Cigar Flavour Wheel

[celt1888]

Yeah thats another way to try different flavours .to me the smoke always seems more intense through the nose.so a wheel for flavours through mouth and nose.none of my buds try the smoke through the nose.there is whole new world of flavour defo.

[BobKincaid]

I�ve had plenty of NC�s that could fit that description...

Hear, hear! I'm a noob here, but couldn't resist this one.

I fired up a "bargain" NC the other night post-show and experienced a flavor I've never before known in a cigar: fish. More particularly, oily fish, like salmon. Ewwwwwwwww! I can't begin to properly express just how nasty the thing was. Adding insult to injury, it had a GREAT draw! What a combination: aroma di pesce AND a great draw. In short, great, big mouthfuls of fishy tobacco smoke.

These "bargains" left the humi in a drop-dead hurry. Luckily for me, I have a son-in-law who loves cigars. He got the whole bundle.

[btrout]

In laymans language everyone has between 400 and 2000 tastebuds. Those more toward 400 taste less than those toward 2000. This is why (in my humble opinion) a beginner, intermediate and experienced flavourwheel will not work for many and why it may indeed frustrate those who "think" they should be on the "experienced" wheel by now. The reality is they do not have the "buds" to identify the flavours on the "exprienced" wheel.

I don't know how many taste buds I have, but after having enjoyed probably 1200-1500 cigars in the past few years I would say that I still don't taste most of the flavors mentioned in most cigar reviews.

Now, in all honesty, most of the time I just sit down to enjoy a cigar in it's wholeness. Not trying to pick out every flavor.

But I'm sort of like that with music. I don't listen specifically to lyrics, or guitar licks, or bass grooves; but I enjoy the piece of music as a whole.

[lancerv43]

That is a heck of a lot of flavor

[Bcrowell]

I had a white owl grape flavored cigar last night. I don't see it on the chart but I swear I tasted grape kool-aid.

[8phill8]

Looks like the goods to me and will definitely help, Thanks

[Murri]

Found this a while back, looks like the web site is currently inactive.

This might help those of you in the blind tasting competition.

With my old palate I think I'm beyond hope.

[NJP]

Found this a while back, looks like the web site is currently inactive.

This might help those of you in the blind tasting competition.

With my old palate I think I'm beyond hope.

Murri, I love the wheel but I think I will need to see the box and band still on the cigar to have any hope with the blind tasting. Even then there is a good chance I will balls it up.

[Fii28]

Each time I visit FoH I find something new...

The flavour wheel & in particular the one Murri posted IMO is a great idea. Whether beginner, intermediate or experienced I think each person will take what they can use at the time and build on the tasting experience.

As I enjoy trying different cigars I'll be using this info to assist develop more of a discerning palate and workout which type of smokes I truly enjoy. Quite an exciting adventure gaining more insight. All I need to do now is visit the money faerie, purchase a humidor and begin my collection.

Oh, and practice remembering cigars names!!! You guys amaze me how you ratlle the names off...

Fii

[LGC]

Thanks for the posting of the flavor wheel. The last "wheel" I've seen relates to emotions

I might be in the minority, but I'm not a big fan of reviewing cigars. I find it to be rather taxing and distracts from the enjoyment of my cigar. I prefer to just enjoy the flavors of my cigars, rather than always try to put a label on the flavors.

[Colt45]

I might be in the minority, but I'm not a big fan of reviewing cigars. I find it to be rather taxing and distracts from the enjoyment of my cigar. I prefer to just enjoy the flavors of my cigars, rather than always try to put a label on the flavors.

Of course, but we don't have to "review" every cigar we smoke. But smoking a few, and posting a review gives a little back to the forum,

helps add to the review database, which in turn can sometimes help us all in making choices.

[ToddRyan84]

I've definitely had a cigar or two that has tasted like Rubber....lol not the most enjoyable experience to say the least. I did have a cigar once (a non-habano since that's all I've had to this point) that tasted identically to over salted rare Filet Mignon. I don't really know if I liked that all that much.

[Blakes]

Such a great idea.. I will definitely be trying out these flavour wheels with my next gar!! cheers!

[Pedro2486]

Just to stir the pot...

Perfect. I've printed this out, laminated it and have put it up on the veranda for reference purposes.

[dogdays]

This is great , thank you , it is going to help me in my cigar smoking.

[CigarMike]

Can´t wait to get a cigar with the taste of "feline musk"... http://www.friendsofhabanos.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/#EMO_DIR#/happy.gif

I don't think I can say the same lol

[free85]

I like the idea of a flavor wheel for what it might do for what I consider "prep" work. For example if you see brioche on a flavor wheel and you think to yourself "What is that" you might go out, find some good brioche, and try it. This gives you something to draw on in the future for whatever you're enjoying. For me scotch, coffee, and wine have, to this point, motivated me to try foods/spices/tastes that I might not otherwise, just to "add to the database".

