OK, before I go to far, I don't want this to degenerate into cigar bashing - that is not at all what this is about. It is simply inquisitive.

Now that I have your attention.

Is it me? Have my tastes changed? Is it the tastes of others?

I've had opportunity to try many, many, many cigars in my 30+ years of cigar smoking. Some I have liked! Some I have tolerated! Some I have tossed before the halfway mark! Some I have absolutely loved!

But now I have developed a new category. These are cigars that I see spoken of very fondly here, of which I have tried a few, but am really relucant to try any more of. Why? They don't have what I like to call the "wow" factor. To me, the "wow" factor is that something that sets a particular cigar apart which makes you part with the amount of $$ required to have another one.

In regard to some of the more popular, most talked about, and highly sought out cigars (at least here) I don't get it! There must be something I am missing.

I know, I know, I know... Smoke what you like, and enjoy it.

BUT...

I really want to fall in love with these too.

LPs seems to be getting a lot of love.
I have had a couple 52s and a couple 9s in various sizes. Not bad smokes, but I couldn't see spending them $$ they want for them to have another.
I even had a #9 Pig, supposedly an outstanding smoke. Ummm, at the halfway point I was completely underwhelmed. I'd like to try more LPs, I have 40 (the Lancero) sitting in my humidor waiting, I am hoping to absolutely love it. I would love to love the Feral Pigs, but I don't even want to order any.

Viajes are another brand that seems to be all the rage. I have had a few, from different lines and wasn't impressed. I even had a couple holiday blend and was looking for that "wow" factor to kick in. I must say, I have had a couple Skull & Bones that were very good, but I don't know that I'd run out and buy a box of them.

Some of the Tatuaje cigars have also left me baffled. I have some red Angeles, brown Noellas, Verocu #5s, Petite Cazadores Reservas, but most of the larger ring guage cigars of these lines, and the LEs, just don't seem to "wow" me either.

Then,... I had an El Rey del Mundo Robusto the other day while golfing, it made me stop, take a puff, pause and really savor it. It was astounding. There was richness and sweetness to it that was intriguing with hints of caramel, coffee, leather, cocoa, and it was constantly shifting and morphing through those flavors. And to many, it is a bland cigar.


So, is it my own taste buds?
Is there something I should be doing to get more out of these cigars?
Is it the moderm smoker is looking for something different than I am?

Thanks for your help.

Peace of the Lord be with you.
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I agree 100%. My experience is limited though and I was waiting to try a few more of the fad cigars before making a post exactly like this one. I don't want to bash things I have not had so I will stop here until I get my hands on the elusive Drew estates goodies.

Maybe my awesome glands just don't work like it used to.:-)
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Yes, it's most certainly you. :-)



I love just about all tats, but I am not a fan of LPs. One thing that I've noticed about smoking fuller bodied smokes is that it is good for me to keep milder "bland" smokes in the rotation. That's the great thing about cigars, they have something for just about every one of my moods.
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It's not you, it's........me.....that's how it goes right?

:-)


On a serious note, the hyped up cigars deliver for people who like the profiles of the flavors. I love Tats. I have yet to tango with one that I dislike.

I have an FFP waiting for me in my humi, if it's half as good as it's made out to be, I'll be in love!

It's all personal preference, although I think hype exposes a brand to more people, so more people know of it. Thus, more people love it
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I completely share your feelings too Todd. You are not alone on those points made. That being said..thanks goodness because I would rather not like those $10-$15 sticks than find out I really like em' and have to get a loan to buy em.
I'm sticking to my wow factor sticks.
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I see it completely different. A mild smoke can be just has complex as a full body smoke but it seems as of late, the more pepper and/or spice it packs, people equate it as a better the cigar. Granted I do enjoy a nice spicy cigar after a good meal but, for me, I find it much more rewarding smoking a cigar that makes you think about the profiles you are taking in and the cigar is not kicking you in the nuts with its power.

