QOTD: How important is the smoke ring?

Yesterday, I wrote that the slice of brisket I had this past weekend at Ronnie's BBQ (Johnson City, TX) was one of the top 5 pieces of brisket I've had. A friend of ours on Facebook commented on the lack of a smoke ring on the brisket. I replied that the ring was faint, at best, but that it didn't matter to me, b/c the flavor and texture were spot on. I've had plenty of slices of brisket with beautiful smoke rings that tasted terrible. If it's dry and chewy, does it matter that it has a sizable smoke ring? So, this begs the question: How important is the smoke ring on a brisket?