Allergies and taste

[vstrommark]

I'm one of those people who have year-round allergies, both indoor and outdoor. Most of the year I am fine with my zyrtec (hope I spelled that right, I take the Walgreen's generic version). However, from about mid-May through the end of June, my sense of taste goes south.

For example, a normally reliable short smoke for me is the Maria Guerrero 444. I have a 5 month old box that I periodically smoke from. However, today the taste was so strong of tar that I had to put out the smoke after about 3/4".

I decided to cleanse my taste buds with a du Depute (thanks Dokk!) and it tasted spot on. I have no idea why one was so off and one was spot on.

Does anyone else find this happening to them?

Also, this time of year my reliable Dr. Pepper tastes off to me so I smoek with water instead. Strange.

[The Professor]

My explanation doesn't involve allergies. Mark ... I hate to tell you this ... but you're becoming a Habanos smoker. There's just no getting around it -- you prefer the taste of aged Habanos to your old (and now *former*) NC standbys.



Every now and then I have "off" days/weeks ... sometimes allergy related. Usually if one thing is off, though, everything is off. Odd that the Depute would be good if everything else is off from your allergies ... unless, of course, my first (slightly tongue-in-cheek) explanation is more accurate than the allergy theory.

[Al_Samson]

i have bad allergies right now too, between the tree pollen and the mold from all the rain ive been clearing my throat a million times, havin a hackin cough off and on, and dealin with post nasal drip. so i feel for you man. i try to slow down my smokin alot so i dont waste any good smokes when im not tastin em right. though sometimes a good cigar can clear up the sinuses. i havent tried zyrtec but allegra works pretty good for me.

[Garu]

Zyrtec and Singulair. Ben getting the allergy shots over the last year and seems to be getting better. Sinus rinse with a net-pot (Walgreens has them in a kit for $15), works wonders for the sinus problems - washes away a lot of gunk. The say that using the net-pot doesn't really get deep into the sinuses, but I usually snort a shot from my palm up each nostril - does the trick!

[ScottishSmoker]

My experience with allergies sounds pretty similar to what all of you are saying....I have major allergy issues in the fall typically...From late August until mid-October...I used to wish for early frosts every year, until this one. So far, my allergies have been incredibly absent for the lack of a better term...since I moved to where Ragweed has absolutely no chance...anyhow, back to the topic...I too have found that my allergies interfere with my smoking a lot, or it least it used to...I would only smoke things I was incredibly familiar with so I knew I was not missing anything...

Also...big props on the Dr. Pepper...single greatest compliment to a cigar in my opinion...