Rusty...at the risk of telling you something you already know...
If we're just talking about the mechanics of tasting, like some folks have already noted, the nose plays a big part. Our tongues distinguish between four basic tastes: sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. The schnoz, on the other hand, can distinguish hundreds or thousands of aromas. The brain takes input from both to create what we percieve as flavor.
So, get the smoke into your mouth and roll it around. Also get it through your nose somehow at some point. Some guys like to take a little smoke out of their nose as they blow it out. Me, I like to take just a little in through my nostrils as I'm puffing. Do both if it suits you.
Rural Guy makes a valid suggestion to note your smoke before you read the review. It's a way to get to know your own tongue and hone your ability to pick out flavors. But you can also learn a thing or two by smoking the cigar with the review in hand for reference. Think of it as a guided tour of the cigar. Some folks taste things in cigars, wine, scotch, or beer that they can't readily describe. They know something's going on around the ol' buds but they just can't marry it to a word. But if someone suggests a word for that flavor, it can suddenly click and you'll have that "Oh yeah!" moment.
Now, for me, all this is part of the enjoyment of smoking. But my number one herf bud (yeah, I'm talkin' about you, Swissy) says he doesn't taste all those esoteric flavors in his cigars. He just likes what he likes. I certainly can't fault his taste in cigars and I also can't say I enjoy mine any more than he enjoys his. So, even if you never learn to distinguish 'leather' from 'loam' or what 'skunky' means, I wouldn't worry about it in the least. You can still enjoy a damned good cigar.
