Cigar Sense Podcast is your spot to listen in on sensory and cultural aspects of the premium cigars. You'll have insights on how to better recognize and articulate the sensory experience of fine cigars. A variety of inner-views and interviews will be on hand to empower you as a cigar consumer and inspire you, as well as your regular host, Franca Comparetto.
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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 is Cohiba the most expensive cigar brand?
Season 2 · Episode 70
Monday, July 10, 2023 • Duration 08:54
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.
060: Blind tests, are they worth the effort?
Season 1 · Episode 60
Saturday, November 6, 2021 • Duration 20:17
Blind tests or open tests? Are blind tests worth the effort? People have all sorts of opinions about this because there are different purposes for doing tests.
Episode summary
Purposes for blind tests: 1. guide consumers to buy the best cigars for them 2. leisure (hedonic type of tests)
Purposes for open tests: 1. persuade consumers to buy cigars based on symbols 2. decide whether to import/distribute/resell a cigar 3. assess brand or line specificity
Single taster or panel, is there any difference?
The imperative of focus
Advantages of blind tests
Panelists comments: Alban Cordier Zsolt Aranyos Reinhard Pohorec
Biases and tips on how to reduce the effects of an important one
We recently spoke about how unique is our taste with Aniello Buonincontro, who wrote the book, “Degustazione Razionale”, which means rational tasting. He researched anthropology, sociology, neuroscience and psychology. He also studied the issues concerning the characteristics of the premium cigar in relation to marketing and consumption.
Aniello is a certified sommelier and a Cigar Journal panelist. He has been in charge of the most renowned cigar courses in Italy (Catadores courses by the Cigar Club Association). He actually is an aeronautical engineer. Nine years ago, he left his job as production manager in a multinational company and became sales manager at Cigars and Tobacco, one of the biggest, if not the biggest, Italian importer and distributor of new word cigars.
Among his role’s activities, he provides training and guidance for events and manages the relationships with many producers, retailers and enthusiasts.
Today we want to deep dive into some important aspects that relate to the behavior of the premium cigar consumer.
Episode summary
The cigar can have many different meanings, as cigar lovers have many different interests, needs and desires.
A cigar can be many different things:
a bunch of tobacco leaves that are rolled up to be smoked
an agricultural product, hard to regulate like industrialized tobacco products
an artisanal product
an economic power for most producing countries
a gourmet product
an experience product, as each of us may have a different experience when smoking it
a sample
an analysis object
a commodity
And it can also be:
The "anilla" or band The must-have status symbol The relational control What is an "expert"? Developing a status symbol brand Younger consumers or beginners Women My taste is the best Feedback and promotion on the show
058: Cigar Sense technology: is it AI based?
Season 1 · Episode 58
Wednesday, September 8, 2021 • Duration 17:08
We regularly get questions from our followers and also members about the technology we use at Cigar Sense.
David Wells, vice-president, co-founder and technologist at Cigar Sense, explains how Cigar Sense works, why our technology is not AI and gives us insights on many more connected aspects.
Quick episode summary
How does Cigar Sense work? Knowing how to name an aroma A solution: Profile Advisor Helping the industry with a standardized language Is this AI? Data privacy Why isn't there an app?
You can ask your questions, make comments and be featured on the show! Let your voice be heard. Email Franca Comparetto [franca@cigarsense.com].
We have no external investors, nor cigars or ads sale revenue. The people we accept/invite on our podcast are not paying us for the exposure we offer them. Just like for the Cigar Sense membership and our educational resources, we strive to provide independent information.
057: The Cigar Sense panel
Season 1 · Episode 57
Thursday, August 19, 2021 • Duration 18:24
The Cigar Sense panel is a key instrument that allows consumers to know what a cigar actually delivers to the senses. On top of to consumers, the trained sensory panel work is dedicated to anyone who wants to know and market the cigar for what it is.
Quick episode summary
Benefits vs. mainstream marketing or promotional copy Difference between consumers (or untrained tasters) and trained tasters within a sensory panel The purpose of the trained sensory panel How many panelists (aka analysts) should there be? The sensory analysis system The selection of panelists The training The samples procurement The samples preparation The descriptive test The product specification The analysis submission The blind data consolidation
You can ask your questions, make comments and be featured on the show! Let your voice be heard. [franca@cigarsense.com].
