Second time's a charm

[PipesandGOP]

I've almost always noticed the first time I smoke a stick for the first time I tend to dislike it quite a bit (to put it mildly). Second go around though, for some reason I either open up to it a little more (or realize I really do hate it) or I guess get a feel for it and can enjoy it more and more on the following smokes. First noticed it on the Padron 2000's after reading consistantly high reviews and the first one I smoked I thought was harsh and had a bit of ammonia to it. At that point I'd decided I'd never trust a review again lol. However, with the second one and the lonsdales I started really picking up on the flavors and nuances and needless to say it was a love affair that I doubt will ever end lol. Perdomo2's and the don pepins were similar experiences although not quite as extreme.

Always seemed a bit weird to me, and it doesn't happen with every cigar of course, but I was just sorta wondering if anyone else had the same thing going on. Is it just the high expectations we have for a smoke after reading such high regards for it? Or simply not being ready for a new experience.

[wolfmonk]

I'm not sure but I think if a cigar has an ammonia taste it needs more age on it. Maybe the second was simply aged better.

[PerpetualNoob]

Unless something is either incredibly good or incredibly horrible, my cutoff is three. Less than that, I don't think I've given them a fair enough chance to make an informed decision. One smoke, good or bad, could just be a fluke, and not representative of the cigar's true qualities. Out of the three, sometimes they're all exactly the same, sometimes they're all over the place. I've never been able to notice any kind of pattern on them, as to the first one usually being much better or worse than the others. Interesting observation, though.

[Baldyisme]

Agree. There's so many variables with cigars such as storage, roller, mood of smoker, leaf, etc that it's difficult to judge with 1 or 2 smokes. Even with a $50K can sometime be a lemon.

Originally Posted by PerpetualNoob

Unless something is either incredibly good or incredibly horrible, my cutoff is three. Less than that, I don't think I've given them a fair enough chance to make an informed decision. One smoke, good or bad, could just be a fluke, and not representative of the cigar's true qualities. Out of the three, sometimes they're all exactly the same, sometimes they're all over the place. I've never been able to notice any kind of pattern on them, as to the first one usually being much better or worse than the others. Interesting observation, though.