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Discussion: Favorite Cigar Reviewer

Discussion: Favorite Cigar Reviewer

Happy Wednesday, folks!  

Last week, a few friends and I were talking about the people that influence our decisions the most.  I’d like to extend the conversation here, and ask: 

Which cigar reviewers do you resonate most with?

Login and comment on this post for a chance to win a Small Batch gift card this Sunday!

As we all know, cigar reviews are highly subjective and there is hardly ever a right or wrong answer. When looking at reviews, it’s important to find a reviewer that resonates with your personal preferences before going All-In from a single review.  

From my friendly discussion last week, it turned out that most of us are (or claim to be – lol) influenced more by each other than outside sources.  I’m pretty sure that’ll be a common occurrence, but it’s interesting because this group solely consists of people that currently review or blog about cigars.

But that’s not to say that we all agree on everything, or even have similar preferences.  I think the key distinction is that we know each person’s likes / dislikes and can factor that into each individual’s feelings about a certain cigar. 

 

Cigar Reviewers and Crazy Flavors

 

Something that simple might just be the largest factor in who we connect with, and thereby let influence us.  It’s definitely worth more consideration as to the ‘why’ factor. 

I’m also curious if: 

  • Your favorite cigar reviewer is also one you resonate with (doesn’t have to be)
  • You trust your local shop or friends more than any other source 
  • You gravitate towards a specific Blind Reviewer at Small Batch 

Cheers to a great rest of your week! 

DISCUSSION CONTEST DETAILS

One of the comments below will win a $25 gift card.  The gift card will automatically be sent to the email address that you login to comment with, so please use your regular sign-in.   

I’ll be randomly selecting a comment below this Sunday after sending out the Weekly Newsletter. The winner can expect a comment with his or her name in it, a congratulations email, and an email with the $25 gift card information.  The actual gift card email takes some time to generate from the system and may lag behind by up to 48 hours. 

Only available to U.S. customers. 

 

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Comments

10/2/2019 7:32 AM
The Dr Joe Show on youtube has by far the most information on cigars especially Cuban brands than anything else I have ever seen. His episodes are usually over an hour and heavy on detail so if you prefer short and to the point don't bother. Sadly I do not think there will be new content as it looks like he passed due to health complications.
10/2/2019 7:35 AM
Katman is my guy.  I tend to really enjoy what he enjoys.  His ability to sense dozens of notes and flavors is beyond me.  But, our palates are similar in that I also enjoy his big notes like malt, various peppers, coffee, etc.  
I typically buy online.  Sadly, most local B&M’s are overpriced and/or the sales people know far less about tobacco and cigars than I do.  There’s a great shop 25 miles from me.  That’s too far to make it worth my while on most days.
10/2/2019 7:42 AM
Don’t have one in general but I do agree with most of the reviews from Charlie at Halfwheel and Katman.  I really don’t agree with Cigar Aficionado.  EP Carrillo Encore Majestic?  Just had one yesterday and did not like it at all.  LFD Andalusian Bull was only ok too...  EOTS was good.. but not COTY good...
10/2/2019 9:19 AM
I really enjoy the Developing Palates guys reviews. The scoring system is quirky, but I like it and I get what they’re doing with it. And I really like how specific the score is (going into the hundredths place).

