Spice/Pepper vs. Harsh??

[danmcmartin]

OK, being a noob I wonder what is the difference between a spicy, peppery taste and harshness? I am thinking I may have been confusing the two tastes with my innocent little palette. I know taste is subjective, but any direction would help.

[Snake Hips]

Here's my take:

Spicy is having the flavors of spices, like cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, etc. Strong, bold tastes.

Peppery is having the sensation of black pepper; it's spicy on the tongue and throat like pepper, or even chili peppers.

Harsh is having a burning, numbing sensation on the tongue; unpleasant, bitter and hot in sensation and taste.

[bimmian]

+1, great descriptions!

[pitbulljimmy]

Snake hit the nail on the head with that one!

[DaReallyPoGigolo]

Couldn't have said it any better.

[ericb13]

Originally Posted by Snake Hips

Here's my take:

Spicy is having the flavors of spices, like cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, etc. Strong, bold tastes.

Peppery is having the sensation of black pepper; it's spicy on the tongue and throat like pepper, or even chili peppers.

Harsh is having a burning, numbing sensation on the tongue; unpleasant, bitter and hot in sensation and taste.

I guess I've been describing wrong then. I've had many that start peppery and finish hot and harsh, although I thought it was just more peppery at the end. Do all cigars get hot on the final quarter or so? Do some not have the harshness when they get hot?

[gjcab09]

Originally Posted by Snake Hips

Here's my take:

Spicy is having the flavors of spices, like cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, etc. Strong, bold tastes.

Peppery is having the sensation of black pepper; it's spicy on the tongue and throat like pepper, or even chili peppers.

Harsh is having a burning, numbing sensation on the tongue; unpleasant, bitter and hot in sensation and taste.

Nice descriptions! To me, a harsh smoke will also leave your throat raw and sore, spicy or peppery don't seem to do that. While I'm still a noob, I've had many cigars that never got "hot", even though I burned my fingers nubbing them! My biggest problems with "hot" cigars seem to have come from smokes that were too dry to begin with while most of my "harsh, bitter" experiences were over-humidified IMO.

[Snake Hips]

Originally Posted by ericb13

I guess I've been describing wrong then. I've had many that start peppery and finish hot and harsh, although I thought it was just more peppery at the end. Do all cigars get hot on the final quarter or so? Do some not have the harshness when they get hot?

No, not all cigars get hot on the final quarter or so; some are perfectly tasty to the finger-burning nub, so some do not indeed have the harshness at the end. Like gjcab09, I don't find that all cigars get hot.

[danmcmartin]

Good descriptions. I think I may not like pepper/spice much. I love smooth, toasty, chocolaty, coffee-y, cigars, but when they get real spicy and peppery, I am turned off. That's not to say I don't like a full-bodied cigar, just not one that is spicy. I think I may have been thinking they were harsh. For reference, what are some good spicy cigars? I want to try one and verify my theory.

[madurolover]

Originally Posted by danmcmartin

For reference, what are some good spicy cigars? I want to try one and verify my theory.

Tatuaje Cabinet Series (Brown Label), DPG Blue and Black Label, Padron 1926, quite a few Nicaraguan cigars.

[fuente~fuente]

Originally Posted by gjcab09

To me, a harsh smoke will also leave your throat raw and sore

That's my take. If your throat feels like sandpaper after you smoke it.........It's harsh!

Snake Hips knocked it out the park w/his differences description too.

[danmcmartin]

Originally Posted by madurolover

Tatuaje Cabinet Series (Brown Label), DPG Blue and Black Label, Padron 1926, quite a few Nicaraguan cigars.

I have a Padron 1926. Sounds like I need to smoke it.

[Rubix^3]

Spice and pepper defined well here by mr. hips. (though i would qualify cinamon, nutmeg, and the likes more as "baking spices")
In addition, I would define harshness as a cigar that tastes overly bitter, over-cooked, burnt, and charred. If a cigar develops this towards the back half, it can often be remedied by purging the cigar; blowing air through the cigar a few times and letting it sit a minute before resuming.
Sometimes though, a bad cigar is a bad cigar.

[PerpetualNoob]

If a cigar starts out OK and gets hot and harsh only in the last 1/3 or so, it usually means I need to slow way down and take it easy on the draw. Smaller RG cigars are more prone to get hot, too. It's just the physics of the burn.

I tend to think of "spicy" as everything except pepper. A lot of Pepin blends tend towards peppery, a little or a lot, but the most pepper I've ever tasted was the LFD Double Ligero. Like biting into a whole black peppercorn. It's not bad, but I have to be in the mood for it. I have a couple of them resting in the bottom of the humidor.

[Aaron871]

Originally Posted by danmcmartin

Good descriptions. I think I may not like pepper/spice much. I love smooth, toasty, chocolaty, coffee-y, cigars, but when they get real spicy and peppery, I am turned off. That's not to say I don't like a full-bodied cigar, just not one that is spicy. I think I may have been thinking they were harsh. For reference, what are some good spicy cigars? I want to try one and verify my theory.

I love a hot pepper spice cigar. But my palate is very sensitive to the bitter, sour, tart, finish that is tasted toward the rear and sides of the mouth. To me, that is the harsh taste. It's on the back of the tong and could be compared to a chemical found under the sink. As far as the lips and tip of the tong, I would just assume dip the cigar in Habanero Sauce, I like um hot.