Cigar Aficionado
Cigar Aficionado is America's foremost cigar magazine, published bimonthly since 1992 under M. Shanken Communications, delivering blind-tasted ratings, a 23,000+ cigar ratings database, Cigar Insider newsletter, Big Smoke events, and a Retail Club wholesale program to enthusiasts and the cigar trade.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1992
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Cigar Aficionado does
Cigar Aficionado is America's premier cigar-focused magazine, operated as a publication brand under privately held M. Shanken Communications, Inc. since 1992 and headquartered at 825 Eighth Avenue, New York. The core product is a bimonthly (6-issue/year) print and digital magazine delivering expert blind-tasted ratings, reviews, industry interviews, and lifestyle features to a niche audience of cigar enthusiasts and trade professionals. Its underlying editorial asset is a proprietary blind tasting methodology applied to produce a searchable database of more than 23,000 cigar ratings, scored on a 100-point scale and filterable by score, brand, price, country, size, and year.
Cigar Aficionado firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cigar Aficionado
- Legal name
- M. Shanken Communications, Inc.
- Website
- https://cigaraficionado.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1992
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Cigar Aficionado is America's foremost cigar magazine, published bimonthly since 1992 under M. Shanken Communications, delivering blind-tasted ratings, a 23,000+ cigar ratings database, Cigar Insider newsletter, Big Smoke events, and a Retail Club wholesale program to enthusiasts and the cigar trade.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cigar Aficionado industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cigar Media & Lifestyle Publishing
- NAICS
- Periodical Publishers (51312)
- SIC
- Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Consumer Lifestyle & Fashion Magazines (MPAJAEAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Business, Finance & Industry Trade Magazines (MPAJAEAM)
Keywords
Where Cigar Aficionado is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Cigar Aficionado business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Magazine Subscriptions: Print and digital magazine subscriptions sold directly to consumers. Includes automatic renewal with annual billing. Subscription includes access to Cigar Insider newsletter.
- Digital Advertising: Advertising-supported media model displaying first-party and third-party targeted advertisements. Works with advertising partners for cross-platform ad delivery.
- Retail Club (Wholesale): Wholesale distribution to cigar retailers who purchase subscriptions at 50% discount for resale. Retailers also receive free listings and marketing materials.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | US 1-Year Subscription |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | US 2-Year Subscription |
| Subscription | Annual | Canada 1-Year |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Canada 2-Year |
| Subscription | Annual | International 1-Year |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | International 2-Year |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Single Back Issue |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels8 records
Cigar Aficionado product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cigar Aficionado publishes a bimonthly print and digital magazine covering premium cigars, industry news, interviews, and lifestyle content, supported by a searchable database of more than 23,000 blind-tasted cigar ratings. The publication also offers a twice-monthly Cigar Insider e-newsletter, a podcast, educational resources, the annual Top 25 ranking, and live Big Smoke events for enthusiasts and trade.
Product overview
Cigar Aficionado is America's foremost cigar magazine offering a unified print and digital publishing platform centered on its bimonthly magazine (6 issues per year). The core product is complemented by an extensive ratings database (23,000+ tasting notes), the Cigar Insider e-newsletter (twice monthly), video/podcast content, Big Smoke events, educational resources (Cigar 101), the annual Top 25 rankings, a retailer club program, and venue finder tools. The portfolio functions as an integrated lifestyle publication combining editorial content, commerce-enabling tools, and community events for cigar enthusiasts.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Cigar Insider: Twice monthly e-newsletter included with subscription, featuring newest cigar ratings, interviews with cigar producers, and up-to-the-minute cigar news.
Products and services
- Cigar Aficionado Magazine Subscription
- The Cigar Aficionado Podcast
- Big Smoke Events
- Cigar Aficionado Retailer Club
- Back Issues Store
- Digital Edition (Emagazines)
- Gift Subscriptions
Companies that use Cigar Aficionado
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Cigar Aficionado technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration10 records
Feature2 records
Cigar Aficionado partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Cigar Rights Of AmericaminorCigar Aficionado supported the 'Titans of Tobacco' event which raised more than $228,000 for Cigar Rights Of America, an organization advocating for cigar enthusiast rights and industry regulations.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Cigar Aficionado competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Wine Spectator: Direct sister publication under M. Shanken Communications with an identical operating model: subscription magazine, blind-rated reviews database, newsletter, events, and Retail Club for wine retailers. Provides the closest comparable for Cigar Aficionado's economics, content moat, and B2B distribution design.
