How to Taste a Cigar

Cigars are like wine, filled with subtle hints and nuances that you may miss if you’re not paying attention.

Though it can take years to develop the skills to distinguish all those flavors, you can experience more from your cigars today.

Tips for tasting a cigar - 

Taste it before you light it

Hold the cigar in your mouth before you fire it up. You’ll be able to experience the flavor nuances of your cigar, indicating that it’s a good smoke. However, if you taste acidity or saltiness, this may mean that the cigar was made from less-than-stellar tobacco.

Follow this cigar tasting wheel.

Smoke slowly

"Cigars are like most things in life—the slower you go, the more you’ll be able to notice." So puff leisurely.

What does a cigar taste like?

Leave some time in between each draw and let the smoke linger in your mouth for a few seconds to help decipher the flavors and cigar tasting notes. It’s one of the simplest cigar tasting tips, but it makes the aftertaste more prominent and prevents the cigar from overheating.

Use your nose

We have more flavor detectors in our nose than on our tongue. So use your nose, or as some call it, ‘retrohale’.

How do you do it? Take a puff, then release roughly half to three quarters of the smoke out of your mouth. Then, push the remaining smoke to the back of your mouth with your tongue and at the same time exhale through your nose.

If you’ve never retrohaled, take it easy: start with mild cigars. Otherwise, you may end up coughing a lot.

If you or others have tips, tell the community below, or Join a Group.