Rating system

[RevSmoke]

Someone stated that they liked the system I used for reviewing cigars (I adapt it in order to use if for pipe tobacco too), so I thought I'd post here the guts of the form. I replace the questions with my comments. This is the form that was given to me when I reviewed for SMOKE Magazine. Sometimes I will state if I recommend a cigar or not, but given that everybody's tastes are so subjective, I leave that one to the beholder.

Hope someone finds this useful.

0.0 - 2.0 = poor/inferior quality
2.1 - 2.9 = fair
3.0 - 3.5 = good
3.5 - 4.5 = excellent
4.6 - 5.0 = superior

1) Aesthetics: the look of the cigar - oily, coarse, smooth, dry, light, dark, pretty, ugly, etc...
Score for aesthetics:

2) Pre-light Construction: Roll cigar between fingers - soft spots? loose? tight? dense? lightweight? Well rolled? how does it smell?
Score for Pre-light construction:

3) Post-light Construction/How it smoked: Does it draw well, does smoke pull through on its own, do soft spots appear after lighting, burnes evenly? smokes hot or cool? What is ash like? color of ash? flaky or solid?
Score for post-light construction:

4) Flavor and strength: What does it taste like? Full-bodied, med. or mild? Does it taste earthy, spicy, fruity, vegetal, sweet, rich, harsh, direct, floral, robust, woody, green (haylike), acidic, salty? Is it pleasant or unpleasant? Does it build in flavor and/or complexity as you smoke it? Is it bland, flavorful, complex? Did it get bitter?
Score for flavor and strength:

5) Aftertaste/Finish: aftertaste is the sensation &/or flavor on you palate after each puff, not the taste left after you finish the cigar. Is it heavy - light? Spicy, cedary, fruity, bitter, hot, grassy? Mild - strong? Pleasant or not? Harsh?
Score for aftertaste:

6) Aroma: What does it smell like? Good - bad? light or heavy? pervasive - mild? floral, perfumed, grassy, harsh, woodsy, overpowering, unpleasant, magnificent?
Score for aroma:

7) General Comments: Are samples consistent? Did you particlarily enjoy of with a certain food or beverage? Did they appeal more at certain time of day? Did it remind you of something? Would you buy them? Sum it up as you would to a friends ("That cigar was awesome!") and give it an overall score.
Overall score for the cigar:

Recommendation: Would you recommend the cigar? Pick one of the following and explain:
Not Recommended
Possibly Recommended
Recommended
Highly Recommended

[AuburnFan1980]

Originally Posted by RevSmoke

Someone stated that they liked the system I used for reviewing cigars (I adapt it in order to use if for pipe tobacco too), so I thought I'd post here the guts of the form. I replace the questions with my comments. This is the form that was given to me when I reviewed for SMOKE Magazine. Sometimes I will state if I recommend a cigar or not, but given that everybody's tastes are so subjective, I leave that one to the beholder.

Hope someone finds this useful.

0.0 - 2.0 = poor/inferior quality
2.1 - 2.9 = fair
3.0 - 3.5 = good
3.5 - 4.5 = excellent
4.6 - 5.0 = superior

1) Aesthetics: the look of the cigar - oily, coarse, smooth, dry, light, dark, pretty, ugly, etc...
Score for aesthetics:

2) Pre-light Construction: Roll cigar between fingers - soft spots? loose? tight? dense? lightweight? Well rolled? how does it smell?
Score for Pre-light construction:

3) Post-light Construction/How it smoked: Does it draw well, does smoke pull through on its own, do soft spots appear after lighting, burnes evenly? smokes hot or cool? What is ash like? color of ash? flaky or solid?
Score for post-light construction:

4) Flavor and strength: What does it taste like? Full-bodied, med. or mild? Does it taste earthy, spicy, fruity, vegetal, sweet, rich, harsh, direct, floral, robust, woody, green (haylike), acidic, salty? Is it pleasant or unpleasant? Does it build in flavor and/or complexity as you smoke it? Is it bland, flavorful, complex? Did it get bitter?
Score for flavor and strength:

5) Aftertaste/Finish: aftertaste is the sensation &/or flavor on you palate after each puff, not the taste left after you finish the cigar. Is it heavy - light? Spicy, cedary, fruity, bitter, hot, grassy? Mild - strong? Pleasant or not? Harsh?
Score for aftertaste:

6) Aroma: What does it smell like? Good - bad? light or heavy? pervasive - mild? floral, perfumed, grassy, harsh, woodsy, overpowering, unpleasant, magnificent?
Score for aroma:

7) General Comments: Are samples consistent? Did you particlarily enjoy of with a certain food or beverage? Did they appeal more at certain time of day? Did it remind you of something? Would you buy them? Sum it up as you would to a friends ("That cigar was awesome!") and give it an overall score.
Overall score for the cigar:

Recommendation: Would you recommend the cigar? Pick one of the following and explain:
Not Recommended
Possibly Recommended
Recommended
Highly Recommended

Nice system ya got there, brother! Looks like your ring guage needs a slight boost there. Great post!

Jason

[RevSmoke]

Originally Posted by AuburnFan1980

Nice system ya got there, brother! Looks like your ring guage needs a slight boost there. Great post!

Jason

Am just learning what all this stuff means here in the jungle - so I thank you for that boost.