Expert: James Yee - 5/7/2008

Question
QUESTION: Dear james
i recenlty was in lebanon bought one box of coiba genios and one box of cohiba Siglo VI from the duty free to try for a couple of days so i can decide the quantities i will buy on my way back home from the same shop.
i liked the siglo VI at the beginig diferent than the Genios (that is what is nice about cuban cigars) i even lit both cigars to compare the taste against each other,however after two days of smoke my tongue started to have a strange feeling after smoking the siglo VI (difficult to explain hurt when rubed against the top of my mouth loss of taste when eating food part of my tongue actually) i know you told me before that bitter cigar taste will lesson as they age ,this experience is not there at all when i smoke the genios !!,is it only me or do you experience any similiar taste when you smoke certain types of cigars (i get the same with Epicure no 2)
,if i age Siglo VI will it be better i like the flavor but dont like the experience after im finished so i decided not to buy any Siglo VI and bought 10 boxes of Genios!


ANSWER: Hi Abou El Seoud,

Does your tongue feel sore or feel like it stings from a cut?  If yes, the discomfort you feel on the tip of your tongue is your tongue reacting from all the strong cigars you have smoked recently.  The taste buds on your tongue is now sensitive and dry from all the cigar smoke which is why it feels sore.  When smoking a mild cigar, this feeling is not very noticeable but if you smoke a stronger cigar, you will definitely notice this discomfort.

Aging your Siglo VI will indeed soften the cigar strength.  Also, if you smoke fewer cigars in a day or sip ice water while you smoke, your tongue will feel normal again.  When smoking strong cigars, it's important that you keep your mouth cool and refreshed and drinking cold water while you smoke will make your tongue feel better.

Regards,
James

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: that is exactly sore feeling tongue like a cut,and since i dont drink (whisky on the rocks...) i think you have placed your hand on the main reason behind my problem,however i ussually smoke to cigars a day only (robusto size like partagas D4 in the morning and another in the evening usually Cohiba Genios)
does this mean cohiba genios is milder than the Siglo VI (sorry about these questions but i really want to translate my experience into knowldege in cigar taste )
thanks

Answer
Hi Abou El Seoud,

Yes, the Siglo 6 is considered stronger than the Genios.  Even though you don't smoke many cigars a day, it's the size of the cigars that you smoke and larger cigars like robustos, double coronas, Siglo VI, etc. can create a lot of smoke and heat that will make the taste buds on your tongue dry and sensitive.  Again, keeping your mouth cool and refreshed by drinking cold water while you smoke will make your tongue feel better.  Some people also find it better to slow down their smoking pace with larger cigars.  Robustos usually take about 40 minutes to smoke so if you smoke the cigar too fast, it can cause your mouth to become extremely hot which will irritate your tongue.

Regards,
James

P.S. - Don't worry about asking too many questions. I'm happy to help so please feel free to ask questions.