How Long does it take one to be knowledgeable in Cuban cigars.

[El Presidente]

How Long does it take one to be knowledgeable in Cuban cigars?

This was asked of me recently and I didn't have a a response. I don't thing that there is one. 

Some people buy and read MRN's book once and are giving advice to all and sundry. Others take it nice and slowly discovering their own palates and seeking new experiences. 

So let me ask it this way. 

If you smoke two Cuban cigars a week (exploring along the way), how long before you could say that you have a handle on Cuban cigars?

[madandana]

Like anything else you get out of it what you put into it. If you're going to spend a lot of time studying and reading everything you can about cigars you'll be knowledges in a short time. Maybe 3-6 months ( if you're only smoking 2 a week).

Ive been into it Cubans for 7 years and don't have near the knowledge as my friends on here because I don't care to be. I like my smokes but the comradery and friendships are what's more important to me.

[SirVantes]

How long is a piece of string?...

Do the truly knowledgeable ever profess knowledge, even to themselves?...

In this age of uncredentialed punditry, do we not need more Socratic ignorance?...

...Just how strong IS this whisky I’m drinking?...

 

[hedgeybaby]

8 minutes ago, SirVantes said:

In this age of uncredentialed punditry, do we not need more Socratic ignorance?...

A wonderful turn of phrase you have Sir!

[Ken Gargett]

silliest question you have ever posed. 

[El Presidente]

8 minutes ago, Ken Gargett said:

silliest question you have ever posed. 

It took me by surprise and I didn't have an answer.  

I suppose it is a little like someone wanting to learn about wine. It is intimidating. 

[Ken Gargett]

4 minutes ago, El Presidente said:

It took me by surprise and I didn't have an answer.  

I suppose it is a little like someone wanting to learn about wine. It is intimidating. 

in which case it was a silly question by whomsoever posed it. the piece of string thing is spot on. ditto wine. 

how interested are they? how much time can they put into it? how much money? are they tasting/smoking every day? do they read everything they can find? do they talk to others? join things like FOH? are they collecting and regularly looking at what they have? do they spend time with like-minded folk, preferably who have been around longer and can assist? how good is their palate? are they an idiot (which could be more politely put as are they someone who learns quickly or not)? 

all of which impacts on the answer. especially that last one. 

[El Presidente]

Money and time no object. Palate too early to tell. 

Patience...little. 

[thedame007]

38 minutes ago, El Presidente said:

Money and time no object. Palate too early to tell. 

Patience...little. 

It's the new Royal Baby inst it! 

[BrightonCorgi]

20 years 

[Richard peters]

It's like being married to the same wonderful lady for 9 grandchildren I wake up each morning and it seems like I meat her for the first time.

[TBird55]

21 minutes ago, Richard peters said:

It's like being married to the same wonderful lady for 9 grandchildren I wake up each morning and it seems like I meat her for the first time.

That's called Alzheimer's disease, my friend.

[Corylax18]

A life time. The “Little Patience” comment made me laugh, jives perfectly with the questions being asked. Cigars have actually helped and impatient person(myself) learn patience. For me Cigars are a journey not a destination. 

Asking how long it takes to learn about cigars is like asking how long it will take you to smoke a double corona. If your already focused on the end you’ll miss all the enjoyment along the way. 

[Ethernut]

Me? It took me at least 12 years to reach the point where I pretty much understand the world of Cuban Cigars end to end. Which is why The Noob Thread I Never Read was written. With that thread I wanted to shave years of disappointment off gents at the beginning stage. As @PrairieSmoke quoted in that thread, "As a CC noob this thread has been very freeing. The passion of CCs definitely crosses into mythical/mystical and this helps me keep my feet on the ground." That's what it's all about. I fear though that the saber rattling of opinion on the topic of Cuban Cigars across the internet may serve as too strong a distraction from the truths scrawled there. 

The inflection point that propelled my personal education was actually visiting Cuba, spending time with rollers and touring factories. What developed my palate and understanding of what Cuba Tobacco can do was smoking thousands of Cigars. No substitute for that. Unless...... [enters dream state]

What would have been awesome would have been someone sitting me down about 2 years into my cigar smoking, (once I'd genuinely and properly learned to; store it at the right RH, light a cigar, drag on the cigar so it stays cool but stays lit, and taste the cigar properly) then hand me 5 cigars. Lets call this fictional person "Cigar Jesus". Cigar Jesus would say to me, "Here are 5 different cigars. Each very different but representative of the top 5% of what is possible in tobacco. There is no need to search for something that does something other than these 5 cigars and these flavor profiles can be found in regular production and none of them are over 5 years old [mind-blown moment]. You and I are going to smoke them together over the next two days. You write down your tasting notes and take note of mine. Once complete you'll have a strong idea of what is possible so you don't have to chase pink elephants, hard-to-gets, and unicorn farts." [exits dream] THAT would have been awesome and would have perhaps shaved 5+ years off of my education.

....but there is a tremendous amount of fun and brotherhood in the process. I wouldn't take anything for that though. 

