What's most important when rating a cigar?

[itsme_timd]

With the CA ratings recently past I've been talking with a lot of people about magazine ratings, online ratings, reviews, etc. All of the systems have pros and cons (well not all of them - some just suck) but I was curious what everyone else thinks.

Looking at the factors below, what order would you put them in when rating a cigar? To take it a step further - how would you rate each of those factors as a percentage (X of 100) of the overall score?

Just curious to see how the average cigar smoker would do this.

- Flavor
- Construction
- Appearance
- Burn
- Price

 

[ctaylor]

Flavor is the most important to me, I would break it down like this..
60%- Flavor
10%- Construction
10%- Appearance
15%- Burn
5%- Price

 

[t_ron99]

In priority order to me:

Flavor
burn
construction
price
appearance

That's my two cents. But just as I like this cigar and he likes that one...you can weight each as much or as little and come up with your own system and numbers for exactly what you like! That's what makes cigar smoking so fun to me!

 

[Treinenwj]

I'm with ctaylor. Although I would probably put flavor at 55 and bump burn up to 20. I've had some great smokes I just didn't enjoy because I had to spend too much time fixing burn issues.

 

[JxBr]

As long as it draws the only thing that maters to me is flavor flavor flavor.

 

[Virgeinadeaux]

Flavor is the most important to me, I would break it down like this..
60%- Flavor
10%- Construction
10%- Appearance
15%- Burn
5%- Price

Brother ctaylor is 90% right. I’d say flavor 50%, construction 25%, appearance or aesthetics 25%. The burn and draw is pretty much governed by construction. I use to think price was a lot of the cigars worth, but know when you think about price; remember you get what you pay for.

 

[BrooksW]

1. Flavor
2. Flavor
3. Flavor
4. Flavor
5. Construction (Draw)

It is all about flavor with me...

Quote from my site (about how I rate cigars):

"The way I rate cigars is simple.

It is all about the taste.

While appearance, smoke quality, ash color and other physical aspects of a cigar are important (and I will comment on them, sometimes to distraction), I judge cigars by flavor, and flavor only. As far as I am concerned, while the other factors are something to comment on, I have seen butt ass ugly sticks smoke like a dream, and I have seen some of the most gorgeous looking sticks on the planet taste like a dog turd left out in the sun.

Having said that, the Draw and Burn of a cigar are definitely something that is going to effect a review, since the draw of a cigar will effect the TASTE of the cigar (ie, if it is not drawing well, you are not getting all of the flavors that could be present in the smoke)...

~brooks

 

[itsme_timd]

1. Flavor
2. Flavor
3. Flavor
4. Flavor
5. Construction (Draw)

It is all about flavor with me...

~brooks

I definitely see where you're coming from there. For me, the flavor will definitely take the bulk of the score - 60% or better IMO. But if a cigar is attractive that also adds to my enjoyment of it, even if it's just the anticipation. However I've also been surprised by an ugly cigar that tasted phenomenal.

When looking at price and construction, I may be a bit more forgiving of some burn issues in a $4.00 cigar but if I had issues with a $25.00 (or more cigar) I'd be pretty unhappy. I've had great tasting cigars that I had to relight 20 times, and that killed the overall smoking experience for me.

Thanks for the input, I think it's very interesting to see how others view different factors of the hobby.

 

[tatuaje]

Brooks nailed it.

 

[ciggy]

I would have to say in order....

50%...Flavor
20%...Price
15%...construction
10%...Burn
5%....apperance

It would really be all about flavor and cost for me. If it's a great cigar I don't so much mind an off burn or a re-lite as long as it's construction stays intact throughout the smoke.

 

[themaindude]

Flavor 60%
Construction 30%
Burn 5%
Price 5%
Appearence 0%

Construction many times affect burn and flavor. I really do not care if it looks like a turd or not as long as it is tasty. Price is always relative. My uber favorites usually fall between 8 and 15 dollar range, however my everyday favorites no greater than 5 bucks. Not really into having a smoke for the sake of having a smoke. I do not think I will ever go higher than 15. There are just too many fantastic smokes under this price.

