Is it me or the Cigars?
Comments
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thats a darn good question.
i am gunna have to go with the cigar. the act of you smoking it changes it. the part of the wrapper leaf you are smoking changes it. how fast/slow you smoke will change the cigar.
lemme 'splain one at a time.
as you smoke you draw smoke through the cigar and into your mouth. as the smoke goes through the cigar it hits other bits of tobacco. on that tobacco it leaves particles of the smoke. when you burn down to that point in the cigar you are not only burning the tobacco, but those particles as well. the further you go along in the cigar, the more there are to burn because more smoke has gone by/through that spot.
this is why a cigar will tend to build in flavor or body throughout.
the wrapper leaf is not uniform throughout. imagine this:
you have a big tobacco leaf in front of you. the stem to the leaf turns into the center vein of the leaf. from that vein others shoot off. near the edges of the leaf there are almost no veins. these leaf veins are what bring nutrients to the leaf from the plant. the farther away from the center vein, the harder it is for nutrients to reach. when you roll a cigar with that leaf you will go through a progression. the edges of the leaf will have a bit less flavor. this is part of the reason why you get a "sweet spot" in cigars.
this is also the reason why we have the NUB. when rolling the NUB the rollers cut off a bit of the edges of the leaf where the nutrients are less.... thus giving us "all sweet spot" cigars.
the speed that you smoke also changes the cigar. If you smoke fast you will heat up the tobacco too much and it will taste funny and bitter. if you like to smoke mild and medium cigars usually they you have an internal pacing system that makes you smoke "X" fast. then you light up a full bodied cigar. your pacing system kicks in. you start puffing away. soon you feel the power of the cigar start to catch up to you. you will have a tendency to slow down the smoking. this will cool the smoke and change the flavor. and in very general terms, cooler smoke = more/better flavor -
well put kuzi, I learned some more things and I think I'm all caught up for learning new things today so I think I'll just zone the rest of the day. lol. That is one thing I noticed a while ago, fuller bodied smokes need more time between draws than milder smokes, at least for me.kuzi16:thats a darn good question.
i am gunna have to go with the cigar. the act of you smoking it changes it. the part of the wrapper leaf you are smoking changes it. how fast/slow you smoke will change the cigar.
lemme 'splain one at a time.
as you smoke you draw smoke through the cigar and into your mouth. as the smoke goes through the cigar it hits other bits of tobacco. on that tobacco it leaves particles of the smoke. when you burn down to that point in the cigar you are not only burning the tobacco, but those particles as well. the further you go along in the cigar, the more there are to burn because more smoke has gone by/through that spot.
this is why a cigar will tend to build in flavor or body throughout.
the wrapper leaf is not uniform throughout. imagine this:
you have a big tobacco leaf in front of you. the stem to the leaf turns into the center vein of the leaf. from that vein others shoot off. near the edges of the leaf there are almost no veins. these leaf veins are what bring nutrients to the leaf from the plant. the farther away from the center vein, the harder it is for nutrients to reach. when you roll a cigar with that leaf you will go through a progression. the edges of the leaf will have a bit less flavor. this is part of the reason why you get a "sweet spot" in cigars.
this is also the reason why we have the NUB. when rolling the NUB the rollers cut off a bit of the edges of the leaf where the nutrients are less.... thus giving us "all sweet spot" cigars.
the speed that you smoke also changes the cigar. If you smoke fast you will heat up the tobacco too much and it will taste funny and bitter. if you like to smoke mild and medium cigars usually they you have an internal pacing system that makes you smoke "X" fast. then you light up a full bodied cigar. your pacing system kicks in. you start puffing away. soon you feel the power of the cigar start to catch up to you. you will have a tendency to slow down the smoking. this will cool the smoke and change the flavor. and in very general terms, cooler smoke = more/better flavor -
Thanks for the well thought out response Kuzi. I try to always smoke a cigar slow, as I think that is the one thing most do wrong, ie; smoke'em to fast. However, I think I may be rushing it on the first 1/3, maybe worried about it going out? But, once a nice ash forms I'm more confident and slow down. At any rate I think I may have to get a timer involved for so study.
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I too worry about my cigar going out right when i light it so i tend to smoke fast. I had an oliva serie V that just about knocked me on my ass because of this. are there any tricks or techniques people use to slow down the smoking? do you set the cigar down? do yuo keep a stop watch going to get used to the pace?
