First Time? How To Taste a Cuban Cigar.

The people of South Tampa, FL are dying to know how and what to taste in a Cuban cigar.

If you are a beginner to the cigar smoking world, you may not know how to truly appreciate a Habano until you understand how to unlock its unique flavor. Many experts document hints of a number of flavors in the smoke of a cigar, but how do you recognize and appreciate these? Cigar flavors are subtle but intentional and are developed over time by expert cigar creators in Cuba. To help you get started, take a look at our tips and tricks on how to taste Cuban cigars in South Tampa, FL.

Practice Makes Perfect

As with many skills, when you first attempt them, they will not be as refined as if you continue to practice them. Being able to recognize cigar flavors can take time and guidance; the more you smoke, the more you will be able to truly savor them. To help with this, consider visiting a cigar specialist you can let you smoke some different varieties while describing the flavors in each one. When smoking by yourself, consider keeping some notes about flavors you recognize to help decipher them. With friends, why not try and blindfold taste test where you can each document what you taste and compare notes. Some of the most common flavor notes that you may find within Cuban cigars are listed below to get you started: Spice – Many cigars have a spicy taste to them and deliver a level of heat. This may include cardamom, pepper, or richer flavors like coffee, cocoa, or caramel. Nuttiness – Strongly flavored cigars often have a nutty taste to them, such as hazelnuts, chestnuts, or pecans, giving the cigar a full taste. Quite often, cigars can be a combination of nutty and spicy or nutty and earthy. Earthy – Earthy flavors such as wood or grass are common in cigars, often with rich nutty flavors. This comes from the tobacco used and is often experienced as an aftertaste.

Try ‘Retro-haling’

One of the cigar smoking techniques that has become more popular in recent years is retrohaling. This is where you exhale the cigar smoke through your nose, rather than simply letting it back out of your mouth. This helps with identifying the flavors in the cigar, as studies have shown that the vast majority of our taste comes from our sense of smell. This can lead to you discovering a number of new flavors that may have previously gone undetected.

Make The Flavors More

Intense In order to get the most intense flavors out of your cigar, smoke it slowly to allow the notes more time to develop. If you smoke it too quickly, the cigar will heat up faster than it should, limiting the flavors you experience. Take at least a minute between puffs, and allow the smoke to spend some time in your mouth before you breathe it out. This will leave a taste of the flavors in your mouth, even after you exhale, giving you more time to identify and appreciate them. Come see us at Findy Cigar Company & Hookah Lounge in South Tampa, FL today.