When I first got serious about cigars a FOG in a local shop told me to write my own reviews on everything. He told me not to worry about how crappy my reviews were, they would get better. I'm glad I listened to him. I gave myself guidelines for reviews. Drink plenty of water that day, nothing very spicy/sweet/sour to eat beforehand and only have room temperature water to drink with the cigar. That kept my palate good and clean and neutral. I tried to not listen to music or anything else. Just sit and focus on the cigar. At first, I would just get things like sweet, salty, dry, creamy, bitter, etc. The more I smoked the more defined things got. I was more able to pick up on things like, dark chocolate, coffee, stone fruits, cinnamon, vegetal, etc.

I also think there is great value in getting multiples of a new cigar and smoking them over time. I learned a lot from getting a 5 pack of a cigar and smoking one every 3 months. If nothing else, I feel like it helps you better identify what you want to smoke fresh and what can do well with age.