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how do YOU write your reviews?

LiquidChaos66LiquidChaos66 Posts: 3,767 ✭✭✭✭
in General Discussion

I recently picked up a notebook/cigar journal to start writing down my personal cigar reviews. I wont be posting or recording any of my own reviews. This is all for personal use and reminders of good sticks.


Like the topic asks.... what points do you look for when writing your reviews? How do you format them for your use? I have a general idea of how im going to be doing mine... but would love to hear from you all about how you handle your personal notes.

Life is like a blind fiver. You never know what you're gonna get.

Comments

  • jgibvjgibv Posts: 9,244 ✭✭✭✭✭
    bigfnsteve said:
    Gibby! My man! 
    I too am bilingual and write in engrish and ebonics. We should start a bilingual cigar smokers association.
    let's do it.  we can have some hella bilingual contest/giveaways too. 
    PM me

    * I have a new address as of 3/24/18 *

  • PatrickbrickPatrickbrick Posts: 7,924 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I don't write anything down, but for now at least my memory works great.  I put them in three categories: it was super good need try at least one more then buy a box, it was maybe ok will try another to double check, but don't think will buy a box.  This category is tricky sometimes, so I might pick up a couple just to have on hand for that occasion that I can't figure out what to smoke or I have had several and it won't matter what I smoke.  Then the third category, that cigar sucked balls after a round of golf in 100 degree heat, these I will not revisit or try again.
    "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give".  Winston Churchill.
    MOW badge received.
  • YaksterYakster Posts: 27,585 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Haven't collected my impressions, but I collect the bands of good smokes and list the great smokes in an Evernote note.  I'll sometimes posts notes and impressions on the forum.

    I want to set up a spreadsheet of my cigar inventory and once done I'd probably throw some notes in a comments field.
    Join us on Zoom vHerf (Meeting # 2619860114 Password vHerf2020 )
  • LiquidChaos66LiquidChaos66 Posts: 3,767 ✭✭✭✭
    Im currently using a memo pad note on my phone listing cigars that I liked... but I didn't put notes on them as to flavor profiles.... so its hard for me to remember what cigars tasted like but to know I liked them. LOL
    Life is like a blind fiver. You never know what you're gonna get.
  • Bob_LukenBob_Luken Posts: 10,710 ✭✭✭✭✭
     I don't keep notes but, I've always thought keeping notes was a good idea.
  • danielzreyesdanielzreyes Posts: 8,771 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited May 2016
    jgibv said:
    bigfnsteve said:
    Gibby! My man! 
    I too am bilingual and write in engrish and ebonics. We should start a bilingual cigar smokers association.
    let's do it.  we can have some hella bilingual contest/giveaways too. 
    PM me
    Putos! por favor envíeme cigarros puro gratis
    "It's plume, bro. Nothing to worry about. Got any Opus?" The suppose to be DZR
  • MikeToddMikeTodd Posts: 974 ✭✭✭✭✭
    danielzreyes said:
    jgibv said:
    bigfnsteve said:
    Gibby! My man! 
    I too am bilingual and write in engrish and ebonics. We should start a bilingual cigar smokers association.
    let's do it.  we can have some hella bilingual contest/giveaways too. 
    PM me
    Putos! por favor envíeme cigarros puro gratis
    Did you just ask for a cigar enema? 
  • Poopy_JonesPoopy_Jones Posts: 455 ✭✭✭
    Every time I try a new blend I write a review in the notes section on my phone. That way it's always with me. My wording and logic are for myself at a later date. It's helped on a couple of occasions when I couldn't remember a particular blend
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  • danielzreyesdanielzreyes Posts: 8,771 ✭✭✭✭✭
    SolidOrder77 said:
    Let me tell you how to review cigars for most possible enjoyment time.
    Number 1, write down the name of the cigar, the size is not important because they all taste the same. Number 3, take note of how much leather and pepper you taste on your mouth palate.
    Number C, watch Brian Glynn's Youtube videos, because mostly he is the best at tasting flavors.
    Hope this helps. 
    PM for addy.
    Libre de la motocicleta Harley Davidson por favor
    "It's plume, bro. Nothing to worry about. Got any Opus?" The suppose to be DZR
  • LiquidChaos66LiquidChaos66 Posts: 3,767 ✭✭✭✭
    Glad to see some people are taking this seriously. 

