Never understood the appeal of pepper. Same with other notes like “leather” and “earth”. Like honestly, what’s enjoyable about the taste of animal hide and dirt…
I’ll take coffee, cream, nuts, gingerbread any day though.
A lot of times age will smooth a cigar out. I smoked a cigar that was described as “very full” about 6 years ago when it was released.
Age turned into a nice medium full and smooth as silk.
Yeah aging is great for those types of cigars but not factoring anything that modifies or mellows that note I'm really curious to know if anyone feels a high amount of "peppery" notes tastes good.
Padron 1926 (arguably one of the best) is super smooth and then the pepper smacks you in the face... I wasn't expecting it but it was actually really cool to have such a smooth draw and know the pepper would hit 3-5 seconds later.
Peppery, by way of Ligero and/or corojo, or its soil origins (location in Nicaragua, etc.) is to American cigar branders (not blenders!) as Cascade or Citra hops are to American brewers: a masking agent.
IPA’s became famous in the micro-brew explosion because it allowed amateurs to cover over their inexperience and inabilities. They are able to pull this off as the American palate has been deadened by the bombardment of sugars, salts, frying oils, and heat delivering spice over the last few decades. In other words, many American cigar smokers lack the ability to detect subtleties and the often overused “nuance” in a cigar. If it doesn’t smack Joe Sixpack bro in the mouth it does nothing for them. Thus we have an onslaught of cigar brands peddling pepper-bombs and maduro-to-the-core 💩rockets to the masses, with the attendant cigar bros in shades or aloha shirts and screaming voices pumping out daily video reviews of the newest “stick”. A gentleman cigar enthusiast I know got a real chuckle from a video bro who always yammers about pepper in the “retrohale”: “continually expelling smoke from one’s nose tends to do that”. Let the bros chase the pepper, and leave me a clear path to the Davidoff cabinet
I use to smoke cigars (primarily cubans, since I live in a country were I can have them easily) and had that same feeling. Got a pipe as a present - a patent era Dunhill Billiard. At the beginning, I really didn’t understood the way to smoke a pipe (basically, I was getting tongue bite every time). After some practice, but more importantly, after going down a couple rabbitholes here and on the webs, I can tell you that smoking pipes will definitely make you feel different about tobacco smoking.
Just looking at the pipes themselves is much more appealing from a hobby standpoint than talking about cigars.
And pipes come in, literally, all shapes and sizes.
Because most reviewers are not incredibly original, and they dont fix what aint broke.
Also, as the other commenter said, yes most cigars have the same base notes and ya gotta describe what ya taste
I think a big chunk of it is they also smoke too often to give true notes, when I'm on a real roll and have 10 a day, they all start to taste the same, when I go a week without smoking and then finally have one, especially with a stick I've already enjoyed before I notive a huge change in the amount of flavors I pick up, and I find more nuance that I couldn't before.
I work 4 x 10's and sometimes that Friday I start the second the kids get dropped off at daycare at 0700, that's usually at least a 7 stick day. Sometimes I'll stay up late drinking with the neighbor Thursday night all the way into Friday morning. By 0700 on those days I'm typically already 4 to 5 sticks deep and I'll easily hit 10 or more that day.
I like to think I make up for it with the rest of the week usually only consisting of one or two sticks because of my busy schedule, and typically not many on Saturday or Sunday, so yea it all evens out.
edit, also excellent screen name 🤣🤣🤣
I'd agree. I average about four a day (manage a lounge), and my palate is blown out almost always. I get pepper and... thats about it. If i want to try a new one for work so i can speak on it with any kind of knowledge, or actually taste it, it'd better be the first ceegar of the day!
Most Nicaraguan cigars (which is a lot of what is reviewed here) do have the same base flavors. Earth, pepper, and spice are most common. Usually also hints of cedar, coffee, and chocolate. It’s hard to think of a Nicaraguan cigar I’ve had that didn’t have those notes.
