Cigars having a chemical taste

[bstarrs]

Hi, I'm having a bit of a problem with my stash at the moment. I store my boxes in two coolidors with 65% Heartfelt beads. Since around December I have been noticing a chemical taste when I smoke my cigars. I'm worried something has happened to ruin them.

The cigars still look and feel well humidified, and there is nothing off with the smell of them. It's only when they have been lit and are being smoked does this chemical flavour/smell come out. The majority of the sticks have been in the same coolers for 2+ years without any issues. And hen almost suddenly in December this problem started.

You guys have anybody ideas of what I can do to try and correct this problem? I'm worried about potentially losing my 50 or so boxes.

[Ryan]

It's one of two possibilities. You or the cigars.

Try narrowing it down.

Choose a box from which you don't mind smoking through 2 or 4 cigars.

Take out a couple and put them in a desktop humidor for two or three weeks, hopefully you have one. As well as taking on surrounding flavours, cigars can lose them too.

After a few weeks, smoke an example from your cooler and an example from the desktop. Better yet, do it blind (have a friend reband the cigars), better yet again have a friend do the same with you, blind again and don't tell him what to look for, just ask him if there is a difference.

If you and or your friend can still find a difference, then you know it's almost certainly not you.

It could be the beads, I had an issue with beads once (I neglected them) and they took on a flavour of fresh paint.

Have a good close smell of the beads, if you notice a stronger version of the chemical aroma you get from your cigars, it's very possibly that. If so, change the beads.

[Natedog]

Have you started taking any prescription medicine? Im not a Doctor but I did sleep in a holiday in express last night....Just kidding. Im really not a Dr. but I have taken prescriptions before that have tweaked my taste buds in a bad way. Just a thought.

[Habanos2000]

There was a time, last summer, when certain cigars started taking on a very "soapy" taste about half way through. If you've ever had to put a bar of soap in your mouth when you were younger, you'll know exactly what i mean. it was so bad in fact that I could not finish smoking them. I've attributed it to the cigars themselves, just bad cigars, and who knows what could have been in them.

Ryan brings up some great points and advise. I'm hoping that you too are just going through some bad stock and things will be back to normal soon.

[adam23]

reaally bad thing to happen

[tippexx]

I just had this happen also to some cigars, and I was told that it might have to with the cigars being so young. is this happening with all diff brands, or only specific stuff?

Unfortunately not the case. I've just had to ditch an 05 Trinidad Colonales for tasting soapy.