasting always brings out the comedians. Both those that claim to be and those that don't get it.

I find the subject quite interesting though, as I had never heard of Supertasters.

As you have mentioned below, taste is more complex than taste buds, and also has something to do with smell, which is a sense we are losing as we evolve.

I think the subject is fairly controversial and highly dependent on many factors over time. I think I can taste many things with a good degree of nuance. I don't think I need a special title or handshake though.

That's a shame, I was about to fly over, to shake you by the hand and present you with your "I'm a supertaster" Tshirt.

Not meant to be controversial, as I think most folk are in the same ball park as myself..some with more refined taste senses, some a little less. Some of us might get the tastes described..some might scratch their heads in wonder. The fact that some people are supertasters might go some way to explaining how these flavour nuances are there for some, but not for others.

The same for wine I think..

No offense to the TRUE supertasters

[Wil]

Here is an excellent conversation about taste:

http://www.oregonlive.com/foodday/index.ssf/2011/03/how_we_taste_--_and_the_truth.html

It isn't just about receptors. We are not sampling machines. Experience and association are very important. It's all about the brain ultimately.

That was a great read. Thanks for sharing.

[Wil]

Taste is obviously so subjective. Are we tasting different things, or just describing them differently? Probably a bit of both. Personally, I like to experience nuance and complexity in a cigar, but I prefer not to break it down to lots of individual flavors which usually aren't described very well using food words.

[mazolaman]

That was a great read. Thanks for sharing.

Me too.

Taste is obviously so subjective. Are we tasting different things, or just describing them differently? Probably a bit of both. Personally, I like to experience nuance and complexity in a cigar, but I prefer not to break it down to lots of individual flavors which usually aren't described very well using food words.

That's probably true..there may not be suitable words to articulate the flavours, and as Colt said above, we may just become better at finding the words, to best fit.