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The Evil Dr. Moki's Group Blind Taste Test #1

10/10 went with Cuban. I can't think of a better ad for a cigar then that ... I just ordered 5 of the Corona Extra off just that fact. Keep having fun with this guys.
 
simmsboard said:
10/10 went with Cuban. I can't think of a better ad for a cigar then that ... I just ordered 5 of the Corona Extra off just that fact. Keep having fun with this guys.
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Only if you think "Cuban = good" -- which obviously isn't necessarily the case. :)

IMHO, the "Cuban" designation doesn't mean anything other than where the cigar came from. You'll get the sublime, the good, the bad, and the ugly from every country that makes cigars.
 
moki said:
simmsboard said:
10/10 went with Cuban. I can't think of a better ad for a cigar then that ... I just ordered 5 of the Corona Extra off just that fact. Keep having fun with this guys.
Click to expand...

Only if you think "Cuban = good" -- which obviously isn't necessarily the case. :)

IMHO, the "Cuban" designation doesn't mean anything other than where the cigar came from. You'll get the sublime, the good, the bad, and the ugly from every country that makes cigars.
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But one must ask the question, if there is nothing in reality that can point to a cigar being Cuban, no characteristics that they tend to have in common that non-Cubans would usually lack, you gotta wonder, why does everyone say these are Cuban in blind tests?

And the fact that they actually aren't proves part of Moki's point but we still have to assume according to the data out there, there is a certain taste profile attributed to Cubans. And it's not imaginary.
 
Fyodor said:
But one must ask the question, if there is nothing in reality that can point to a cigar being Cuban, no characteristics that they tend to have in common that non-Cubans would usually lack, you gotta wonder, why does everyone say these are Cuban in blind tests?

And the fact that they actually aren't proves part of Moki's point but we still have to assume according to the data out there, there is a certain taste profile attributed to Cubans. And it's not imaginary.
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Probably because people think they taste close to a particular marca, like the Bolivar or Hoyo de Monterrey as people in this test stated. Very different thing tasting like a particular marca than translating that into a taste that applies to all cigars from one island.

It'd be like if I had a microbrew that was brewed in the style of a Franziskaner... people might call it German, because it tastes that that particular wheat beer. That doesn't mean there's an overriding taste to all beers from Germany. Far from it.
 
moki said:
Fyodor said:
But one must ask the question, if there is nothing in reality that can point to a cigar being Cuban, no characteristics that they tend to have in common that non-Cubans would usually lack, you gotta wonder, why does everyone say these are Cuban in blind tests?

And the fact that they actually aren't proves part of Moki's point but we still have to assume according to the data out there, there is a certain taste profile attributed to Cubans. And it's not imaginary.
Click to expand...

Probably because people think they taste close to a particular marca, like the Bolivar or Hoyo de Monterrey as people in this test stated. Very different thing tasting like a particular marca than translating that into a taste that applies to all cigars from one island.

It'd be like if I had a microbrew that was brewed in the style of a Franziskaner... people might call it German, because it tastes that that particular wheat beer. That doesn't mean there's an overriding taste to all beers from Germany. Far from it.
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Personally, I do feel there is a certain taste profile attributed to "some" Cuban cigars, but I believe it may be more due to terroir than to marca. The whole marca part of this taste test is a complete shot in the dark for me and I give it the least amount of thought and effort.

I'd be very interested in doing taste tests of cigars from different regions from a given country and then from different farms within that region.

:cool:
 
NorCalCigarLover said:
I'd be very interested in doing taste tests of cigars from different regions from a given country and then from different farms within that region.

:cool:
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Thing is, that can change from year to year. But I'll buy that idea... perhaps is is the terroir of certain tobacco used in certain marcas?
 
moki said:
NorCalCigarLover said:
I'd be very interested in doing taste tests of cigars from different regions from a given country and then from different farms within that region.

:cool:
Click to expand...

Thing is, that can change from year to year. But I'll buy that idea... perhaps is is the terroir of certain tobacco used in certain marcas?
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That's what I'm thinking. There was only one cigar that I ever had that was so full of that taste profile it was overpowering. I have tasted it in others from time to time but never so strong and not always present in a Cuban cigar.

I am hopeing to find a cigar with all of the tobacco used to make it coming from the Pinar Del Rio province to use as a baseline.

:cool:
 
NorCalCigarLover said:
An interesting video of Willy Alvero on the topic of cigar terroir ..... HERE

:cool:
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The audience member in the video made an interesting point when he brought up the fact that most of the non-Cuban prominent cigar makes really are cuban families that left Cuba after Castro took power. This would suggest that terror is a significant factor in the flavors that are present in a cigar since those families took both the seeds and their knowledge with them. It would be an interesting (and long) experiment to grow tobacco with different soil conditions to find out how it affects flavor. How would soil additives affect the flavor? I think you could spend decades on an experiment like this.
 
