Last Friday, I was making my way home after a productive week’s work. I was driving down Church Street here in Nashville….window down, some Wilco playing, enjoying the afternoon sunshine, and smoking a pre-release Four Kicks Sublime.
As I was stopped at a red light, I looked to my left and there were a couple of old men sitting on a bench. They seemed to be deep in conversation when all of a sudden, one turns to my direction and says to the other, “..Now THAT is a special see-gar.”
I guess the aroma from my Four Kicks Sublime had drifted across the still afternoon air and he had caught a whiff. I looked towards the old man and a smile came across my face. I wasn’t expecting it; however, that moment made me happier about the work we’ve been putting into the development of Four Kicks than just about anything to that point.
Why?
Simply because that old man’s comment was unprompted, unsolicited, and completely authentic. I didn’t know him, and in fact, I’ll probably never see him again. He was speaking from his heart without hesitation. He didn’t have to reference the notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, cedar, or fruity wood (whatever that is). He didn’t feel compelled to break it down into the first third, second third, and last third. He didn’t mention the lovely floral finish. He just said it smelled like “a special see-gar (cigar).” Period.
He liked what he smelled and he said so. He enjoyed it. Nothing more. Nothing less.
That man’s 3-word ‘review’ got me thinking about some things going on in our industry today. Is there a bit of “The Emperor’s New Clothes” going on when a cigar review calls out “notes of paprika, licorice, and orange peel…,” and you buy into it–and actually “taste” the same things? I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: it’s a proven fact that your taste buds can detect only 5 elements of taste perception, i.e., salt, sour, bitter, sweet, and umami. I get the whole ‘romancing‘ aspect of the flavor descriptives; and I actually am a fan of that sort of marketing. But when I read reviews that call out “baked fruit,” “nougat,” “roasted meat,” and “bread,” I wonder if we’re talking about cigars or ordering dinner and dessert? Does the romance of reviews sometimes go too far?
If it does go too far, do the reviewers themselves sometimes begin to believe their own hype? A review is just one person’s opinion–nothing more. And just because that person is sharing said opinion with you does not make him or her any more important than you nor is their opinion any more valuable than yours. That said, I’m seeing a trend with cigar reviewers–with some, not all–where the reviewer seems to be adopting a growing level of self-importance and inflated ego.
I’ve often thought that there are 2 different types of people in this life: one that creates and one that feeds off of those that create. For example: there are actors, musicians, writers, artists, brand-owners, entrepreneurs, etc. Then there is the countless list of people that thrive as a result of those people, i.e., the agents, managers, critics, attorneys, etc. Often times, those making a living from those that create seem to get a bigger sense of self-worth and bloated ego, and I ask myself, Why?
Yes, it’s true that in this day and age of social media and the online cigar blogging community that certain blogger’s opinions carry substantial weight; often times, they can make or break a cigar brand. I get that. But at the end of the day, we can’t take ourselves so seriously. This business of ours (premium cigars) isn’t going to change the world. We’re in the business of a consumable product–one that is meant to provide enjoyment and relaxation to people’s lives. It’s supposed to be FUN. I, for one, could use less of the gossip mill, politics, rumor mongers, and ego.
A dose of perspective and humility would be a good thing for our industry. Let’s get back to just smoking and enjoying our personal “special see-gars.”
Only one word comes to mind……Bravo.
Jon,
were you listening into our group in the Dominican Republic? I basically argued this point last night how there are only 5 tastes a person gets. the rest is perception.
as this risk of pissing off fellow bloggers and readers… last night I compared us to used care salesmen.
do I taste mocha, nuts, orange peel yes I do. but that does not mean my perception is the same as you.
your post is on point.
Damn dude, you hit the nail on the head everytime. At times, I read these reviews and think “where in the world do they come up with this stuff”, but it’s entertaining to read & I can appreciate their opinion. Keep doing what you do, I / we appreciate it and we will continue to spread The Crowned Heads “gospel”.
HELL YES! This needed to be said by someone who is actually in the industry, not some wannabe with a WordPress blog. Let’s face it, ANYONE can have a website. Lately I’ve noticed a large percentage of cigar bloggers who are completely full of themselves, self-entitled, wannabees. What is even sadder is the ones I speak of don’t even realize what they are or have become in “The industry,” which is nothing. Bloggers – we are nothing in the large scheme of things. I know we sometimes get cool perks and free cigars, but I can’t help but notice it has gone to your heads, and you don’t even realize it. You all still work day jobs, you are no better than anyone else. WE are no better than anyone else.
Bravo for calling out the riff raff. Remember when cigar smoking was about relaxation and not ego?
Thank you very much, Jon, for saying what needs to be said from your side of the fence. Yes, we do cigar reviews on the Blowin’ Smoke Podcast, but we always try hard not to take ourselves too seriously. Too many go too “cerebral” on cigar reviews and, when you step back a little, it begins to appear as naval gazing. When the subject is cigars, there isn’t much more you can do than smoke them and talk about them. Enjoy them, or not. Prefer this, or that. Turning that into a self-righteous taste bud measuring contest is a disservice.
