Anyone out there considered a connoisseur on any kinds of food or drink?

I would consider myself a beer connoisseur. Ever since I started brewing at home a few years ago, I have tried making and buying a wide variety beers and ciders. I think I am good enough to do any blind taste test.

Don't get me wrong, I don't drink all the time (my wife wouldn't let me:dunno:). I just enjoy a good taste.

Though I really like cheese, chocolate, and seafood... cigars are perhaps what I'm most adept at as in terms of bein' a connoisseur/aficionado. I've been to various trade-shows (RTDA/"BigSmoke", etc'), frequent local cigar vendors, and so forth. It's not really a trendy or showy/ostentatious thing for me, as cigar smoking/appreciation goes back numerous generations in my family & I emulated/participated from an early age (relatively speaking).

I guess it also carries over to pipe-smoking, and other fine tobaccos (ie. Davidoff & Dunhill cigarettes... though I don't smoke cig's regularly or often at all).

The different varieties of Mountain Dew:)

JK I fail:(

^ oddly, 'da Dew is my fav' carbonated beverage... but I only 'dew/do the original Dew! :D

There's no shame in simplicity & penchant for things that make us happy! I get more gratification from a 'custom' Taco Bell meal of this/that than at a supposed 5-star gourmet restaurant. . .

Im not a connoisseur of any type, I use to make beer about 10 years ago with a friend and attemped to open a Micro Brewery but felt short on the investers. I still love a good beer and love the Black & Tan and beers made by Munks and Belgium Beer. As for cigars I have been smoking them for about 15 years, and theres nothing like a fresh, just rolled cigar. Monticristo White collection is one of my favorites but due to cost dont smoke to many. On a regular bases I smoke Romeo y Julieta and El Rey Del Mundo with some Cognac. Im sure by now you can tell im not 21. lol. Ive cut down on the Cognac and cigars together since I had my kids.

I don't really know much about cigars, but I do enjoy a good cigar every now and then. I just had Punch the other day. I used know a guy that got me real Cohibas from Cuba, and they tasted awful.

:cig:Unfortunately, I smoke cigarettes so, I only smoke specialty cigarettes like cloves and bidis on rare occasions. I know so few people that still smoke, so I am kind of a minority when I do. (The wife is always bugging me to quit:rant:)

Cohibas are hit or miss most of the time they suck but Ive had a few good boxes.

I like to try all different types of beer. So far I have tried over 200 different beers the only one I hate is Cave Creek Chili Beer. It has a jalapeno pepper in it. It was the only beer that was so bad that I never finished it.

I lived in Europe & Caribbean for a bit, in the past. So I got to dabble at will w/ many cigar makes from various regions & so forth (obviously Cuba, as well). Cohiba has developed an affluent cult-like following due to the whoe Fidel Castro 'selecion' & so forth. Personally speaking, it's a great cigar all-in-all. But I would not go out of my way to acquire them nor would I pay a bullish premium for them. Many who opt for a Cohiba or show an inclination towards such are merely name droppin' or followin'.

My preferences always tend to be what I like, not what others like. I fancy Maduro cigars, in particular robustos. As far as other genres, I'm keen towards pyramid/torpedo shapes. I always opt for a punch-cut, never a guillotine... just a personal preference. Even a wedge-cut over the guillotine! Romeo y Jullieta as a whole are my preferred brand, in particular their cedaro's for a casual smoke, or their various vintage series' for an evening/nite out w/ friends & so forth.

The thing w/ cigar smoking is that, it needs to be done fairly consistently to really develop a taste/fondness/affinity for, and to truly appreciate the various aspects of what makes a certain cigar from somewhere in particular what it actually is. . .

(ex. origin of: wrapper, filler, binder; aging/fermenting; blending; origin of plant-seeds; whether grown in shade or not, etc')

I'm not into the nuovo' marketing/trendy offerings as-in Rocky Patel, Gurkha, and others... though they are rather successful, I'm more of a traditionalist & into ol' world tastes/preferences, not the new-spin or take on things for a broader audience.

Best/simplest advice I can give is to always select a *hand-made* cigar (not a machine-pressed/blended-type), and *stick to a particular make* (ie. Hoyo de Monterrey, A Fuentes, Romeo y Jullieta, Davidoff, Macanudo, Monecristo, Partagas, Bolivar, Punch, Cohiba, H. Upmann, La Gloria, Dunhill, Ashton, and numerous others) for a while, sampling/indulging in their lineup to develop a palate for their offerings, so then you can appreciate/discern others!

