I know it sounds a little strange to ask people to please enjoy their cigar. It would seem that since the whole idea of smoking a cigar is for relaxation and pleasure, that concept would be implied. Well I can’t tell you how many people take something so simple and turn it into a chore.

The biggest reason that some folks don’t enjoy the stick they just paid anywhere from $2 to $25 for is because they are too focused on trying to experience all the flavors listed in a review or tasting notes from some random online blogger. Now, I am not putting down magazine tasting panels or bloggers, heck I am one of them. I just want to remind everyone that palates are different. It’s hard to taste guava in something if that is a fruit you have never tasted before. If your brain isn’t programmed with these flavors then there is no way you are going to taste those obscure fruits, vegetables, dirt, and the other things many say they get in their cigar. If you like it and it tastes good to you, then that is all that matters.

Whether it's a longest ash contest or just a few friends enjoying smokes...the key is to enjoy them.

I was recently at a small scotch seminar we held at our office and the brand ambassador that was speaking to us told a great story. I won’t use any names. I will only say that the master distiller he refers to in the story makes a very famous brand of bourbon. The story goes that they were all at this big tasting event and this expert was speaking to the crowd about all the great flavors he got from this particular bourbon, and let’s just say the list was an extensive as it was eclectic. As he wrapped up his praise of the drink, the distiller turned to the guys sitting with him and said, “I don’t remember ever putting any of that ‘stuff’ in my whiskey.” He didn’t use the word stuff which actually the story better and elicited a nice chuckle from our group. The point of his story is that he is the guy who makes this whiskey and he doesn’t taste all the things that this particular speaker does when he drinks his bourbon.

When I review cigars I try to speak in general terms so that everyone can understand no matter their cigar experience. Most everyone knows cocoa, black pepper, cinnamon, coffee, nutmeg, etc. I don’t mind discussing some of the crazy nuances and flavors I get in a particular cigar if I’m speaking with the guy who grew the tobacco or blended the cigar, but I think that tobacconists should use more basic terms to describe cigars to their customers. The big words and crazy flavor profiles can scare away a new smoker just like long names and descriptions on wine bottles can intimidate a novice wine drinker.

Sampling tobacco that is still being aged is a good time to be descriptive about its flavor.

If you want to be able to taste these things in a cigar then you will need to get familiar with the things that provide these flavors. It will take some time but the more you smoke and sample these various fruits and spices, you will develop your palate. Just don’t get so caught up in trying to be the next cigar review writer that your forget to stop and enjoy the smoke. If it tastes good to you and it was worth what you paid for the experience, you win.

Long Ashes,

Chris Gwaltney, ABC Fine Wine & Spirits North Florida Regional Manager. Certified Tobacconist and Cicerone Beer Server. Follow me on Twitter @abccigarchris.