I noticed that all of the cigars I have been smoking always start out very harsh and after about an inch mellows out very nicely. It seems it is all brands and types.

Any ideas to why this is? Is it the way they are rolled? I thought it may be from the way I light them but have tried several different ways including cedar strips.

Not a big deal but just curious.
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How do you light your cigars? If you "over cook" the foot when you light your cigars you could get a foul or harsh taste... Have you checked out http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showthread.php?t=1906?
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I like to give it a real light toast. Anything prolonged seems to give those first few puffs a harsh taste.
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I do not think it is from the lighting of the cigar but could be wrong. It is not just the first few puffs but a solid inch of smoking. Maybe the whole NUB thing does have merit!
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Guess it depends on what you mean by harsh. A lot of the cigars I've been smoking start off with a blast of black pepper and spice and tend to mellow a bit or at least change flavor profiles. Pepin's blends of course :-)
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Just finished a series JJ which I tried for the first time. I am yet to meet a cigar by Pepin that I have not really enjoyed. I would not describe it as spice but almost like a really dry cigar and the smoke burns the back of your throat a bit. After and inch it was a smooth and great cigar. Seems to happen with all the cigars I smoke not just Pepin. I personally get the best flavors in the middle third of the cigar
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Sounds like the black pepper taste I get from most Pepin sticks. This usually comes from folding some of the ligero that sticks out of the end back into the bunch.
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I notice this every now and again also. I've started using a soft flame (matches) to light most of my sticks and this seems to help, but I still get it with some cigars. Don't know what else to tell ya other than just power through it.:-)
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Directly after lighting, try purging a couple times and see if that helps.
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This is part of the Puisais method. Here is the full write up on it: http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showth...ghlight=pui%2A

I have found using this method has removed a lot of harshness from my cigars.

On another note, if you have been smoking mostly Pepin's lately, then what you are experiencing is the "Pepin Blast". Most all of his personal lines as well as many of his blends for others have what I and many others describe as a spicey blast for the first inch or so of his cigars. I do not find this with many other cigars, but I can almost tell a Pepin blend blindly by this taste/blast. This to me is different than a harsh or charred taste.
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I too find this as a characteristic of Pepins, but I'll also agree with others that it's more of a blast of black pepper.

As for lighting technique, I toast the foot by holding the lighter below the cigar, not touching the flame to the cigar. I light the stick without drawing, so no butane gets drawn into the cigar.
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The last statement to me would obviously rule out the "Pepin Blast" that was referred to.

What humidity do you store your cigars at? The reason I ask, is because when i first started smoking I was storing at 70% RH, and noticed that everything would start off a bit harsh too, and then as the cigar heated up and lost some moisture it would mellow out a bit.

I corrected this by dropping my RH to 65% (I now like it even lower).
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All of the cigars have spent a month or two in my humidor at 65% with beads before smoking.

I was really curious if they roll the tobacco so it is stronger at the foot and more mild as you get towards the end which would make sense. You would not want the stronger tobacco towards the last few inches. Read that somewhere but have no idea if it is really the case.
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Just out of curiosity what have you been smoking lately that you have been experiencing this with as this should not be the norm clear across the board for most sticks unless of course your just smoking real spice bombs lately. How long have you been smoking cigars? Are you fairly new to smoking? Just asking because I could see if your fairly new to smoking maybe your palette just needs time to adjust to smoking cigars and maybe that is why smokes seem to be harsh at the beginning for you. Figured I would ask some different questions as it seems like your doing everything else right and really trying to think what else could be causing this for you.
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OP: I have noticed the same thing. I don't think it has anything to do with how the cigar is lit nor humidity. I think it is how the cigar is roled, and how the pallet adapt to the flavor. Just when you eat something spicy. The first bite is the strongest. After that you pallet get used to it.
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Not to harp on the issue, but give the Puisais method a try. It may be that you are a super taster and this method may help.
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I have been smoking many different cigars but I do tend to like full bodied cigars.

I think you guys figured it out. I never considered it was me instead of the cigar. The spicey food analogy makes sense. Maybe it just takes me an inch or so to get in sinc with the cigar.
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