1 word...sushi!!

...sushi!!That's one thing I don't experiment w/... I stick w/ what I like, and go w/ that earnestly! :D

If there is one thing in this world I can appreciate, it is chocolate. I am a sucker for fine chocolate!

I don't know that I'm a connoisseur, but I do enjoy a good glass of single malt scotch.

Wings. :)

Not much of a connoisseur but I like trying different types of tequila (current favorite is Patron XO Cafe) and various Hookah tobacco flavors (mmmmm apple).

Question from a non-smoker: What makes a cigar different from your average cigarette? Is there a different smoking technique (for example, savor the cigar, but try to finish the cigarette faster so you can get your fix and get back to your day)? All I really know about cigars is that I went fishing on a party boat once and the guy next to me chain-smoked cigars all day and they smelled pretty bad.

I sold wine for well over a decade for several wholesale/importers. I'm not intimidated by any wine list or wine snob. Like Ward I prefer a single malt these days but that depends on the situation.

Chocolate!!

Wine: gives my prince migraines...so we don't drink wine.
Beer: I don't like ANY of them, he's fine with a light of some sort as long as it's bottled, not canned.
Cigars: nope.
Sushi: nope.
Food: we eat to live, not live to eat.


Things we're picky about are apples, pineapples, beef, pork, wiring, bubble bath, bottled water, pens, pet food....:D

I do the DEW... I can handle the flavor variety on occasion, but prefer the good ol' green stuff!

I know, boring...........:)

various Hookah tobacco flavors (mmmmm apple).



i make killer hookah dishes...my latest invention i call sex on the beach

part mango
part mint
hint of strawberry
hint of watermelon

What makes a cigar different from your average cigarette?The former isn't inhaled, merely held in the mouth for flavor/taste infusion, whereas the latter is inhaled for maximal nicotine uptake via lungs.
Is there a different smoking technique (for example, savor the cigar, but try to finish the cigarette faster so you can get your fix and get back to your day)?Cigars are more leisure/recreational/"time-pass", and to fully experience & get the most out of it, you need a dedicated 45+ minutes... obviously depending on the cigar (ie. length/gauge/etc').

As the cigar is smoked, flavor builds as it nears it's end. And the taste-buds in the mouth (lips, tongue, etc') also hone in on this to give the smoker enjoyment/gratification. Cigar smoking really isn't a quick-fix, but more of a lifestyle & delayed-pleasure/acquired-taste (the more you smoke, the more you get out of it in terms of enjoyment/taste/flavor/etc').

Cigarettes are more of quick fixes, whether for nicotine need or desire (initial stimulatory effect). Inhaling them gets the nicotine/misc-contents into the blood-stream/brain much quicker vs. a cigar which is absorbed through the oral-cavity, and quite delayed & drawn-out in it's effects.

Those who smoke cigars to be trendy or as a once-a-blue-moon novelty will never enjoy it. To get the most out of smoking cigars & noticing the the subtle nuances amongst them, an individual has be somewhat regular w/ their 'sticks to develop the proper taste & be able to distinguish this/that. At that point then, cigars w/ certain meals/cuisines, drinks/cordials, or even desserts/sweets generally accentuate the whole experience.

And yes, both cigars & cigarettes are unhealthy in their own respective ways (as well as hookah/sheesha/agreela smoking).

Here-&-there of the aforementioned won't kill you or shorten your life or the quality of it, but if you're free from it already, no need to begin... IMHO! :cool:

I've always wanted to try the Hookah... I don't know anyone that is open minded enough to try it.

I have a cigar buddy that I play golf with from time to time. Smoking cigars and playing golf.....a good way to burn the crap out of your knuckles.

