Vertical Tasting
Flavor & Tasting
Definition
Smoking the same cigar from several different production years, or the same blend across several vitolas, in one sitting to isolate a single variable.
Why it matters
Holding everything else constant is the only rigorous way to judge what aging or what size actually does to a blend, rather than relying on memory.
In context
"The vertical ran from a 2011 box to last year's, and the middle years were the best of them."
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