The art of tasting a cigar

Just like with food, the taste of a cigar is often subjective and dictated by the four key taste receptors on the tongue and palate – sweet, sour, salty and bitter. The aroma of a cigar also has a role to play.

Our taste-buds are influenced a great deal by scent– if you’ve ever pinched your nose while eating, you’ll know exactly what we mean. Fragrant food like strawberries instantly lose much of their taste when you can no longer smell them. Likewise, if you have a cold or blocked sinuses, the pleasure of smoking a cigar will also be inhibited. 

Like an oenophile enjoying a fine wine, cigar aficionados have an impressive lexicon of words at their disposal to describe the experience. And while it’s difficult capturing the true essence of a cigar by breaking down its flavor, burn and aroma, many take great pleasure in trying.

Here’s a selection of popular cigar-defining terms.
Round – a taste that is pleasing and well-balanced.
Rich – a full, persistent and complex taste with many layers.
Robust – a strong-flavored cigar with a distinctive taste.
Fruity – a pleasant, lively taste.
Delicate – a fragrant, semi-sweet taste.

Aftertaste – the lingering sensation and flavors after the cigar smoking has finished.

Clean – a cigar with no aftertaste. Some people enjoy a clean cigar, others feel denied the experience of an aftertaste.
Bouquet – the perceived fragrance, made from a combination of the aroma and the sensation created in the mouth.