Thats the beauty of this hobby, not everyone enjoys the same cigar which adds to the discussion and makes life interesting! :-)
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I agree with you that milder smokes can be just as complex (I would much rather smoke a complex mild cigar over a full bodied kick you in the nuts cigar). I was just using the word "bland" because the good Rev. did so in his inital post.
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Sounds like Nicaraguan tobacco may not be your cup of tea. :-)
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I agree completely, as well.
I think it's generational, Todd. The stuff that's out there right now that's getting suction just isn't anything special. I can't speak to JDrew stuff because all though I've gathered some up and been gifted some, I haven't really given them a go.
It seems it doesn't take much to get a big "Wow" out of people these days. I think it started around the time Diesels were pushed down the sh1tchute. They were cheap, and right in the same line with what guys are willing to pay $13-$15 a stick for now. A decent, one-dimensional cigar.
We have a lot of guys here right now that are new to cigars, or new to "the new and improved" cigars. Riding that wave of excitement is fun. Eventually they run into Padron and Fuente and Litto and cc's, and it's a quick transformation into searching for tried and true sticks that are multi-dimensional, fascinating, and worth the coin.
Until we see the beginning, it's real tough to get to the end. It seems everyone tires of the hypesticks eventually because they become boring. Everything is the same. Once a guy runs into a really, really good cigar, that tends to become his obsession. Or at least it became mine.

My nc hypesticks this year were Short Story Maduro and Oliva V #4, all of which are still sitting and waiting until they're ready to smoke. They'll be incredible come summer or Fall. :-)
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I'm with you, I've been puffing for over 35 years and am still looking for that perfect cigar. :-)
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Our palate evolves, but it's not as linear a process as we'd like to envision; it also goes through phases.

For instance, I'm not a big chocolate lover; I can take it or leave it most times. But then, there are times when I suddenly crave it, and it tastes like heaven for a little while. Same with ice cream.

With cigars, you have to factor in that each cigar is constructed of leaves which should each fit a certain flavor profile in order to make a greater whole, but may vary individually, and sometimes a lot.

Also your mood, the condition of your taste buds at a given time, weather—all that and more combine to influence how a cigar tastes to you at the exact time when you smoke it.

And there are cigars you like, and those you simply don't. For example, Joyas have a fervent and loyal following, but I will never enjoy one no matter the circumstances; they simply aren't what I look for in a cigar. Maybe Liga isn't your cup of tea, either. No biggie.
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Which would suit you better, Joe?
A cigar like a LFD triple Ligero A, or Tat Noella, or Liga Undercrown that starts at it's flavor, and then stays at that exact same flavor for 2-4 hours
...or...
An '08 JJ maduro or Oliva blue band, or Padron Anni that starts as one thing that's incredibly good, then changes into another thing that's incredibly good, and changes again, then culminates into something that's so incredibly good that words can't describe it? Something that's totally made you lose track, or care about time?
That second one, that's a good cigar to me. :-)
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I'll agree to some extent with ya Todd. I find myself really digging the stronger stuff, which Scott tells me is from chewing Copenhagen for 33+ years.

I love the Liga Privada #9 but cannot for the life of me get into the T-52s at all. Viaje stuff is hit and miss with me...I really love the earlier releases of the Skull N Bones, the newer releases just didn't do it for me. Now the Viaje Holiday Blend makes me flip my wig each time I smoke one. Tatuaje is another extreme hit and miss for me...I have loved very few and was left completely baffled more times than i'd care to admit.

While my palate is not anywhere near some of you guys on here, I know what I like. I will take a stick with pepper/spice any day of the week over a more complex/changing stick. That is just what I enjoy.

My "hypestick" this year was the Lou Rodriguez Edicion Reserva. This stick tickles me every time I light one up...in any vitola.

