Cigars can be purchased at any price point, and often what sets apart the expensive options from the cheaper ones are small differences in the taste of the cigar. However, if your palate is not cleansed, you may not be able to pick up on these differences and flavour enhancements. Every person has a mouth that contains a hard and soft palate, a tongue and inner cheeks. All of these parts contain anywhere from 1,000 to 10,000 taste buds. Learning how to cleanse your palate and taste flavours can help to enhance the taste buds and allow you to pick up on the tiniest of flavours in cigars.
The Benefits of Cleansing the Palate Before Smoking
After eating and drinking, the food and drinks that you have consumed can leave the taste buds in your mouth covered with the previous flavours or filled with different layers. These previous flavours can block out new ones. This is often why upscale restaurants offer a palate-cleansing dish between courses. It helps to remove any flavours from the taste buds, leaving them as open and clear as possible. You will be able to pick up on complex flavours in foods and cigars
How to Cleanse Your Palate
The easiest way to cleanse your palate is to eat or drink foods that clear fat from the taste buds in your mouth. Many foods clear the palate, but some of the ones that do the best job include:
Dark Chocolate
Ginger
Lemon sorbet
Lime, lime juice, and lime peels
Pineapple
Water (or Sparkling)
Experts recommend that you avoid eating fatty foods before smoking a cigar and cleansing your palate. This helps to minimise the amount of fat content that is on your taste buds in the first place.
Why Palate Cleansing Does Not Mean You Will Like Everything
It is important to keep in mind that taste is subjective. People will always have different opinions regarding taste, regardless of whether or not their palate is cleansed. Cleansing your palate does not automatically mean that you will like everything that you try. However, it does help to enhance flavours and may make particular cigars more complex.
