Tell me about your Palate?

Katt68

I have been reading many post on here about the different brands of cigars we all smoke. I myself being (kind of) a novice, smoking off and on for about 10 - 15 yrs, more strongly in the past 4yrs. I would like to know about how some of you have developed your palate. I think mine is pretty strong. My everyday cigar is either a DPG My Father Le Bijou, Tatuaje La Casita Criolla or EP Carrilo. I do not get the "head rush" from theses. What has your experience been like? Any and all advice is welcome.

Sporus

There's a guy that pokes his head around here every once in a while who has shared some great information on this topic.

MVW67

Katt check out the newbs must read forum, kuzi has athread developing your palate might be helpful!!!

The Sniper

Wow... 27 views so far and not a single response here? I aint scared of you Katt! LOL

I suppose I am lucky in that I didnt really need to develop my palette, it was just sort of there from jump - which is probably what hooked me on the hobby. I smoked cigarettesfor a long time, but had been off them for many years when I started with cigars. With cigarettes, a cigarette is pretty much a cigarette is pretty much a cigarette flavor-wise.

With the first cigar I smoked, I was puffing away and all of a sudden it was like "Is that leather I taste???". Other sticks gave me different stuff - earth, hay, chocolate, nuts, etc. I did notice that sometimes I WASNT getting things others mentioned in sticks. Then I figured out how to retrohale (exhale smoke thru the nose) and a WHOLE new world opened up! :-) So that would be my best advice to you on how to improve your palette - learn to retrohale if you havent already.

Im a little confused about your mentioning not getting "head rush" from the sticks you're smoking. That has more to do with the body of a cigar (read: strength), not the flavor (read: taste) of one. Fuller bodied smokes pack more of the whallop I think you're meaning, and which sticks will hit you like that can be as individual a thing as the flavor profile is. It seems like it varies wildly, but the ones Ive noticed kicking my a$$ the hardest over the years are the Joya De Nicaragua Dark Corojo & the Diesel Unlimited (these, particularly when they dont have much age on em). When Im in the mood for a cigar to provide a good gut punch (and sometimes I am), those are the ones I grab.

Hope this helped a little. Also, a long time ago in a place far far away, a Jedi Master named kuzi posted a thread called "Developing your palette". Its a lot to read and take in all in one sitting, but if you havent already done a search and read it, it is certainly worth the time to look at.

See, told you I wasnt scared. LOL :-)

90+ Irishman

Great post Glen, I would have to agree with much of what you said in how I started with that as well!

Katt, to try to give my own answer on this question I'd have to agree that learning how to properly retrohale is by far the single largest factor when developing your palate. Once I learned how to do that AND started smoking slower and really getting a read on each puff instead of just an overall reaction to the whole cigar. The flavors/smells become much easier to pick out, and you can more easily identify new flavors when you get used to some of the specific and classic cigar flavors. Lots of different species of wood are common flavors, hickory, cedar, red oak, oak etc. Going to a lumber yard and smelling the fresh different cuts work well for learning to identify and differentiate. Brand new leather smells different than that old leather coat you've had for years.

As for the strength with that hits you in the gut and gives you a nicotine buzz is generally how the strength is gauged by most, but I smoked a lot of cigarettes a day for quite awhile and used to dip too, so I have never gotten any type of nicotine buzz and it rarely ever hits me in the gut so that has always been kinda tough for me to judge.

Hope that helps to answer some stuff Katt, but like others have said you should check out Kuzi's thread for sure!

Toombes

The Sniper:

Wow... 27 views so far and not a single response here? I aint scared of you Katt! LOL

I suppose I am lucky in that I didnt really need to develop my palette, it was just sort of there from jump - which is probably what hooked me on the hobby. I smoked cigarettesfor a long time, but had been off them for many years when I started with cigars. With cigarettes, a cigarette is pretty much a cigarette is pretty much a cigarette flavor-wise.

With the first cigar I smoked, I was puffing away and all of a sudden it was like "Is that leather I taste???". Other sticks gave me different stuff - earth, hay, chocolate, nuts, etc. I did notice that sometimes I WASNT getting things others mentioned in sticks. Then I figured out how to retrohale (exhale smoke thru the nose) and a WHOLE new world opened up! :-) So that would be my best advice to you on how to improve your palette - learn to retrohale if you havent already.

