Taste Preferences Across Various Hobbies

[Zaxeiler]

I’m new to transitioning to Cuban cigars, and part of that journey is beginning to understand the ‘Cuban twang’. In a recent Monte 4, I tasted a sourdough and lemon flavor that I loved. It got me wondering, how do things I love in cigars, translate to other things that require a sense of palate?

Cigars - Love creamy, nutty, and citrus profiles. 
Wine - Love earthy flavors (like in Malbecs) which seems related and found in cigars. 
Coffee - Love bright and acidic beans, which was what led me to this question of whether there’s connection in the tastes I like. 
Scotch - Love peaty, Islay expressions, which of course doesn’t fit cigars from a medicinal standpoint, but the smoky flavor obviously does. 
 

What about you guys? Do you find your favorite profiles aligned across different medium? Or are they unique for each thing?

[Colt45]

Great question - I'm not sure I've ever really given it much thought.

Cigars - I like a flavorful cigar, but don't have a real preference for the flavors or combinations. I do like a sense of body and richness, though that doesn't necessarily always mean full.

Wine - Love all types but tend to stay away from what I consider over oaked, overly extracted, fruity styles. Balance is a key.

Coffee - Really like richness in my coffee. Dislike thin / watery / acidic.

Spirits - Main spirit is rum, and I tend toward the non added sugar styles which are a bit leaner, cleaner, more defined than those which have a lot of the caramel / vanilla flavors.

So, I'm not sure that there's a true correlation across them for me.

[Meklown]

Cigars - Chocolate

Wine - Chocolate

Coffee - Chocolate

Spirits - Chocolate

Chocolates - Chocolate

[BrightonCorgi]

Sadly, I don't have any particular preference.

[Bijan]

For wine and coffee I hate fruity and/or acidic (same goes for chocolate but it is rarer to have fruity chocolate). So flavour preference or at least dislike aligned across these.

Coffee I like cereal notes, or dark chocolate.

Wine rich and dry.

Cigars enjoy a variety of flavours.

Spirits I know what I like, but I don't have the vocabulary for it, though generally not overly bitter.

[Zaxeiler]

6 hours ago, Colt45 said:

So, I'm not sure that there's a true correlation across them for me.

I don't know - sounds like you enjoy some richness/complexity in all of them. Which as I get deeper into cigars in general, I would agree with. Even the smoothest, nicest tobacco sometimes falls flat for me if it has no transitions or only a single flavor.

 

4 hours ago, BrightonCorgi said:

Sadly, I don't have any particular preference.

Hoping that means you enjoy everything, which would make a lot of hobbies enjoyable.

 

3 hours ago, Bijan said:

For wine and coffee I hate fruity and/or acidic (same goes for chocolate but it is rarer to have fruity chocolate). So flavour preference or at least dislike aligned across these.

Coffee I like cereal notes, or dark chocolate.

Wine rich and dry.

Cigars enjoy a variety of flavours.

Spirits I know what I like, but I don't have the vocabulary for it, though generally not overly bitter.

This is written like someone who has an educated palate...

[BrightonCorgi]

Just now, Zaxeiler said:

Hoping that means you enjoy everything, which would make a lot of hobbies enjoyable.

I could've read the question a little better.

Cigars - Not too much preference, but like woody flavors the most
Wine - Anything old world. 
Coffee - Not too much acid or I get tummy ache.  Nicaragua is my favorite country for beans.
Scotch - Like heavy peat, but not big Scotch drinker

[NSXCIGAR]

I do like stronger cigars, I do like Islay whiskey and I do like a bright acidic coffee.

Maybe they are connected...

[Connoisseur Kim]

Cigars: All flavours except bland ones.

Whisky: Sherry cask Single Malts (never been a big fan of blended ones)

Tea: Earl Grey so far, but will get into more tea leaves.

Coffee: Jamaican Blue Moutain but not a big coffee guy. Maybe I'd like to try Cuban coffee beans in some day.

