What you and I smoke, what is the difference?

[PigFish]

I have often wondered why certain people prefer certain cigars. I can understand certainly that people are different in all things, similar in others, perhaps truly equal only in the eyes of the Creator. Doesn't it make you wonder, sometimes ponder, why someone will enjoy a "blunt," a Macanudo or any one of the numbers of cigars that will go unnamed that you yourself don't smoke and find insipid? I wonder sometimes when I give a cigar to a friend, perhaps one of my favorites, whether he sees the same attributes. Does he think that my favorite is the best cigar that he ever smoked? I doubt it.

I like full bodied cigars. Cigars that have pale shades of flavor are useless to me. I smoke for the taste. Having past a favorite cigar to a friend and having received the reply, "yeah it was good," has often left me wondering. Is it him? Is it me? What is it that he is missing; what is it that I am missing?

There is obviously a market for insipid cigars. Without looking for a fight I merely site the entire non-Cuban cigar market as an example. I mean how is it that people enjoy these cigars? I am not being a jack-ass either. I simply can't taste many of these cigars beyond two draws. As a result I am willing to assume that my ability to taste must truly be impaired. With that being said, and on the flip-side, why then does not the cigar that I find most appealing not overwhelm that of the smoker who prefers cigar so different from my own?

I am also often perplexed by the fact that someone can call a certain cigar a good cigar. What is it then that makes a cigar a good one?

For me a cigar must have flavor in enough abundance to stand alone on its own merits, without condiments (food or drink). Complexity and character aside, a good cigar has constitution. For example. I don't really like the cut of meat commonly known as filet mignon. I am not a fan of the filet in general and unless it has been sufficiently dry aged to condense the flavor I can hardly taste the beef in it. The filet simply does not taste like beef to me. The tenderness is of lesser importance to me. I don't want to fight my steak, like I don't wish to work too hard to draw against a blockage in my cigar, but will happily choose abundant flavor over every other characteristic. For the same reasons I won't smoke a beautifully rolled Dominican cigar over a Cuban made cigar will a lesser finish. I don't buy the cigars to look at them, although I do appreciate a pretty cigar.

The same holds true for the unlit aromatic cigar. Yes, I enjoy both a nicely made cigar and one that has an exceptional pre-light aroma but in the end it is the flavor concentration that keeps me interested in a lit cigar. I spend more one-on-one time with the cigar when it is lit than another time in any single cigar's life; there is where I want to see it shine.

We can go into numerous cigar characteristics; the size, the image, the band, the aroma, the construction, the appearance; the list goes on and on. What is it that makes you buy a certain cigar? Unless you are experimenting with different sizes or unknowns; what I call shopping for experience, what makes you come back to a cigar; buy the second or the additional box?

Do you categorize yourself by ring size as I often do? Do you consider yourself a equal opportunity smoker, or do you have prejudices? I have prejudices.

As of today I am convinced of certain cigar characteristics which predispose me to select one cigar over another. What I like an why is of no real importance to anyone but me but what I would like to know is if there are those of you, like me, who categorize yourself as I do, mainly liking a certain kind of cigar? Why is it that you find one cigar more appealing than another? I am glad that my favorite cigars have the form and function that suits me. I like a range of cigars, I like to smoke cigars with various marcas but focus on mid-sizes and mid to slender rings. Yes, it is true I own a varying degree of different sized cigars, but the size overlap is large when more than one cigar is rolled in that size.

I am rewarded with an excellent cigar almost every time I smoke and there is a good reason. I focus on good cigars. Good cigars with history. Do you feel the same?

And lastly a little food for thought. Are you are a cigar smoke with a focus on good cigars? If so this question is for you. If you find yourself disappointed in a particular cigar, who do you blame? Here is my scenario for those interested. I know what a good cigar is and I know what I like. I know how cigars trend... not cigar trends! If I buy a bad box of cigars it truly is for reasons of factory defect; there is little blame I can hold on myself. That is only if I follow my own rules. If I act out of character and pursue the new and trendy I can't get angry at anyone but myself.

Where do you fit in this picture? How often are you dissatisfied with a cigar. Who is to blame?

Thanks for reading. -The Pig

[sounddust]

It's always a pleasure to have some insight into your insight Piggy. IMO, a test to discern what type of cigar smoker I am would be to place the entire selection of regular production stogies in front of me and note which one I chose at the time of the day, 3 times a day, over a period of at least 30 days. In fact, I am not able to imagine this scenario and present a hypothesis right now, probably due to the fact that I'm still new to the game and am rather drunk right now.

A bad smoke, in my limited experience, is more often than not due to the fault of the smoker. Not giving enough time to properly savor the cigar, not choosing a good stick, not ensuring proper storage conditions, eating cheese whilst smoking etc.

