Do you "retrohale"?

[amart]

I do it, but only with a small amount of smoke.

[surly]

I find I'm not really tasting the cigar unless I retrohale. And I hate watching a video of someone doing a cigar review but never retrohaling - I feel like there's no way they are getting all the flavours.

Also, to me it is a distinguishing feature of Cubans vs Non-Cubans. Rarely have a problem with retrohaling cuban cigars, but I find many non-cubans are acrid and harsh on the retrohale. I think what a lot of non-cuban fans describe as "spicy" is really ammonia in cigars that are pumped out too quickly.

[Andrew11]

I always retrohale, I find I don't taste the complete cigar if I don't. I pickup different flavors threw my noise.

[TheLiquidGator]

Man up and blow it out your nose. TASTY!

[nikesupremedunk]

For about a year and half I didn't do this. I find myself doing it more than I used to nowadays, but very lightly towards the end of the exhale. I usually find fresh cigars harsher to retrohale while aged cigars much easier. Maybe because aged cigars tend to be smoother than fresh cigars.

One experience stands out to me. I was smoking my first MGR and it was so smooth and balanced I was literally retrohaling most of the smoke without getting that burning sensation in my sinus. MGR might be the only $50+ cigar that lived up to its price.

[BH2876]

The few times I have done it on accident it was not enjoyable.

[headstand]

I find that many of the subtler flavors just can't be tasted without putting the smoke through my nose. Am I alone here?

I retrohale at least a little with almost every puff, usually the last 20% or so of the mouthful of smoke. At the very least I keep the passages open when I expel the smoke through my mouth, just the same way I do when tasting wine or single malt--only those I don't expel Maybe it's just me, but I get so much more flavor and complexity this way.

I will also "chew" the smoke quite often while I expel it from mouth or nose, I find this also has a similar effect as it does with wine or spirits. Though when smoking with others I"m often mocked for it, lol. I just tell then to try it a few times. And almost without fail they look at me wide-eyed and say "Wow!"

I'm with you 100%

[PigFish]

It is like adding wasabi to cigar sushi!

I don't always do it but usually several times a cigar at a minumum. It is an acquired taste.

-Piggy

[tjohn7]

I used to never retrohale, but after trying it more recently I have noticed just like all of you that there really is no other way to taste the full flavor profile. I'll pick up the overall profile by smoking without retrohaling, but to pick up any subtleties, I need to retrohale.

Sometimes I feel like it messes me up a little more/I feel a bit more of a nicotine high, but doing it every few puffs seems like a good balance.

Tom

[godpheonix]

i started diong it about a year ago and yup, i now get more subtle flavors from my cigars. makes the experience much more enjoyable especially when its an aged cigar cause it won't overpower when doing it somtimes.

[Mckucci]

I typically only retrohale one or two times while smoking.. I'm not a huge fan of it as the next day I always end up with a stuffy nose lol

[RijkdeGooier]

For me, like for many, it's the way to get the full experience.

[JohnS]

I'll do what we used to call a "french inhale" whereby the smoke resting in the mouth in sniffed into the nose (not through any internal cavities)

This is what I do also from time to time and I admit you do pick up different flavours in doing so. As for retrohaling...well, I'm working on it!

[TheGingercon]

I do but not very often

[cooper669]

Absolutely, but some cigars are a little to rough/ harsh (mostly young ones) and don't make retro-haling too pleasurable. For myself, retro-haling just seems natural.

[CigarDarr111]

I have to retrohale every other puff otherwise I don't pick up the true taste of the cigar.. its a necessity for me.

[coronacigar]

I enjoy to retrohale on certain cigars, more so with cigars that have some age on them. A few puffs and a very very slow retrohale allows me to truly embrace all the complexity and flavors of the cigar. I seem to get more flavor by slowing down and pacing my self, almost as it gently / effortlessly exits the nose. Do not force it and you'll be rewarded.

[dougincanada]

Yep. I retrohale. It got alot easier since I had my deviated septum corrected. The doctor chisled out the passage, now its a straight line exit. I could put a concreate nail in my nose like the freak shows. Be careful not to sneeze... But I do get far fewer sinus headaches. Still not as unsettling as lazer eye surgury. They cut off the front of your eye while your awake. ewe. But , I digress. Only good cigars because harsh cigar retrohales, make the eyes water.

Regards,

Doug

[Quint]

I do but it's more of an unconscious thing, not planned it happens when it needs to happen I guess. I find it helps tasting some of the more subtle flavors.

[Scroats]

Lighter cigars I will retrohale about half the smoke, every puff. Heavier ones occasionally.

[vatche03]

Lighter cigars I will retrohale about half the smoke, every puff. Heavier ones occasionally.

Same. All depends on the smoke. Definitely helps when you take your time. The shorter break between puffs, the harsher the retrohale.

[Mycroft]

I have a poor sense of smell and get almost no flavour if I don't retrohale. If it's too harsh to retrohale then for me the cigar is not working. Usually, after the first quarter inch or so, and by slowing the draw right down, I can get a good soft retrohale and taste the cigar.