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Ever hear someone say that they taste hints of 7-year old burnt Madagascar vanilla in a cigar they are smoking? Does it make you wonder what they might be smoking to come up with such a claim? What seems like "bullsh*t", others do experience, and many people make their living doing.
And there is science behind it: http://news.bbc.co.u...lth/2880471.stm
Taste is extremely linked to memory; a taste may evoke memories of a similar taste in something else that you've had before. It's similar to how an impressionistic painter hints at the true nature of what they are depicting, describing it in a generalized way to impart the idea/form.
If you want to try it yourself some time, find a peaceful moment, and really focus on what you're tasting as you enjoy your cigar or wine. Let it curl around your tongue, and focus on the tastes, you might be surprised.
Taste is extremely subjective, and not everyone will taste things the same way, or even have the same range of tastes available to them. It's also work to focus on what you're tasting, and attempt to translate that into words through which others can try to get an understanding of the experience you had.
If you want to boil it down to "good/bad" you certainly can, and it's a valid way to approach any luxury food or spirit. But dismissing the idea of being able to pick up subtle flavors in said items I think is not correct.
Sumatran coffee, for instance, really does have a distinctive taste that you can become quite familiar with if you are a lover of the bean. Another example: while black pepper and jalapeno peppers are both spicy, they have very different tastes, which is why chefs go to the lengths they do to pick the appropriate spice to complement a particular dish.
The same can be said for cigars, wines, coffee, beers, scotches, and even things like chocolates. But if all cigars are to you is the gastronomic equivalent of slamming down a Big Mac and Coke, yeah, it'll all seem somewhat ridiculous to you.
There are other factors as well, but these are the ones that I've found to be most prominent when it comes to enjoying a fine cigar. Also bear in mind that variety is the spice of life; even if your favorite meal is steak, eating it every day will make you tire of it quickly. The same applies to cigars, so vary what you smoke to keep things fresh.
Taste is a very, very slippery thing. Time and time again, experts have been confounded when it comes to blind taste testing of anything... water, wine, beer, cigars... so there's no reason to feel bad at all. We all think we're better at it than we really are, myself included. Check some of these links out: The Subjectivity of Wine
"Expert" wine tasting: Round #1 -- Round #2 -- Round #3
"Expert" water tasting: Round #1 -- Round #2 -- Round #3
Tap water from municipal water supplies keeps winning in blind taste tests, yet people are paying $3 a bottle for Evian... there's definitely a logical disconnect there. People are buying by brand or label, not their taste buds. I like the statement from the last "water" article: In the final analysis, the price is all that separates them
When it comes to taste, the most important organ in your body is your brain, and the preconceptions it carries along with it. Your tongue and nose are mere appendages.
Related link: Flavor Wheels of the World
Some tasting tips
These tasting tips are courtesy of Wilkey Wong, aka "Ginseng"
In cigars as with any sensory-focused activity (like wine tasting, food taste testing or perfume formulation), the majority of the "flavor" impact is likely to come via our sense of smell. The majority of the textural impact, however, is more likely to be sensed on the palate.
It is well known that there are three broad categories of tasting ability: supertasters, regular tasters and non-tasters. The most important differentiator of these categories is simply the number or density of taste buds on your tongue. The more you have, the more breadth, depth and intensity of flavors you can taste on your tongue. I am a regular taster. Some of you might be non-tasters but you'd never know it the way everyone here seems to enjoy their smokes.
So what's the implication of this knowldege? Well, the key point for me (a plain old regular taster) in terms of maximizing the tasting experience is to make use of my sense of smell and not just try to taste on the palate. The two things I do to enhance the discernment of flavors and aromas are:
1) as I draw inward, I also inhale gently through my nose
2) when I exhale, I blow a little of the smoke out through my nose
I don't do it every time and not with every stick, but when I really want to dig into the fine characteristics of a smoke, I do this. I find that it sometimes reveals levels of aromas that were previously completely hidden. Supertasters may not need to do this because as the smoke condenses on their tongue, the aroma compounds dissolve in their saliva and thus they can taste it on their tongues.
The process of "tasting" a cigar for the purposes of analysis may be very different from the process of smoking for enjoyment. It is certainly more demanding and as such, may actually diminish enjoyment.
Here is a list of six categories of smells and some examples. It's based on a list found in a book on wines (Red Wine for Dummies, McCarthy and Ewing-Mulligan) but applies to cigars as well. So, while supertasters may be able to discern specific aromas, regular and non-tasters may only be able to discern the general character as being "spicy", "earthy" or "woody."
This aroma wheel from the American Wine Society is useful:
Spicy Scents
cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, caradmom
Herbal Scents
eucalyptus, mint, anise, fennel, basil, fresh herbs or dried herbs in general
Vegetal Scents
green beans, bell pepper, fresh tobacco, crushed green leaves, celery
Earthy Aromas
mushrooms, humus, wet leaves, damp earth, dry leaves, dried or wet tree bark, dusty smells, mineral-like smells, tar, truffles
Animal-like Aromas
leather, manure (barnyard), sweat, urine, meaty scents
Wood-derived Aromas
raw or charred wood, toast, smoke, vanilla, cedar, ash
Related link: Five Steps to Blind Tasting a Cigar