056: Is more cigar choice better?
Season 1 · Episode 56
Friday, July 30, 2021 • Duration 09:54
Is more cigar choice better? Today we have a plethora of choices of premium cigars. We discuss what are the possible motivations for people to choose from many cigars or from less and identify one solution to fill the gap between many choices and "good enough for me", in respect of our individual taste.
Quick episode summary
Is having more cigar choice a better way to satisfy our needs? Choosing between the best or “good enough for me” Why do some people always want to try all cigars? How do we know what is the best for us? What about consumers who want what is familiar? Imitate or preserve our individuality? How can we fill the gap between a wide choice and preserve our taste?
If you had an idea of what your unique personal taste is about, after listening to this episode you may look at some things differently.
Aniello Buonincontro wrote a book, "Degustazione Razionale", which means rational tasting. He researched anthropology, sociology, neuroscience and psychology. He also studied the issues concerning the characteristics of the premium cigar in relation to marketing and consumption.
Aniello is a certified sommelier and a Cigar Journal panelist. He has been in charge of the most renowned cigar courses in Italy (Catadores by the Cigar Club Association). He actually is an aeronautical engineer. Nine years ago, he left his job as production manager in a multinational company and became sales manager at Cigars and Tobacco, one of the biggest, if not the biggest, importer and distributor for Italy of new word cigars.
Among his role's activities, he provides training and guidance for events and manages the relationships with many producers, retailers and enthusiasts.
Quick episode summary
What is personal taste? How do genetic, sensory and mental factors play a role when we talk about our personal taste? Why should consumers and marketers care about personal taste? Symbology and art in the cigar world's marketing. New or boring cigars? What is good taste? Should we smoke what we really like or conform to others? Why can't producers anticipate what consumers like (unless they have relevant data)? What is the real pleasure? Who is to blame for our conformism, our following others' tastes? What's the difference between good and pleasant? What is the role of emotions when we talk about "pleasant"? What is the difference between an off-flavor and an unpleasant aroma? How can we protect our authentic taste? What is the challenge when doing this? What is the difference between tasting and judging? When judging, do a long-time experience and quantity of cigars smoked count?
Resources:
Aniello Buonincontro's blog:
HELP US SPREAD THE WORD! Feedback and promotion on the show
054: Choosing premium cigars for luxury
Season 1 · Episode 54
Wednesday, June 23, 2021 • Duration 13:48
We all have our individual needs and values. Often so many of them are combined together. Even if it might not be a priority for us to consider premium cigars as luxury products, at least consciously, we may recognize some patterns discussed in this episode.
Quick episode summary
What needs lead us to buy premium cigars as luxury products? Among the wide variety of cigars, which ones do we tend to choose based on such needs? Where does knowledge fit in the luxury picture? Some challenges for cigar companies. A solution for consumers (and companies).
You can ask your questions, make comments and be featured on the show! Let your voice be heard. [franca@cigarsense.com].
053: The history of the Dunhill Cuban cigars
Season 1 · Episode 53
Friday, June 4, 2021 • Duration 28:28
The history of the Dunhill Cuban cigars was presented at the III International Symposium "Habana/Habanos"2009, an event gathering historians, museum workers, researchers of different branches, journalists, collectors, artists, trader, sommeliers with the propose of, a.o., sharing researches and accumulated experiences on the Habanos economy and analyze the links between the tobacco industry and the Cuban national history, culture and identity.
Alex Iapichino is General Counsel and Group Company Secretary of Naked Wines plc, the leading direct to consumer online wine retailer, with operations in UK, USA and Australia. Alex lives in London and is an avid smoker, passionate about Cuban cigars.
Join Cigar Sense for free [https://www.cigarsense.com/] and get your personalized recommendations powered by technology and sensory analysis!
Resources mentioned during this episode
About Smoke - An Encyclopaedia of Smoking, Alfred Dunhill Ltd., c 1932.