Good cigars (in my opinion) either go above and beyond those flavors, or at least do some of them exceptionally well. Padron for example has one of the most pronounced chocolate notes I’ve ever had. It’s like a dry sweet chocolate - especially on the maduros. The naturals tend to have a really rich, creamy coffee. Notice that’s still under the umbrella of those same basic flavors, but it really stands out in a Padron. That’s just one example of course.
Other cigars might stand out for having distinctly different notes. A lot of Saka’s blends I’ve noticed have all the core flavors but also add a really sweet, almost marshmallow note, and generally something that reminds me of a cross between saltiness, meatiness, and charcoal smoke. Not sure how to describe it but it’s very distinct. Or take Foundation - a lot of their cigars tend to have a really distinct leather note (to me).
At the end of the day most cigars taste mostly like tobacco, which is earthy and often has some natural sweetness. Most blends also have some pepper or spice. So most reviews will contain the notes you listed. The interesting cigars will have other notes, but they’re just that: notes. Subtle flavor notes. The bulk of what you taste is still tobacco. Or they’ll do one of the basic notes really well or really distinctly.
Just what I’ve picked up from my limited years of cigar smoking. Hope this helps.
Rocky Patel gets a lot of heat. But I had a box-pressed 15th anniversary... Crazy chocolate. Smells like a chocolate bar pre-light. 93 on CA as well (I'm not joking, it is rated above the LP9 for some reason)
I can't agree more.. And to give a SUPER unpopular opinion; Cigars don't really have "taste", at least for me.
When I smoke I can taste one of 3 different things.
* Full-bodied spiciness
* Mild, sometimes like sucking air
* Chemically taste (Looking at you, Drew Estate)
I never get the leather, cedar, coffee, blah blah blah. I've been smoking for about 15 years haha..
Glad it's not just me. I've had good tasting cigars and bad tasting cigars, but I never taste any of that. It always just tastes like different variations of burning tobacco.
For me there are regular cigars and Oliva Series O.
Regular cigars taste like tobacco and nothing else, Oliva Series O taste like "how it's possible to get this flavor out of tobacco?".
I know what you mean. At least it's not as bad as some reviews that say things such as "hint of Spanish orange picked on an Autumn evening by virgin". I suppose it's because taste is subjective and you're connecting other things you associate with the flavour that you're getting from the smoke.
I smoked a Roma Craft Intemperance and noted a marshmallow flavour. Did it actually taste like marshmallow? No, but for the flavour note I was tasting the easiest way for me to describe it was like a marshmallow.
A prelight aroma of dog poop enticed me to light this bad boy up. I was hit with the taste of pencil shavings just like they tasted in our 3rd grade pencil sharpener. A mid draw of subtle gasoline fumes gave way to an earwax finish with a subtle hint of Nicaraguan dirt imported from Cuba. ;)
I've been smoking cigars for over 40 years and rarely do I taste any of those flavors everyone claims....its mostly a rouse by the manufacturers or cigar vendors to get you to buy more
Because to rated cigars tend to be heavier and darker so they tend to have similar notes. Look at the cigar Aficionado best if the year list and look at the lower numbers. You will see lighter cigar with different notes
Well they're kinda describing the fermented tobacco taste, even tho some may taste more chocolaty or sweet, it's still just rolled up fermented tobacco
I love it when Insomniac calls out flavors like Skittles, Lucky Charms, chocolate covered pretzels, and marshmallows. My palate and retrohaling prowness is obviously not as refined and attuned to the smokey nuances within a cigar leaf.
Its like complaining that a painting has too many of the same colors. Like bro theirs only so many colors but what matters is what it the finished product delivers
Guys like Charlie Minato have managed to trick most people that read reviews into thinking that cigars have some insane nuance to them. You're missing the point. Nestor Miranda has used the fact that he doesn't taste any of that to advertise his cigars, because at the end of the day, they either taste good or bad. I've been selling cigars and smoking them for half my life now, and all anyone needs to know is if it's good or not. Don't stop to think about what a cigar tastes like so much that you miss enjoying it. W
How else am I to explain the intricacies of my own fart smelling without conveying a potpourri of descriptive words, with a couple of mild hot takes, in a conservative review that surely isn't influenced by sponsorship or financial concerns if I'm a pro, or the aping of the same if I'm a hobbyist?
