Cigar Cafe
Welcome to the world of cigars
"Cigars seem complicated." This site is for you. From the basics to origins, sizes, prices and tools, explained plainly for newcomers — and when you find one you love, you can keep it in your journal.
Start anywhere
Find your first cigar
Too many to choose from? Answer four questions and we will suggest three cigars from our 254, and the size to try them in.
Basics
What a cigar is, how it is built, how to smoke one, the vocabulary of flavour, wrapper shades, history and etiquette — everything worth reading before your first cigar.
Origins
A cigar's character is decided by the climate and soil where it was grown. Ten major origins, covered in depth — geography, history, cultivation and flavour, with sources.
By size
Ring gauge and vitola change both the flavour and how long a cigar lasts. Compare the standard sizes side by side.
By price
From dry cigars at the convenience store to bottles-of-wine money. What each price band gives you, which brands define it, and how to choose.
Tools & storage
Cutters, lighters, humidors, ashtrays — how to choose and use the tools that keep a cigar at its best.
The Complete Humidor
A dedicated study of the humidor — the one piece of equipment that decides whether a cigar is worth smoking. Its history, the makers and brands worldwide, use and maintenance, types, and price bands, researched from five angles.
Advanced — for the obsessed
Leaf varieties and priming, fermentation and the roller's craft, how to read a Cuban, the great houses, the finer points of smoking, pairing, and the science of storage and ageing. Past this point lies the deep end.
Doctorate — the scholarship of cigars
Chemistry, combustion, botany, agronomy, sensory science, industrial economics, geopolitics and health science. A top-tier reference compiled from academic and specialist sources worldwide. This is the deepest part of the site. The openingliterature reviewworks through the peer-reviewed papers and official monographs in each field at length.
Japan Guide
A complete guide to buying and enjoying cigars in Japan: shops and cigar bars across all 47 prefectures, plus the country's history, taxes, smoking rules, Japanese etiquette and how to begin. Details change often — please check with each venue before visiting.
The World — everything cigar
Ten domains researched across sources worldwide: a full timeline, cultures and famous venues, notable aficionados, the Japan guide, tasting notes in practice, other kinds of cigars, investment and collecting, a multilingual glossary, a travel and buying guide, and the myths and FAQ.
Brands
An encyclopedia of the world's cigar brands (marcas), each with its history from founding, the origin of its name, and its signature vitolas — beginning with every Cuban marca.
Manage journal entries
Lists the entries stored in the shared database, grouped by author. Because this can be a large amount of data, nothing is fetched until you press the button.
Cigar news
The main stories from specialist media and official announcements abroad, summarised alongside news from within Japan. Every item links to its original source.
Journal
Turn the cigars you smoke into a book of your own — brand, origin, size, price, place, rating, notes and photos.