Cigar Aficionado is absolutely crazy

[elderboy02]

Originally Posted by Footbag

If you sniff a pencil sharpener, you'll know the smell. For that matter, what does barnyard taste like? Or earth?

Most flavors for cigars are more associated with smells then tastes.

OK. I gotcha.

[pnoon]

Originally Posted by Footbag

If you sniff a pencil sharpener, you'll know the smell. For that matter, what does barnyard taste like? Or earth?

Most flavors for cigars are more associated with smells then tastes.

Exactly. We actually taste with our nose as well as our mouths.

[rizzle]

Originally Posted by Footbag

If you sniff a pencil sharpener, you'll know the smell. For that matter, what does barnyard taste like? Or earth?

Most flavors for cigars are more associated with smells then tastes.

Exactly. I mean how appealling is the smell of a barnyard full of dirty animals, their excrement, and mud. And how appealing is the smell of dirt/earth?

It ain't in my book.

[Footbag]

I hate to admit it, but pencil lead or pencil shavings are in my cigar vocabulary. I associate it with an unpleasant flat mineral flavor. Hard to explain but when you taste it, you know.

But, you should've known you'd find some crazies at the Asylum. At least were proud of it!

Originally Posted by Footbag

I hate to admit it, but pencil lead or pencil shavings are in my cigar vocabulary. I associate it with an unpleasant flat mineral flavor. Hard to explain but when you taste it, you know.

But, you should've known you'd find some crazies at the Asylum. At least were proud of it!

Yep, I've tasted pencil lead and I have never enjoyed a cigar that has that flavor. The Nub Habano was definitely one of those cigars and I also thought it was bitter. No bueno, no gracias.

[ActionAndy]

I think the Zino Platinum Scepter series definitely has a pencilish taste on the exhale. I like those though, so I guess I can't even say it's a bad flavor to have. If it was anything more than subtle, though, I see how it could ruin the smoke.

Pencil lead is a common descriptor for cigars and wine. Tire rubber is another one that always threw me. But I have picked up both in wine before and they taste like you would imagine pencil lead and tire rubber tasting. And no I haven't tried either one but I know the smell of both. So you can somewhat infer what they would taste like.

[spooble]

Did the reviewer mention if it was #2 or #3 pencil? In my experience, one is quite tasty... the other, not so much.









yes... I am joking

[cbsmokin]

Originally Posted by spooble

Did the reviewer mention if it was #2 or #3 pencil? In my experience, one is quite tasty... the other, not so much.









yes... I am joking

I heard that #3 is really internet purchased 2nds of #2 and therefore, inferior.

[TheTraveler]

I'm thinking of splitting up my last box of ultra rare #14 lonsdales from 1994 into fivers. You should see the plume on these bad boys!

Anyone interested?

[Footbag]

For me, it's more about finding a word to describe the flavor as opposed to finding a flavor that can be described.

and they taste like you would imagine pencil lead and tire rubber tasting

I have detected tire rubber in a few smokes. I usually like DPG/PJ smokes, but the La Riqueza's have a bit of burnt rubber flavor to my palate. In looking at reviews and descriptions, I notice many describe it as burnt Hickory wood.

I believe that my burn tire rubber = others burnt Hickory. Just goes to show you how important it is to have a wide open vocabulary when describing flavors.

[wrench turner 85]

I like a #2 dickson pencil to smoke every once and a while.

[karmaz00]

nothing like pencil lead...

[jquirit]

Early 80s pencil lead is far superior to the pencil lead from the 90s.

Originally Posted by jquirit

Early 80s pencil lead is far superior to the pencil lead from the 90s.

I have to disagree with you on that one.Depending on the country of origin and the specific region it was made, some of the 90's pencil lead is top notch.

FWIW, pencil "lead" is a mixture of graphite and clay. Pencil shavings do have a slightly metallic smell to them.

WTF are they smoking????!!!! oh right, pencil lead seriously though I prefer # 1 lead taste in the morning for a lighter smoke. I usually go for a #5 or #6 taste after a big dinner.

[yourchoice]

Originally Posted by Only Fuentes

WTF are they smoking????!!!! oh right, pencil lead seriously though I prefer # 1 lead taste in the morning for a lighter smoke. I usually go for a #5 or #6 taste after a big dinner.

You sir are clearly not a connesuir of pencil lead. A #1 is typically heavy and full strength. A #5 or #6 is lighter and more refined. Darn noobs!

[TheRiddick]

Originally Posted by BC-Axeman

FWIW, pencil "lead" is a mixture of graphite and clay. Pencil shavings do have a slightly metallic smell to them.

Graphite it is. And as already stated just above, many of us used to lick the pencil when we wrote (wow, I am how old?). This taste note applies and is used in many a Pomerol wine (right coast of Bordeaux) and is actually imparted by specific barrels used to age wine. Actually helps to id some wines blind although lately some Napa guys are using same barrels to same effect.

I have yet to come across a cigar that said "pencil lead/graphite" to me, but then I've seen page after page of reviews in Wine Spectator where a reviewer used one particular tasting note (say, blueberry stems or whatever) across a couple dozen wines being reviewed. I guess they just get fixated by some tasting flavor on some days and this spills out into reviews somehow.

Don't forget that some CA reviewers also review wine and if, by chance, they smoked tha cigar while also drinking a particular wine, then I could easily see them "taste" pencil lead, no big surprise there.

During the cigar boom, there were a lot of pencil lead cigars out there.