An Absolute in Cigar Smoking

[Dbone]

Is there such a thing? With most items discussed within this community I'd say no because individual preferences are subjective and it's difficult to prove anything because proof is in the pudding. Unfortunately, the pudding gets eaten and the next cup is different all over again. But, I feel I have come to one positive conclusion that is itself an absolute while smoking a cigar. It doesn't matter where you live, man or woman, storage of the cigar(s), time of day, or food/drink being shared. It's this... I've found that if the cigar is burning poorly, it's going to taste poorly too.

Wonky burns, reverse cones, disappearing cherries, tight draw, etc... they will leave a taste that's off balance, way off mark, and downright unpleasant. I've smoked bad cigars that burn well, but never a badly burning cigar that tastes plesant. Possibly because there is a recipe with the ingredients used and if too much of one ingredient enters, it throws everything out of balance. For example, a reverse cone results in too much ligero. I've been telling fellow smokers, if it's not burning correctly it's not smoking correctly. When I see someone fighting with their cigar to keep it burning or needing to constantly fix the burn, I pretty much know that's an unpleasant cigar.

So to test my theory I look to you, my fellow BOTL. Is this an absolute truth? No good and decent cigar can have a poor burn? Construction is king?

[shlomo]

Sorry, I disagree. I have had some poorly rolled cigars that are either too tight, too loose or lopsided, yet the taste was spot on. I find the experience as a whole annoying though. Maybe some people confuse a frustrating smoking experience with poor taste.

[Scroats]

A bad burning smoke may not be up to the standards of its brethren, but that doesn't always make them bad tasting.

[Smallclub]

I too disagree completely. I have had plenty of Monte PE and Monte 2 that were very good but needed many corrections of the burn.

I don't even remember the last time I have had a reverse cone.

[Rye]

I agree. The reverse cone, or fireproof wrapper never make for a cigar at the peak of its tastiness for me.

One absolute for me is the ritual of selecting, inspecting, smelling, cutting, and lighting. I enjoy that nearly as much as the smoking and pairing.

[wabashcr]

I agree that an improperly burning cigar often times won't taste correct. It makes sense if you consider the different components of the cigar not burning in the harmony with which they were intended. But that doesn't mean they will taste bad.

[DWC]

A couple/few of cigars I've smoked that were too tight were the most flavorful I've ever smoked. (Lusi, Monte Esp. No. 2 and a Punch-punch) Not much smoke output, a bit of work to get a draw, but tons of flavor.

-Dan

[LeafLover]

Drew, I agree. Construction is king.

[zrotfus]

Hmm I agree, but with some caveats. Burn issues don't exist in a vacuum and could be caused just as easily by storage issues or wind conditions as shoddy construction. So the flip side to that is that a cigar can be impeccably constructed but if stored improperly or smoked say at the beach on a windy day, could suffer serious burn issues all the same.

[topdiesel]

I would have to accept Shlomo's point when he says he has had poor burning cigars that have tasted spot on. That has not been my experience and perhaps some of the disappointment is psychological.

My own experiences have been negative when the burn is terrible. I will not say that taste is the only driving factor that makes it negative, but it certainly contributes. You finally get a couple hours to yourself, the stars have aligned, you have chosen the perfect smoke for the mood it really sucks to have a high maintenance, frustrating and (in my experience) less tasty smoke.

There can be a correlation between improper burn and too much moisture. Too much moisture can really change the flavor as well.

[tmac77]

I also agree. I also am making the assumption that Dbone is referring to a severely bad burn and not simply a bit off here and there.

The manner in which cigar is constructed allows for the smoker, if the burn is fairly straight, to get the correct leaves burning at the same time. If this is not happening you will not get the same flavour as the blender intended. This is not to say that your cigar will taste horrible but simply that the likelihood that you will not get the intended flavours will be higher than if you had a good burn.

[Colt45]

I absolutely love a great cigar

[LordAnubis]

For the question posed, no i don't think it's true. I've had plugged cigars that i found tasted quite nice and kept smoking through them until my cheeks hurt, had wonky burn cigars that tasted great. Also had perfect draw and burn cigars taste crap.

