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Aaron Sigmond and Ian Spanier: New cigar book

AARON SIGMOND is an award-winning publisher, author and creative executive who has been involved in the world of cigars for over 30 years, both personally and professionally. His entry into the cigar industry began in 1991 as part of the management of the Davidoff of Geneva West Coast flagship in Beverly Hills and The Keep, an exclusive private cigar club located directly above the Davidoff boutique. Subsequently, Sigmond created the world's second cigar magazine— SMOKE magazine —launching a media brand in partnership with the renowned cigar magazine publisher, Lockwood Publications (founded in 1872). Sigmond remained associated with SMOKE in various capacities from its inception in 1994 to its launch in 1995, and until its 10-year anniversary in 2005, when he finally parted ways with Lockwood. Sigmond then founded a second (albeit short-lived) cigar lifestyle magazine, The Cigar Report, for Doubledown Media. In parallel, he was a contributor, editor and cigar consultant for Playboy—a collaboration that led to the authorship of his first book, PLAYBOY: The Book of Cigars .

Author Aaron Sigmond (left) enjoys a cigar with Carlos “Ross” Rosillo, CEO and co-founder of Bell & Rossn (right); filmed on location in New York, New York. © Ian Spanier

Author Aaron Sigmond (left) enjoys a cigar with Carlos “Ross” Rosillo, CEO and co-founder of Bell & Rossn (right); filmed on location in New York, New York. © Ian Spanier


Twenty-five years after the creation of SMOKE and ten years after the first edition of the Playboy book, Sigmond's eleventh large-format non-fiction book and his second book about cigars has arrived: THE IMPOSSIBLE COLLECTION OF CIGARS (ICC) , published by the luxury publishing house Assouline. from New York and Paris. ICC became Assouline's bestseller; it is now in its seventh edition.


In addition to decades of success in the cigar media, Sigmond has provided his expert services to a variety of major brands. He has worked as a creative management consultant for General Cigar Co.; was a consultant for Davidoff of Geneva Columbus Circle, New York City; executive director of retail and premium cigars for Nat Sherman; and communications consultant for the boutique brand La Palina.


In 2022, Assouline published Sigmond's third and fourth cigar books: the large edition ARTURO FUENTE: Since 1912 , which was launched in December 2022 at an exclusive event in Dubai; and the limited edition Assouline Icon Collection ARTURO FUENTE: From Dream to Dynasty .


In February 2025, Sigmond's fifth work on cigars, CIGARS: A Biography , will be published by Mad/Dash Press. It is an extraordinary project that has been in the works for more than 15 years, and which skilfully combines the extraordinary talents of author Aaron Sigmond and photographer Ian Spanier in their fourth collaboration. Pre-orders begin on October 15, 2024 at SigCulture.com. More information below:


CIGARS: A Biography

Rich in exclusive photographs of Spanier—taken on location in Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Mexico, as well as across the United States and Europe—and written by Sigmond, CIGARS: A Biography is part history book, part travelogue, part photographic monograph and part deluxe reference manual. All of this adds up to a comprehensive cigar review, weaving together the narrative tapestry of Sigmond's more than 35 years as a renowned cigar connoisseur. Over the decades, his travels (often accompanied by Spanier) took him to cigar factories and tobacco plantations throughout the Caribbean, Europe and the United States, as well as cigar merchants and lounges around the world.


CIGARS: A Biography includes a foreword by Tom Chamberlin , avid cigar aficionado and editor-in-chief of The Rake , the world's leading publication on classic men's style and comfortable living. This hand-bound, illustrated book comes in a handcrafted slipcase inspired by a cigar box, and is a must-have accessory for any cigar lover.

CIGARS: A Biography

© CIGARS: A Biography, by Aaron Sigmond, Mad Dash Press NYC, 2025


“When you have the privilege of unlimited access to true cigar masters like Carlito Fuente Jr., Litto Gomez, Henke Kelner, Manolo Quesada and Benji Menéndez; legendary tobacco farmers, including Don Alejandro Robaina, Jon Foster, and the Plasencia and Oliva families; and cigar merchants like Edward Sahakian and Desmond Sautter, as well as cigarmakers of my generation like Pete Johnson, Jonathan Drew, and Nestor Andrés Plasencia, the humble fact is that you're always learning," says Sigmond. "However, after four decades in and around the cigar world as a merchant, writer and creative director, you have some stories to tell and thoughts to share."


