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I have a question!... Forgive the slight nubishness ;)
#1
So I recently started smoking cigars, probably about two months ago, I smoke about one a day now. Now I have read all of these topics and reviews on the complexity and different tastes that come from the cigar...

and MY problem is I can't tell that big of a difference in tastes yet between most fine cigars :/

I can tell the difference between stronger, and smoother cigars. But as far as different tastes go, I have not sensed that yet

SO!

my question is... How long did you smoke before you started to get a taste for the differences and tastes in cigars?

and do you have any recommendations for cigars I should smoke as sort of a test to build my senses a bit?

Thank you very much people of Stogie Chat!!!

P.S.

this is my first post so HELLO EVERYONE!!! Smile
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#2
Ive been smoking for a little longer now and its tough, but I still enjoy a fine cigar.

I feel the bast way would be to find a review from a veteran, and if he/she picks out notes of chocolate and coffee, smoke the same cigar (size and shape included) and try to pick out the same flavors. It may sound a little like cheating, but its hard to know what you are looking for, beyond tobacco smoke, for an unrefined palate.

Some guys, when they do a review, even say what they tasted at different points on the stick (say 1/3, 2/3, 3/4 etc). That would be optimal so you know when to expect it.

When doing this make sure the humidity is correct and it is lit properly with wood matches or butane.

Good luck!!!
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#3
And by the way, welcome!

Make sure to post in the Welcoming thread too if you havent already.
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#4
Expanding your taste is a process. I tried finding good reviews in which a cigar was described as a pepper bomb, full of leather, very woody, very chocolatey, or especially nutty.   With the in-your-face flavor of the stick, i can better pick up the subtle flavors when i run across them again.

Victor Sinclair Triple Corojo, was my first stick of saying "Oh, this is like chewing on leather" without having read a review first.
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#5
i do agree it takes a while and smoking lots of cigars to get the flavors down!!
I started the sit down video.....The Transporter!!
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#6
i never really worried about it. my reviews were always more like "it was good" or "it was bad". over time i started to pick stuff out. but i still can't taste some of the flavors some of those reviewers in the big magazines pick out, and i've been smoking for years. i say if you're enjoying them, why worry?
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#7
Keep at it.   When you get to some truly great cigars you will know the differences.   As far as hints of chocolate, cherries, etc do you really taste these?  Well no, but its a way to describe a cigar.   Orange twang, nuttiness?   Just ways to describe certain flavors I guess.

This is why I don't do many reviews because I am not about flowery language.   I could smoke a cigar, read a review by a notorious aficionado, and mimick his words to a degree.   But I would be kidding myself and the readers.

Might  I suggest this:

 

By these cigars and compare them:

 

Oliva V Robusto and Oliva V Lancero.  Same maker and same brand but different ring gauge.   Let us know the difference you tast.

 

Pepin Blue, White, and Black labels all in the same size.   You will taste the differences. 

 

CAO CX2 and MX2 Maduro in the same sizes.

 

Then for a wild change go buy a Romeo & Julieta 1875 Medallion red label and a Tatuaje red label and then you can taste the difference.

 

These are just some suggestions.  The first examples will help you note differences in sizes.   The latter examples will give you a difference between a decent cigar and a better one.
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#8
Another thing to consider is food & drink prior and during the cigar.  

For instance, the same cigar will taste different after a bowl of pasta versus mexican or a nice steak dinner.    Toss in some wine or bourbon and you add more factors to how the cigar will taste.

Wait about an hour (or longer) after eating anything spicy/garlic.   Grab a shot of bourbon and sit down with the cigar.   The bourbon will open your taste buds/senses a bit and may help you notice some of the nusances and wonderful qualities of the cigar.   Note the qualities.    Next time, try that same cigar with a glass of wine.   Note the change.


Another consideration is more on the medical side of things.   You may never actually experience a full range of tastes based on your genetics.  Your genes  play a part in taste/smell sensitivity.   Some people can actually taste or smell much more than others due to having more functioning olfactory genes.   We humans are part of a lineage that has traded smell for sight over many years of evolution.   Its a proven fact in our genomes.   Different traits give each of us different levels of abilities and disabilities, per se.    Basically if you have a pretty good sense of food taste and can smell a lilac tree or roses 3 blocks away....then you should be able to enjoy many of the qualities described with cigars.   If you can't taste the difference from Folgers crystals and real coffee, then [baby].  lol!

I'm actually one of the lucky people I guess you can say.   I can smell and taste things that some cannot.    Last year I called the gas company because I smelled mercaptan outside the house.   They came up, checked everything out with their gas sensors and found nothing for about 30 minutes.   Then after I assured them I could still smell it, they followed me around and my nose actually found the source of it when their electronic meter could not.   It was a pinhole around the threads of the meter, not even enough to show a bubble on the soap test unless you sat there for 5 minutes waiting for it!!    Needless to say, they were amazed.    Downside is it can sometimes be nausiating and I constantly have allergy issues because a frickin ragweed plant 5 blocks away can make me sneeze.

 
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#9
It helped me as a noob to smoke with others to talk about what was happening. Having a food background sure helped because of trained smell and taste having to be aware. Welcome to SC.

[Image: cigarflavorwheel.jpg?t=1231363915]
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We cross our bridges when we come to them and burn them behind us, with nothing to show for our progress except a memory of the smell of smoke, and a presumption that once our eyes watered.

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#10
Thanks everyone for the awsome replies!

Tank I am definitely going to try some of those comparisons, I'll pick them up next time I got to the shop.

the food suggestion is a great idea I'm going to have a good dinner tonight and sip a good glass of whiskey, then I'll light up my stoge and see what happens!

thanks everyone [bravo]
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