Palett swing/shift?

[LAN CERO]

I started sticks again last summer after years of near total hiatus. I was initially enjoying what we would all class as mild smokes. However, I seemed to quickly develop a craving for more and more 'oomph', with whatever you'd attribute it too. Maduro wraps, ligero-heavy blends, whatever... In the past couple of weeks, I've hit some of what I really feel are strong sticks....too strong for me to enjoy.

My co-workers who smoke toss each other sticks from time to time. One of the guys is an avowed mild-to-medium consumer, and man...I'm really appreciating some of these smooth, subtle blends. He's a CI-loyalist, & I'm talking about EO21, Indios Puros, Fighting Cock, and Arganese as examples.

Well, this a/m, I tested for absolute proof of this. I pulled out one of the very first sticks I bought last summer. What I had now considered too mild, and boring. I am halfway into this toro right now, a cheapie JC Newman, Don Seville. Enjoying the heck out of it, and glad I didn't give them all away.

Is this where I may have settle-in? Or could the reverse happen to me once again?

[HIM]

To me the time of day is a big influence on what I smoke. I don't want to wake up and smoke a ligero bomb, its just too much. But at the same time I don't something too mild after dinner either. Just going off whats in your post I don't think its a stretch to say something similar applies for you. As the day goes on and you get a couple meals in you'll probably want to reach for something with a little more strength. But early in the day something easy going is what works.
Another thing I think comes into play is your palate. Your palate is likely to be a lot cleaner and more alert in the morning. You'll pick up the nuances of a milder smoke better. As your palate gets put to work throughout the day you'll need bolder and fuller flavors. Its the same for beer. Its really hard to get up and go for a west coast IPA. But after a nice lunch your palate is ready for that kind of thing. Just my 2 cents

[Bowtech4ever]

@LAN CERO .....maybe some rest really improved that stick, or maybe it holds your flavor profile "sweet spot", so to speak. My history and current evolution, is about the same as yours. I bought mild early, then got bored and went to medium. The same happened with them, and moved on to med/full. Then I discovered my preferred flavor profile, and have been going back, forward, and sideways to find new offerings in that range. I am no authority on the subject, this is just one guy's opinion. I prefer No/Minimal Pepper, Earthy, Creamy, Heavy Smoke......full flavor/medium body smokes now.....but they can be found classified anywhere from mild to full body.

[Nature]

Although I still mostly prefer fuller flavored/bodied cigars in general, I sometimes enjoy milder, lighter cigars from time to time. As was stated in previous posts, the time of day, and to a certain degree season play a part as well.
Perhaps, additional experience allows you to have an appreciation for the nuances and subtleties that were more difficult to detect prior.

[fiddlegrin]

Ya, I agree it changes, but our food tasting palette changes too.

+1 on above comments and adding;

The flavors/ strength of spice of the foods we eat will affect our cigar palette. Also, how much coffee we drink a day or week.
A big factor is frequency of smoking.

Many people will find that if they smoke more than 2 a week it will desensitize their cigar palette. Thusly needing to move to bigger flavors/ strength choices to find/ experience joyful flavors.

Best wishes, Dafiddla

[Cardinal]

What everyone else said, plus sometimes I just feel like a smooth, mild cigar and I don't think there's much science to it. I go through phases, sometimes for a week or two and sometimes for a month or two.

[Yarddog]

Yes, palettes do shift...so did mine...I'm more toward the medium to full bodied sticks now, going from mild about a year ago after a layoff...that said, I still really enjoy the Puro Indios, which are mild to medium...So I'd say your experience, OP, is pretty normal.

[herman]

Excluding the few rare mild/medium cigars I stumbled upon in my youth, I started with the fuller bodies. I haven't really gravitated towards mediums, but just got tired of having cigar = heavy full body and started appreciating mediums more. Like HIM shares, I find my growing medium collection to be good morning smokes. Sometimes I'm just not in the mood to get my senses slammed with a full bodied smoke even though that's usually what I prefer.

I wouldn't call it unusual.

[LAN CERO]

Glad to see that I am not alone in this discovery, LOL. I also do not want something strong in the a/m, before or after a breakfast. Perhaps after supper. Today, of 5 or six smoked, only one a full-bodied one. I'm also finding that I am bonding more with sticks that I could smoke TWO of in a row. That's definitely not the case with stronger ones.

[LGHT]

I've been smoking for some time and over the years I found I like cigars with good flavor. Some on that list may be mild, some medium, and some strong. However I seem to get the best balance of flavor and strength in medium bodied cigars. Mild cigars may have good flavor, but if it has no "kick" (also a flavor) it just seems to be lacking. On the same hand some cigars that are all "kick", often don't allow the subtle flavors of the cigar to come through and shine.