Im a little confused about your mentioning not getting "head rush" from the sticks you're smoking. That has more to do with the body of a cigar (read: strength), not the flavor (read: taste) of one. Fuller bodied smokes pack more of the whallop I think you're meaning, and which sticks will hit you like that can be as individual a thing as the flavor profile is. It seems like it varies wildly, but the ones Ive noticed kicking my a$$ the hardest over the years are the Joya De Nicaragua Dark Corojo & the Diesel Unlimited (these, particularly when they dont have much age on em). When Im in the mood for a cigar to provide a good gut punch (and sometimes I am), those are the ones I grab.

Hope this helped a little. Also, a long time ago in a place far far away, a Jedi Master named kuzi posted a thread called "Developing your palette". Its a lot to read and take in all in one sitting, but if you havent already done a search and read it, it is certainly worth the time to look at.

See, told you I wasnt scared. LOL :-)

This. I agree, learning to retrohale(and I still can't do it consistently...)opened up a whole new world of flavor and gave me the ability to better judge a cigars complexity.
If you're truly looking for a "buzz", might I suggest earning you MOW Special Forces Badge. As soon as I gather the required sticks, I'll be posting about the extreme dizziness and God-awful nic-sickness that ensues afterwards.

Katt68

The Sniper:

Wow... 27 views so far and not a single response here? I aint scared of you Katt! LOL

I suppose I am lucky in that I didnt really need to develop my palette, it was just sort of there from jump - which is probably what hooked me on the hobby. I smoked cigarettesfor a long time, but had been off them for many years when I started with cigars. With cigarettes, a cigarette is pretty much a cigarette is pretty much a cigarette flavor-wise.

With the first cigar I smoked, I was puffing away and all of a sudden it was like "Is that leather I taste???". Other sticks gave me different stuff - earth, hay, chocolate, nuts, etc. I did notice that sometimes I WASNT getting things others mentioned in sticks. Then I figured out how to retrohale (exhale smoke thru the nose) and a WHOLE new world opened up! :-) So that would be my best advice to you on how to improve your palette - learn to retrohale if you havent already.

Im a little confused about your mentioning not getting "head rush" from the sticks you're smoking. That has more to do with the body of a cigar (read: strength), not the flavor (read: taste) of one. Fuller bodied smokes pack more of the whallop I think you're meaning, and which sticks will hit you like that can be as individual a thing as the flavor profile is. It seems like it varies wildly, but the ones Ive noticed kicking my a$$ the hardest over the years are the Joya De Nicaragua Dark Corojo & the Diesel Unlimited (these, particularly when they dont have much age on em). When Im in the mood for a cigar to provide a good gut punch (and sometimes I am), those are the ones I grab.

Hope this helped a little. Also, a long time ago in a place far far away, a Jedi Master named kuzi posted a thread called "Developing your palette". Its a lot to read and take in all in one sitting, but if you havent already done a search and read it, it is certainly worth the time to look at.

See, told you I wasnt scared. LOL :-)

THANK YO SO MUCH! I have been told that I have a very good palate for not smoking very long. A very good friend and independant rep for a few cigar brands has told me that and he has been smoking half his life I think. I too started out with a pretty good taste of the different elements of the blends and flavors. In fact Don Pepin himself told me i had a nice palate, for not smoking that long. I will deffinatly go and read the thread you mentioned. This is the reason I love you guys so much. Being a SoTL is sometimes very difficult to get BoTL to share thier knowledge. I have smoked many Joya De Nicaraugra I enjoy them very much.

Katt68

90+ Irishman:

Great post Glen, I would have to agree with much of what you said in how I started with that as well!

Katt, to try to give my own answer on this question I'd have to agree that learning how to properly retrohale is by far the single largest factor when developing your palate. Once I learned how to do that AND started smoking slower and really getting a read on each puff instead of just an overall reaction to the whole cigar. The flavors/smells become much easier to pick out, and you can more easily identify new flavors when you get used to some of the specific and classic cigar flavors. Lots of different species of wood are common flavors, hickory, cedar, red oak, oak etc. Going to a lumber yard and smelling the fresh different cuts work well for learning to identify and differentiate. Brand new leather smells different than that old leather coat you've had for years.