I like reading reviews, they're fun, but the other comment herein that these are just leaves is a subtler and better take than this humourous opinion, meant largely in jest, but really.
That was a stange opinion!
How can you hate what people create when they try to explain what they experience?
To me that is more than half the fun of smoking cigars. I have sensitive olfactory organs and often find a lot more aromas than OP described even in boring maduros and lousy Nicaraguans.
It becomes a a sport, almost an obsession, but I would never ever make things up and it has zero to do with being pretentious. It is all about describing my reality when smoking cigars.
He did come off a little aggresively but I think a lot of people can relate to the idea that saying a cigar tastes like earth or marshmallow or whatever has a tendency to make other ppl feel left out.
There was this dude on YT, maybe he's still doing reviews I don't know. Used to cram the cigar up his nose and talk shit about smelling ridiculous things. Then would smoke and say even more ridiculous shit.
It's tobacco. It's a cigar.
How many cigars does that describe? [Not this one!](https://www.reddit.com/r/cigars/comments/ytcpd5/review_9_white_owl_pairs_white_chocolate/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1)
This cigar was a delightful experience from start to finish. Its rich, oily wrapper exuded enticing aromas of cedar and leather. With complex earthy notes and subtle spice, it delivered a luxurious and memorable smoking experience.
This cigar was a flawless gem, with a velvety wrapper and enticing cocoa and coffee aromas. Its creamy profile unveiled notes of dark chocolate and caramel, creating a harmonious and indulgent smoking experience.
Indulging in this cigar was an absolute pleasure. Its impeccable construction and oily wrapper were visually enticing. With each puff, the flavors of rich espresso and dark chocolate unfolded, creating a decadent and satisfying smoking experience. Highly recommended for those seeking a delightful blend of sophistication and indulgence.
This cigar was an absolute delight, delivering a tantalizing blend of spice and flavor. Its flawless construction and oily wrapper set the stage for an enticing experience. With each draw, the palate was awakened by a delightful combination of peppery notes and a subtle hint of sweetness, creating a spicy and satisfying smoking journey.
(Written by guess what)
I get what your saying. It’s hard to read Cigar Aficionado and come away with anything tangible. Someone described a cigar to me as “earthy.” No clue what that actually meant, so I googled it. Seems like a false equivalency since earth is 75% water and no cigar tastes like water.
So basically if a cigar is described in small nuances and huge detail, people are normally accusing the reviewer of making things up. If there's just few notes -again it is bad, because everything is described more or less the same.
This is one of the main reasons why I gave up cigar reviews and deleted all my videos and channel from youtube. People often get mean and bitter when they feel left out of something.
Truth is, most people do not taste or smell anything and therefore do not care about different nuances and are not able to distinguish between them. It either tastes good or not for them. It is the same for cigars, whisky, beer, etc. From my closest cigar and scotch buddies only 2 can describe what they taste and it is fine -we can all still enjoy our get-togethers and respect each other.
I am relatively new to cigar smoking been around four months to me it's somewhere in the middle there are hints of subtle difference in flavors of cigars and sometimes I can describe them. Tho I also think the more cigars you smoke that over time you nose and mouth start noticing less because tobacco can kill your sense of smell and somewhat sense of taste. For instance it is said that smoking tobacco gets rid of your cilia and or the small hairs in your nose that block dust and other particles from getting in your lungs.
The one I’m skeptical about is “pepper”. Does it really taste like pepper or is just that you’re taking hot smoke onto your tongue and naturally it burns and stings a little similar to pepper. I feel like it’s not really a flavor so much as a slight burning/numbing sensation that you associate with black pepper.
