The History of Cigar Aficionado Magazine

To really understand Cigar Aficionado magazine and appreciate where it came from, it helps to zoom out and look at the history of cigars themselves and where cigar culture stood before it existed.

For most of the 20th century, cigars were part of American life, but they weren’t discussed publicly the way they are today. They were enjoyed quietly, passed between friends, shared in back rooms, smoked after meals, or saved for special occasions. The tradition was there, but the shared language wasn’t. Cigar smoking existed, yet cigar culture was fragmented.

That started shifting in the early 1990s. The cigar industry was already being reshaped by politics, cigar imports, and the rise of premium cigars produced outside of Cuba. What it lacked was a central voice, something that could connect cigar makers, cigar smokers, and a growing cigar market into a culture people could recognize and talk about.

Cigar Aficionado didn’t create cigars, and it didn’t invent premium tobacco. What it did was bring visibility, structure, and storytelling to a world that had mostly operated behind the scenes. Its arrival became a turning point, not just for a cigar magazine, but for how cigars were discussed and understood in the modern era.

The World Before Cigar Aficionado

Before Cigar Aficionado magazine debuted, the cigar world looked very different. Cigars were available, but information wasn’t. There were no widespread tasting guides, no shared rating systems, and very little media focused exclusively on fine cigars.

Knowledge came from tobacconists, long-time smokers, or manufacturers themselves. If you wanted to learn about cigar makers, cigar manufacturing, or different cigar regions, you learned by smoking and by listening. Word of mouth reigned supreme at this time.

The Cuban trade embargo had already reshaped cigar imports decades earlier, forcing American cigar smokers to look beyond Cuban cigars. As a result, Dominican cigars and other handmade cigars from Central America steadily grew in quality and availability. Still, these cigars existed largely without fanfare. The cigar business was steady, but it certainly wasn’t mainstream.

Cigar smoking also lacked a unified identity. Cigars were enjoyed by many types of people, but they weren’t widely associated with any particular lifestyle. There were no national cigar events, no major cigar lounges serving as cultural hubs, and little crossover between cigars and the broader spirits industry or food world.

In short, cigars existed, but the conversation around them didn’t. That absence created an opening. Not for a publication that told people what to smoke, but for one that helped explain why cigars mattered, how they were made, and how they fit into a larger way of enjoying time, craftsmanship, and ritual. That opening set the stage for what Cigar Aficionado would become.

The Birth of Cigar Aficionado Magazine

Cigar Aficionado magazine didn’t appear because the cigar world demanded it. It appeared because someone recognized cigars were building toward a larger cultural moment, and almost no one was documenting it.

Cigar Aficionado began in 1992 under Marvin R. Shanken, published by Shanken Communications, the same company behind Wine Spectator magazine. Shanken already had a proven blueprint: treat luxury seriously, assume curiosity from the reader, and use long-form storytelling.

At the time, cigars were rarely covered as a standalone subject. There was no widely recognized cigar magazine, no consistent coverage of cigar making, and no editorial voice focused entirely on premium cigars. What existed instead were fragmented conversations and informal recommendations passed between cigar lovers.

From the start, Cigar Aficionado was not positioned as a trade journal or a cigar insider newsletter. It treated cigars as part of a broader lifestyle, alongside food, travel, and the spirits industry, giving fine cigars a level of cultural legitimacy they hadn’t previously enjoyed.

The first issue made that intent clear. Rather than focusing on sales or industry promotion, it centered on education, craftsmanship, and context. That approach helped the magazine reach beyond established smokers and into a broader audience curious about cigar culture and the good life cigars represented.

The First Issue and an Unlikely Spark

When Cigar Aficionado published its first issue in the fall of 1992 in New York City, there was no guarantee anyone outside a small circle of cigar smokers would care.

The magazine debuted quietly, without the benefit of a booming market or mainstream buzz. Cigars were still enjoyed privately, and cigar consumption remained steady rather than explosive. What the first issue offered instead was perspective.