An Illustrated Encyclopaedia of post Revolution Havana Cigars, Min Ron Nee, Interpro Business Corporation, First Edition, January 2003, page 125.
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We’d love it if you could please share Cigar Sense Podcast with your followers.
If you like this episode, head over to Apple Podcast, Podchaser or your favorite player app and kindly leave us a review and follow the show!
Feedback and promotion on the show
You can ask your questions, make comments and be featured on the show! Let your voice be heard. Email Franca Comparetto [franca@cigarsense.com].
a cultural heritage
an object for social media consumption
an obsession for serial smokers
a leisure companion
a relaxation accessory
a wealth show off tool
a symbol
the catalyst of emotions
...
How can this take shape for a cigar importer/distributor?
For professionals the cigar is a commercial product. When talking with consumers, they need to talk about quality, which is a very important characteristic of the cigar. A professional doesn't talk about his/her own emotion connected to the cigar. In theory you can sell cigars by emotion to consumers, but this is not possible to do when you deal with other professionals. S/he will rather treat the cigar as a commercial product, and provide information by strength, price, consistency, flavor, ... In fact, talking about the aromas that a cigar displays can be enlightening, provided they are accurately described.
The other characteristic is a bit stronger, it's the symbol that the cigar represents. We cannot forget that the cigar is made of tobacco, but also of the "anilla", the band, which takes along the information on the family, the factory, the field, the country, ... If you take two samples of the same cigar, one with the band and one without band, and you ask someone to choose, that person will most likely choose the cigar with the anilla. There is another pleasure when smoking a cigar with the band. Many people will deny this, but
Some people will say no, but they lie in this case, because the band gives an additional pleasure the the smoke. We cannot say this is wrong, never say this is right or this is wrong, there's maybe only one case in which it is. Else, it's just a different way to look at the world around us.
There are sensory qualities, very important, but there are many other attributes that you can associate with a cigar.
For example, there are people who always look for the best deals. Why does that happen and why are cigars in this case not chosen based on specific qualities?
When we start smoking cigars, we know very little, a lot is about our imagination. And for quite some time, perceiving aromas, tastes and so on is something difficult. Beginners typically can sense one aroma, maybe two. Maybe they sense something they cannot name. In the beginning people generally start smoking cigars for the symbol, not for their organoleptic qualities. This is normal, the issue is maybe that you may stick to the symbol and not go and discover the senses world that is linked to the cigar. This depends a lot on the type of people that are around you, how they influence you. Influencers on social media today are not able to help, as they are usually interested in something different from the sensory experience.
The cigar arrived in Europe as symbol for people that had a commercial interest with America. It was interesting to show people "I smoke cigars because they come from my colonies in America". This was the beginning. The cigar can be a way to show people something: I am rich, I have power, I am a member of a famous club, and so on. The cigar can be used as an accessory, like a tie, to be elegant. This is a way to communicate.
There is nothing wrong in this, it's just a choice. Sometimes this choice is done in a conscious way, sometimes you follow someone you like and do the same thing.
Everybody has a role when we're dealing with a cigar, just like when we're dealing with anything else in life.
One of the 3 types of relational control is the one referred to as "one level up" relationship. When somebody talks about a cigar and we see that person as an "expert", that person could tell us anything. If we don't have our own awareness, our own views on the cigar, our own experiences, if we are just learning, it's very easy to just follow and imitate. We see very easily how that happens in social media: people like or even love something just because an "expert" is posting. Followers don't even look at what that person is writing or sharing. If they did, they might be in total disagreement, but just follow the flow.
There is a difference between people that see the cigar as a sensory experience and people who see the cigar as a status symbol. The latter use the same language, the same words, but for everyone that word has a different meaning. If you ask what is quality to someone who sees the cigar as a status symbol, the term has a certain meaning.
Quality vs. quantity, here again, play a big role. Most people that are considered as "experts" have been smoking for a long time, they smoke expensive cigar. They smoke a lot of cigars. They go to a lot of events. If you consider this, all this is something you can measure. But quality is hard to measure.
