036: Understanding rum

Have you ever struggled to name the flavors that you perceive when smoking a cigar? Or have you ever wondered if it's the cigar or if it's you to be off? Have you ever met friends who could not agree on what to think about a cigar? Did you ever try to define a cigar's flavor profile, but then realize that everyone with whom you talk to has defined a totally different profile?

Build consensus in an authentic way
Learn more about tasting in general
Understand how your tasting skills compare to others'
Clearly and visually identify your tasting skills gaps so you can address them
Get recognition and acknowledgement. You may win a prize that will rank you among the best tasters in the industry!
Learn about different types of tasters and of tasting panels

Much more on Sunday 15 October 2023 at 20:00 CET. Meeting details are here: https://www.cigarsense.com/consumer-tasting-groups/https://www.cigarsense.com/consumer-tasting-groups/.
Join us for a social meeting where we will explain all details of how the Cigar Sense Consumer Tasting Groups work, so you can join in at your pace later on.

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Cigar Sense Podcast is sponsored by Cigar Sense premium members. We have no cigars sale, nor ads/influence sale revenue because we strive to provide independent and reliable information.

Why are Cuban Cohiba's now more expensive than ever?

In this episode we discuss:

• the causes of supply disruptions
• the causes of demand increase
• the response of most cigar producers
• the Habanos new pricing strategy
• the "truly rare" effect vs. scarcity and exclusivity marketing strategies
• the emerging Chinese consumers
• filling the empty shelves left by truly rare Cuban cigars
• finding the best cigars replaing the truly rare Cuban cigars

Tool to find great cigars similar to any that are hard to find:

• Independent personalized recommendations: https://www.cigarsense.com/ - from any cigar analysis page, click on "Find Similar Cigars" at the bottom of the page

You can ask your questions, make comments and be featured on the podcast! Email franca@cigarsense.com

 

Cigar Sense Podcast is sponsored by Cigar Sense premium members. We have no cigars sale, nor ads sale revenue because we strive to provide independent and reliable information.

Top cigars lists time seems to have ended for the season, but there are many excellent cigars that haven't been recognized.

In this episode we discuss:

• How can more of the excellent cigars be recognized?
• What is quality, anyway?
• How can we know, before buying it, if we will like a cigar?
• Reviewers' personal preferences, a must have bias?
• What are the best ways to make informed buying decisions?

References:

• Product Excellence Awards program: https://www.cigarsense.com/product-excellence-awards-by-cigar-sense/
• Science-based tasting education: https://www.cigarsense.com/courses/a-cigar-tasting-course/
• Independent personalized recommendations: https://www.cigarsense.com/
• Tasting seminars: https://www.cigarsense.com/virtual-seminars/

 

You can ask your questions, make comments and be featured on the show! Let your voice be heard. Email Franca 

Cigar Sense Podcast is sponsored by our premium members. We have no cigars sale, nor ads sale revenue. Just like for the Cigar Sense membership and our educational resources, we strive to provide independent and reliable information.

•  What is ChatGPT?
• Challenges
• Opportunities for the cigar industry
• Test: what are the flavors of cigar X?
• Test: personalized cigar recommendations
• Garbage in, garbage out?
• Google, will it detect AI content?
• The powerful bigger picture

For more about the sensory and cultural world of cigars, visit https://www.cigarsense.com/.

To learn more about ChatGPT: https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt/

We get questions from our members. Recently Albert, a long time member, asked us: “Sometimes while smoking a familiar cigar, I sense more bitterness or other sensory impressions than usual, and I wonder if it’s actually the cigar, or in fact I am off. I'm excluding any obvious source of prejudice like very bitter or spicy foods just before smoking.

• Do people’s senses vary?
• Is there a method to calibrate one’s sense of taste and aroma just before having a smoke?”

Some members of our panel discuss and reply to Albert's questions.

