Cigar taste

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zeebra
zeebra Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 3,166
Hey fellas, I'm having trouble with smoking cigars, as in the flavor.

I'm reading all these discriptive terms of "coffee, expresso, cashews..."

I have smoked about 6-8 cigars and they have all been mild-medium flavor and to me they all taste similar. Am I not experienced enought to notice the difference yet?

Here is a list of cigars that I have had

Montisico Robusto (last night)
Nub Conni 454
5 Vegas Gold torpedo
Predomo 10th anni Champange robusto
Acid Kuba Kuba (this one was a bit different)

And like 2 other house blends in conni wrappers, TheCank knows which one cause I send him one of the Plantation Reserve.

They all taste similar to one another. Is this normal or am I not smoking it properly?

Thanks

Comments

  • mrpillow
    mrpillow Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 464
    You just need time to refine your palette. The more you smoke the more adept you will be at discerning different flavors within cigars. Also it helps to try smelling the things people say they taste in cigars, so you can get an exact benchmark of what that flavor will be.
  • sightunseen
    sightunseen Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 2,130
    zeebra:
    Hey fellas, I'm having trouble with smoking cigars, as in the flavor.

    I'm reading all these discriptive terms of "coffee, expresso, cashews..."

    I have smoked about 6-8 cigars and they have all been mild-medium flavor and to me they all taste similar. Am I not experienced enought to notice the difference yet?

    Here is a list of cigars that I have had

    Montisico Robusto (last night)
    Nub Conni 454
    5 Vegas Gold torpedo
    Predomo 10th anni Champange robusto
    Acid Kuba Kuba (this one was a bit different)

    And like 2 other house blends in conni wrappers, TheCank knows which one cause I send him one of the Plantation Reserve.

    They all taste similar to one another. Is this normal or am I not smoking it properly?

    Thanks
    The turning point for me was when I learned how to exhale through the nose. Since the nose is 80% of tasting, it really helped me to start discerning flavors. Kuzi wrote a very informative thread on how to develop your palate. You can't go wrong by reading it.
  • zeebra
    zeebra Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 3,166
    sightunseen:
    zeebra:
    Hey fellas, I'm having trouble with smoking cigars, as in the flavor.

    I'm reading all these discriptive terms of "coffee, expresso, cashews..."

    I have smoked about 6-8 cigars and they have all been mild-medium flavor and to me they all taste similar. Am I not experienced enought to notice the difference yet?

    Here is a list of cigars that I have had

    Montisico Robusto (last night)
    Nub Conni 454
    5 Vegas Gold torpedo
    Predomo 10th anni Champange robusto
    Acid Kuba Kuba (this one was a bit different)

    And like 2 other house blends in conni wrappers, TheCank knows which one cause I send him one of the Plantation Reserve.

    They all taste similar to one another. Is this normal or am I not smoking it properly?

    Thanks
    The turning point for me was when I learned how to exhale through the nose. Since the nose is 80% of tasting, it really helped me to start discerning flavors. Kuzi wrote a very informative thread on how to develop your palate. You can't go wrong by reading it.
    Well exhaling through the nose requires inhaling and I dont want to do that with cigars as it is not good to inhale. If you can link the thread that Kuzi wrote, I would really love to read it.

    thanks for the response
  • zeebra
    zeebra Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 3,166
    mrpillow:
    You just need time to refine your palette. The more you smoke the more adept you will be at discerning different flavors within cigars. Also it helps to try smelling the things people say they taste in cigars, so you can get an exact benchmark of what that flavor will be.
    I do smell them right before I start toasting them, and just go ahhhh, smells good.

    But I've been saying that with all the cigars I mentioned above and they all taste the same to me. Maybe after smoking a bit more, I will know the difference.
  • mrpillow
    mrpillow Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 464
    No, I'm saying smell the actual flavors. Smell coffee, smell some cashews, smell some leather, smell some peat etc. And exhaling through the nose does not require inhaling, it just requires rerouting air from your mouth up through the sinuses. It's a bit tricky to explain, but once you get the hang of it it's easy sailing.
  • sightunseen
    sightunseen Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 2,130
    zeebra:
    sightunseen:
    zeebra:
    Hey fellas, I'm having trouble with smoking cigars, as in the flavor.

    I'm reading all these discriptive terms of "coffee, expresso, cashews..."

    I have smoked about 6-8 cigars and they have all been mild-medium flavor and to me they all taste similar. Am I not experienced enought to notice the difference yet?

    Here is a list of cigars that I have had

    Montisico Robusto (last night)
    Nub Conni 454
    5 Vegas Gold torpedo
    Predomo 10th anni Champange robusto
    Acid Kuba Kuba (this one was a bit different)

    And like 2 other house blends in conni wrappers, TheCank knows which one cause I send him one of the Plantation Reserve.

    They all taste similar to one another. Is this normal or am I not smoking it properly?

