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 the cigars were assessed.
Today we slice this data by vitola – a category introduced for 2015. This is not meant to be an award, but a look at how the scoring went, and what can we learn from it.
For the 2022 year, a total of 152 cigars (down from 163 in 2021) were considered for this analysis. The average score for the entire set of 152 cigars was 88.72. (Statistically, this was down 0.34 points from 2021 when the average was 89.06)
We used the following criteria in this exercise:
- The cigar must have had its score published between November 1, 2021, and October 31, 2022.
- All cigars scored were eligible regardless of the release date. The goal here is to see how a vitola performed during the Cigar Coop Cigar Year.
- For this analysis, sampling data was broken up into three sets: Small (5 Cigars or Less), Medium (6 to 20 Cigars), and Large (Greater than 20 Cigars).
- Robusto Grande and Toro Grande were separated from Robusto and Toro respectively- with the Grande size having a 54 to 56 greater ring gauge. Traditional Robusto and Toro have ring gauges of 50 to 52.
- Gordos had 58 and 60 ring gauge. Anything over 60 was classified as Super Gordo.
- Regardless of ring gauge or length, all sizes of Torpedo, Perfecto, Gordo, and Super Gordo were each put into a single category.
- This year Churchills were 7-inch cigars with a 47-49 ring gauge. Seven-inch cigars with a 50+ ring gauge were classified into one category as “Churchill Plus” (for lack of a better name) and “Double Corona.”
- Box-pressed cigars were not separated out and were included with the rounded vitolas.
For each of the sample sets below, the number of cigars in the sample set is listed in parentheses.
Large Sample Sets (> 20 Cigars Reviewed)
| Rank |
Brand |
Score |
| 1 | Toro (34) | 88.79 |
| 2 | Robusto (24) | 88.46 |
| 3 | Toro Grande (21) | 88.29 |
Medium Sample Sets (6 to 20 Cigars Reviewed)
| Rank |
Brand |
Score |
| 1 | Churchill Plus/Double Corona (8) | 89.63 |
| 2 | Robusto Grande (15) | 89.13 |
| 3 | Gordo (9) | 88.78 |
| 4 | Belicoso (10) | 88.20 |
Small Sample Sets (≤5 Cigars Reviewed)
| Rank |
Brand |
Score |
| 1 | Petit Corona (1) | 91.00 |
| 2 | Firecracker (1) | 90.00 |
| 3 | Figurado (4) | 89.50 |
| 4 | Corona Gorda (3) | 89.33 |
| 5 | Short Churchill (5) | 89.20 |
| 6 | Petit Robusto (5) | 89.00 |
| Lancero (1) | 89.00 | |
| Salomon (1) | 89.00 | |
| 9 | Churchill (3) | 88.67 |
| 10 | Perfecto (3) | 88.33 |
| 11 | Super Gordo (2) | 88.00 |
| 12 | Corona (2) | 86.00 |
| 13 | Other (1) | 86.00 |
Assessing the Results
In the end, this might be the most uninteresting of the Performance Rankings. What this tends to show every year is that Toros and Robustos are the most smoked sizes. Personally, I find the counts of what vitolas were smoked throughout the year more interesting than the average scores. Ideally, I’d like to see a more balanced view of vitolas reviewed, but Robustos and Toros represent what many consumers are reaching for, so the ratios of what is included in the review year reflect this.
The medium and small datasets are included more for completeness and to get a view of what was smoked in 2022. This year, a lot fewer lanceros were smoked, and for no apparent reason, a lot of 7-inch/50+ ring gauge cigars seemed to be smoked.
