Cigar 25 CountDown

I just bought a box of Padron 80th (Natural though).

[duckmanco]

Also, there is no way they couldn't tell what the Chisel was, even unbanded. Same goes for the Padron 80th. Both have distinctive looks IMO. I'm not saying they aren't good smokes, but this just seems off.

[SmokinApe]

Originally Posted by duckmanco

Also, there is no way they couldn't tell what the Chisel was, even unbanded. Same goes for the Padron 80th. Both have distinctive looks IMO. I'm not saying they aren't good smokes, but this just seems off.

I say make 'em smoke in the dark!

This thing is rigged, but there are some good cigars on that list...

[ucla695]

Originally Posted by SmokinApe

I say make 'em smoke in the dark!

This thing is rigged, but there are some good cigars on that list...

There are only a handful or so that I would even think about smoking. The list gets worse every year.

[icehog3]

Originally Posted by Bear

Um... Casa Magna Colorado Robusto?

[Footbag]

Originally Posted by duckmanco

Also, there is no way they couldn't tell what the Chisel was, even unbanded. Same goes for the Padron 80th. Both have distinctive looks IMO. I'm not saying they aren't good smokes, but this just seems off.

I totally agree with this. It seems odd that the #2 cigar is probably the most recognizable unbanded.

[lenguamor]

The top 5 are Non-Cuban, as are 8 of the top 10.

CA simply cannot be taken seriously anymore.

[bigliver]

Originally Posted by lenguamor

The top 5 are Non-Cuban, as are 8 of the top 10.

CA simply cannot be taken seriously anymore.

+1 for that. I admit that I read CA and like their reviews for the most part, except for the socring part that is. As for their rankings? WTF is about all I can say.

[icehog3]

Originally Posted by lenguamor

The top 5 are Non-Cuban, as are 8 of the top 10.

CA simply cannot be taken seriously anymore.

Cuban cigar companies cannot pay Cigar Afflictionado for advertising. Therefore, the Casa Magna is the greatest cigar ever made.

When some say, "The Casa Magna is a great $4 smoke", remember....Cigar Afflictionado doesn't consider price in their rankings...they are saying the Casa Magna is the best current production cigar in the World right now at any price. Gimmie a break.

[TomHagen]

IMHO - Last years rankings were the most faithful.

Being that I am a Padron 1926 #9 nut, I am biased, but most would put Padron, Opus, VSG, Monte #2, Oliva V, Illusione and Cohiba at the top of their list.

Also, they are only saying "the Casa Magna is the best current production cigar in the World right now at any price" for cigars THEY reviewed this last year. Hence, this year no Tatuaje Browns, Illusione, Cabaiguans, various CC's etc...

Not to defend the snobs at CigAf, but they've got to put parameters on the rankings, and I actually like the magazine 'cause it's free with my NWA airlines miles I'll never use... take what they say with a grain of salt, love the stuff they're right about. To be honest the mag. helped me get more into cigars.

I hate the snobbery, love the cigar info.

[BlackIrish]

Originally Posted by icehog3

Cuban cigar companies cannot pay Cigar Afflictionado for advertising. Therefore, the Casa Magna is the greatest cigar ever made.

When some say, "The Casa Magna is a great $4 smoke", remember....Cigar Afflictionado doesn't consider price in their rankings...they are saying the Casa Magna is the best current production cigar in the World right now at any price. Gimmie a break.

I have my doubts about this ranking, too, but it looks like Cigar Aficionado acutally is taking price into account, at least this year. Here's what Gordon Mott has to say on this blog:

Casa Magna! I know you’re all surprised. We were too after our initial round of Top 25 tastings. And, then, that cigar just kept holding its spot among the top five cigars. In the end, the other factors—price, availability, intangibles—that we consider when making our final choice proved to be the tipping points in favor of the Casa Magna Colorado Robusto.

