A published, evidence-based standard that rates online cigar retailers on how their actual customers experience them — and a seal only retailers who meet it may carry. Three commitments govern everything below: scores are never for sale; the evidence is published; the bar is the same for everyone, including our partners. Especially our partners.
Why this standard exists — two goals: to improve consumers' experience of buying cigars online, and to help retailers improve what they provide those consumers. Every retailer rated under it receives its scorecard — its areas of improvement and the path up — and when a retailer improves, that is published here too.
Freshness, condition on arrival, and whether what ships matches the listing.
No surprise programs, add-ons, or recurring charges. The total you see is the total you pay.
Humidified, protected packaging, and delivery at the speed promised.
Reachability, complaint handling, and whether problems get made right.
Repeat-purchase intent in consumer ratings and reviews.
Evidence is weighted: verified-purchase ratings from our own users first (collected after delivery, never supplied by the retailer), then pooled public consumer ratings and complaint records, then enthusiast-press and community consensus. The sample size behind every score is published. Below a minimum evidence floor, a retailer is Not Yet Rated — limited data, never scored on a whisper. Sudden bursts of ratings are flagged and held out pending review.
A score of 70 or higher, no pillar below 50, and no unresolved surprise-billing pattern. Approved retailers may license the TrustedCigar seal and are eligible for partnership and buy links.
Each January, the highest-scoring Approved retailers (85+) earn the annual TrustedCigar Best designation for that year.
Still published — score, most challenged scores, and exactly what qualifying takes. Not linked as a place to buy.
An unresolved pattern of surprise recurring charges — a checkout add-on or "rewards program" that bills consumers monthly without unmistakable, separate, affirmative consent — places a retailer at Do Not Recommend regardless of its total score, until the pattern stops and affected consumers are made whole. The documented case →
Scores refresh as new evidence lands; formal re-scores publish quarterly with a dated change log. Every retailer receives its own scorecard — its score, its most challenged scores, and what qualifying takes — whether or not it ever speaks to us. Factual corrections are accepted at any time and, when verified, made and logged. The seal certifies the retailer, never a cigar; it is licensed only while a retailer remains Approved, and misuse or falling below the bar ends the license. Retailers pay for detailed scorecards and benchmark reports — the analysis, never the outcome.