Not big on scotch, but I am big on the flavor of gin.

off topic but me and my friends were headed to an auburn game(college football) and before we left my friend says he wants a cigar, so he walks into the store and walks out with what SEEMS to be a cigar, only come to find when were ready to smoke it, its cologne...i thought it was funny as hell he paid 5 bucks for a cologne bottle he thought was a cigar..

i make killer hookah dishes...my latest invention i call sex on the beach

part mango
part mint
hint of strawberry
hint of watermelon

that actually sounds really good, my friend has a 4 hose hookah and we smoke apple which is a personal favorite, and yes, alot of people just assume all we do is smoke weed from hookahs which i guess is true in some ways, but its so stereotypical becuase many people acuatlly smoke tabbacco, and not the whacky kind from it.

off topic but me and my friends were headed to an auburn game(college football) and before we left my friend says he wants a cigar, so he walks into the store and walks out with what SEEMS to be a cigar, only come to find when were ready to smoke it, its cologne...i thought it was funny as hell he paid 5 bucks for a cologne bottle he thought was a cigar..


:lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao:

My friend used to have that cologne in his truck....it could hide the smell of a skunk.

He bought it thinking the same thing....

I am a connoisseur of cannabis. seriously.

and for all the hookah peeps, do yourself a favor order some Romman shisha and Romman lemonwood coals, best smoke ever, super smooth and hella thick, O city.

Hm, I thought Hookah wasn't bad for you because 1) it doesn't contain the ****tail of chemicals cigarettes do and 2) the water filters the nicotine

Hm, I thought Hookah wasn't bad for you...
This was fwd'd to me by an esteemed colleague (excerpts from some 'paper):
Lookin' thru the "Sheesha"

Pipes and Hookahs Pose Same Risks as Cigars

Traditional pipe or trendy hookah smokers face the same or worse cancer and other disease risks as cigar smokers, according to a new study.


- Five times the risk of lung cancer

- Nearly four times the risk of throat cancer

- More than twice the risk of esophageal cancer

- 13 times the risk of cancer of the larynx

- 40 higher risk of colon cancer

- 30 more likely to develop heart disease

- 27 more likely to have a stroke

- Nearly three times as likely to develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, an irreversible lung disease)

There's also this...

www.mayoclinic.com/health/hookah/AN01265

...According to a World Health Organization advisory, a typical one-hour session of hookah smoking exposes the user to 100 to 200 times the volume of smoke inhaled from a single cigarette.

I drink a decent amount (with limits) but of everything from wines to beers. I like smoking the occasional cigar.

One thing tho I really want to get into is scotch... but damn it's tough. My parents had an unopened bottle of glenlivet that they gave me that was several years old... I've tried drinkin it on the rocks, but it's hard.

...According to a World Health Organization advisory, a typical one-hour session of hookah smoking exposes the user to 100 to 200 times the volume of smoke inhaled from a single cigarette.

:jawdrop:

Hm, I've never done it for an hour, but those are some troubling statistics nonetheless ... looks like I'm now retired as a hookah connoisseur.

More smoke, but less noxious in 'hookahs', would my generalization as a former researcher & health-care professional. I've encountered a very few handful of individuals who even got addicted to it.

I *personally* believe all of us are individually pre-wired/pre-programmed a certain way at the genetic-level that the most microscopic/smallest triggers can induce health-ailments (ie. diseases, cancers, etc') much more-so than regular exposure. For instance, I've come across numerous non-smokers w/ lung/oral-cancers who were w/o industrial exposure, and then some life-long chain-smokers to live on to ~100'ish.

Indeed, using & exposing oneself to such things increases the likelihood of health issues down the road, but it goes to a much more micro' level than one would have assumed (pre-born triggers/predisposed-dispositions/etc').

Sporadic-to-moderate exposure may elicit the same result has regular-to-heavy exposure in most individuals, is my more to-the-point statement. . .

well hey we only live once right

btw i use starbuzz tabacco which is more for the flavor than the buzz. so im guessing it has less toxins/chemicals/what have you than the normal kind of tobacco.

also i really don't think you can get addicted to hookah. me and my friends do it all the time but im not addicted because i dont feel like i NEED to do it every day. most of the time these days im really not even in the mood to do it. so i agree with osiris_x11 that each person's body handles these things differently....

^ I've seen two people I know in real-life addicted to hookah. Though, it should be added neither smoked anything else, and they smoked hookah 24/7-365... so it was more-so 'abuse' than use.

It was very similar to cigarette addiction, cravings/moodiness/desire/etc'. . .

speaking of this...if there are people on here from michigan we should hit up a hookah bar sometime...no one on here from michigan?