CigarTower cigar rating standard
All CigarTower web-sites use this rating system and all of our visitors can rate their own cigars according to these aspects online. You can also download an offline version if you’d like to take it with you on your cigar tasting event. The offline version is exactly the same our test panel members use.
The Cigars
The cigars we test are stored in a 70% of humidity and 18-20 oC of temperature. All the cigars are in harmless condition during the test.
We choose the cigars randomly from the boxes that have been sent by the factories. We assume that each box contains cigars of equal quality.
We do not exclude any cigars - all handmade (premium), partly or entirely machine made (dry and wet) cigars and cigarillos can be tested with the CigarTower Standard Cigar Blind Tasting Datasheet.
Test panel
Our testers are deserved their places in the test panel because of their function in international cigar making industry, cigar retailing or experiences in studying cigar culture.
The panel does the rating on the uniformized Standard Cigar Blind Tasting Datasheet, which is accessible to everyone.
How we test
Our test is a blind-test, the cigars are not recognizable by the rings or boxes. We take off the rings from the cigars that arrives for a test and we replace them with a simple white ring with only the ordinal number which we give them. Every person in the test panel receives one cigar and notes the observations on the Datasheet. The testers can not coat the cigar with any outer material, the cigars cannot be impregnated. The testing takes place in a proper, closed place, with every disturbing circumstances elimanated such as wind and exterior odours.
They have to light the cigar with cigar matches (made of cedar) or a cigar-lighter (wind-flame). The cigar must be lighted starting with the wrapper.
As long as possible, the ash must be kept on the cigar without knocking off. The cigar must be smoked pendig the middle of the third part.
Rating aspects
We test the cigars in different aspects, determined in advance. One aspect can gain 10 or 20 points maximum. If we add up the points, a cigar can gain a maximum of 120 points. This excludes Price / value, because that does not affect the quality of the cigar.
We proportionately depress the value so a cigar can get a maximum of 20 points in our testing system. You can find the details of each aspect in the following table:
| Construction |
Do you like the touch of the cigar? How tough is it? How well is the rolling technique of the cigar and the cap? (20 pts. max) |
| Appeareance |
What’s your overall impression before lighting? How does the cigar smell? Is the wrapper oily and smooth? (20 pts. max) |
| Smoke / ash |
Do you like the colour of them? How does the smoke smell like? How massive and though is the ash? Does it fall apart easily? (10 pts. max) |
| Burn |
How does the cigar behave when lighting up? Do you have to light it several times? Does it burn aside? How does the wrapper and filler burn? (20 pts. max) |
| Draw |
How is the draw of the cigar? Isn’t it too easy or too hard to smoke? Does the smoke stuck during smoking? (20 pts. max) |
| Aroma |
Score the cigar’s taste, strenght and aroma complexity.
(3 x 10 pts. max) |
Price / value
(this aspect is excluded from the final score) |
What was the rate of pleasure the cigar provided according to your expectations by the price of it? (20 pts. max) |
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