Reviews, how much to you use them

[baboruger]

Ok, so this new idea for expert reviews got me wondering. How important to you think reviews are? I am curious if your read them PRIOR to smoking a cigar or after you have tried it to see how your own opinion matches up to the others.

Also, would you give a review that was created by an average Joe on a cigar retailers website more or less credence than one from an Expert in a magazine or something?

Also, do you think a number system is more important than a good wordy description?

I just got thinking about this today and wondered what some of the opinions out there were.

I guess for me, I think that I always look to a review after I have tried a cigar. There are so many factors that go into a review that I am not sure how to take them. The CA reviews I think that they are all sort of bought and paid for, so I really don't look at those. Also, they are too short. (I'm sort of long winded myself.) I think I look at the reviews after so I can already have the opinion in my head of a cigar, and then I like to compare it with others.

[karmaz00]

i like a wordy and a numer. i think if you rate a cigar a 90/100, you need to back it up with some info

[mikejh]

i dont care about teh numbers, i like lotsa words, something like keepers of the flame is my ideal review, good stuffs, im usually more interested in reviews after i have tried a particular cigar

[hayward_tenney]

not only a number, but a rubric to explain that number is important IMO. Being a writer, I guess I'm partial to wordy descriptions But sometimes written reviews can be self-indulgent bull$hit - I prefer them to be direct, and not overly editorialized.

:just the facts, ma'am:

[jitzy]

ok so Daniel and I spoke earlier about the way reviews are done here and he was going to change the system so guys could give a review and everyone else could comment on them and five there opinion of the same cigar

[GreySmoke]

I seek out a review after I smoke a cigar. Mostly to find out what others have thought of the cigar and to compare what I tasted, to the opinion of the masses. I dont just look at one but seek out several. I do perfer details for reviews. And no it doesnt matter (to me) if they are experts or average Joe's, the more the reviews the better in my book.

[nootje]

Well, I do check the cigar insider ratings, and the reviews that come with the higher ratings... Dont care that much about the other reviews

[alanf]

I use cigar reviews that same way that I use computer game reviews - carefully. Both types of reviews are subjective to the extreme as everyone's taste and perception are different. But, if you find a reviewer with similar tastes the reviews can be very accurate. If you tend to agree with one reviewer and disagree with another, it doesn't mean one is right and the other is wrong, it just means that their tastes are different. Once you find a reviewer that is pretty much "right on" with your perceptions of the same cigars, he or she can be a very reliable guide to the cigars you will probably like or dislike.

That said, there are cigars that seem to rise to the top of everyone's list and then there are the dog-rockets! LOL.

[doogie466]

The only reviews i listen to is my own. I know that sounds high and mighty but, i know what i like and what i don't. I feel that a lot of reviews are bought with money. he who has the most money gets the best reviews. Being on this site i have learned alot, but i don't think i could persoally do a review in a traditional sence. I am starting to pick up on flavors, burn, smell and how cigars are constructed but , i'm not quite there yet. I should go to the review section more than i do. I tend to read posts and listen to others oppinion on cigars and i find that most are correct.

[boxer757]

I look at reviews for fun. When I'm bored at the b&m I may flip through the different mags looking at reviews. I'll also look at them to find out what is new out there that I havent heard about.

But yes typically I just smoke it and review it in my head for myself.

Now when reviews do come in handy for me is on cigars that my b&m does not carry or that is rather expensive. I like to see what people (mostly on this board) have to say about the cigar before I order some to try or spend a large amount of coin on them.

[baboruger]

The one thing I never listen to is the silly descriptions in the catalogs (sorry hayward)...also the little quotes in there are hand picked so I find them to be not very useful.

[elmomac]

I know I should use the reviews here more often. I like the informal reviews in the threads here more than an actual review. And if I read a formal review I like some detail to go along with a number but not to the point of sounding like an ad.

[terrasco]

When I was a newbie I looked at a lot of reviews. Now, I pretty much have my own opinions but reviews of new products or cigars I haven't tried are interesting.

[kevink868]

I read them and write them because any help the buyer can get in sorting out what's worth a look is welcome. It's an enormous market, and most people don't have the time and money to try everything. You have to narrow down your purchase possibilities somehow. Reviews from people whose palate you trust is the best way, IMO.

I like narrative and a number. The number is hardly gospel, but it does force the reviewer to synthesize his thoughts and make a relative judgment that Cigar X is a little better than Cigar Y, which is not nearly as good as Cigar Z. Further, the number's just fun when you're flipping through a magazine or poking around a site. The number serves as a teaser which draws me into the narrative.

[Webmeister]

Cigar reviews for me are nearly worthless except to get a *general* idea of if a stick may be to my liking. I compare them to reviews by movie critics (which I rarely agree with). Give me the basics, and I'll take it from there. The little insights and flowery commentary gets put to the side since it's all going to be subjective based on the reviewers' taste in cigars (or movies). As an example, if I see reviews saying "mild", "natural wrapper", "mexican filler", etc. I generally don't give them a second glance. I'll look at a review on a new stick from a manufacturer whose products I like just to see if it's worth my time to try them. Do I miss out on some interesting sticks? Probably, but then again if it is something exceptional word of mouth with get back to me and maybe I'll give it a shot. One question I've had on reviews and to this day have not received a decent answer... what exactly is a perfect 100?

Being new to pipe smoking got me to thinking about this in a different light. Since I know very little about pipe tobacco and pipes in general, I am like a sponge soaking up any little tidbit of information I can find on the topics. Can I look at a review of a particular blend on one of the big sites and say "hey - that's for me"? No, because at this point I am not sure what I like. People doing the reviews are coming from a totally different perspective than I. The reviews are useful for getting a general idea of what I might like though, and narrowing down the plethora of choices to something a bit more managable.

So to summarize... I don't gain a lot of benefit from reading reviews. They are good for manufacturers though as it gives them an idea of how their product is doing, and why people like/dislike it. I would much rather interact with people who I know have similar tastes to mine and can answer questions, provide a little guidance, and maybe a solid recommendation every so often. I try to do this every chance I get with the BOTL/SOTL I meet, and am happy to do so. When I find a killer stick, I am evangelizing it all over the place and handing out samples to folks who are genuinely interested.

I didn't mean this to turn into a manifesto, but as you may be able to tell I am fairly passionate about the subject. Time for a smoke. Y'all carry on and talk amongst yourselves.

[happy1]

Yeah pretty much what webby said.As the old saying goes one mans trash is another mans treasure