Cigar Aroma: The Most Overlooked Attribute
Liam HetheringtonA huge factor some cigar smokers miss while smoking cigars is the aroma. I feel it plays a big role in the whole cigar smoking experience. Just doing a bit of research on cigars will show most reviewers will often refer to the beautiful smell of a cigar. In reality though, flavour beats aroma. However, if you are a beginner there is no reason why you should look past the aroma and learn to love it.
When I began my journey of cigar smoking I started with a
H. Upmann Half Corona and one of the first things I noticed was the smell when lighting up. Not only did the cigar have an amazing array of flavours but the aromas really stood out for me and was perfect as a beginner cigar. The charm of a good cigar's aroma is one of the things that non-smokers don't seem to get. If you're ever in a public place its very likely that you've bared witness to somebody turning their nose up at the sight of your cigar. This is only because they're yet to realise the amount of joy you can find while cigar smoking.
A cigars aroma generally hits you as you're smoking as this is when the smoke is closest to your nose. While you're tasting the flavours of coffee, cedar, leather and wood you can also begin to notice a few different smells. What we smell and taste in a premium cigar has a lot to do with the quality of tobaccos in the blend. Most blenders will stick their face deep into a hand of tobacco and take a deep sniff. They are sniffing for a particular aroma that tells them when the leaf is ready.
You may not realise the amount of smells you can get from a cigar but just ask any expert cigar smoker and they could give you a list and when they say things like toasted, nut, and spice you might not understand what they mean. Hopefully this wheel of aromas below will explain for you.
The aroma is as subjective as the flavour, it can make a cigar a hit or miss for any experienced smoker. I often find that
Davidoff cigars pack the best aroma. This may have something to do with the time and care they take while hand making their cigars. If you're yet to try one I highly recommend you add it to your wish list. So, I'm not saying that the aroma is the most important but just to take time when smoking and really get to know the smells as well as the beautiful flavours you are trying.
Take a look below, I have put together a few cigars which I feel have the best aromas.
Cigars with the best aromas