Here's a "how to" I wrote to show about reviewing cigars. Reviewing a cigar is almost completely opinion, but here's how I write mine.
Look: When you first get to your local cigar shop, or online (wherever you buy them, it doesn't matter), you want to take a look at the stick and just analyze the basic features that it brings. Examples: look at the wrapper (what color is it? Light? Tan? Dark?), look at the cigar tag (does it have a basic design? Or something unique?), and figure out exactly who makes the cigar you are looking at, what size, and know style for the specific cigar you chose (toro, gordo, corona, etc.). *Remember, the color of the wrapper is no indication of how strong the cigar will be*. If you can't find the specifics of the cigar you chose, ask the owner of the shop, or look it up online. After you look over the basics, check and see if you can see any visible veins and/or seams and see the amount of caps the stogie has. Average cigars have 2, sometimes you can find one that has 3-4.
Feel: After reviewing the look of the cigar, you're going to want to get a basic feel for the stick you chose. First, feel the wrapper... does it feel soft? Does it feel like sandpaper? Does it have an oily feel to it? Those are just the basics, you can, if you choose, get more detailed. Next, feel and see if the cigar has a tight pack or a loose pack. If you feel that the cigar has a loose pack, the cigar will most likely burn faster and have an easy draw. For a tighter pack, the cigar will most likely do the opposite and burn slower with more resistance in the draw.
Smell: This is the last step before lighting up the cigar. Smell up and down the cigar and see what it smells like. If you have read cigar reviews before, you probably heard the reviewer say what the cigar smelt like. (Normally it has an earth/soil aroma). But, not everyone is going to smell the same thing, so you need to smell it yourself to see what you get out of it.
Smoke: The first step for smoking, is lighting the cigar. In this post, I'm not going to describe how to light a cigar, one, because that would take a while, and two, because how you light up a cigar is strictly your preference. There are several ways to do it, just find what works for you. Ok, now that I got that point across I can continue... When you get the cigar lit up, you want to take your first 2 or 3 puffs and see what flavors you get out of them. You can get several flavors out of one cigar, or you can just get one flavor... it really just depends on the cigar. Once you decide what flavors you got, make a note of them so you don't forget. Then, you describe how the finish is. In case you don't know, the finish is the taste in your mouth after you take a puff, you usually can describe those as harsh, smooth, spicy, etc... When that is all done, you're going to want to review your cigars in halves or thirds. The way I do my reviews is I do 1/3 and describe what flavors I get, smoke to the 2/3 point and describe the flavors, and then I finish it off and tell what the end consisted of. You're going to want to describe how even/uneven the burn is, how the draw is, and how much smoke you are getting out of the stick. Remember, it's your review, so you describe what YOU got out of the cigar. Which brings me to another piece of advice. It's best not to look up the cigar you purchased and see another's review on it. Your palate is different than anyone else's. Ex: you may be getting a coffee flavor out of a cigar, and the person next to you may be tasting some chocolate. I believe it's psychological... if you read a review on the cigar you're about to review, I believe it prepares your taste buds to get the same flavors as the review you read, which could be totally different than what you would have tasted if you had not read the review. So, it's best to just review it yourself first, then you can read what you want to read about it. Again, this is all my opinion, not required.
Now that you have my steps to reviewing a cigar, I hope that you can go out and start reviewing some! One last thing.. keep it short. Personally, I hate long cigar reviews. Before I started reviewing stogies, I would be at a cigar lounge picking out a cigar. When I finally decided on one, I would pull a review of it up on my phone and start reading it. I wouldn't end up reading the whole thing because it was 5 paragraphs. That's a turn off. So, keep it short and to the point. Well... at least try.
Gurkha Ghost Exorcist Double Toro
The Gurkha Ghost Exorcist is a 6x60 stick that has a rough sandpaper feel to the Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper. The cigar brings a really dark wrapper that has a very earthy aroma to it (not lit). You can see the veins which isn't a big deal, along with a tight pack with some soft spots. Time to light up.
First rush you get with this stick is a basic tobacco flavor blended with some pepper and sweetness. Once I got about an inch done, some pepper and spice came in. So, a very nice blend at the beginning. Strength-wise, you can tell right away that this is a full-bodied cigar... I don't mind them, but you will work up a pretty good buzz. The draw is perfect with a even burn. If you look at other reviews for this stick, you'll see them all commenting on how much smoke this cigar will produce... it's all true. I was shocked how much smoke this cigar made. It produced a ton of smoke when I puffed on it, and when the cigar was just sitting there. Definitely one of the smokiest smokes out there.
2/3 to the end of the smoke really make you feel that this cigar is full-bodied. The flavoring stayed the same but they all intensified which left me feeling a strong buzz. To all you full-bodied lovers out there, this would be a cigar to try. The even burn, perfect draw, nice blend of flavors, and tremendous smoke output made this cigar an enjoyable smoke.
