May be a dumb question, but I gotta ask

[forgop]

So, when people talk about how a cigar evolves from start to finish, I can understand the ratio between wrapper/binder/filler producing different flavor profiles between vitolas. When people talk about how a cigar evolves from start to finish, is there an explanation other than how much tobacco the smoke passes through before reaching your mouth when therefor no change in shape like seen in a figurado compared to a "straight" cigar?

I guess I've just never developed my palate in such a way that I can detect all of the perceived flavors when they use words like nuts, earthy, grassy, chocolate, etc. I obviously know whether I like the flavors or not, but that's about it.

[shilala]

Originally Posted by forgop

...is there an explanation other than how much tobacco the smoke passes through before reaching your mouth when therefor no change in shape like seen in a figurado compared to a "straight" cigar?

I guess I've just never developed my palate in such a way that I can detect all of the perceived flavors when they use words like nuts, earthy, grassy, chocolate, etc. I obviously know whether I like the flavors or not, but that's about it.

On the question, it's yes and no. There's more tobacco for the smoke to pass through, and more tobacco to hold the essences of the burned smoke. As a cigar burns to the end, the cigar will "develop" because of the aggregate "essence" deposited as one smokes.
That's why little cigars and small rings don't "develop" as much and deliver a lot different experience, in my opinion, as compared to the larger rings, and larger ring/longer vitolas.

If you know you like the flavors, you already won the game, my brother. Just enjoy them.

[neoflex]

A good way to experiment with how ring gauge can play a part in taste is to sit down with a Figurado or even a Perfecto and see how the profile changes as you hit different widths of the cigar.

[wayner123]

I notice a difference, sometimes a vast one, between a cigar of the same line but a different shape. And it has to do with wrapper:filler ratio.

Originally Posted by forgop

I guess I've just never developed my palate in such a way that I can detect all of the perceived flavors when they use words like nuts, earthy, grassy, chocolate, etc. I obviously know whether I like the flavors or not, but that's about it.

Don't sweat not being able to describe the tastes you are experiencing. This is presently being studied further but the information below may provide some insight as to why you can't describe flavors:

Finally, Small and her colleagues present strong evidence that the final common pathways of taste and smell go to the non-verbal right brain, which has implications for our ability to report thinking processes related to taste and smell; one of the reasons Titchener - and Wundt before him - only reported four tastes was probably that they had difficulty getting people to talk about taste and smell.

[Lumpold]

Originally Posted by shilala

On the question, it's yes and no. There's more tobacco for the smoke to pass through, and more tobacco to hold the essences of the burned smoke. As a cigar burns to the end, the cigar will "develop" because of the aggregate "essence" deposited as one smokes.
That's why little cigars and small rings don't "develop" as much and deliver a lot different experience, in my opinion, as compared to the larger rings, and larger ring/longer vitolas.

If you know you like the flavors, you already won the game, my brother. Just enjoy them.

Originally Posted by forgop

When people talk about how a cigar evolves from start to finish, is there an explanation other than how much tobacco the smoke passes through before reaching your mouth when therefor no change in shape like seen in a figurado compared to a "straight" cigar?

I guess I've just never developed my palate in such a way that I can detect all of the perceived flavors when they use words like nuts, earthy, grassy, chocolate, etc. I obviously know whether I like the flavors or not, but that's about it.

In addition to Shilala's answer above, I would also say that as you move down the cigar, you may well find varying amounts of the different filler types, which will, of course, change the flavour profile of the cigar.