I go into way too much depth on that topic here: How are Cigars Evaluated and Scored for a Review?

No.  I’ve thought about adding the ability for users to submit their own ratings and flavor data, but it’s not a priority for now.  If there’s enough demand and I can define a process to effectively manage it, I’ll consider it for the future.  My biggest concern is review bombing with purposefully skewed data because people love or hate a cigar.

Maybe I’ll add additional reviewers in the future and we can aggregate everybody’s takes, but for the time being it’s just me.

HAHAHAHAHAHA!  What team?  It’s just me.  What would I pay them with anyway? Non-existent exposure? 😅

Believe it or not, all photos are taken with my smartphone.  I have a Google Pixel 10 XL and use Google Photos for mild post processing to give them a bit more pop.  I’ll write a deep-dive post about how I take photos in the future.

Nope.  As mentioned in the prior question, all the cigar photos are lightly post-processed on my phone with Google Photos.  The journal photos are give the same post processing and then made into a collage with PicCollage.  It’s all done on my phone.  No Photoshop or AI needed.

Yes… BUT, and that’s a Cardi B and Ashley Graham crammed inside Gracie Bon BUTT.

Look, so many people are using garbage AI, and it creates a TON of slop. It’s blatantly obvious, lazy, and horrible. You can spot the people using AI to create logos, pictures, ads, etc. a mile away.

That said, I come from tech. AI, like anything else, is a tool that can be a great accelerator or multiplier when used judiciously. I use AI for two purposes: proofreading my reviews and creating interesting graphics for the headers of pages and posts.  It should be pretty obvious the comic book style images you see on the non-cigar review pages are AI.  I’m not driving to the beach, laying rose petals on my table, or roasting a huge pile of marshmallows, just to catch the perfect cigar photo.  Those backdrops are made with AI, but the cigar in them is a real photo.  The point is it makes the site look better and catches your attention, right?  That photo of me up top?  That’s a real headshot.  The orange smoke?  I did that in photoshop. The pic of me with the creamsicle?  AI based on my real photo.

AI is great for finding typos and correcting grammar since I write my reviews on my phone in real-time while I smoke. Sure, I could copy and paste the rough draft into MS Word, but it’s slower.  More importantly AI understand the context that I’m writing a cigar review and does a better job of catching errors while retaining my writing style and not flagging cigar terminology as typos.

All of the post header photos are a combination of real photos, worked over extensively with Photoshop and AI generated components. For the cigar review headers, I only use AI to generate the backdrop—I then superimpose the actual photo of the cigar back on top.  I’ll do a deep dive on how I create those images in the future.

I will NEVER use AI to generate written content or create fake photos of cigars. You deserve better than that.

Nope and it’s not something I’m looking for.  I’m not in this for free shit or kickbacks.  What kind of objectivity can you really trust somebody to have when they’re getting the cigars for free or need to appease a sponsor?  Yep, it’s expensive to buy everything myself, but I’m also free to my own opinions with no repercussions.  I always find it amusing when somebody like say… oh… XIFEI comes out with a new accessory, and amazingly dozens of guys with cigar IG’s somehow all start posting photos with said item.  Don’t be a fucking shill…

Nope.  And it let’s me be Judge Judy and executioner on the guys who are doing this JUST to get free shit.  That’s just fucking lame…  Seriously, fuck those guys.

Honestly, the only reason you will ever see a sponsor, or ads on this website, is because the hosting fees become too much.  If I somehow become insanely popular and I need to upgrade the hosting to where it’s hundreds of dollars a month, then I’ll probably cry uncle and agree to the RIGHT SPONSOR.  Because at that point it’s sponsor up, live with a barely functioning site, or just shut the whole down.  I don’t know if that will ever be the case, I guess that’s a good problem to have if I ever need to deal with it.  Honestly, I’d rather have a bunch of Google Ads for dildos and erection pills than sell my soul to somebody I’m reviewing.

You know there’s a reason some guys do all their shit on Instagram or YouTube.   It doesn’t cost them anything and they’re trying to get the ad money for views. 😉

They’re not sponsors. Don’t get me wrong—I fucking love Kyle and Big Rob over at LA Cigar Collective. They are my local B&M, and outside of cigars, I consider these guys friends. We’d stay friends even if we all gave up cigars tomorrow. I truly believe in what they’re doing because they are focused on the community, not just trying to make a buck. Their lounge is a great place, and I’ve made a ton of friends since I started going there. They’ve also introduced me to a bunch of boutique brands I was unaware of and helped me on my journey in numerous ways. So, I’m going to say nice things about them out of love. They boost me, and I boost them. We all love each other down here in NOLA.