An "expert" might have learnt by heart all the shapes and dimensions of cigars, all the history of brands. Today you can easily find many "experts" and all shapes and dimensions of cigars on the internet.
And it is important to expect experts to only talk about the measurable characteristics of the cigar, which include flavor. The rest, whether you like or do not like the cigar, is something you need to learn, so you can make your choices without imitating others. The most difficult aspect here is probably the understanding of the relationship between you and the cigar.
Most "experts", when they talk about cigars, don't understand that they are not talking about cigars, rather about themselves and what is in their mind.
You can find pleasure in a cigar even if you see the cigar as a status symbol. It's normal. What is important is not being right or wrong, but being aware of how this works.
The status symbol concept drives sales. If a producer has a good quality cigar, but people do not recognize it as a status symbol, it takes a lot of efforts to sell. You need to create a story, a tradition. And this takes time. If you work through an influencer, you can start to grow the brand as connected to a status symbol. When a producer becomes a status symbol, s/he can start to focus more on marketing than on quality production. The risk is to start selling more and fermenting and aging less. Good marketing is less expensive that a good fermentation.
The market gives its answer after years. What can happen is that the market understands that quality is in decline and it's then difficult for a brand to go back and focus on quality again. In fact, when judging a cigar and we have a bad first impression, it's very hard to revisit and gain a good second impression.
Maybe the best producers are the ones who don't show up too often on social media. Because they are in the factory and focus on tobacco and quality aspects, they often don't speak English very well.
Younger cigar smokers who prefer quality over quantity and branding are increasing. They enroll in courses to understand the qualities of cigars. They seek pleasure. Sometimes they are not able to express their liking through sensory terms. However, they are able to identify the difference between a good quality and a bad quality cigar.
Smoking for a long time can be important, but there needs to be attention and focus. And interest in quality definitely helps the latter.
This explains the difference between and alcoholist and a sommelier: maybe an alcoholist drinks more than a sommelier, but does not necessarily understand the product. Equally, smoking a lot is not a guarantee that we understand the product. Having a good method is what counts. It's not easy, it's not just about filling in a sheet.
Another benefit for younger smokers or beginners is that a lot of misconceptions have not been ingrained (yet) in their behavior and thinking. This allows them to much more easily focus on what they really are interested into. And they have a lot of opportunities for education and learning so they can look at things in a different way rather than repeating misconceptions. They want to be aware of what they do.
Unfortunately the cigar world seems to still be a world for men, even if many women work in the industry and/or smoke cigars. Women tend to respectfully play by the rules and rules are still made by men.
When you divide, then you have to work harder to make it stick. It's probably better to talk about quality than about men vs. women, Cuban vs. non Cuban cigars, and so on.
Everybody believes to have the best taste in the world. And when there are some people that start to be looked at as "experts", their taste becomes recognized. The error people frequently do in our society is imitating somebody else's taste just because that person is perceived as an expert. This is a very bad approach to learning: pretending that someone blindly follows us is like training a dog rather than a human. Followers are not about education and culture.
You can ask your questions, make comments and be featured on the show! Let your voice be heard. Email Franca Comparetto [franca@cigarsense.com].
We have no external investors, nor cigars or ads sale revenue. Just like for the Cigar Sense membership [https://www.cigarsense.com/] and our educational resources, we strive to provide independent information.
We have no external investors, nor ads revenue. Just like for the Cigar Sense membership and our educational resources, we strive to provide independent information.
You can ask your questions, make comments and be featured on the show! Let your voice be heard. Email Franca Comparetto [franca@cigarsense.com].
We have no external investors nor ads revenue. The people we accept/invite on our podcast are not paying us for the exposure we offer them. Just like for the Cigar Sense membership and our educational resources, what we strive to provide is independent information.
We have no external investors nor ads revenue. The people we accept/invite on our podcast are not paying us for the exposure we offer them. Just like for the Cigar Sense membership and our educational resources, what we strive to provide is independent information.
We have no external investors nor ads revenue. The people we accept/invite on our podcast are not paying us for the exposure we offer them. Just like for the Cigar Sense membership and our educational resources, what we strive to provide is independent information.
