Cigars/"sour" or "bitter" taste in a cigar
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Question
while smoking an Ashton VSG Sorcerer recently, I began to notice a distinct sour or bitter taste. What causes this and what can I do about it? Is it caused by the temperature or humidity conditions in my humidor? Thanks!
Tony,
I doubt that humidity condition can cause a cigar to taste sour. I assume you've smoked VSG before and are familiar with their normal taste, and that this cigar was different. I'm curious to know if you finished the cigar and if it tasted like this all the way through, or did it develop as you smoked it and/or go away after a while? It is possible that there was something in the cigar that didn't belong there - a piece of a sucker leaf, a piece of weed (weed, not Marijuana!) or some other foreign substance. With a cigar maker like Arturo Fuente, these things are extremely rare, but remember that tobacco is a natural product that grows in a field, and it is possible that a foreign substance was accidentally picked up with the tobacco and made it all the way through the sorting/curing/making process and it to the cigar. Other than that, things that cause odd tastes in cigars are uncured tobacco or mold, but neither of these tends to taste sour. Hope this helps somewhat. Bill
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| Comment | Thanks for the answer, Bill. In response to your question, yes - I have smoked this cigar before(it's one of my favorites) and I did finish the entire cigar(stopped within 1/4 of the cigar band). In response to one of your other questions, the cigar did not taste sour/bitter all the way through...it was predominante in the middle 1/3 of the cigar. Thanks again for your answer. | ||
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Bill Finck Jr.
Expertise
I'm a fourth generation cigar maker and have spent 25+ years operating our factory as well as a mail order cigar company. I belong to cigar manufacturers associations as well as retail cigar associations so I'm usually up to date with current events relating to cigars. I've smoked the majority of brands on the market and would be happy to share my opinions of them with you. Since I live in the U.S. I have very little experience with Cuban cigars, but other than that I know a least a little bit about almost every brand of cigars on the market.
Experience
In addition to growing up in and now managing our cigar factory for 25+ years, I've spent time in many factories in Honduras, Nicaragua, The Dominican Republic and Mexico. BR>
Organizations
Cigar Association of America, Retail Tobacco Dealers Association
Education/Credentials
BS Texas A&M University
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