As for the strength with that hits you in the gut and gives you a nicotine buzz is generally how the strength is gauged by most, but I smoked a lot of cigarettes a day for quite awhile and used to dip too, so I have never gotten any type of nicotine buzz and it rarely ever hits me in the gut so that has always been kinda tough for me to judge.

Hope that helps to answer some stuff Katt, but like others have said you should check out Kuzi's thread for sure!

Thanks Irish, I rarely get the buzz at all. Example the Room 101 OSOK is supposed to be a powerful smoke, as well as the LFD Airbender... Neither of these cigars gave me any buzz like they did some of the men in my local shop. My local tobacconist gave me a very nice compliment last week, telling me that I am a REAL cigar smoker and can smoke a lot of his other customers under the table. GIGGLES! I will also go to the lumber yard and try the smells. THANKS.

Katt68

Toombes:

The Sniper:

Wow... 27 views so far and not a single response here? I aint scared of you Katt! LOL

I suppose I am lucky in that I didnt really need to develop my palette, it was just sort of there from jump - which is probably what hooked me on the hobby. I smoked cigarettesfor a long time, but had been off them for many years when I started with cigars. With cigarettes, a cigarette is pretty much a cigarette is pretty much a cigarette flavor-wise.

With the first cigar I smoked, I was puffing away and all of a sudden it was like "Is that leather I taste???". Other sticks gave me different stuff - earth, hay, chocolate, nuts, etc. I did notice that sometimes I WASNT getting things others mentioned in sticks. Then I figured out how to retrohale (exhale smoke thru the nose) and a WHOLE new world opened up! :-) So that would be my best advice to you on how to improve your palette - learn to retrohale if you havent already.

Im a little confused about your mentioning not getting "head rush" from the sticks you're smoking. That has more to do with the body of a cigar (read: strength), not the flavor (read: taste) of one. Fuller bodied smokes pack more of the whallop I think you're meaning, and which sticks will hit you like that can be as individual a thing as the flavor profile is. It seems like it varies wildly, but the ones Ive noticed kicking my a$$ the hardest over the years are the Joya De Nicaragua Dark Corojo & the Diesel Unlimited (these, particularly when they dont have much age on em). When Im in the mood for a cigar to provide a good gut punch (and sometimes I am), those are the ones I grab.

Hope this helped a little. Also, a long time ago in a place far far away, a Jedi Master named kuzi posted a thread called "Developing your palette". Its a lot to read and take in all in one sitting, but if you havent already done a search and read it, it is certainly worth the time to look at.

See, told you I wasnt scared. LOL :-)

This. I agree, learning to retrohale(and I still can't do it consistently...)opened up a whole new world of flavor and gave me the ability to better judge a cigars complexity.
If you're truly looking for a "buzz", might I suggest earning you MOW Special Forces Badge. As soon as I gather the required sticks, I'll be posting about the extreme dizziness and God-awful nic-sickness that ensues afterwards.

I have just learned to retrohale in the past few months it is helping a lot, learned on my trip to Nicaragua. I will look for the MOW THANKS.

rzaman

Retrohale is the ultimate way to enjoy the full flavore of a cigar. I do it but not the whole time because some people get addicted with it-:) However, enjoy the way you taste a cigar. P.S. I enjoyed your pictures from Nicaragua. Thanks for sharing.

Katt68:

Toombes:

The Sniper:

Wow... 27 views so far and not a single response here? I aint scared of you Katt! LOL

I suppose I am lucky in that I didnt really need to develop my palette, it was just sort of there from jump - which is probably what hooked me on the hobby. I smoked cigarettesfor a long time, but had been off them for many years when I started with cigars. With cigarettes, a cigarette is pretty much a cigarette is pretty much a cigarette flavor-wise.

With the first cigar I smoked, I was puffing away and all of a sudden it was like "Is that leather I taste???". Other sticks gave me different stuff - earth, hay, chocolate, nuts, etc. I did notice that sometimes I WASNT getting things others mentioned in sticks. Then I figured out how to retrohale (exhale smoke thru the nose) and a WHOLE new world opened up! :-) So that would be my best advice to you on how to improve your palette - learn to retrohale if you havent already.

