Frequently asked questions

Top Cigars & Ratings is a discovery and ratings experience for cigars from Privada Cigar Club. You can browse brands and lines, open cigar detail pages, read community and critic context, and (when signed in) save cigars and submit ratings. The site may be linked or embedded from the main storefront over time; today it runs as its own web app.

Browsing and scores are separate from checkout. When a cigar is tied to a store product, you may see Shop this cigar on the detail page. Purchases still happen through the club storefront, not inside this ratings app.

The community score reflects aggregated member ratings for that cigar. Averages use a 1 to 5 star scale and are shown as a ring and percentage for quick comparison. It is separate from any single magazine or video score.

These labels describe how the community average lines up with review volume. With fewer than five approved reviews, we treat the result as Mixed so the label is not overstated. When there are enough reviews: Full Humidor means the average is at least 4.25 stars out of 5 and there are at least ten reviews. Empty Ashtray means the average is at most 3.49 stars and there are at least five reviews. Other combinations stay Mixed.

The critic score comes from editorial data we attach to the cigar (for example a badge score from our catalog) and, when present, from shop metafields. Scores may be on a 0 to 100 style scale or normalized from shorter scales so they sit next to the community ring in a consistent way.

Some cigars list historical publication ratings: scores that appeared in named outlets (magazines, sites, and similar) and are stored with a month and year. Those rows are a reference library. They are not the same thing as the live community average, and they may use each outlet's own scale.

They measure different things. Community scores combine many member ratings over time. Critic and publication scores come from editorial sources and their own methods. A gap between them is normal, not a sign the site is broken.

A seal may appear when the community average is at least 4.5 stars and there are at least 50 approved community reviews. It highlights strong and well supported member sentiment. It is not a guarantee you will love the cigar, and it is separate from any critic or magazine score.

Open the cigar's detail page and use Rate. You will be asked to sign in if you are not already. You can enter structured scores and optional notes depending on the flow shown on that page.

New submissions go through moderation. While a rating is pending, it appears on your account and, when you're signed in, as a faded preview with a "Pending review" badge in Community reviews on that cigar—only you see that until it is approved. When a moderator approves it, it joins the public list for everyone. If it is rejected or hidden, your account will explain the status. We may also hold older ratings that were only sent through legacy systems until they are imported into this app.

Accounts are limited to one community review per cigar so the list stays fair and readable. If you need to fix a mistake, contact support and we can help if policy allows.

No. Community reviews are submitted by signed-in members. Publication ratings are curated editorial entries tied to outlets and dates. Both can appear on a cigar, but they follow different rules.

A Verified purchase badge means we have a record that the reviewer bought the cigar through Privada Cigar Club. Today the badge is set in two ways: a moderator can mark it on a review they confirmed, and editorial seed accounts that represent established members are flagged at seed time. An automated Shopify orders sync is on the roadmap; once it ships, real member reviews will be matched to their order history and badged automatically. Reviews without the badge are still real community ratings — they just have not been (or cannot be) tied to a purchase yet.

No. We do not hire critics to review cigars for this app. We list outlets and surface scores and context so you can see who said what. Think of it as a directory and reference layer, not an in-house review staff.

The directory shows publications and channels we list, with profile pages under Critics publications. It focuses on outlets that regularly publish cigar reviews, not a separate roster of every individual reviewer name in this version of the product.

Outlets are reviewed against our critic source criteria. You can apply to be listed. Applying does not guarantee inclusion. We may approve, defer, or decline applications.

The public directory is built around publications and channels. Reviewers are attributed through those outlets. We do not maintain a separate public critic roster here today.

Saved cigars are a personal list you build while browsing. They help you remember sticks to try or revisit. They are not a purchase history, inventory count, or cellar management system.

When you are signed in, your collection is stored with your account and loads when you use the site elsewhere. If you added items before signing in, we try to merge them into your account when you connect. A small amount of data may stay on your device for speed; signing in is the source of truth for sync.

Use the Sign in page. You can sign in with a password or request a one-time link sent to your email.

Your account area shows saved cigars, ratings and moderation status, display name and security options (such as password and sign-in methods) depending on what we have enabled for your profile.

The homepage highlights cigars in curated sections so you can explore quickly. Labels like Top rated, Trending, and Most reviewed describe how each row is themed (for example by score, momentum, or review activity). Today those lists are driven by editorial configuration in the app. As we connect more live catalog data, section copy and ordering may change. Treat the rows as a guided tour, not a raw export of the entire database.

Catalog data (brands, lines, vitolas, images, and scores) is maintained by our team. If you spot an error, reach out through your usual Privada support channel for account or store issues, or use the contact path your team publishes for this product. We cannot promise every suggestion will ship, but we do track corrections that affect trust.

Ratings should be honest and respectful. Moderation exists to reduce spam, abuse, and misleading posts. Pending and rejected states exist so the public feed stays useful. For outlet listings, our criteria describe integrity expectations for publications that apply to the directory.