Every cigar is different by the nature of the tobacco leaves used inside. That also means that every cigar tastes different on your palate. Some might taste like chocolate or coffee, while others offer a hint of vanilla and baking spices.
For example, Nicaraguan Jalapa tobacco might offer notes of leather, caramel, wood, roasted coffee, chocolate and dark chocolate, cream, and a few others. But it also depends on the type of leaves used. Ligero, the top of the tobacco plant, is often stronger. It’s used for the wrapper, and that gives more potent flavors like pepper, baking spices, and intensified aromas.
Compared to, say, a Connecticut shade wrapper, a Maduro or Corojo will provide distinct flavor differences as you smoke. So, what are the most common flavors you’ll taste in a cigar?
As we’ve established, every cigar is different so it’s challenging to provide a generalized list. But, for the most part, many cigars you light up will provide flavors such as the following:
Natural Notes
Earth, leather, salt, hay
Sweet Notes
Cocoa, chocolate, dark chocolate, molasses, caramel, maple, vanilla, sweet cream
Black pepper, white pepper, baking spices, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, red or green pepper, clove, Tobasco
Wood Notes
Cedar, hickory, oak
Now, the important thing to take away from this is that it’s not an exact science. Just because the flavors listed above are common does not mean you’ll experience them in every cigar. Above all, you might recognize one flavor as something else. For instance, sweet cream, sugary, and vanilla flavors can all seem similar when you taste them. It might take brainstorming with someone else who is smoking the same cigar to discern what you’re actually tasting.
Retrohaling brings out the best flavors you can taste in a cigar
You should never inhale cigar smoke. But even so, most beginner or novice smokers will pull the smoke into their mouths and blow it out. This only interacts with the taste buds on your tongue and doesn’t give you the full flavor and aroma experience.
Your tongue can actually only taste five distinct flavors, believe it or not. Sweet, in the front, sour on the sides, salty on the tips of the front, bitter in the very back, and umami across most of the surface area.
What you really need to do is retrohale. Retrohaling is when you pull or draw the smoke through your nostrils and out, without actually inhaling or swallowing. It takes practice but once you get it down you’ll instantly taste the difference. The smoke also interacts with your olfactory senses allowing you to taste much, much more.
That’s exactly why cigar reviews mention some incredibly nuanced flavors like raspberry, floral notes, or something very specific, such as licorice or fresh dough.
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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