Tasting and understanding reviews was the hardest part for me. It was easy to associate one tobacco to another one. "It tastes a lot like Red Cake or FVF." But, when reviewers noted caramel verses brown sugar or molasses, I am lost. I did figure out that I don't like coffee flavors in a tobacco, and I avoid earthy. Esoterica's Tillbury is often noted as earthy, and I do taste the dirt flavor. And, coffee flavors usually refers to a coating on the back of my throat taste that I don't like. However, I love coffee the drink, just don't like it in my smoke. But, all in all, I just don't give too much thought to reviews. All I really want to know from a review is, what is the genre, is it cased, topped (usually reviewers seem to be ignorant of what these terms mean), and what are the main leaves used. Other than that, I know that I am just not going to get into the raisin, apricot, lime, words, etc... I might better respond to sour, sweet, savory, etc... But, I respond even better when a reviewer associates a blend with other blends, "tastes like LBF," or "similar to Astleys 44." etc...
All in all, I think that we all go to reviews for different reasons at different stages of our hobby. At first, I think we all read reviews while smoking to see if we can taste the things listed. Then when frustrated with that, we find other uses for the reviews.
All in all, God bless those who donate their times to trying to review this stuff. It adds a fantastic dimension to the hobby that I can't find in cigars at all. I just wish there was one single great place to read reviews on cigars that isn't a tobacco shop trying to sell me more cigars.