The CigarSolace Scale
A personal score, not a verdict.
Each score sums up my experience with one cigar on one occasion, on the same 100-point scale used across the cigar world. It is one palate and one smoke. Every palate is different, and the full note always says more than the number.
The scale
What each range means
- 95–100 Classic
- Among the best I have smoked. A cigar I always want in my humidor.
- 90–94 Outstanding
- An experience I remember and would repeat without a second thought.
- 85–89 Very good
- Well made and enjoyable, even when it does not fully connect with my palate.
- 80–84 Good
- It has real qualities, but something held it back: balance, construction or a profile outside my taste.
- Below 80 Not recommended
- An experience I would not repeat.
What I weigh
Behind every number
I am guided by the same four areas specialist publications use. The difference: I do not taste blind or as a panel. It is my experience, smoked at my own pace.
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Appearance and construction
The wrapper, its texture and finish, when there is something worth noting.
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The smoke
Draw, burn, whether it needs touch-ups, and how much smoke it gives and how it feels.
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Flavor
What I perceive, how the flavors come together, and how they change, or do not, from one third to the next.
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Overall impression
Balance, harmony, how much I enjoyed it and whether I would smoke it again. This weighs the most.
My palate leans toward creamy, naturally sweet and well-balanced cigars. When a well-made cigar goes in another direction, I say so in the note, and the score reflects it without punishing it.
If a cigar arrives damaged by poor storage or heat, I do not score it: it would not be fair to the blend. And when a brand sends me a cigar, I say so in the note.