But that’s not why their cigars get good reviews. The cigars are just good! Kyle and Rob are huge fucking cigar nerds; they put the time and energy into making sure the blends hit just right before investing in them. It would break their hearts, but if they released a dog rocket, I’d call it out for what it is. Luckily, Kyle is pretty OCD about his house blends, and he won’t invest in a cigar unless he’s 💯 sure it’s going to hit.

Nope, I’m just a big fucking nerd.  I get the mild ’tism tickle and dive deep on anything I get interested in.  I’ve read multiple books and spent hours learning from various resources on the internet.  I’m not an expert, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night!

Negative.  Never have and probably never will, well other than what I’m doing here, which is industry adjacent as an enthusiast at best.  I don’t think I’ll ever do anything that turns into cigar related employment.  And not working in the industry frees me up to provide my unadulterated opinions on anything and everything.   If I manage to piss off somebody like Steve Saka (I’m only picking on Steve because he’s also good at sharing his opinions <snicker>) and he ends up hating my guts, I can still go to the store, buy a Dunbarton, and review it.  I’m not doing this to be loved, get free shit or find a job in the industry.  This is definitely a passion project. 😉

I am on Instagram, but it’s primarily to help steer people here for the content. I would never use IG as my only reviewing platform. I’m also not into watching 60-minute videos of guys sitting in their basements or on their porches, smoking and stumbling through their thoughts on a cigar. I’ve literally never watched a YouTube cigar review where I wanted to sit through the whole damn thing. Also, the way people hold up their hands to get the camera to focus for a “close-up” always cracks me up.

But here’s the deal: you get a couple of minutes of my time to pull me in. Make it snappy and make it work.  And if you’re like me, you’re likely reading this on the toilet—so that meant sticking with the written word.  Lots of pretty pictures and charts with reviews that don’t take 20 minutes to get through.

And I 100% mean it: props to the guys who only use those platforms and make it work, but it’s not for me. Video is a completely different beast from what I do. The other big thing is that you don’t own your content there. If something triggers the censors or you piss someone off and get reported, your account could get shut down. You can lose everything and—poof—it’s gone for good. That’s not happening here.

Shit, that’s extra effort I didn’t want to do. Tracking users and logins, moderating comments, cleaning up spam and bots—no thanks.

My plan is to create a post on Instagram for every cigar review and article I write, then link from here back to that IG post. You are welcome—and encouraged—to comment over there.

If I allowed comments on this site, it’d be too easy for somebody who is pissed off to create multiple logins, spam the shit out of the place, and make a lot of work for me. On IG, people don’t want to lose their accounts, so they’re more likely to play nice in the comments where it’s also waaaaaaay more public.

It just seemed better for everybody to direct the conversation back to IG. I’ll see you there!

The easiest way to answer this question is to look at The List.  This is a dynamically created table that lists a link to every published cigar review with the current overall score.  Favorites at the top, dog rockets at the bottom when sorts by score. 😉  As new reviews are published, or journal entries are updated, the list gets updated automatically.

Gurkha 🤮, short filler or machine rolled cigars.  There’s too many other great hand-rolled premium cigars out there that deserve my attention.  And those are the ones you want to hear about.

If you love Gurkha, that’s great.  I’ve smoked a couple that were gifts and they were all garbage.  I’m not a fan of anybody who doesn’t disclose who is making their cigars and I know Gurkha is 100% outsourced.  So I’ll pass.

Well, I have a microphone, and you don’t, SO YOU WILL LISTEN TO EVERY DAMN WORD I HAVE TO SAY! 😅

With this website, I have my own platform.  It’s my soapbox and sometimes I want to talk shit.  Hence the shit box.  Those articles will make you laugh, nod furiously in agreement, or shit yourself out of anger.  But unless you’re a massive douchebag who smokes cigars as a flex to prove how manly you are, you likely won’t be offended.  And if you are, feel free to get your own fucking platform.

Yes, sorry. 🤷🏻‍♂️

I come by it naturally.  My parents taught me to embrace my strengths. 💅🏻

Also, I’m originally from NJ.  Being an asshole is a rite of passage.

PS – this is AI. 😉