By Asia For Asia

The existing cigar ratings are dominated by a Western perspective. While we deeply respect these established guides, they do not represent the unique preferences of the Asian smoker.

This leaves us with a simple question: Is this really a good enough guide for us?

We believe it's time for a guide of our own. This is that guide. A rating created by Asia for Asia

How The Rating Works

At the heart of our system is a simple, non-negotiable rule: every cigar is tasted blind. All bands are removed and replaced with a neutral code. This eliminates any and all bias—positive or negative—related to brand, country of origin, or price. Our panelists judge the cigar based solely on what is in their hand, ensuring that every score is a pure reflection of the smoking experience.

There are no technical criteria for what a cigar "should" be. The score is determined primarily by the community’s collective overall impression and enjoyment. While construction quality (draw, burn, etc.) naturally affects the smoking experience, it's the final enjoyment that ultimately determines the score. This ensures our ratings reflect what people actually enjoy, not what they're told they should enjoy.

Our Panel

A great cigar should be appreciated by smokers at every stage of their journey. To reflect this, we have built a screened, stratified panel from our community ( 100% Asian smokers)

Pre-Screening: All potential panelists, whether through application or invitation, are selected to ensure the ideal combination of experience, a discerning palate, and the commitment required for the panel.

The Three Categories: For each tasting, we randomly draw a dedicated "Tasting Pod" structured into three distinct categories:

  • The Connoisseurs: Asian Smokers with 15+ years of experience.
  • The Aficionados : Asian Smokers with 5-15 years of experience.
  • The Explorers : Asian Smokers with less than 5 years of experience.

Our Two-Tier Rating System

We believe in combining deep analysis with the "wisdom of the crowd." That's why we use a two-tiered approach:

1. The Community Rating: Our Foundation

Every cigar is blind-tasted by our panel and receives a Community Rating. This is your reliable benchmark for quality, straight from the diverse voices of our community.

2. The Public Rating & The Verified Favourite Badge

We regularly select cigars for our public tasting events

  • These cigars receive a second, independent Public Rating.
  • If a cigar achieves an elite score of 90+ from both our community and the public, it earns our prestigious VERIFIED FAVOURITE badge—your guarantee of a cigar celebrated by all.

How The Scores Are Calculated

Every voice matters—what an “expert” loves isn't the only definition of a great cigar.

For the Community Rating:

Community Rating = (Connoisseur Avg + Aficionado Avg + Explorer Avg) / 3

This democratic approach ensures our foundation rating reflects a genuine consensus from our community.

For the Public Rating:

The Public Rating is a direct average of all scores submitted by participants at our blind public tasting events.

This tiered system allows us to identify both the universal crowd-pleasers and the niche favourites, providing the most honest and useful guide for every type of smoker.