 
by Eric Walton
I'm Eric Walton, also known as Big Walton. I'm tall and married. I smoke cigars and drink alcohol. I eat (lots of) meat. I don't believe in being PC. If that alienates any of you, you probably should not be reading Guyville.com.
Introduction over. Now we can get on to the main order of business here: cigars.
If you listen to the media today, you'd have to be nuts to smoke cigars, right? Cancer, tars, nicotine, etc., etc., etc. You can't have milk, eggs, meat or alcohol either. Anything done in excess is bad for you (yes, even sex). On the other hand, the media is also hyping how damn cool it is to smoke cigars. Jump on the cool bandwagon, baby. Everyone else is doing it.
I'm no aficionado but I have tried a wide range of shapes and sizes. I rarely buy cigars by the box simply because I don't smoke enough to bother and I like variety. Does this make me qualified to judge cigars and deliver my findings to you? Yes. It does.
Since I'm going to be reviewing cigars here on Guyville.com, you should know the theory behind my ratings system: I smoke because I like the entire experience of a cigar - from the anticipation when you know one of those great evenings is coming up, to making your selection, to lighting it up and taking the first draw. I love the way cigars burn, the way they smell, and the way they go perfectly with scotch. I love their various colors, shapes and sizes; I love everything about them.
When I considered what needed to be reflected in the rating of an individual cigar, I decided there must be different ratings for different aspects of the cigar. I will score a cigar on construction/appearance, burn/ash, flavor and value. The rating will be based on a score of 1 to 5 and, unlike some rating systems, you will see both 1's and 5's. Most importantly, I will comment on the situation that the cigar was smoked under and any food or beverages that accompanied the smoke. I will not give a cigar one overall score -- my personal experience has shown that often a low scoring cigar will be a better overall smoke than a higher rated one.
The hope is that this way you will be able to make the best decision for you as to whether that cigar is one to try yourself. I will always welcome any comments, praise or criticism you may have, so feel free to give me feedback.
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