References:

On priming mind and palate: https://www.cigarsense.com/the-science-of-cigar-tasting/
If you really want to taste like a pro, know what sensory analysis is: https://www.cigarsense.com/sensory-analysis-a-misunderstood-discipline/
To learn even more: https://www.cigarsense.com/a-sensory-course-for-cigar-tasting/

Cigar Sense launched a “Product Excellence Award” program, to provide recognition to those premium cigars producers that consistently meet high standards in terms of draw, burn, production consistency, sensory and other key quality indicators, and meet a majority of consumers’ preferences much better than other cigars.

If you want to understand:

• what this award means
• why it’s different from other cigar recognitions
• which is the first cigar manufacturer who received the award

this short episode is for you.

 

REFERENCES:

Product Excellence Award program: https://www.cigarsense.com/product-excellence-awards-by-cigar-sense/

First award presented: https://www.cigarsense.com/2022-excellence-award-1290/

If you like videos: https://youtu.be/r3ria5br2f8

Is it good to remain a cigar beginner forever?

In the cigar industry, knowledge is almost entirely transferred verbally and this generates a lot of opportunities for misconceptions and errors. Additional attention is needed when trying to pass on potential knowledge that others cannot easily verify.

How does being an apprentice protect you when you feel uncomfortable? How does it allow you to exercise your freedom of personal choice? And how can it help you find your own identity as a cigar lover?

 

References:

Habanos World Challenge: https://www.cigarsense.com/how-do-you-become-habanos-world-challenge-champion/

SOTL Global Movement: https://www.sotlglobalmovement.com/

The map is not the territory and the name is not the thing named: https://www.cigarsense.com/cigar-map-territory/

Apprenticeship model: https://classicalu.com/the-apprenticeship-model/

Our members asked us to talk more about brands history, in addition to cigar tasting related topics. Therefore, in this episode, we are sharing a few facts about the history of the Perdomo brand: from countertrends to chemical analyses, cigar production innovation in a nutshell.

References:

Ferri Luigi, "Storia del sigaro. Mitologia, tradizione e cultura", Odoya, 2019: https://www.ibs.it/storia-del-sigaro-mitologia-tradizione-libro-luigi-ferri/e/9788862884907

Wikipedia: https://www.wikipedia.org/

Cigar Sense video: https://youtu.be/QuHxtUL1pco

Our members asked us to talk more about brands history, in addition to cigar tasting related topics. Therefore, in this episode, we are sharing a few facts about the history of the Partagás brand: from 1845 to the Cuban revolution, General Cigar Dominicana and the American market trademark.

References mentioned in this episode:

Ferri Luigi, "Storia del sigaro. Mitologia, tradizione e cultura", Odoya, 2019: https://www.ibs.it/storia-del-sigaro-mitologia-tradizione-libro-luigi-ferri/e/9788862884907

Cuban Cigar Website: https://www.cubancigarwebsite.com/

Cigar Sense: https://www.cigarsense.com/ 

We discuss the cigar consumer in Greater China with Eric Piras.

Eric Piras has an incredible experience of over 25 years in the cigar industry. He is based in Hong Kong, where he manages his import-export cigar trading Cigraal Ltd, the agent for brands such as Arturo Fuente, Ashton, Joya de Nicaragua, Mombacho, Gerard and Maya Selva. 

In Hong Kong, he also operates Bertie Cigar Lounge, setting the mark for a new era of cigar smoking, with the largest selection of New World cigars in Hong Kong, patronized by a younger and more feminine crowd. Eric has also created the Cigraal Academy, to promote the cigar knowledge and discovery. He also recently launched his line of accessories: Totem.

Episode quick summary

• Some criteria for choosing cigars for import/distribution
• Attracting young and female consumers
• Paying attention to customers needs in order to best advise them
• The Cigraal Academy
• The importance of the tobacco processing to deliver great flavors
• Blind tasting ideas that reveal another angle of the consumer behavior
• How consistent cigars need to be to be able to define their core profile
• Defect of the cigar or fault of the smoker?

References mentioned in the episode:

Bertie cigar lounge and Totem accessories: https://www.bertiecigars.com/

Cigraal Ltd: http://www.cigraal.com/

Cigar Sense aroma wheel: https://www.cigarsense.com/the-cigar-sense-aromas-wheel/