Weekend Question Kick Around. If you are not retrohaling, how much are you missing? Are you really smoking a cigar to it's full capacity?

[El Presidente]

Weekend Question Kick Around. If you are not retrohaling, how much are you missing? 

Example. 

Friday deck session. All smoking same Churchill with Champagne. (Friday pairing). 

I lead the discussion and tasting. When I say lead, I host, never offering an opinion. 

12 tasters.  6 said the cigar was light to medium bodied. 6 said the cigar was medium to full. 

So I asked the question as to who retrohales (already knowing the answer). 

Blow and behold, the 6 who called the cigar as Medium-Full retrohaled, and the 6 who called it light to  medium didn't. 

I have seen this played out time and time again. 

How much are you missing if you are not retrohaling? 

[Chas.Alpha]

This is me: I retrohale every time I draw from a cigar. With a nose like mine, it would be somewhat unnatural if I didn’t.🤥

I cannot fully taste a cigar if I don’t.

[Allroz]

I always retrohale. I don’t pick up nearly as much without. 

[JDoughty]

I slowly retrohale most cigars about 90% of the time during the smoke, with occasional exceptions that are either too fresh and strong to be enjoyed that way, or more rarely with an occasional cigar that seems to offer a better sensory experience without retrohale. With those I reverse the 90-10 proportion. Retrohaling slowly lets me clearly identify more flavor notes than I can pick up otherwise. I would definitely be missing quite a lot of what can be perceived and enjoyed in a cigar by not directly passing the smoke through my nose. With very strong cigars I do a dilute retrohale, trying to get just a bit of smoke plus some air to pass through. It doesn't always work perfectly and sometimes I just about singe my nose hairs off while trying this stunt with a high ligero stick. 😂

[zacca]

I’m likely the exception here or some kind of odd edge case, but I retrohale with almost every puff and it doesn’t really make a difference to me in terms of the flavors I get.

I think I’d chalk this up to old sports injuries having broken my nose a few times, surgeries, and sinus issues. 

The only times I don’t retro are simply to compare to see if I notice anything different and I never do. 

[Latt22]

I always retrohale. There is no doubt in my mind that you will miss the notes and profile of a cigar. Some, depending on the strength, I may cut to a 50% retrohale. And if the twang is there, it could go all the way down to the nub! 

[Lucas Buck]

Everyone should try it. I never did for the first many years I smoked. Still loved my cigars for sure but even an occasional retro enhances flavors and overall enjoyment. Definitely pick up additional flavors with almost all cigars. 

[Ford2112]

Retrohaling comes naturally to me. I feel it is essential to picking up flavors and getting a full cigar experience. Plus, it looks cool! 😎 

[JDoughty]

1 hour ago, Ford2112 said:

Retrohaling comes naturally to me. I feel it is essential to picking up flavors and getting a full cigar experience. Plus, it looks cool! 😎 

True. When I have twin streams of smoke slowly trickling out of my slitted nostrils, I probably look like I ought to be defending the Arkenstone from hobbits and setting small lakeside villages on fire. 😆

[Li Bai]

I retrohale too, with at least a bit of smoke every puff. I'm not surprised those who do tend to find the same cigars stronger, mucous membranes in the nose and sinuses are far more sensitive.

Everyone I know who's tried to inhale smoke only through their nose at least once is very well aware of it 😁

[Montezüma]

Not all cigars deserves a retrohale but those that do is almost a must.

I mean I wouldn't retrohale a Plasencia or an AJ Fernandez but a Magnum 46 gets retrohaled to the nub.

[Fugu]

Never - blowing smoke out through my nostrils does plain nothing for me. Retro-in-haling (= sniffing / re-‘sipping’ small amounts through the nose) does the trick for me. Always, on every draw.

That being said, I guess the nasal part makes for >90 percent of the aroma perception and thus full appreciation of a cigar. At least for me. I’d say, you won’t “get” any cigar w/o it.

[pohlmad]

I’ve spent years not retrohaling but after listening to the Lounge Lizards podcast, where this seems to come up almost every episode, I’ve taught myself how to do it. It is unnatural for me to do but I try to purposely do it once in each 3rd of a cigar to look for different flavors and experience the cigar differently. 

[Luca]

I always retrohale. I find it helps me experience another dimension of the cigar I am smoking.

Retrohaling took me a while to learn. I know some that don't do it often. Whatever you're comfortable with is important. If youre not comfortable with it then I don't think you're going to miss out much in regards to your cigar experience.

