Denny's Cigar Rating Log

(Cigars that I smoked and rated from 1-100)

Updated: Thursday, October 18, 2007

RATING CATEGORY DEFINITIONS

    To help define what each rating category means, I searched the internet for examples or descriptions of each category. One thing I noticed was that some categories have different definitions or importance depending on which cigar lover you are talking too. So, I did my best, and sometimes used my own explanations to describe a what I felt made up a good cigar. (Excerpts from CigarDiary.Com, Cigars International.Com,  AltadisUSA.Com, CigarGroup.Com, and Cigarlifetips.Com)

    Also, while rating these cigar, I usually don't smoke all of it. In order to truly rate a cigar one should smoke the whole stogie and at least more then just one since each cigar has a variation of flavors, rate of burn, and construction throughout the length of the cigar. You can't measure consistency unless you smoke a whole bunch and compare them to each other either.  For my ratings, I usually cut the cigar in half so I don't waste the whole cigar, and then take only about 10 puffs from it once I get it burning. The reason for that is 1) smoking an entire cigar is just way to strong for me, and 2) I don't really enjoy the smoked flavor of a lit cigar unless its REALLY good like the Padron 1964 Anniversary cigar, and 3) for health reason I keep my exposure to smoking to a minimum. I smoke just enough to get a glimmer or essence of the cigar. I can't consider my overall impression of the cigar too extensive or overly detailed because I only smoke about the first inch it, but I feel it is accurate enough to know whether I'd buy it again, suggest it to others, use it just for chewing rather then smoking, give it away, or collect more of the same.

PRE-LIGHT:

        TASTE (My definition of TASTE for the purpose of my own cigar rating system): The taste of the cigar unlit.

        SCENT: The smell of the cigar unlit.

LIGHT/SMOKE:

        FLAVOR:  Flavor is the flavor that the cigar produces on the palate and lips, and sometimes in the nose and throat as well once its lit.  Adjectives describing FLAVOR can be nutty, smoky, coffee, bitter, woodsy, earthy, toothy, sweet, delicious, yummy, yucky, barf-o, tastes like Brussels sprouts......you get the drift..

        DRAW: The DRAW is when you light the cigar and draw in or pull in the air that passes through the cigar.  A loose draw (a cigar that burns fast, letting a lot of smoke pass through quickly because it is under filled) will increase smoking temperature and destroy taste. A tight smoke reduces the sensitivity of the taste buds, and on a fundamental basis, drawing less smoke means having less to taste.

        DRY DRAW: This is when you draw air through the cigar, while it is UNLIT. The taste (flavor of cigar unlit) is detectable this way. (I enjoy my cigars the most this way.)

        APPEARANCE:  If you don't see any cracks or ripples in the surface of the wrapper leaf, you also know that the cigar wasn't exposed to cycles of over-humidification and excessive dryness. Basically, does the cigar aesthetically look gorgeous, and doesn't look like someone tried to roast it over an open fire, or run over it with their car.

        ASH: A true sign of a well-made cigar is the way it burns, or it’s ash. This is a sign that the cigars are well constructed and that the tobacco is properly cured (fermented). Whether they are rare cigars, discount cigars or some that you bought at cheap prices, the best cigars burn evenly and the ash does not flake or fall off until it is 2 – 3 inches long. (Even longer sometimes.)  Remember, the whiter the ash the better fertilized and cured the wrapper leaf was. It takes time and effort to properly grow and cure tobacco leaves, and the white ash is the reward.

        AROMA:  Aroma is what you smell after you've lit up your stogie. It's what other people will notice first when they walk into a room where smoking is going on.

         BURN:  A cigar that is burning improperly distorts the flavor of the blend. Simply put, a cigar is designed to burn evenly. 

        CONSISTENCY: A cigar with good consistency is able to recreate, time and time again, the same high quality, flavor and overall  duplication each time it is made. If you open a box of cigars, and one taste like this, and the next one tastes like something totally different, and burns totally different, etc....that's a cigar with no consistency.

         CONSTRUCTION: If a cigar is under-filled, constructed by skimping on the number of leaves in the filler, it will draw easily. Now that's often considered a benefit, but the ultra-easy draw will be offset by hot burning and harshness, because, in an under-filled cigar, there are too many air pockets causing a fast burn, thus a hot smoke.

