Palate Fatigue and Re-Training?

[NYGuido]

Hey there, fellow cigar lovers. Hoping you all can help me a bit.

I've smoked cigars for years but over the past 6 months have upped my smoking considerably--from 5/wk to 2-3/day. I smoke a mix of Cuban and Non-Cuban cigars, loving everything from a Hoyo Epi 2 all the way to a Padron 1926 Maduro, and I have been able to perceive (if not identify with a chef-like precision) different flavors. Until about two weeks ago.

Everything I smoke tastes flat. I noticed it when I lit a Hoyo LE and it gave me NOTHING. I panicked and lit a Padron 1926 Maduro No. 35, a stick I am very familiar with and that has a ton of flavor. Nothing. So, I took 4 days off from smoking and then lit up a Davidoff Millennium--tasted tobacco and a bit of depth but no actual flavor perception. Took another day off, hydrated like mad, did a saline nasal rinse, abstained from coffee and acidic things and smoked a Connie 1 yesterday. First third I got a bit of flavor (honey and hay) but nothing after that.

Has anyone else experienced anything like this? Are there ways to re-train my palate or reinvigorate the olfactory receptors to start picking up flavor again? It's not my cigars--the same sticks stored in the same humidor that tasted great 2 weeks ago now have no flavor. I don't know if I need more encouragement and reassurance that this will pass or actionable steps to make it pass faster, but community wisdom here is beyond appreciated!

Thanks so much!

[teamrandr]

If it's just cigars you notice this with taking a longer break.

[BrightonCorgi]

Try taking a few days off and see if that changes anything.

[gormag38]

I hear of this happening from time to time. I've never really heard of a 'cure' or way to move past it. But the common denominator always seems to be going for a 'break'. If you took four days and it didn't do much for you, I'd try a week, then two weeks etc. 

[JDoughty]

Disclaimer: I'm a critter biologist, not a human medical doctor. This is not medical advice. Spouse is in the pharmaceutical field and fact checked when I asked, but is Pharm-D not MD and not authorized to diagnose any condition especially over the Internet. 

In any case where the symptom is 'loss of taste or smell', the elephant in the room is Covid. Current variants are actually significantly less likely to cause sensory impairment, especially longer term, but it is still worth checking for. Other relatively cryptic conditions (e.g., you are not noticing any other symptoms of being ill) that can cause inflammation are also worth considering but may be harder to check for. These could include seasonal allergies even if you have not noticed having them before. Inflammation, among other things, can cause damage to nerve cells which can take time to repair. Some viruses can continue to cause damage on a cellular level for some time, which is why it's a good thing to either demonstrate or eliminate them as a cause if you can. Nerve cells in the human mouth have about a four day cycle of replacement, though there is obviously quite a bit of individual variability dependent on age, patient health, comorbidity factors, etc. I don't offhand know what the cycle is for nasal receptor cells but it's probably not terribly far off of that. 

There was some very promising research work with fluticasone propionate nasal spray in the early stages of Covid infection showing a significant reduction in the long term sequelae involving the loss of taste and smell. While this may or may not be applicable to your situation, and nasal corticosteroids should not be used long term without your doctor's supervision, they are available OTC and do significantly reduce inflammation, which in turn can promote the normal processes of receptor cell replacement. 

Saline wash (neti pot) is an effective technique and as long as you are using sanitary procedures (distilled water, proper saline mix, clean vessel) and not overdoing it, it will do you no harm. Stay well hydrated (lots of water, less alcohol and coffee), check your environmental humidity levels, avoid all mucous membrane irritants including smoke for awhile and get some diagnostics done to eliminate viral or bacterial infection as a cause. Address possible inflammation with prescription or OTC meds, as directed by your doctor. Give your nerve cells time to fully regenerate. I wouldn't start to panic until after taking a week or so to do all of those things. 

[Mike Mecklenburg]

I have been smoking since the late 1980's and always like to take the winter off (I live in the Northeast USA). I'm sure it does my palate good and I feel that time off between cigars enlightens my taste buds. I currently smoke about 75 - 80 Cuban cigars a year. I would say take a couple months off.  

[barrygoodvibes]

I’m going through this right now and have been panicking. I believe I’m having allergies or a sinus infection. I’ve started on Flonase and am taking an antibiotic. I’m going to take two weeks off (this is the amount of time where your taste buds should fully replenish/replace the current ones) hoping that after this two week break things will get better. I know that eventually it will return, buts it’s painful not being able to taste and enjoy my favorite cigars. 

[NYGuido]

Thank you all so much for the thoughtful answers so far!