- Whisky Advocate: Also owned by M. Shanken Communications, Whisky Advocate applies the same magazine + ratings database + newsletter + events playbook to the premium spirits enthusiast category, making it the most structurally comparable peer in terms of business model and revenue mix.
- Cigar Journal: International cigar magazine covering premium cigars, ratings, and lifestyle. Closest independent direct competitor in the cigar enthusiast publishing category, with comparable coverage depth but a more international orientation versus Cigar Aficionado's US-centric audience.
- Cigar Snob: US-based cigar lifestyle magazine featuring cigar reviews, ratings, and trade coverage. Direct competitor targeting the same cigar enthusiast and retailer segments, with a similar print + digital distribution model.
- Cigar Press: Long-running US cigar magazine featuring reviews, manufacturer profiles, and cigar lifestyle content. Competes for the same cigar enthusiast reader and cigar brand advertising dollars.
- Tobacco Business Magazine: Trade-oriented publication covering cigars, cigarettes, and broader tobacco categories. Competes for the cigar trade audience (manufacturers, distributors, retailers) that Cigar Aficionado also serves through its Retail Club and trade show coverage.
Broad incumbents
- Robb Report: Established luxury lifestyle magazine that covers cigars as part of a broader luxury portfolio (wine, spirits, travel, automotive). Overlaps with Cigar Aficionado's affluent, lifestyle-oriented audience and competes for premium cigar brand advertising budgets.
- Wine Enthusiast: Larger enthusiast-focused wine media brand combining magazine, ratings, e-commerce, and events. Operates an analogous content + commerce model to Cigar Aficionado but in the wine category, with overlapping beverage lifestyle audience.
Regional players
- The Spirits Business: UK-based trade and consumer publication covering the global spirits and adjacent categories including cigars. Comparable B2B/B2C publishing model with similar editorial authority positioning, though serving a primarily European audience.
Emerging players
- Halfwheel: Digital-first cigar publication offering news, reviews, and industry coverage. Competes for cigar enthusiast attention and cigar brand advertising in the same category but with a lower-cost, online-only operating model versus Cigar Aficionado's print-anchored approach.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Cigar Aficionado social profiles
Digital presenceCigar Aficionado financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cigar Aficionado leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Cigar Aficionado subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Cigar Aficionado funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cigar Aficionado M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Cigar Aficionado
What does Cigar Aficionado do?
Cigar Aficionado publishes a bimonthly print and digital magazine covering premium cigars, industry news, interviews, and lifestyle content, supported by a searchable database of more than 23,000 blind-tasted cigar ratings. The publication also offers a twice-monthly Cigar Insider e-newsletter, a podcast, educational resources, the annual Top 25 ranking, and live Big Smoke events for enthusiasts and trade.
Is Cigar Aficionado a public or private company?
Cigar Aficionado is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Cigar Aficionado founded?
Cigar Aficionado was founded in 1992. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Cigar Aficionado based?
Cigar Aficionado is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Cigar Aficionado make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Magazine Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are digital Advertising and retail Club (Wholesale).
Who are Cigar Aficionado's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Wine Spectator, Whisky Advocate, Cigar Journal, Cigar Snob, Cigar Press and Tobacco Business Magazine. Broad incumbents are Robb Report and Wine Enthusiast. The Spirits Business is listed as a regional player. Halfwheel is listed as an emerging player.
Does Cigar Aficionado have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cigar Aficionado.
What industry is Cigar Aficionado in?
Cigar Aficionado's product category is Cigar Media & Lifestyle Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAEAA, Consumer Lifestyle & Fashion Magazines, with a secondary code of MPAJAEAM, Business, Finance & Industry Trade Magazines. Its NAICS code is 51312 and its SIC code is 2721.