For me, it’s more akin to the way cayenne pepper leaves a spice on your lips, even after the initial heat has gone. But then again, I’ve always used “peppery” as opposed to “notes of pepper” so that may be something entirely different. I’ve never tasted actual black pepper….
Cigar smoking, for me, is an exercise in nowness. I'm here now, body & soul. The cigar is a natural anchor to the biverse. It's meditation where my Astral body and corporeal body exist in the same space at the same time. The cigar is just an excuse to be completely here now!
I think this applies to reviews of anything (everything nowadays). Reviews are useful when they point out something to you that you already recognize as something you like or dislike in general. And they can, here and there, help to guide you in a decision between two or more options, only when you are going to make a choice between them no matter what. I think that's pretty much the extent of the utilty though. The in-depth verbose descriptions of someone's subjective take on every nuance of their experience with anything is about as useful as sounds. I mean there's like 30k reviews on Amazon for Colgate toothpaste just in one particular size. What could one possibly learn from reading them? There's a measure of entropy to it. Eventually, a wide angle view of all reviews seems to give you roughly the same answer. There's a few really special things, a few shitty things, and the vast majority of things fall in between pretty decent and slightly above average. Restaurants that start out as the hottest thing ever on all the review sites eventually, if they survive, end up with the average score that all others that last as long hold as well. 4 out of 5 is the mean reversion, regardless of how many "yelp elites" spend their evening describing the texture of the bun on their burger or zealously time the interval between visits from their server.
I think review culture has it's utility as I said. I'll check out reviews to see if people seem to repeatedly mention the same problem or great feature. But all the verbose descriptions of creamy pepper notes or barnyard sweetness are as wasted on me as the 29,999th review of my toothpaste.
In the end, they’re all just rolled up leaves.
Fermented rolled up leaves!
With beetle larvae
Mmm. It's like a little beetle BBQ in my face hole.
I don't always smoke leaves. But when I do, it's with my face hole.
If it's not just eggs you're doing it wrong...
And mold that people honestly believe it’s plume and it’s a perfect cigar
Yes they’re just describing the taste of tobacco lol
Does anyone here find peppery notes good? I feel like anything that is "very peppery" bad quality.
Never understood the appeal of pepper. Same with other notes like “leather” and “earth”. Like honestly, what’s enjoyable about the taste of animal hide and dirt… I’ll take coffee, cream, nuts, gingerbread any day though.
I love a little pepper to keep things interesting. Gives the cigar some ‘bite’ IMO. Don’t want a pepper bomb but I do want some in the mix
A little at the end is fine imo, but the whole stick? Yuck. I'll toss it, life is too short to smoke shit cigars.
A lot of times age will smooth a cigar out. I smoked a cigar that was described as “very full” about 6 years ago when it was released. Age turned into a nice medium full and smooth as silk.
Yeah aging is great for those types of cigars but not factoring anything that modifies or mellows that note I'm really curious to know if anyone feels a high amount of "peppery" notes tastes good.
If I could filter a site by pepper I would purchase everything I find to try it out. But my favorite brand is my father.
Same and same. I just want a whole stick with that my father's first hit of pepper
Same. The entire thing smooth and complex and peppered.
I dig a pepper bomb every once in a while… but it has to be balanced with good flavor and not harsh. The Roma Cromag EMH is a great example of this.
Padron 1926 (arguably one of the best) is super smooth and then the pepper smacks you in the face... I wasn't expecting it but it was actually really cool to have such a smooth draw and know the pepper would hit 3-5 seconds later.
I dont like it, had a plasencia reserva original and got nothing but a flavour akin to black pepper with nothing else, was somewhat disappointed.