If a cigar is overfilled, it will be hard to draw, sometimes impossible (plugged). This is the cause of the greatest number of complaints by premium cigar smokers. A hard-to-draw cigar gives a much lower volume of smoke, thus much less taste and aroma, and a lot of frustration to the smoker.

If the cigar is soft and mushy, that's another sign of poor construction.

         FINISH: Finish is the AFTERTASTE of the cigar smoke and its persistence on your palate. For me, the harsher and longer the aftertaste, the worst (or lower number) I rated the cigar.

        SMOOTHNESS: If the cigar is smooth when lit, and lacks that harsh "burn your lungs" taste, that's a very smooth cigar. The smoother it is, the better.

        STRENGTH (or body): Strength is a measure of nicotine only... it's a cigar's "kick." A very strong cigar delivers a lot of nicotine... Range is as follows:

• Mild
• Medium
• Medium-Full
• Full Bodied
• Extra Full

Depending on your condition (e.g., thin, over-weight, over-tired, just ate, empty stomach, drunk, etc., etc.)... a very strong cigar can produce either very pleasant feelings or very unpleasant ones... like feeling "lucid, mildly euphoric and/or energized"... or feeling "dizzy, green, nauseous and sweaty". That's nicotine... and it is a cigar's strength.

CIGAR RATING COMMENTS

Gurkha Legend: Taste was a little bitter, flavor was extremely pleasing, extremely well built, great construction, but this cigar was harsh and left to strong of an aftertaste on my palate. 

Graycliff Espresso: This cigar has the reputation of being "nearly hallucinogenic". Flavor and taste was way to strong, way to harsh, but was extremely well built, nearly perfect construction, and appearance  was just gorgeous. I did begin hallucinating that there were little purple men doing the River Dance....oh wait, my bad, that was the morphine.

Partagas Cifuentes Y Cia: Taste delicious, flavor was mild, gorgeous natural wrapper, firm construction, but OUTSTANDING smoothness. Very pleasant smoke. (Made me wonder,.....has anyone defected to Cuba FROM America? hmmmmm, will need to ask Ginny if she can convert a Toyota Camry into a boat.)

Rocky Patel Sun Grown: Wow, the flavor of this cigar was stunning, nice woodsy taste, NO aftertaste, relatively smooth, but it burned just a little too hot, beautifully wrapped, gorgeous in appearance.

CAO Black: Taste is outstanding, completely unique, very complex taste, absolutely delicious unlit, lit is also unique, woodsy, flavor, but not as pleasing. My favorite unlit cigar next to Opus X (xXx). The best thing about this cigar is that it's reasonably priced, and you don't have to refinance your house to buy one.

Arturo Fuente Curly Head: I was completely stunned by the amazing sweet and pleasant taste this cigar had unlit, it immediately became one of my top favorites. Its appearance was at first, deceptive, appearing to be poorly constructed (way to loose), unimaginative, and plain with no band. I was pleasantly surprised with its mild, woodsy flavor, exceptional burn and ash. It gave me a warming buzz. Its lingering aftertaste was its only drawback. Take note, they used short filler. I have NEVER had such a delicious cigar, for such a cheap price: $1.50. 

CAO Gold: Light woodsy, caramel, nutty taste. Sweet , soothing scent. Very pleasant unlit. Lit it was very mild, with flavorful undertones of caramel, nuts, and an overall slightly sweet tinge. Nice burn, good ash, firm construction, very mild finish with just a slight aftertaste. Slightly harsh, not as smooth as some of the other cigars I've smoked.  Easy draw. 

Perdomo Champagne: Scent was very light, not very discernable or impressive. Taste was slightly bitter, had hints of dried seaweed, reminded me of a slightly nutty flavored cardboard,  not overly pleasant...reminded me of fried fish. (Suggestion: wrap in a tortilla and put salsa and cabbage on it and turn it into a crispy fish taco.) I wasn't expecting to enjoy this cigar lit, because its pre-light was unimpressive. I was pleasantly surprised once I light this cigar up. It had a warm, nutty, woodsy flavor. Very enjoyable. The draw was a little tight, excellent ash, but burned a bit uneven, so I gave it lower marks on the construction. Finish was amazing, very light aftertaste, and not as bitter as most, pleasant smoothness. This is a gorgeous looking cigar, so I gave it high marks on appearance. So far, this my second most favorite cigar lit.

