i've been reading more reviews (and have written one, too, on the toraño reserva selecta maduro, if anyone wants to read it) but still don't quite know what to think of a few terms -- or how to apply them to a couple of cigars.

when i read a review, i want to know more about what the terms really mean, how they translate to what i know about a cigar's taste.

so on that note, has anyone tried these different CTSH wrapper cigars?

1. a toraño reserva select natural
2. a fonseca or helix natural

i see similar descriptions of all of these based on the CTSH wrapper. but while i LOVED the fonseca and helix natural, i didn't care for the taste profile of the RS natural.

i'm trying to figure out what the difference is in terms of descriptions AND in terms of the taste difference in general. the RS is mild-med and has a CTSH, yes, and so do the other two -- but the taste of the RS is miiiiiiles apart from the other two.

my question: why? and what words would best describe the RS and the other two (which i see as similar tasting).

thanks in advance,
tony

The Torano is a good-very good and the otheres are crap. IMHO

THL: that's all well and good, but WHY do you think so?

see, another "excellent" ctsh i've tried was the griffins robusto, but again the taste was just "off" for me.

i LOVE toraño cigars. bigtime. and i loved the maduro version of the RS. but the natural just had a taste profile that was very different from other ctsh 'gars i've had that i liked.

i'm trying to find terms that would describe the two very different tastes. i know that the helix and fonseca both had much more "peppery spice" to them, but that doesn't account for the other taste i found in the RS, which i can only think of as coffee-like. i'm looking for more descriptive terms for the differences.

antonio

Tony, the wrapper only accounts for 20 to 50 per cent of the taste of a cigar. The rest comes from the filler and binder. Different blends of these = different tastes. Hope that helps.

eleltea: yeah, that i do get. thing is, i tend to like ctsh wrapper cigars "in general." most that i'd tried had a similar taste profile. just recently, though, i've tried a couple that were very very different. i'm thinking that it WOULD be the filler or binder perhaps, too, although the RS has a more brown CTSH, while the fonseca and helix had a more golden wrapper.

anyway, the crux of this is really trying to find the TERMS to describe the tastes of these three cigars -- esp. the difference between the RS and the other two. 🙂 that way, when i go looking for a CTSH i can read the descriptions and not have to wonder if it's going to taste more like the RS or more like the other two.

antonio

Taste is a very subjective thing ...

... and no matter what you read (that someone else wrote) ... it will seldom match up with what you 'pick-up' in a cigar.

so when someone writes, for instance, that a cigar is "toasty" or "creamy" -- that doesn't mean anything particular enough to be really descriptive?

sorry if i'm frustrating you guys; just really trying to get a grip on this taste description thing so i can use them as guides towards what i like. in short, i'm trying to figure out how to accurately describe my OWN taste profile.

and thanks for the suggestions, all!

antonio

Tony, what Slim said. I was being a bit of a wise-ass but cigars either taste good to me or they don't. These guys that describe cigars in terms of leather or heather, a hint of musk, maybe they taste all of that stuff, maybe they're full of crap. I've learned that some of the people here have similar tastes to mine. If they like a cigar, I pay attention because I know that I'll probably like it too. There are others that I know to ignore. It's trial and error. If you see someone post a favorable review on a cigar that you like, you have a starting point. Have you ever loved a movie that the critics hated? It's the same deal with cigars.

THL: yeah, that's a good point. it's just frustrating to see a description -- not pro or con, just a description -- of a cigar and it SOUNDS like something i'd like. then i give it a go, and i think, "well, i guess 'creamy' and 'spicy' and 'peppery' must mean something different to them, coz -i- sure didn't taste it!" 😛

don't get me wrong -- i AM learning a LOT about all things cigar-related here, and i appreciate all the advice, tips and nudges. 🙂

I used to ponder stuff like this. And then after my 10,000th cigar I finally got it. It took me a lot of cigars over a period of time - under diff. circumstances, paired with diff. drinks, etc. before I started detecting and recognizing different tastes as well as stuff like finish, body, strength, etc. and noticing what certain things would affect the taste and how. There's just so much about cigars that simply must be experienced, but the great thing is - these boards cover just about everything else!

Oh, and another thing about taste descriptions - a lot of people have a hard time with descriptions like - "woody" taste saying they have never tasted wood. I don't know much about anatomy - but I do know that when you taste a cigar - it's really like your smelling it - and we all know what wood, leather, etc. smells like. Ahhh..just thinking of all the wonderful tastes makes me start drooling...

I find that the taste of a cigar is much harder to define then the taste of wine. There are certain taste profiles occurring in cigars that I'm sure we can all identify as having experienced in everyday life. i.e. pepper, salt, sweet, bitter, toast, leather or nuts. After that I find it gets more obscure, ( I have no idea what earth or loam tastes like). It seems apparent in your posting that you might be a bit hung up on what others are tasting versus what you taste. Don’t let that discourage you not everyone has the same taste profile nor is everyone able to put into words what they are tasting. Slim is right you either like what you taste or don’t like what you taste. When I write reviews I tend to concentrate on the things I’m capable of describing such as the draw, look and burn of the cigar. Focus on the quality and texture of the wrapper, the smell of the tobacco. As you begin to experience different and varied cigars you will be able to pick up on things easier. Tasting notes is a great way to practice identifying what it is you like and latter you can use that to compare with what your smoking and say ya I’ve tasted that before. The important thing is relax, enjoy and don’t take it to seriously.

*laugh* thanks, guys! yeah, i do think i'm getting too caught up in the terms. it's like "well, his wood tastes different than MY wood!" um, wait... DOH! 😉

there are some that are pretty straightforward -- finally getting the diff. between "spice" and "pepper," but i'm not so sure about splitting the hairs from there (black pepper, white pepper, salsa-like, etc.).

and things like "herbal" -- which herb?! -- and "loam" and such... ehhhhh, fuggedabowdit!

Ray Charles put it best when asked about what music he liked he replied there is only two kinds of music GOOD and Bad same with cigars. A lot of different tastes and the more I smoke the more taste I can figure out but bottom line I like it or I don't. Best advice I saw in this post watch the reviews if someone likes a cigar you like than take notice. It might be right up you alley.