Comments on: Stogie Commentary: Smoking, Drinking, and Thinking

By: George E.

George E. — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:47:55 +0000

Thanks for all the kind words! I really do appreciate them.

And I say we all celebrate with a cigar!

By: furious

furious — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 11:53:52 +0000

Kudos on your remarks, Jon. I would like to mirror your sentiments with the addition of some envy. I wish I could write a review so well!

By: Jon N.

Jon N. — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 09:42:03 +0000

George, if I can lay some effusive praise on you for a quick second, let me just say that one of the biggest reasons I love your reviews is that you are very careful about qualifying your statements. Things like "I've only smoked one of these, so…," or "This cigar may have been dry, but…," or "I tend not to like this brand, so…" are precisely the sort of honest, helpful statements that I wish more "cigar reviewers" would use in their reviews.

All too often, professional cigar reviewers write from on high — as if their evaluation processes were flawless, and thus questioning their judgment would be foolish.

By contrast, I get a real kick out of your honest, upfront, well-contextualized reviews. You're not afraid to call a cigar "boring" when you don't like it. You're not afraid to draw upon past experience with a brand in order to make (usually justified) assumptions about what you're presently smoking. Your reviews connect a lot of the dots that most reviews don't. They show readers how a given cigar will smoke in the real world, and not just under the strict, scientifically monitored conditions of some hermetically sealed Cigar Afficionado laboratory.

When I read a George Edmondson review, I know that I'm not just getting an opinion; I'm getting an education. I really mean that.

By: Paul

Paul — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 09:23:46 +0000

It's funny that you mention a soft drink. When I was in college I discovered that there was something in Coca-Cola that really went well with a cigar. I thought I had some sort of weird palette aberration, and chalked it up to personal preference.

Then I saw an article in Cigar Aficionado about Alex Wong, a legendary cigar collector in Hong Kong, and he mentioned that he only drinks Coca-Cola when he smokes. So I guess I at least have one compatriot out there.

By the way, you should try it. If you're calorie conscious, use Coke Zero. If you absolutely have to have an adult beverage with your stogie, try adding some dark rum to your Coke.

By: Mac and Nudo

Mac and Nudo — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 08:31:59 +0000

You may not think of yourself as a cigar reviewer, George, but I sure do. I've enjoyed/valued your impressions (just as I do for everyone on this fine site) for quite some time now — no matter what your process is. Keep the reviews coming!