Cigar, pipe tobacco, and gear reviews with no score inflation and no 100-point theater. Every review shows the street price, what I actually paid, and where the stick came from... then answers the only question that matters: would I smoke it again?
The cigar scale
Box Buy · 4/4 A box stays on hand at all times. Regular rotation.
Five-Pack · 3/4 Yes, I'd buy it again. A few live in the humidor.
Hand-Me-One · 2/4 Wouldn't spend my own money. Wouldn't turn one down.
Not Even Free · 1/4 I'd rather smoke nothing.
Latest reviews
Crux Guild Toro Review
Verdict: Five-Pack (3/4)... and the closest a cigar has come to the box without getting one. A five-pack lives in the humidor from here on. This is the most playable cigar I've smoked... the flavor changes depending on how you puff it, and it's not a subtle difference.
Perdomo Double Aged 12 Year Vintage Sun Grown Epicure Review
Verdict: Hand-Me-One (2/4). I put it down midway through the final third... my money stays home on this one. The bitterness just kept building until it ran the whole show. Which stings a little, because the Maduro from this exact same line was an easy Box Buy for me.
Perdomo Double Aged 12 Year Vintage Maduro Epicure Review
Verdict: Box Buy (4/4). I'd spend my own money on this again... no hesitation. Great smoke front to back, nothing off-putting, and enough going on to keep it interesting the whole way.
Davidoff Winston Churchill The Late Hour Toro Review
Verdict: Hand-Me-One (2/4)... and that's mostly about Davidoff money. Nothing offensive about it. That's kind of the problem. It's a one-dimensional, thin-smoking, burn-fussy cigar that never gave me a reason to buy another one at this price.
Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Belicoso Review
Verdict: Hand-Me-One (2/4). There's a genuinely good cigar in here... the first third was excellent... but a weird burnt-nut note, some bite on the sides of my tongue, and a torch that never got to stay in my pocket kept it from being a yes.