There are so many different ratings and reviews for cigars in the world today.  Sometimes it can be a little daunting sifting through all the different media channels.

Everyone has different methods but more importantly different palates.  It’s why there are so many varied scores and tasting notes.  When I started Cigar Press I never wanted to do ratings.  It was important for me to let the reader read a review unbiased to see if the cigar sounded like something they would enjoy.

If you grab a cigar that had a rating of 95, for example, you may be going into it thinking it was already an amazing cigar.  Instead of experiencing it for what it is – you may look for reasons why it’s so good instead of just deciding for yourself.

I shifted Cigar Press from a “no ratings” platform to doing ratings because it became evident that I needed to put my take on all the cigars we reviewed.  It was a way to let our readers know which cigars I personally thought were good and which ones I thought were great.

You may notice that there aren’t a lot of low ratings in our cigar review section.  Honestly, it’s hard to find “bad” cigars these days, although sometimes you may find something that’s not quote right or off.  I don’t want to tell you what cigars to avoid, I’d rather promote cigars that we think you should try or cigars that we think are really good.  Of course, I’ll rate and review anything out there, but bashing a brand just isn’t my style.

Personal Experience

With all the different outlets providing ratings, to me, it’s important to factor in personal experience of the people doing them.  Experience goes a long way.  You can find countless outlets of “experts” who have only been into cigars a couple years or less.  While that may seem like a long time to them – there is still a lot to learn.

Finding the Right Outlet

The most important thing while sifting through all the different media outlets, is to find ones that you have similar tastes with.   To the point above – if you find that you agree with a lot of “newbie” ratings, then that’s awesome.

Everyone experiences different things when they smoke cigars and if you find that you agree with a lot of the ratings from any one outlet, then that’s who you should follow.  They will point you in the right direction for cigars you may not have tried and end up falling in love with.

Taste is Subjective.

Everyone has a different palate and will inevitably get different flavor profiles.  The “flavors” are just indicators of things one is reminded of while smoking a cigar, they aren’t things that people should look for after reading a review.  Even strength depends on experience, time of day, what you eat and drink, etc.  These things aren’t set in stone.  Just keep that in mind the next time you want to kill the messenger who said something was medium strength and you find yourself green in the face.

How I Rate Cigars

There are a few things I take into consideration:

How the flavor, body and strength profiles work together, construction and overall experience. 

That’s it. There really isn’t that much more that needs to go into it.  Flavor nuances, aroma and specific strengths are subjective, but they do factor in because these are my ratings.  Afterall, it’s Cigar Press’ take.  Even still, I will rate cigars that aren’t really in my wheelhouse as far as flavor or strength but will still rate them for what they are.  I’ll point out flavors and aromas that I notice, the texture of the smoke, how everything works together.

They won’t get a lower rating just because the flavor isn’t something I’m into – I do try to be a little more subjective.  Every cigar has a time and a place. When things work for me personally, the ratings will reflect that – how could they not?

We decided to do ratings to let people know what cigars we love and worth smoking.  The cigars that I love will no doubt have better ratings.

There are certain things I look for in the cigars I smoke on the daily – aroma being one of the most important things.  I need a cigar that has a great aroma.  It needs to balance well with the flavor, body and overall strength of the cigar.  I like balance and for a cigar to leave nothing wanting – it has to be satisfying and smoke effortlessly.  I want to see how all of those things work together in a blend.

Sometimes a cigar is amazing without being complex and vice versa.  It doesn’t make one better than the other.  It all depends on what you want to experience.  When I rate cigars I’ll find some that would be great while out and about, at a party or doing things, while others I’d rather grab when I’m sitting back and relaxing.

Construction for me is a must.  It can, however, be affected by the conditions that the cigars are stored in and the climate they are lit up in.  When rating and reviewing a cigar for Cigar Press – all of the cigars are kept in conditions that are ideal to me depending on the cigars.

I never rate cigars that I smoke outside, there are too many variables.  I need to see that a cigar will burn and smoke as it should without any of those unwanted variables, like wind or excessive temperatures factoring in.

Finally

Cigar ratings by any media outlet are in no way a determination to see what cigars are better that others in general; they reflect what cigars are better to the person doing the ratings.  Ratings and reviews are a great guide to anyone once they find a similar palate with the people rating the cigars.

I see some ratings out there and can’t believe the score they receive.  There will always be some influence with some outlets to give a cigar a little bit better of a score than it may deserve – and there are some that rate a cigar for what they think it deserves no matter what.

The most important thing is to use ratings as a guide – but you have to be your own judge in the end.  Even though we think our ratings are the best – it doesn’t mean that you will.  If you are newer to cigars, then you shouldn’t pick up that 95 rated cigar that is full strength and expect to like it.  Know your palate and know your limitations.

Cigars are like a road trip with a lot of destinations, the longer you are on it, the more your palate will develop and change.  Smoke what you like and never stop trying new things. What you couldn’t stand in the beginning, may become a favorite over time.  You may even find that cigars you enjoyed in the beginning just don’t do the trick anymore.

ven though the rating debates can be fun, cigars are meant to be enjoyed and the only person who cares what your cigar tastes like is you.