This cigar rating page has been specifically designed to offer
the consumer (you and me), an easy and realistic view of each
cigar as rated by our peers. This section carefully takes into
consideration the lighting and burning characteristics of the
cigar and scores the results on a weighted scale from 0 to 10.
This weighted scoring system attempts to place the average, ok cigar
around a score of 5 in each main catagory. The three-dimensional
pie chart above illustrates the breakdown of each rating question
and it's relative weight in determining this section's calculated
score.
To better understand WHY each of these items are weighted as they are,
I will attempt to explain how I derived at the importance and weighting
for each item.
Initial Burning:
When first lighting the cigar, we prefer to have the cigar light up evenly
and burn evenly. If the cigar does not initially start burning correctly or
is difficult to get lit up properly, it does effect the scoring and would cause
a reduction. This item considers not only the initial burning and lighting,
but also these characteristics up until around half-way through the cigar.
The reason that the first half of the cigar is considered separately is
because if the initial burning is not great, it can be corrected in the early
stages and still prove to be a good cigar.
Burning 50% and Burning 75%:
These items describe how evenly the cigar is burning around the half-way mark
and the three-quarters mark. The weight of these items is slightly higher than
the burning characteristics of the first half of the cigar because it is more
annoying to have to correct or deal with a poorly burning cigar after you
have been smoking it already for a while. Also, when the cigar starts burning
unevenly toward the end, it effectively ruins the ability to "smoke it to the nub"
and can also change the way the finish is since all the tobacco is not burning
evenly and as designed.
Ash Tray:
This item really is meant to describe how the cigar is burning when "resting"
in the ash tray, or in your hand between puffs. Is the cigar burning slowly and
evenly? Is it on fire and smoking like a pile of leaves? Of, course, no one
likes it when the cigar keeps going out, or almost goes out when you put it
down for a moment!
Burn Rate:
In my opinion, a cigar can never last too long--if it does, you bought a
cigar that wasn't the optimum size for your occasion. However, a cigar
may not burn fast enough to generate enough volume, or burn so fast and
hot that the draw is almost burning you and a big Presidente lasts only 20
minutes. This items considers your opinion of the burning rate and
incorporates it into this catagory's score accordingly.
Went Out:
Obviously, no one wants the cigar to go out while smoking it! If this
does happen there is a deduction for this catagory.
Ash Color:
The cigar ash's color is a byproduct of both the quality and aging of
the tobacco as well as a reaction from the nutrients the tobacco leaf
obtained by the soil in it's growing region. Some may comment that the
ash's "color" means nothing, but I am going to consider in my rating
formula that the whiter the ash, the better the tobacco. Since there may
be some controversy with this issue, I am only slightly weighing this
item into the scoring formula.
Ash Hardness:
The harder and more solid the ash is, the better the scoring for this item.
A great cigar would burn and almost mirror the appearance of the unburnt
cigar in it's ash. A poorer ash will fall apart easily, show signs of cracks
in the ash, and rarely will hold any significant length before needed to
be tapped (or rolled) off.
LIGHTING