Reading the ratings, a novice example

[foolwithnohair]

My first post, eh ...

There are lots of different cigar ratings around. Here are three and how I interpret them (today). YMMV.

1. http://www.cigaraficionado.com/Cigar/Home/
There are some searchable ratings, but to get more ratings you have to visit the site regularly and download the latest Cigar Insider as a pdf. These aren't cumulative, so save them. The year-end rating issue (currently available, link may die) http://www.cigaraficionado.com/Cigar...112318U921.pdf is useful. Their Top 25 is also interesting - but the current year top 25 will be harder to find than previous years'. (The website goes back to 2004.)

The rating scale is out of "100." I read the scale as follows:
95+ Cigars with these ratings are either obscenely expensive or totally unavailable. As such, ignore these cigars.
91-94 The best cigars. 93-94 is usually not available.
90. Almost as good.
87-89. Good.
86- Not good.

The ratings are generally biased in favour of smokes available in the USA, and in favour of smokes that make a good impression with minimal or no aging.

2. http://www.top25cigar.com/reviewdatabase/
Amazingly comprehensive. The more ratings there are for a cigar/size, the more precise the rating.
8.70+ The best cigars.
8.00-8.69 Almost as good.
7.30-7.99 Good.

3. http://www.cigars-review.org/ (for non-Americans)
The site covers Cubans. There are no ads, nothing for sale, just info and ratings on Cubans. The numerical ratings are not very useful - although eight and over is best. The reason is that Cubans almost always need aging to become awesome - so people post ratings for the same cigar at different points in time, fresh (usually not good), after three months (okay), after a year (showing potential), after three years (nice), etc.

Finally, just because a cigar is rated highly doesn't mean that you will also feel the same way. However, it does raise interesting possibilities. For example:

a) by combining the above three ratings and my preferences (and wallet), I came up with four cigars:
H. Upmann Magnum 46
Montecristo Petit Edmundo
Partagas Serie D No. 4
Bolivar Royal Corona

I've smoked the Bolivar previously, and it was the best cigar I've ever smoked - which is not saying much at this time. However, I look forward to trying the other three.

b) I looked at four years of CA's Top25 and came up with the following list of non-Cubans to try:
94 Torpedo 6 0 x 56 Oliva Serie V
92 DoubleRobusto Oliva Serie V
92 Chisel 6 0 x 54 La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero Maduro
92 Robusto 4 3/4 x 50 Sosa Wavell
92 Robusto 5 1/4 x 50 Hoyo de Monterrey Excalibur Maduro Epicure
91 GranCorona 6 0 x 44 Gran Habano 3 Siglos
91 Torpedo 6 1/4 x 54 Carlos Torano Exodus 1959
91 Torpedo 5 0 x 52 Padron 6000 Maduro
91 Toro 6 0 x 52 The Edge Sumatra

With the Oliva's and the Chisel unavailable, I ended up ordering the Exodus Torpedo - because I like Pyramids. (The Torpedo also won the European Cigar Cult Magazine Cigar Trophy as Nicaragua's best cigar http://www.cigar-cult.com/cig/index....d=46&Itemid=62 ).

Haven't got them yet, tho ... :mrcool:

[Cypress]

My take is to try a bunch of different kinds and see what I like. I personally don't pay attention to ratings. Good luck.

[foolwithnohair]

Definitely. I was trying to use the ratings to find cigars similar to what I already like, as, I was buying boxes - just one in the second example.

Trying out different cigars is always enjoyable.

[baba]

I like to look at the ratings. Some fit my taste, others don't. The first 5 or 6 in the C.A. best 25 I agree with, they are great cigars. I look at the ratings, and use them as a reference on new things to try. Some are terrific, some are not.

[jim@mindofmen.com]

The good thing about ratings is that they give you a starting point. If you are active in the cigar community and listen to cigar podcasts, you will usually get some good ideas on what to try each week.

If you frequent a B&M, the proprietor can usually point you to new things to try if you can tell him/her what sort of things you know you like.

