Actually I'd imagine many of you do, maybe on a daily basis. Being a very cigar-centric area here in Cincy, with several great shops and large weekly herfs, we hear rumors about the manufacturers, sales people etc in the industry. I always hit halfwheel to confirm or ignore the gossip.
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seriously?
all the time!
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Sweet never knew about it till now! Thanks for sharing.
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Being the obstinate contrarian, I read the other half of the wheel.
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I never bother. :-)
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I sometimes read it :-)
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He's now big enough to get free "samples"
Recent discussion with a cigar rep confirmed that for me

At that point your objectivity goes out the window....
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He takes good pictures :/
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This is very true, that is very astute of you.


... ass toot... :-)
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A good recourse for specific information, but I don't put any weight in the opinions nor read any reviews. I only go there when I find and old tat or something in the humi and want to try to remember what year it came out, or what the composition is, so maybe 1-2 times per year
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The wheels came off a long time ago - at least when it comes to my projects:-)

If people get something from it - awesome! I pretty much am out of the game
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Brooks is a good guy, don't know the other contributors. Such being said, I don't put much weight on blog reviews though, as everyone's tastes differ. I put far more value on the opinion and tasting comments from friends that I've herfed with many times to the point where we both start to know what the others tastes are like.
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:-)
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It is a curious thing, but critics who develop a following (often well deserved), attract the attention of industry, and can have an enormous influence on what sells. The extreme example is Robert Parker, who has single handedly made wineries successful. (Even entire regions)

The guys at Halfwheel do a great job and the reviews are pretty good. They are probably never going to be Robert Parker, but I was quite shocked to hear how important Halfwheel ratings were to one particular manufacturer I spoke to.

Just need a pinch of salt when letting these blokes effect what comes
To market.
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I like Brooks' samplers :-)
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I do read Halfwheel, at least once a day. I am friends with three of the four writers, and just smoked with Brooks and Charlie this past weekend. With that said, they do have some good reviews, but I don't always agree with them. They also have access to quite a few people and manufacturers in the industry. Brooks is/was a pro photographer prior to blogging about cigars. I think he and Brian are still members on here, but probably haven't posted in a long while.
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