I've taken a covid test (two, in fact) and tested negative each time, though I don't know how accurate the tests are with the new variants. And I've been using Flonase on doctor's advice, which it sounds like might help, as well.

It sounds like the real answer is the one I least wanted to hear -- take an even more extended break (a week or two) and come back to smoking after that. Four days seemed like long enough, but it likely isn't enough time to give my sleep-deprived body (between being a lawyer and having a 2-year-old son, sleep isn't super plentiful or restful all the time) a chance fully to reset. And my wife does appreciate the fact that I'm not heading to the garage for a cigar as often 🤣

I will keep trying various things and will keep you posted on how it resolves. Thanks again!

[JDoughty]

9 minutes ago, barrygoodvibes said:

I’m going through this right now and have been panicking. I believe I’m having allergies or a sinus infection. I’ve started on Flonase and am taking an antibiotic. I’m going to take two weeks off (this is the amount of time where your taste buds should fully replenish/replace the current ones) hoping that after this two week break things will get better. I know that eventually it will return, buts it’s painful not being able to taste and enjoy my favorite cigars. 

Some medications can also affect your sense of taste and smell FYI, especially in conjunction with some others. Check with your pharmacist. Possibly your medical doctor, but a good pharmacist is IMO more likely to be familiar with current drug formulation side effects and drug interactions because it's their very specific job. 

[NYGuido]

5 minutes ago, JDoughty said:

Some medications can also affect your sense of taste and smell FYI, especially in conjunction with some others. Check with your pharmacist. Possibly your medical doctor, but a good pharmacist is IMO more likely to be familiar with current drug formulation side effects and drug interactions because it's their very specific job. 

My ex-wife is a PharmD, and I saw firsthand how much more about the actual biochemistry of drugs she knew than the MDs.

[JDoughty]

58 minutes ago, NYGuido said:

Thank you all so much for the thoughtful answers so far!

I've taken a covid test (two, in fact) and tested negative each time, though I don't know how accurate the tests are with the new variants. And I've been using Flonase on doctor's advice, which it sounds like might help, as well.

It sounds like the real answer is the one I least wanted to hear -- take an even more extended break (a week or two) and come back to smoking after that. Four days seemed like long enough, but it likely isn't enough time to give my sleep-deprived body (between being a lawyer and having a 2-year-old son, sleep isn't super plentiful or restful all the time) a chance fully to reset. And my wife does appreciate the fact that I'm not heading to the garage for a cigar as often 🤣

I will keep trying various things and will keep you posted on how it resolves. Thanks again!

The tests have pretty good accuracy if performed properly, meaning by a medical professional. This said, Covid is definitely not the only condition viral or bacterial that can cause nasal inflammation and damage to the mucous membrane and receptor cells. 

Nasal corticosteroids can absolutely backfire on you and cause sensory impairment all by themselves if used too long, too often or at too high a dose. You probably want to check this in with your doc, especially if the muting of your sense of smell coincides with your use of Flonase for other reasons. If you started using it *because* of your loss of smell, I'd be less suspicious of it as a cause, but you still want to be careful with the stuff and not exceed what is recommended by your doc. 

41 minutes ago, NYGuido said:

My ex-wife is a PharmD, and I saw firsthand how much more about the actual biochemistry of drugs she knew than the MDs.

Indeed. I find it very convenient to be married to my pharmacist. Especially when my orthopedist tried putting me on an arthritis drug that would have blown out my kidneys in conjunction with the other drugs I was taking for my blood pressure. Not all of them bother checking for drug interactions, and my spouse has saved a lot of patients' lives and organs including mine. Respect and listen to your pharmacist; you may be very sorry if you don't since an unfortunate number of doctors do not take the time to check for drug interactions before prescribing. 

[NYGuido]

7 minutes ago, JDoughty said:

If you started using it *because* of your loss of smell, I'd be less suspicious of it as a cause, but you still want to be careful with the stuff and not exceed what is recommended by your doc. 

Yes, I spoke with her on Wednesday, and she told me to do this for a week or two and see if it helps. So annoying when I can't enjoy my favorite hobby (especially since I retired from a Hall of Fame drinking career over 14 years ago).

[JDoughty]

1 minute ago, NYGuido said:

Yes, I spoke with her on Wednesday, and she told me to do this for a week or two and see if it helps. So annoying when I can't enjoy my favorite hobby (especially since I retired from a Hall of Fame drinking career over 14 years ago).

Excellent. I would be optimistic for good results if you follow the suggested course of nasal corticosteroids and also continue with generally good habits of hydration, rest and avoiding any irritants for awhile. Let us know how it goes! In the meantime, I guess you can enjoy your cigars vicariously through posts on the board. 😄

[Ford2112]

My advice? Smoke more cigars. 

