Rating Cigars

The crew at Stogie Fresh regularly gets together and smokes some stogies. Besides that, we have taken on the responsibility of telling the world about our personal OPINION of cigars. Of course, ever the scientists, we are tallying our scores as a way of informing our readers about the quality of the cigars and the benefits of aging.

The most recent six reviews are found on our Stogie Fresh Cigar Journal. After that, they are stored and available in our online Cigar Review Directory
Go to Stogie Fresh Cigar Journal>>>

The Cigar Review Directory is a searchable online database that stores all of our past reviews.

Visit the Cigar Review Directory>>>

NOTE: See our rating system in the section below...

The Stogie Fresh Reviewing System

One of the most important aspects of our reviewing system, is that we review and rate each cigar multiple times over the course of 15-18 months. We usually smoke a minimum of 10 cigars in the same batch and review the cigar a minimum of 4 times during a typical review cycle. After receiving a batch of cigars, we smoke one right away, just to get a "feel" for the tobacco. Then we wait anywhere between 2 weeks and 3 months to conduct our first review. After the first revew, we will review cigars from that SAME BATCH again in 3 month intervals for the first three reviews, and then a final review, which is done 6 months after the third review. During the review cycle, we will smoke even more of the cigars from the same batch, just to keep our notes current and see how the cigars are progressing. This is the most rigorous reviewing system in the industry and the only one that is designed to analyze the consistency of cigars and their true potential for successful aging.

Our tasting notes are very extensive and detailed. They are designed to give the reader the "story behind the cigar," as well as a detailed description of its flavor profile and burn characteristics. We also give each cigar a numerical rating, but this is only so that we have a basis for comparing the cigars over time. We do not use ratings to determine the "goodness" or "badness" of a cigar, only to compare its relative characteristics over time (see below, "How we rate cigars").

How we rate cigars

1. LOOK AND FEEL: a great deal of enjoyment can be had from simply looking at a cigar. Is the wrapper oozing oils that make it look good enough to eat? Is the wrapper smooth, with tiny veins? Is it mottled in appearance with big chunky veins? Are there bumps, lumps and other markings? What about feel? Mushy, soft, supple or rock hard?
2. FLAVOR AND AROMA: Flavor is always subjective, but we tell you what we like and dislike about the flavors and why. Is the cigar harsh, bitter, spicy, or bland? Does the character of the cigar change as you smoke it? Also, how does the cigar smell? Not just the smoke, but the wrapper too.
3. BURN: A good cigar should not be difficult to keep lit or have too tight a draw. It should burn consistently, throwing an ash that that sticks together. The edges of the burning end should resemble a thin dark line and should not be thick and bubbled, which shows improper aging of the tobacco.
4. OVERALL SCORE = LOOK AND FEEL(.20) + FLAVOR AND AROMA(.40) + BURN(.40) [NOTE: We weight flavor and burn aspects higher than the appearance of the cigar.]
5. RATING STANDARDS: We use a 50-100 point scale.
   51 - 69 = POOR
   70 - 79 = AVERAGE
   80 - 89 = SILVER STAR
   90 - 100 = GOLD STAR

Also noted...

• DATE OF PURCHASE: This gives a starting point for aging outside of the retailer's humidor.
• DATE OF RATING: When compared with the Date of Purchase, this gives us the extra time that the cigar was laid down.
• CONDITIONS OF STORAGE: A description of the type of humidor, average temperature and humidity and other relevant conditions of storage.
• AGING POTENTIAL SCORE: After the fourth review in the series, we give our prediction of how long this cigar will successfully age.

Now check out our rating criteria for accessories. This is the last section before our Cigar Journal.