Ccom Cigar Awards - 2010
xmacro
Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 3,402
Anyone have thoughts on the awards?
TBH, I'm annoyed that MOW Armada didn't make the list, either medium or super-premium or New Release; the Armada is one of my current fav's with it's smooth and balanced flavors and medium-full body, the cigar is just a landmark in AJ's blending history IMO - it's a total scandal that it didn't make it.
I'm also annoyed with the Medium winners; Ave Maria and 5 Vegas Classic are good, but no way are they top-flight stuff; there's definitely better stuff out there. Can't comment on LGC since I never smoked one before
So what do you guys think?
TBH, I'm annoyed that MOW Armada didn't make the list, either medium or super-premium or New Release; the Armada is one of my current fav's with it's smooth and balanced flavors and medium-full body, the cigar is just a landmark in AJ's blending history IMO - it's a total scandal that it didn't make it.
I'm also annoyed with the Medium winners; Ave Maria and 5 Vegas Classic are good, but no way are they top-flight stuff; there's definitely better stuff out there. Can't comment on LGC since I never smoked one before
So what do you guys think?
Comments
Has anyone had the Crest? I've never even heard of it before just a minute ago.
The reason you haven't heard of the Gurkha Crest is that it is not something Ccom has had for very long, and most other internet retailers don't carry nearly as much Gurkha as CCom.
Lists get a big huge MEH from from. A few good sticks, but really just a bunch of arbitrary awards for products only available here anyway.
It isn't like there was secret voting and it was authenticated by the accounting firm of Price Waterhouse.
1. Question: Is the list biased?? Answer: absolutely. The list is biased to certain brands we helped develope because we developed the cigars so of course they are to our liking. Imagine you could design a house just the way you wanted. Big bar in the basement, walk in humidor... custom to the nines. Then someone presented you with 5 houses, 4 that were designed by a solid architect and builder and the 5th yours. Of course, the house you designed will be your favorite for your tastes, you made it that way. We had a hand in blending many of the blends on our favorites list. If my guys did not like the stuff they helped make, there would be a ton of job openings over at Cigar.com LOL. I am sure if you asked Rocky Patel his 3 favorite cigars are in the world, at least two out of the three would be his brands and why wouldnt they?
2. Question: why were some great picks left off? We kept a log of our favorites in the office throughout the year, then got together an plowed through all of them over the course of a short time to pick out our absolute favorites from 2010. We had 5 or 6 very solid nominees in each catagory. When it came time to pick which we would feature, a big part of the decision was not left up to us, that is which of these cigars can we actually get enough of to put in the various samplers. IE each catagory has a sampler and there is a master sampler showcasing all our picks. Brands like liga privada and especially armada we just did not have enough of or would never be able to get enough of to support the sampler. Remember, while I/ we at Cigar.com are absolute cigar nuts and hobbyists to the bone, we are in the business of selling cigars and depend on said business to support the culture/ community we are trying to create. The awards section of our catalog takes up several pages and if you consider that we print over 500,000 catalogs (for reference cigar aficionado magazine is less) every issue, and account for all of the print costs, postage, etc, it really adds up fast. Believe me, you guys all know how nuts I am over Armada, it would have been gold in both new comer and super premium if I just had cigars. Now that said, I really like the feedback, so thank you guys for letting me know your thoughts. perhaps next year we will pick 5 in each catagory and perhaps three of those 5 will appear in the sampler rather than the pressure of all picks so we can show you guys more of our favorites. Also, please dont take what I am saying out of context. While the sales pay for the pages and keeping Cigar.com alive, one of the big reasons we also believe in having a sampler for each catagory is so that we can not only show you guys some of our favorites by strength, price, etc, but also so we can provide you guys with an opportunity to buy and try said cigars at a considerable discount. If you guys are like me, when you read about a cigar that makes your mouth water, you want to try it and even better if there is a way to accomplish picking up the sticks while saving 30% to 40% off the single pricing without having to buy a box.
On a more broad note, I agree with many of the comments here the general feeling of trusting Top 10's, Top 25 and lists. The absolute beauty of this hobby is rests in the sheer variety and differences of opinion. It is what gets me up in the morning. Macanudo may be the best selling cigar in the country and a preferred brand of thousands of cigar smokers, but it isnt really my cup of tea. Same with Acid which believe it or not in sales is the third highest grossing brand in the country. I guess my point is that a list is only as reliable as the guy who makes it and it will always be tilted to his tastes. I will also go on record to say the same is true of ratings. Look at the top 3 thread in the general discussion forum or the top 10 in the ratings and reviews section. Sure there are some repeats on everyones list, but I love the variety. Even when I read some of the lists you guys post it makes me want to go back and revisit some smokes that were on your list and not on mine. It is all about sharing the endless joy that is cigar smoking. Between ratings, reviews, opinions I can promise you guys one thing - we will do our best to always give you guys the best cigars and our opinions (for what they are worth) and we will ALWAYS be straight with our customers (even if our answers are not popular) and we will always minimize the gimicks. I am still to this day convinced that one thing that is missing in this industry which is a void we are trying to constantly fill at Cigar.com is a supplier of cigars that is legitimately concerned with the customers 100% satisfaction.... no questions asked and no fine print. Based on how we have grown and how this community has grown, I feel like we are headed in the right direction. I always say, the best thing we have going for us is our competition. Now I am just ranting LOL.
I didn't know about all the things Alex explained when I created this thread, but I love the honest answers that came from it. Just one more reason I always turn to Ccom first when I wanna buy some cigars. rofl - I can see the forum's voting results now - MOW Armada, Opus X, GOF, Camacho PE, Anejo, Strativarious, Ashton ESG, etc