Sorry if this was a threadjack. Just got carried away

 

[aquarich]

I lean more toward Brooks in this case. I think flavor is an over-whelming piece of the puzzle. Construction second, and the rest in very small percentages. I don't worry about appearance if the cigar is constructed well. Price only becomes an issue if I am dissatisfied with the stick.

 

[CuritibaRex]

I guess it is a matter of degree of meaning to the term "Construction." If by that term one means everything that goes into the building of that cigar, from selection and aging of the batch ingredients to the way it was rolled, molded, wrapped, capped and handled during packaging, then construction is of prime importance totally influencing flavor, burn, price and appearance.

If by "Construction" one merely means the "feel" of the cigar plus the way the wrapper and cap were wound, fit and glued, then the breakdown would favor flavor over construction, burn, price and appearance.

Without "construction" there would be nothing. That is why I always feel some ambiguity when that term is rated as if something separate from the other attributes of a cigar.

 

[funkejj]

Yep I have to agree with brooks. I don't care if a cigar looks like a piece of dog crap as long as it is full of flavor, and burns well with out splitting or plugging then I am fine with it. I don't care about discoloration or spots. I just want a good drawing flavorful cigar. I never let price figure in to how I rate a cigar. Just my opinion.

 

[itsme_timd]

I posted this on quite a few forums and it's very interesting to see all the responses. Like the cigars themselves, there are a wide variety of opinions on how to rate a cigar.

A few people have said 'price is not a factor' where others have said 'flavor and price are my top two factors' and others have said it would account for 15% of the overall rating.

I guess this shows how hard it is to put a numerical rating system together that everyone can relate to. Maybe 'value' would be better suited than 'price' as a factor, but that is really a subjective term. One person might think a Padron 80th is a great value where someone else may think no cigar is worth that much.

Thanks for the input here everyone.

 

[BrooksW]

One note about Price...I think that the reason people have different ideas about how important price is in the overall scheme of things is related to how often people smoke...

For example, I only smoke a cigar about twice (perhaps 3 times) a week, and unless I am herfing, I only smoke one cigar a day...this means I can afford to be quite a bit more picky on the price and quality of cigars I smoke, compared to someone who is enjoying 3-4 cigars a day, every day of the week...

As you said, people value different aspects...if I was smoking 3 cigars a day (or even 2), I MIGHT place Price higher on my list (albeit not much)...

~brooks

 

[dpricenator]

When it comes to reading reviews, and ratings...I don't trust anyone who earns advertising dollars from companies whose cigars they are reviewing. That's how we get Rocky Patels rated 93, and Casa Magna as #1 for the year. I read reviews from smokers with nothing to gain.

 

[Vegan702]

Mine is flavor and construction like others have stated. If price ever comes into the equation then I probably shouldn't be smoking anymore as this is a hobby/passion that is based on my discretionary income. With that being said, there are many cigars that are very good cigars that are priced in the $8-$20 msrp range that it makes it an easy decision not to have price be a factor in choosing cigars for most I believe.

 

[SkinsFanLarry]

Maybe I'm missing this all together....nobody has mentioned strength.....strength and flavor are two completely different things, to me.

Here' how I look at it....


- Flavor
- Strength
- Burn
- Construction
- Appearance
- Price

 

[hdroadglide]

flavor is it. probably 90%. strong or mild, it is the flavor that keeps you coming back for more. i would lump contstruction and burn together, as a well constructed cigar should burn well. i have put up with issues with both of these if the flavor is good. appearance is minimal, although i will be drawn to a cigar that looks a certain way. however, if the flavor is spot on, i could care less how it looks. price is relative, so i'd divide the other factors evenly with the remaining 10%.