The time has come! It’s time for me to start posting some cigar reviews. I’m excited. I’ve wanted to do this for a long while and was adamant about publishing reviews in a prior role — things never worked out there. Because I’m one man currently, and because the industry tends to follow specific standards, I plan to do things a little differently.
I wanted to lay out the game plan here for everyone to follow.
No scores
Source: Briley Kenney / The BS Lounge
Numerical review scores are subjective and I feel that sometimes they are disingenuous. In order to understand the reviewer’s perspective, and gauge why a cigar was scored a certain way, you need to stay up-to-date with their likes and dislikes. That can create a lot of conflict with something like a cigar. I don’t expect my audience to read everything I publish so I wanted to make understanding my preferences more straightforward.
I will not be using scores to share my experiences. Instead, I will simply note whether or not I would smoke a particular cigar again if they are box-worthy for me, and who I would recommend them to. Just because I don’t enjoy it doesn’t mean no one else will and vice versa. Obviously, I’ll also share some of the flavors and encounters I have, such as when a cigar has burn or construction issues. I would like to structure my reviews to be a guideline or reference point rather than a definitive score.
Do you care what I have to say? Maybe. Maybe not. But that’s ultimately what I want to make it easier for you to decide.
Frequency of cigar reviews
I cannot keep up with the bigger media sites and, frankly, I don’t want to. I can’t review everything when it’s released and even if I could there’s no way I could produce that amount of content. Instead, I will share reviews as I’m able to complete them.
My qualifications for a cigar review
I will always try a new cigar on a fresh palate — as I’ve recommended others to do. Moreover, if I feel that I have not had the proper opportunity to accurately profile the cigar I will smoke more than one before writing or sharing anything.
Sometimes, family and friends gift me cigars. Other times I get them in bundles, at events, or they’re included as freebies in promotions. I have had brands send me cigars to try in the past. I also do a lot of buying — I have a 3,500-count humidor after all. In every review, I will explicitly disclose how and where I got them. This won’t affect my reviews overall but will tell you more about my acquisitions.
Because I’m not using scores there are no auto-wins for cigars I haven’t paid for. However, I won’t be providing favorable reviews based on how I acquired a cigar. Editorial integrity will be upheld here. If I don’t like a cigar, you’ll be the first to know.
I do have a series of go-to labels I cherish and smoke regularly, but I also work in a lot of variety. You’ll find reviews of both here.
Over time, you can expect the review format and structure to evolve. My cigar reviews will always include the following info:
The manufacturer and who else is involved like a master blender
The profile: Mild, medium, medium-full, and full-bodied
Interesting flavors I taste
Price: MSRP of singles and boxes
Approximate smoking times
Would I smoke it again? Yes or no
Would I recommend it? Yes or no
Do I plan to buy more or have I already
Similar cigar recommendations
Whenever possible, I will also include a link to purchase the cigar(s). For the time being, I’m not using affiliate links. Eventually, I plan to. I don’t have a preferred retailer or site, but I will do my best to direct you.
Currently, I do not have any retailer partnerships or sponsors to consider but when or if I do, rest assured, that will be disclosed.
Briley has over 16 years in the publishing and content marketing business. He's been writing about cigars for nearly half that in various forms. What makes him a tour de force is he also smokes them.
Source: Briley Kenney / The BS Lounge
Source: Briley Kenney / The BS Lounge
Source: Yanik Flowers / Unsplash
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