    I might track down an actual cigar journal. Maybe I just need to use something that's already formatted for personal notes and reviews I stress of reinventing the wheel. 
    Life is like a blind fiver. You never know what you're gonna get.
  • Lee.mcglynnLee.mcglynn Posts: 5,960 ✭✭✭✭
    For me it's a in the moment thing...the more I try to find all the flavors I find I'm thinking too hard and not enjoying the cigar. I try to find the most distinguished of them if I'm gonna take note. But as stated the vitolas all taste the same is well I disagree with that completely! As for Brian Flynn he does a good job but the guy doesn't retrohale which I find really odd and he also starts taking notes on the first few puffs. To me it takes a little bit into the cigar to start finding the flavors. IMHO at light for the most part it's all spice depending on the age of the cigar. I smoked a Johnny tobaconaut the other week and the upfront spice killed my pallet for the rest of the smoke. I did enjoy it but figured tuck them away for a few years. But back to the question for a mental reminder I would put the upfront flavors,burn and age of the stick. Then rate it interns of how much you truly enjoyed it and mark if you'd buy a box. IMO if you'd buy a box it was damn good...or you saw potential
    Money can't buy taste
  • LiquidChaos66LiquidChaos66 Posts: 3,767 ✭✭✭✭
    kswildcat said:
    My list is..

    Holy crub yummy
    Damn  good
    Pretty good
    Good
    OK
    Not terrible 
    Awful
    Who in the hell would smoke dis chit

    That is basically my current system lol
    Life is like a blind fiver. You never know what you're gonna get.
  • MartelMartel Posts: 3,306 ✭✭✭✭
    When I started, I found a formatted sheet for reviews that I liked, then I kept them in a binder.  For a while I tried typing them directly into the laptop, but I'm trying to save the new laptop from the smoking environment.  I might consider using my old Asus Transformer and converting everything to Evernote.  Still, there are times I like just writing it down as I smoke. 

    When I do that, I usually just write short notes.  I might note the time when I finish a third mostly as a divider for flavor progression, but my flavor notes tend to be something like:

    Vanilla and cream with oak under
    Mild Spice:white pepper and cinnamon
    20 min
    Vanilla faded, cream level and pepper stronger. No cinnamon.

    Or whatever the heck hits me at the moment.  I'll also have some general notes about how it feels and burns in another column.  Eventually, I found I wanted more room for notes than most pre-fab tasting sheets offered.  I've considered making my own, but typically don't worry about it.  In the end, I still have to type something up to make heads or tails of the notes because they won't make full sense even to me if I wait more than a couple of days.

    Now, I'm thinking I should smoke something.
    Intelligence is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.

    I like Oliva and Quesada (including Regius) a lot.  I will smoke anything, though.
  • Bob_LukenBob_Luken Posts: 10,710 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I've said it before and I'll say it again, (Since we've begun to talk about flavors,) I'm not one of these poor souls who says, "It all tastes the same to me." No, I love all the nuanced flavors I experience with each cigar and, I firmly believe I can taste all the flavors that anybody else might taste but, I don't feel confident in my ability to dissect and label them and, I haven't ever noticed my own experience matching up in any remarkable way with any reviewer's conclusions. Plus, with this outlook, I can't help but enjoy a bit of skepticism when I hear these labels being applied.

    Charred oak?!! (You know who you are.)  OK buddy,.....if you say so. 
  • kswildcatkswildcat Posts: 1,490 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I had one I'm sure tasted just like sucking up a mud hole  of stale water thru a straw... Not an experience I want to repeat.
  • PatrickbrickPatrickbrick Posts: 7,924 ✭✭✭✭✭
    "Charred oak?!! (You know who you are.)  OK buddy,.....if you say so."
    If I remember correctly that happened on vherf and was funny as hell.
    "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give".  Winston Churchill.
    MOW badge received.
  • First_WarriorFirst_Warrior Posts: 3,417 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Since i stated rolling my own cigars I use a three part system to rate a cigar. First is construction, then is taste which is from start to end. Last is finish and aftertaste. I figure i can roll a cigar with to right tobacco  that is finer than most small batch cigars on the martet today.Some times my construction is not right although i am learning. sometimes my blend is spot on and tasty and sometimes my finish right where  I want it. Lots of pages in my blending book. 
  • 0patience0patience Posts: 10,665 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Evidently, you have to be fluent in the english language, give a lot of fluffy words describing all of the nuances of flavors that no person imaginable could possibly detect and fill it full of tons of bullshit.

    All seriousness, I haven't a clue.
    I look at Rip's reviews and bow my head in shame, cause there is no way I could write like that.

    My reviews are, it didn't suck.
    Draw was good, got some spice, didn't kick me in the stomach. Sweet taste. Good burn or bad burn. 
    Tasted hay, wtf?
    In Fumo Pax
    Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy cigars and that's close enough.

    Wylaff said:
    Atmospheric pressure and crap.
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