I don't smoke many Cohiba's in recent months, but I had a disturbing experience with a Limited Reserve torp yesterday. It was fairly mild, lit and burned well, but through most of the cigar I had the sensation of a metallic taste, almost as if the binder was actually aluminum foil or something. I guess I smoked down most of it just to see if it evenutally went away, which only happened within the last inch or so.

Anyone ever get that kind of sensation in a Cohiba?

I mostly notice metallic tastes in some non-Cubans and even then I think it has something to do with the large silver amalgam fillings I have on my molars.

I have notice this metallic tase perhaps once or twice on Cubans.

The most common cause is young underaged tobacco due to remaining levels of chloropyhll in the leaves.

Many important natural substances are chelates. In chelates a central metal ion is bonded to a large organic molecule, a molecule composed of carbon, hydrogen, and other elements such as oxygen and nitrogen. One such chelate is chlorophyll, the green pigment of plants. In chlorophyll the central ion is magnesium, and the large organic molecule is a porphyrin. The porphyrin contains four nitrogen atoms that form bonds to magnesium in a square planar arrangement. It is this magnessium ion that gives chloropyhll its distinct metallic taste.

Hope this helps,

Steve Saka

Thanks Steve. I didn't know that. (but now I do)

Thanks Steve. It's good to have your knowledge on the board. Whippany is home to my favorite store where I spend many a lunch hour.

And it's the magnesium that gives the cigar that extremely white ash. Most tobacco growers outside of Cuba adds magnesium to the soil in order to get that coveted white ash.

Thanks Steve and punched for some great information.
What exactly happens to this chelate as the leaf ages and the chlorophyll degenerates? Is the magnesium somehow released from the leaf? Punched's response seems to indicate that the magnesium remains.

Holy Cow! I didn't know I was smoking a chemistry set! And I thought I just had to watch out for too much Nutrasweet.

So I gather that the problem is more of tobacco harvested before its time, rather than just a newly-rolled stick getting to the retailer too quickly.

Does the chlorophyll content change to xylophyll like an autumn leaf as it changes color, or does that make any difference to the flavor/magnesium content?

I also noticed that the gum used to secure the cap was sweeter than I had experienced before on any cigar. All-in-all, not a great experience with a non-Cuban Cohiba (I will try its twin later this week, but will not consume the whole thing if it is as badly behaved as the first one).

I have one Cohiba Siglo VI (I think) that should have enough time and plume on it to be a special smoke on Saturday to celebrate the end of a tough week.

Thanks again for the lesson on chelates, etc

Chlorophyll is a reasonable explanation, but it doesn't quite make sense to me. Chlorophyll is highly unstable and will denature under high or low temperatures. As chlorophyll is denatured, the Mg is instantly replaced with hydrogen.

In other words, unless the chlorophyll is still green (in native structure), it is unable to absorb red and blue light and bind Mg. I would bet even the shortest fermentation times would denature all the chlorophyll.

So the part I don't understand is that you hear commonly from CC smokers that they get a metallic taste from many or most NC's, but not the other way around. And indeed, I do get this alot from NC brands. But as I understand it, CC brands don't have any special tricks or lengths of time for leaf fermentation. So it seems like chlorophyll retention of Mg sounds like a good answer, but doesn't work....unless someone can come up with more details why chlorophyll is the answer.

Guys,

I am not a chemistry whiz and for me to try to engage in a real discussion on the topic would be fruitless. I am only passing on what I have been told by degreed tobacco agromonists. For those interested in reviewing an in depth text on the subject I suggest you procure a copy of "Tobacco: Production, Chemistry, and Technology" by Davis and Nielsen. I believe you can buy a copy off Amazon for about $175.00.

Hope this helps,

Steve

Books for everyone!! Ariba!

BTW - I just realized I was actually smoking the aluminum tube instead of the cigar, silly me.

Thanks for the chem discussion. I am indeed going to look into understanding what transpires, but first and foremost, I will continue to enjoy other smokes worthy of attention.

Chicken poop = no metalic aftertaste????

Tobacco science