Changing Tastes.

[AJL67]

Something has changed, I’m not saying it’s a bad thing just caught me off guard, I’ve smoked cigars (Cubans) for roughly 15 years, several a day. Love my cigars, as they say like what you smoke and smoke what you like. With the great Habanos price massacre a few weeks back I’ve gotten into the pipe much heavier than in the past, right down the slope, a little bit of everything but those sweet Virginia blends are right in my wheelhouse.

I work from home and spend much of my waking time on my back porch working and smoking, 5 or 6 cigars a day would be a fair average, with pricing today there was no way i could sustain that so pipes have been a godsend where as now I’m down to two cigars a day and lots of pipes rounding out the day.

Here is the “issue” about a week ago i noticed some of my sticks started tasting off, bitter, bordering on downright tanic, not all sticks but quite a few of them, i checked the humidity in the cabinet amid wgile a bit higher than normal, 67% instead of 62%, certainly not enough to change cigars that drastically. I’m finding it more and more and I’m talking open boxes that have been fantastic and i had a hard time not smoking two of them a day, now they are bitter and have a sour and tanic taste to them.

I have some back door Sig 4s and tried one and it tasted horrible i was sure there was no way that came out of el lagito or any other factory rolling sigs, so i grabbed a sig that i was sure about and lit it up, same damn experience with flavors. A couple specific sticks, stored in the same cabinet still taste fantastic though beginning in the final 3rd the sourness pics up, too many years and brands for any kind of sick period and this is sticks I’ve bought, been gifted, the gamit.

Just wondering if any other cigar smokers here have encountered that, i know of at least one here and one old friend that i heard had the same experience. My question is did you tasted adjust eventually or did you just give up on cigars.

I have a few very nice HTF stuff that at this point I’m afraid to light.

please commence with the “send them to me!” replies lol

 

[camaguey]

I don't know if it is the reason , but there are so many cuban counterfeits sold in Cuba and in Miami. If you are not sure about the source...better not to buy. On the other hand , you can have wonderfull not cubans cigars for very attractive prices.

 

[AJL67]

I don't know if it is the reason , but there are so many cuban counterfeits sold in Cuba and in Miami. If you are not sure about the source...better not to buy. On the other hand , you can have wonderfull not cubans cigars for very attractive prices.

I sure about sources, but excellent advice for newer people entering the game.

 

[AJL67]

Also same beverages and diet, no medicines or anything that would change my tastes. This started with pipes becoming more of my daily rotation.

 

[onestrangeone]

I’ll have to keep an eye on this thread out of curiosity. What you’re describing is and has always been exactly what I experience with Cuban cigars.

 

[Egg Shen]

Also same beverages and diet, no medicines or anything that would change my tastes. This started with pipes becoming more of my daily rotation.

I have been having lots of bummer cigar experiences lately too (non-Cuban). Perhaps it is due to smoking a pipe more. I think sometimes for whatever reason, possibly over-indulgence, one must face the facts which is disappointment more often than not and therefore reduce intake. If nothing else this allows the palate to recalibrate as well as your nose and even your mind. After a good break maybe try again. I also agree on feeling like Virginia sounding nice lately. Just something mellow not looking to get blown away.

I’ll have to keep an eye on this thread out of curiosity. What you’re describing is and has always been exactly what I experience with Cuban cigars.

Yes, need more data on “cigar plateau”

 

[onestrangeone]

One thing I have noticed is that having a cigar to soon after a pipe will definitely affect the taste of the cigar.
As I’ve gotten older I’ve noticed that my seasonal allergies are getting worse, a saline rinse helps but even that affects my taste.
Taking a break and allowing everything to reset is definitely a good idea.

 

[maker]

People that got covid are experiencing taste problems. Some people lose it completely. I lost my sense of smell for 3 days last year. A very weird experience.

 

[AJL67]

I have been having lots of bummer cigar experiences lately too (non-Cuban). Perhaps it is due to smoking a pipe more. I think sometimes for whatever reason, possibly over-indulgence, one must face the facts which is disappointment more often than not and therefore reduce intake. If nothing else this allows the palate to recalibrate as well as your nose and even your mind. After a good break maybe try again. I also agree on feeling like Virginia sounding nice lately. Just something mellow not looking to get blown away.

Yes, need more data on “cigar plateau”

Definitely cutting back, will just make the collection last longer, we’ll see not looking to have a massive sell off, we’ll see how it goes over time.

 

[AJL67]

People that got covid are experiencing taste problems. Some people lose it completely. I lost my sense of smell for 3 days last year. A very weird experience.

Had the vid got over it and cigars were still tasty even when i had it ?

 

[AJL67]

The more i think about it and it might be nothing, while i don’t get bad tongue bite i do have that slight for a lack of better description that slightest of p uffy layer on my tongue, not really bite and I’m sure most of you have been smoking pipes so long you don’t even notice it but that would be the only explanation i can think of. I suppose i could stop pipes or all tobacco for a couple days then try a cigar. Yup i think that would be a good way to at least eliminate a possible cause. Erm …. I’ll start tomorrow ?