[tbelle7]

I retrohale with almost every puff. I didn't know it was unusual. Thought everyone did it.

[cnov]

2 hours ago, pohlmad said:

I’ve spent years not retrohaling but after listening to the Lounge Lizards podcast, where this seems to come up almost every episode, I’ve taught myself how to do it. It is unnatural for me to do but I try to purposely do it once in each 3rd of a cigar to look for different flavors and experience the cigar differently. 

This is exactly where I am and how I got there. I'm usually there waiting every Tuesday for the latest installment. 

 

[Li Bai]

3 hours ago, Fugu said:

Never - blowing smoke out through my nostrils does plain nothing for me. Retro-in-haling (= sniffing / re-‘sipping’ small amounts through the nose) does the trick for me. Always, on every draw.

That being said, I guess the nasal part makes for >90 percent of the aroma perception and thus full appreciation of a cigar. At least for me. I’d say, you won’t “get” any cigar w/o it.

I do that too!

I'm curious, are you/were you a cigarette smoker?

[ElLoboLoco]

Love this question. My opinions only here.

1. I use the retrohale to gauge power, if I can’t retro easily then it’s full bodied to me.

2. Many Non-Cuban cigars I don’t need to retrohale to pick up notes. But a non-retrohale doesn’t unlock all the flavors

3. Cuban or Cubanesque cigars require a retrohale to pick up the flavors more fully. NC are usually too much to retrohale fully for me.

4. The depth of flavor I pick up in the retro is a flavor explosion that I can’t unlock otherwise. Thus, I prefer Cubanesque cigars because they allow for the retro and that’s where the magic is at for me.

[Gemini_Man]

Retrohale is a must. For those that have tried it and don't experience the additional flavors make sure you are pressing your tongue firmly up to the roof of your mouth during the retrohale. For a long time I just tried to push the smoke out my nose without pressing my tongue to the roof of my mouth and when I finally got it, I got it.

[cigaraholic]

I will retrohale vintage and very mild cigars, everything else burns the rat piss out of my nose.

[Chibearsv]

I’m smoking right now and I certainly retrohale, but it’s not really a conscious move. I don’t ever take a puff and blow it all out my nose. I find myself throttling the amount going out the nose to get aroma and flavor without an unpleasant burn.  I don’t know how to smoke without doing that. 

[El Gato]

I retrohale 100% of the time. When I don't do it,  I feel like I'm not even smoking. I even like to smell the smoke every few puffs. I mean like 2 cm away from the cigar.

[Fugu]

On 10/18/2025 at 3:22 PM, Li Bai said:

I do that too!

I'm curious, are you/were you a cigarette smoker?

Actually no. (Brief period when at university, occasionally and mostly in company, but that doesn’t count. 😉) Started smoking pipe at the age of 16/17 (among buddies, was a thing back then 😀) and did it even then. But has never been a nic-thing for me, if you mean to draw the link there. In fact, the smoke doesn’t reach the lungs by that “technique”, gets not even far beyond the throat (so I believe 😅). Always did it that way, as far as I can think back. 

[Li Bai]

On 10/18/2025 at 8:23 PM, Fugu said:

Actually no. (Brief period when at university, occasionally and mostly in company, but that doesn’t count. 😉) Started smoking pipe at the age of 16/17 (among buddies, was a thing back then 😀) and did it even then. But has never been a nic-thing for me, if you mean to draw the link there. In fact, the smoke doesn’t reach the lungs by that “technique”, gets not even far beyond the throat (so I believe 😅). Always did it that way, as far as I can think back. 

Thanks for the reply, and I agree that doesn't count 😉

I've smoked cigarettes for a long time and I'm curious about how much impact it has/ has had on my cigar smoking habits. That retro-in-haling thing is common among cigs smokers so I was wondering if it was where it came from but I guess not 🤔

Btw I agree 100%, it gives more than retrohaling to me too. 👍

[Fugu]

11 minutes ago, Li Bai said:

Thanks for the reply, and I agree that doesn't count 😉

I've smoked cigarettes for a long time and I'm curious about how much impact it has/ has had on my cigar smoking habits. That retro-in-haling thing is common among cigs smokers so I was wondering if it was where it came from but I guess not 🤔

Btw I agree 100%, it gives more than retrohaling to me too 👍

Yep, purely taste-driven for me, I guess. Couldn’t do it any other way.