Strength & the Language of Taste

By Bryan Newbury

“Where do you keep the Padron Anniversaries?” 

My pause before answering “Dan” was longer than usual. He’d been a customer for longer than I’d been at Diebel’s - and that had been a rather long time. In more than a decade, I’d only known him to choose Montecristo White Series, Macanudo Cafés, and the like. He was the definition of a “mild cigar” lover.

“Dan, um, is this for a gift?”

“No, I had one this weekend and it was the mildest cigar I’ve ever smoked!”

Rule 1 of service is, of course, that the customer is always right. It would take me a number of questions to reason my way to the required conclusion in this instance. Following these questions, I arrived at the proper reasoning: if what Dan meant by “mild” was “smooth,” then he’s spot on. Despite being an at least medium bodied cigar, there’s no disputing that the Padrón 1964 Natural is incredibly well-aged and smooth.

When "Mild" Doesn’t Mean What You Think

Sometimes those of us who have been in the premium tobacco business for a long time can forget just how intimidating our product can be, even for people who have enjoyed the product for years.

The Spanish names can make a person feel self-conscious, as can the abstract language we often employ. “Mild” is one of those words that comes loaded with presuppositions. Here, we’d like to provide a brief and hopefully helpful guide to.

1. Mild as Smooth

Starting with Dan’s story, mild can often mean smooth. Yes, another word that’s open to interpretation, but it is possible to come to a fairly concrete definition. A smooth cigar is usually the product of superior aging. 

The magic happens long before the cigar is rolled. Tobacco bales are often aged for two or more years before becoming the sublime experience in your hand. Some manufacturers will add to that by aging the cigars themselves, allowing the leaves to marry until they reach perfection. This results in a very pleasant experience, even carrying a golf bag in the hot sun.

When a cigar is aged to perfection, there isn’t a hint of harshness to it, even when they’re as full bodied as a Padrón Serie 1926 Maduro or an Arturo Fuente Opus X Reserva d’Chateau.

2. Mild as a Clean Finish

In the second example, we’ll look at a meaning for mild that is more intuitive. In my two decades of working to match cigar enthusiasts with their ideal experience, I’ve often been stumped by recommendations that seemed on the money, only to find out that I’d missed the mark.

“What cigar would better match this person’s preference than Cigar X?” A common phrase can help us pinpoint the kind of “mild” a person’s asking for: “I don’t want anything I’ll still be tasting tomorrow morning.”

While there are a host of cigars out there that don’t overwhelm a person with pepper or loads of ligero, not all of them can boast those clean finishes that allow the smoker to taste food immediately after enjoying them. In my experience, the king of this category is, appropriately, the Diamond Crown Classic Natural. If you’re looking to taste every bit of a light salad minutes after setting your cigar to rest, ask for one of these and you’ll come back asking for more.

3. Mild as Mild Mild

Finally, we’ll look at the most common way of saying “mild,” which is, well, mild. In most cases, the first step is finding a cigar with a Connecticut Shade Grown wrapper. The proportion of leaf actually grown in Ecuador is a topic for a later day.

This light blonde wrapper leaf advertises a kind and gentle smoking experience (also for another day, one can’t always judge the book by the cover) that I often compare to drinking a Budweiser. While many 21st Century consumers adopt the bigger and bolder is better philosophy, the craftsmanship involved in making something taste somewhat close to nothing but with a woody note is incredibly difficult.

To do it consistently requires the highest level of craft. For years, we’ve trusted the mellowness and consistency of cigars like the Macanudo Café and Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real to deliver this type of mellow, steady experience.

Let Us Help You Find Your Mild

Much of the lingo around cigars can be intimidating – or even a little infuriating - but that shouldn’t be a barrier to asking for and finding just the thing you’ll love. We invite you to visit us in either of our locations to match you up with the experience to perfectly suit your tastes. Don’t be shy to ask for what you want using your own words and ideas, because our team prides itself on using those clues to pair you with whatever “est” you’re looking for.