This new book is also an anthology of sorts, including previously published articles and excerpts from books thoroughly updated by Sigmond. Also included is Spanier's past work, seamlessly blended with unpublished photographs taken over the past ten years and brand new images taken specifically for CIGARS: A Biography over the past two years. The result is a book that Sigmond and Spanier have long imagined. The book was designed by award-winning creative director Liliana Guia.


“From a photographic perspective, a comprehensive body of work like this represents a deep exploration of a subject, capturing nuance and complexity over time,” says Spanier. photographer and, equally, my growing desire to visually interpret the complexities of this particular subject."

At the Tabacalera A. Fuente factory, there are only two torcedores who roll the Arturo Fuente Hemingway Between the Lines cigar; one puts a dark leaf (Colorado maduro shades) on the cigar cap, while the other, as shown here, puts a light leaf (d'oro claro) on the cap. © Ian Spanier

At the Tabacalera A. Fuente factory, there are only two torcedores who roll the Arturo Fuente Hemingway Between the Lines cigar; one puts a dark leaf (Colorado maduro shades) on the cigar cap, while the other, as shown here, puts a light leaf (d'oro claro) on the cap. © Ian Spanier


Taken in the Dominican Republic, this is one of Spanier's most award-winning cigar/tobacco photos, first published in CIGARS: A Biography. © Ian Spanier

Taken in the Dominican Republic, this is one of Spanier's most award-winning cigar/tobacco photos, first published in CIGARS: A Biography. © Ian Spanier


A previously unreleased portrait of Carlos “Carlito” Fuente Jr. admiring the 2021-22 crop. in the casa de tabaco at Château de la Fuente. © Ian Spanier

A previously unreleased portrait of Carlos “Carlito” Fuente Jr. admiring the 2021-22 crop. in the casa de tabaco at Château de la Fuente. © Ian Spanier


Filmed on location in Havana, Cuba at the Real Fábrica de Tabacos H Upmann on Calle Padre Varela. © Ian Spanier

Filmed on location in Havana, Cuba at the Real Fábrica de Tabacos H Upmann on Calle Padre Varela. © Ian Spanier


Filmed on location in Nicaragua, at one of the Plasencia family's many tobacco plantations. © Ian Spanier

Filmed on location in Nicaragua, at one of the Plasencia family's many tobacco plantations. © Ian Spanier


Portrait shot on location in Cuba at El Laguito** (also known as the Cohiba Factory) in the picturesque wooded Miramar neighborhood of Havana. © Ian Spanier

Portrait taken on location in Cuba at El Laguito (also known as the Cohiba Factory) in the picturesque wooded Miramar neighborhood of Havana. © Ian Spanier


Portrait of Avo Uvezian, founder of AVO Cigars, taken in New York, New York, 2008 © Ian Spanier

Portrait of Avo Uvezian, founder of AVO Cigars, taken in New York, New York, 2008 © Ian Spanier


About the author

AARON “SIG” SIGMOND is the author of PLAYBOY: The Book of Cigars, The Impossible Collection of Cigars, ARTURO FUENTE: Since 1912, and ARTURO FUENTE: From Dream to Dynasty. He was the founding editor of SMOKE magazine and The Cigar Report, as well as a contributor to Maxim magazine and cigar editor for Playboy magazine. Sigmond has also worked as a consultant in various roles for General Cigar Co., Nat Sherman and Arturo Fuente.


About the photographer

IAN SPANIER is an award-winning photographer and lecturer based in Los Angeles. He started taking photos at the age of 6 with his first camera and never stopped. Spanier was the photographer for PLAYBOY: The Book of Cigars, ARTURO FUENTE: Since 1912 and ARTURO FUENTE: From Dream to Dynasty, making CIGARS: A Biography his fourth collaboration with Sigmond. He has also photographed for Sencillo Cigars and General Cigar Co., including a collaboration on the Cohiba Comador project, as well as Hoyo La Amistad by AJ Fernández for GCC.


About the publishing house MAD/DASH PRESS

Founded by Creative Director Liliana Guia and Media Executive Aaron Sigmond in 2009, Mad/Dash Press is an IBPA Benjamin Franklin Gold Medal Award-winning luxury publishing house specializing in exceptional luxury coffee-table books and connoisseur handbooks. In a world flooded with digital and social media, M/DP offers those who appreciate the knowledge and art of printing stylish analogue keepsakes that stand the test of time.


Images: © Ian Spanier

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