Stogie Rite score: 89
First rush you get with this stick is a basic tobacco flavor blended with some pepper and sweetness. Once I got about an inch done, some pepper and spice came in. So, a very nice blend at the beginning. Strength-wise, you can tell right away that this is a full-bodied cigar... I don't mind them, but you will work up a pretty good buzz. The draw is perfect with a even burn. If you look at other reviews for this stick, you'll see them all commenting on how much smoke this cigar will produce... it's all true. I was shocked how much smoke this cigar made. It produced a ton of smoke when I puffed on it, and when the cigar was just sitting there. Definitely one of the smokiest smokes out there.
2/3 to the end of the smoke really make you feel that this cigar is full-bodied. The flavoring stayed the same but they all intensified which left me feeling a strong buzz. To all you full-bodied lovers out there, this would be a cigar to try. The even burn, perfect draw, nice blend of flavors, and tremendous smoke output made this cigar an enjoyable smoke.
Stogie Rite score: 89
Nording Toro Grande by Rocky Patel
This 6x58 stick is a fantastic smoke. If you read my Rocky Patel Renaissance review you'll know that I'm not a fan of Rocky Patel cigars. I liked the look of this stick and it was one I was unfamiliar with, so I picked it up. It has a nice dark, oily wrapper that has a earthy/coffee aroma to it. It has a Costa Rico Maduro wrapper with Honduran and Nicaraguan fillers. The price is very reasonable, running around $7.
As you light this cigar you get a strong roasted coffee flavor mixed with a few hints of nut here and there. The nut flavor was pretty strong on the finish for the beginning of the smoke. The burn was super even, the draw was great with very litte resistance, and the smoke output was amazing.
2/3's point to the end of the smoke brought a little change, mostly to the finish. A nice leather flavor came into play which blended very nicely with the coffee flavor. The finish changed from the nut flavoring to a basic tobacco flavor. All the flavors blended great for a nice medium-bodied smoke. Rocky Patel gained some points with me today... great smoke.
Stogie Rite score: 97
As you light this cigar you get a strong roasted coffee flavor mixed with a few hints of nut here and there. The nut flavor was pretty strong on the finish for the beginning of the smoke. The burn was super even, the draw was great with very litte resistance, and the smoke output was amazing.
2/3's point to the end of the smoke brought a little change, mostly to the finish. A nice leather flavor came into play which blended very nicely with the coffee flavor. The finish changed from the nut flavoring to a basic tobacco flavor. All the flavors blended great for a nice medium-bodied smoke. Rocky Patel gained some points with me today... great smoke.
Stogie Rite score: 97
H. Upmann Legacy Toro
This 6x52 stick has a great oily feel to its Ecuadorian Sumatran wrapper. The cigar has a blend of Nicaraguan and Dominican tobaccos that blend together for a really great flavor.
As you light up, you get a sweet earthy rush. In my experiences, whenever you have a cigar with a smooth oily wrapper, the flavor is going to be sweet at some point during the smoke. Just an observation... back to the review. In the sweet earthy flavor, you get a few hints of nut and pepper. With the pepper comes a little bit of spice, nothing overwhelming. The smoke output could be better, same with the draw. The burn, however, is very even.
The 2/3 to the end point takes away the spice but makes the nut flavor more prevalent. The finish has been very nice. It brings an oily/wood flavor that blends perfectly. I really enjoyed this smoke, mainly because I like medium-bodied cigars with complex flavor. I recommend you pick one up (around $7).
Stogie Rite score: 94
As you light up, you get a sweet earthy rush. In my experiences, whenever you have a cigar with a smooth oily wrapper, the flavor is going to be sweet at some point during the smoke. Just an observation... back to the review. In the sweet earthy flavor, you get a few hints of nut and pepper. With the pepper comes a little bit of spice, nothing overwhelming. The smoke output could be better, same with the draw. The burn, however, is very even.
The 2/3 to the end point takes away the spice but makes the nut flavor more prevalent. The finish has been very nice. It brings an oily/wood flavor that blends perfectly. I really enjoyed this smoke, mainly because I like medium-bodied cigars with complex flavor. I recommend you pick one up (around $7).
Stogie Rite score: 94
Room 101 San Andres 808
The Room 101 San Andres 808 is wrapped in a San Andres Mexican wrapper. The cigar has a nice blend of Corojo and Criollo tobaccos. This is the first Room 101 cigar that I have smoked... let's light it up.
As you light up, you get a nice smooth rush of tobacco flavoring mixed with pepper. There's no harshness to the pepper, surprisingly, it is actually pretty sweet. The smoke output is great, the draw is perfect, but the burn is off a little.. nothing significant.
