Harsh / Bitter Taste and AfterTaste

[freakygar]

I'm sure I will get hammered on asking the following but I'm gonna ask anyway.

Would like some input on why some cigars have a harsh or sharp taste that drys out my mouth.

I have found this with most NC's and very, very few CC's.

Obviously it's me because so many guys love the NC's. Can it be a chemical reaction thing or what?

I know it sounds crazy but like I said it happens on most NC's I smoke.

Thanks in advance.

Al

[Totemic]

I would be interested in the answer to this as well.
Last night, I smoked a Perdomo Champagne and it was absolutely horrible. It was incredibly bitter from the start. It was so bad I only managed to get about 25% way in before I had to abandon it. This was very unusual since this is the batch from which I've smoken about 4 other Champagnes and each were very tasty.

Even the smoke itself smelled really different--as my wife said, "much stinkier than normal".

I'm not sure if it's my humidor since I was smoking others from that humidor and they all tasted fine.

[Mr. Ed]

Originally Posted by ahc4353

Would like some input on why some cigars have a harsh or sharp taste that drys out my mouth.

Do you spit when you smoke? Maybe you spit too much, I thought tobacco stimulates saliva. Otherwise I wouldn't really know, sorry.

[brigey]

I can't say for sure but I have found that some cigars taste much better after they have had some time to age. Others, it depends on what the temp and Relative Humidity was in the humi or coolador to be quite honest.

Sometimes it is just a bad cigar. I really hate it when they go bad.

[Old Sailor]

Smoke them Al, don't eat them!

[freakygar]

Originally Posted by Old Sailor

Smoke them Al, don't eat them!

Figures you would be the first to hammer me.

[oldforge]

Originally Posted by Totemic

Last night, I smoked a Perdomo Champagne and it was absolutely horrible. It was incredibly bitter from the start. It was so bad I only managed to get about 25% way in before I had to abandon it. This was very unusual since this is the batch from which I've smoken about 4 other Champagnes and each were very tasty.

Even the smoke itself smelled really different--as my wife said, "much stinkier than normal".

Five or so years ago Perdomo had a reputation for poor quality control. They have made major strides but you still can get a clunker now and then. I probably have smoked a couple of hundred Perdomos and can recall only two that were bona fide dog rockets.

[petewho]

I had this happen on a Fuente Don Carlos and threw it away halfway through. And it was TOUGH to hang in there till the halfway point. I guess sometimes you just get a bad cigar.

[TripleF]

It's all in your head. Pretend it's a cc (not that would make things aby better IMHO), but you're right........tens of thousands of us love nc's and don't experince that problem.

What else can it be except in your head.

It's either that or what you are drinking and I assume you drink the same thing no matter what you are smoking.

[andrewsutherland2002]

I'm not sure about the harsh bitterness that you experience, but I can tell that a good CC is a lot smoother in taste than a NC (w/ exception of a few, PAM 64 comes to mind as smooth). It's not necessarily harsh, but maybe an incompleteness of smoothness(?whatever that means) in the taste of a NC. I would assume this comes from the difference in Cuban soil and NC soil. Am I even close to being on base w/ your topic?

[njsarge54]

I found when I smoked too fast it can develop a harsh taste from burning too hot.

[Costa]

Background: I smoked NC's only since 1996 before switching to mostly CCs about a year ago. My father has smoked since the 1950's, NC's only. I will smoke with friends and such, but I really "discuss" cigars with my father (who is 6.

There is something going on with most CCs, not all, that leaves your mouth without that crummy aftertaste almost, in our opinion, and very little "bitters" during smoke (purging helps ALL cigars).

But Al, I know exactly what you are talking about. I think it can be what turns off most people when they try a cigar for the first time. I have seen it first hand.

Somebody said "an incompleteness of smoothness". Whoever said that hit it on the nose for me, when I read that, I said THATS IT! As confusing as that sounds, thats it........

[gnukfu]

I always attribute bitterness to a build of tars on the end of the cigar and figured that may be due to how "wet" the cigar is. But what the heck do I know....I'm a newbie at cigar smoking.

[fsjonsey]

I tend to taste Bitterness when I get close to the Nub. It probably has more to do with having the lit end closer to my mouth than anything else, and you end up drawing hotter smoke.

[Rolando]

The first couple of times this happened to me I thought it was from something I ate. Then I realized it had to be the cigars. One of the boxes I purchased 3 years ago must be tainted. Unfortunately since it got mixed with the other box I bought at the same time I have gotten scared to smoke them.

It is not just bitter it is UNSMOKEABLE. It leaves you wanting to lick a cat's butt to get the flavor out.

I may try that dipping thing I read in another thread.