[Chibearsv]

@NYGuido welcome to the club! 16 years here. I’d follow @Ford2112s advice. He’s pre-med. 

[Havanaaddict]

On 10/18/2025 at 7:02 AM, Ford2112 said:

My advice? Smoke more cigars. 

YEP🤗 

I smoke 2 a night, 7 days a week for the past 10 years and before that I smoked 4 a night!

I have had a time or two that my palate went off, I pulled out something from the 80's and it shaped my palate right back!😋

[ElLoboLoco]

I am sure this goes without saying, smoke mild before strong cigars.

I like seltzers, sparking wine and tea with cigars. Seams to be the best palate cleanser.

I take one or two days off a week.

[NYGuido]

On 10/18/2025 at 10:31 PM, Havanaaddict said:

I have had a time or two that my palate went off, I pulled out something from the 80's and it shaped my palate right back!😋

But I’m from the 80’s! 😂 

On 10/18/2025 at 11:48 PM, ElLoboLoco said:

I am sure this goes without saying, smoke mild before strong cigars.

I like seltzers, sparking wine and tea with cigars. Seams to be the best palate cleanser.

I take one or two days off a week.

Yeah, this is what I’m doing. I actually asked ChatGPT to build me a palate reawakening routine based on my current stash. It suggested that after a day off yesterday and some aroma training and hydration that I smoke an Upmann Connie 1 again tonight to compare to how it tasted Thursday. 

[JDoughty]

42 minutes ago, NYGuido said:

Yeah, this is what I’m doing. I actually asked ChatGPT to build me a palate reawakening routine based on my current stash. It suggested that after a day off yesterday and some aroma training and hydration that I smoke an Upmann Connie 1 again tonight to compare to how it tasted Thursday. 

If physical damage or inflammation is not the underlying cause, palate training including more cigars works. If it is and you don't give that damage time to heal before exposure to more irritants, it won't. I don't know which is the case for you. Hoping for the best outcome because more cigars are more delicious. 

[NYGuido]

UPDATE TIME!

Ok, so I smoked an Upmann Connie 1 last night, and there's progress but it isn't major. I was able to detect creaminess, a bit of spice on the retro, and for a fleeting moment got the slightest touch of honey. Otherwise, got cedar, which at least is something.

Decided not to smoke another cigar until Thursday evening. I'm going with my wife, kid, and in laws to a cabin in the woods from Wednesday morning through Thursday late afternoon, so I will need a cigar that evening whether I'm ready for one or not 🤣

From there, I am going to do one day on, one day off for a while, sticking with lighter cigars (and likely saving my Cubans for when I'm closer to full palate sensitivity). I talked to a friend who had a genuine sensory injury once where he had taste issues and he told me it took about 4-6 weeks of exercises, aroma work, and eating foods with less spice to fully get it back, and my little ChatGPT plan seems to be close to what he did in a clinical setting.

With a little bit of luck, I will still be able to light up a special stick for Thanksgiving--maybe a 2019 Mag 46, a 2020 Sir Winnie, or a 2024 RyJ Churchill. Though I have a few boxes of CoRos that might do the trick, too, but I'm getting ahead of myself now 🤪

Thanks all for the tips and the encouragement. Will keep the thread updated on the journey and let you know what I think worked/didn't work.

[ElLoboLoco]

Smart move, take a break and you’ll be back. 👍🏼

[NYGuido]

UPDATE 2!

Smoked an Aladino Classic Elegante last night and had no bitterness at all. Tasted cedar and hay, so my sweetness receptors still are lagging behind the rest of my palate. Tomorrow is a Davidoff Gran Cru No. 3 to try and activate some of the receptors for cream, sweet, and body. If all goes well, Davidoff Winston Churchill Bellicoso on Sunday or Monday, moving to maybe a Trinity Robusto on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Gentlemen, take care of your palates and tongues. Figured out part of my issue is that the mid-front of my tongue got singed by some hot food at some point, which is why my sweetness isn't back online. This hobby involves being an oral athlete, so I will be taking more care to refresh, reinvigorate, and strengthen my palate in the future because going through this process SUCKS.

[Ford2112]

1 hour ago, NYGuido said:

This hobby involves being an oral athlete

I am going to use this at some point for my benefit.

[cybermadhatter]

Do you use an ionizer to remove smoke? That can also affect taste and smell. 

[JDoughty]

3 hours ago, NYGuido said:

This hobby involves being an oral athlete

This is how you justify all your cigar purchases to the spouse. 😄

Congratulations on the successful palate rehabilitation!