 

[Zaxeiler]

10 hours ago, Connoisseur Kim said:

Tea: Earl Grey so far, but will get into more tea leaves.

As a fan of tea, if you like earthy profiles in other things, highly recommend rooibos blends. It’s technically a root, but very good tea. Spice obviously takes me to chai, but also recommend a cinnamon tea if you’re a fan of that flavor. 
 

Of course, I could just indulge my inner nerd and say, “Tea, earl gray, hot.”

[Connoisseur Kim]

2 hours ago, Zaxeiler said:

As a fan of tea, if you like earthy profiles in other things, highly recommend rooibos blends. It’s technically a root, but very good tea. Spice obviously takes me to chai, but also recommend a cinnamon tea if you’re a fan of that flavor. 
 

Of course, I could just indulge my inner nerd and say, “Tea, earl gray, hot.”

Thanks buddy! I hope I can source these tea leaves ?

[Zaxeiler]

@Connoisseur Kim If you can’t, just say the word and I can ship some stuff to you. 

[Connoisseur Kim]

1 hour ago, Zaxeiler said:

@Connoisseur Kim If you can’t, just say the word and I can ship some stuff to you. 

Thanks mate! I'd like to try Keemun tea leaf as well. I'll send my home address to you on PM when neccessary ?. There're Keemun and Rooibos on the market but have steep price on the market especially Keemun (Rooibos has decent price tag). BTW, how should I keep tea leaves buddy??

[Zaxeiler]

Happy to at any point @Connoisseur Kim - just PM when ready. A local tea place I go to has it for like $3/ounce, so very reasonable (for nice tea).

I keep mine airtight and away from light.

[Connoisseur Kim]

1 minute ago, Zaxeiler said:

Happy to at any point @Connoisseur Kim - just PM when ready. A local tea place I go to has it for like $3/ounce, so very reasonable (for nice tea).

I keep mine airtight and away from light.

Thanks buddy! I'll pm ya when I can't find some tea leaves in affordable price like Keemun (it has hefty price tag for sure). Too bad that tea is overshadowed by huge popularity of coffee in Korea ?.

Is tupperware okay for tea leaves in your opinion? It's airtight container, so I think it'll work like a champ for tea storage ?

[Sir Diggamus]

That is an interesting question to ponder. I think I can draw some lines among things I enjoy, but one thing that plagues me when I get into a new hobby is that I like to try bit of everything, I believe it help determine what I truly enjoy.

I know when it comes to many of these things I don't like things that are artificially flavored. I don't like flavored teas, coffee, or infused cigars. I think when you dig deep enough into these hobbies the unadulterated items themselves can provide enough flavor naturally, in my opinion.

When I think about some of these things I have liked to collect and try I do see a somewhat of a throughline. I like the richer and darker flavors with a sweet edge. With tea my favorite black teas are Yunnan Gold and Golden Monkey, they both have a malty and chocolate notes with a lingering sweetness. Some of my favorite beers (On Fleek, General Zhokov) are stouts that are rich in darker chocolate and coffee flavors and a sweetness. With wine (given the weather and occasion) I tend to grab fuller body reds like Syrah/Shiraz that can have darker berry, tobacco, and cocoa notes. And with cigars I have always been drawn to cigars than can combine darker flavors with a rich sweetness very well. My initial loves were Partagas, Bolivar, and Ramon Allones. All three depending on the vitola can have darker notes (earthy, cocoa) mixed with the sweeter (raisins, dark berries, sweet cream). Over the years I have grown to love more H Upmann and Montecristo and they have their own darker/rich/sweet going on. 

Thanks for posting the question. It was a cool exercise to look at things in that way. 

[Sir Diggamus]

Oh, and with coffee my favorites are Kenyan and Sumatran. with the Sumatran following the darker, sweet notes.