If you don't have access to either of these avenues, a Cigar Rating can suggest some direction for your limited dollars. There are an awful lot of cigars out there and you can't possibly try them all. Generally, if you go for a stogie that got a decent rating, you are probably going to be okay, otherwise you could end up smoking a woofer.

[Slow Triathlete]

I agree with Jim on this one. I just use the ratings usually to find out what is in a cigar and how it is made.

[FoZzMaN-cl]

I tend to look at the ratings more for clues as to the flavor/strength of a given stick than anything else. As far as CA's ratings go, unless you know what a given cigar rec'd in a particular portion of the review it doesn't mean much. For instance, if a stick receives an 88 rating - that means that it "lost" 12 points for something (or several things, you really don't know...) If construction, burn, & flavor were perfect, but the cigar lost points for appearance, I'd more be more inclined to pick one up than another 88 rated stick that was beautiful to look at but tasted like a dog's ass.

[Sea Jay]

Same here. I do not let a rating "number" decide if I smoke it or not. However, I like reviews so that I can get an idea of the cigars make-up.

[foolwithnohair]

Great comments, and yes, the makeup of the ratings is important. Basically, I'm trying to come up with a way to decide what boxes of cigars I can buy 'blind' and be reasonably happy with. I do look at the notes and stuff, but it'll take a while to figure out what they're saying. (It seems like 'leather' is a good flavour. Has anyone ever smelled burnt leather? Blech.)

Being in Canada also means I have to approach things a bit differently. Sending or transporting tobacco is (essentially) illegal, and the taxes are so high, so the only reasonable way for me to get non-Cubans is to make a huge (for me) order from one of the American on-line vendors, and drive down to the US and pick them up (legally). Thus, I'm ordering 8-10 boxes at a time without having tasted any of the cigars. Some of the brands are sold in Canada, but many are not, or are sold at ridiculous prices.

I actually ended up cancelling the order for the 1959's because it would have put me over the limit for personal importation (because my other boxes came with some freebies).

I'll post a list for my next trip down (once my credit card heals) for comments. :-)

FYI, on the Cuban side, I ended up buying a box of the Bolivar's. The SDNo4 and Monte Petit Edmundo are so popular that they're close to 50% a stick more expensive locally. I did try the H. Upmann, but it wasn't that exciting. (The Bolivar is exciting!)

[iloveclmore]

I don't really pay much attention to ratings. I use them more as a general guide than anything else. I pick up sticks mainly by what is recommended to me based on my personal tastes, or sometimes I'll just grab one at random at a local B&M that looks good to me.

[Rowdymon-cl]

Originally Posted by triplezero24

, or sometimes I'll just grab one at random at a local B&M that looks good to me.

I have discovered some bad ass cigars that way...

Anytime I walk into a B&M Humi I always look to pick up one or two sticks I've never heard about before...I've had some awesome and not so good experiences...but I tell ya what...I do'nt regret a single one

[Darren's Godiva]

Good advice Jeff.

[m69c44]

I use the ratings in CM only for the flavor/strength. being new to all this I just want something that's going to make me come back for more

[ylo2na-cl]

I, too, have read the ratings but that is as far as it goes. I rarely act upon their recommendations unless I have done my homework elsewhere. For me, the guys here on Cigar Live are my weather post and my homework for all of my new smokes. Once a cigar is mentioned several times, regardless of the price, I try to order it as quickly as I can. I must say that I have not been disappointed very often, if ever! My take is this...the guys here are just regular guys who like the leaf and will honestly pass on the information regarding a cigar and how it affected them! That is good enough for me! Plus, the power of suggestion really goes a long way when it is made by the CL's B/S'sOTLEAF.
Best

[iloveclmore]

Originally Posted by Rowdymon

I have discovered some bad ass cigars that way...

Anytime I walk into a B&M Humi I always look to pick up one or two sticks I've never heard about before...I've had some awesome and not so good experiences...but I tell ya what...I do'nt regret a single one

Same here. It is definitely an awesome way of finding new brands.