Tasting Profiles For Each Brand

[ATGroom]

Years ago when I added the smoking diary reviews to CubanCigarWebsite, my thinking was that rather than show individual reviews, I would only ever show aggregated review data. CCW has always been a factual website, not an opinion one, and cigars by their nature have a certain inconsistency, so it seemed like taking an average of tens or hundreds of reviews would be the best way to get a 'factual' picture of what the usual example of a particular cigar might be like.

Today I have a database of around 20,000 reviews, only about 10% of which are from @JohnS.

Here are the top 3 tasting notes picked for each of the regular production brands.

What do we think? Does the 'wisdom of the masses' accurately reflect your experience with the profiles of these brands. 

 

Bolivar: Earth, Leather, Cocoa

Cohiba: Honey, Coffee, Grass

Cuaba: Citrus, Tobacco, Shortbread

Diplomáticos: Sourdough, Capsicum, Paprika

El Rey del Mundo: Citrus, Shortbread, Honey

Fonseca: Marshmallow, Wood, Spice

H. Upmann: Shortbread, Coffee, Cedar

Hoyo de Monterrey: Cedar, Cream, Vanilla

José L. Piedra: Earth, Tobacco, Leather

Juan López: Citrus, Coffee, Tobacco

La Flor de Cano: Floral, Cream, Nut

La Gloria Cubana: Fruit, Wood, Cream

Montecristo: Cocoa, Coffee, Nut

Partagás: Spice, Pepper, Toast

Por Larrañaga: Caramel, Honey, Tobacco

Punch: Leather, Cedar, Twang

Quai d'Orsay: Cedar, Ginger, Citrus

Quintero: Tobacco, Twang, Cedar

Rafael González: Cocoa, Floral, Honey

Ramón Allones: Fruit, Cocoa, Wood

Romeo y Julieta: Cherry, Rosewater, Anise

Saint Luis Rey: Cocoa, Hay, Citrus

San Cristóbal de la Habana: Molasses, Cocoa, Coffee

Sancho Panza: Wood, Salt, Floral

Trinidad: Coffee, Butter, Wood

Vegas Robaina: Baking Spice, Grass, Raisin

Vegueros: Tobacco, Spice, Pepper

[NSXCIGAR]

Can't argue with most of those but:

Cuaba shortbread?

No fruit or berry for SLR?

No chocolate/cocoa for VR? 

I haven't had one in a long time (and intentionally so) but Vegueros has pepper? 

[JohnS]

5 minutes ago, NSXCIGAR said:

Can't argue with most of those but:

Cuaba shortbread?

No fruit or berry for SLR?

No chocolate/cocoa for VR? 

I haven't had one in a long time (and intentionally so) but Vegueros has pepper? 

The Saint Luis Rey and Vegas Robaina cigars I've reviewed in the last five years or so have tended to be aged, hence perhaps why I haven't included those specific flavours as dominant in the blend of the cigars I've smoked.

I have not smoked many Vegueros cigars at all. Of the few that I have, I would categorise 'grass' as a flavour profile.

Cuaba and shortbread. Hmmm...now perhaps I need to reflect on that one. I would say that in general I get some semblance of it in Cuaba cigars to some degree, but nothing like what is familiar in the H.Upmann brand, for example.

[ATGroom]

41 minutes ago, NSXCIGAR said:

No fruit or berry for SLR?

No chocolate/cocoa for VR? 

I think these two might be a problem with specificity splitting the vote.

Stonefruit, Dried Apricot, Apple, Fruit are all further down the list for SLR, and if you combined them they would be the number 1 result.

Chocolate comes in 5th for VR, but Cocoa, Bitter Chocolate, and Milk Chocolate are all further down the list and combined they would be the number 1.

[99call]

I think this a definitely coloured by John's palate. We all have subtleties and I've always noticed that John will pick up both coffee and cocoa much more frequently than I would pick it up in cigars, but then I would say I pick up, or find myself looking for Umami elements far more than the majority of smokers. 

Palates are all different, we all keep telling ourselves and each other this, but amusingly we never quite find peace with it.

I love the idea of getting these descriptors down as a factual guide for people, In order to get closer, a fear that you would have to reduce the notes to 2 per cigar, and though a travesty, submit and even number of John's reviews as per other FOH members,. That would however be a nightmare as there will of course be some members that have only ever done 1 review.      I can't however think of another way to get a non-coloured outcome.

This is a great project and I think you are most of the way there, close but no cigar if you like! As yet

some standouts for me would be 

- No paprika/sourdough for Partagas

- No cream for QDO

- No choc for JL

- No peanut for Cuaba

- No leather for Upmann

Keep going lads, I think you will get this nailed. Hats off to you

[KCCubano]

Excellent list and well done. We all have different palates. Also the flavors obviously will change depending on when the cigar is smoked ie 2 years, 5 years etc. I agree with NSX on VR and SLR. 

[shokao]

Those notes are in point. Although one might taste different notes, in general, the list is accurate IMO.