 

 

Addendum:

There are many levels of knowledge. I personally, fanatically, border on the need to be a near expert on things I'm curious about. No matter what it is. There are folks that "know" about Cuban cigars (to a sufficient level of their curiosity) because they had one in Mexico the last few times they visited. Their curiosity is just as satiated as mine. They don't want to learn more. They already know what they wanted to know. There's lots of levels of "know" on the unwritten scale between curiosity and mastery.

[dvickery]

[Ethernut]

1 hour ago, dvickery said:

One of those glass lid Cohiba's are best!! "Hey my fren, ju want to buy a cuban cigar?"

[DetroitDiggler]

I have been smoking for years and work in a cigar lounge part time.

I learn new things every day. Some from customers, some from research.

[Colt45]

5 hours ago, El Presidente said:

If you smoke two Cuban cigars a week (exploring along the way), how long before you could say that you have a handle on Cuban cigars?

I think if you mean getting a handle on what can be the more personal aspects of cigar characteristics - flavor, body etc, probably a couple / few years if taking effects of maturation into the equation. If we mean or include the more esoteric production aspects - from seeds to the shipping of cases, as Cuba is not always forthcoming with information, perhaps quite a bit longer.

[cfc1016]

How deeeeep is the oceaaannn?

How hiiiigh is the skyyyyyyy?

[helix]

15 minutes ago, cfc1016 said:

How deeeeep is the oceaaannn?

How hiiiigh is the skyyyyyyy?

According to Cliff Clayborn :

At its deepest part, it's just under 7 miles (6.831 miles / 10.994 km / 10,994 meters) deep.

Within the thermosphere, the Karman line is at a height of 100 km above the ground which serves as the boundary between the Earth's atmosphere and outer space. Exosphere is the topmost or outermost layer. It goes all the way up to 10,000 km above the Earth's surface.

[HDGSN]

4 hours ago, Ethernut said:

Me? It took me at least 12 years to reach the point here I pretty much understand the world of Cuban Cigars end to end. Which is why The Noob Thread I Never Read was written. With that thread I wanted to shave years of disappointment off gents at the beginning stage. As @PrairieSmoke quoted in that thread, "As a CC noob this thread has been very freeing. The passion of CCs definitely crosses into mythical/mystical and this helps me keep my feet on the ground." That's what it's all about. I fear though that the saber rattling of opinion on the topic of Cuban Cigars across the internet may serve as too strong a distraction from the truths scrawled there. 

The inflection point that propelled my personal education was actually visiting Cuba, spending time with rollers and touring factories. What developed my palate and understanding of what Cuba Tobacco can do was smoking thousands of Cigars. No substitute for that. Unless...... [enters dream state]

What would have been awesome would have been someone sitting me down about 2 years into my cigar smoking, (once I'd genuinely and properly learned to; store it at the right RH, light a cigar, drag on the cigar so it stays cool but stays lit, and taste the cigar properly) then hand me 5 cigars. Lets call this fictional person "Cigar Jesus". Cigar Jesus would say to me, "Here are 5 different cigars. Each very different but representative of the top 5% of what is possible in tobacco. There is no need to search for something that does something other than these 5 cigars and these flavor profiles can be found in regular production and none of them are over 5 years old [mind-blown moment]. You and I are going to smoke them together over the next two days. You write down your tasting notes and take note of mine. Once complete you'll have a strong idea of what is possible so you don't have to chase pink elephants, hard-to-gets, and unicorn farts." [exits dream] THAT would have been awesome and would have perhaps shaved 5+ years off of my education.

....but there is a tremendous amount of fun and brotherhood in the process. I wouldn't take anything for that though. 

 

 

Addendum:

There are many levels of knowledge. I personally, fanatically, border on the need to be a near expert on things I'm curious about. No matter what it is. There are folks that "know" about Cuban cigars (to a sufficient level of their curiosity) because they had one in Mexico the last few times they visited. Their curiosity is just as satiated as mine. They don't want to learn more. They already know what they wanted to know. There's lots of levels of "know" on the unwritten scale between curiosity and mastery.

What are the 5 cigars?

[ayepatz]

5 mins on Instagram. Tops.

[Cep]

what's there to know?   

 

[cfc1016]

13 minutes ago, helix said:

According to Cliff Clayborn :

At its deepest part, it's just under 7 miles (6.831 miles / 10.994 km / 10,994 meters) deep.

Within the thermosphere, the Karman line is at a height of 100 km above the ground which serves as the boundary between the Earth's atmosphere and outer space. Exosphere is the topmost or outermost layer. It goes all the way up to 10,000 km above the Earth's surface.

 

[pdxcigarguy]

Everyone learns and picks up things at difference paces. Some are very fast, fast, slow, you name it. You can't arbitrarily put a number and say after xyz years you'd be knowledgeable. And, just because you've done something for a decade or two doesn't mean you know anything or have been doing something the "right" way. You've just invested time, and it may not have been well spent. Tangible knowledge and somewhat subjective. Everyone has different tastes as well.