Not trying to see how accurate they are, but I want to know how good they rank order the cigar. ie. a 89 cigar should always be better than a 86. although the 89 and 86 may not worth their points.
Any opinion?
Posts: 183 | Location: Hong Kong | Registered: October 22, 2002
Well...I seem to have seen an explaination of the rating in CA before. Although I haven't seen any really low ratings in CA, ie below 79 or 80. However, the ratings are subjective and not objective. Thus should be used only as a general guide. Also, since we are dealing with a hand made item, there can be differences between the cigar that was rated and the one you have...differences in draw come to mind.
Posts: 242 | Location: Fort Worth, Tx USA | Registered: February 28, 2004
Seeing no low ratings is what irks me. Am I to believe that every cigar rates above an 80? When I rate a cigar on the rating forum I have no qualms about giving it a 50 or worse if it tastes like dog manure. If a swisher sweet or some other machine made crapola is the worst cigar possible(0 points) and a super premium handmade is the best then everything else should fall somewhere in between. It also bugs me that no cigar ever gets 100 points. Isn't there a cigar out there that other cigars ascribe to be? For me its a BBF. That cigar rules! I don't know if the reviewers in these magazines are beholden to advertisers or not but it would seem to be the case. That in mind, cigar reviews from magazines seem kinda worthless. Maybe someone can clarify this.
Hard work may pay off eventually but laziness always pays off now.
Only thing I can figure is that they don't bother printing cigars that get low scores... however, if that's the case then they need to change that. I'd like to avoid a bad cigar as much as be advised of a good one. Ok, so... what's the highest score CA ever gave a cigar? Hey, seems like you have a question to post on the Cigar Adviser page!
"There are five things, above all else, that make life worth living: a good relationship with God, a good woman, good health, good friends, and a good cigar." -- Prince Sined Yar Maharg
Yes it does stink when "all" the cigars are good. However I found the ratings helpful at least in the first few months, as it set a base of cigars that I could try. Obviously these 90+ cigars gave me something to look forward to.
This thread has sparked some good questions for a future issue.
Posts: 164 | Location: New York City, USA | Registered: March 25, 2004
So, is it safe to say that, in general, the rank order works when comparing two cigars. Say, a 86 and a 90, where the 90 is better than the 86, but may not even worth 90?
I know it also depends on person preference, but this is in general...
---Charlie
Posts: 183 | Location: Hong Kong | Registered: October 22, 2002
The higher the number, the better the cigar - at least in the mind of the tester. Does that mean you will agree? No. But everyone's tastes are different.
What I don't like about the ratings is the same thing that others have mentioned - they never rate a cigar as less than good. I don't think there has been a cigar in the last 3 years that has gotten less than an 80.
I have seen a couple get 100, but that has only been for rare cigars.
Just once I want to see CA or CI publish a review like the ones Don has been writing in the NC forum. Maybe the folks at CA need to review the Dark Shark.
Rob G
Posts: 796 | Location: New York | Registered: November 11, 2003
"There are five things, above all else, that make life worth living: a good relationship with God, a good woman, good health, good friends, and a good cigar." -- Prince Sined Yar Maharg
I think the whole cigar field has leveled out now that the boom is well past. Back then there were many low eighties high seventies. I also think when the cubans slipped and the DMs really started surging, there was a brief period where the magazine was over rating some of the cigars. That I think was the case of cigars not being rated on their own merits, rather in comparison to others. I think that is where the onyx and opus super high ratings came from. When that came back to bite down, the mag really seemed to level things out and begin to rate again based on the cigar at hand. I don`t think things have settled all the way down yet, and notice some of the ratings are somewhat questionable, but i think they are trying.