Im a little confused about your mentioning not getting "head rush" from the sticks you're smoking. That has more to do with the body of a cigar (read: strength), not the flavor (read: taste) of one. Fuller bodied smokes pack more of the whallop I think you're meaning, and which sticks will hit you like that can be as individual a thing as the flavor profile is. It seems like it varies wildly, but the ones Ive noticed kicking my a$$ the hardest over the years are the Joya De Nicaragua Dark Corojo & the Diesel Unlimited (these, particularly when they dont have much age on em). When Im in the mood for a cigar to provide a good gut punch (and sometimes I am), those are the ones I grab.

Hope this helped a little. Also, a long time ago in a place far far away, a Jedi Master named kuzi posted a thread called "Developing your palette". Its a lot to read and take in all in one sitting, but if you havent already done a search and read it, it is certainly worth the time to look at.

See, told you I wasnt scared. LOL :-)

This. I agree, learning to retrohale(and I still can't do it consistently...)opened up a whole new world of flavor and gave me the ability to better judge a cigars complexity.
If you're truly looking for a "buzz", might I suggest earning you MOW Special Forces Badge. As soon as I gather the required sticks, I'll be posting about the extreme dizziness and God-awful nic-sickness that ensues afterwards.

I have just learned to retrohale in the past few months it is helping a lot, learned on my trip to Nicaragua. I will look for the MOW THANKS.

Katt68

I am trying very hard to do it several times while smoking my cigars now. Your welcome for the pics. If you EVER get the chance to go.... DO IT ! ! ! I think it was one of the " Bucket List" things. AMAZING.

rzaman:

Retrohale is the ultimate way to enjoy the full flavore of a cigar. I do it but not the whole time because some people get addicted with it-:) However, enjoy the way you taste a cigar. P.S. I enjoyed your pictures from Nicaragua. Thanks for sharing.

Katt68:

Toombes:

The Sniper:

Wow... 27 views so far and not a single response here? I aint scared of you Katt! LOL

I suppose I am lucky in that I didnt really need to develop my palette, it was just sort of there from jump - which is probably what hooked me on the hobby. I smoked cigarettesfor a long time, but had been off them for many years when I started with cigars. With cigarettes, a cigarette is pretty much a cigarette is pretty much a cigarette flavor-wise.

With the first cigar I smoked, I was puffing away and all of a sudden it was like "Is that leather I taste???". Other sticks gave me different stuff - earth, hay, chocolate, nuts, etc. I did notice that sometimes I WASNT getting things others mentioned in sticks. Then I figured out how to retrohale (exhale smoke thru the nose) and a WHOLE new world opened up! :-) So that would be my best advice to you on how to improve your palette - learn to retrohale if you havent already.

Im a little confused about your mentioning not getting "head rush" from the sticks you're smoking. That has more to do with the body of a cigar (read: strength), not the flavor (read: taste) of one. Fuller bodied smokes pack more of the whallop I think you're meaning, and which sticks will hit you like that can be as individual a thing as the flavor profile is. It seems like it varies wildly, but the ones Ive noticed kicking my a$$ the hardest over the years are the Joya De Nicaragua Dark Corojo & the Diesel Unlimited (these, particularly when they dont have much age on em). When Im in the mood for a cigar to provide a good gut punch (and sometimes I am), those are the ones I grab.

Hope this helped a little. Also, a long time ago in a place far far away, a Jedi Master named kuzi posted a thread called "Developing your palette". Its a lot to read and take in all in one sitting, but if you havent already done a search and read it, it is certainly worth the time to look at.

See, told you I wasnt scared. LOL :-)

This. I agree, learning to retrohale(and I still can't do it consistently...)opened up a whole new world of flavor and gave me the ability to better judge a cigars complexity.
If you're truly looking for a "buzz", might I suggest earning you MOW Special Forces Badge. As soon as I gather the required sticks, I'll be posting about the extreme dizziness and God-awful nic-sickness that ensues afterwards.

I have just learned to retrohale in the past few months it is helping a lot, learned on my trip to Nicaragua. I will look for the MOW THANKS.

JCizzle

My palate loves cigars, that's about it! Honestly, as log as it's not "the turd," I will smoke it and like it. Some lighter Connecticuts and Cameroons are a bit too light for me, but other than that...

y2pascoe

My palate is a moist 98.6 degrees.

