What's with the dry mouth?

When I smoke a cigar, sometimes it makes my mouth terribly dry. Why is that?

Posted: January 14, 2013

A lack of balance.

Certain tobaccos dry the mouth, such as olor, a variety of filler tobacco grown in the Dominican Republic. In a seminar one year at the Las Vegas Big Smoke, Davidoff cigarmaker Hendrik Kelner passed out cigars made entirely of olor (save for the wrapper) to show how an out-of-balance smoke tastes. "It makes your mouth dry," he said, "and God made your mouth to work wet." A cigar containing too much olor, he explained, has a drying effect on the palate.

Olor triggers the salty region of the tongue, drying the mouth, while a tobacco such as Dominican San Vicente stimulates the production of saliva. Many cigarmakers strive to create a balanced, complex cigar made with a variety of tobaccos, which stimulate different areas of the tongue.

Of course, even smoking the most balanced of blends is a thirsty business, and there's no shame in quenching that thirst, so long as you make the proper choice. We suggest you spend some time in our Drinks section, perusing the proper pairings of libation and cigar.

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