Pipes Have Improved My Cigar Palate

[shaintiques]

I used to smoke cigars back before the pipe. I enjoyed one on occasion, but then discovered the pipe. It was cheaper and tasted better or so I thought. It has been a couple of years since I have smoked a cigar. With the pipe I smoke mostly Virginias and flakes and as such I believe my palate has become refined. I can pick out the various nuances of flavor in each distinct flake, but I had never had that experience with a cigar until now. One of my kids brought me back a Cuban Cohiba from a trip he went on. He had never smoked a cigar himself, so yesterday we went up to the B&M and smoked, him trying something light from the humidor and me the Cohiba. It was the best cigar I have ever smoked. Perhaps it was because it was a cuban, but I think it had more to do with the flavors that I was distinguishing. It went from hay and grassy notes to a full bodied milk chocolate to my palate and I was sad to see it burn out. I then went into the humidor and bought a few more that looked appealing. I guess I'm both a cigar and pipe smoker now, I enjoyed it that much. I attribute the pleasant experience however to a refined palate due to pipes.

 

[dulgunz]

+1
Before the pipe I smoked 2 - 3 Cigars a day, and I agree, now I find cigars to taste much much better! I only smoke maybe 5 Cigars a month now. Forget the Cubans and pick yourself up a Regius Seleccion Orchant Limited Edition, it is outstanding and much cheaper and easily accessible. They are from the London, England

 

[iamn8]

I've always seen cigars as the tobacco as the whisky while pipe tobacco is the single malt. Not certain why though.

 

[davet]

Had a Belinda Corona last night, very mild. I don't often smoke cigars but this was the most enjoyable in recent memory. Maybe pipe smoking full time has affected my taste.

 

[shaintiques]

I bought 6 all recommended to me by my brothers at the shop. I'm going to keep a journal of flavor profiles.

 

[pitchfork]

Same here shaintiques. I smoked cigars (infrequently) for years, but have been a pipe smoker for only about 4 years. I recently started smoking the occasional cigar again and I can definitely pick out more distinct flavors than I ever could before picking up the pipe.

 

[Perique]

I've always seen cigars as the tobacco as the whisky while pipe tobacco is the single malt. Not certain why though.

That's interesting. I've always thought of cigars as analogous to scotch. And pipes as more analogous to wine. Pipe tobacco enthusiasm has much in common with wine enthusiasm. Similarly, the nature of pipe tobacco - its variants, genres, styles, vintages, and extreme variety of flavor profiles - is similar to wine.

 

[mso489]

I've enjoyed some cigars over the years, small cheap ones as a student and others later. I enjoyed Cuban cigars when I had to try them when I visited Canada on business, but I think I like Dominicans in general somewhat better. I regard the difference between cigars and pipes as the difference between traveling with a tour where everything is arranged for you and you get on the bus/train/ship etc. and ride. Whereas with a pipe, you make your own arrangements and adapt as you go along. I think once you are used to calling your own tune, and sometimes mixing your own bowl of pipe tobacco, cigars are still an enjoyable experience but clearly more limiting and limited.

 

[settersbrace]

Yep, and it goes the other way, sometimes, for me as well. I smoke cigars at the B&M as "part if the job" lol and often I'll go a few days without smoking any pipe tobacco and when I do it's like I'm really tasting it like it should be. I've grown as a former cigar guy who years ago only liked robust, full flavored Maduros to loving anything mild and subtle. I completely agree that being a pipe smoker has allowed me to make that adjustment. I get guys coming in that want to take up the pipe and a few women and if they tell me they like the fuller flavored cigars I automatically steer them toward the full flavored Latakia blends. Most come back for more and seem to stay into it. I am one who believes that those candidates won't taste much if I send them out the door with some 1-Q, not that I'm knocking it, just that there's not enough there for these folks to taste with a prejudiced palete. I'm glad I'm not alone with the sentiments posted by the OP.

 

[andrew]

A genuine cohiba that has the required age on it (3+ years) is a splendid treat. I have a box of esplendido's I pull out about once a year on my birthday, I got them direct from a cigar factory in Cuba, as Cohiba's are now rolled in most cigar factories and no longer only at the Cohiba factory. I assume they were on the fresh side when I got them, but going on the 3 year mark they're simply amazing and have the flavor profile described in an esplendido. Overall it's the best 175$ CAD purchase I've ever made.