Editorial Standards

These standards bind every article we publish. No article appears without verified facts and real photography.

Bylines from the masthead

Every article carries a byline from our editorial roster, listed on the contributors page. We do not publish anonymous articles, and we do not grant anonymity to sources; if a claim cannot be attributed, it does not appear.

No invented material

We never invent facts, quotations, interviews, blend details, origins, prices, awards, tasting notes, provenance, auction results, people or events. If a fact cannot be verified, we leave it out or say plainly that it is unknown. Maker descriptions are attributed to their source.

Verification

Factual claims are traced to named, checkable sources, which are listed at the foot of each article. Figures about auctions and markets come from auction-house publications or reputable reporting, and we say which. When two credible sources disagree, we say so and explain the figure we report.

No scores, no investment promises

We assign no numerical scores to cigars outside the Golden Band, our judged annual ranking, and we never present cigars as investments or promise appreciation. In the Golden Band, the judging protocol is published before a single cigar is smoked, the panel is named, ballots are published and conflicts are disclosed. Coverage and rankings are never for sale.

Honest tasting

We never present smoking notes as first-hand experience unless they are genuinely earned. Where notes are reported, we say who smoked what, when and in what conditions.

Real photography

Photographs of real cigars, makers, factories, lounges and people are real photographs, credited and licensed for our use. A photograph never depicts a place, product or person it does not actually show, and captions say what the image shows. We do not present generated imagery as photography of a real place or product.

Tobacco responsibility

Our content is written for adults of legal smoking age and above. We make no health claims, we do not target minors, and we observe applicable tobacco advertising and promotion restrictions in the markets where we publish.

Independence

Editorial and commercial content are separate. Photography, press information, samples, visits and technical material do not purchase coverage, and any material commercial relationship is disclosed. Paid content, when it exists, is labeled as such and never appears as editorial. The Cedar Selection, our curated selection, is an editorial feature, not a shop.

Corrections

When we err, we correct openly. See our corrections policy.