Finish (?)

[Mr. Ed]

I agree with the Rev. I always refer to the finish as what's left on the palate after I exhale the smoke or drink the scotch.

Originally Posted by Emjaysmash

I'm with you, Todd. Being one of the young whippersnappers, I still use finish as you do. The last part of the cigar is my "final third" as I call it. (I usually separate cigars into thirds, as I have seen other reviewers do before).

That's another thing, I never understood why dividing the cigar into thirds was the best for reviewing. Why not halves, or fourths? Is it just arbitrary?

[Da Klugs]

My long held interpretation of finish is the "experience" after exhale. Some cigars have a long slow comedown from the flavor peak experienced from a single draw of the cigar. These I describe as having a "long finish". Cigars that "coat" the palate tend towards the long finish.

In the opposite extreme there are cigars that immediately after the exhale the flavor experience drops off / disappears. Generally describe these as having a short finish.

Aftertaste is probably a large component of my definition. If you continue your contemplation of the intricacies of the flavors of a cigar for a period of time after the exhale... to me it has the characteristics of a long finish. If those flavors disappear from your palate almost immediately upon exhale... short finish.

It's in the extremes that I notice the topic and comment. Most cigars are middle ground. Some have characteristics that fall outside of the norm and bring to mind the topic and cause the comment on short or long finish.

[akumushi]

Originally Posted by Da Klugs

My long held interpretation of finish is the "experience" after exhale. Some cigars have a long slow comedown from the flavor peak experienced from a single draw of the cigar. These I describe as having a "long finish". Cigars that "coat" the palate tend towards the long finish.

In the opposite extreme there are cigars that immediately after the exhale the flavor experience drops off / disappears. Generally describe these as having a short finish.

Aftertaste is probably a large component of my definition. If you continue your contemplation of the intricacies of the flavors of a cigar for a period of time after the exhale... to me it has the characteristics of a long finish. If those flavors disappear from your palate almost immediately upon exhale... short finish.

It's in the extremes that I notice the topic and comment. Most cigars are middle ground. Some have characteristics that fall outside of the norm and bring to mind the topic and cause the comment on short or long finish.

X2
If I need to talk about the flavor in the last few puffs of a cigar at the nub, I use the word "finale" so as not to confuse it with finish.

[kaisersozei]

Originally Posted by Mr. Ed

That's another thing, I never understood why dividing the cigar into thirds was the best for reviewing. Why not halves, or fourths? Is it just arbitrary?

I make a distinction based on where there is a clearly defined "evolution" or change in the taste profile. Sometimes that works out to thirds, other times halves, and other times not at all. But that's just how I do things, I am by no means a sophisticated professional reviewer!

[Emjaysmash]

Originally Posted by Mr. Ed

I agree with the Rev. I always refer to the finish as what's left on the palate after I exhale the smoke or drink the scotch.



That's another thing, I never understood why dividing the cigar into thirds was the best for reviewing. Why not halves, or fourths? Is it just arbitrary?

For me, this is the best way to divide up the cigar, imho. Halves are a bit too large to review, and quarters seem too small, especially when the cigar sometimes balances out in the first quarter. *Most* (and this means the most that I have seen) use the thirds-method.