How We Rate

The following is an overview of the criteria that goes into the 100-point scoring system for each of the categories:

Wine

Where the 100-point system we know today all began.

Robert Parker Jr. began his career reviewing wines using his 100-point system, soon thereafter adopted by Wine Spectator. The 100-point system has had a colossal impact on the world of wine, and specifically, the price of wine. Consumers, ourselves included, are always intrigued by a great valued 90+ wine. First growth Bordeaux, Napa Cabarnets and many other fine wines owe a great deal of gratitude to Parker’s scoring system, especially following the epic 1982 Bordeaux vintage.

Given the widespread use of the 100-point system, we will be rating wines on the following criteria:

Color – 10 points

Aroma/Bouquet – 25 points

Taste/Body/Finish – 30 points

Overall Impression/Personal Preference – 35 points

Cigars

Like wine, the 100-point scoring system dominates the world of cigar ratings. Cigar Aficionado is arguable the world leader in reviewing and rating cigars, Cubans and non-Cubans alike. Unlike wine, a 90+ cigar rating does not often cause spike in prices. A scoring cigar may become harder to find in local cigar shops, but prices don’t generally increase based on ratings.

We will be using the Cigar Aficionado system to rate cigars we taste, based on the following criteria:

Appearance and Construction - 15 points

Flavor - 25 points
Smoking Characteristics - 25 points
Overall Impression - 35 points

Espresso

We are excited to be reviewing espresso at Homme and Abroad. There is little to no resources that specifically review espresso on a 100-point scale. Note: by espresso, we are referring mainly to espresso at coffee shops/espresso bars. Based in Toronto, Homme and Abroad will mainly review Toronto area coffee shops/espresso bars.

Our 100-point espresso scoring system will be based on the following criteria:

Appearance – 30 points (initial impression, crema color, viscosity)

Aroma – 20 poionts (pleasant odor, does it smell burnt, foul, chemical?)

Taste – 50 points (chocolaty, cocoa, earthy, bitter, sour etc.)

Spirits

Since we will be reviewing a number of drinks, including scotch, beer, liquors etc, we decided to use very simple criteria to get to a 100-point scoring system that can be easily applied to a number of different drinks. Our system is based on the following:

Appearance/Colour – 25 points

Aroma – 25 points

Taste – 50 points

Restaurants

Everybody loves restaurant reviews. From the coveted 3 Michelin stars to a perfect Zagat score, we all read about what critics think about restaurants before we ever step foot in them. We have decided to rate restaurants, also on a 100-point scale, because we have been to a number of restaurants all over the world and often find ourselves disagreeing with critics. Our reviews will be scored based on the following:

Décor/Ambiance – 10 points

Service – 25 points

Food/Cuisine – 50 points

Value for money – 15 points

Now that you have a better understand of our criteria to rate and review a number of lifestyle choices, we’d like to welcome you once again to Homme and Abroad.