alright I need a doctor's opinion here, I don't know what kind of doctor, anything but a proctologist would probably do. Sometimes I noticed after a meal cigars don't have as much flavor as other times after a meal. What I am getting at, is there some kinds of food that stimulate the taste sensors, making cigars have more fuller taste and others that deaden it? Something like salty foods? Last week I had the same cigar after dinner three times, once I had a hard time tasting it, the others varied in the amount of taste as well, bottom line is, I would just love to know what is the best way to stimulate the taste sensory to get the maximum amount of enjoyment out of a cigar, if possible. I seldom smoke a cigar before dinner, and late at night seems to be when I enjoy them most.

Verry Interesting. I suspect your well designed and extremly precise experiment has discovered another tastebud on the tongue, the "cigar" bud. Wonder if you can patent it. There probably needs to be some more experimentation to better quantify and define the independent and dependent variables, their relationships. Suggest you send out 3 cigars to all who reply with a specified meal to eat before smoking each cigar, and have us all fill out a simple questionaire. Wonder if there is a Nobel Prize for research in perfecting the art of "Cigar Smoking?"

Hmmmmmm.......

It can depend on the the food you are eating. Spicy foods that have cayenne pepper, oregano, and even cinnamon can cause the palate to to miss the fine intricacies of a good cigar. Generally the spicier the more difficult it would be to diffrentiate the bouquet one might say of the cigar. Not always but can have a definite impact.

are you a proctologist??

so you suggest bland foods before a cigar? I have noticed that it is all but useless to try to smoke a cigar after eating hot and spicy Chinese food, but what stimulates cigar taste?? What kinds of foods can I eat to help? I find I enjoy most cigars with beer.

No don't eat bland foods to accomodate this. I love to eat about as much as I like to smoke a gar' and drink a beer like you! I did see this once which is totally unrelated but may have some tangible quality so to speak. A friend and I went to a micro-brewery and he tried their sampler which consisted of 8 3 oz. beers. The waitress gave him a glass of water to clear his taste buds between each beer so he could taste the full effect of the next. Not saying it would work but you may try to drink a glass of water after a spicy meal to clear the palate and then see if the gar' and beer has a better effect. Hope it works for you bud......

tsk, tsk, tsk, ..shame on you going back on your word... "anything but a proctologist will probably do" my sensitivity meter is pegged out, seems I struck a raw nerve, sorry, thought a touch of humor late at night might be appreciated, esp w/the burbon.

This probably sounds and might just be pretty stupid but I find that brushing my teeth before a cigar really wakes up my buds and I definately appreciate a cigar more by doing this. Crazy....maybe, but it works for me. Oh yea...and 98% of the time with a beer.

I have a couple of suggestions for you.

First of all, try tasting your cigars with a drink that is acidic. Sprite or even Pepsi works well. This will help "cleanse you pallet". Beer is great for total relaxation when enjoying a good smoke, but is not the best for tasting.

Second, I suggest you get yourself a scrapbook. Everytime you have a cigar, paste the band in the book and right all your observations next to it. Include information like what you ate before and what you drank during.

Over time, this will provide you with an invaluable resource to enjoying every cigar you have tried.

Hope this helps.

-Huminie

I personally can't think of anything funnier than asking someone if they are a procotlogist, that or a merchant banker.

Robert Hacker in his book wrote when he is tasting two cigars at the same time, takes a bite of bread between each puff before trying the other cigar. I don't think I will try the toothpaste theory, if smoking a cigar after brushing teeth is anything like drinking orange juice, disasterville! And Huminie, you thoughts are appreciated, in fact tonight I had two Wendy's Garden Pitas, and lots of water with my meal as always, and my cigar tasted great! Late at night I always have beer with my cigar, I am not a big hard liquor type, and especiall if I am smoking a dry cigar, I need a good amount of liquid refreshment for that! But I do think water helps, I never thought of the Pepsi approach, doesn't that make the cigar sweet? Like how coffee completely changes the taste of the cigar the first puff after taking a sip? I wonder if there is some medical procedure to give one super taste buds, I think that would be a excellent investment, then insure them with Lloyds of London.

I agree with the water. I often smoke while working outside doing yardwork or sitting in the hot tub. One thing I definitely noticed is that I almost always want to have some water because I enjoy the cigar more with the water. Perhaps it freshens/clears the palate. I know a doctor who is into cigars. Beers are okay and liquor, but after a couple of drinks my taste buds don't know the difference.

Some tastebuds in the mouth and the olfactory system have receptor sites that can deaden after being stimulated by certain foods.Also,the lifestyle and age,sex,genetics of the individual are causative factors.Extensive research has been done in organic chemistry on this subject and basically what can be learned is that results of identifying smell and taste can vary greatly from person to person.Each person has a different array of these receptor sites also with different shapes.The recognition of powerful aromas or flavors is usually universal amongst everyone,except in those that do not have the genetic disposition(receptors).However,subtle flavors and aromas have been found to be described differently amongst these individuals or not at all depending on the order that they smelled or tasted them.This may account for the differences that you experience while smoking the same cigars.I wish that there was a universal solution to combat this effect but so far no "real" evidence has been presented.

Aaaah....You can always tell a Harvard man.....you just can't tell him much! 🙂 Well said.

listen to Huminie..... simply cleanse your palate if you feel that your meals are "interfering" with your enjoyment of after-dinner smokes. Otherwise, consider pairing your smokes with certain foods through a true cigar tasting dinner.

lol.:)

I always drink ice water with my smokes. It seems to keep the taatse buds cealn and ready for more:)...The one exception is with my favorite, the HdM xcalibur. then it always coffee, either iced or hot. It really enhances the flavor.

Wonder if that Aberdeen guy lives near Youngra?

It's like deja vu all over again lately.