I agree to an extent. But, blogs, podcasts and reviews wouldn’t be very interesting if everyone utilized the “loved it, hated it, meh” scale. So where do we draw the line? I’ve used earthy, grassy, meaty, coffee, dark chocolate, and salty before when describing cigars to friends. Is that taking myself too seriously?
I find that I mostly seek out blogs and reviews of cigars, I’ve already tried. Why? Not exactly sure, but I think it has something to do with the enjoyment I get from social aspect of smoking. Be that at my local B&M (insert obligatory UPtown’s Nashville shout out here) or via an online social community. Like it or not we often try to draw comparisons on how others felt about the cigars and our tastes and preferences. How do we make those comparisons without more info than just “liked it or really liked it?
Please don’t base your buying decisions on others opinions, you might find you completely disagree. And if you just want to relax and enjoy a good cigar with no pretense, then by all means do so. Or if you want to hang with the guys and talk some fantasy football or discuss why blues is the cornerstone for all other contemporary musical genres, then have at it. But let’s agree there is also a place for those that feel like discussing hints of nutmeg while smoking. Just may not be your thing.
BTW, I’ve been lucky enough to try a pre-release Four Kicks. I liked it, I REALLY liked it.
Well said! I often find that my choices of what cigars I try are more closely linked to other cigar smokers that I choose to spend my time with, rather than any of the blogging community. We know each others taste and know what we like. I’ll leave some of those over analized descriptions ot the rest of the internet community. Smoke what you like…
Jon really nice article although I agree with most of your points I have to say there has been time’s I’ve gotten those flavors u say and yes it has to do with what you eat. Your point on bloggers is very correct there are lots of bloggers who tend to get big heads. I for one always say this just my opinion like it or not u should make your own. Thanks again.
Can you differentiate the difference between a blueberry and an apple by scent or by taste without seeing them? Have you ever bit into a dessert and say, “you know, that tastes a lot like…” Comparisons, people, merely comparisons. Some are close, some are a bit of a stretch (those are usually pretty obvious). Some things are hard to put into words, so you choose the words you have. But acid, sweet, salty, bitter and savory alone doesn’t cut it, at least for me. That may put me at odds with Henke Kelner, and everyone else who comments, but I’m ok with that.
I have no beef with anyone’s appreciation of a cigar, as simple or as elaborate as it may be. And I’m not sure why there’s resentment for people who choose to read more into a cigar. What’s the harm in thinking about what you taste, and trying to describe it by whatever means makes sense to you? And if one system of description doesn’t work for you, find one that does. I’m not sure how doing this necessarily means someone is self-important, or has a big ego. (Which is not to say that some people don’t. I mean, I do rather enjoy being me, most of the time.) People will disagree, palates will differ, and environmental factors will have their impact, but every now and then something you’ll read will ring true. And who knows, it might even be useful. If nothing else, it was probably at least a little entertaining, and the best part, it didn’t cost anything but a few minutes of your time.
As for me, I structure my reviews so you can skip to the conclusion (which are less flowery), and look at the Tower of Burn pictures. There are a fair number of people who read my reviews that do just that. I know, because they tell me. And I’m perfectly OK with that too. There is romance and intrigue in (some) cigars, and I enjoy looking for it. Those who choose to do so are welcome to stay on the path.
I can appreciate Brian’s comment. My palate is crude at best, as are my reviews. But there has been the rare occasion that I said “Was that burnt steak?!” Or some other odd flavor. I think John was referring to the crazy embellishments you see from time to time along with the ego maniac component. At least that’s what I got from it. I think he may be saying “Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.”
I need a +1 or Like (gasp, the evil fb ref) button for @Brian’s comment. Well said.
I’ll put it this way — cigars remind me of other things, and in turn other things remind me of cigars. Do we all taste the same things? Of course not. Just like when you look at a piece of art or listen to music, it evokes memories that are unique to your experience.
Well stated Jon. Everyone is different in likes and dislikes and that includes taste. Yes, there are only sweet, sour, salty and bitter, but you can’t tell me you can’t tell you don’t know the difference between chocolate and peaches. Both are sweet right? Scent plays a major component in taste as well. Can you tell a peanut from a pistachio? Both are nutty/salty. I personally don’t get elaborate notes when I smoke a cigar like Mexican cocoa bean or Madagascar vanilla, but I do get cocoa and vanilla sometimes. People also ask me how can I get hickory or oak or leather as taste in cigars. That’s more of a smell factor. If you smoke meats on a smoker like I do year around, you can taste the smokiness from the wood in the meat. Also, everyone knows leather by smell from either a baseball glove, football or nice leather coat. I just do this because I have a passion for cigars. Do I think the cigar world needs NiceTightAsh.com or would be missed by the cigar industry if it disappeared? I very seriously doubt it. For me it’s just another medium for me to talk to like mind people about something I truly love: cigars. When its starts becoming work, I’m done. It all really comes down to one thing, do you enjoy the cigar? That’s all the matters. Who really cares if you can get specific notes or just know it’s good? Just enjoy it. Isn’t that what’s important anyway? Anyway, Jon, interesting read.
