Could Certain Scents or Aromas in the Air Affect your Cigar Smoking Experience?

Have you ever lit a cigar that you’ve had a million times before, and noticed that something about the flavor profile just wasn’t right?  Well, before you consider writing to the manufacturer and complaining about the change in taste, consider your environment.  You may be surprised by just how much the smells around you can play a role in how you perceive the flavor of your cigar.  Even the most expensive, luxurious cigars on the market can have flavor profiles that are complicated by a scent or aroma within your vicinity.

The Link Between Taste and Smell

We tend to underestimate just how intricately linked our senses of smell and taste truly are.  But there’s an easy experiment that you can do to grasp this concept.  The next time you go to eat or drink something, hold your nose while doing so.  You’ll notice that the flavor of your food or beverage is significantly duller. This is because when we are tasting, it’s the olfactory glands in our nose that’s doing a lot of the heavy lifting, in terms of picking up on the nuances of the flavor profile.

So, what does this mean to cigar smokers?  Well, primarily, that the scents that surround you are more impactful of your taste experience than you might think.  If you’ve ever smoked a cigar while having a cold, you know what you mean.  That stuffy nose greatly interferes with your ability to taste the cigar that you’re smoking.

How Smells in the Air Affect Your Smoke

Now that you know about the link between taste and smell, you can understand how it’s possible that a strong smell in the air can actually change the way in which you experience the flavor of your cigar.  We know that many of you spend a lot of money on the best cigars with the most delicious flavor profiles.  So, it’s disappointing to know that a smell around you can throw off that flavor profile that you put so much effort into acquiring. 

Sometimes this can work in your favor.  Take for example if you’re smoking a cigar while someone inside your home is baking cookies.  Those notes of vanilla, butter and sugar can enhance your perception of your cigar’s flavor.  But let’s say that the smell is less than pleasant.  For example, let’s imagine that you’re smoking a cigar next to a dumpster.  No matter how delicious that cigar is, the smell of rotting garbage is going to get mixed in with the flavor notes of the tobacco, causing a very confusing sensory experience to say the least.

What to Do if a Smell is Overwhelming

Well, the natural solution would be to leave the area.  If the smell is inside, step outside.  If the smell is outside, move to a different location.  Simple, right?

However, if you can’t leave the area of the odor, simply hold off on smoking until later, when you can really enjoy that rich and complex tobacco flavor as it was meant to be enjoyed.

Yes, the Scent(s) Around You Can Impact Your Overall Cigar Smoking Sessions

Good news is that in most cases, this is a simple problem with a quick fix, which merely requires that you leave the area that you’re in.  But, if you’re unable to for whatever reason, know that it has nothing to do with your cigar, or your taste buds’ ability to experience the flavor profile.