Executive Editor
Cigar Aficionado
Member
Cigar Aficionado
Member
posted September 18, 2006 12:33 PM
"We've gone through the rating system a few times in the past in these forums, and at Big Smokes, but I'm happy to do it again. A tasting coordinator buys the cigars, creates a code, and replaces their bands with numbered bands. Only he knows the code, and he is not a judge. He passes out the cigars to the tasting panel. They rate the cigar in this way:
Appearance/Construction: up to 15 points
Smoking Characteristics: up to 25 points
Flavor: up to 25 points
Overall impression: up to 35 points
As you can see, appearance is judged, but not as heavily as taste. So a good looking, mediocre tasting cigar will score worse than a mediocre looking, good tasting cigar."
Appearance/Construction: up to 15 points
Smoking Characteristics: up to 25 points
Flavor: up to 25 points
Overall impression: up to 35 points
As you can see, appearance is judged, but not as heavily as taste. So a good looking, mediocre tasting cigar will score worse than a mediocre looking, good tasting cigar."
Executive Editor
Cigar Aficionado
Member
Cigar Aficionado
Member
"Sorry, I forgot about this one. Lots of questions, so here we go:
In the past, there were four people on the tasting panel. We’ve recently expanded it to five people.
Yes, the panelists are the same for each tatsing [sic]. Each is a Cigar Aficionado editor, and each has many, many years of experience smoking cigars. When we added the new taster, as I described in the first answer, he smoked for the test cigars for more than six months, and then his scores were not used in the first few tests in which he actually participated. We wanted to make sure the scores were appropriate, and the tasting notes accurate. We take our ratings very seriously.
No, we don’t smoke the cigars in a group format.
Typically each taster smokes smoke one cigar for a rating, but often the cigars are retested, especially if a cigar is plugged. If the scores are widely apart, or if the scores are unusually low for something that typically scores high, or unusually high for something that typically scores low, or anything else that might look odd, we retaste the cigars. If a cigar is plugged for more than one taster, we will often note inconsistency in construction.
We give each cigar a chance to warm up and get going before we start assessing the taste and rating the cigar. How much we smoke depends upon a number of things. For example, if the cigar is truly bad, I won’t smoke much of it at all. If it’s very good, I’ll smoke about a third. If it’s good then starts to change in a good way, I’ll smoke half or so. And if it’s a great cigar I usually can’t put it down and I lose an afternoon enjoying my job.
The resulting rating is an average, but not necessarily of all the scores. If one person’s score is vastly different than the others, it might be thrown out, or that person might be asked to smoke the cigar again. For the most part it’s an average. There are always at least two scores for every cigar, and three or four scores for cigars that rate unusually low or get very high ratings.
The tasting coordinator assembles all of the scores in a grid, and matches them to the cigar names, as the tasters do not know what they are smoking. The tasting coordinator might at this time hand out re-smokes based upon inconsistencies. The scores are analyzed by a senior level editor, who then calls for re-smokes based upon what he has seen.
We have done the “men at the square table” thing a few times, for more informal tastings, and once for our Top 25 ratings. It’s fun, and we do joke around, but smoking cigars takes a long time, so when we do it as a group nothing else tends to get done. The smoking for blind ratings takes place in our individual offices."
In the past, there were four people on the tasting panel. We’ve recently expanded it to five people.
Yes, the panelists are the same for each tatsing [sic]. Each is a Cigar Aficionado editor, and each has many, many years of experience smoking cigars. When we added the new taster, as I described in the first answer, he smoked for the test cigars for more than six months, and then his scores were not used in the first few tests in which he actually participated. We wanted to make sure the scores were appropriate, and the tasting notes accurate. We take our ratings very seriously.
No, we don’t smoke the cigars in a group format.
Typically each taster smokes smoke one cigar for a rating, but often the cigars are retested, especially if a cigar is plugged. If the scores are widely apart, or if the scores are unusually low for something that typically scores high, or unusually high for something that typically scores low, or anything else that might look odd, we retaste the cigars. If a cigar is plugged for more than one taster, we will often note inconsistency in construction.
We give each cigar a chance to warm up and get going before we start assessing the taste and rating the cigar. How much we smoke depends upon a number of things. For example, if the cigar is truly bad, I won’t smoke much of it at all. If it’s very good, I’ll smoke about a third. If it’s good then starts to change in a good way, I’ll smoke half or so. And if it’s a great cigar I usually can’t put it down and I lose an afternoon enjoying my job.
The resulting rating is an average, but not necessarily of all the scores. If one person’s score is vastly different than the others, it might be thrown out, or that person might be asked to smoke the cigar again. For the most part it’s an average. There are always at least two scores for every cigar, and three or four scores for cigars that rate unusually low or get very high ratings.
The tasting coordinator assembles all of the scores in a grid, and matches them to the cigar names, as the tasters do not know what they are smoking. The tasting coordinator might at this time hand out re-smokes based upon inconsistencies. The scores are analyzed by a senior level editor, who then calls for re-smokes based upon what he has seen.
We have done the “men at the square table” thing a few times, for more informal tastings, and once for our Top 25 ratings. It’s fun, and we do joke around, but smoking cigars takes a long time, so when we do it as a group nothing else tends to get done. The smoking for blind ratings takes place in our individual offices."
"We give each cigar a chance to warm up and get going before we start assessing the taste and rating the cigar. How much we smoke depends upon a number of things. For example, if the cigar is truly bad, I won’t smoke much of it at all. If it’s very good, I’ll smoke about a third. If it’s good then starts to change in a good way, I’ll smoke half or so. And if it’s a great cigar I usually can’t put it down and I lose an afternoon enjoying my job."
Again...
"For example, if the cigar is truly bad, I won’t smoke much of it at all. If it’s very good, I’ll smoke about a third. If it’s good then starts to change in a good way, I’ll smoke half or so. And if it’s a great cigar I usually can’t put it down and I lose an afternoon enjoying my job."
... gentlepersons?
"If it’s very good, I’ll smoke about a third. If it’s good then starts to change in a good way, I’ll smoke half or so."
*
* *
"Overall impression: up to 35 points"
"I can't get an overall impression of my block if I don't walk to the corner." Me, cleverly.
Link to source: http://forums.cigaraficionado.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/3696075/m/533104783
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Sharing is a quick, easy, and free way to help me grow my audience.
If you’ve enjoyed a buncha these posts, please consider donating.
PayPal: paypal.me/Kaplowitz
Venmo: @KapKaplowitz
Questions/comments/concerns? Contact me HERE.
Consider, please, joining my Kaplowitz Mishpucha HERE. Too...
like me on Facebook: Have you Kaplowitz’d today?
Please visit www.CigarsCity.com
Great smokes. Great prices. Great customer service. What’s not to like?
EDITOR'S NOTE
I am aware Mr. Zino Davidoff famously writ to smoke each offering no more than half-a-way down. Sir was selling cigars -- why not twice as much, I always thought.
L'shalom