Jon,
I can appreciate honest, fluff-free, unsolicited feedback. Thanks ! Cigar smoking and flavor tasting is very subjective. What I can identify as ‘sweet taste’, someone else might label it as ‘mature peachy sweetness.’ Both are after the same end point. Some like to be elaborative, some prefer simplicity. As long as the feedback is honest, I have no problem with either one. Those that make up fancy adjectives, without tasting any of them, for the purpose of sounding ‘professionally smart’, they are only fooling yourself.
PS. Replies in this blog entry turned into ‘blog-central’ 🙂
I agree with a lot of what you said. Will the industry live on without bloggers?,…sure it will. But I don’t think the cigar industry will be as exciting without us. Consider superfans of the industry whom want to know everything about it, but we have opinions, likes and dislikes like everyone else. It is surprising to me how much thanks bloggers get from smaller companies in the business who make an excellent product but just want to get te word out about there sticks. I think without bloggers a lot of “boutique” brands would get lost in this great ocean of the cigar world. Of course some take advantage of the industry, and that gives us a bad name sometimes. But I think the some of the cigar boom of the last recent years has been fueled by bloggers like us. As far as taste, most of what I detect in a cigar is not on the tongue but through smell and what passes through my nasal passages. Without your sense of smell, you basically cant taste anything hardly but noxious stimuli. Your sense of smell can differentiate a lot of different flavors. But I will definitely take some of your words to heart, check my ego at the door, and simply just be a passionate fan of the industry who wants to help rather than hurt this hobby of mine. I think all of us thank you for what you do as a cigar maker and can’t wait to try your cigars!
There is so much more to a cigar than just the five flavors.
I’m primarily like Tom – crude palate at best … but trying to learn more. In that learning aspect, I do appreciate bloggers’ descriptive words since they have been teaching me how to discern various flavors and aromas that I didn’t know how to put words to.
But then, I also agree with Ben Lee, that taste is only one aspect of a cigar’s flavor, with aroma being a huge feeder into that taste.
And finally, we have to include the overall experience, which others have written about. That is, cigars become special when the moments we enjoy them in are special; we can imbue additional benefits to a particular cigar’s enjoyment based on how we already feel — happy, sad, relaxed, with friends, etc.
So while I agree with you, Jon, that there are a few bloggers who go too far, just like our beloved cigars are an individual preference, so too is our tolerance for others’ opinions. And the solution is just as easy — I don’t go back to the one’s I don’t like.
[BTW – can’t wait to try your new Four Kicks!!]
I must respectfully disagree with a lot of the thoughts you put in this post.
First, I’ll ask a question before giving my thoughts on the analogies used to describe flavors. Why is it you chose to name your upcoming cigar “Four Kicks”? I know there is some connection to some band out of Nashville. What ever happened to the days of just naming a cigar a cigar? Why do we need bands, packaging, and marketing around the name?
Now hopefully what I just wrote is taken with a little jest up there, but I’m hoping it helps support my point. We cigar reviewers who assess cigars want to have some level of creativitity and freedom of expression. It is the similar to what you are doing with Four Kicks. I could ask, what the heck does your cigar have to do with music? I’m sure creative expression will come back to mind. I’m also sure there is a vision behind what you are doing and you didn’t just pull that name out of a hat. At the same time, I’m not just pulling analogies out of the air to describe a cigar. Nothing is more frustrating to me when I read a review that says “spicy”. Heck, I want to know what kind of spice it is. Yes, I’m guilty as charged with flavor analogies to food in my cigar reviews. I’ll continue to do so, but most importantly – I hope I’m painting a picture to help someone better understand a cigar. Hopefully the analogies help put that picture in layman’s terms and give the consumer a more accurate picture of the product.
As for the egos in the cigar review community, I’m sure there are some. I’m a smaller player in the world of online cigar review web-sites, but I’ve met several of the people who run the top online cigar review sites – and they couldn’t have been nicer. These folks have been helpful and friendly. And by the way – there is no bigger supporter to an industry under attack like the cigar industry like the online review community. The way I’ve tried to handle myself with my role as an online reviewer is to conduct reviews with fairness and integrity. Some reviews will be positive, and some will not. I’ve also adhered to a code of ethics in terms of my conduct on my web-site and off my web-site. Ultimately, I’ll let the readers be the judge on how well I do.
Nougat is a very real note and I taste it in every cigar I smoke.
Much of how I would have responded to your post has already been stated by my cigar enthusiast brethren above.
Yes, taking oneself too seriously when it comes to an enjoyable hobby such as cigar smoking, can be dangerous.
That said, I love the passion and creativity involved in most of the cigar review blogs I come across. It’s fun to see how close your own assessment comes to those of others’. I also like how you can search through all of these various opinions in hopes of finding tastes and nuances that you typically enjoy yourself.
Social media, etc. is the world we live in now. Embracing this fact as a manufacturer of fine cigars, while still taking the reviews with the proverbial “grain of salt” is IMHO one of the best ways to connect with your current and potentially future customers.
Cheers to all with a passion for good smokes!
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