While cigarettes have a distinctive flavor often connected to their brand or type (light or strong), homemade cigars usually change flavor as you smoke them, varying from wood to spice to smoke as the cigar burns off. Each cigar has a distinctive flavor, such as spicy, pepper-like, wood or smoky. However, cigars will also have undertones of other flavors, which come up as the cigar heats up and you continue smoking. You’ll also notice that there is a quality difference between handmade, well-crafted cigars and those that are machine produced.
Cigar flavors are also affected by what you’re drinking along with it. Certain drinks enhance the flavor of a handmade cigars, while others dull it. To understand what your taste and preferences are, try different combinations. Keeping a cigar journal can help you figure out your preferences and identify connections.