I like to keep my descriptions pretty simple. (salty, sweet, leather,cocoa, etc) but I have to admit, I've tasted and used the descriptive 'pencil lead' for cigars many times.

As others have mentioned, its sort of like the smell right after you sharpen a pencil, not necessarily the lead itself. It's not an unpleasant taste either, unless its really overpowering. I think the only cigar that I remember having a predominantly 'pencil lead' flavor was an RP edge from like 3 years ago. :-) yucky.
[Reply]

I like a #2 dickson pencil to smoke every once and a while. :-)
[Reply]

Pencils don't use lead, they use graphite.

Just sayin'. :-)
[Reply]

I heard that #3 is really internet purchased 2nds of #2 and therefore, inferior.
[Reply]

I'm thinking of splitting up my last box of ultra rare #14 lonsdales from 1994 into fivers. You should see the plume on these bad boys! :-)

Anyone interested?

:-)
[Reply]

So that's where all the lead from my pencil went
[Reply]

I've tasted wet cardboard in wine before, and sometimes Alsatian or Loire French white wines have some pencil lead aromas to them, but I've never tasted that in cigars.

However, I'm better at tasting wines than cigars, AND Cigar Aficianado's older brother is Wine Aficianado so maybe they share the same thesaurus.
[Reply]

I saw that in the CA calendar as well.

However, I far prefer the CI calendar:-)
[Reply]