Can You Tell the Difference?

sightunseen

This article got me wondering if cigar smokers are any different when it comes to our beloved smokes? I think the weakness of this experiment is that quality is equated to price, which is certainly not the case with cigars.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-20053815-71.html?tag=cnetRiver

StogiesOnTheGreen

I completely agree with your last sentence. There are so many great cigars that are priced very cheaply.

xmacro

sightunseen:

This article got me wondering if cigar smokers are any different when it comes to our beloved smokes? I think the weakness of this experiment is that quality is equated to price, which is certainly not the case with cigars.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-20053815-71.html?tag=cnetRiver

They tested a random bunch of people - they'd get the same result with cigars, vodka, whiskey, scotch, etc, as well. The fact is, it takes years to develop a palate refined enough to tell the difference, and that goes for anything, which is why we call such people connoisseurs or aficionado's - they've earned the distinction. Maybe kuzi or Alex S. could tell the difference, but chances are amateurs like us probably couldn't unless the cigar reeked of ammonia or the wine had turned to vinegar

crzydimnd68

At least our palates are refined enough to know a sh!tty cigar when we taste one.

Ken Light

A couple thoughts on this...

1) Most scientists (myself included) spend a lot of their lives broke and drink wine primarily at after-talk socials and in bars, where garbage wine is the norm. They might prefer it out of familiarity or not be able to tell the difference for lack of experience.

2) I've done a couple of these taste tests myself. In one instance, I blindly tasted a decent red wine alongside boxed wine, both out of a dixie cup. I could tell the difference instantly and was 90% certain of my perception. Others, mostly those who drank a lot of boxed wine (it was probably my second time ever), got it wrong. In another, I had read another of these studies in a book, I think it was something about Brown Bag Wine Trials or something like that. They pointed to a champagne around 10 bucks a bottle that was mistaken frequently for Dom Perignon. Well, I tried it. I've never had Dom before, but if it takes like that trash I'll save my $$. Syrupy sweet and terrible.

3) I don't consider myself to have a good palette at all and still I got these results...which makes me really wonder about these so-called studies...

long_ashes

I know this is wrong but also very funny.. my buddies Bob and Brian and I were camping last year and Bob was showing up the day after most of us were already there. Brian and I decided to have a morning smoke (Man o Wars). As we were smoking we looked at each other as he asked what he should do with the label and a light bulb went off in our heads. We decided we would take the Man o War Label and put it on a shitty buck a stick cigar (fidalgo was the name).

When Bob got to camp we gave him the Man o War and said we were feeling generous. He looked at it and at first was suspicious but then didn't think anything of it. That night we lit up around the camp fire and started smoking. About an inch in after holding back our laughter, we ask Bob what he thought about the cigar. He replied "oh it's not bad, you know, your typical Man o War". The response blew us away and we let him smoke it half way in before telling him and that is when he said "I knew it all along". I don't think he did. I know Brian and I would have been able to tell but I think some people just can't pick up on the nuances of tastes that others can. Just thought I'd share that, pretty funny story but also very mean.

kaspera79

Maybe he just didn't want to insult your taste in cigar choice. I had a neighbor bring me some "Cubans" when he was on vacation last year. They were poor at best. He sat there asking me over and over how I liked them, and saying you can't get anything this good here. I just smiled and said they were special. Knowing he thought he had given me something rare.

kuzi16

i cant tell the difference between an expensive cigar and a cheap one. i can tell the difference between cigars of different countries.


there is so much that goes into the price of a cigar beyond how good it is. a rare tobacco that cost a ton may not taste all that good. it will still be an expensive cigar. marketing, packaging, and all kinds of other factors may come into play.

very cheap wines dont taste anything like better wines. and some of this may also have to do with how developed a palate is. i can tell the difference between a $3 bottle and a $15 dollar bottle, but i cant tell the difference between a $20 bottle and a $35 bottle. is that because there is no difference in the quality or that i dont understand the differences? same with cigars. people with no palate at all cant tell the difference between many cigars. but they can tell the difference between a swisher sweet and a camacho.

xmacro

This actually reminds me of a Mythbsuters episode: http://kwc.org/mythbusters/2006/04/episode_50_bullets_fired_up_vo.html

They passed some cheap vodka through a filter and compared it in a blind taste test to the top-shelf stuff; in the end, it took a vodka competition judge to actually correctly rank it, though some tasters came somewhat close to the right ranking

kuzi16

i feel that what makes a good cigar a good cigar is less quantifiable than what makes a good vodka. but that is a great thought when it comes down to it. the mythbusters did show that when people know what they are talking about and have spent their lives refining their palate they are able to tell minute differences in similar products. i feel that a very high percentage of the people on this forum would be able to tell the difference between a Machine made cigar in comparison to a Davidoff.


many of us are able to tell the different blending styles of some of the more prominent blenders in the industry. Kelner and Gomez have very different and distinct styles. im fairly sure i can tell if a cigar is blended by one of those. I can also pinpoint the style within Camacho Maduros. they blend their maduros in a very distinct way.


many of us have reached the point where we can tell where some of the blends come from based on taste alone. most of us can tell a nicaraguan puro vs a honduran puro.

give the same smokes to somebody that does not know cigars and they cant tell anything. so is it a big deal that most people cant tell the difference in wine? or cigars?
i dont think its a shock. most people dont pay that much attention to it and most dont care to.

beatnic

As to the theory that one's taste buds improve over time and with training, I agree wholeheartedly. I have been drinking wine for quite some time, and have seen my sensitivities grow. As to value? Cost of a bottle? That has to do with elitism and availability. Just like in cigars. Sometimes table wine is all we really want.. I'll take the French bottle, thank you. Hehe.