Firsthand reviews. No sponsored rankings.

Reviews from the things I actually try

Cigars, beer, spirits, food, fragrance, and whatever comes next—organized in one searchable journal.

352 reviews

Cigars

Rocky Patel 15 anniversary review photo
Cigars

Rocky Patel 15 Anniversary

7/10

Pretty good cigar, great draw. flavor was good, nothing special but for a Rocky Patel not bad. I would definitely get it again though it's not one of the top cigars I've had.

Reviewed Aug 23, 2025Read full review
E.P. Carrillo - encore majestic review photo
Cigars

E.P. Carrillo - Encore Majestic

7/10

On the first draw, I immediately tasted some complex flavors. It tasted like a lot of cocoa and notes along that line. I'm still in the first third and so far the burn has been pretty bad.…

Reviewed Aug 19, 2025Read full review
Padron review photo
Cigars

Padron

8/10

I have probably smoked this cigar more than any other cigar. A good price for around 11 bucks and always perfectly made perfect draw great flavor.

Reviewed Aug 18, 2025Read full review
Arturo fuente chatoue fuente king review photo
Cigars

Arturo Fuente Chatoue Fuente King

9/10

This is very good, it's got kind of a smoky flavor especially on the retrohale. Complex. It seems like it's been aged a good amount of time. The draw is really good. I had to cut it up a li…

Reviewed Aug 17, 2025Read full review
CAO pilon anejo review photo
Cigars

CAO Pilon Anejo

8/10

A very good draw, the flavor is kind of bitter but with an overtone of sweetness at the same time. Not particularly complex. It seems like you don't get a lot of the good stuff you get from…

Reviewed Aug 13, 2025Read full review
Oliva Serie O  review photo
Cigars

Oliva Serie O

7/10

The draw on the cigar is pretty good, I can taste some nice fermentation on the tobacco. Getting to the second half of this cigar, same flavors but a little bit more bold now.

Reviewed Aug 6, 2025Read full review
plasencia reserva original  review photo
Cigars

Plasencia Reserva Original

8/10

Very good flavor and very good draw This is, all in all, a pretty great stick for the price. This is kind of what I think of when I think of Plasencia: sophisticated taste, particularly goo…

Reviewed Aug 4, 2025Read full review
Monte Cristo Platinum series review photo
Cigars

Monte Cristo Platinum Series

6/10

I do detect a little bit of spice to this, not super strong flavors but the flavors that are there are pleasant. The construction is decent though not perfect there's a little softness to i…

Reviewed Aug 3, 2025Read full review
Rocky Patel 10th anniversary review photo
Cigars

Rocky Patel 10th Anniversary

7/10

Nice and smooth. It has a good flavor to it I've had these before, and the construction is almost always great. The flavor is not top-tier but it's definitely better than average and pretty…

Reviewed Jul 30, 2025Read full review
Megilla rare cut Habano review photo
Cigars

Megilla Rare Cut Habano

5/10

This is a pretty good cigar with a very nice draw, a little bit of bitterness on the tail end and a little bit of sweetness and creaminess throughout the whole thing at the beginning especi…

Reviewed Jul 29, 2025Read full review
the Oscar valladares review photo
Cigars

The Oscar Valladares

7/10

Reconstruction like most of the Oscars cigars have. It has an interesting flavor that the other Oscars don't seem to have. I'm having trouble to come up with words to describe it. Somewhat…

Reviewed Oct 21, 2018Read full review
island jim review photo
Cigars

Island Jim

6/10

Has a triple cap with different types of leaves but I couldn't get a good draw without taking them all off. Aside from that the draw is good as is the construction although it doesn't look…

Reviewed Aug 25, 2018Read full review
h. upmana 1844 nicaragua review photo
Cigars

H. Upmana 1844 Nicaragua

7/10

The draw on the cigar is pretty bad. It takes 3 or 4 Puffs before you can get a decent amount of smoke on the inhale. When you finally get some smoke The Taste is pretty decent. It's a litt…

Reviewed Aug 10, 2018Read full review
gurkha cellar reserve aged 12 years review photo
Cigars

Gurkha Cellar Reserve Aged 12 Years

8/10

I like the 15-year Reserve so much I wanted to go back and try the 12. This one has a bit more spice than the 15 year, and it lingers on the tongue a little bit longer and sharper. It reall…

Reviewed Jun 9, 2018Read full review
gurkha cellar reserve aged 15 years review photo
Cigars

Gurkha Cellar Reserve Aged 15 Years

10/10

After taking a draw my mouth explodes with flavors. There's a good amount of spice to the flavor but subtle notes of cinnamon and even vanilla which are strange things to use to describe a…

Reviewed Jun 2, 2018Read full review

A consistent 1–10 system

What the scores mean

1–3 Skip it

4–6 Mixed to good

7–8 Recommended

9–10 Exceptional