 

[Egg Shen]

Tomorrow it is then.

 

[cigrmaster]

When I tried smoking cigars and pipes in the same day or even a few days later the flavors of the cigars overwhelm the subtleties of pipe tobacco. I made the decision that I get more flavor from pipe tobacco than I do from cigars except for one cigar and sold off my cigar collection. i have no regrets and I enjoy my pipes so much better as trying to taste shit after a cigar is not the easiest. Plus after a bowl I have a beautiful pipe I get to smoke over and over again for a minimum of 50 years if the pipe is properly taken care of. For me pipes is a total no brainer.

 

[Briar Lee]

People that got covid are experiencing taste problems. Some people lose it completely. I lost my sense of smell for 3 days last year. A very weird experience.

A good point is made here.

From the earliest days of this pandemic we’ve been credibly informed by real scientists that are epidemiologists for their living about 40% of people who catch Covid 19 have no symptoms whatsoever.

I’ve had four shots for it and I’ll be first in line for five. I’m a miserable coward about dying on a ventilator.

I used to wear a mask to save my azz, not yours.

When they sample random people in the USA over 97% have antibodies.

We may all get it. We may all have had it and not known it.

The only adverse reaction I had to my four shots, other than tiredness, was on the second, thirty minutes afterward Dr. Fauci must have unseen snuck up and poured salt right down the middle of my tongue.

I tasted salt for a week afterwards.

There is only one good thing about Covid 19.

Hereafter it will be the scapegoat after all other medical explanations fail.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

Your story is somewhat similar to mine except it wasn't as much for financial motivation as the price of Cigars when I switched weren't as astronomical. I found I simply enjoyed the pipe more. This was true in the past when I got into pipes, I just wasn't patient enough to deal with the pipe smoking process. And was much more mobile and didn't want to deal with all the paraphernalia. It was simply way easier to cut, light and smoke a cigar.

I obviously still enjoy Cigars, especially when playing golf. When sitting at home however, it's no contest. I never reach for a cigar over the pipe. Don't fight it or even question it. Be thankful you now have an alternative you can enjoy for a mere fraction of the cost.

As a side note, I think 5% humidity can make a significant difference in the taste of Cigars. I like mine closer to 60%. Try smoking a cigar really, really slow to see if you still get the bitter taste.

 

[AJL67]

Your story is somewhat similar to mine except it wasn't as much for financial motivation as the price of Cigars when I switched weren't as astronomical. I found I simply enjoyed the pipe more. This was true in the past when I got into pipes, I just wasn't patient enough to deal with the pipe smoking process. And was much more mobile and didn't want to deal with all the paraphernalia. It was simply way easier to cut, light and smoke a cigar.

I obviously still enjoy Cigars, especially when playing golf. When sitting at home however, it's no contest. I never reach for a cigar over the pipe. Don't fight it or even question it. Be thankful you now have an alternative you can enjoy for a mere fraction of the cost.

As a side note, I think 5% humidity can make a significant difference in the taste of Cigars. I like mine closer to 60%. Try smoking a cigar really, really slow to see if you still get the bitter taste.

I’ve actually tried and tested a few different sticks with the little humidity probe cigar tester someone sent me, don’t know if it’s am accurate reading but can at least gauge differences in different sticks, had some in 5 finger bags a friend sent me and tested one of those it (and the rest) read 60% and same thing.

I’ll give things a break for a couple days then try a stick just to see, worst comes to worst my cigars just age more and go up in value while i enjoy my pipes.

 

[jpberg]

I gave up on Cubans in ‘92 when the prices went through the roof.
Like @cigrmaster alluded to, I never got pipes and cigars to play together well.
As to your off taste problem, that’s a crapshoot, but inconsistency in Cubans used to be the norm. I’ve no idea how it’s been the last couple decades.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I would add, when A Cuban cigar is right, it is a thing of beauty. Problem is, with the demand and the Cuban production issues, they're throwing out poorly rolled green, unaged green leaf in an effort to generate revenue. I got tired of having to age what I purchased 2 to 4 years and then toss a third of them due to tight draws. I've found the higher quality Nicaraguan Cigars provide a better all around smoke at a fraction of the price.

 

[burleybreath]

I've been smoking pipes and cigars for over half a century, and I've had numerous periods when my taste for tobacco deserted me completely. Everything tastes blah or worse. Take a break. It won't kill you.

 

[AJL67]

I gave up on Cubans in ‘92 when the prices went through the roof.
Like @cigrmaster alluded to, I never got pipes and cigars to play together well.
As to your off taste problem, that’s a crapshoot, but inconsistency in Cubans used to be the norm. I’ve no idea how it’s been the last couple decades.

There's always an off box code here and there, like any tobacco there are good years and bad, but I have been pretty steady on buying certain sticks and box codes and these range in decades over age, def a me thing over it's the sticks.