Smoking culture

[goalie204]

Originally Posted by md4958

I would rather smoke with a friend than solo, but even solo i try to relax and clear my mind rather than try to discern flavors.

I dont know if my palate will ever be as refined as some of the BOTL here... they can pick up the slightest nuance...

I can only tell if I like a cigar or think it sucks.

Totally with you there Moe. Mind you i'm still a learning newb

[Don Fernando]

Originally Posted by md4958

I dont know if my palate will ever be as refined as some of the BOTL here... they can pick up the slightest nuance...

It is all about training yourself Moe, you are in the food industry, I bet you can taste the differences in dough, whipped cream and different kinds of sugar because you have to in your line of work. And those skills didn't come natural, you trained yourself, same goes for cigars.

When I started to smoke my palate wasn't as refined as it is now, I trained myself to discover flavors and not only when smoking cigars but also with foods and drinks. And it made my life richer when it comes to enjoying good foods, drinks and indeed, smokes.

[macpappy]

I used to read all the reviews trying to find new cigars to try and then when I would smoke one I would struggle to find those flavor profiles. Hints of cinnamon, leather, coffee or the many other flavors often described? Maybe I tasted those but maybe my mind said, "ok, this is what other people tasted so I can taste those flavors, too." So I've always wondered if what I'm tasting is related to what I've read about a cigar.

On the other hand, I'm big into sniffing MY cigar before I light it. Some of my favorites smell like finely aged tobacco and they are generally always a pleasure to smoke. Then there are those cigars that I pull out and sniff and they just smell green, or a slightly woodsy vegetation smell, or even worse something again to the elephant attraction at the local zoo. In my experience I have found that the ones that smell green have no mellowness to them when smoked. The slightly woodsy, vegetation smell often translates into an okay smoke and the ones that smell like elephant dung usually don't get smoked all the way.

I've stopped trying to write the best reviews in the world and telling everyone about the subtle nuances of different cigars. When and if I write another review it will be about how well the cigar looked and smelled before I put the heat to it, how it burned and how much spice my tongue detected.

But that's just me.

[md4958]

Originally Posted by shilala

Those are the times when I can commit a lot of the experience to memory.

at your age that is a feat right there!