Expert: James Yee - 8/7/2008

Question
Hi James hope all is well.

When reading reviews on cigars I keep seeing for example "Notes of licorice, notes of chocolate, hints of pepper, earthy etc.." Ive been smoking for a while now and I cant seem to pick up these tastes. Why is that? Is there a technique to smoking that allows me to finally taste this?
Please advise as I smoke ONLY premium hand rolled. Everythig from rocky patel, to fuente fuente to cuaba.

I also like to smoke with a nice glass of port which i sip between smoking. Is this ruining the flavour?

Answer
Hi Tommy,

When reading cigar reviews in magazines or online, its important to remember that "taste is subjective" and not everyone will taste the same flavours.  It's very possible that we will taste similar flavours but it's not a guarantee that we'll taste the exact same flavours.  One person's interpretation of a certain flavour can be completely different for someone else.  

These flavours are the result of the different types of tobacco combined in the cigar's filler, binder and wrapper leaves.  This creates a distinct "recipe" that may resemble flavours that we're normally familiar with like chocolate, cinnamon, coffee, pepper, etc.

If you don't taste things such as lavender, saffron, leather, anise, etc. in your cigars, don't worry. Not everyone agrees with the cigar reviews that you see in magazines or on the Internet. It's possible that someone will taste something like saffron in a cigar but for someone who has never tasted saffron before, how will they know what it tastes like?

What you should do is smoke as many different brands, from as many different countries, as possible.  By doing this, you'll expand your cigar palate and be able to detect more unique cigar flavours from all these different types of cigars.  This is a great way to hone your cigar senses.  Port is also an excellent drink to compliment a cigar but to fully assess a cigar's flavours, it's best to sip water as you smoke.  Water will keep your mouth refreshed and cleanse your palate.

Hopes this answers your question. If you have any more questions, please feel free to just ask and I will be happy to help.

Regards,
James