Cigar Reviews

 Reviewing cigars should involve all your senses like sight, touch, smell, taste  to notice the scent of the wrapper, the feel of the cigar, the flavor of the unlit cigar,  and even your hearing to determine the moisture content of the wrapper and filler.  when you squeeze the cigar it should resist a little and return to its proper form, but  if it cracks or sounds like cracking then the cigar is dry.  The first point of contact with a cigar is the outer wrapper because it provides texture and beauty. After that comes the flavor and proper blending of the tobacco to achieve the taste and aroma. Cigar Aficionado uses a 100-Point Rating System  separated into four components:

1. Appearance and construction (15 Points)
2. Flavor & Taste (25 Points)
3. Smoking characteristics (25 Points)
4. Overall experience (35 Points)

The way a cigar burns and the draw of the smoke will determine how enjoyable a cigar is, and the review should not be based on one cigar either because human error does come into play and you could get 1 bad cigar maybe out of a 1000 that were rolled. Other factors to consider is the strength of flavor and body from mild to full, ash (color, flake), finish in the mouth, room aroma , and complexity of flavor. In short, learn to use your senses as a guide in reviewing cigars. *(photo of Tabak Especial Toro.)