The Performance Rankings were introduced in 2012 as a statistical analysis based on the average numerical score of all cigars assessed on Cigar Coop. It is meant to serve as a barometer in terms of how well companies scored overall for the year.
Today for the first time, we take a look at the data from The Smoking Syndicate and slice it different ways. This is not meant to be an award, but a look at how scoring went, and what we can learn from it. A total of 18 cigars were reviewed on The Smoking Syndicate, resulting in an average score of 89.22.
We used the following criteria to implement the rankings
- The cigar must have its score published during the 2022 adjusted Cigar Year on Cigar Coop – November 1, 2021, through October 31, 2022.
- All cigars scored were eligible regardless of release date. The goal here is to see how the factory performed during the Cigar Coop Cigar Year.
- Only data from The Smoking Syndicate reviews was considered. Data from The Smoking Syndicate Roundtable was not included, but we may add this in the future.
The following is a summary of all of the reviews from The Smoking Syndicate sorted from highest score to lowest score.
| Cigar | Score | Factory | Country |
| Valacari The Messenger Robusto Extra (12/16/21) | 93 | n/a | Nicaragua |
| Black Works Studio Intergalactic Robusto (3/4/22) | 92 | Fabrica Oveja Negra | Nicaragua |
| Dunbarton Tobacco and Trust Mi Querida Triqui Traca No. 448 (5/6/22) | 92 | NACSA | Nicaragua |
| RoMa Craft Tobac CroMagnon Black Irish – Happy St. Patrick’s Day (3/17/22) | 92 | Fabrica de Tabacos Nica Sueño S.A. | Nicaragua |
| Aganorsa Leaf Aniversario Corojo Toro (10/19/22) | 91 | TABSA | Nicaragua |
| Drew Estate FSG 20 Acre Farm Robusto (4/15/22) | 91 | La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate | Nicaragua |
| Powstanie Wotjek 2021 (8/19/22) | 91 | Fabrica de Tabacos Nica Sueño S.A. | Nicaragua |
| Plasencia Cosecha 149 Santa Fe (2/10/22) | 91 | Tabacos de Oriente | Honduras |
| Dapper Cigars La Madrina Shade Robusto (6/8/22) | 90 | NACSA | Nicaragua |
| Dapper Cigar Company La Madrina Toro (2/25/22) | 90 | NACSA | Nicaragua |
| Alec & Bradley Kintsugi Corona Gorda (4/20/22) | 89 | Fabrica de Tabacos Raices Cubanas S. de R.L | Honduras |
| EP Carrillo Short Run Retro 2021 Short Play (7/6/22) | 89 | Tabacalera La Alianza | Dominican Republic |
| Southern Draw Jacob’s Ladder Ascension (3/11/22) | 89 | Tabacalera AJ Fernandez | Nicaragua |
| Bolivar Lost and Found Cofradia EMS Toro (4/27/22) | 88 | HATSA | Honduras |
| Punch The People’s Champ (6/29/22) | 88 | HATSA | Honduras |
| Freud Cigar Company Superego Lonsdale (9/23/22) | 87 | Tabacalera William Ventura | Dominican Republic |
| Aganorsa Guardian of the Farm Cerberus Lonsdale (6/23/22) | 84 | TABSA | Nicaragua |
| CAO Arcana Firewalker (5/10/22) | 79 | HATSA | Honduras |
Country of Origin
There was data from the three countries. Like the rest of Cigar Coop, the order was 1) Nicaragua; 2) Honduras; and 3) Honduras in terms of average score. Like the rest of Cigar Coop, Nicaraguan-made cigars led the way.
| Country | Average | Cigars Reviewed |
| Nicaragua | 89.50 | 12 |
| Honduras | 89.00 | 4 |
| Dominican Republic | 88.00 | 2 |
Price Range
We simplified the pricing range to use $11.00 as the midpoint. Both price ranges were close in terms of average score and cigars reviewed.
| Price Range | Average | Cigar Reviewed |
| Under $11.00 | 89.38 | 8 |
| $11.00 and Over | 89.10 | 10 |
Factory
Due to a smaller data set, we only listed the factories that had multiple cigars that were reviewed.
| Factory | Average | Cigars Reviewed |
| Fabrica de Tabacos Nica Sueño S.A. | 91.50 | 2 |
| NACSA | 90.67 | 3 |
| TABSA | 87.50 | 2 |
| HATSA | 85.00 | 3 |
Company
Due to a smaller data set, we only listed companies that had multiple cigars reviewed.
| Company | Average | Cigars Reviewed |
| Dapper Cigar Company | 90 | 2 |
| Aganorsa Leaf | 87.5 | 2 |
| STG | 85 | 3 |
