The Importance of Smell in Memory

This is a short piece I originally published in September, 2009, but thought it worthy of sharing again.


I listened to an interview on the radio today by a woman who had traveled the world to find all the essential essences needed to create a perfume that would remind her of not only where she had found them, but that suited her particular scent profile.

This set me to thinking, as I occasionally do, about what it is that draws some of us so strongly to particular flavors and overtones in our cigars, and what causes us to not dislike, but at least less enjoy others.

A part of the discussion centered on evocative memory, or the idea that smell and taste can bring us to places in our past, both pleasant and unpleasant, that have had a distinct influence on us. Indeed, I agree with this concept, as I can well remember the distinct aromas that lingered in my great grandmothers kitchen; bacon, cooked cabbage, and the crisp clean taste of the water from the hand-pump at sinkside. Each time I detect a similar smell I am brought back instantly to those days when I was 9 or 10. I can immediately see the entire layout of the house, hear the tinkling of the glass chimes on the screened porch, and picture the enormous collection of salt and pepper shakers that spilled from every available display space in her home. I can remember rifling through the stacks of fading sepia photos in her attic, wondering who each and every person was, and how they were related to me.

Taste and aroma are powerful reminders of the past, but as cigar smokers perhaps we must be cautious that we not let either prematurely lower our expectations of a cigar based on prior experience.

One of our employees rather crudely describes what I perceive as earthiness in a cigar as "that cow pie smell," and won't smoke anything that gives him that impression on pre-light. That's a shame, as I've certainly smoked a few cigars that gave me that sense when I smelled them, but immediately blossomed into true gems once the torch was applied.

You see, taste and smell at times can have a certain dissonance to them, whereby we may initially be turned off by the smell of the unlit tobacco, yet surprisingly pleased by its taste once we smoke it. Sort of a "Don't judge a book by its cover" moment.

Each of us have very different capacities to taste and smell, and I always enjoy the differing reflections customers give to a smoke. Some have very discerning palates, and quickly grasp the nuances of subtle hints of flavor provided by the tobacco. Others are constantly perplexed by descriptions like "subtle hints of nutmeg" or undertones of leather and spice."

What's important is that you not let someone else influence your decision to sample a blend based on their judgment. What your friend or neighbor dislikes may become an everyday enjoyment for you. Indeed, don't even let the best of tobacconists dissuade you from smoking a blend you enjoy, for in the few hours a day or week we're given to truly enjoy our cigars we should smoke those that satisfy us most.

But attempt this, if you will: Try to remember while smoking. Think of those special moments and memories that are brought back to you by certain flavors and smells. Distill the essence of all you're experiencing into a flash of memory, and recall the best times of your life. That is what cigars are all about.