That's the great thing about this hobby...ever changing palates and flavors. I was gifted a Tatuaje Series P (early release) about 18 months ago. This is a stick that I would NEVER had tried and after I did...I LOVED IT!!! This is one of my go to "change of pace" sticks when I want something a lot lighter. The flavors on these are amazing.

I must also admit that I love the El Rey del Mundo Maduro Robusto...this stick is fantastic. Big sleeper stick IMHO. That's the weird thing, this stick goes against everything I stated above...no pepper, no spice...but damn smooth and very tasty.

Bottom line is that we all have different palates and get pleasure in sharing our experiences with fellow BOTL. :-)
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I agree with you brother. My taste have changed since I have started. Cigars I smoked last year I dont care for today. There are a few that I didnt care for but now love them. I just figured it keeps this hobby from getting boring.
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I have a humidor full of cigars that I used to love, but now are meh. My tastes and palate have definitely changed over the short time I have been smoking.
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Scott, that Oliva blue silk band that you sent me was a freakin' revelation. Life-alteringly good. But it had 10 years on it; I wonder what I would have thought of that cigar if I had tasted ROTT...

I do love the Tat Noellas and all of the small gauges from PJ that I've tried; hated the red-band Havana VI; again, here you have circumstance injected to the equation: I was at one of my nephew's ball games and I had no other cigar, so my resentment of "being stuck" with that awful stick compounded my feelings.

Padron Annis are heaven to me, especially the maduros. The Undercrown...they're a conundrum. Smoke them ROTT and you'll likely be underwhelmed; but JD himself told me that waiting 30-45 days after you buy them makes a difference. And I'd love to have the wherewithal to put a number of them away for 1-5 years, tasting along the way and making notes to compare.

The LP-9 I had was superb; a UF-13 was also superb, a singular joy. I have a couple T-52s and MUWAT Baitfish waiting in the RTS humi. We passed a FFP around at the Blueface/Mr. Maduro herf last month and it was underwhelming, but I could see a lot of potential there.

I'll never like anything with "triple ligero" in the name, nor anything that advertises itself as "strong as balls." :-) Strength just isn't what I smoke cigars for, and pepper is a nice undertone in an otherwise complex cigar, but in the forefront I find it offensively obstructive. It gets in the way of anything else the cigar might have to offer.

The skill of a blender shows in a blend which allows many flavors to come through the smoke; nuanced, bold...mingled, separate—every flavor change is pure joy for me, like opening one present after another on Christmas. No flavor has to be "greater" than another, just so that all can have their moment. That to me is a perfect cigar; Punch Ninfas and PLPCs give me that...the HU Mag 50 ELs I smoked ROTT after their release too. And that Oliva. :-):
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To finish my last post...

Conversely, anyone at all can just throw a bunch of ligero and medio-tiempo into a blend and call it good. I think of that as lazy blending; it demonstrates no art nor craft. It takes no skill nor imagination, because a cigar like that won't taste like anything except pepper, and it's just designed to deliver nicotine.

And while I don't begrudge anyone their taste, that's definitely not for me.
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It could be that a lot of the hyped up sticks are really very similar. Full bodied, pepper, cocoa, coffee, enough nicotine to kill a person. So if you don't like one you are unlikely to like the rest, especially if they aren't what you are used to smoking. That could just be my unrefined palate talking though.
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Love Nicaraguan tobacco. Oliva Vs are my favorite, my go to smoke. Love Tat Noellas, Petite Cazadore Reservas, 601 Blues, Cain Daytonas, Omar Ortez originals, and of course, most everything Padron.

To my tastes, I find the LPs and Viajes I have had to be very one-dimensional and bland. There is no excitement in them whatsoever. They might be strong (Cain's are strong), but there is no complexity to them, they lack anything that smacks of imagination. Like I said, they don't "wow" me.

Peace of the Lord be with you.
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My palette has changed so much, just in the last year alone. That's why I sell off those
Smokes that used to wow me. That's the great thing about this hobby. Always new smokes being made for our changing palettes.
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