There are things on the wheel that no human should have the motivation to seek out and try!

[jholen]

I like the idea of a flavor wheel for what it might do for what I consider "prep" work. For example if you see brioche on a flavor wheel and you think to yourself "What is that" you might go out, find some good brioche, and try it. This gives you something to draw on in the future for whatever you're enjoying. For me scotch, coffee, and wine have, to this point, motivated me to try foods/spices/tastes that I might not otherwise, just to "add to the database".

There are things on the wheel that no human should have the motivation to seek out and try!

That makes a lot of sense! I often find the flavor wheel am afterthought when reviewing a cigar add I find staring at it is counter-productive as I try to search for flavors instead of just experiencing what is there.

Like your thought of using it to prep though.

[Crayzital3]

As a newbie smoker this thread has been incredibly helpful. Though I consider myself a decent foodie, I still find it semi hard at times to identify certain flavors. For myself I pick up cream easily, cedar/wood, leather, tobacco, and hay sometimes. Some of the other flavors are definitely beyond me at the moment, but those wheels will definitely make it easier to pick up other flavors.

Thanks gentlemen!

[BigRay023]

I'm going to start using this wheel, but I think I have a pretty poor palete. Can y'all list a few sticks to try that would be perfect examples of certain nuances. Unmistakable examples of single flavors maybe. The leather smoke. The coffee smoke. The cream smoke etc. Thanks.

[ayepatz]

I'm going to start using this wheel, but I think I have a pretty poor palete. Can y'all list a few sticks to try that would be perfect examples of certain nuances. Unmistakable examples of single flavors maybe. The leather smoke. The coffee smoke. The cream smoke etc. Thanks.

This should get you started - http://www.friendsofhabanos.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=125764&p=661617

[DevilDog72]

On ‎11‎/‎27‎/‎2008 at 6:26 PM, El Presidente said:

 

 

Bolivar RC  Oct 16  ROTT had the Ammonia and lanolin,  It was way to wet to smoke.  Just plain nasty!!!

[poolmar]

i read somewhere the human brain can only detect 3-4 flavours at a time..so when someone rattles off a multitude of flavours  in a single puff i honestly think its rubbish.....the Italians know this ,..which is why they rarely use more than a few ingredients in a single dish.
i for one can never ever pick up a multitude of flavour in a single puff...just like i cant detect every single spice or ingredient in a complex curry..it just makes one big flavour where you can detect maybe couple of things if that. all i get is 'do i like the cigar or not'..with maybe a sweet element or a biscuit (oatmeal) with usually a coffee/earthy flavour..but to detect notes of cinnamon/paprika/fungal etc in amongst those powerful flavours as well i am sceptical...i never find those notes....lol
just my thoughts.

[aphexafx]

6 hours ago, poolmar said:

i read somewhere the human brain can only detect 3-4 flavours at a time..so when someone rattles off a multitude of flavours  in a single puff i honestly think its rubbish.....the Italians know this ,..which is why they rarely use more than 3-4 ingredients in a single dish.
i for one can never ever pick up a multitude of flavour in a single puff...just like i cant detect every single spice or ingredient in a complex curry..it just makes one big flavour where you can detect maybe couple of things if that. all i get is 'do i like the cigar or not'..with maybe a sweet element or a biscuit (oatmeal) with usually a coffee/earthy flavour..but to detect notes of cinnamon/paprika/fungal etc in amongst those powerful flavours as well i am sceptical...i never find those notes....lol
just my thoughts.

We can only detect three hues (red, green, blue), yet we can sense billions of colors.  Some people have more developed senses of taste and smell.  This can be physical/mechanical in the case of super-tasters (a proven thing) and/or cognitive and perceptive.  Just like anything, the more you concentrate on your taste perception the more sensitive and discerning you can become. A chef who has spent his life tasting food and learning from it will have significantly more neural connections working in that department than most of us and will be able to pick out things we generally can't.  Btw, I've never had a pasta sauce with only 3-4 ingredients!

I'm not a deep sensor of flavors in cigar and pipe smoke either.  I've yet to taste the citrus in my Montecristos that everyone goes on about, dammit.  But I don't think it's rubbish.  It's more about association with previously experienced flavors.  I can get cinnamon and paprika, peanut butter, leather, black pepper, etc.  That doesn't mean my cigar suddenly tastes like a spoonful of warm peanut butter.  It's like a general perception that triggers that association and I can taste it.  Anyway, I purposely leave out specific flavors when describing cigars because I believe everyone is different.

I think that the high resolution of the flavor wheels is not because you are individually supposed to taste ALL those things, but because all of us are different and can perhaps make SOME of those associations.  If a flavor wheel has cinnamon and clove and cardamom it doesn't mean you're expected to taste all three and discern between them; they are there because different people might make an association to any one of them.

Some popular commercial reviewers do go overboard and that's annoying.  I just stop reading.