Cardenas President Cognac: (Cuban seed tobacco) Taste was very sweet, fruity with slight hints of nutmeg. Scent was pleasant and a light woodsy tinge. Light flavor, easy draw, but construction was a bit too loose, finish has strong aftertaste, appearance was mediocre but since they roll these cigars right in their shop it gives the cigars a "home made" look. 

Cardenas Cuban Round Natural: (Cuban seed tobacco) Sweet, caramel, creamy taste. wow, spectacular!! Slight burnt woodsy scent.

Cardenas La Fuma Natural: (Cuban seed tobacco) Slight burnt taste, hints of saltiness. Heavy, pungent scent. 

Graycliff Chateau Grand Cru: Taste is slight tinges of chocolate, grassy, bitter tones. Light nutty scent. Wow, so this is what a $20 smokes like!! WOW. I thought that since this is a "Full" strength cigar, it would be way to harsh, and overwhelming. But, this cigar had such an easy, pleasant, flavor....slightly tight draw, absolutely GORGEOUS appearance (It's been sitting in my humidor for a couple months and now has plenty of plume), excellent ash, pleasant aroma (which doesn't happen that often since lit cigars usually just stink to high heaven), very slight uneven burn, outstanding construction with a nice, firm, feel..... only a very light finish (which tasted nutty when I rinsed my mouth out with Diet Pepsi), and an over the top smoothness that only a Cuban could mimic. I would recommend to smoke this rather then chew it, since smoking it results in far more layers of enjoyment. (Suggestion: Smoke this while watching "The Godfather" Part I and II. A great drink to accompany this is definitely a Diet Pepsi.)

Fonseca Vintage: I enjoyed chewing on this cigar. It has mild earthy tones and a robust natural tobacco taste. I noticed the binder seemed to be made from a very supple, soft tobacco leaf. I was really impressed by this. It wasn't overly flavorful, but pleasant and mild. Draw was a bit tight, burn was slightly uneven, appearance was uniform and classy, finish was excellent with almost no aftertaste. Because this was such a mild smoke, I certainly would recommend this to the novice and new smoker. (Don't INHALE!!) 

Rocky Patel Vintage 1992: Delicious taste, with slight hints of chocolate and warm, mild under earthy tones. Not overwhelming, or overpowering, but pleasurable and calming. Very  mild scent of natural tobacco. Appearance and construction was extremely impressive with box pressed (square) shaped cigar, firm design and absolutely stunning, flawless, smooth, oily dark wrapper. Absolutely gorgeous. Flavor was nutty and creamy, easy draw, nice aroma, slightly uneven burn, light, burnt finish, extremely smooth. I was so impressed by the smoke of this cigar, that I now rank the Rocky Patel Vintage 1992 the #1 smokeable cigar. (Side Note: The Rocky Patel Vintage 1990 was voted top 50 cigars by Cigar Aficionado of 2004. This cigar has the same Nicaraguan and Dominican long filler blend as the Rocky Patel Vintage 1992, the only difference is the '92 has a Ecuadorian Sumatra (aged 10 years) wrapper and the '90 has a 12 year aged Nicaraguan wrapper.)

Gurkha Platinum: These are unique Gurkha cigars. Imbued with Louis XIII (13 year old cognac) they have an exotic, sharp taste, and an overwhelming scent of liquor. The strength is Full bodied, so the flavor is harsh, with a very strong burnt nutty aftertaste. It burned slightly uneven, so construction was slightly flawed, but the appearance was absolutely gorgeous, presented in a glass tube with its end dipped in wax. Certainly this cigar has a delicious dry draw (dry draw is when you draw air through the cigar, while it is UNLIT), which you must try in order to get the full flavor of the cigar unlit. Their infusing process has been kept secret, but certainly works well since these cigars retain their scent for over a couple weeks even after opening the tubes. 

Padron 1964 Anniversary Series (Natural): I must say, that so far, this is the BEST cigar I've EVER SMOKED!! This is now my #1 cigar. It was ranked top 3rd cigar for 2005 by Cigar Aficionado Magazine. And they weren't kidding. It was SMOOOOOTH, with a light easy flavor, no after taste, great buzz, and absolutely mild and delicious. Most cigars are harsh with a strong aftertaste that is unpleasant. But this one knocked my socks off. I"ll probably buy more.