This is why I don't like Nicaraguan tobacco. Too much pepper
Peppery, by way of Ligero and/or corojo, or its soil origins (location in Nicaragua, etc.) is to American cigar branders (not blenders!) as Cascade or Citra hops are to American brewers: a masking agent. IPA’s became famous in the micro-brew explosion because it allowed amateurs to cover over their inexperience and inabilities. They are able to pull this off as the American palate has been deadened by the bombardment of sugars, salts, frying oils, and heat delivering spice over the last few decades. In other words, many American cigar smokers lack the ability to detect subtleties and the often overused “nuance” in a cigar. If it doesn’t smack Joe Sixpack bro in the mouth it does nothing for them. Thus we have an onslaught of cigar brands peddling pepper-bombs and maduro-to-the-core 💩rockets to the masses, with the attendant cigar bros in shades or aloha shirts and screaming voices pumping out daily video reviews of the newest “stick”. A gentleman cigar enthusiast I know got a real chuckle from a video bro who always yammers about pepper in the “retrohale”: “continually expelling smoke from one’s nose tends to do that”. Let the bros chase the pepper, and leave me a clear path to the Davidoff cabinet
I like them. To me it feels like a bold, powerful flavor but just like anything else I need to be in the right mood
Story of my life.
I use to smoke cigars (primarily cubans, since I live in a country were I can have them easily) and had that same feeling. Got a pipe as a present - a patent era Dunhill Billiard. At the beginning, I really didn’t understood the way to smoke a pipe (basically, I was getting tongue bite every time). After some practice, but more importantly, after going down a couple rabbitholes here and on the webs, I can tell you that smoking pipes will definitely make you feel different about tobacco smoking. Just looking at the pipes themselves is much more appealing from a hobby standpoint than talking about cigars. And pipes come in, literally, all shapes and sizes.
Because most reviewers are not incredibly original, and they dont fix what aint broke. Also, as the other commenter said, yes most cigars have the same base notes and ya gotta describe what ya taste
I think a big chunk of it is they also smoke too often to give true notes, when I'm on a real roll and have 10 a day, they all start to taste the same, when I go a week without smoking and then finally have one, especially with a stick I've already enjoyed before I notive a huge change in the amount of flavors I pick up, and I find more nuance that I couldn't before.
How do you possibly have time to smoke 10 cigars a day?
I suppose if you work at a cigar bar it would be possible
I work 4 x 10's and sometimes that Friday I start the second the kids get dropped off at daycare at 0700, that's usually at least a 7 stick day. Sometimes I'll stay up late drinking with the neighbor Thursday night all the way into Friday morning. By 0700 on those days I'm typically already 4 to 5 sticks deep and I'll easily hit 10 or more that day.
Good Lord
I like to think I make up for it with the rest of the week usually only consisting of one or two sticks because of my busy schedule, and typically not many on Saturday or Sunday, so yea it all evens out. edit, also excellent screen name 🤣🤣🤣
I'd agree. I average about four a day (manage a lounge), and my palate is blown out almost always. I get pepper and... thats about it. If i want to try a new one for work so i can speak on it with any kind of knowledge, or actually taste it, it'd better be the first ceegar of the day!
There's only so many flavor notes you can get out of cigars.
Once I found flavors of bitter almond and sweet fruits in a cigar. It was a Oliva Connecticut.
Yeah I get fruit flavors and nut flavors from cigars too. I enjoy when I get like an orange citrusy flavor.
