Stogie Commentary: A Reviewer’s Dilemma

The other day I lit up a cigar I was looking forward to: a Los Blancos Nine Torpedo with a dark wrapper that’s said to be used just before turning to a full maduro.

The pre-light aroma was enticing and, when lit, the Nine produced lots of smoke and the six-inch stick burned slowly. From what I’d heard and read, I anticipated a ligero-powered, Nicaraguan sizzler.

Nope. What I found was a bland, one-dimensional cigar about which the only noticeable element I could find was a spicy finish. And therein lies my dilemma, expressed in a simple question with a not-so-simple answer: Do I want to review the Nine? There are any number of issues to consider.

First, I’d have to smoke at least a couple more because it wouldn‘t be fair to judge the cigar by one stick. I might want to seek them out at different shops, since it’s possible the box from which my Nine came had experienced some problem. That means I’d spend about $8.50 each for at least two more Nines and, perhaps more importantly, spend time going through cigars I probably won’t enjoy—two times. Since I rarely smoke more than one cigar a day, that means something to me.

The upshot of all this is that, while I’m always on the lookout for new cigars and a pretty high percentage of those I light up are done so with the idea of a review, in many cases it goes no further than the initial experience.

Here at StogieGuys.com, we take our reviewing seriously, and we try to be transparent. On the site, you’ll find a clear explanation of our ratings system. And earlier this year, one of my colleagues wrote at length about the nature of reviews.

I hope this sheds a little more light on the process.

-George E

photo credit: Flickr