Let me respond to some of your questions and comments. Everyone has noticed that certain cigars in the Top 25 have higher scores than cigars ranked higher in the final list. There’s no mystery or mistake there. We do not base the final selection for the Top 25 on scores alone. If we did that, then we wouldn’t even bother to hold a special tasting for it; we’d just go down the scores given during the year and rank the cigars from one to 25. But gee, what fun would that be? We really do consider everything from price to country of origin to production quantities and that word intangibles, which boils down to whether or not we find something unique about the cigar that sets it apart from other products in the market today. . . .

Why Casa Magna? Well, first of all, the price point is an absolutely unavoidable and appealing factor. In one of the worst economic downturns in most of our lifetimes, a $5.25 suggested retail price is worth noting and rewarding. It is also a full-flavored, wonderfully constructed cigar. Trust me. We didn’t know it was one of the lowest priced cigars in the entire selection when we were smoking. It stood out on its own.

http://www.cigaraficionado.com/Cigar...95,346,00.html

[lenguamor]

Originally Posted by bigliver

+1 for that. I admit that I read CA and like their reviews for the most part, except for the socring part that is. As for their rankings? WTF is about all I can say.

Originally Posted by icehog3

Cuban cigar companies cannot pay Cigar Afflictionado for advertising. Therefore, the Casa Magna is the greatest cigar ever made.

When some say, "The Casa Magna is a great $4 smoke", remember....Cigar Afflictionado doesn't consider price in their rankings...they are saying the Casa Magna is the best current production cigar in the World right now at any price. Gimmie a break.

But they don't make the parameters clear, likely in the interest of "stretching" them at will to serve their purposes...that is, their advertisers' purposes.

And that makes their ratings/scoring unreliable, since we never have a clear picture of the criteria.

Originally Posted by TomHagen

IMHO - Last years rankings were the most faithful.

Being that I am a Padron 1926 #9 nut, I am biased, but most would put Padron, Opus, VSG, Monte #2, Oliva V, Illusione and Cohiba at the top of their list.

Also, they are only saying "the Casa Magna is the best current production cigar in the World right now at any price" for cigars THEY reviewed this last year. Hence, this year no Tatuaje Browns, Illusione, Cabaiguans, various CC's etc...

Not to defend the snobs at CigAf, but they've got to put parameters on the rankings, and I actually like the magazine 'cause it's free with my NWA airlines miles I'll never use... take what they say with a grain of salt, love the stuff they're right about. To be honest the mag. helped me get more into cigars.

I hate the snobbery, love the cigar info.

I agree - I enjoy the magazine, and I do enjoy their tasting notes.

It's just their rankings that are suspect, and therefore of no value to the informed cigar enthusiast.

[icehog3]

Originally Posted by BlackIrish

I have my doubts about this ranking, too, but it looks like Cigar Aficionado acutally is taking price into account, at least this year. Here's what Gordon Mott has to say on this blog:

Appreciate the info.

I will still take a Party Short for $5 or less.

[ScottieM]

[quote=BlackIrish;161548]

[i]Why Casa Magna? Well, first of all, the price point is an absolutely unavoidable and appealing factor. In one of the worst economic downturns in most of our lifetimes, a $5.25 suggested retail price is worth noting and rewarding. I]
QUOTE]

So the big reason why they voted this cigar #1 was because it was a trendy thing to do with it's price point being so low during a rough economy.

What a bunch of Bull crap!

[zmancbr]

Originally Posted by lenguamor

The top 5 are Non-Cuban, as are 8 of the top 10.

CA simply cannot be taken seriously anymore.

That is the thing that shocked me the most on Saturday when the FRHs were sitting talking about the lame top 10 lol...

Originally Posted by icehog3

Appreciate the info.

I will still take a Party Short for $5 or less.

QFT... Can't beat a Party short!

[Sauer Grapes]

Originally Posted by duckmanco

Also, there is no way they couldn't tell what the Chisel was, even unbanded. Same goes for the Padron 80th. Both have distinctive looks IMO. I'm not saying they aren't good smokes, but this just seems off.

How do you suggest CA do a blind taste test? Without including those cigars? I don't think you can blame CA for the recognizable shape of the cigars.

Not saying their ratings are perfect or impartial, just saying I think some are being too hard on them.