bradbrennan Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 Do you love it, hate it, ignore it, subscribe to it??? If you don't like the Top 25 do you still use their rating search? For me, it drove me to this site, as the highest rated are dominated by cc's and I was clearly missing out. Plus, there are so many different nc producers that is impossible to find something special without some help nor would I want to endure trying all of them myself or even have the time to try all of them. I'm guessing the Top 25 is the most controversial? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pedro2486 Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 Pay zero attention to their top 25. But I do enjoy reading Savonas blog 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post garbandz Posted June 11, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted June 11, 2014 Do not trust the rating system,cannot afford the watches,golf packages,or intimate secluded hotels,do not understand the fashion sense. It is a lifestyle publication for those who want to aspire to that lifestyle,while those who live the lifestyle have no time for the magazine. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DWC Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 I never understood them interviewing celebrities that don't smoke. I'm interested in cigars, not "lifestyle" I do like "Cigar Snob" magazine, but mostly for the pictures. ;-} 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KoreanCowboy Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 I love CA as a whole. It gives me some good perspectives on cigars, new sticks to look out for and some ideas for things to do on vacation or Cuba if I ever make it. Their ratings are no different from what the Prez, Ken and guys do here so it's odd that I've never seen anyone bashing them here considering a LOT of guys here bash CA... Ratings and reviews are all subjective like them or not we all do it. Take them for what they are, someone's opinion. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradbrennan Posted June 11, 2014 Author Share Posted June 11, 2014 I think the top 25 is probably the most hated by some but wondering if those still use the ratings search Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smallclub Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 Their ratings are no different from what the Prez, Ken and guys do here so it's odd that I've never seen anyone bashing them here considering a LOT of guys here bash CA... Ratings and reviews are all subjective like them or not we all do it. Take them for what they are, someone's opinion. are you serious? You just forgot advertising money in this equation, something extremely objective… 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradbrennan Posted June 11, 2014 Author Share Posted June 11, 2014 are you serious? You just forgot advertising money in this equation, something extremely objective… How about the ratings area not in the top 25? this is what drove me to cc's in the first place as the majority of the top 10 by far are cc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginseng Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 I can't say CA has anything that is relevant to my experiences. Back in the boom days, I read it and was fascinated. Wilkey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kittipong Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 I don't read this magazine, when compare to other like cigar journal which is more interested cigar article than CA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smallclub Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 How about the ratings area not in the top 25? this is what drove me to cc's in the first place as the majority of the top 10 by far are cc Majority??? Two habanos in the 2013 top 10, two in the 2012 top 10, two in 2011, etc. … 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oliverdst Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 If you smoke NC maybe it helps. If you smoke only CC 100% useless. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colt45 Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 Their ratings are no different from what the Prez, Ken and guys do here ...... Ratings and reviews are all subjective like them or not we all do it. Take them for what they are, someone's opinion. I'd agree in principle re ratings being subjective. I think the main difference might be that they smoke only a small portion each cigar (an inch or so if I recall correclty) that they rate. Otherwise, I enjoy the magazine for what it is, give less attention to the ratings and golf articles. Rarely visit the website. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finecigar Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 I am subscribed to the magazine and here's how it goes: flip through for 5-10 minutes then throw in a pile. Not sure why I still get it... I like the HQ images of the cigars and sometimes the collectors corner gets me dreaming. Most of the magazine is BS and I have only been on the site acouple times to read article about Cuba. I get so much more knowledge and fun out of reading posts daily here on FOH- plus it's free and there isn't this snobbery like the mag has 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradbrennan Posted June 11, 2014 Author Share Posted June 11, 2014 Majority??? Two habanos in the 2013 top 10, two in the 2012 top 10, two in 2011, etc. … Not the Top 25 but the quarterly magazine where they post 70 or so various reviews? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drockspang1 Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 I would assume a lot of guys when first getting into cigars read or least had some interest in CA magazine. I know I did. But I quickly got tired of reading about celebrities who knew very little or nothing about cigars, and all the 'high life' type articles. Imo, they really cater to the 'exclusive' or 'VIP' type personality. Which for me personally is not something I ascribe to smoking cigars. The other thing about CA that I find bogus is the top 25. After you've smoked CC for a while(and I don't have nearly the experience as some of these guys), you'll find that top 25 is pretty comical. Driven by nothing more then advertising dollars. Nothing wrong with a magazine making money. But when they are reviewing or 'rating' a cigar, they should only consider the cigar on its merit... not whether or not the manufacturer advertises with them. I think in 2011 or 2012 they had the Alec Bradley Prensado as the #1 cigar of the year. I already knew better but thought I would buy 2 to see what it was all about. Absolute dog rocket! That was the LAST time I ever considered one of their recommendations. No doubt in my mind that if you took out the fact that they are profit driven, and they rated cigars for how good they are. The top 25 would be almost entirely CC. An occasional NC? Sure. But they would be few & far between. As for the CA forum: seems like it used be a pretty decent forum? I hardly go there anymore because of all the bs. A LOT of trolling and a couple pif's & trades went south, so I got out of there. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bartolomeo Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 CA serves a purpose for the general cigar lover and high end lifestyle I like the Connoisseur corner w reviews about vintage cigars I did bring w me the Cuba issue down to Havana, very useful As far as the Top 25, it holds no merit overall but their picks of Cubans in 2013 was spot on IMHO but there should of been more on that list but it doesnt make CA any money so we will never see 5-15 Cubans ever on that list The Cuban forums are a joke anymore w regards to the trolls that sign up and start trouble, there are some decent members there but for the most part a bunch of jackasses impersonating others talking about other cigar boards Bart 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RagingPorkBun Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 If you smoke NC maybe it helps. If you smoke only CC 100% useless. The only people in the NC community that love CA are people that are already subscribed or the manufacturers themselves. Most people that I've talked to hate CA. It's become more of an advertising magazine than anything cigar related and their ratings are purely subjective. Most people don't understand how Alec Bradley ever got num 1 or even on the top 25. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subport Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 Most people don't understand how Alec Bradley ever got num 1 or even on the top 25. Money talks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brickhouse Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 I subscribe to it, but I know what I'm getting. I keep them in my office, and if nothing else it serves as a conversation starter about the hobby. I don't use it to provide me all of the information I desire on cigars, far from it. But it's nice to flip through from time to time. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skyfall Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 I think the Top 25 is a joke and most of what is pushed in the Top 25 and in the magazine is heavily contingent on who pays for ad space. I haven't looked at the magazine in years, but it serves no purpose for me, I don't smoke NC's, and there is very little attention given to CC's. I understand why, it's a business, and CC's are bad for business, and the concept that CC's are better is really bad for advertising and business all together, so I understand, it's just not for me. Ratings are all subjective, yes, but when you don't smoke the whole cigar during a review, it's pretty meaningless! It may not be meaningless for NC's since the flavors don't progress, but for CC's= meaningless.I'm not, nor ever been a member of the forum, I've always heard talk about the trolls and drama, and the only times I've ever been on the forum, is when I've been impersonated and slandered by a troll, twice, like a few others have from FOH as well. Made some calls to the corporate office, it gets taken care of, but just from those experiences, the forum moderation and climate is deplorable.I'll never forget when the either 2010 or 2011 Top 25 was released and I was in a B&M smoking my CC's and the owner pulled out a cigar called "Brickhouse" and gave one to me to try, heralding its laurels based on its Top 25 rating and rank, and that day will forever be etched in my memory as the day I smoked the worst tasting cigar of my life. Brickhouse, more like Outhouse! Yuck! Since then, I've drawn the conclusion that it is a scientific fact that the ratings, Top 25 and forum are all run by children! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KoreanCowboy Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 are you serious? You just forgot advertising money in this equation, something extremely objective… So you're saying that anyone who has advertising can't be objective? That's poppycock and absurd. By your reasoning the Drew Estates Nica Rustica would have been rated in the 90's but CA rated it an 86, one of the lowest ratings they've given in 2 years. In fact, CA consistently rates DE sticks rather poorly. The Herrera Esteli is the first DE stick to actually get a good score. Davidoff has been getting middle 80's and AVO constantly gets beat up in the ratings. The only really constant high ratings are for Cubans which can't pay to advertise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
earthson Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 I've always suspected the Top 25 and monthly reviews are up for sale. Wasn't Casa Magna #1 one year? C'mon - that cigar sucked! All in all, I've smoked quite a few cigars that tasted nothing like what CA's reviewers got. Either manufacturers are passing extremely HQ sticks to the review board, or CA is fulla shite. I'll flip through one when I'm smoking in the B&M, but it's sort of a "grain of salt" publication. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skyfall Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 After I made my response, I decided to go to the online site and look at this month's reviews. Case in point: In the Cuban Reviews they have : Monte Open Master ranked and Fonseca Cosacos?????? Are you kidding me with this BS? I have another question for you NC smokers out there: A lot of people seem to think Tatuaje has some really good cigars (I've never had one I liked), but nonetheless, a general consensus among NC smokers, is there are several ones that you all seem to like. Then why doesn't Tatuaje hardly ever show up in the monthly reviews and rankings or other rankings at CA? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RagingPorkBun Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 I have another question for you NC smokers out there: A lot of people seem to think Tatuaje has some really good cigars (I've never had one I liked), but nonetheless, a general consensus among NC smokers, is there are several ones that you all seem to like. Then why doesn't Tatuaje hardly ever show up in the monthly reviews and rankings or other rankings at CA? I suspect that the Garcia family pushes for advertising space for their products instead of for their clients. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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