A Different Approach to Top Cigar Rankings

 
Have you ever splurged on a highly rated cigar, expecting perfection, only to feel… underwhelmed? It’s easy to assume the rating was wrong, but the reality is more complex.

Cigar enjoyment is highly personal. What one reviewer finds exceptional may not align with your preferences. Marketing researchers call this negative disconfirmation – when the experience doesn’t live up to your expectations. Studies show this can lead to disappointment and reduced trust in recommendations. What’s behind these feelings is something called the experiential gap.

Why ratings can feel ‘right’ for some and ‘wrong’ for others

The experiential gap is the difference between what you expect based on a review or rating and what you actually experience when you smoke. Here’s the thing: no two people experience a cigar in exactly the same way. A 95-rated cigar described as bold and spicy may excite someone who loves intense flavors but overwhelm someone who prefers creamy and mild cigars. One person may smoke that same cigar after a heavy meal and find it relaxing, while another smokes it in the morning and finds it harsh.

Ratings can’t account for everything that shapes your smoking experience.

At Cigar Sense, we help you bridge that gap. Instead of telling you what’s ‘best’ based on someone else’s experience, we show you how each cigar matches your personal preferences – so your expectations and experience align. Curious to see how your experience compares?

Log in and check how your profile matches each cigar in our rankings below. If you don’t have an account, create one for free and start tailoring your cigar experience today.

 


What’s Behind Our Rankings?

Our rankings are built from the ground up using real sensory data. Here’s how it works:

1. Sensory analysis: each cigar we evaluate undergoes rigorous sensory analysis based on key attributes like aroma, taste, tactile sensation, and strength.
2. Preference matching: when our members create their profiles, they share their taste preferences with us. For every cigar, we calculate how well it matches their unique preferences.
3. Global insights: these individual matches are aggregated to form a “compatibility index” that reflects the preferences of thousands of members worldwide.

This means that every cigar’s ranking in our list is determined by how consistently it resonates with real cigar lovers.

Why This Approach Matters

When you see a cigar ranked highly in our list, it’s uniquely about highlighting cigars that truly deliver on what matters to real smokers. Here’s what sets our rankings apart:
Objective and unbiased: our algorithm treats every cigar equally, regardless of brand relationships or external influence.
Flavor first: our rankings reflect what matters to you—whether it’s flavor, price, format, or other specific preferences.
Transparency: we believe it’s of utmost importance to show you how each cigar aligns with your preferences and give you tools to control that.

We’re not here to replace other lists – we’re here to enhance your cigar journey by providing a personalized layer of guidance.

Your Cigar Journey, Your Choice

No list can predict everyone’s preferences. Our top rankings help you make more informed choices by showing how each cigar resonates with diverse cigar lovers.


Cigar Sense’s Top Cigar Rankings for 2024

Explore the links below to learn more about each cigar and what makes it stand out:

Ranking Cigar Name % of our members to whom this cigar is Highly Recommended
1 Warfighter Night Shift Toro 61%
2 L’Atelier Surrogates Closing Time 61%
3 Te-Amo The Original San Andrés Valley Toro 50%
4 CAO FASA Sol Toro 46%
5 Room 101 Hit & Run Redux Robusto 44%
6 The Wise Man Maduro Corona 42%
7 ADVentura La Llorona Corona 39%
8 AJ Fernandez Días de Gloria Brazil Toro 37%

Cigar Sense Top Rankings Explained

The cigars listed above were released in 2024. We’re still working on more 2024 cigars, so this list will be updated as we continue our analysis. If you’re curious about how our sensory panel tests cigars, we’ve got more details for you here. These cigars are in the winner’s circle, as they are the most widely recommended cigars we tested in 2024. It shows the percentage of members who see this cigar at very high on their list of personalized recommendations. If a cigar is over 90% aligned with someone’s preferences, it’s considered a highly reliable recommendation.

Important Note:

This list gives you a snapshot of the cigars we tested, which were released in 2024 and that are most compatible with our worldwide members. But remember, this list isn’t personalized to you. For example, David checked the top 3 cigars on this list and realized they didn’t align with his preferences at all – luckily, he double-checked!

The takeaway? To truly be delighted, see how each cigar matches your unique specific preferences. It’s simple: if you have a Cigar Sense profile, just click on the links and see your personalized fit instantly.

 

 

This list is continually updated as new cigars are tested – so stay tuned for the latest updates!

 

Want to see if one of our top-ranked cigar is your perfect match?

  • If you’re logged in, click any of the cigar links above to see a personalized score for how well that cigar matches your preferences.

  • Don’t have an account yet? Create one for free and start tailoring your cigar experience today.

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2 Thoughts on “A Different Approach to Top Cigar Rankings”

  • Dear Franca, I want to thank you for your invaluable insight. Using CigarSense has been an incredible tool in refining my knowledge about cigars—how they are “ranked,” their compatibility with my preferences, and most importantly, the accuracy of CigarSense’s recommendations.

    Every time I visit a cigar shop, I enjoy going through the list of recommended cigars and sharing the information with the cigar specialist. They are always impressed with the selection.

    Thank you once again for this amazing resource.

    Rodrigo

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Cigar Sense predicts which cigars best fit your personal taste. We are committed to preserve the highest objectivity, integrity and independence in the creation and dissemination of our analyses and industry analytics. This is why we do not sell cigars, nor cigar ads.

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