The elusive '100 point' cigar


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As with wine, cigar scores can be polarizing. It's pretty subjective to put a 'number' on a cigar...reviewers tastes/biases, smoking conditions etc all come into play. It's all a little silly when you think about it. All that said people will always feel the need to quantify things, so in both (wine & cigar) industries its' taken with a grain of salt. That is, scores are loved for sales when they pop, but mostly hated by insiders as it's chasing a dragon. Anywhoooo....

Now a 100% score for an experience (as some have described above)...I believe in that

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I smoked a Dunhill Malecon on the Malecon in Havana with Laura, the manager of the Dunhill humidor in London.  That was a great cigar. really good. One of the most memorable I'll ever have, but n

I agree with that - as well as for any cigar smoked with good friends in good harmony. That's why maybe that 80's Lancero made that 100 points impression when I smoked it in HK with just a friend to s

I take 2 puffs, if it’s not a 100 pointer I throw it in the toilet.  Grab another

29 minutes ago, El Presidente said:

as for the scale itself, it works well enough. 

I like the smithy hot chick 1-13 scale /

This reminds me of my old scale system when we would be at bars/clubs trying to find a gal to bring home. My friends and I devised a system to make sure you didn't wake up the next morning beside jabba the hut due to beer goggles. Let's say a friend was working a girl ....you would approach them and mention a day of the week. Monday being bad news get out there fast....Tues/Wed eh no bueno but if you need it go for it.... Thurs/Fri you're doing well.....Sat/Sunday you were  punching above your weight class and a long weekend you were hitting some legendary status if it went down. 

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i have had a number of cigars - not many - that i have thought worth the 100. plenty of wines, well certainly a few. but i have mates who refuse to give a wine 100. they believe that says nothing can ever be better. i just think it is worth 100. 

suckling gave 52 wines 100 points in 2020 alone, i believe. that would far exceed me, even if i tried as many wines as he does. but as long as he is consistent. 

basically, we all have what we think should be 100 in our own head and it will inevitably vary from your neighbour. i have no issue with that at all. the important thing is to be consistent. if you give something 100 today then if it is identical, it should get 100 next year. and so on. 

until a few years ago, i thought the greatest wine i'd ever seen, or would see, was a bottle of 71 romanee conti. worth 100 and i still believe that. then i tried the 1929. even better. but that does not mean i'd got the 71 wrong. at least not to me. 

for wine, to get 100, i think it should be faultless (obviously). it should accurately reflect variety/vintage/terroir/region. now, there are many wines that qualify but that alone does not get the 100. what then lifts it is that wow factor. something, perhaps intangible, that lifts it above its peers. a sense of the thrill. and you should absolutely bloody love it! 

i don't think that all 100 pointers, speaking wine but i think it translates, are equal.

i've been fortunate to see a lot of bottles of the 2001 Yquem and i think i have given almost all of them 100. and fully believe that they have all deserved it. one lunch, a friend also brought one of the famous 2004 halves of Donnhoff Eiswein. i've seen these a few times and again 100 each time. but when it was put next to the 2001 Yquem, i thought it topped it. but that did not mean i did not think the 01 Yquem wasn't also worth 100. 

we each have our own standards and reasoning. if you keep consistent, i think things work. 

it does mean that my 95 might be someone else's 98 but provided we know that, all good. for cigars, i think rob and i work on a very similar level, though i suspect that when we get something really, really good, my 99 might be rob's 98, but otherwise, close enough. with wines, one well known critic is well known for high scores. i know that my 94 might be his 98. just a matter of maintaining our consistency. 

 

 

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51 minutes ago, gorob23 said:

Every Time I've had one with a friend ...

Little saying I heard once " It's not about the cigar" 

 

Just my .02

Rob

I love this.

 

 I’m not sure I’ve ever bestowed any cigars with 100 because I feel like, even after some time, I haven’t had that many cigars.  I have made a few cocktails that I gave myself a 100. 

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I would say yes, it is definitely possible. The whole idea is so subjective that I also think it’s possible to have multiple “100-pt” cigars smoked by someone.  
 

Personally, I’ve only had 1 and that was my very first Cohiba Siglo VI Gran Reserva I had saved for the morning of my wedding. 

EASILY the best cigar I’ve ever had up until that point (still is even after about a couple thousand cigars smoked since) and obviously the most memorable due to the significance of the day. 
 

Side note:  The 2nd and 3rd CGR I had since have been in the mid-to-high 90’s.

