Blind tasting in the afternoon high above Lake Lucerne! Seventeen curious aficionados gathered at the legendary Bürgenstock Resort—all relaxed, in good spirits, some with that look of „I know exactly what I'm doing here.“ – to embark on an adventure: a Gordo Vitola blind No brand, no label, no clues. Just pure senses and naked truth. And it was precisely this moment of not knowing, this tingling sensation, this „What am I actually smoking here?“ that made the experience so magnificent. A photo gallery following this article brings back memories.

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Photos: Christian Schmid, PHOTOGRAPH 132

Table of contents from the blind tasting

Even before the first move, it was clear: This won't just be a tasting—it'll be a festival. The spark was ignited during this blind tasting. The group was thoroughly impressed by the combination of informative insights, entertaining moderation, and a healthy dose of humor. One participant summed it up perfectly: „This makes learning really fun!“

The cigar was rated with the Cigars.Zone Tasting Tool, which once again demonstrated how precisely and intuitively it can be used to capture impressions.

Across generations – from young to experienced

One of the most beautiful elements of this afternoon: The mix of generations. Younger aficionados sat alongside older connoisseurs with decades of experience, sparking conversations that Lasting for generations. Experiences were shared, anecdotes told, tips passed on, and suddenly it was clear:

A cigar can bring people together who might otherwise never have met.

It creates space for exchange, respect, curiosity—and that is precisely what makes such events so special.

Guests from the Palatinate—what an honor!

A special highlight for me personally: participants even traveled from the Palatinate region especially for the event! I was deeply impressed by this appreciation—it shows how important well-organized, independent tastings are today. Anyone who travels so far just to taste a mysterious Gordo with like-minded people is now officially part of the Cigars.Zone Honorary Tribe. I was really touched when I was presented with a bottle of Pinot Noir at the end.

Stick your thumb in and suck!

„Okay, now everyone: Put your thumb in your mouth... and suck!"

The looks on their faces were priceless.

A mixture of „Is he serious?“, „I'll just give it a try...“ and „Please don't tell anyone I'm doing this.“

But:

The whole thing had an absolutely professional, enjoyable, and highly aromatic background!

Why we did it

At the retronasal smoking the smoke is directed through the sinuses, which contain significantly more odor and aroma receptors than the mouth. However, many aficionados only do what has just been explained. standard version.

With the thumb technique I demonstrate what I call „Retronasal PLUS“ Name:

The thumb briefly closes the airflow in the mouth.
This creates minimal negative pressure.
When you inhale slowly, you „draw“ the smoke in a more controlled manner through the nose, directly into the areas that are much more sensitive to sensory perception.
The result: more intense flavors, clearer perception, more structured taste, greater depth

In short: the thumb is just the „trigger“ that ignites the sensory turbo.

What actually happens during this process?

The aroma molecules are distributed more finely
More contact with the retronasal receptors
Hardly any mouth space, everything through the nose
The taste suddenly seems broader, rounder, more complex.

Hence the reactions in the room: „It's like a secret superpower!“ -„Why didn't I know this earlier?!“

The effect

Many are experiencing for the first time how intense a cigar actually tastes. can, if you consciously draw the smoke through your nose—done correctly.

And once you've experienced that, you'll understand why I say: 👉 Come to the next Cigar.Zone event—your taste buds will thank you.

The curiosity of the evening: the big cover page puzzle

But then something really strange happened:

The wrapper burst on 15 cigars – some only slightly, others like a mini volcanic eruption. The cigars felt flawless, had been stored and transported optimally, and were perfectly prepared.

The theory of the evening:

The height of the Bürgenstock (almost 900 m above sea level) may have played a role. Perhaps the cigars needed a few weeks to acclimatize?

But this assumption was called into question: some participants took cigars with them for later – and these cover sheets did not burst.

The mystery remained unsolved. A real cigar curiosity.

Regarding the cover phenomenon, it remains to be said that I myself have already smoked several of these cigars – never with such abnormalities. It remains a curiosity. A mysterious moment in an otherwise perfect tasting experience. But the participants took it in stride. I was able to repair most of the tears and wrapper detachments with the „Ciglue“Repair.

The resolutionWhat did we taste?

Despite the cover phenomenon, the cigar was well received:

mild
pleasant
easy to smoke
neatly rolled by hand
Linear from start to last train
With a handful of participants, the cigar developed easily and revealed slightly more notes of wood and leather as it was smoked.

At the end, each participant received a copy of the cigar that had been tasted. for the journey home.

And then came the revelation:

Villiger 1888 Nicaragua – Gordo.

A cigar that showed how exciting a blind tasting can be—and how much joy a shared moment of enjoyment can bring.

An unforgettable afternoon full of aromas, surprises, and a great passion for cigars.

Acknowledgements

A warm Thank you to the Bürgenstock Resort and that Cigar Lounge TeamThe service was perfect, attentive, friendly, and professional. The ashtrays were emptied regularly—something that is unfortunately not a given at many events—and the guests were looked after excellently throughout. A truly excellent experience.

Another big thank you also goes to the kitchenThe appetizers were simply magnificent and enhanced the tasting experience from a culinary perspective.

And a A big THANK YOU to VILLIGER, who provided 40 cigars and delights aficionados worldwide with his long-filler premium cigars.