How We Review & Rate Cigars
Zino Davidoff said, “the best cigar is the one you like.” He couldn’t have been more accurate with that statement. People often ask me, “What’s the best cigar” and Zino’s infamous quote is what I blurt out 99.9% of the time. All cigar reviews are subjective and there is no possible way to have a completely unbiased cigar review. But what I strive for at Fire Up That Cigar, is to give you the most unbiased opinion that I can. I never judge a cigar by its band or by only smoking part of the cigar. I do not judge a cigar by what others have said about a particular cigar. I judge cigars and rate them based on their merits. Below are the categories I look at, but none as important as the flavor of the cigar. I don’t smoke cigars to look cool (although I do look pretty damn cool with a cigar in my mouth), nor do I smoke cigars to be a part of a certain lifestyle. I enjoy cigars because they taste good and they allow me a chance to relax and gather my thoughts. But with that said, flavor is subjective as well. One man’s sugar is another man’s salt. That is why I strive to describe the flavors and sensations I am getting from the cigar, so that you the reader can get an idea of what you may be tasting. The goal is to give you a better idea of what you are tasting and really help you zone in on the process of finding out what you like and dislike and of course to make that process easier. The reviews are also meant for those experienced cigar enthusiasts and gives some advanced information that may not matter to the novice. I have a natural ability of associating what I am tasting and then articulating it. And with my help, hopefully someday you too can do the same. Here is a brief description of each category I go through.
Cigar Facts: This category is pretty straight forward. The type of and origin of the wrapper, the origin of the binder and filler, where the cigar is made, the size and the price are all covered here. Some people ask why does it matter what the cigar is made of or where it is from, isn’t a cigar a cigar? First the wrapper type is the most important because the majority of the flavors come from the wrapper leaf. Some even estimate that 60% of the flavor comes from the wrapper on a cigar. Is it a Corojo wrapper, Criollio, Connecticut Broadleaf? Most avid cigar smokers can taste the difference between all the wrapper types. The country that the tobacco is grown in is also very important and some avid cigar smokers can even tell the difference between a Corojo leaf grown in Nicaragua and a Corojo leaf grown in Honduras. Even the different regions in a country can produce different tasting tobacco because of the soil it is grown in.
Cigar Background: In this section I will usually tell a story about the cigar, how it came to be and anything else that I think is interesting about the cigar. I do not include this in every review because some stories are not meant to be told because frankly they will bore you half to death.
Appearance & Construction: This category I will comment on how the cigar looks and if it looks like it is a well constructed cigar. To me, the way the cigar looks has little to no bearing on whether I will like the cigar or not but it can add to the overall enjoyment if it is well made and looks great. I have had ugly cigars smoke like champs and I have had good looking cigars smoke like turds so this category is not that important to me.
Smoking Characteristics: Smoking characteristics will often refer to the draw of the cigar, the burn line, the ash of the cigar and the body of the cigar. The draw of the cigar is very important because if the cigar draws too loose it can burn too hot and negatively affect the flavor of your cigar. And if the cigar draws to tight, well you might not even be getting any smoke. The burn line isn’t overly important but can negatively affect your experience if your cigar keeps requiring relights or touch-ups. The touch-ups don’t bother me that much; you have a lighter, use it. The ash is more of a novelty thing; like my buddies Charlie and Chris always say, “Nothing Beats a Nice Tight Ash.”
The body of the cigar is a highly debated issue. Some think body refers to the strength of the cigar, others think body is the intensity of flavors. Here is how I classify the body of a cigar. The body of the cigar refers to the feeling in your mouth. Is it intense, heavy or full? Is it light and mild? I classify strength as the feeling you get from the cigar or the nicotine kick. I usually use two categories for the strength of a cigar; average or strong/full. Did the nicotine kick you? I’ll be the first to admit, I am not a good judge of nicotine. Rarely does the nicotine of the cigar kick me. But when it does you will know.
Flavor: This category is by far the most important aspect of the cigar for me. If the cigar tastes like crap I will not enjoy the cigar. When necessary I will break the cigar into thirds. Sometimes however, the cigar remains generally the same and is more of a rotation between the same flavors. I will usually point that out in reviews but I don’t think it is necessary to document every minute flavor rotation. Meaning if a cigar has coffee notes on one puff, wood notes on the next and them back to coffee, frankly you would not read the reviews if they were that detailed. Also, there will be some times when I say the cigar taste like something. Doesn’t mean it taste like that, it just reminds me of something. For example, just because I say the cigar taste like leather, doesn’t mean that I chew on leather, it just reminds me of leather. As stated in the intro this is to help you with what you might be tasting. It’s not to say that if you don’t taste a certain flavor that your palate is broken because everyone is different. Cigars won’t taste the same to everybody because everyone’s palate is diverse. The reviews are merely a guide to help get you along.
Final Thoughts: Here is where I tell you if I enjoyed the cigar or not. Like I said before, cigar reviews are all subjective. Another man’s junk is another man’s treasure and that is importnat to know that. Just because I say a cigar is good may not mean that you think the same. By this point in te review should have given you enough information in the categories above so that you should be able to make your decision if the cigar is one you would like to try or not. The ‘final thoughts’ is merely my evaluation of the entire cigar as a whole and I will tell you if I like it or not. Usually if the cigar is something I can see a specific type of cigar enthusiast smoking I will usually call your name here. Also in the ‘final thoughts’ I will tell you if the cigar has good balance. Good balance in a cigar to me is if the flavors meld well together and if the flavors are harmonious. Balance also refers to whether or not the cigar hits all the sensations on your palate such as, sweet, salty, savory. If one flavor dominiates the cigar I consider the cigar to be unbalanced. Complexity is another entity of cigars that is important. Complexity in a cigar is if there is a multitude of flavors. If a cigar is not complex I may say something that it was one dimensional. I consider the flavor department and the ‘final thoughts’ section to be the most important aspect of the cigar reviews, hence I will put more resources into these sections.
Worth a Shot: Most cigars are worth a shot but I will be honest with you here if the cigar is a dog rocket.
Buy Again: Would I buy this cigar again. If so is it box worthy?
Score: Terrible: A complete dog rocket that is not worth smoking.
Okay: A smokable cigar but lacks anything special. A yard gar
Good: A solid cigar that you would want to smoke again but lacks that something that would make it a great cigar.
Great: The name says it all. A great cigar! It is a special cigar that you would want to smoke over and over.
Excellent: A classic cigar. Only the best of the best will get this rating.
See the Index of Cigar Reviews here
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