Featuring articles that connected cigars to craftsmanship, travel, and tradition, the magazine framed cigar smoking as intentional rather than indulgent. Early coverage included discussions of cigar regions, cigar making, and reviewed cigars presented without exaggeration.

That tone resonated. Tobacconists noticed it. Manufacturers paid attention. And cigar lovers finally had a publication that reflected how they already enjoyed cigars, thoughtfully, deliberately, and without pretense.

In hindsight, the first issue didn’t cause the cigar boom. But it helped shape how people understood cigars just before everything changed.

Cigar Aficionado’s Role in the Cigar Boom

By the mid-1990s, cigars were everywhere. What had once been a quiet pastime became visible across business, media, and pop culture. The cigar boom was underway.

Cigar Aficionado didn’t create that surge, but it helped shape how the boom unfolded. As interest grew, the magazine became a reference point, connecting cigar manufacturers, retailers, and cigar smokers into a shared ecosystem. Features, ratings, and interviews gave structure to a rapidly expanding cigar market.

It also gave visibility to handmade cigars produced outside of Cuba. Dominican cigars, Nicaraguan cigars, and other emerging regions gained legitimacy as cigar makers refined their craft and reached wider audiences. When the boom eventually cooled, the landscape had changed permanently. Cigars were no longer a fringe indulgence; they were part of a recognized cigar culture.

Celebrity Covers and the Mainstream Moment

As the cigar boom accelerated, Cigar Aficionado became more than a cigar magazine, it became a cultural signal. 

Its cover stories played a major role in that shift. Featuring figures like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Jordan, Jack Nicholson, and even outspoken voices like Rush Limbaugh, the magazine reframed cigars as part of success, confidence, and personal ritual rather than secrecy or excess.

These weren’t casual appearances. Long-form celebrity profiles often explored why cigars mattered to these individuals and how smoking fit into their lives. In some cases, interviews stretched deep into personal philosophy, including the magazine’s now-famous two-hour interview with Fidel Castro.

The result was visibility that reached far beyond traditional cigar circles. Cigars became associated with achievement, reflection, and the kind of pause that successful people intentionally protect.

At the same time, celebrity coverage never replaced substance. Profiles ran alongside features on cigar makers, tobacco, and premium cigar brands such as Arturo Fuente, maintaining credibility even as readership expanded.

Cuban Cigars, Politics, and the Fidel Castro Interview

No chapter in the history of Cigar Aficionado generated more attention, or controversy, than its engagement with Cuban cigars and Cuban politics.

Cuba had always loomed large in cigar culture. Even decades after the U.S. embargo, Cuban cigars remained the reference point, the standard against which many premium cigars were measured. That mystique never faded, and the magazine didn’t ignore it. The moment that cemented this connection came with Cigar Aficionado’s interview with Fidel Castro.

It was a bold editorial decision. At a time when Cuban cigars were illegal to import into the United States, featuring the Cuban leader responsible for nationalizing the island’s cigar industry drew intense scrutiny. Critics questioned the optics. Supporters defended the journalistic value.

What’s often missed is why the interview mattered in the first place. For cigar lovers, Cuban cigars weren’t just products, they were history, politics, and craftsmanship intertwined. By engaging directly with Cuban government officials and the legacy of Cuban tobacco, the magazine acknowledged that cigars don’t exist in a vacuum. They are shaped by policy, geography, and power just as much as by soil and fermentation.

The interview reinforced something readers already understood instinctively: cigars carry stories far beyond the humidor. Whether made in Cuba, the Dominican Republic, or Nicaragua, cigars reflect the worlds they come from.

That willingness to engage with uncomfortable or complex topics helped establish Cigar Aficionado as more than a lifestyle magazine. It positioned it as a serious voice within the cigar industry, one willing to explore the full picture, not just the easy parts.