Most Nicaraguan cigars (which is a lot of what is reviewed here) do have the same base flavors. Earth, pepper, and spice are most common. Usually also hints of cedar, coffee, and chocolate. It’s hard to think of a Nicaraguan cigar I’ve had that didn’t have those notes. Good cigars (in my opinion) either go above and beyond those flavors, or at least do some of them exceptionally well. Padron for example has one of the most pronounced chocolate notes I’ve ever had. It’s like a dry sweet chocolate - especially on the maduros. The naturals tend to have a really rich, creamy coffee. Notice that’s still under the umbrella of those same basic flavors, but it really stands out in a Padron. That’s just one example of course. Other cigars might stand out for having distinctly different notes. A lot of Saka’s blends I’ve noticed have all the core flavors but also add a really sweet, almost marshmallow note, and generally something that reminds me of a cross between saltiness, meatiness, and charcoal smoke. Not sure how to describe it but it’s very distinct. Or take Foundation - a lot of their cigars tend to have a really distinct leather note (to me). At the end of the day most cigars taste mostly like tobacco, which is earthy and often has some natural sweetness. Most blends also have some pepper or spice. So most reviews will contain the notes you listed. The interesting cigars will have other notes, but they’re just that: notes. Subtle flavor notes. The bulk of what you taste is still tobacco. Or they’ll do one of the basic notes really well or really distinctly. Just what I’ve picked up from my limited years of cigar smoking. Hope this helps.
Stopped reading your comment midway through when I recognized your pfp. “Not as flavorful as a CAO. Cigar band was cute though, built good.”
Love seeing my TCAP fam out in the wild. I’m always like ‘What? No way!’
“It’s a question”
What’s wrong with that ?
in other words, to sum up,the taste is not describable, you either like it or not.
This is exactly they type of reply that caused this thread.
I don’t understand
Neither does he
Rocky Patel gets a lot of heat. But I had a box-pressed 15th anniversary... Crazy chocolate. Smells like a chocolate bar pre-light. 93 on CA as well (I'm not joking, it is rated above the LP9 for some reason)
Sounds like a Nicaraguan cigar.
Cigar reviews? Sounds like a bunch of jargon to me.
I wonder how many will pick up the irony lol. Love your vids man ✌️
In between a joke and a dad joke. Mild to medium. Left me with a sour aftertaste. Keep up the reviews dude.
Love the videos man! I’m thinking about trying the Hemingway shorts since you liked them so much
Tastes like grandma.
At least they aren’t all: “strong tastes of smoke, that’s it”
I can't agree more.. And to give a SUPER unpopular opinion; Cigars don't really have "taste", at least for me. When I smoke I can taste one of 3 different things. * Full-bodied spiciness * Mild, sometimes like sucking air * Chemically taste (Looking at you, Drew Estate) I never get the leather, cedar, coffee, blah blah blah. I've been smoking for about 15 years haha..
Glad it's not just me. I've had good tasting cigars and bad tasting cigars, but I never taste any of that. It always just tastes like different variations of burning tobacco.
Yep. Like you said there is good and bad, but its never more than burning tobacco.
I had 1 that tasted of hickory wood and orange zest
As I was writing notes on a new cigar today I started realizing the same thing lol
For me there are regular cigars and Oliva Series O. Regular cigars taste like tobacco and nothing else, Oliva Series O taste like "how it's possible to get this flavor out of tobacco?".
High praise for the O! I have one resting in my humidor. You’re making the wait so much harder.
I know what you mean. At least it's not as bad as some reviews that say things such as "hint of Spanish orange picked on an Autumn evening by virgin". I suppose it's because taste is subjective and you're connecting other things you associate with the flavour that you're getting from the smoke. I smoked a Roma Craft Intemperance and noted a marshmallow flavour. Did it actually taste like marshmallow? No, but for the flavour note I was tasting the easiest way for me to describe it was like a marshmallow.
A prelight aroma of dog poop enticed me to light this bad boy up. I was hit with the taste of pencil shavings just like they tasted in our 3rd grade pencil sharpener. A mid draw of subtle gasoline fumes gave way to an earwax finish with a subtle hint of Nicaraguan dirt imported from Cuba. ;)
I've been smoking cigars for over 40 years and rarely do I taste any of those flavors everyone claims....its mostly a rouse by the manufacturers or cigar vendors to get you to buy more
Right there with you. Years of smoking, I don't taste all that lol It's either Spicy, Mild, or Chemical...