LarryH said:
The audience member in the video made an interesting point when he brought up the fact that most of the non-Cuban prominent cigar makes really are cuban families that left Cuba after Castro took power. This would suggest that terror is a significant factor in the flavors that are present in a cigar since those families took both the seeds and their knowledge with them. It would be an interesting (and long) experiment to grow tobacco with different soil conditions to find out how it affects flavor. How would soil additives affect the flavor? I think you could spend decades on an experiment like this.
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People HAVE spent decades on said experiments... generations, even.

I don't want to derail this thread, but I think the most important thing Cuba has going for it regarding cigars is caché. I know people who have never smoked a cigar in their lives, but they want to smoke a "Cuban cigar" -- makes people feel special, powerful, and "the best" by association with "the best." The second most important thing Cuban has going for it is a long storied tradition, history, and knowledge of cigar making.

Cuba makes some great cigars, of that there is no doubt, but there's more at work here than that. Bear in mind that the goal of this blind taste test was not to pick Cuban vs. non, so I didn't necessarily pick cigars that I thought would be confusing.

One other bit of psychology that I think is interesting is in blind taste tests that I've done, and that I've seen done, when people really don't like a cigar, they tend to believe it costs less. When they really love it, they will tend to mark it as being more expensive. I think that's an interesting statement on how enjoyment and costs are linked.
 
I though this was about blind smoking 10 cigars with 10 guys and comparing notes. Preconceived judgments about cigars because of the band was what I though Andrew was trying to dispel! I got to smoke some great cigars and express my own opinions about them. I've always been of the opinion that if the cigar tastes good who give a fuck who makes it and where it comes from! It's one of my favorite things when people come into the store and ask me for cigars from a certain region. I'm sorry but I've had dog rockets from every country that produces cigars. Are you telling me that you haven't had a great cigar from the Dominican and some that you wouldn't smoke on a dare! I think,as well educated of consumers of this product as we are, that we don't rely on the one thing that attracts us to cigars in the first place, taste! I want to roll my palate in flavorful smoke! I want it to taste good. Smoke what you like, try new things and don't poo-poo a cigar because of where it comes from (unless of course Andrew just pulled it out of his special humidor in the bathroom!). Thanks again for pulling this together!
 
Smokyballs said:
I though this was about blind smoking 10 cigars with 10 guys and comparing notes. Preconceived judgments about cigars because of the band was what I though Andrew was trying to dispel! I got to smoke some great cigars and express my own opinions about them. I've always been of the opinion that if the cigar tastes good who give a fuck who makes it and where it comes from! It's one of my favorite things when people come into the store and ask me for cigars from a certain region. I'm sorry but I've had dog rockets from every country that produces cigars. Are you telling me that you haven't had a great cigar from the Dominican and some that you wouldn't smoke on a dare! I think,as well educated of consumers of this product as we are, that we don't rely on the one thing that attracts us to cigars in the first place, taste! I want to roll my palate in flavorful smoke! I want it to taste good. Smoke what you like, try new things and don't poo-poo a cigar because of where it comes from (unless of course Andrew just pulled it out of his special humidor in the bathroom!). Thanks again for pulling this together!
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Well stated, Mr. Balls!
 
NorCalCigarLover said:
An interesting video of Willy Alvero on the topic of cigar terroir ..... HERE


Edit: another interesting one on tasting ..... HERE


:cool:
Click to expand...



Very enjoyable. Thanks for the links!

Moki, you should challenge Willy Alvero to a blind tast test. And be sure to add one of those Cabaiguan WCD's.
 
Smokyballs said:
I though this was about blind smoking 10 cigars with 10 guys and comparing notes. Preconceived judgments about cigars because of the band was what I though Andrew was trying to dispel! I got to smoke some great cigars and express my own opinions about them. I've always been of the opinion that if the cigar tastes good who give a fuck who makes it and where it comes from! It's one of my favorite things when people come into the store and ask me for cigars from a certain region. I'm sorry but I've had dog rockets from every country that produces cigars. Are you telling me that you haven't had a great cigar from the Dominican and some that you wouldn't smoke on a dare! I think,as well educated of consumers of this product as we are, that we don't rely on the one thing that attracts us to cigars in the first place, taste! I want to roll my palate in flavorful smoke! I want it to taste good. Smoke what you like, try new things and don't poo-poo a cigar because of where it comes from (unless of course Andrew just pulled it out of his special humidor in the bathroom!). Thanks again for pulling this together!
Click to expand...

Funny, I thought this was about learning. Personally, I learn more from analyzing the results and discussing those results with others who do give a f about the who, how and why.

The Goal
The journey is the reward! The goal here is to enjoy some fine cigars, and see what the blind reviewers think of said cigars when the are unencumbered by their preconceptions. I will also see if we can extrapolate any trends in terms of what cigars were the most liked, whether cost, origin, etc. has anything to do with enjoyment, etc.
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:cool:
 
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