Gaetano7890

I can't say much about my palate other then I lean toward the stronger cigars. I think that once you find what you really like you will tend to look for things in that range for every day smokes and then try other on occasions. For me when I first discovered who aj Fernandez was I was enjoying a La Hencia Core and then realized that all my favorite smokes were made by one guy. I know I'm slow on the uptake. So try a few different sticks from a few different blenders and pick the one you like the most. Then pick a few more blends from that blender. Since aj is my favorite I would make a suggestion to try three Aj stick inx order., Padilla Habano, Man O War original and a Man O war Puro Authetico. Then maybe go to don pepin or Rocky and do the same then you should have a good idea were your palate is and then you will have a good idea what tobacco you like whether it's seco, viso, or ligero or what wrapper is your favorite and then there may be a few you don't. If the Mow Pa doesn't give you a head rush I can't help you lol. Good luck.

The Sniper

Katt68:

The Sniper:

Wow... 27 views so far and not a single response here? I aint scared of you Katt! LOL

I suppose I am lucky in that I didnt really need to develop my palette, it was just sort of there from jump - which is probably what hooked me on the hobby. I smoked cigarettesfor a long time, but had been off them for many years when I started with cigars. With cigarettes, a cigarette is pretty much a cigarette is pretty much a cigarette flavor-wise.

With the first cigar I smoked, I was puffing away and all of a sudden it was like "Is that leather I taste???". Other sticks gave me different stuff - earth, hay, chocolate, nuts, etc. I did notice that sometimes I WASNT getting things others mentioned in sticks. Then I figured out how to retrohale (exhale smoke thru the nose) and a WHOLE new world opened up! :-) So that would be my best advice to you on how to improve your palette - learn to retrohale if you havent already.

Im a little confused about your mentioning not getting "head rush" from the sticks you're smoking. That has more to do with the body of a cigar (read: strength), not the flavor (read: taste) of one. Fuller bodied smokes pack more of the whallop I think you're meaning, and which sticks will hit you like that can be as individual a thing as the flavor profile is. It seems like it varies wildly, but the ones Ive noticed kicking my a$$ the hardest over the years are the Joya De Nicaragua Dark Corojo & the Diesel Unlimited (these, particularly when they dont have much age on em). When Im in the mood for a cigar to provide a good gut punch (and sometimes I am), those are the ones I grab.

Hope this helped a little. Also, a long time ago in a place far far away, a Jedi Master named kuzi posted a thread called "Developing your palette". Its a lot to read and take in all in one sitting, but if you havent already done a search and read it, it is certainly worth the time to look at.

See, told you I wasnt scared. LOL :-)

THANK YO SO MUCH! I have been told that I have a very good palate for not smoking very long. A very good friend and independant rep for a few cigar brands has told me that and he has been smoking half his life I think. I too started out with a pretty good taste of the different elements of the blends and flavors. In fact Don Pepin himself told me i had a nice palate, for not smoking that long. I will deffinatly go and read the thread you mentioned. This is the reason I love you guys so much. Being a SoTL is sometimes very difficult to get BoTL to share thier knowledge. I have smoked many Joya De Nicaraugra I enjoy them very much.

You are very welcome. Always happy to help someone out with a question. Not sure where you're having trouble getting people to come off the knowledge, but if you every have a question you're not getting a satisfactory answer to, feel free to pm me anytime with it and I will help any way I can. Not on the forums as much as I used to be, so I tend to miss some stuff these days - but when I log on I always check my pm's first so I wont miss THAT. :-)

kuzi16

Katt68:

I have been told that I have a very good palate for not smoking very long. A very good friend and independant rep for a few cigar brands has told me that and he has been smoking half his life I think. I too started out with a pretty good taste of the different elements of the blends and flavors. In fact Don Pepin himself told me i had a nice palate, for not smoking that long.

having a palate and smoking for a long time, IMHO, are independent issues. if you enjoy and look for flavors in other parts of your life (craft beer, wine, food) and take an active roll in flavor identification then you can develop your palate WITHOUT SMOKING a single cigar.

understanding taste and smoking cigars are not the same thing. applying one to another is a different ballgame.

Katt68:

I will deffinatly go and read the thread you mentioned. This is the reason I love you guys so much. Being a SoTL is sometimes very difficult to get BoTL to share thier knowledge.

if you have not found my "developing your palate" thread the link is in my signature line of this very post.
i hope it helps.

Katt68:

I have smoked many Joya De Nicaraugra I enjoy them very much.

girl after my own heart. JdN is one of my favorite brands.