If the review is written (which I tend to prefer because I can skim it if I'm only slightly interested), clarity of writing is a must. Good grammar, etc. goes without saying, but the way you write says something, too. If your style is cut-and-dried or clinical sounding, that's good for lots of information, but it gets boring. I will read these reviews, but they're not my favorite. I tend to skim them. If you're passionate about a stick or if you hate it, I'd like that to come through. Stories connect us and are how we learn, so any story about the stick or your experience with it helps me connect to your experience.
If the review is a video, audio quality is a must. Lots of wind noise, kids screaming in the background, or someone's iPod blaring all serve to distract from the object of the video. I won't watch a video of you smoking a cigar from start to finish, either. On the rare occasion I do, it is because your review is more than just a review--a conversation with a blender or about topics that interest me related to the cigar. I prefer my videos to be short, which means you really have to make your point well. You just can't give me as much information in a two minute video as I could read in two minutes. The way you say things on a video matters; the way it's presented matters. The medium is the massage. Love that (sic).
I know some reviewers focus on overall impressions, others talk about flavor, some give the history of the leaf from seed to light. There are lots of approaches. All can be helpful. On the one hand, I look at some reviews because they are consistent in approach. Your reviews, for example, kuzi, are really helpful to me because they have lots of information, but I can find the information I want easily since they follow a fairly standard format. If I'm not terribly interested in the stick, or know I will probably never have one, I can skim it for highlights or anything that might pique my interest.
On the other hand, my reviews are eclectic. That's my personality. I usually follow a standard when I'm taking notes, but my review style is all over the place. Sometimes detailed, sometimes folksy, sometimes brief. I know that isn't helpful to everyone, but my goal has never been to write these reviews for a magazine or anything. I write for myself and to have some feedback on the varied experience that comes from sharing a cigar with a great online community. I can't get that at the local cigar bar with its limited selection and guys who look at me like I'm crazy for toasting my foot. "Just stick it in there and light it! You've got to hold it closer to the torch than that! It'll never catch if you do it that way!" Reviews help me learn, but there are lots of ways and different sorts of things I can learn from reviews.
I know what I like but I might not know why I like it. Sometimes I'll look up reviews after I smoke one or sometimes while I'm smoking one to see what others think of that particular stick and to try and figure how to distinguish specific flavors and see if I can tell exactly why I like it or don't like it. If everybody calls one particular stick a "spice bomb" then I might try it to see if I can better distinguish spice flavors while I'm smoking.
There's one site (stogiesontherocks.com) that has a tool that I wish ALL reviewers would use. It's a simplified 8 sided flavor wheel. I believe it would help produce a reliable concensus when enough people review the same stick.
I tend to read the info on the cigar, the tastes, flavor, smells all are different form one BOTL to another, thank heavens we don't have the same tastes, smells etc. It is what I feel is unique about the whole process. Different strokes for different folks...:)
I tend to read the info on the cigar, the tastes, flavor, smells all are different form one BOTL to another, thank heavens we don't have the same tastes, smells etc. It is what I feel is unique about the whole process. Different strokes for different folks...:)
my words and thoughts exactly. Thank god there are so many different profiles from stick to stick. Imagine only having white owls ! Shuttering....
I don't "look" for anything per se.......
Over the years, I have found several web sites and individuals like Bryan G. who do reviews, and I go to those locations when researching a cigar.
I have 10+ individual people (from various sites) whose opinion I value, and I simply read their stuff. How they present the reviews (all quite different) doesn't matter to me, so long as their format stays consistent, (which it does for the guys I follow.)
It's what they're saying that's important to me, not how they present it.
I know what I like but I might not know why I like it. Sometimes I'll look up reviews after I smoke one or sometimes while I'm smoking one to see what others think of that particular stick and to try and figure how to distinguish specific flavors and see if I can tell exactly why I like it or don't like it. If everybody calls one particular stick a "spice bomb" then I might try it to see if I can better distinguish spice flavors while I'm smoking.
There's one site (stogiesontherocks.com) that has a tool that I wish ALL reviewers would use. It's a simplified 8 sided flavor wheel. I believe it would help produce a reliable concensus when enough people review the same stick.
No coffee?? No chocolate?? No bitter chocolate?? No licorice??
I know what I like but I might not know why I like it. Sometimes I'll look up reviews after I smoke one or sometimes while I'm smoking one to see what others think of that particular stick and to try and figure how to distinguish specific flavors and see if I can tell exactly why I like it or don't like it. If everybody calls one particular stick a "spice bomb" then I might try it to see if I can better distinguish spice flavors while I'm smoking.
There's one site (stogiesontherocks.com) that has a tool that I wish ALL reviewers would use. It's a simplified 8 sided flavor wheel. I believe it would help produce a reliable concensus when enough people review the same stick.
