I regularly see comments from people that they didn’t enjoy a particular cigar, whether on public socials or forums like Reddit. Maybe they heard about it from someone, or read a rant and rave about how great it was, then they tried it and hated it. While it’s entirely possible the blend, flavor notes or strength profile didn’t jive with their tastes, it’s more likely someone did something wrong.
When you tell me flat out that you didn’t like a cigar, my first response is not just to question your palate, but also what kind of condition the cigar you smoked was in. Most people don’t care to keep their cigars in optimal condition. If you leave them on your counter to dry out for a few days, they’re probably not going to taste good when you smoke them.
That outlines the biggest problem. Someone did something wrong, and that cigar was not ready.
So, you didn’t like a cigar? Cool. You don’t need to go on blast and tell everyone everywhere. Really, you probably look silly doing it. The problem likely stems from the condition of that cigar you smoked. It doesn’t necessarily mean it was you, but someone probably did something wrong and it affected that cigar.
A cigar that has been stored in improper conditions will burn wonky and the flavor will suffer. Cigars can be overhumidified and underhumidified, so it’s easy to do. And contrary to popular belief, a lot of stores and lounges don’t keep their stock at optimal conditions. Worse yet, if the cigars were shipped to you in the mail, they could have dried out or been exposed to more extreme temperatures during the trip.
If you get the cigar from a friend, they might have stored it improperly themselves. They might have even left it out of the humidor too long.
It’s also entirely possible you got a dud. Cigars are handcrafted. No matter how thorough, how well developed a quality control process is for a brand, some bad cigars are going to make it into a batch. I know you’ll probably complain and say that’s unacceptable. To some level I agree, but the reality is — it happens and it is what it is. Premium or not, these are not perfect specimens every time. Even your most beloved brands like Davidoff, Fuente, and — gasp — Cuban varieties can have a dud from time to time.
If you smoke too fast, meaning you’re puffing too often, you can encourage the cherry and tobacco to burn faster and hotter. That also influences the taste and experience.
You can start to see why when you proclaim you don’t like a cigar, or it’s bland and uninteresting, or any number of extreme opinions, people might be hesitant to agree, especially if they’ve had good experiences with the same cigar. There are many, many things that can influence how you perceive the cigar in question. Some of those factors could result from user error.
What does any of this mean?
Source: Briley Kenney / Techigar
When you’re trying a new cigar blend, from a new brand or new label, you should try more than one. It’s not just about the cigar. Where you are, what you’re drinking, who you’re with, and what kind of headspace you’re in all influence the experience you have with the cigar you’re smoking. If you’re in a mood, then the cigar probably isn’t going to offer the best experience.
I always recommend grabbing two or three singles of each new cigar you buy, if that’s in your wheelhouse. Also, you want to smoke them at different times.
I’ve had many cigars that were absolute flavor bombs, and someone comes along and says that it was bland and they didn’t like it. Okay, that’s possible. But it’s also entirely possible your palate wasn’t ready, or that cigar was not stored correctly. Or, and this happens a lot, it just wasn’t the right time for you to smoke that cigar. Some are better in the morning with coffee. Some are great at night as lineup enders. Others are great with a whiskey, bourbon, Pepsi, or iced tea. It really depends.
Lounges aren’t the best places to smoke a cigar for the first time
And yeah, sure, the camaraderie is fun in a lounge, but if you’re smoking a cigar in a lounge for the first time, it’s going to be tough to get the full experience of that cigar. The entire experience is what you’re looking for, including the aromas while burning, the retrohale, and what you get orally from smoking. A lot of those elements are interrupted or influenced heavily when you’re in a lounge with several others smoking different cigars. The smoke, the aromas, the flavors of that other, nearby tobacco can and will affect how you feel, taste, and what you remember about said cigar.
If you go to light up a mild to medium-bodied smoke in a lounge or shop and everyone else around you is smoking heavier options, forget about it. You’re probably not going to taste much if you pick up any flavors at all.
And for the love of all that is holy, learn to retrohale. If you’re not retrohaling you’re not even smoking the cigar to its full potential. You’re pulling it into your mouth and over your tongue, but your taste buds can only pick up so many flavors: sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and umami. Retrohaling — pulling through your nostrils and out without inhaling — moves that smoke past your olfactory senses, which help you get more nuanced flavor notes.
It might burn a little with more peppery tobacco when you start, but eventually you build up a tolerance. Keep at it.
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.
BS Lounge on Instagram
Follow Us on Social:
Trending Now:
Reviews in the pipeline
These are the reviews currently in progress or waiting in the wings:
Source: Briley Kenney / The BS Lounge
Source: Briley Kenney / The BS Lounge
Source: Briley Kenney / Techigar
Source: Valiant Made / Unsplash