A. Fuente Opus X Lancero: Any Opus X, because of its rarity, and high quality craftsmanship is considered a top contender. However, this cigar was a bit to spicy and a little to harsh for me. Its expensive, rare, and mostly a "status symbol" among cigars. It has the most amazing sweet, raisin like scent, with a spicy sweet taste. It's construction and wrapper is flawless, well balanced, excellent draw, easy burn. I enjoy it the most when its unlit and I just chew on it, and dry draw it. yummmy!! But, around $30-$40 each, its an expensive habit.

Drew Estates Java: The scent of this cigar, unlit is outstanding. Chocolaty, with hints of mocha and coffee. It has an extraordinary scent to it. But lit, seems to be a bit harsh. Some flavor, but it gets overwhelmed with its harshness. Gave me a headache, and I didn't find it overly pleasant. I LOVE chewing on it for the chocolate, coffee flavor. But, I doubt I'll smoke it again.

Cardenas Robusto Cognac: UNLIT, this cigar is sweet, has a flavorful taste and divine scent.  Loved chewing on this one. Only problem was the wrapper is paper thin, and easily cracks and crumbles if cigar becomes even slightly dry. If I chew on it for to long, the wrapper eventually crumbles off. 

    I had test smoked one of these awhile ago, and gave it only mediocre reviews. I felt at that time, it burned kind of harsh, and had too strong of an after taste. It also burned unevenly. But, I gave this cigar another shot (12/2/06). This time, instead of cutting it in half, and smoking a small portion of it, I lit it and smoked it as a whole cigar. First, I took the time to toast the foot of the cigar. This is where you burn the foot of it to get the cigar acclimated to the burn, and to also to burn the inner binder. I don't know exactly what that does, but I have heard that it adds to the pleasantness of the smoke. So, after giving it a good toast, I let it set briefly, and let the toast burn a bit on the cigar. This expelled a nice aroma, slightly sweet, and very pleasant. Usually the aroma of a cigar is pungent, but this aroma had a great scent to it.  I took a nice long puff while placing the lighter to the foot. It light easily, and I sat back and enjoyed a couple puffs. I was surprised as to how delicious this flavor was. Sweet, warm, slightly woodsy, pleasant, mild, and soothing. What a great cigar. I know now to smoke the whole cigar when testing it since it obviously gives off more flavor.  I can't smoke the entire cigar, its way to strong for me to do that. But, what I did smoke, was about a quarter of it, and it was just wonderful. 

    The ash stayed on for at least an inch, had a nice white color to it, indicating that it was fermented correctly and for the right length of time.

    I just wanted to add a quick note about the guys who run the Cardenas Cigar shop. I guess they don't get a lot of women customers. And probably , they don't get any asian women customers either. At first, when I'd go in, I would feel really intimated by a store filled with guys. But, the owner now says Hi  to me, and smiles, and says, "Oh, good to see you, I haven't seen you in awhile." And, today, it was cute, one of the men asked if I was Japanese, and then the owner said, "Domo alrigato" to me and bowed. It was cute. The men smiled, and laughed with me, and were very accommodating. Last time I was there, this big, burly, Hell's Angels looking biker dude noticed me, and like most of the guys, couldn't quite make heads or tales of what on earth I was doing there. But, he approached me and let me know what his favorite cigars are, and showed them to me in the humidor. He was really nice, he wasn't patronizing, and he just seemed very sweet and helpful to me. Honestly, if I saw this guy walking towards me on a dark street, I would seriously consider running the other way. But, its nice to know you can't judge a book by its cover.

This is my favorite cigar to chew on. I buy about 6 or 7 every two weeks. And just munch on them throughout the week. If you purchase $20 worth of cigars, you get one free.  (Casadenas Cigars 2201 16th Street (Across from Kamon Restaurant), Sacramento, CA 95818.

Drew Estates Kahula: Sweet, unlit flavor and scent. Creamy flavors and scent. Lit, this cigar did have a light sweetness, but barely noticeable. Its finish was delicious and pleasant, so that scored higher. Slightly smooth, not to harsh. Burned well, easy draw, beautiful appearance with a wonderful candied scent. I have read in other reviews that this is one the better "flavored" or infused cigars. 

