Frequently Asked Questions

Top25Cigar Site FAQ

What dies “Active”, “Limited” and “Discontinued” indicate when by a brand or cigar name?

Our database shows many cigars from 1997 forward.

  • Active” cigars and brands are those that are still in production or readily available. No clear definition, but these are supposed to be cigars still available. As time goes on this will become more accurate. Right now the list defaults to “Active” until we change it. Accuracy in this part of the site can be improved, and we are working on it. Feel free to submit a correction or suggestion to help us increase accuracy.
  • “Limited” cigars and brands are those that are still out there but the supply is known to be tight. These may be Cuban Regional versions, limitadas, or the like.
  • “Discontinued” cigars and brands we are confident are no longer around.

A brand is considered active if it has any cigars that are listed as active or limited.

What is the Wish List?

The Wish List lets you bookmark cigars you want to try. Spotted something in the rankings that caught your eye? Add it to your list and come back to it when you’re ready. We’ll be expanding what you can do with your Wish List as the platform evolves. Use it when you go to a tobacconist and are looking around to remind yourself what you want to try.

What is My Humidor?

My Humidor is your personal cigar collection tracker. Add any cigar from our database to keep a record of what you’re smoking, what you’re aging, and what you’ve enjoyed. Like any new feature, it will grow and improve over time — we appreciate your patience as we continue to build it out.

What happened to the original Top25Cigar.com?

The original Top25Cigar.com (now affectionately called T25C 1.0) ran for years (1997 – 2008) as a passion project and building up one of the most extensive cigar rating databases on the web. Version 2.0 is a complete rebuild — same spirit, significantly more powerful. The full archive of historical reviews has been preserved and is accessible on every cigar’s page. Think of 2.0 as the platform 1.0 always deserved to be. Still a passion project, no desire to beyond that. Simply built by a few people that have a passion for cigars and modern technology.

What’s the difference between “historic reviews” and “current reviews”?

Historic or Archival Reviews are drawn from our historical database, which spans decades of cigar ratings collected from the first run of Top25Cigar from 1997 to 2008. These reviews were written by past contributors and are preserved here as part of our commitment to building the most comprehensive cigar record available. They are marked with a 📜 icon so you always know what you’re looking at.

Current reviews are written by our active community of reviewers and submitted directly through the site. These reflect today’s cigars, today’s blends, and today’s prices — and are what drive a cigar’s live ranking on the site.

For now, both count toward a cigar’s overall rating.

Cigar FAQ

How are cigars scored and what does each category mean?

Every review on Top25Cigar.com scores a cigar across five categories, each rated on a scale of 1 to 10:

  • Appearance — How does this cigar look to you? The cigar’s visual presentation: wrapper color, consistency, and construction quality at a glance.
  • Construction — How well the cigar is made and how does it smoke. Draw, burn line, ash, and overall build quality.
  • Flavor — The smoking experience itself. Complexity, balance, and how the flavors develop from start to finish.
  • Value — How well the cigar delivers relative to its price. This is a bit relative, but we have all smoked cigars that have punched above their weight class, and at the same time, have some real dogs we paid good money for.
  • Overall — The reviewer’s holistic impression of the cigar as a complete experience. Would you smoke this again?

How is the overall cigar rating calculated?

Each review produces a weighted average score. The five categories are averaged together, with the Overall score counting double — reflecting that a reviewer’s total impression carries the most weight.

All approved reviews for a cigar are then averaged together to produce the cigar’s rating on the site. The more reviews a cigar has, the more reliable that number becomes.