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i talk with the people around me. i dont keep my cigar in my mouth. and i find it hard to talk with a cigar in there. if im alone i write. im a right handed smoker and a tight handed writer. hard to smoke with pen in the hand.LowSpark:I too worry about my cigar going out right when i light it so i tend to smoke fast. I had an oliva serie V that just about knocked me on my ass because of this. are there any tricks or techniques people use to slow down the smoking? do you set the cigar down? do yuo keep a stop watch going to get used to the pace? -
Just my little addition to this post - The Oliva V also knocked me into a haze as well. They use some damn strong leaf in that little girl.
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...and i love it.Vidarien:Just my little addition to this post - The Oliva V also knocked me into a haze as well. They use some damn strong leaf in that little girl. -
Great information! I really appreciate folks taking the time to share insights and experiences as I am eager to learn all I can about the relaxing recreation of smoking cigars.
Here is a question I have had for a while: There are a number of variables relating to how a cigar with a little punch will affect a smoker but does anyone have an idea relating to the relative strength of cigars running from mild to strong? To illustrate, is an Oliva V ten times stronger or three times stronger - or fifty times stronger - than a Macanudo (or any mild cigar)?
Again, there are so many variables related to leaf primings, climate, soil type, tobacco variety, aging, and on and on. But relatively speaking - from mildest to strongest - what is the scale of strength?
Thanks!
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We generally rate cigars on the Quadriplegic Hamster to Superman on Human Growth Hormone scale.
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I've noticed in most of my cigars they take a bit to open up. For example: I had a Gurkha Beast today and right off the bat it was pretty bland I wasn't enjoying it much but ten or fifteen minutes later it opened up and 2 hours later I put the last inch and a half in the ashtray. CK
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I smoked a Rocky Patel Olde Worlde Reserve over the weekend, I got home from the cigar bar and was sitting on my couch and my blood sugar tanked, felt like I was about to pass out...even my wife said I looked pale...I would hate to think it was the cigar...never had a smoke affect me like that before.Vidarien:Just my little addition to this post - The Oliva V also knocked me into a haze as well. They use some damn strong leaf in that little girl. -
that isn't fun, smoking too fast or smoking with no food in your belly. been there before, drink sugar water, I hear it helps.
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Funny you should say the sugar thing.. I read that sugar gets rid of that stomache problem from "FULL" cigars.. It works for me, I chew up a sugar cube .. that and sip water slowly .phobicsquirrel:that isn't fun, smoking too fast or smoking with no food in your belly. been there before, drink sugar water, I hear it helps. -
I think the best cure for a full bodied stomach ache is an even fuller bodied cigar...makes you clean forget about the first one.
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I like the way you think.. That can work with drinking too..j0z3r:I think the best cure for a full bodied stomach ache is an even fuller bodied cigar...makes you clean forget about the first one. -
Hair of the dog, right?kaspera79:
I like the way you think.. That can work with drinking too..j0z3r:I think the best cure for a full bodied stomach ache is an even fuller bodied cigar...makes you clean forget about the first one.(Nazareth plays in the background)
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lol, yeah there ya go.kaspera79:
I like the way you think.. That can work with drinking too..j0z3r:I think the best cure for a full bodied stomach ache is an even fuller bodied cigar...makes you clean forget about the first one. -
Yeah, I think you're right, I didn't have any food in my stomach so that's what probably did it...definitley learned a lesson! lolphobicsquirrel:that isn't fun, smoking too fast or smoking with no food in your belly. been there before, drink sugar water, I hear it helps. -
Heh, if I did that the other day after the way I felt, I probably would have woken up naked in the desert somewhere with a strange tatoo...j0z3r:I think the best cure for a full bodied stomach ache is an even fuller bodied cigar...makes you clean forget about the first one. -
....now your messin' with a .......j0z3r:
Hair of the dog, right?kaspera79:
I like the way you think.. That can work with drinking too..j0z3r:I think the best cure for a full bodied stomach ache is an even fuller bodied cigar...makes you clean forget about the first one.(Nazareth plays in the background)
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sonovabitchkaspera79:
....now your messin' with a .......j0z3r:
Hair of the dog, right?kaspera79:
I like the way you think.. That can work with drinking too..j0z3r:I think the best cure for a full bodied stomach ache is an even fuller bodied cigar...makes you clean forget about the first one.(Nazareth plays in the background)