My palate is broken.

[XxMerlinxX]

I have a hard time discerning flavors within the smoke. I had a Hemingway Short Story a while back, and while the overall flavor was strong (to me at least), I could taste a bit of what I can only describe as leather, as well as some other earthy undertones. I thought it was pretty strong and the flavors were definitely there. So I tried a Drew Estates Java that I brought back from Charleston with me. Sat down on the back porch with a good book and lit it up. My first problem was I was using a little book of matches. Took me about 3 matches to actually get the thing lit, then set it down to settle for a bit. My first puff, all I tasted was sugar, as I'm guessing the tip had been dunked in sugar water of some sort. Not bad, I like sweet stuff, but I wasn't expecting it and it kind of put me off. I puffed on it for about a half hour and didn't really taste the coffee presence like I thought I would. To be honest, I'm not sure I tasted much at all. The only excuse I have is that I was having trouble with the burn and half-way through the cigar, it went out. I tried chopping off a bit of the end to try to save it, but it only got slightly bitter after that. Even when it was burning well, it wasn't putting out much smoke. I plan on picking up another and leaving it in the humidor for a while to try to see if a bit of age might help it out.

In any case, are there some sticks out there where you could definitely say, "Yes, that cigar tastes like chicken." or chocolate, coffee, cinnamon, pepper, or what have you? I'd like to try something that has some definite flavor to it so I can get used to picking out the difference nuances.

 

[NullSmurf]

You don't need to be able to discern all the coffee, earthy, blah blah to enjoy a cigar. I know what I like, though sometimes I can't tell you why. From experience, I know I absolutly don't care for flavored cigars. Also from experience, I know your senses will return in time! :laugh:

 

[Martin2D]

I know how you feel with flavors. You have to be very careful about what you pick as a newb, well at least I assume you are. To me, Hemingway seems strong and you overwhelm your palette. The problem you have with the other is that Drew Estates is kind of bogus sometimes. Call up Al or do noob sampler to get some mild-medium smokes and I guarantee your problems will get beter.

 

[XxMerlinxX]

I know how you feel with flavors. You have to be very careful about what you pick as a newb, well at least I assume you are. To me, Hemingway seems strong and you overwhelm your palette. The problem you have with the other is that Drew Estates is kind of bogus sometimes. Call up Al or do noob sampler to get some mild-medium smokes and I guarantee your problems will get beter.

Definitely an affirmative on the short story, it actually made me kind of light headed (though I think I hadn't eaten yet that day, but still). I am indeed still a noob, as I can count the number of premium smokes I've had without taking my shoes off. That being said, I didn't want to go in for a sampler yet until I have a few more smokes under my belt so that I can say, "Yes, I definitely liked that." or, "No, that one was a bit strong and had too much of a pepper taste." I guess after what I have in my humidor is gone, then I'll get in touch with a FOG and put my faith in their experience.

 

[Martin2D]

Sounds like a good idea to me because they have infinitely more knowledge then you could guess. If you feel uncomfortable with the completely blind nature of the newb sampler, call Al (puffstuff) and explain to him you want mild stuff and he'll walk you through the whole humidor.

I guarantee either way you'll find more stuff you like that way than struggling to make decisions on your own. Oh and don't listen to most of the reviews on here because all the good stuff is usually full and you'll wind up with a bunch of stuff you can't smoke yet.

 

[TheVitaleMob]

Hi Merlin, it sounds like you may want to start light and then work up to the spicier stuff. Wrapper color is sometimes a good indication of mild vs. full flavored. I would start out with lighter wrapper stuff (Tan to brown), then move on to the darker stuff. I can tell you tho, the Torano signature line is a great chocolate/coffee cigar for under 4 bucks on the web. This is a maduro, but if you are looking to go the route you mentioned above, this is a good one for these flavors.

Good Luck!!

 

[Saxjazzman]

A lot of good suggestions mentioned above. I would only add, "experiment, experiment, experiment". Go through as many sample packs as you can so you can start to latch on to what you like and expect your taste to change with time and experience. Hell, mine changes from day to day which is why I have a great assortment in my humi. The journey of finding what you like is as good as getting there. :thumbs: Good hunting.

ed;sp

 

[beyond the band]

You don't need to be able to discern all the coffee, earthy, blah blah to enjoy a cigar. I know what I like, though sometimes I can't tell you why. From experience, I know I absolutly don't care for flavored cigars. Also from experience, I know your senses will return in time! :laugh:

Yes Yes Yes!!!