No coffee?? No chocolate?? No bitter chocolate?? No licorice??
That flavor-wheel needs some work! Ha!!
Damn! Maybe only just a few more. But not like this one. Cucumber? No f**kin' thank you!
I know what I like but I might not know why I like it. Sometimes I'll look up reviews after I smoke one or sometimes while I'm smoking one to see what others think of that particular stick and to try and figure how to distinguish specific flavors and see if I can tell exactly why I like it or don't like it. If everybody calls one particular stick a "spice bomb" then I might try it to see if I can better distinguish spice flavors while I'm smoking.
There's one site (stogiesontherocks.com) that has a tool that I wish ALL reviewers would use. It's a simplified 8 sided flavor wheel. I believe it would help produce a reliable concensus when enough people review the same stick.
No coffee?? No chocolate?? No bitter chocolate?? No licorice??
That flavor-wheel needs some work! Ha!!
the chocolate and other flavors he details in teh review, this is just a quick snapshot of the big flavors that you get. You can get a molasses sweet and a chocolate sweet or a earthy dark chocolate or a bitter cooking chocolate.
he stays away from those in the flavor wheel. I find that flavor wheel REALLY helpful.
I feel special for having my tread referenced to! Lol I do like the idea of the flavor wheel. I saw one on google a while back that's helped a bit. Some flavors I recognized but couldn't put a name to and have since been able to get a better personal flavor profile in mind. Bryan is working on a new setup on his site to help search via flavor profiles/strengths/body levels and whatnot. I'm super stoked to see it! Like I said in my thread I like his setup for his reviews page. Good info and it's not too history laced. It's more of what the stick he is smoking is and what he interpreted from it. Good quality videos and they aren't too long to annoy me. Lol
I do have to say I am concerned about this cucumber flavor tab on that big wheel... That would make me gag. Lol
I've spent a lot of time, especially when first starting out, watching reviews on Bryan's site. His reviews imo are very approachable for new smokers or people like myself that have a hard time detecting flavors since he doesn't get too wrapped up in flavor descriptions. If there's a stick that I haven't tried I usually read a few different reviews to get a general consensus or to maybe help my tastebuds identify different flavors. I'm a sucker for a cigar with a good backstory so I like reviews with that kind of info.
Speaking of reviews has anyone seen rzaman around lately?
Comments
If the review is a video, audio quality is a must. Lots of wind noise, kids screaming in the background, or someone's iPod blaring all serve to distract from the object of the video. I won't watch a video of you smoking a cigar from start to finish, either. On the rare occasion I do, it is because your review is more than just a review--a conversation with a blender or about topics that interest me related to the cigar. I prefer my videos to be short, which means you really have to make your point well. You just can't give me as much information in a two minute video as I could read in two minutes. The way you say things on a video matters; the way it's presented matters. The medium is the massage. Love that (sic).
I know some reviewers focus on overall impressions, others talk about flavor, some give the history of the leaf from seed to light. There are lots of approaches. All can be helpful. On the one hand, I look at some reviews because they are consistent in approach. Your reviews, for example, kuzi, are really helpful to me because they have lots of information, but I can find the information I want easily since they follow a fairly standard format. If I'm not terribly interested in the stick, or know I will probably never have one, I can skim it for highlights or anything that might pique my interest.
On the other hand, my reviews are eclectic. That's my personality. I usually follow a standard when I'm taking notes, but my review style is all over the place. Sometimes detailed, sometimes folksy, sometimes brief. I know that isn't helpful to everyone, but my goal has never been to write these reviews for a magazine or anything. I write for myself and to have some feedback on the varied experience that comes from sharing a cigar with a great online community. I can't get that at the local cigar bar with its limited selection and guys who look at me like I'm crazy for toasting my foot. "Just stick it in there and light it! You've got to hold it closer to the torch than that! It'll never catch if you do it that way!" Reviews help me learn, but there are lots of ways and different sorts of things I can learn from reviews.
There's one site (stogiesontherocks.com) that has a tool that I wish ALL reviewers would use. It's a simplified 8 sided flavor wheel. I believe it would help produce a reliable concensus when enough people review the same stick.
Over the years, I have found several web sites and individuals like Bryan G. who do reviews, and I go to those locations when researching a cigar.
I have 10+ individual people (from various sites) whose opinion I value, and I simply read their stuff. How they present the reviews (all quite different) doesn't matter to me, so long as their format stays consistent, (which it does for the guys I follow.)
It's what they're saying that's important to me, not how they present it.
That flavor-wheel needs some work! Ha!!
i gotta say, ive tasted some interesting things in a cigar, but not cucumber.
I do have to say I am concerned about this cucumber flavor tab on that big wheel... That would make me gag. Lol
Speaking of reviews has anyone seen rzaman around lately?