When it comes to cigar ratings, there are many different systems used by countless aficionados around the world. Where some aficionados rate a cigar's quality using a simple star rating system and others use a complex scale with many factors, all aficionados judge a cigars quality based on their personal smoking experience. Since no rating scale is perfect, and there most likely will never be a perfect system, the creation of a standardized cigar-rating system is the best we can hope for. One of the most popular and highly recognized cigar-rating systems used today is a 100-point scale that was developed by Cigar Aficionado.

Cigar Aficionado is a luxury lifestyle magazine that was started in 1992 with a dream to provide information about cigars from around the world to anyone that enjoys a good smoke. And in 1997, due to their growing popularity, Cigar Aficionado launched their website in hopes to share their extensive knowledge with like minded people all over the world. Today, Cigar Aficionado magazine has a subscription base of over 1.9 million readers and their website provides detailed reviews and ratings for over 13,000 different cigars to visitors all over the world.

Cigar Aficionado’s 100-point cigar-rating system takes all of the factors of a good cigar and breaks them down into weighted categories, which include the appearance and construction, flavor, smoking characteristics, and the overall experience.

The appearance and construction of a cigar is granted 15 points. Although the visual appearance of a cigar may not affect the overall smoking experience, if a manufacturer passes over the look and feel of their product, what else might they overlook? In order to receive a full 15 points, a cigar must have a wrapper that is smooth with consistent color and shape. When holding the cigar, it should be uniformly firm and consist of a slightly oily moistness. Points are removed when cigars contain areas that are firmer or dryer in some areas or if they contain large veins.

The flavor of a cigar has a large impact on your smoking experience and for that reason Cigar Aficionado allots 25 points for this important component. Every cigar has its own unique and distinctive taste, which should be smooth and rich. If a cigar leaves a harsh or bitter taste in your mouth, on your tongue, or your lips, it will greatly affect your impression and points will be deducted.

The smoking characteristics of a cigar count for 25 points when judging its quality. Premium Cigars that are constructed properly should light and burn evenly and easily. When smoking, the draw should be comfortable and consistent from start to finish, while providing cool mouthfuls of smoke. If a cigar requires you to pull hard, burns uneven, burns too quickly, or if the smoke is unpleasantly hot, points will be deducted.

The overall experience is the final and most important factor considered when critiquing a cigars quality and accounts for 35 points. The category takes everything into account from first seeing the cigar to the final draw and can be affected by any aspect of the experience.

While everyone’s smoking preference is unique and there are countless factors that affect every cigar, there are many qualities that make some cigars superior to others. Cigar Aficionado has done an excellent job in creating a rating system that takes these noticeable and controllable qualities into consideration.