[parabola66]

Cigars: anything from Cuba (but no seriously, my worst Cubans have been better than my best non-Cubans)

Wine: Cabernet (and blend variations)

Beer: Sour, German, citrus-y IPA's

Coffee: medium roast - Caribbean & Indonesian 

Whisky: Japanese, Irish, Speyside. I hate bourbon\american whisky. All the barrel char is so overpowering.

Guitars: Ibanez, Kiesel

[Zaxeiler]

7 hours ago, Connoisseur Kim said:

Is tupperware okay for tea leaves in your opinion? It's airtight container, so I think it'll work like a champ for tea storage ?

Works just fine for me. Even a good ziplock works over the short run. 

1 hour ago, Sir Diggamus said:

I think I can draw some lines among things I enjoy, but one thing that plagues me when I get into a new hobby is that I like to try bit of everything, I believe it help determine what I truly enjoy.

I’m of the same mind! Though it’s a ton of fun, it was very expensive to want to try all the varieties and expressions of single malt whisky a few years back when I was exploring, is expensive currently to want to do the same in the world of Cubans... But great fun indeed. 

21 minutes ago, parabola66 said:

Guitars: Ibanez, Kiesel

I didn’t think about that hobby at all! I’m a Taylor and Martin fan, but own an Ibanez (which I love). I wonder what likes in those lines of craftsmanship or aesthetic say about our preferences. Would your cigar likes be any different if you had said you were a Mexican Strat man?

[Connoisseur Kim]

2 hours ago, Sir Diggamus said:

That is an interesting question to ponder. I think I can draw some lines among things I enjoy, but one thing that plagues me when I get into a new hobby is that I like to try bit of everything, I believe it help determine what I truly enjoy.

I know when it comes to many of these things I don't like things that are artificially flavored. I don't like flavored teas, coffee, or infused cigars. I think when you dig deep enough into these hobbies the unadulterated items themselves can provide enough flavor naturally, in my opinion.

When I think about some of these things I have liked to collect and try I do see a somewhat of a throughline. I like the richer and darker flavors with a sweet edge. With tea my favorite black teas are Yunnan Gold and Golden Monkey, they both have a malty and chocolate notes with a lingering sweetness. Some of my favorite beers (On Fleek, General Zhokov) are stouts that are rich in darker chocolate and coffee flavors and a sweetness. With wine (given the weather and occasion) I tend to grab fuller body reds like Syrah/Shiraz that can have darker berry, tobacco, and cocoa notes. And with cigars I have always been drawn to cigars than can combine darker flavors with a rich sweetness very well. My initial loves were Partagas, Bolivar, and Ramon Allones. All three depending on the vitola can have darker notes (earthy, cocoa) mixed with the sweeter (raisins, dark berries, sweet cream). Over the years I have grown to love more H Upmann and Montecristo and they have their own darker/rich/sweet going on. 

Thanks for posting the question. It was a cool exercise to look at things in that way. 

I also like H. Upmann too buddy! Connie A is one of the staple Upmanns for sure ?

1 hour ago, Zaxeiler said:

Works just fine for me. Even a good ziplock works over the short run. 

Thanks buddy! I should call Tuppertea for tupperware containing tea leaves ?

[parabola66]

2 hours ago, Zaxeiler said:

I wonder what likes in those lines of craftsmanship or aesthetic say about our preferences. Would your cigar likes be any different if you had said you were a Mexican Strat man?

SHHH!! Before you rip a whole in space-time!!

Ibanez are just solid guitars, and I love the necks, though a lot of people don't. They always come out beautiful guitars....except for some reason they stick with basically bleach white maple necks ?. I really wish they had a custom shop that you didn't need to be famous to order from...

Kiesels are just gorgeous. Entry is super cheap and you pick every detail of the guitar. From my experience they're super light and play like butter. The Kiesels have the same neck woods so I only showed a picture of the one. I'm looking to sell the Vader (black one).. I'm not a fan of the multiscale.. to me it feels less ergonomic.

 

[Zaxeiler]

@parabola66 Gorgeous!