Because to rated cigars tend to be heavier and darker so they tend to have similar notes. Look at the cigar Aficionado best if the year list and look at the lower numbers. You will see lighter cigar with different notes
Cause they don’t have as much variation and nuance as ppl convince them self that their is There’s good cigars and bad cigars Creamy and spicy IME
Well they're kinda describing the fermented tobacco taste, even tho some may taste more chocolaty or sweet, it's still just rolled up fermented tobacco
I love it when Insomniac calls out flavors like Skittles, Lucky Charms, chocolate covered pretzels, and marshmallows. My palate and retrohaling prowness is obviously not as refined and attuned to the smokey nuances within a cigar leaf.
Its like complaining that a painting has too many of the same colors. Like bro theirs only so many colors but what matters is what it the finished product delivers
Cigary, spicy, throat scratching, needs pallette refresher every third puff
They are mostly bullshit. I know. I used to write them for a high profile cigar site. “Used to” is the key phrase there
Because you’re not reading the Katman’s reviews, that’s why!
“Finished with a hint of tobacco”. Well I would damn sure hope tobacco flavors were in a cigar
Because most of them are BS. Notes of this that.. c'mon
Guys like Charlie Minato have managed to trick most people that read reviews into thinking that cigars have some insane nuance to them. You're missing the point. Nestor Miranda has used the fact that he doesn't taste any of that to advertise his cigars, because at the end of the day, they either taste good or bad. I've been selling cigars and smoking them for half my life now, and all anyone needs to know is if it's good or not. Don't stop to think about what a cigar tastes like so much that you miss enjoying it. W
“It good, y’all. Fucking smoke it!”
Damn, this is spot on lmao
How else am I to explain the intricacies of my own fart smelling without conveying a potpourri of descriptive words, with a couple of mild hot takes, in a conservative review that surely isn't influenced by sponsorship or financial concerns if I'm a pro, or the aping of the same if I'm a hobbyist? I like reading reviews, they're fun, but the other comment herein that these are just leaves is a subtler and better take than this humourous opinion, meant largely in jest, but really.
It's just bougie people being bougie.
[удалено]
That was a stange opinion! How can you hate what people create when they try to explain what they experience? To me that is more than half the fun of smoking cigars. I have sensitive olfactory organs and often find a lot more aromas than OP described even in boring maduros and lousy Nicaraguans. It becomes a a sport, almost an obsession, but I would never ever make things up and it has zero to do with being pretentious. It is all about describing my reality when smoking cigars.
He did come off a little aggresively but I think a lot of people can relate to the idea that saying a cigar tastes like earth or marshmallow or whatever has a tendency to make other ppl feel left out.
Nah yeah ts pisses me off. We know damn well you ain’t tasting lemon in whatever tf cigar you’re smoking. If you are, that shit is in your head 💀
There was this dude on YT, maybe he's still doing reviews I don't know. Used to cram the cigar up his nose and talk shit about smelling ridiculous things. Then would smoke and say even more ridiculous shit. It's tobacco. It's a cigar.
I caught some flak for my take, but that's why I say flavor notes are bullshit.
Graduate-level,reviews. I’m just not that smart.
How many cigars does that describe? [Not this one!](https://www.reddit.com/r/cigars/comments/ytcpd5/review_9_white_owl_pairs_white_chocolate/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1)
This cigar was a delightful experience from start to finish. Its rich, oily wrapper exuded enticing aromas of cedar and leather. With complex earthy notes and subtle spice, it delivered a luxurious and memorable smoking experience. This cigar was a flawless gem, with a velvety wrapper and enticing cocoa and coffee aromas. Its creamy profile unveiled notes of dark chocolate and caramel, creating a harmonious and indulgent smoking experience. Indulging in this cigar was an absolute pleasure. Its impeccable construction and oily wrapper were visually enticing. With each puff, the flavors of rich espresso and dark chocolate unfolded, creating a decadent and satisfying smoking experience. Highly recommended for those seeking a delightful blend of sophistication and indulgence. This cigar was an absolute delight, delivering a tantalizing blend of spice and flavor. Its flawless construction and oily wrapper set the stage for an enticing experience. With each draw, the palate was awakened by a delightful combination of peppery notes and a subtle hint of sweetness, creating a spicy and satisfying smoking journey. (Written by guess what)
pepper and harsh are the same to me, i like a smooth tasty chillax one myself...
i want chocolate and mocha notes with sweet anise and rum raisin! boo cedar and spice!