Ratings, Blind Tastings, & Cigar Industry Impact

One of the most lasting contributions Cigar Aficionado made was introducing structure to how cigars were evaluated.

Before the magazine, most cigar knowledge was personal. A good smoke was discovered through experience, recommendations, or chance. Cigar Aficionado introduced blind tastings, standardized reviews, and numerical ratings that gave cigar smokers a shared reference point.

Blind tastings were central to that system. Cigars were reviewed without brand identification, shifting focus toward construction, balance, and overall performance. This helped readers compare cigars across brands and price points during the height of the cigar boom.

For cigar manufacturers, these ratings carried weight. Strong reviews could elevate a blend quickly, while weaker scores often prompted adjustments. Over time, the review process influenced blending decisions, aging practices, and quality control across the premium cigar industry.

While some cigar makers questioned whether numbers could capture something as personal as taste, even critics acknowledged the impact. Blind tastings didn’t dictate enjoyment, but they gave the cigar world a shared language at a time when it needed one.

Turning Community Into Reality

As readership grew, Cigar Aficionado turned conversation into community.

Events like the Big Smoke, later known as the Annual Big Smoke, gave cigar lovers the opportunity to gather in person, smoke together, and interact directly with cigar makers and industry insiders. Hosted in cities like Las Vegas, these events reinforced cigar lounges and large-scale tastings as social hubs rather than niche experiences.

The success of the Big Smoke reflected something larger: cigar culture had become shared, visible, and social in a way it never had before.

Editorial Leadership and Evolution

Behind the scenes, Cigar Aficionado’s direction was shaped by experienced editorial leadership. Under publisher Marvin Shanken, editorial standards mirrored those used at Wine Spectator. Over time, voices like David Savona, who served as executive editor, helped refine tasting language, review methodology, and coverage as the cigar industry matured.

Earlier contributors such as Gordon Mott played a role in establishing the magazine’s voice during its formative years, balancing accessibility with authority.

As the publication evolved, its role shifted from discovery to documentation, tracking trends, production changes, and long-term developments through features informed by market research rather than hype.

Has Cigar Aficionado’s Influence Changed?

There’s no question that Cigar Aficionado’s influence looks different today than it did during the height of the cigar boom. Back then, a strong rating or a high-profile cover could move the needle almost instantly. The cigar market was smaller, information was harder to find, and fewer voices were shaping the conversation. A single publication could act as a primary gatekeeper for attention and legitimacy.

Today, that landscape is far more distributed. Cigar smokers now learn from many sources: local tobacconists, online forums, social media, cigar lounges, podcasts, and direct conversations with cigar makers themselves. Information travels faster, opinions are more varied, and personal taste plays a larger role in purchasing decisions.

But that doesn’t mean Cigar Aficionado has faded into irrelevance. What’s changed is how its influence functions. Rather than defining the entire conversation, the magazine now sits within it, providing historical context, long-term perspective, and a standardized reference point in an increasingly fragmented cigar culture.

Its ratings still matter. Its features still carry weight. But they’re no longer the only voice in the room, and that evolution mirrors the industry's own maturity. In many ways, that’s a healthy shift.

Why Cigar Aficionado Is Still Very Much Alive

Cigar Aficionado still matters because it helped give the cigar world a shared language. It documented cigar makers, regions, and processes at a time when premium cigars were gaining global momentum. It brought structure to how cigars were evaluated. And it created a cultural framework that connected growers, blenders, manufacturers, retailers, and cigar smokers.

That influence remains visible today. At After Action Cigars, that shared foundation matters every day. Recommending cigars online, without a physical counter, depends on clear, consistent communication. Concepts like flavor, body, construction, and balance only work because everyone involved is speaking the same language.

Cigar Aficionado didn’t invent cigar culture. But it brought clarity and coherence to it when the industry needed it most. Even as cigar culture has become more personal and decentralized, Cigar Aficionado remains part of the foundation modern cigar culture is built on.