The 2/3 point to the end doesn't bring much change. The flavors are the same, but they have mellowed out. When I first lit the cigar up, I assumed I was going to get a lot of spice from this cigar, especially because of the pepper flavoring. To be honest, I was relieved not to have any spice come into play... not a big fan of too much spice. This basic Room 101 cigar was great for an afternoon smoke, good pricing, draw, and smoke output really makes this cigar worth the price.
Stogie Rite score: 90
As you light up, you get a nice smooth rush of tobacco flavoring mixed with pepper. There's no harshness to the pepper, surprisingly, it is actually pretty sweet. The smoke output is great, the draw is perfect, but the burn is off a little.. nothing significant.
The 2/3 point to the end doesn't bring much change. The flavors are the same, but they have mellowed out. When I first lit the cigar up, I assumed I was going to get a lot of spice from this cigar, especially because of the pepper flavoring. To be honest, I was relieved not to have any spice come into play... not a big fan of too much spice. This basic Room 101 cigar was great for an afternoon smoke, good pricing, draw, and smoke output really makes this cigar worth the price.
Stogie Rite score: 90
C&C Corojo Toro
The C&C Corojo Toro is a pretty cheap cigar. You wouldn't think it would be this cheap just by looking at it, but you can buy it for just under $5. It has a Ecuadorian wrapper that has a smooth, oily feel to it. Time to light up.
1/3: When you light up, you get a nice smooth tobacco flavor with a little spicy on the finish. The spice isn't overpowering, however, it does stay in the back of your mouth for the whole smoke. Through 1/3 of the cigar, the flavoring is consistent.
2/3: The 2/3 of the cigar really brings a lot of change. The spice really comes out, as people are saying "it really sneaks up on you". Mixed with the spice, you also get oak, cocoa, earth, and a hint of coffee (but not for more than a few seconds). This C&C Corojo is probably the best tasting in it's price range.
3/3: Not much has changed except for the fact that the flavors are calming down. The spice isn't as strong but goes back where it started (on the finish). The coffee went away, but the rest stayed creating a nice blend for the remaining 1/3 of the cigar. You can't get a nicer cigar under $5 than this C&C Corojo.
Stogie Rite score: 98
1/3: When you light up, you get a nice smooth tobacco flavor with a little spicy on the finish. The spice isn't overpowering, however, it does stay in the back of your mouth for the whole smoke. Through 1/3 of the cigar, the flavoring is consistent.
2/3: The 2/3 of the cigar really brings a lot of change. The spice really comes out, as people are saying "it really sneaks up on you". Mixed with the spice, you also get oak, cocoa, earth, and a hint of coffee (but not for more than a few seconds). This C&C Corojo is probably the best tasting in it's price range.
3/3: Not much has changed except for the fact that the flavors are calming down. The spice isn't as strong but goes back where it started (on the finish). The coffee went away, but the rest stayed creating a nice blend for the remaining 1/3 of the cigar. You can't get a nicer cigar under $5 than this C&C Corojo.
Stogie Rite score: 98
My Uzi Weighs A Ton 6x60
My Uzi Weighs A Ton comes from Joyo de Nicaragua and Drew Estate. This 6x60 stick has a nice tight pack, a wrapper with a sandpaper feel, and Brazilian Mata Fina Oscuro, Nicaraguan Esteli Ligero, Nicaraguan Seco Jalapa, and Nicaraguan Viso Condega longfillers that are covered in CT Broadleaf Maduro binders.
As you light up, the flavor is very complex. Initially, you think that you're going to get a strong black pepper flavor, but it mellows out quickly. Within the first half of the cigar, you get a blend of coffee, nut, black pepper, and a little bit of leather. This cigar has a nice even burn, a great draw, and excellent smoke output.
The pepper flavor disappears during the second half, and the cigar becomes smoother overall. The pricing on these cigars are pretty decent for what you get. The only other cigar I had that had this much flavor and it was the Alec Bradley Black Market. If you want a cigar with a pretty big ring gauge, even burn, great flavors, and good smoke output, then go pick up this cigar.
Stogie Rite score: 95
As you light up, the flavor is very complex. Initially, you think that you're going to get a strong black pepper flavor, but it mellows out quickly. Within the first half of the cigar, you get a blend of coffee, nut, black pepper, and a little bit of leather. This cigar has a nice even burn, a great draw, and excellent smoke output.
The pepper flavor disappears during the second half, and the cigar becomes smoother overall. The pricing on these cigars are pretty decent for what you get. The only other cigar I had that had this much flavor and it was the Alec Bradley Black Market. If you want a cigar with a pretty big ring gauge, even burn, great flavors, and good smoke output, then go pick up this cigar.
Stogie Rite score: 95
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