What's your rating system?

[bimmian]

I've been smoking cigars regularly for about 6 years now and I finally feel my palate has developed enough to rate my own cigars.
I am curious as to how CA can rate cigars so highly, yet their description makes the stick sound horrible. Things like "papery, damp finish" and "acidic, tannic, and scorched taste" regularly get 80 points and up (which, by their own table is "very good to excellent").
So I came up with my own rating system and I was curious to see what other smokers use to judge the quality of their sticks. Here's mine:

Construction: 25 pts., with the biggest deductions being for plugging and tunneling. It's gotta burn well to even be properly evaluated, right? Touch ups only take off 2-5 points.

Flavor/Aroma: 25 pts. Since this is subjective, I only rate on whether or not the flavors/aromas were present and not undesirable. (like acidic, papery or scorched)

Appearance: 15 pts. Since if it smokes well should count more than how it looks. Wrapper color, consistency, quality, etc. Weight in hand, smoothness, firmness.

Value: 15 pts. Moving down in points from "Excellent value, good price, worth it, would buy again but could be cheaper, ought to be cheaper, waste of $".

Overall experience: 20 pts. I try not to let environment sway this one, and just let the experience of the cigar by itself weigh in. Regardless if I was at work or relaxing in my backyard or at a helluva party.

Try it out and maybe you'll see why my scores in the reviews section are so low... Maybe you have a suggestion for me? How do YOU rate cigars? Thanks to anyone who participates!

[Criminal]

I'm sure you've noticed that cA's ratings rarely, if ever, go below the mid 80's. Despite the description of what the range of scores mean, it seems that anything below about 85 is pretty bad. Plus, we all know that taste is extremely subjective, and a Monte #2 from one year (or month?) can be very different from the next, etc.

For me, the bottom line is how a particular smoke grabs my attention. I may not be able to articulate the "peppery, cinnamon undertones highlighted by a springtime dew as the sun rises", but I know if it is a good cigar as compared to others I have smoked.

I rate cigars more in terms of tiers. The first tier for me being cigars that are simply amazing and knocked my socks off: Padron 80th, Padron 40th, some Opus X, a few cubans such as Monte #2 and #4, Bolivar Belicoso Finos. The next tier are cigars that are really good, but just not classics.

The third tier for me are cigars that are simply just good. Not really good, but good. That might mean that they are a good value for the price.

Anything below the third tier are called Decoy Cigars. These are for the non-cigar-smokers at the golf course, family reunion, etc. These are the ones that you give away.

[Cigary]

I use the 5 point system:

1. Terrible
2. Bad but would smoke it as a "yard gar"
3. Good
4. Really good
5. So good that I would immediately buy a box

[madurolover]

Here is my rating sheet. It is pretty simple and straightforward.

[Bigtotoro]

Mine is pretty simple. I do not really "score".

1. Taste - Is the taste noticeably awful/bad/passable/good/excellent? Anything less than good is out. If I can smoke it absentmindedly, it also is out. It has to make me notice.
2. Smell - Would I smoke this around someone who is not a cigar smoker? Not AGAINST it, per se, but who is not a smoker. Everyone I know can at least tolerate the smell of a Padron 64. Maybe not blown in their face, but it does not bother them at the very least.
3. After Effect - Does my wife make me take a shower when I come back into the house? After smoking an Oliva V, she gets a little closer.

Everything else is negotiable. My enjoyment of them can depend on what I have eaten, what I am drinking, how long it has been aged, my mood, the weather, who I am with...
With that many variables, for ME (only speaking for myself) it is silly to spend a bunch of time rating.

[orca99usa]

3. After Effect - Does my wife make me take a shower when I come back into the house?

I would get this whether I smoked an Opus X or a Hav-a-Tampa.

[ca21455]

A - Keep a box stocked
1 - Buy a box when there is a good sale
2 - Buy a box or sampler when they are < $3 ea
3 - Will have to give a second try before buying
4 - Will not purchase

[bigman]

Taste (Good/Bad)
Smell (Good/Bad)
Appearance (Good/Bad)
And most importantly
Over all did I like it (Yes/No)
If it tastes good, and smells good, but looks bad, I usually like it, if it looks and smells good but tastes bad, usually don’t like it, looks good and tastes good but smells bad, I it could go either way.

I try to keep it simple.

[Nickerson]

My philosophy on point systems is that any system that has a fixed amount of points into multiple categories is inaccurate.

With some of the rating systems posted, a cigar with a perfect draw and construction, amazing looking wrapper and band/box, and a perfect burn but with a horrible nasty taste that resembles dish washer liquid soap and rotting fish would score higher than a good tasting cigar with a tight draw, a less than spectacular appearance, and slight issues on the burn.

For me its just 0 to 100 based on my overall experience with the cigar.

[El Smokey Bearo]

My system so far, being still new to cigars, is to just write down everything that happened related to the cigar afterwards. Lighting, taste, aftertaste, what I drank, etc. Then I decide if its something I'd want more of. Like in many activities, the K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple, Stupid) method is very effective.

[mugzy]

I use this spreadsheet......


Couldnt attach it....sorry.

[Juicestain]

Originally Posted by Cigary

I use the 5 point system:

1. Terrible
2. Bad but would smoke it as a "yard gar"
3. Good
4. Really good
5. So good that I would immediately buy a box

+1

[Jack Straw]

I personally don't give numerical values, but think of it in terms of if the cigar suits my taste. A great constructed stick is nice, but for the most part it's all about the flavor for me.

[d_day]

Mine may be the simplest of all.

1. Like it
2. Don't like it.

[scottw]

Scale of 1-10 for the following characteristics:

Construction
Pre-light Draw
Pre-Light Flavor
Burn
Taste of the first third, second third and final third of the stick.