I want to get a few things off my chest regarding cigar reviews.

Yes, I’m probably writing this for my own benefit and to a few people in the balcony seats who are still scratching their heads over Skittles or Chunky Monkey showing up in a cigar review.*

*Full Disclosure: I don’t know if anyone has actually mentioned ‘Skittles’ or ‘Chunky Monkey’ in a cigar review…if they did, it’s just a good random guess on my part.

Cigar reviews are opinions, not instructions. If you treat them like scorecards, you will miss the point. Use them as filters. Not verdicts.

I can’t tell you the number of cigars I have smoked that had killer ratings that just were not that good. And the opposite is true.

Does that make me right? No…just for me.

Here are a few guidelines when it comes to reviews..

Start with the basics.

Check the size, wrapper, and country of origin. If you already know you avoid 60 ring gauges or strong Nicaraguan blends, you can stop right there. That alone saves you money and aggravation.

That is not to say don’t try something outside your comfort zone…particularly if you find yourself in alignment with some of the reviewers’ other choices.

Ignore the poetry.

We all like to be Shakespeare in this industry.

“Tastes like apples, Life Savers, and childhood nostalgia.”

“Tastes like aged oak, library books, and a life decision you still stand by.”

“Notes of pinto beans, campfire smoke, and the memory of a handshake that sealed the deal.”

Sounds nice, but it really doesn’t help you decide on a cigar.

Focus on broader notes like sweet, earthy, spicy, pepper, creamy, or dry.

Those categories matter more than whether someone tasted toasted almond skin at minute nine. Or what the fourth 1/3 tasted like. And yes, that last one is real.

Pay attention to strength, not hype.

Strength tells you more than flavor descriptions. If the review says it builds fast or hits full early, believe it. If you smoke in the morning or on an empty stomach, that matters.

Now, one person’s medium cigar is another person’s over-the-top full…so keep that in mind.

Construction comments are sometimes subjective.

Within reason, construction can be beneficial in a review.

The bad part is that it often varies person to person. How did they handle the cigar? How was it stored?

Most high-level media outlets take extreme measures to ensure they handle the cigar correctly. That random dude on YouTube on his third review…maybe not.

That said…the one exception I tend to ignore is…

…How many times someone needed to ‘touch up’ a cigar. Frankly, the second it is off a razor-sharp burn, some people feel the need to touch up the cigar. The cigar would have been fine on its own…leave it alone.

Look for patterns, not scores.

One high score means almost nothing. Five similar reviews saying the same thing means something.

We all have brands that we love, and yes, some manufacturers are more accessible than others – they tend to make more lists.

That said, pay attention to a cigar on a lot of lists. That means something.

Use reviews to narrow your buying choices.

Do not use reviews to validate a purchase after the fact. Reviews work best before you buy, not after you light up.

Trust your own notes. If you smoked it and liked it, that is the end of the discussion. Your palate wins. Always.

A good cigar review should help you decide what to try next. It should not tell you what to enjoy.

Now what?

If a review makes you feel like you are taking a test, close the tab. Cigars are not a quiz. There is no correct answer. You are not losing points if you do not taste espresso, barnyard, or a 1997 summer evening.

If you like it, the review worked.
If you love it, the review does not matter.
If you hate it, congratulations, you just learned something.

Either way, the cigar still did its job.