Cigars are meant to be enjoyed, but I’m willing to bet you already know that much. The key to enjoying them is both experiencing and identifying many nuanced flavors you pick up in the unique blend of tobaccos. Some reviewers can get carried away, sure, but what they’re probably tasting is a combination of the cigar flavors mixed with what they’re drinking, and filtered through their past experiences. Someone might identify a dried fruit flavor as apricot or berries while another might pick out a specific flavor, such as raspberry. That’s the best part about trying a new cigar.
However, to pick out some of those flavors, you not only have to learn how to retrohale, but you should also be smoking that new cigar on a clean palate. But what is a clean palate as it pertains to cigars? What does that mean, exactly?
A clean palate typically means an empty, untouched, or fresh experience in regard to tasting. For example, if you’re trying new foods on a clean palate, you would forego having anything strong to eat or drink before the target meal. If you’re trying a new spirit or beverage, you should avoid having foods or other drinks that would affect the taste.
Why do this? So you get an uninfluenced, fresh take on what you’re trying. In this case, you get to try that new cigar on a fresh palate, effectively allowing you to taste more flavors in the blend without being influenced by what you’re drinking or what you have smoked beforehand.
If you’re trying the cigar later in the day, then it should be the very first cigar you smoke. Keeping a fresh or clean palate means avoiding any other influence, as much as possible, anyway. You might even consider drinking water for a few hours beforehand and while you smoke, to eliminate external influence.
Why smoke a new cigar on a clean palate?
Source: Briley Kenney / The BS Lounge
Simply put, it’s a new cigar and you want to experience what it has to offer, specifically. When you mix and match cigars, just like mixing food or beverages, those flavors tend to blend together. Generally, you can refresh your palate by drinking water, or before trying a new food, by eating bland things like crackers. There are some excellent palate cleansers you can use. With cigars, it’s just about going into the experience fresh. Don’t smoke anything beforehand and keep your tongue, taste buds, and olfactory senses as unaffected as possible.
When you light up that cigar, take some time to note the different flavors and aromas. You may even notice your senses are heightened. If you really want to memorize the experience then start a cigar journal. Write down the brand, label, and type of cigar, and then start recording some of the flavors you taste. It’s always a good idea to put a brief mention of your experience in there, too. For instance, if the cigar has burn issues or if you noticed any anomalies.
Briley has over 16 years in the publishing and content marketing business. He's been writing about cigars for nearly half that in various forms. What makes him a tour de force is he also smokes them.
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Source: Briley Kenney / The BS Lounge
