Odd flavors

[Rufio]

I had a lot of schoolwork to catch up on the last few days so I wasn't able to have my daily smokes. Had some time this afternoon for some smokes so grabbed a RA Extra. Sparked it up and immediately tasted only bitterness. It was so overwhelming had to put it out less that fifteen minutes in. Thought it might have been a bad sample so grabbed another stick and tasted the same exact bitterness.

Has anyone experienced odd flavors/ bitterness after taking a few days off smoking?

[Smallclub]

I have experienced bad flavors and bitterness in every RA Extra that I've smoked. I think it has nothing to do with your days off smoking.

[tjhernandez34]

Could it be that they are in a sick period?

[Rufio]

I would definitely agree with you but I have smoked two or three of the RA Extras and enjoyed them. The previous samples did not have bad flavors or bitterness. Also, I grabbed an NC right after that to see and it tasted the exact same.

[sw15825]

No if anything it should taste better after some days off smoking. My taste buds are well rested then. I heard a few people that liked the cigar. I didn't. It looks cool though! A shame they didn't get it right. Imo.

[Rufio]

I am with you. I'll chalk it up to finding the bad one in the bunch. I have really enjoyed the RA Extras though.

[CaptainQuintero]

It is probably one if the most divisive recent releases, at least on FOH.

Some love it, some hate it.

There seems to be massive issues with blending consistency and or quality of tobacco used

[El Presidente]

When I take a few days off cigars, the next cigar is always sharper in terms of flavours. Everything appears accentuated, sweetness, bitterness, spice, tobacco, tar (dependent on the cigar).

[NJP]

My two boxes are in the friends and family humidor. I don't get the magic that others find in them.

[Rufio]

Interestingly enough I am currently smoking a Paratagas 898 and tasting that same odd bitterness/ chemical taste. I have had multiple out of this box and never experienced this. I'm guessing I drank something that coated my palette and it's throwing the taste off.. Maybe I'm over thinking it though.. Haha

And I think the RA Extra are good smokes. Not great but good enough to have a box in my opinion. Love the size and it's great in the morning/ afternoon with coffee. In my opinion.

[LeafLover]

RA Extra is horrible. Prob not your taste buds.

Days off smoking doesn't really affect my taste buds. Multiple cigars in a short period will.

[PapaDisco]

I would guess it's the cigars, not you. I still remember my very first cigar, a Monte 4 (pretty much the 'gateway drug' to CC's ) and how it was delicious right from the get-go. One has to acclimate to the undercurrent of tobacco flavor that all the other flavors are carried on, but even a first timer won't get the bitter/harshness if the cigar is good.

IMHE the harshness comes from:

1. Cigar development. It's in a transitory or perhaps 'dumb' phase (which I usually experience as lack of flavor rather than sharpness of flavor). Wait an undefined period and the sharp edges will even out. I had this with several 5'ers of Partagas Series E#2's last year and 6-8 months later they were divine, predictably delicious smokes.

2. Too young. This is where (personally) I run into the second greatest number of bitter smokes.

3. Too much humidity and an unsettled cigar. As some of you know, I spend a great deal of time in the hot and humid climate of SE Asia. When I bring sticks from my 65/65 humidor it takes them a few days (at least) to acclimatize (sort of 'wet boxing' as opposed to dry boxing ) Once acclimatized the stogies will taste pretty close to fine, will have trouble requiring relights, but won't be bitter. If I try them too soon however, the burn will be all wonky (tunnels inside, leaves the wrapper intact) and I get the bitter, burnt rubber flavors . . . yum . . .

4. Bad light and over smoked. Rarely I've had a cigar go all sharp and burnt rubber on me because I've over torched it on the lighting and then sucked the hell out of it, causing the thing to burn very, very hot.

More experience members can probably relate other instances that can cause a good cigar to smoke bad, but those are the ones that come to my mind based on experience.