James Suckling

>	About Me
>	My Main Blog Page
>	My Blog Archives

Most Recent Posts:

>	Living My Fantasy April 15, 2008
>	Wrappers and Bimbos March 27, 2008
>	Finding the Genie in Hollywood March 12, 2008
>	Epilogue to the Havana Blog March 05, 2008

A Matter of Taste

Posted: 01:00 PM ET, August 02, 2007

Taste preferences are a funny thing, even with cigars. Last week, I had two instances when some buddy’s ideas about a cigar were completely the opposite of mine. And I am usually in sync with these guys.

The first time was when I was smoking a Padrón 1964 Anniversary Series Monarca sitting outside Punta Ala harbor in Tuscany on my friend’s boat. I thought the elegant yet rich smoke showed wonderful balance and perfumes with loads of flavor. He said that the Monarca had no flavor. I was ready to throw him overboard! I tried to explain to him in Italian that power is not necessarily flavor. I guess he is too used to his Partagas Serie D No. 4s.

The second time was smoking a Cohiba Siglo VI with a cigar merchant friend from Hong Kong after a dinner al fresco with some friends at my house. I thought the cigar showed wonderful richness yet was full of finesse with cedar, cappuccino and tobacco character. It burned wonderfully. In fact, I think it is one of the best cigars the Cubans have made in the last 10 years. It’s consistently a 95-point smoke for me. Yet my friend said “it lacked body and flavor.”

Perhaps smoking the cigars outside had some effect on the differences in opinions? It’s harder to focus your attention on a smoke outside, and surely some of the smoke and flavor dissipates more quickly compared to smoking inside.

Anyway, some prefer blondes, others brunettes…. what can I say?

(3 comments on this post) Submit your comments >

Reader Comments

User Name: Jose Blanco Posted: 02:39 PM ET, August 02, 2007

James as you you we have a lot of visitors every year, and a lot of them say that cigars taste different down here, and its not only your brand they tell me, I think that state of mind and were you are smoking has a lot to do with it.I love to smoke a cigar in the mountains.

User Name: James Blackmon, Athens, GA Posted: 08:09 PM ET, August 02, 2007

I find that what I've eaten before I smoke a cigar can greatly affect the perceived flavor. I'm thinking of keeping a journal of these taste changes, but it would be a PITA.

User Name: Trey Boring, Texas Posted: 05:04 PM ET, August 07, 2007

I have found in my travels around the country I have found that many hold a different opinion of certain Cigars than I do. I do believe that, as you put it, it is a matter of taste. As you have elequently stated, some prefer blonds over brunettes. I do beleive that there are those smokes that cross the tastes of most Cigar lovers, and the 1964 tends to hit more than most. http://cigarvagabond.squaresource.com

Submit your comments

Access to ratings and tasting notes for more than 11,000 cigars
Sneak previews of the best cigar ratings from Cigar Aficionado magazine - weeks before they are released to the public.
Plus: The twice-monthly Cigar Insider newsletter, with exclusive cigar news and extensive cigar ratings, many of which will never appear in Cigar Aficionado magazine.