Cigar Aficionado- The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly.

I had an encounter with a regular customer last week. Roy, came in with the latest Cigar Aficionado magazine and had about 5 cigars circled that he wanted to try. Evidently, the magazine had him convinced that these cigars were excellent for him and he must go out and try them right away. This is what he had circled.

1. La Flor Dominicana dl-700 Maduro.
2. Montecristo White Toro
3. Arturo Fuente 8-5-8 Sungrown
4. Rocky Patel 15th Anniversary
5. La Gloria Cubana #7 Maduro

Sounds like a great list, right? I know that these are all excellent cigars, top quality and worthy of high ratings. Except, Roy only likes really mild, Connecticut wrapper cigars! On second thought, this list looks terrible for Roy! There's only 1 cigar in this list that he would enjoy, the Monte White. In addition, the 8-5-8 Sungrown, which is an awesome cigar, is about as hard to find as the Holy Grail itself. There are less than 50 stores in the U.S. that have them on their shelf.

So here are a few thoughts that I have on CA. Some good, and some bad.

1. Cigar smoking is one of the most subjective things out there. There are no absolutes in this industry. What one guy loves, the next guy hates. What one stores sells like crazy, collects dust in another store. Some guys think $5 is too much for a good cigar and some think you have to spend at least $20 to get a really good cigar. With that being said, it is impossible for CA to speak directly to you as to what is good and bad, worth smoking, and not.

2. Big ads, big ratings. Look, CA is first and foremost a business, and a very good one. If you do not take out ads with CA, then you simply will not receive the best ratings, or any ratings at all. Take, for example, Altadis USA. The largest cigar maker in the US. They are known for making Montecristo, H. Upmann, Romeo y Julieta, Por Larranaga, and about 20 other brands. Altadis had a tiff with CA and stopped doing business with CA for about 3 years. How many ratings did they get during that span? 0. Evidently, not one of their cigars was worthy of a rating or even making the famous CA Top 25 Cigars of the Year List. Last year, Altadis and CA buried the hatchet and resumed business together. Low and behold, they now have cigars that are in the Top 25 of the Year the last 2 years!

3. CA is great for the industry. CA is one of the best things to ever happen to this industry. There is no doubt about it. They have spread awareness of this very small industry to the layman cigar smoker. Many no-name cigars and their makers have CA to thank for their successes over the years. They raise awareness of legislative issues regarding smoking. They put on their yearly Big Smoke which is a raging success. They dwarf all other Cigar Publications because they are very good at what they do.

4. One thing that drives me a little crazy about CA is their love for the Cuban Cigar. If the majority of your magazine distribution is in the U.S. then why would you continue to shower accolades on a cigar that is largely unattainable for us Americans? Look, in short, Cuban cigars are good, some are great, some aren't. But, there are a TON of domestic cigars that are as good if not better than Cubans. Before you get your appetite whetted for Cubans, try 1 of the 1000's that are domestic, legal and probably better than Cubans. Ultimately, I feel like CA is largely responsible for perpetuating the idea that mysterious Cuban Cigar is the best cigar you'll ever smoke.

5. CA is very powerful, maybe too powerful. CA has solidified itself as the "Bible" for publications covering premium cigars. Many consumers think that, unless you are rated highly in CA, then you aren't a worthy smoke. This just simply isn't true. CA is useful as a resource about premium cigars, but there are many other useful resources as well. It's power means that, after all my criticism about CA, I will still use the magazine and it's ratings as a selling point when the opportunity presents itself because I know that many consumers will find value in the ratings.

In this, the day of the Internet, I believe that somebody who wants to gain the most knowledge about cigars, will probably find them self scouring the Internet instead of a print publication. Here's a list of some additional great resources that you may want to utilize as you take your cigar journey.

1. Your local tobacconist. Who knows what you like better than this person? He sees you every time you come in and knows your likes and dislikes. He is intimately knowledgeable about the industry, new cigars, the blends of cigars, and can steer you in the right direction when you come in. ASK! And you shall receive lots of good, usable knowledge from him. This industry moves and changes at a rapid pace, so even the regular aficionados are rarely are abreast of all that is out there, but your local tobacconist should be.

2. Blogs/Websites/Discussion Forums There are a multitude of these now and I believe they are having a negative effect on CA. You can get great info from guys just like yourself. I use Halfwheel.com, BOTL.org, CigarPass.com, and Puff.com

3. Print Publications: There are a few other magazine publications that have their own spin and philosophies on this industry. We usually have them in the store (for free) or you can get your own subscription. I'm not going to suggest that one is better than the other, but they are all quality publications. They include Cigar Press, Cigar Journal, and Cigar Snob.