Rating Cigars: How to be a good judge of "character"

[docruger]

another copy from famous
Say, what's the deal with those cigar ratings you read in magazines like *Cigar Aficionado*, *Smoke* and others? How do their "judges" determine whether a cigar is a "70" or a "90?" As subjective as rating cigars may be, especially when it comes to taste, they all use pretty much the same criteria. Here are some guidelines to help you determine whether you would buy a box of a given cigar or whether it would be better used as fertilizer. When rating cigars there are the 5 primary categories to take into consideration:

Overall appearance: (consistency of wrapper color, uniformity of the
wrapping, oiliness and/or sheen of the wrapper leaf)

1. Draw: (how easy or difficult is it to draw smoke through the cigar)
2. Burn rate: (too slow, too fast, uneven)
3. Construction: (too loose, too tight, wrapper unwraps during smoking)
4. Taste: (smooth, bitter, creamy, light, powerful) At what point did these "tastes" present themselves: 1/3, 1/2, 3/4 or throughout the entire smoke. For instance: The cigar may have started out with a light pleasant taste but turned bitter halfway through smoking.

The complexity" of a cigar would also be part of the Taste criteria. Some cigars have a rich, complex taste from start to finish, others build in complexity as they smoke. "Finish" is another. This is determined by the flavors left on the palate after taking a puff. Lighter cigars tend to have very little finish, whereas maduros and cigars made with stronger-tasting fillers have a very distinct finish. These last two factors have more to do with the sensitivity of your taste buds than anything else. Concentrate on the five primary criteria and eventually you'll become a very good judge of character!

[slayoner]

Thanks, Excellent information! You did a good job clarifying and explaining some of the things I only had a vague grasp of concerning cigar ratings. A friend of mine was asking a week or two ago what those numbers mean and who judged them and I didn't have the complete answer. Great newbie information.

[GlockG23]

I like the fact Price was not one there.
It can unfairly drop or raise a cigars rating

[scottw]

Good Info Doc, thank you!

[Cigar Man Andy]

This was posted by Gordon Mott from Cigar Aficionado


Gordon Mott[SIZE=-1] -- New York, NY (Managing Editor, Cigar Aficionado) at 09:01:16 PM EST on March 11, 1997:[/SIZE]
Let me make something clear. The descriptives used in our tastings are subjective. They represent the association of what is going on in your mouth, what I'd call your palate, and how it relates to other tastes you?ve experienced. The best professional tasters will tell you, no matter what their expertise, that their biggest asset is a "taste memory." After all, there are four basic tastes: sweet, sour, bitter or salty. Whether something has a flavor of cherries or nuts, it is the combination of those "tastes." One cigar-maker, who like many resisted Cigar Aficionado's use of food and wine vocabulary for tobacco, said he finally realized that we were applying easily recognizable taste sensations to tobacco. So, when we use chocolate, it refers to a slightly sweet/bitter combo that comes from cocoa beans. The best way to develop this vocabulary is to taste with the intent to actually taste what?s going on. Put a piece of bitter chocolate in your mouth, dab some cinnamon on your tongue and focus on what happens. Do the same with cigars. Don't just puff on it. Focus on the taste. Use words to describe what's going on; find descriptors, and free associate a little. I truly believe we have enhanced the pleasure of smoking a cigar by getting people to focus on the various exotic flavors that do exist and allowing them to find new ways to describing them to their friends. Don't be put off by people who insist that all they taste in a cigar is whether it?s good or bad. Let them stick to that terminology. Leave the fun to the rest of us.


Q: How do you score and rate cigars in Cigar Aficionado?
Steven R. Bonin
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

A: There are four senior editors of Cigar Aficionado who taste and rate the cigars; the final score is an average of the four tasters. We use four basic criteria to judge the cigars: appearance and construction, smoking performance, flavor, and an overall impression. The cigars are purchased at retail whenever possible, and they are kept in properly humidified conditions before the test begins. Then, each taster has a humidor on his desk where the cigars are kept; we try to give a minimum of eight weeks for the tasters to complete the tasting.

[KickU2Sleep]

Originally Posted by Cigar Man Andy

This was posted by Gordon Mott from Cigar Aficionado

A: There are four senior editors of Cigar Aficionado who taste and rate the cigars; the final score is an average of the four tasters. We use four basic criteria to judge the cigars: appearance and construction, smoking performance, flavor, and an overall impression. The cigars are purchased at retail whenever possible, and they are kept in properly humidified conditions before the test begins. Then, each taster has a humidor on his desk where the cigars are kept; we try to give a minimum of eight weeks for the tasters to complete the tasting.

I want that job......Please....Haha

[longburn]

My method is about as simple as it gets. If i'm smoking a cigar and I find a smile on my face and a tiny nub then I know I like it and will get more.

However,if 1/2 way through it i'm looking for a place to toss it and feel like my best friend just sold me out then I know it's not one I want more of.

[MrMusicMan1]

Originally Posted by KickU2Sleep

I want that job......Please....Haha

Ditto!