I think it’s fair to say that most cigar smokers think that cigar reviewers are at best full of shit or, at worst, making stuff up. Today we’ll talk about the things that reviewers do to help them experience more from their cigars.  Afterwards, let us know if you think they're pulling your chain or have your rapt attention. 

Patience is a Virtue

Reviewers know the importance of letting a cigar put the best foot forward, and that means refusing to smoke a cigar right off the truck (ROTT). Letting a cigar rest for at least two weeks after travel can mean the difference between a mediocre and a great experience.  Likewise, some reviewers have a minimum number of samples that must be smoked before they formulate an opinion.

Reviewers also smoke slower than the average cigar smoker. Smoking fast increases the temperature of the cigar and degrades the flavors.  By taking care to enjoy your cigar at the slowest cadence possible (without it going it) you’re giving the cigar every opportunity to shine.

No Substitutes for Preparation

Much like you want to do the heaviest lifting first when you’re fresh at the gym, cigar reviewers want to review a cigar before taxing their palate. Ideally, this means before eating or drinking anything other than water.  But it always means that the first cigar of the day is sacred since it’s the only time a review would be considered validated.

Many reviewers use neti pots or other ways to keep their sinuses consistently healthy as well. The nose is an integral part of the tasting process, and can greatly affect how cigar flavors are interpreted.  Consistency is the key here for reviews, and many go as far as using the same location and pre-smoke rituals each and every time.

Focus

One of the greatest things that separate cigar reviewers from cigar smokers is the amount of attention that goes into the experience. A cigar reviewer isolates his or her self and spends on average 60-120 minutes solely focusing on the cigar.  No conversation, no company, no lingering smells, no beverages, nothing but them and their cigar. 

No beverages? Yep!  Most cigar reviewers forego anything that distracts from the cigar itself except for palate cleansers between segments. 

Speaking of distractions: think back to a time when you watched a movie or tv show while texting, playing a game on your phone, and nodding to your spouse or kids while pretending to pay attention. It feels like you’re able to process everything while it’s happening, yet afterwards you realize that you can’t remember much and really didn’t multitask like you thought you could.  Science has proven that it’s impossible to multitask, so don’t feel too bad.  

You'd be surprised just how much more you can taste from a cigar when you eliminate the clutter and give your undivided attention to a cigar and a notepad.

It Boils Down to Words

Words are powerful. We associate them with certain things and that makes a cigar review difficult to both read and write.  Consider chocolate, for example, and mentally go down the list of milk chocolate, dark chocolate, cocoa powder, white chocolate, hot chocolate, chocolate mousse, chocolate pudding, sea salt variations, etc.  Everyone thinks of these things as being universally understood, but I’d guarantee that if we blind folded 50 people and gave them a taste of white chocolate that we’d be hard-pressed to find it described in the exact same way twice.  

Now consider coffee. How would you describe the flavor of coffee to someone that’s never seen it, heard of it, or tasted it? 

As you probably noticed with the above exercise, you have to rely on tastes that you already know to convey the concept – using known associations to bridge the gap of the unknown. Descriptors like leather, cedar, cream, cocoa, earth, nuts, pepper, etc are all things that form a baseline of associations with which a reviewer can communicate to the audience.

A decent cigar reviewer employs a discerning palate and has developed many associations to draw from and describe a cigar. An excellent cigar reviewer, however, also understands his or her audience and communicates with associations and words that are easily understood. 

What about you? What are your thoughts about cigar reviews?