Today, we look at Performance Data from The Smoking Syndicate for 2024. The Performance Rankings are a statistical analysis based on the average numerical score of all cigars assessed on Cigar Coop and The Smoking Syndicate. It is meant to be a barometer regarding how well companies scored overall for the year.
As we did last year, we took a look at the data from The Smoking Syndicate and sliced it in different ways. This is not meant to be an award, but an opportunity to review the scoring and draw insights from it.
We used the following criteria to implement the rankings
- The cigar must have its score published during the 2024 adjusted Cigar Year on The Smoking Syndicate – November 1, 2023, through October 31, 2024.
- 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.
The Smoking Syndicate Scoring 2023-24
The following is a summary of all of the reviews from The Smoking Syndicate sorted from highest score to lowest score.
| Cigar | Score | Price | Country of Origin | Factory |
| Aladino Cameroon Reserva by JRE Tobacco Co | 93 | $22.00 | Honduras | Fabrica de Puros Aladino |
| Davidoff Aniversario No. 1 Limited Edition 2023 | 92 | $64.00 | Dominican Republic | Cigars Davidoff |
| Davidoff Year of the Dragon Limited Edition 2024 Double Corona | 92 | $59.00 | Dominican Republic | Cigars Davidoff |
| Mi Querida Black Papa Saka | 92 | $15.95 | Nicaragua | NACSA |
| Room101 Johnny Tobacconaut | 92 | $9.99 | Nicaragua | Tabacalera AJ Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua S.A. |
| Blackened M81 Robusto by Drew Estate | 91 | $9.45 | Nicaragua | La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate |
| La Aroma de Cuba Connecticut Corona | 91 | $6.50 | Nicaragua | My Father Cigars SA |
| AVO Seasons Winter (2023) | 90 | $18.00 | Dominican Republic | O.K. Cigars |
| Tatuaje Cojonu 2015 Habano | 90 | $13.00 | Nicaragua | My Father Cigars SA |
| Crowned Heads Coroneta Maduro Earl | 89 | $12.95 | Dominican Republic | Casa Carrillo |
| Knuckle Sandwich Chef Special 2023 | 89 | $15.00 | Nicaragua | San Lotano |
| Macanudo Emissary España Robusto | 89 | $14.99 | Honduras | HATSA |
| Conviction by Rocky Patel | 88 | $100.00 | Nicaragua | TAVICUSA |
| Micallef Blue Robusto | 88 | $7.00 | Nicaragua | Fabrica de Micallef |
| Tabacalera Caballeros The Knight Toro | 88 | $9.00 | Dominican Republic | Tabacalera Caballeros |
| Espinosa Sumatra Toro | 84 | $11.50 | Nicaragua | La Zona |
A summary of average scores by year:
| Year | Average | Cigars Reviewed |
| 2023-24 | 89.88 | 16 |
| 2022-23 | 89.72 | 16 |
| 2021-22 | 89.22 | 18 |
Country of Origin
Like the rest of Cigar Coop, cigars originating from Nicaragua made up the most reviews.
| Country | Average | Cigars Reviewed |
| Honduras | 91.00 | 2 |
| Dominican Republic | 90.20 | 5 |
| Nicaragua | 89.44 | 9 |
Price Range
The average price for a cigar assessed on The Smoking Syndicate was $25.12- up from $12.62 the year before. As with the rest of Cigar Coop, there was an increase in luxury cigars reviewed on The Smoking Syndicate.
| Price Range | Average | Cigar Reviewed |
| <=$13.00 | 89.13 | 8 |
| Over $13.00 | 90.63 | 8 |
Factory
Due to a smaller data set, we only listed factories that had multiple cigars reviewed.
| Factory | Average | Cigars Reviewed |
| Cigars Davidoff | 92.00 | 2 |
| My Father Cigars S.A. | 90.50 | 2 |
Company
Due to a smaller data set, we only listed companies that had multiple cigars reviewed.
| Company | Average | Cigars Reviewed |
| Davidoff | 91.33 | 3 |
| STG | 90.50 | 2 |
| Espinosa | 86.50 | 2 |
