21 Days of Stogie Thoughts

[David M]

Having smoked a fair amount of stogies over the past 3 weeks and at the same time allowing myself to properly step in and take this pleasure more seriously, I might as well write up on where I am at.

I have smoked 23 cigars over the past few weeks. Seems like almost half of them are above a 7 on my young and immature rating scale of 1 to 10.
The Cigars I have given an 8 or higher are below. The A Fuente sits highest with an 8.8. The Carlos Torano straddles the 8.0.

Arturo Fuente Hemingway Short Story
Partagas Black Label Magnifico
Sancho Panza Double Maduro Quixote
Montecristo Churchill & No. 2
Romeo y Julietta Verona's Court & Love Story
Carlos Torano Exodus 1959
Camacho Rothschild Special Limited

Just below this very short list between 7.5 and 7.9 we have:

Ashton Crystal Bellicoso
Cohiba Robusto
Arturo Fuente Churchill Select Long Filler
CAO Brazilia
Hoyo De Monterey Epicure

The rest of the list is many names but at least you now have a rough idea of my young stogie taste buds response to smoke so far.

I have been drinking wine for several years. Have had the pleasure to sample several hundred Exceptional Wines. Even with all the wine classes I took with my girlfriend, with the pages and pages and lists and lists of different types of tastes and tongue connections that are offered for wine enthusiasts to mention...Fruity, Smokey, Oakey, and on and on and on....I have rarely been able to truly pinpoint more than 1 or 2 main taste side-effects on top of the basic fruit expression. I have clearly been able to understand what good and bad wine is and I have frankly become a decent wine selector. But at the end of the day. If someone asks me to write a wine review. I will likely omit the 1,001 different versions of tastes that crossed my tongue and focus on the basics.

Seemingly the same with Cigars. I have been reading several reviews that go into extreme depth of numerous flavors in the first 3rd of the smoke, new flavors in the 2nd half and more flavors in the last. Some people clearly have a higher range of understanding in what is crossing their pallette. And thats great. More power to those people. I can clearly see the change that happens over the course of a sticks burning. Changes do happen and they are clearly present. I myself though, would not be able to pinpoint the details that other people are able to bring out.

I have found it perplexing to try and explain the Montecristo. Comparing it to the powerful flavors in both the Black Partagas and Double Maduro Sancho Panza is difficult. I found all 3 sticks incredibly pleasing but for so many different reasons. Partags and SP were intense. Full of flavor and bursting at the seams with complex expression. And then the Montecristo (and Ashton for that matter) walk in, ever so gently and somehow deliver the same level of final pleasure, but done with a type of clarity, that is completely missing from the other cigars. The wonder within the different types of expressions, brought to me from such wide ranging final results, has brought a smile to my face. It was a nice breath of fresh air basically.

I am also finding that my time is severely lacking. Rather than join a Meditation Group and try to find more Down Time in my life I am fairly certain that I need to focus on shorter sticks. 20-30 minutes seems to be the amount of time that my day will offer me, at least 2-3 times in a 24-hr period. Especially during the work week. Someone like me who also works on the weekends, well, thats just the way it goes. I need to embrace that element rather than be upset about it. After throughly, completely, dare I say orgasmic level of enjoyment that I had with the AF Hemingway Short and the Romeo y Julietta Love Story, I can imagine that this time constraint will not actually be such a bad thing. I need to fully explore the realm that short stogies offer. Next on my plate will be several of the following; Partagas Shorts, Punch Champion, Oliva Serie G Special, Montecristo Petit Edmundo (Cuban), Don Kiki Brown Label Figurado, 4 x 45 Don Lino Africa Kuro & RP Vintage 2nds.

The Humidor is in day 3 of seasoning. Dropped today by 1 RH level to 65. Was holding pretty steady at 66 for 2 days. That was with just 2 wipes and a shotglass at the bottom. Gonna stick the Oasis inside tomorrow and set it at 67 and let her sit for another week.

So far so good. The Carlos Torano I just smoked was so darn tasty. It felt like I was breathing this beautiful smoke for the first time. I guess thats something to work on. Re-creating the sense of excitement with each smoke we light. Diversifying the offering at the proper pace to keep the enjoyment at an obscenely high level. Sounds about right.

Thanks for letting me share.

[Dom]

Originally Posted by David M*

I have been reading several reviews that go into extreme depth of numerous flavors in the first 3rd of the smoke, new flavors in the 2nd half and more flavors in the last. Some people clearly have a higher range of understanding in what is crossing their pallette.

And some people are just full of shit



It's good that you like to rate your cigars, i've found that it really improves the entire smoking experience. I started with a system like yours, but what i found is that a 100 point system is more thorough, with mine i give 20 points to appearance, 15 to lighting and burning, 30 to construction, and 35 to taste and flavors. This works well because it covers more grounds and just give a better overall evaluation of the cigar. That's just my

Here's a copy of my evaluation sheet.

[Jack Straw]

It's funny, I was having a cigar with a friend who went to the Culinary Institute of America, sells wine for a living (wholesale) and generally has a really good palette. He was smoking a Tatuaje Havana, and like halfway through, I ask him how he's liking it, and he says it's good, and that it tastes like bananas. I laughed, and asked to try it, and was amazed that I could actually taste banana.

[wrapper23]

Although I've been smoking good cigars for awhile, I've only recently begun to understand them. I know some people are able to discern broader ranges of flavor, but mine is becoming more attuned as I focus on the cigar.

I smoked a Carlos Torano Virtuoso yesterday and there was a definate coffee taste toward the end that surprised me. It was a very good cigar. I might try an Exodus soon.

Also, if you're looking for a shorter smoke, try a Joya de Nicaragua 1970 Machito (4.5 x 42). These little gars are so good, there ought to be a 12 step program for them. "My name is Bill and I'm a Machito addict. It's been 7 cigars since my last Machito."

[wolfmonk]

Really great post - thanks!

[Chuckie]

I agree this is a great post. Very thought out and thought provoking. I think though these two lines say it all.

Originally Posted by David M*

The wonder within the different types of expressions, brought to me from such wide ranging final results, has brought a smile to my face. It was a nice breath of fresh air basically.

My palette is no where near refined enough to pick up subtle hints of any flavor. If it is not brought on with a baseball bat, i don't taste it. However, I do know I enjoy a variety of cigars and that is good enough for me.

[DBCcigar]

Originally Posted by Jack Straw

It's funny, I was having a cigar with a friend who went to the Culinary Institute of America, sells wine for a living (wholesale) and generally has a really good palette. He was smoking a Tatuaje Havana, and like halfway through, I ask him how he's liking it, and he says it's good, and that it tastes like bananas. I laughed, and asked to try it, and was amazed that I could actually taste banana.

LMAO

[wrapper23]

Originally Posted by Dom

Here's a copy of my evaluation sheet.

Hey Dom, that's a nice file. Thanks for sharing.

[Firerat]

I agree.

Dom thats a great format there!! It's much more detailed than the one I use.

If you don't mind, I just may use it myself!!

[Rubix^3]

Thanks for taking the time to write a thoughtful post, and for sharing your enthusiasm.