Graycliff Original (Red Label): This cigar has a slight grassy scent to it, giving it a "real" tobacco aroma. Smells the way a cigar should smell, with no fancy extra scents like sweetness or candy. Appearance is beautiful, but with a slight veins showing. Outstanding construction.  I can chew on this cigar for weeks and the wrapper never unravels, even if it gets slightly dry. Remains sturdy, strong, good balance, firm, not to dry. Dry draw is a bit grassy, so I wouldn't consider it overly pleasant. I tend to like sweet flavors, but not so sweet they lose the essence of the tobacco flavor. Lit this cigar has a surprising smoothness, only a barely detectable aftertaste, flavor is like a crisp slightly woodsy taste. Very pleasant, smooth and relaxing. Sturdy ash that easily clung to tip of cigar through entire smoke.  I know this is a high premium cigar, and its cost reflects that. This cigar lives up to the Graycliff reputation. I would definitely recommend this one to others. (You'll have to re-finance your house first.)

Graycliff Vintage 1999: "Enrico Garzaroli and his father Paolo were moving crates of tobaccos (that have been aging since 1999) to begin production on current cigars when they discovered several that were far too heavy to contain just tobacco. Upon opening them, the Graycliff owners discovered roughly 60,000 finished cigars. These cigars, the 5.25” x 50 PG size from the Profesionale." A few retailers were called (i.e. Cigars International) and were offered to sell them these cigars. All of them were quickly snatched up and put on the market for sale. Aged for 7 extra years I had high expectations for this cigar. Their taste and scent were very mild, and had little flavor. The draw was loose, burn even, but the flavor was very faint with only a slight woodsy flavor, finish was light, with almost no after taste. I was disappointed it didn't have more flavor, but it was aesthetically gorgeous. With lots of plume and oil coming off of the wrapper. I wouldn't pay $19 for this cigar, but since I bought it with a combo deal for $6 each, I didn't mind.

Tabacalera: This cigar from the Phillipines was really neat. I appreciated E and A spending the time to bring back a cigar from their trip to the Philippines. It had a very mild taste and scent. Its construction was the only flaw, since the wrapper seemed to come off, tear and rip easily. But the draw was firm, burn evenly, nice ash, with a nice mild flavor. 

Bolivar:  I purchased the Bolivar  in a combo deal through Cigars International with the Graycliff 1999 Vintage cigar. I was so excited about the getting the Graycliff, I completely ignored the Bolivar. Now that I'm sitting here, watching T.V. at my own home, and kicking back, I pulled out this cigar and spent some time analyzing it.  One of the things that struck me immediately about this cigar, was the beautiful plume crystals on the outside wrapper. Wow, I haven't seen plume like this in a long time. It had a nice oily sheen, with sparkles of plume sprinkled all over it. It had a very sturdy and firm construction, with a slightly sweet, earthy scent unlit. The dry draw, unlit had a unique, woodsy flavor, it was almost like a light fragrant earthy tone with just a hint of spice. Unfortunately it also had a slight bitter taste to it which made me score it low on taste.  Aesthetically this cigar is gorgeous. 

    I also have to say that the label on the Bolivar is really beautiful. Its hard to describe it, but the use of gold and browns was a nice use of complimentary colors. It exudes class, but also relays a comforting down-to-earth impression.

    I toasted the foot of the cigar, but it took a long time for it to burn. After the toasting, I lit it up and took a couple good puffs. LOTS of smoke, woody flavor, but a bit to strong for my own personal taste. I got a headache after taking too many puffs. Ithink I just got mesmerized by the large amounts of smoke billowing off the cigar, that I got carried away and took way to many puffs. One highlight was the ash stayed on for a couple of inches, and it took a strong jolt for it to drop off. This cigar cost about $6, which is probably accurate for this particular cigar. I know Bolivars have a great reputation and can cost higher then $10.  So, I would say, my smoking experience was worth the cost of the cigar. 

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTRIBUTE YOUR OWN CIGAR RATINGS/CIGAR RATING COMMENTS. JUST EMAIL ME AT FRIDAYCIGARCLUB@AOL.COM.

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