    Thanks
    The turning point for me was when I learned how to exhale through the nose. Since the nose is 80% of tasting, it really helped me to start discerning flavors. Kuzi wrote a very informative thread on how to develop your palate. You can't go wrong by reading it.
    Well exhaling through the nose requires inhaling and I dont want to do that with cigars as it is not good to inhale. If you can link the thread that Kuzi wrote, I would really love to read it.

    thanks for the response
    Actually, you can exhale through the nose without inhaling into the lungs. It takes some practice, but it will definitely help. You basically take a puff of smoke in your mouth and then breath out your nose while keeping your mouth closed. Try this with milder cigars first and with little puffs.

    Here is the link to Kuzi's post

    http://www.cigar.com/cs/forums/thread/11121.aspx
  • cabinetmaker
    cabinetmaker Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 2,561
    The nose and mouth are connected above the epiglottis and no inhalation is needed to expel smoke from the mouth.
  • cholmes8310
    cholmes8310 Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 1,585
    cabinetmaker:
    The nose and mouth are connected above the epiglottis and no inhalation is needed to expel smoke from the mouth.
    +1... it's sort of a "gulping" thing. It took me a while to learn to do it, now it's second nature.
  • One2gofst
    One2gofst Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 583
    As others have stated, pushing smoke through the nose is called "retrohaling" and does not require the inhalation of any smoke. As an aside, you will inhale a tiny bit of smoke not matter how you smoke a cigar. retrohaling does not add to this trace amount.
  • mustluvcigars
    mustluvcigars Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 686
    with the smoke in your mouth , touch the roof of your mouth with your tongoue and push the smoke to back and then blow thru your nose :)
  • YankeeMan
    YankeeMan Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 1,377
    mustluvcigars:
    with the smoke in your mouth , touch the roof of your mouth with your tongoue and push the smoke to back and then blow thru your nose :)
    I'm going to give that method a try. I've been trying all the suggestions here and on previous posts and none of them have worked. I'm at school all day today, but if the weather is good tomorrow, I can't wait to try it.
  • zeebra
    zeebra Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 3,166
    all great info fellas. I really appreciate the help for a Noob cigar guy!

    I will read through the thread by Kuzi and take the advise you guys have given. Great info again guys!
  • zeebra
    zeebra Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 3,166
    stephen_hannibal:
    Nice video. Will check this out! Thank You
  • kuzi16
    kuzi16 Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 14,471
    the best line in my thread about developing your palate is the one where i say you should become very familiar with the smells and tastes most common in a cigar.
    many cigars have similar things going on. learn the basic ones. understand them.

    actively taste things. dont just eat food. TASTE it. TASTE coffee. actively smell things. SMELL your coffee. SMELL the steak dinner. the more thought you put into what you eat, drink and smell on a daily basis, the more developed your palate will be.
  • zeebra
    zeebra Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 3,166
    kuzi16:
    the best line in my thread about developing your palate is the one where i say you should become very familiar with the smells and tastes most common in a cigar.
    many cigars have similar things going on. learn the basic ones. understand them.

    actively taste things. dont just eat food. TASTE it. TASTE coffee. actively smell things. SMELL your coffee. SMELL the steak dinner. the more thought you put into what you eat, drink and smell on a daily basis, the more developed your palate will be.
    Gonna read your thread in your sig. later on tonight.

    Thanks for the information.

    By the way... No cigars taste like a steak do they? lol.
  • kuzi16
    kuzi16 Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 14,471
    i have had some cigars that taste fairly "meaty"

    i dont remember what one it is though
  • sightunseen
    sightunseen Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 2,130
    kuzi16:
    i have had some cigars that taste fairly "meaty"

    i dont remember what one it is though
    I thought the Alec Bradly Maxx in "The Fix" size was pretty meaty.
  • punkrawk_99
    punkrawk_99 Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 39
    zeebra:
    Here is a list of cigars that I have had

    Montisico Robusto (last night)
    Nub Conni 454
    5 Vegas Gold torpedo
    Predomo 10th anni Champange robusto
    Acid Kuba Kuba (this one was a bit different)



    Of those you listed, I've only had the 5 Vegas Gold and the Perdomo. I don't remember anything spectacular about the flavor of the 5 Vegas, but with the Perdomo I tasted a strong flavor of what only can be described as dog turd. I had mercy on myself and put it down after smoking about an inch.

    Just keep trying different cigars and exhaling through the nose. Your palate will develop.
  • kaspera79
    kaspera79 Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 7,144
    I have the complete opposite problem. When I smoke a cigar, if I keep my mouth closed, the smoke just flows out of my nose. I can't not exhale through my nose. I'm like puff the magic dragon. I don't know why. I had an MRI once and the doctor asked if I ever had nasal reconstruction. I didn't think much of it at the time except he said there is something odd about the images.
  • Alex Williams
    Alex Williams Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 1,515
    zeebra:
    No cigars taste like a steak do they? lol.
    The A. Fernandez Sig Series!!! sooooooooo good!! i really really wanna get a box soon.