A well made cigar with a silky, flawless wrapper contributes adds about 20% to the overall smoking experience in my opinion. Adds, not contributes, because a Gran Reserva wrapper means nothing to me if it doesn't draw well, or has no distinct, vibrant flavor. But the most memorable experiences I have had always included a cigar with a fine wrapper.

I'm not fussy about ring gauge, although I love the way a belicoso fits in my mouth.

All in all, a good cigar is one that grabs my taste buds from the get go, and never lets up till I say so.

[Van55]

There are just too many individual questions in your post to answer them one by one.

But the general answer is as follows:

Each to his own.

Chaq'un a son gout.

De gustibus non est disputantum.

There's a cliche for it in every language, I think.

[Ginseng]

Ray,

Put.....down....the......cigar.

But seriously, if by "good" you mean "enjoyable," then it is more personal predisposition and experience than anything else. If by "good" you mean conformance to a standard, then the answer is fundamentally different. In actuality, when I smoke, depending on the context in which I smoke, I can slide along the continuum between those two poles I noted.

Wilkey

[aavkk]

great post Piggy, and I too just last week had the same experience as you passing out one of my favorites only to have the feedback be "it was good". I'm not sure what my friend was expecting in terms of flavor. I do know that a BCE i gifted him a few months prior blew his mind and was "by far the best cigar I have ever had". So this time I thought he might also like an 02 Partagas Corona but it didnt drive him crazy like the BCE. I personally love them both for what they are.

I used to smoke NC's and since making the shift to the cuban variety just havent looked back but once or twice a year out of curiosity on my well aged padron anny's. I think that people that smoke those cigars dont do so out of choice but instead mostly ignorance and just well, a lack of enthusiasm for the hobby. Very few people have the same knowledge base as us here and this hobby like wine can seem impossible to learn enough about to be a connoisseur (a douchbag word IMO). I would guess a lot of people that probably would enjoy this hobby like we do just feel they dont have time. Some people smoke at weddings cause its the thing to do not because they love the cigar. Those people irk me, cause they want to be seen with a cohiba and cant stand the thought of not being included but also smoke one inch of it and stand around BS'ing instead of enjoying the quality of the cigar while BS'ing.

Much like you Piggy, flavor is king in my book. It is why I smoke cigars. A flavorful cigar relaxes me and puts me at ease. It offers much more than a distraction, I argue that it helps with my mental health more than it adversely effects my physical health. A beautiful cigar is nice, most Opus X's have gorgeous red wrappers but that doesnt mean I want to smoke a dog tird with enough fresh ground pepper on top to kill a horse.

I personally only smoke 2-4 cigars a week and so when I do it has to be a good experience and a good cigar. I dont want to be distracted by BS when I smoke nor have time for average cigars. If I had a yard that I had to mow I wouldnt smoke and do the lawn, its just not my style. When I reach for a cigar out of the humidor I smoke from any box of any date with the exception of one box which I smoke from once a year.

As for cigars with history, the proof is in the stock you carry. EL's comprise of just over 3% of my stock and Regionals just over 7%. The rest other than the new Mag 50's and my Original release 03 Siglo VI's are regular production with a history to them.

Piggy your posts make me think about myself as a cigar smoker and I appreciate that.

[jmasterj]

A cigar certainly has more to it than the physical attributes; i.e. size, taste, color, etc. As alluded to in one way or another, a cigar's perception is affected just as much from the pyschology of the smoker. It's a smoker's state of mind that dictates portions of enjoyment and enthusiasm. If that state were to change, say over time, would you still be the smoker you are today 15,20 years from now? You may find lanceros and londales elegant and sophisticated and just as enjoyable as you once did figurados and double coronas.

But not only does your current 'macro' state affect your cigar's perception but also, your current 'micro' state. Am I in a comfortable setting that I feel confident in and don't need my defense on high alert.

These are aspects that I believe play a large part in the enjoyment that we take.

[sloth]

"...connoisseur (a douchbag word IMO). "

Well, it is French... j/k, maybe....

anyway... I'm sitting at work trying to figure out a response to this discussion and I don't think I will be able to give on until I go home, put an ice pack on my previously twisted ankle, find a cigar, find paper and pen, go outside, light cigar, take a sip of water, and start writing.

[Froggy]

Great post Piggy!

Just like you man, to taste or not to taste, that is the question for me. My favorites, the ones that I come back to again and again, are the R&J Cazadores, the Upmann SirWinston and the Punch DC. I just love the overall roughness of the Cazadores and can't get enough of it's strong yet sweet taste. I think that if I were stuck on an island with only one vitola to puff for the rest of my life, it would be the R&J Cazadores. Sometimes I get a bad batch and it pisses me off, but I know that **** happens in life and the next one should be up to standards... I certainly don't give a damn about trends and I laugh at wannabes who smoke Cohibas on special occasions to feel like Big Boys. In fact, I don't care much about those overpriced Cohibas in general, and I'm totally fed up with the Siglo ciggy series in particular . In fact, when I get a real good batch of JLPs, I'm TOTALLY satisfied!!!

