Style guide
How to write a review the room can use, and how the taxonomy fits together. Skim it once; you'll have it.
Writing a review
- Go third by third. First third, second, last. Flavors move; say how.
- Start before the light. Note the wrapper, the foot, the cold draw.
- Be specific. "Cedar and black pepper, drying on the finish" beats "good."
- Score last. Don't decide the number until the cigar's done.
- Skip the band hype. Price and rarity aren't flavors.
Naming & taxonomy
The hierarchy runs company → brand → (marquee / serie) → line → cigar.
- A line is a blend. Different sizes of the same recipe are different cigars under one line.
- No sizes in line names. "Lancero" is a vitola, not part of the blend's name.
- Serie groups blends by theme or run (Serie V, Limited Edition). Marquee is a rare prestige umbrella across blends.
- New to a word? It's in the glossary.
Photos
- Shoot the cigar as the subject — lit, ashed, working. Not a lifestyle scene.
- A calm surface behind it. No cognac-glass still lifes.
- The band is metadata, not the star.
Framing the shot
Hold the cigar upright and shoot in portrait. Give it a slight lean — cap toward the top-left corner, foot toward the bottom-right. Picture the frame divided into thirds, like a tic-tac-toe grid: the band sits where the top line and the left line cross.
- Portrait, not landscape. The cigar stands; the frame follows.
- A slight lean, not a hard diagonal. Cap to the top-left, foot to the bottom-right, just off vertical.
- Band on the top-left third. Line the band up with the upper-left intersection of the grid. Most phone cameras can show the grid — turn it on.
- Let the cigar run the frame. Cap near the top edge, foot near the bottom. No tight band close-ups.
Getting featured
The homepage spotlights one member review at a time — your one word set large over your photo, your summary beneath it, your name on the line. The spotlight rotates through the newest reviews that earn it. Here's what earns it:
- One Word and a Summary — required. They are the feature: the word runs big, the summary carries it. Both live in the Final Thoughts step. Skip either and the review can't be shown.
- A high rating. The spotlight is for cigars worth chasing. A strong score puts your review in contention.
- Profile ratings filled in. Appearance, aroma, construction, draw, flavor, burn — rate each one, and rate it honestly.
- Flavors recorded. Aromas before the light, then the journey third by third.
- Enough in every section. Session, Profile Ratings, Flavors, and Details each need real substance. A review that's thin in one won't make the cut.
- A photo helps. The feature runs your shot full-bleed behind the word. Frame it like the guide above.
Voice
Write like a regular at a good lounge: plain, specific, never gatekeeping. Skip the marketing words. Let the cigar do its own selling.