My palate is a dumb-ass
- Thread starter dondford
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Matter of fact I think I have one in the humidor. Lemme look....
Found it. Lemme pack up some other smelly stuff and fire it out. I think I have your Addy, don't I?
MarcL
Well-Known Member
cigar_evaluation_performance pdf
http://cigarevaluations.com/downloads/cigar_evaluation_performance.pdf
http://cigarevaluations.com/downloads/cigar_evaluation_performance.pdf
Ben Brand
Well-Known Member
DItto
Smokin Harley
Well-Known Member
very good topic. I used to work at a chemical plant and its output there was basically acidic fumes, Burnt out my nose .I have a problem smelling a lot of things and therefore tasting since they go hand in hand. I do smell and taste a slim or spotty range . For my own personal tastes and likes , I can most times distinguish- leather, oak,creamy, cinnamon ,nutmeg, cocoa(chocolate),coffee, toast, yeasty(bread),(pea)nutty ,floral( I smoked a small box of cigars from the D.R. and they had a distinct flowery taste that wasnt altogether bad ,just different),grassy and according to that wheel -"pencil shavings" which I would guess is cedar.
I tend to dislike anything peppery as it burns my nose and throat.
So I have to wonder when everyones nose and taste is different , more or less sensitive or selective...who really can get a decent rating for a cigar . Who says Cigar "A" is better than Cigar "B" or "C" ? How are the cigar tasters selected ? It doesnt help when you read the production cigars descriptions and all they really tell you is the wrappers country of origin or whether its a Connecticut shade or Maduro or Cameroon,etc when the wrapper brings so little to the taste table... They tell absolutely nothing of the filler or even a slight hint of what variety the leaf is. Its a crapshoot . They apparently want you to go by manufacturer status or wrapper alone. I hate to keep bringing the one rollers name up but Tim Torres said he gets comments from people that say they only like Connecticut shade wrapped cigars . He can roll one "that knocks your socks off and still wrap it with a CS." Or he can roll a double maduro that is as mild as can be. Perception to the "unknowing" public is everything.
I'm glad I learned how to blend and roll my own with the help of this forum and all who contribute.
I tend to dislike anything peppery as it burns my nose and throat.
So I have to wonder when everyones nose and taste is different , more or less sensitive or selective...who really can get a decent rating for a cigar . Who says Cigar "A" is better than Cigar "B" or "C" ? How are the cigar tasters selected ? It doesnt help when you read the production cigars descriptions and all they really tell you is the wrappers country of origin or whether its a Connecticut shade or Maduro or Cameroon,etc when the wrapper brings so little to the taste table... They tell absolutely nothing of the filler or even a slight hint of what variety the leaf is. Its a crapshoot . They apparently want you to go by manufacturer status or wrapper alone. I hate to keep bringing the one rollers name up but Tim Torres said he gets comments from people that say they only like Connecticut shade wrapped cigars . He can roll one "that knocks your socks off and still wrap it with a CS." Or he can roll a double maduro that is as mild as can be. Perception to the "unknowing" public is everything.
I'm glad I learned how to blend and roll my own with the help of this forum and all who contribute.
Smokin Harley
Well-Known Member
I wonder the same thing. I'm positive the soil the tobacco is grown in lends quite a bit to the flavor and scents of the finished tobacco. I'm sure my Will County Illinois clayey,loamy highly amended soil will turn out some decent tobacco but will it turn out the same as if it were grown in Havana or Honduras or Nicaragua, I doubt it.
jolly
Well-Known Member
I wonder if, year over year, Havana or Honduras or Nicaragua can grow tobacco that is the same as Havana or Honduras or Nicaragua.
In other words, there are good years and bad years, lots of growing variables -- of which soil is one. From watching youtube videos and reading -- cigars produced in these places are blended and processed with consistency in mind. I find it amazing that the big companies can take a variable agricultural product and produce a cigar that tastes the same year over year. Seems like a combination of stockpiling leaf, leaf treatments, and blending, but I'm sure others know more. You might be surprised at how close you can come, and, if it's different -- is it the soil, the treatments, blending?
The burley I grow in south FL tastes the same as the burley I used to get in KY. I cannot tell a difference despite the huge soil differences.
As to flavors in general -- I think experience drives the descriptions and words we use to articulate what we sense. If you're a cat person, describing something as smelling like wet dog won't mean much to you (although wet cat... nevermind).
I find it much easier to articulate things I don't like. I smoked a cigar recently that had a bit of a metallic note -- I didn't care for it. If I was asked to describe the cigar from memory now, that's all I can remember. I doubt though, that when I say it's metallic, that the meaning is even properly conveyed to others. What kind of metallic? Welding shop metallic? Grinding wheel metallic? Car engine metallic? Sweaty hands on bus rails metallic? If your experience of metallic is different from mine then how valuable is it? Our own experience will be the best guide.
A great example of this is pipe tobacco labels. I can't tell you how many times I've opened a new blend after reading a description or reviews, only to have it be nothing like what I imagined.
ArizonaDave
Well-Known Member
You bring up an interesting point on where tobacco is grown. Some of just may be because of volcanic soil vs. other types of soil like sandy, compost, etc., along with natural nitrogen levels vs. what type of fertilizer used. I'm definitely not an expert on soil analysis. From what I've read, soil does seem to play a part, along with weather.
I'm glad to say, I've never had a cigar with a metallic note to it.
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jolly
Well-Known Member
Dude, you gotta pull it out of the tube first!!
It would appear I still have a lot to learn about cigars, thanks Knuck. I thought it was a silver river wrapper.
dondford
Well-Known Member
Webmost:
Received your box this afternoon; your generosity is staggering! Thank you so much, I will let them settle down for a few days and smoke them. I plan to really take my time and really look for the favor profiles mentioned in your earlier post. I may never achieve your level of appreciation of the different tastes and nuances but I am willing to give it a try and hopefully improve my current Neanderthal level.
Again, thank you very much. It is your commitment to assist newbies, like myself, that makes this Forum one of the best I've seen.
Regards,
Don
Yeah, I'm a great humanitarian; practically a saint. People invite me to wedding receptions just in case the champagne runs short. I water ski. My publicist Matthew Markenluke promises to make me famous. I'll be back. I can cure lame jokes.
That, or else I'm just havin' a little fun shooting out magic boxes.
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