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You’ve probably seen it. On cigar boxes, on retailer websites, on review blogs — a number with a
little plus sign. ’93 points.’ ’91 points.’ ’95 — Outstanding.’ It sounds authoritative. It sounds like
someone really knows what they’re talking about. But here’s the question nobody really asks: what
does that number actually mean? Who decided it? And more importantly — should it influence what
you smoke? Let’s pull back the curtain on the cigar rating system, because understanding it properly
will make you a much smarter, more independent Cigar Enthusiast.
Where Do Ratings Come From?
The dominant rating publications in the cigar world are Cigar Aficionado and Cigar Journal — both
well-respected magazines with dedicated tasting panels. Ratings are conducted blind: the reviewer doesn’t know which cigar they’re smoking, the brand, or the price. This matters. It removes bias. Or tries to. The scale typically runs from 0 to 100, though in practice, anything below 80 rarely gets published. The
meaningful range is 80 to 100, with the following rough benchmarks: 80–84 is decent, 85–89 is good,
90–93 is excellent, 94–96 is outstanding, and 97 and above is considered a masterpiece — rare,
discussed for years.
What Are They Actually Scoring?
A rating panel evaluates several dimensions: appearance (how the Cigar Looks — the wrapper, the
construction, any visible imperfections), draw (how easily smoke travels through), burn (how even and
consistent the combustion is), flavour (the complexity, the transition, the finish), and overall experience.
Each dimension gets weighted, averaged, and a final number emerges. It sounds scientific. And it is, to a
degree. But flavour, by definition, is subjective. What one taster finds complex and earthy, another might
find muddy. What reads as bold spice to one palate might feel overwhelmingly harsh to another.
The Problem With Ratings
Here’s the honest truth that most rating sites won’t tell you: a 90+ rating is not a guarantee that YOU will
enjoy the cigar. Ratings are generated by experienced palates — people who smoke dozens of cigars a
week, whose flavour sensitivity is calibrated very differently from someone who smokes two or three a
month. A powerful, full-bodied Bolivar Royal Coronas might earn a 94 from a panel that loves intensity. But if your preference is smooth, mild and creamy — that cigar might genuinely not be for you, regardless of the score. Ratings also don’t account for freshness, storage conditions, or regional tobacco availability. A cigar rated in a controlled New York tasting room, smoked immediately after pulling from an ideal humidor, might taste very different from the same cigar you receive six months later in different conditions.
When Ratings Are Actually Useful
That said, ratings aren’t useless. Far from it. They’re excellent for narrowing down options within a
category you already enjoy. If you know you love Medium-Bodied Cigars and you’re looking for something new, filtering to 90+ medium cigars from a trusted review source is a perfectly reasonable shortcut. The rating signals that experienced tasters found the construction, burn and flavour all above average. They’re also useful for identifying breakout cigars — when a Lancero format or a smaller-production vitola suddenly earns a 93, it often signals something genuinely special. These tend to sell out quickly, so ratings do serve as a useful early alert system for collectors.
How Cingari Thinks About Ratings
At Cingari, we take ratings into consideration — but we curate our collection based on a combination of
factors: rating history, authentic Habanos provenance, customer feedback from the Indian palate, and our
own direct tasting experience with every brand we stock. We’ve found that some of India’s most-loved
cigars in our collection don’t necessarily carry the highest published scores — but they smoke beautifully,
burn perfectly, and deliver exactly what Indian connoisseurs love: smoothness, elegance, and a long,
satisfying finish. So use ratings as a map, not a destination. Let them guide you toward territory worth
exploring. But trust your own palate above any printed number.