I think the only absolute in cigars is that it will be an experience. Whether it be a **** experience, blow you socks off experience or anything in between.... it will always be an experience.

[PapaDisco]

Interesting point. I'll have to watch this in the future. My initial reaction is that this might not be true all the time for tight/loose draws. While the tight draw can cause a stick to burn cold (or the loose draw cause you to burn it too hot), I have had the occasional tight Punch Punch that was just brilliant with flavor. Likewise a Partagas Series E2 that always seemed under filled but were delicious when smoked gently.

I do concur about the wonky burn though. In SE Asia my wrappers frequently get too hydrated and so go 'fireproof' and the result is the reverse cone and a generally bitter burn.

I'll have to keep an eye out for the correlation between a breeze generated crooked burn and how that correlates with taste. The OP's underlying theory is that if the tobacco burns in a different ratio than intended, that this will affect taste; and that certainly makes sense.

[CaptainQuintero]

Hmm, I've never had an enjoyable cigar that was underfilled. I've had the odd ok cigar that was too tight but for me too loose is always a nasty experience.

[KoreanCowboy]

I think some of you guys might be missing his point. He's not referring to poor construction but to a poor burn.

Examples:

There's no way on God's green and blue earth that either of those cigars will taste anything but hideous.

[stunod]

For me a lot of itI is mental. I don't know if poor construction means poor smoke, but it aggravates the **** out of me when the cigar is plugged or I have to relight 10 times. To get the most of a cigar , I need to be relaxed and enjoy the moment. If I'm fiddling around with my cigar, it takes away some of the pleasure from that particular cigar.

That's just me.

[bradbrennan]

I never leave it to chance, never let one side get behind, never sacrifice taste for long ash, never hesitate to hit the wrapper with a lighter to keep it burning ahead of the core! Anytime I find my flavor diminishing I hit the wrapper again with a flame and it often comes back. Same when harshness appears. Of course if it doesn't have any flavor to start with, such as where I'm at with NC's which often have fewer burn issues, I'll toss it!

[bradbrennan]

I think some of you guys might be missing his point. He's not referring to poor construction but to a poor burn.

Examples:

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1429049301.851764.jpgImageUploadedByTapatalk1429049307.988441.jpg

There's no way on God's green and blue earth that either of those cigars will taste anything but hideous.

Is there a reason you didn't touch up the burn or would that side simply not burn?

[LGC]

There are no absolutes. The perceived performance of a cigar depends on one's palate, smoking style, preferences... as well as the degree of deficiency in the construction. It's natural to want to depend on others for advice, but sometimes we just have to trust our palates and form our own opinions.

Anyways, under filled cigars are never good to my palate. It makes it difficult to keep from overheating and burning unevenly, without constantly relighting. This seems to be a more common occurrence within "newer" cigars... after the draw machine and movement to greatly reduce the production of tight cigars.

[polarbear]

A cigar absolute?

Cut your cigar before trying to smoke it

[mbrody]

Agree! Poor construction never equated to a good experience...

[Overproof]

One cigar that springs to mind for me is a non Cuban, the flor de antillas, double carona. I always get a really loose draw and wonky burn with them yet I really love the taste of them. At first I though it was the first box but the second box was exactly the same.

For me, everything has sucked when its been the opposite and plugged. Using all I've got to get a draw tends to give me bitter flavors I wouldn't normally get..Probably from the cherry heating up and not letting the smoke through the rest of the cigar.

[Fuzz AI]

Here is one absolute... don't put the lit end in your mouth.

[Dbone]

Hey thanks everyone for your opinions. Yeah, there is a veritable in play here that maybe I did not consider. The degree of poor construction as it relates to enjoying the cigars flavors are pretty linear with best construction on one end and worst construction on the other, and quality of flavor running strait through for the most part.

KoreanCowboy got pretty close to what I was originally referring too. It doesn't matter how prime the leaf of those cigars are, those cigars are going to not be enjoyable in the least.

But there are some of you that have stated to having smoked undefiled or plugged and still find them enjoyable. I can not say I've experienced the same, however.

Again, I appreciate the dialog here, thanks.