If you’re new to cigars, identifying their subtle hints and nuances can be daunting. Learning how to taste a cigar is one of the first things you need to master to find the right cigar for your taste buds.
What does a cigar taste like?
Every person’s palate is sensitive to different cigar aromas and taste profiles. Taste is subjective, so defining what a cigar tastes like for every smoker is impossible. No two sticks are ever the same, but other factors, such as the speed you smoke, can also impact the taste.
Cigars can include earthy, floral, nutty, spicy, and sweet notes. But if you’ve never experienced a particular flavor before, how can you recognize if it’s coming through as it should? While you can refer to suggestions and the flavor profile on the cigar box, you can develop your palate by trying different cigars.
Take notes of each cigar’s flavor and character. Over time, you will be able to recognize similarities and differences between different stogies, allowing you to pinpoint specific flavors and notes better.
How to enhance your cigar-tasting experience?
Remember that tasting a cigar goes beyond your taste buds. Your nose and olfactory senses also contribute heavily to your perception of flavor. The finish (aftertaste) is another vital element, referring to the flavors that linger on the palate after the substance has passed over the taste receptors.
These three areas work in harmony, enabling you to build a flavorful profile of your smoke. But how do you use them to taste a cigar and accentuate the smoking experience properly?
The tongue
We’ll begin with the taste buds. They are responsible for detecting flavors and help you determine whether you like the flavor or not. The tongue picks up on five different flavors:
- Bitter – Usually associated with something unpleasant in taste, but bitter flavors can work well in cigars when combined with other flavors. Coffee and dark chocolate are examples of bitter-tasting notes.
- Salt – Saltiness is famously picked up in Cuban smokes, as the Cuban soil contains a high lithium concentration (an alkali metal close to sodium).
- Sour – Sourness solely refers to acidity. This is not a welcome trait in cigars as it indicates the stick hasn’t been aged correctly and the tobacco is of low quality.
- Sweet – Sweet flavors in cigars are considered a pleasurable taste sensation. However, two taste receptors must be activated for the tongue to detect them, making it a challenging component to replicate successfully.
- Unami – Refers to a savory, meaty taste. This receptor is activated by amino acids, so things high in protein like cheeses and meat.
The tongue can also pick up things like dryness and temperature, which can affect the taste of your cigar.
Bring your nose into play
The second aspect (smelling the cigar) is arguably more important than the work of your tongue. We have more flavor detectors in our noses than on our tongues — according to research, your sense of smell can account for up to 75% of your tasting ability.
When we talk about the smell of a cigar, we don’t mean the aroma in the air from the smoke you exhale, or the waft from the stogie in between puffs. Interestingly, this doesn’t contribute to the flavor.
Instead, we mean the smell of the cigar when the smoke is in your mouth. However, to emphasize the aroma element and gain the complete flavor experience, you can exhale some of the smoke through the nose using a technique known as retrohaling. To do this, draw the smoke into your mouth and hold your breath. Once ready, release about 75% of the smoke to leave your mouth. Push the remaining 25% back with your tongue while you exhale the smoke through your nose.
The finish
Finally, let’s touch on the finish, aka the aftertaste. The aftertaste of cigars should be enjoyable, and the longer the flavors linger, the better. Most mellow smokes have a short finish, meaning the flavors and notes won’t hang around long. However, this doesn’t mean they can’t be complex.
Cigars with more intense blends tend to have longer finishes. Here, the tasting notes will persist for longer, leaving a much stronger aftertaste in your mouth.
Cleanse your palate
You must cleanse your palate pre-smoke to achieve the full flavor of your cigar. If food and drink you’ve been consuming contaminate it, your palate will become overwhelmed. Novice smokers should choose a glass of water to sip on, as this won’t interfere with the flavor of the smoke.
When you’ve accumulated enough experience to smoke multiple cigars, try drinking apple juice in between to cleanse the palate. Always start with the mellowest sticks first, as the aromas and flavors of bold smokes tend to linger for longer, making it difficult to detect the subtleties of a lighter cigar.
Cold draw
You can savor a cigar’s flavors before putting fire to foot. Hold the cigar in your mouth and have a few pre-light puffs to get a preview of the flavor profile. A quality, handmade smoke should impart a bitter, sweet flavor. Any hint of acidity or saltiness is a sign the cigar’s tobacco is of low quality.
Smoke it slowly
When it comes to smoking cigars, slow and steady wins the race. Leave time between each draw — anywhere between 30 to 45 seconds. This allows the tobacco to cool down and retain the flavor while allowing you time to let the smoke linger in your mouth and taste the cigar in full. You’ll also get the bonus of a more prominent aftertaste when you finally exhale the smoke.
The idea is to pay attention to the profile’s complexity and transitions in taste. Drawing the cigar too quickly doesn’t allow the oils inside the tobacco to warm up and settle. Once the flavors start to open up, you can enjoy the more genuine flavors of the cigar.
Start pairing
Once familiar with smoking cigars, you don’t have to be as disciplined with having a neutral palate before toasting. Pairing your cigar with the right beverage, such as a bourbon or glass of wine, can take your smoking game up a notch. The same applies to food — for example, the natural lightness of seafood often pairs well with mellow to medium smokes with some citrus nuances.
Popular cigar tasting notes
Use the cigar flavor wheel to help you navigate and identify the flavors and aromas in cigars. The six common flavor profiles of cigars are:
- Coffee notes – coffee with cream, dark roast, espresso, etc.
- Herb & spice notes – black pepper, cayenne, clove, etc.
- Natural notes – barnyard, earth, leather, etc.
- Nutty notes – almonds, cashews, walnuts, etc.
- Sweet notes – cocoa, maple, milk chocolate, etc.
- Wood & vegetal notes – cedar, grass, oak, etc.
It can take years to develop the skills to distinguish all the different cigar flavors, so beginners should focus on mellow to medium cigars that enable you to appreciate the flavor. While their flavor profiles can still be complex, you can build up your taste buds for stronger cigars.
We hope this article has given you a taste for cigars. If so, be sure to check out our selection at cigars.com and begin exploring the wonderful world and flavors of cigars.