The taste of a cigar is overrated. The essential component of a cigar is its inherent uniqueness. And that factor is not always exclusively taste, or factory of origin, or blender, or some hybrid wrapper or seed. As bold a statement as the aforementioned might be, in my opinion, it will no doubt cause confusion and will be inimical to those who only see the marrying of various leaves as the most vital aspect of a cigar’s identity. But without the inclusion of the singularity of a cigar’s idiosyncratic i.e. total distinction, taste then becomes only a portion of the equation.
How can I make such an assertion about overt palatableness playing second or third chair to another component? Indeed, I am talking taste as in “the sensation of flavor perceived in the mouth and throat on contact with a substance.” How can taste not be the main element of a cigar? Because it dissipates? So think outside the confines of the humidor, the plethora of lengthy, boring reviews, the personal recommendations, and, well . . . base reality to make a match of what really is the cigar’s momentum.
For example, “Maya Deren, (original name Eleanora Derenkowsky, born April 29, 1917, Kiev, Ukraine—died Oct. 13, 1961, New York, N.Y., U.S.) – (was an) influential director and performer who is often called the ‘mother’ of American avant-garde filmmaking. (I would extend that to the development of performance art, but that’s just my opinion.) Her films are not only poetic but instructive, offering insight into the human body and psyche and demonstrating the potential of film to explore these subjects.
American avant-garde, of course, refers to an experimental, progressive, or groundbreaking ingredient in the arts (Dada), literature (Burroughs), poetry (Sexton) and, yes, even cigar blending (Sanchez). When I first watched what Maya was doing in her films, it was perplexing, almost difficult to endure but simultaneously spellbinding. The ideas that were obviously swirling within her creative mind were far from the perceived norm in subject matter or plot (if you can call what transpires in some of her films – a plot).
“The function of film, Deren believed, like most art forms, was to create an experience; each one of her films would evoke new conclusions, rendering her oeuvre dynamic and always evolving. She combined her interests in dance, Haitian Vodou and subjective psychology in a series of surreal, perceptual, black-and-white short films. Using editing, multiple exposures, jump-cutting, superimposition, slow-motion, and other camera techniques to her fullest advantage, Deren created continued motion through discontinued space, while abandoning the established notions of physical space and time, with the ability to turn her vision into a stream of consciousness.” (Wiki)
Some modern cigar makers today have gone over the edge of what is perceived to be the norm and have been courageous enough to slither over the linear line of the banal and introduce cigars that shape not only our taste but our character as well.
When Maya filmed what she thought was intoxicatingly innovative and interesting, she was almost always concerned with the humanistic whole – the catholic nexus of actual movement, at times in cramped quarters and other times besides the open sea, or through the forest. No matter the time or place or the understanding or misunderstanding, she filmed what she thought was pure and based on her perception of reality.
A clear, general understanding of how she reasoned out any of her work can be based on the movie Meshes of the Afternoon, “This film is concerned with the interior experiences of an individual. It does not record an event that could be witnessed by other persons. Rather, it reproduces the way in which the subconscious of an individual will develop, interpret, and elaborate an apparently simple and casual incident into a critical emotional experience,” i.e. smoking a cigar.
For her the end product was the film, for the blender the end product is the cigar – taste is secondary or if you include the construction, could be viewed as tertiary in import. Taste is perceived differently by one or another, as is the meaning of the storyline of Meshes.
She goes on to say, “Artistic freedom means that the amateur filmmaker is never forced to sacrifice visual drama and beauty to a stream of words (the type of leaves) … to the relentless activity and explanations of a plot (the running off at the mouth or the flooding of words onto the screen in a review or critique in deciding the efficacy of a cigar’s blend) … nor is the amateur production expected to return (a) profit on a huge investment by holding the attention of a massive and motley audience for 90 minutes (for cigar smokers, what . . . six months?) … Instead of trying to invent a plot that moves, use the movement of wind, or water, children, people, elevators, balls, etc. as a poem might celebrate these. And use your freedom to experiment with visual ideas (blends); your mistakes will not get you fired.” (Deren, Maya 1965, “Amateur Versus Professional”. Film Culture (39): 45–46.)
Whereas the cigar maker has this same freedom and does in many cases, carry it out. Taste is still not the main criteria, but grasping the entire cigar intellectually, physically, and then through the distinction or sense of taste – which contains the flavors – exposed to the public without any fear of rejection or retribution or worse – lacking the conviction of sincerity to make your point (cigar) again.
IrvCigarBroker 