Flavor, draw and consistency, these are the ONLY questions. And my fav cubans answer right most of the time.

[anacostiakat]

Well being what I consider a relatively new smoker with just almost five years under my belt I don't really feel overly qualified to answer a lot of what you are asking. But here are some thoughts.

I too had a recent experience in gifting someone a cigar I like very much and pretty much knowing they probablay were either not going to smoke it or didnt know how to enjoy it. Sad but I could not give them a POS stick as I was gifting something to them of value and felt it was necessary to give them an opportunity. What they do with it is on them.

I like to think I am a cigar smoker who focuses on good cigars. I think this is evident not only in my focus on habanos but the feedback I get from friends and people in whose opinions I respect.

I am dissatisfied less and less with habanos and more and more with non-habanos. It is only logical in my mind and I feel elation rather than anger. In other words my ability to enjoy and discern what I consider a good cigar is heightened and I am thankful. I feel no rancor for the non-habanos as my expectations are not high on them at this stage. There are a few I enjoy. They are what they are. If you enjoy a particular cigar then I salute you! Let me smoke a habano in your honor.

I am gravitating towards more mid to smaller gauge cigars but not exclusively. My timeframe and setting dictate what is appropriate. I still like a few of what I consider larger ring gauges (SIG VI, etc.) but do not smoke them regularly which is 2 - 3 a day.

In closing, what makes me buy a cigar? The enjoyment I get obviously. But this enjoyment is based on the flavor of the cigar. The transportation to another plane that I enjoy. My past experiences with the cigar and the expectations that go with those experiences are what causes me to return again and again.

Let me ask you this? When you sit down with a cigar of your choice what are your expectations? Clearly we buy with expectations. I think this it is an an interesting question as well.

- The Kat

[Guest rob]

Great essay Ray. Well written, and as usual, thought provoking.

I love the new signature by the way.

[El Presidente]

I was reading one of Ken's wine articles (his mother is the other reader) and he mentioned a Chardonnay tasting with French, Aussie, Kiwi, US wines where the Aussie and NZ wines came out on top. There was some comment of "Home palates" aimed at the judges (although in kens case it would have been straight corruption).

The concept of "Home Palates" is relevent to Cuban Cigar smokers and one of the reasons I try not to bag non Cuban cigars.

What I prize in a cigar is flavour delivery, intensity/complexity, cerebral engagement.

With poor Cubans and majority of non cubans I often feel like I do when I am ready to go out but waiting endlessly for the wife to finish getting ready. 10 minutes goes by...20 minutes...30 minutes...NOTHING!

Now while I can pitch my cigar over the deck I can't do that to my wife

So back to "Home Palates"

I believe your palate becomes accustomed to what you consume. The broader the diversity of consumption the more educated the palate. That doesn't mean however that you necessarily like everything new you try.

I know people with great palates who love inky juicy Shiraz....others detest this style but adore Pinot. No one is right or wrong but they at least entertain in their own way. Their followers enjoy differing characteristics.

Who am I to judge someone who thoroughly enjoys a Macanudo but turns his nose up at a SLR Regio because it is too strong? The only time I get shirty is when mr Macanudo proceeds to tell me Cubans are second rate. We have then moved from opinion to ignorance and I politely excuse myself. Never argue with an idiot !LOL!

En Fin, I smoke what I like. I experiment and smoke everything new that I can get my hands on. I make my opinions and share them when asked. I don't judge others harshly for alternate opinions and seek some enlightenment on something I may have missed.

I have come to know my own palate and vitola preferences. I love nothing more than to have my own prejudices challenged. In the last 12 months broozer changed my mind on some aged Vegueros, I also came to love Medaill D'or No 2 (from member insistance to keep trying), I can now smoke a 54 ring gauge cigar without gagging........just.

Great post Piggy

[OZCUBAN]

Great Post Piggy

As usual insightful articulate and thought provoking,without selling your self out.

Having been a regular Cigar Smoker now for about 15-16 years(a beginner really)

In the beginning i was not to interested in over analyzing anything,

I know what I like and I smoke what i like . But never allow my self to be fully blinkered to other experiences,there's nothing like the "undiscovered county".

Rob summed it up nicely What I prize in a cigar is flavour delivery, intensity/complexity, cerebral engagement.

To me that if the EMC(squared) of the Cigar experience

Cheers

Oz