Cigar odes, rhapsodies find home

Art Nadler

Thursday, Sept. 19, 1996 | 5:49 a.m.

Marvin Shanken always loved premium, hand-rolled cigars. He had a hunch other people shared his passion.

In the fall of 1992, Shanken -- who skyrocketed Wine Spectator from a 3,000-circulation publication in 1979 to the world's largest wine magazine -- launched Cigar Aficionado.

The magazine sponsors cigar nights -- smokers -- in nine cities throughout the year. This weekend, Las Vegas will be a host city for the first time.

"I think the future (for the magazine in Las Vegas) is fantastic," said Shanken, a frequent visitor to Southern Nevada. "Las Vegas represents the good life. This is a town where men are comfortable taking advantage of gaming and entertainment."

Shanken predicts that the three-day smoker at Bally's will be the largest ever held by the magazine. Also, this will be the first time seminars are being offered featuring prominent speakers from the cigar industry. Topics will cover such things as tips on buying premium cigars and what makes a great cigar great.

The Big Smoke Las Vegas Weekend takes runs Friday through Sunday. Remaining tickets at the door are on a first-come basis and range from $150 for one evening to $450 for two days of smokers and seminars.

Cigar Aficionado is the first magazine dedicated exclusively to cigar smokers and people who, Shanken says, "enjoy the finer things in life."

Every quarter it features articles by some of the best writers from around the world who author pieces on celebrities, travel, the arts, dining and fine drinks.

"I didn't want to die without starting a cigar magazine," Shanken said in a telephone interview from his New York City office. "There has never been a cigar magazine. Originally, I hoped that there would be 20,000 cigar nuts out there like me who wanted to learn more about cigars."

He soon discovered that the demand far exceeded his expectations.

Today, Cigar Aficionado has a 350,000 worldwide circulation. It is the largest magazine in M. Shanken Communication Inc.'s portfolio of publications, which also includes Food Arts, Impact, Impact International and Market Watch magazines that cover the international drinks industry.

Worldwide cigar sales have exploded from 100 million annually in 1992 to a projected 250 million by the end of this year. Many market experts attribute Cigar Aficionado with fueling the boom.

Every issue features a cigar brand from around the world. The magazine gives a numerical rating, with 100 being the best, plus comments on taste and burning quality.

"People never smoked before because it wasn't accepted," Shanken said. "They didn't know how to select a cigar and cut it. The magazine discusses these things. We tried to position cigars so people didn't think they were just for gangsters and politicians."

While some say the current cigar boom is merely a fad, Shanken says they are wrong. In the last three years, more tobacco fields have been planted in such countries as the Dominican Republic and Honduras. There are 70 million cigar back orders, industry leaders report.

"For the first six months of this year, cigar sales rose 48 percent," Shanken said. "Pleasure and appreciation have been the driving forces. The cigar market today is where the fine-wine market was 15 years ago. It's growing fast."

Like a fine wine, Shanken advises that people interested in finding out more about cigars should "experiment, experiment, experiment." The consumer has to decide whether he wants a spicy, mild or full-bodied cigar.

"Today, there is a way to learn about tobacco through the magazine," Shanken said. "Learning about cigars is an art form. Cheap cigars smell, and premium cigars have a wonderful aroma. It's like opening a bottle of fine wine."

Besides being the founder and publisher of Cigar Aficionado, Shanken recently gained notoriety for spending $574,500 for President Kennedy's humidor. He plans to display it with 100 other humidors he's collected from around the world.

"I was a great admirer of him," Shanken said. "I worked on his campaign as a volunteer in New Haven when I was a teenager. After they brought down the (auctioneer's) hammer, I thought I lost my mind. But the value to me is that it's the humidor of JFK."

Shanken said when he started Cigar Aficionado, only about 25 restaurants nationwide allowed cigar smoking. Today, he estimates there are as many as 5,000 smokers conducted each year.

"There is a higher tolerance level, especially by wives and girlfriends because they realize cigar smoking brings pleasure," Shanken said, adding that 5 percent of smokers are women.

This month's issue of Cigar Aficionado, for example, features actress Demi Moore on the cover. Between talking about her films, she reveals that she occasionally puffs on a Cuban cigar on the set.

Cuban cigars have been banned from the United States since 1959 when Fidel Castro became dictator. Shanken pointed out that it isn't illegal to possess Cuban cigars, you just can't smuggle them into the country.

"Cuban cigars certainly have a mystique," Shanken said. "If you want a rich, spicy cigar, certainly you smoke a Cuban."