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So, here’s the 100 pointer from CA this month. 
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As to my own opinion on the matter...I have had some very good cigars. From the past 12 months some that stick out are an ERDM Tainos from 2001, a BCG from 2007, a Punch DC from 1992, and a Boli Inmensas from 1998. I’m not entirely sure how they could be better, any one of these I would rate at a 97-99 on the subjective 100 point scale. However, I’ve never smoked a Dunhill Estupendo, a 1988-1992 CoLa, or a CGR. Having not experienced any of those, I hold out belief that my best experiences could be even better. Keeps me coming back for more. 

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For me a 100 pointer is a "what more could you ask for?" kind of day. I have quite a few of them really. When you sit down with friends, you're in good health, they and their fmailies are in good health and have good thigns going on, the day is perfect, you are safe, you really have nothing to complain about... and you're smoking whatever it is you grabbed out of the humidor that day and enjoying your time. Then to me that is a 100 point cigar. I've had Non Cuban Partagas hit this mark, Boli PC, RG Perlas, Coro, Fundie, Tapados, MdO4, Punch RS12.

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Closest drink I’ve had to 100 was fonseca vintage 1977 drank in 2000. Closest cigars davidoff no 1 and a 90s cohiba siglo V. Cigars are different IMHO. I’ve had tons of great cigars, but that 77 fonseca was beautiful. That was a 99-100.

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19 hours ago, nino said:

Guess you are right on the vintage cigar.

Depends - but rarely warranted imho.

My 100 points cigar was a Diplomatic Lancero smoked with MRN in HK - but I agree with others here, it is mainly the situation that leads to the high rating.

Pffft.  I was smoking one with MRN at home.  He said mine was the real deal.  Yours was the one that his cousin brought back from a beach purchase in Cancun.  

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3 hours ago, rcarlson said:

Pffft.  I was smoking one with MRN at home.  He said mine was the real deal.  Yours was the one that his cousin brought back from a beach purchase in Cancun.  

LOL - Love it  ... I still have that glass top box signed by MRN's cousin in my lockers, strong smell of Hawaiian Tropic inside ... 🤣🤣🤣

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On 3/12/2021 at 10:17 PM, Euripidespants said:

Closest drink I’ve had to 100 was fonseca vintage 1977 drank in 2000. Closest cigars davidoff no 1 and a 90s cohiba siglo V. Cigars are different IMHO. I’ve had tons of great cigars, but that 77 fonseca was beautiful. That was a 99-100.

You should revisit the Fonseca '77 and see if you like it the same!

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The closest I’ve ever come to 100 was the first Cuban I ever smoked. It was a Montecristo A. 1999. I was blown away by the Cubanness of it. Twang, flavor...fantastic. 
 

guess it’s like that first taste of hard drugs. Always chasing that experience 

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When you do get that 100 point experience, you will never stop chasing it...for me the closest we’re my one and only CGR, a Mag 50 tubo that had some mold but exploded with stone fruit, first release Connie A, and a 2007 JL2 that was a true firecracker...some OR Bhk 52 also came close...

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I think a 100 pointer is a cigar experience you will always remember...and sometimes not always just because of the cigar itself but other factors that play into it such as the company you hold or reason for smoking it.

I've had 2 such experiences. The first was the original release Padron serie 1926 80 years Maduro. I got 1 for me and one for my buddy who was moving out of town due to a promotion. I still remember the vibrant orange zest note along with rich coffee, dark chocolate, earth and a slight nuttiness. We both gushed over that cigar. The second was a 5 year old Montecristo No.2 that I smoked for my 5th wedding anniversary with my wife. Rich creamy cocoa, sweet biscuit and balancing Cuban twang that literally went straight through until there was nothing left without getting bitter...I busted out a skewer to hold it so I wouldn't burn my fingers.

With these experiences it was a culmination of the cigar along with the company and celebration that made them memorable 100 pointers. True, this is subjective to me but I believe everyone has 100 pointers themselves whether they believe in them or not. You don't have to believe in something for it to truly exist.😉

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For me, one of the best cigars I recall ever smoking was sitting at the kitchen counter with my wife one evening while we were preparing dinner. Unbanded, no idea what it was. Perfect construction and draw. Definitely had some age.

I recall fantastic baking spice notes, cream and caramel. Will never know what it was or probably ever come across another like it.

Goes to show the band isn't everything.

 

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On 3/12/2021 at 6:14 PM, PurosyVino said:

July 15 2010. A 1970 Cuban Davidoff No 1.  @ebhead and I smoked them at his place.  It was paired with IIRC, some Dom P and the movie Predator. :D.  Perfection from head to foot. It started off light and floral and then slowly progressed into a sweet baked good, then to a rich, bold bodied smoke by the final third. No harshness, just smooth all the way through. 

I remember that....glorious cigar. as was the company and the entertainment.

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