As far as a specific reviewer that I resonate with, I can’t say I align with anyone perfectly. But I do pay attention to what Mr. Wisconsin has to say on the Blind Reviews here.
10/2/2019 9:34 AM
Definitely trust and love the reviews by Cigar Dude the best. He has been passionate about cigars for along time and his blogs and video reviews are so in depth and right on the money in my experience trying what he recommends. Keep up the great job cigardude (Tim)
10/2/2019 11:10 AM
Katman and Cigar Dojo are awesome! Halfwheel has great content but tends to be too critical in the reviews IMO. Cigar-coop is great too, but his reviews can get monotonous.
10/2/2019 11:12 AM
My favorite cigar review sites are Cigar Coop, Kat man, Cigar Dojo and Blind man's Puff. You can get a pretty good idea about a cigar before you commit to purchase.
10/2/2019 2:28 PM
Katman. Not just for his cigar reviews and brutal honesty but the way he writes is very entertaining. If you just want stats and a quick description there are other reviewers that do that very well. Most of my friends enjoy the same flavor profiles so I rely on their opinion a lot. I also enjoy blind reviews as i feel they are less tainted when you have no clue as to the manufacturer and blend.
10/2/2019 5:36 PM
SBC Blind Review Panel is great. I prefer how succinct the reviews are, and the differing opinions are valuable. I also enjoy Tim of Cigars Daily on YouTube—he’s an honest and down to earth guy.
10/2/2019 7:17 PM
Don't have a favorite necessarily, but I do really enjoy Katman reviews. I also like reading all the blind reviews on SBC.
10/3/2019 6:23 AM
Katman and Cigar-coop are my go to.
10/3/2019 10:34 AM
My favorite is Will Cooper at cigar coop. He responds to messages and is super helpful. I saw a review he did on the nat sherman 75th anniversary years ago and saw a box on clearance so I sent him a message about it before buying. Great guy.
10/3/2019 12:01 PM
I enjoy the Blind Man’s Puff website. Their review format is nice, and their sortable table to find cigars is nice. They Haven’t had reviews of a lot of cigars I’ve searched for, but neither does anyone have a fully comprehensive list of reviews. So, as far as whose reviews I trust the most, it would be Blind Man’s Puff. Also, to one of your bullet points, shout out to my B&M here in Salt Lake City, Beehive Cigars really took their time to ask questions about my tastes to help determine some good cigars for me and didn’t feel like their recommendations were a veiled sales pitch for brands they promote harder.
10/3/2019 1:47 PM
Katman is the best reviewer for me. I trust his opinions and I love his tangents. Most other reviewers remain nameless to me. They seem like imitations of each other. I have no doubt there are good ones out there, and I will scan this discussion for recommendations. I just found one that hasn’t steered me wrong and stuck by him.
I can not follow the recommendations of most of my friends because they recommend, I quit smoking cigars. Bad crowd.
10/3/2019 4:03 PM
My favorite is Dr Joe, but like everyone has already mentioned he isn’t with us anymore. Tim Rollins, Katman, Lee Mack, Bryan Gleyn, Insomniac, are my current favorites.
10/3/2019 5:34 PM
I feel like they elicit some strong feelings, for and against, but love the guys at Halfwheel. They do their homework, update regularly, and review cigars in an almost scientific fashion.
10/3/2019 5:47 PM
The reviews that I enjoy the most are the blind reviews that SBC and Blind Man's Puff do. I like the feeling that the reviews are unbiased. The reviewers that I also enjoy are by Katman, Tim Rollins, Cigar Noise and Cigar Dojo.
10/4/2019 7:11 AM
The Kohnhed of Minnesota aka Katman is my go to reviewer. I also check out Zman from time to time. But the mensch is my go to.
10/4/2019 9:44 AM
Coop, Katman, Developing Palates, Halfwheel, Dojo, Blindman's Puff all solid go-to review material. If Coop calls for a Chuck Norris throw down, I'm dialing up a box ASAP!!!! He's a good guy, I've run into him in CLT on occasion, and he's always up for a chat, super nice guy. He also responds to random e-mail inquiries, which is nice.
10/4/2019 9:46 AM
Gary Korb is a pre-boom smoker like myself who reviews right down the middle. No ridiculous descriptors. Taste ,aroma,flavor.complexity and construction. this is what you learned at one of Jose Blanco's smokinars."Blind taste testing tells the truth", Lew Rothman.
10/4/2019 10:21 PM
Cigar Obsession is hands down my go to for cigar reviews. He is a man of integrity, so reviews from ten years ago are much like his reviews today... and he’s got hundreds to pick from.
10/5/2019 8:49 PM
Katman hands down! Based solely on his sheer honesty. He’s not beholden to the industry. He’s completely unbiased even to the manufacturers that send him cigars. He’s not afraid to call out a certain cigar club for ripping people off. He’ll call out certain manufacturers on their $70 fivers that are “extremely limited with rare and aged tobacco’s” that are released every other day, and their horrible PR machines. He also tells you how much humidor time his review sticks had and how much time WE should give them. No one else does that! He even has bonus stories of his rock ‘n roll days and a clever and entertaining writing style. He looks out for us everyday smokers. I also regularly read SBC’s blind reviews and appreciate their short and to the point, unbiased nature.
10/6/2019 6:32 AM
Congrats to the first Chris for winning this week's gift card!  Many thanks to everyone else for participating as well 👊
10/8/2019 11:35 AM
Small batch has the best samplers hands down. But when you guys do a ‘throw in’ I feel like Im getting an even greater deal and can’t pass it up. Example: Spend $100 and we will throw in a Davidoff Art Series. I would definitely like to see more of those.
I would like to see pics of the facility on the web site if possible.
10/13/2019 11:12 PM
KATMAN FOR THE WIN!
10/14/2019 7:55 AM
My favorite by far is the Katman. He calls them like he sees them. He doesn't pull any punches. If he likes a cigar he tells you. If he doesn't, he tells you that too. No asses kissed.

He's also steered me to a bunch of awesome smokes at very reasonable price points. I also like Blind Man's Puff.
10/14/2019 11:39 AM
Phil Kohn (aka Katman) is the guy I trust in cigar reviewing. I always check out the cigars he rates highly and I avoid the low rated. His unique description of flavors is uncanny and his sense of humor keeps it interesting to read.
  I also occasionally watch "Cigar Vixen" on youtube but I rarely pay attention to what she actually says about the cigars. Just watch some of her videos and you'll understand what I mean...