To most people, cigars are just weird tubes of leaves. To say, “this cigar taste peppery, or chocolatey, or like the back seat of a 2004 GMC Envoy” is pretty crazy.

I can absolutely understand how some people may think that pulling flavor notes from a bundle of fermented leaves sounds crazy, but like tasting wine or whisky or coffee. The devil is in the details.

I’ve been fortunate enough to try thousands of cigar blends, even before my days of writing cigar reviews out at my previous blog, BespokeUnit. This article will hopefully be a guide to help a new smoker get into the hobby of enjoying cigars for more than just a breathing exercise.

Alternative titles for this article: How to Get Your Money’s Worth Out Of a Cigar, How to Smoke Cigars like an Enthusiast, and How to Smoke Cigars like an Asshole.

Cigars are a pretty unique product because each stogie is hand picked, aged, fermented, rolled, and wrapped. This is an incredibly manual industry, as opposed to cigarettes which can be produced via machines. It’s commonly said that each cigar passes through 300 hands before it arrives to you… I never knew if that meant 300 pairs of hands or 150 people. 

All this to say, even though you have identical cigars from the same box, there can absolutely be flavor differences. Maybe someone rolled a little tighter, or one leaf was massaged a little more. Even your own pallet changes from day to day. To really get to know a blend you need to smoke at least two or three. That’s why I wouldn’t call this a cigar review.

This particular stogie comes courtesy of my mother-in-law Doña Rosa. While out and about, she ran into a cigar store to buy me this Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Personal Reserve as a treat. Because she bought the last one, the tobacconist let her keep the box and goodies that accompanied the cigar.

This is an incredibly rare cigar nowadays. Originally rolled in 2015 to celebrate the infamous Don Carlos Fuente Sr’s 80th birthday. I have a long history with Arturo Fuente’s Cigars, they’re one of the most iconic brands in history, and I smoked them a lot back when I lived in Miami. Here’s a picture of myself and Carlito Fuente, who is of course the son of Don Carlos.

In 2026, A full box of these limited cigars will run you $700, but hey, you could get a five pack for $180! I hope to God that my sweet mother-in-law didn’t pay such prices. I bet she knew this cigar was special because it comes with white cotton gloves. Which I will make a point to wear through the smoke, despite the fact that Don Carlos must have had larger hands than I do.

Let’s get down to business.

Not to get all Tempopo on you, but the first step to really enjoying a cigar is to take a look at the wrapper. Look at the texture of the leaves, see if there are any oils accumulating on the surface or any stems. Typically higher price point cigars tend to be almost matte finish and incredibly smooth. My personal favorites are oily and toothy. Considering this is Don Carlos’ personal reserve, I think he and I have similar tastes.

Look at the foot of the cigar. This cinnamon swirl looking pattern of darker leaves indicate the presence of ligero leaves. These are the highest value leaves that grow with the most sunlight and have the most amount of flavor. When I bring the foot of the cigar right to my nose, I can detect flavors of dry cocoa powder, and an earthiness similar to mulch.

Am I actually smelling cocoa powder or mulch? Of course not.

Fun fact: when you’re tasting something, and you think “this taste like chocolate”, you’re not tasting chocolate. You’re tasting the memory of chocolate, it’s a connection your brain is making attempting to identify a flavor. It’s all 100% subjective, have fun. Pencil shavings, funky basements, jetfuel, my Abuelita’s rum cake. All fair game, I once described a cigar as tasting like tires in a good way. Thankfully our sponsor understood.

The next step, is to slice the cap of the tip of the cigar and draw air through without lighting. This is called a cold draw. On this Don Carlos I taste dark chocolate, and a lingering sweet tea like sweetness on my lips. The more cigars you taste, the more you can identify the flavor of certain tobacco growing regions. The fancy word for this is terroir. This cigar has a classic Nicaraguan flavor profile. It’s said that real cuban cigars have a cold draw similar to salt and vinegar potato chips.

Finally lighting the damn thing, I can taste bitter chocolate, warm cumin, and a little black pepper on the nose.

Another important note, is that smoke tastes like… smoke. That’s not actually what you’re focusing on. The focus should be on the residual flavors on the pallet. Try to pause between each puff, and really appreciate the flavors. Puffing away like a locomotive will cause you to get sick.

Cigars are rolled in a way so the flavor profile changes while you smoke. Nicaraguan cigars, for example, are often packed in a way so the first third are really flavorful, the middle is more mild, and the last third is more intense.

In this cigar, the second third becomes more warm, like red pepper flakes, with new flavor notes of wood and eucalyptus. I’m also noticing that the smoke itself is very cool and smooth in texture. The size and filling of the cigar can change its textural characteristics. In general, thinner ring gauges are more cool and big thick stogies are hotter. This particular cigar has been expertly rolled, it is at least 10 years old after all.

The final third of this blend brings forward a vanilla bean like sweetness, with oaky and herbal notes on the back of the pallet with a sweet finish on the lips.

You may wonder, how do you pair a cigar and a drink? I say let the cigar tell you what it wants. 

When I do a cigar tasting for a blend I am unfamiliar with, I always either drink sparkling water or coffee. The whole idea is to focus on the leaves first before adding new flavors. Sparkling water is a great way to refresh your pallet between puffs like scrubbing bubbles, and coffee has the same neutralizing effect.

Only after, will I decide what to pair with it. For instance, this Don Carlos has a lingering sweetness on the cap and tons of woody flavor notes. Pairing this with a sweet bourbon would be a no brainer!

I will say, smoking this cigar does feel like an honor. Not only is the legacy of Don Carlos Fuente imbued in the blending and intricate wrapping of this blend, but also I feel the radiant love of my mother-in-law who went out of her way to buy me a gift.

If there’s one thing to take away from this blog post, just know this. There’s no wrong way to taste and enjoy a cigar, it’s meditation, focusing on your breath and flavors. Everything is made up, nothing matters, and we’re all going to die. Enjoy it.