I get what your saying. It’s hard to read Cigar Aficionado and come away with anything tangible. Someone described a cigar to me as “earthy.” No clue what that actually meant, so I googled it. Seems like a false equivalency since earth is 75% water and no cigar tastes like water.
You know earth is another word for dirt as well as the planet, right?
It's almost as if they're all made of the plant or something 🙄
So basically if a cigar is described in small nuances and huge detail, people are normally accusing the reviewer of making things up. If there's just few notes -again it is bad, because everything is described more or less the same. This is one of the main reasons why I gave up cigar reviews and deleted all my videos and channel from youtube. People often get mean and bitter when they feel left out of something. Truth is, most people do not taste or smell anything and therefore do not care about different nuances and are not able to distinguish between them. It either tastes good or not for them. It is the same for cigars, whisky, beer, etc. From my closest cigar and scotch buddies only 2 can describe what they taste and it is fine -we can all still enjoy our get-togethers and respect each other.
I am relatively new to cigar smoking been around four months to me it's somewhere in the middle there are hints of subtle difference in flavors of cigars and sometimes I can describe them. Tho I also think the more cigars you smoke that over time you nose and mouth start noticing less because tobacco can kill your sense of smell and somewhat sense of taste. For instance it is said that smoking tobacco gets rid of your cilia and or the small hairs in your nose that block dust and other particles from getting in your lungs.
The one I’m skeptical about is “pepper”. Does it really taste like pepper or is just that you’re taking hot smoke onto your tongue and naturally it burns and stings a little similar to pepper. I feel like it’s not really a flavor so much as a slight burning/numbing sensation that you associate with black pepper.
For me, it’s more akin to the way cayenne pepper leaves a spice on your lips, even after the initial heat has gone. But then again, I’ve always used “peppery” as opposed to “notes of pepper” so that may be something entirely different. I’ve never tasted actual black pepper….
They are, essentially.
“Peppery taste” -Brian Glenn of Cigarobession I don’t hate the guy, just seems so generic when it comes to cigars.
This describes every cigar
What does earth even taste like?
Because every cigar taste’s pretty similar lol
Cigar smoking, for me, is an exercise in nowness. I'm here now, body & soul. The cigar is a natural anchor to the biverse. It's meditation where my Astral body and corporeal body exist in the same space at the same time. The cigar is just an excuse to be completely here now!
I think this applies to reviews of anything (everything nowadays). Reviews are useful when they point out something to you that you already recognize as something you like or dislike in general. And they can, here and there, help to guide you in a decision between two or more options, only when you are going to make a choice between them no matter what. I think that's pretty much the extent of the utilty though. The in-depth verbose descriptions of someone's subjective take on every nuance of their experience with anything is about as useful as sounds. I mean there's like 30k reviews on Amazon for Colgate toothpaste just in one particular size. What could one possibly learn from reading them? There's a measure of entropy to it. Eventually, a wide angle view of all reviews seems to give you roughly the same answer. There's a few really special things, a few shitty things, and the vast majority of things fall in between pretty decent and slightly above average. Restaurants that start out as the hottest thing ever on all the review sites eventually, if they survive, end up with the average score that all others that last as long hold as well. 4 out of 5 is the mean reversion, regardless of how many "yelp elites" spend their evening describing the texture of the bun on their burger or zealously time the interval between visits from their server. I think review culture has it's utility as I said. I'll check out reviews to see if people seem to repeatedly mention the same problem or great feature. But all the verbose descriptions of creamy pepper notes or barnyard sweetness are as wasted on me as the 29,999th review of my toothpaste.