This weekend I found myself in a bit of confusion and wasn’t sure how to approach the issue. It seems that there are two camps that view my reviews. Those that dislike the fact that they are too long and those that don’t want them any shorter than they already are.
I’m pretty stuck in my ways and don’t feel that I could do a review justice if I cut it down to under twenty minutes. The objective of my reviews is to touch on each third of the cigar while giving you some opening information about the brand and closing out the review with my final thoughts. Factor in that people want to see the cigar being cut and lit, and its hard to be under twenty minutes even if I rush through it.
Regardless of repetitiveness in the video, I don’t feel that I can simply cut out a third of the cigar simply because it was the same as the previous third. How do I shorten the video and feel good about the final product?
The answer is to create a video that is no more than a summary of the cigar. I’ll be covering a cigar that I have already reviewed and simply be revisiting it briefly. I’d like to get some input on the effectiveness of the video as I still have some mixed feeling about the process.
The video found below is the final product. There will be no photos, little to no brand information, and a quick minute or two of each third. This review actually came in a bit shorter than I expected, at under six minutes in length.
Regardless of the popularity of these videos, I will not be changing the format of my full length reviews. You can expect a time frame of between twenty-five and thirty-five minutes for the full length review, including full write-up and photos. These quick smokes will be just that, under twelve minutes, or so, with only a link to the original review for more information.
What do you think,
are these types of videos something you would be interested in?
MP3 Version: Right Click > Save As
For a full review of the Defiance by Xikar, check out my previous review.
For more discussion on this topic,
check out what the folks in out Fan Forum had to say
No summaries, I enjoy your full length reviews, and to be honest the longer, the better. I can’t get a feel for the cigar this way. Thanks for the post and review though!
Cheers
Thomas
I am sure you could find a middle ground between 6 and 30 minutes right? If there is a lot of repetition in a video then I don’t even make to the end. If nothing is note-worthy or new flavors aren’t popping up then it might not need so much video time. If a video is 30+ mins long then I would enjoy some entertainment not just a book report. It is always great to get to see the Stogie Review guys’ personalities too….GO BEYOND THE NUMBERS!!!
Also, Walt I know that if anybody could fit a cigar review into 6-10 minutes with all the info a viewer would need to make a good decision it would be you…but below 10 minutes is worse than more than 20 minutes…so keep your vids whatever length you want…just add some more spice to it, for the ADD crowd. 🙂
I enjoyed the abbreviated review and think the length of future reviews should be situationally dependent. I have enjoyed both ends of the spectrum length-wise and feel you can do no wrong either way.
I appreciate the time and effort you invest into these reviews and whether short or long I’ll be stopping by regularly to see if you have anything new reviewed.
I like the longer reviews. I have an 8 hour work day and your reviews help fill time when I am supposed to be working but don’t want to.
I had the same thing happen with an Illusione CG4 I had where it turned rock hard. I could have used it as a hammer. The strange thing is that I felt the cigar before I smoked it and it wasnt hard anywhere. I wonder what it is from.
I can see Tony’s point. I can’t speak for Walt, but once the camera is on, it can be a bit strange. Normal banter could become highly offensive to many people in the wrong context (at least in my case). This is why I try to keep it PC. Maybe Walt has a similar delima (?).
Personally, I enjoy everyone’s contributions here. They all have their own take and style. From Jerry, Walt, Brian, to Nate and the guest reviews. I like em all. Let’s face it, Walt goes in to such detail that it simply takes as long as it takes. He’s the master. I like it!
I’m with Tom on this. All of the reviews are valuable and I enjoy them a lot. While I prefer the longer, detailed reviews, I’ll take anything I can get.
Either way, keep ’em coming. And Thanks!
Hey Walt – I thought this review was a bit lacking. It just didn’t seem to have much info in it (though thought what I could see of your yard was very cool). Having said that the short one you did on the Titan Redemption was awesome. It was packed with info. Anyway whether the reviews are short or long, its always great to hear what others think of different cigars – Thanks!
go to defiance website,apply to the defiance alliance, get a free defiance hat and alliance certificate. i got mine last week. pretty cool.
Kevin,
Thanks for letting us know about the defiance alliance.
no problem homey..
these are a great medium, too bad my b&M has none left 🙁