Phase 1: Core Six
Tobacco Science & Origins
Why does a Padrón taste like cocoa while a Liga Privada hits like dark chocolate ganache? The answer is tobacco science. Most cigar books skip it.
The Complete Beginner's Guide to Cigars
Phase 1: Core Six
The Complete Beginner's Guide to Cigars
Everything You Need to Start Smoking Cigars with Confidence
Most cigar books are written by people who've never rolled tobacco, never walked a factory floor, and never spent $180 on a box they ended up hating. This one isn't. Miguel Solano has been in the cigar industry for nearly three decades. He's watched torcedores roll at factories in Estelí, argued with blenders about Ligero ratios at 2 AM, survived the Cigar Boom and bust of the '90s, and built relationships with producers across the Americas.
Launches 2026-03-17. Drop your email and we will tell you the day it goes live on Amazon.
Inside this book
- How to choose your first cigar (without getting upsold or embarrassed)
- What those vitola names actually mean and which sizes work for beginners
- How to light, cut, and smoke properly (the techniques pros actually use)
- Why most rules are folklore and which ones matter
- How to store cigars without spending $300 on equipment
- What to do when things go wrong (tunneling, plugged draws, cracked wrappers)
- How to find your palate and build your own preferences
About the author
Miguel Solano
Lead Author, The Modern Cigar Library
Miguel Solano started smoking cigars in 1997 when his friend Augusto Reyes handed him a Fuente Hemingway Short Story at a lounge in Coral Gables. That cigar changed his life. Since then he has built a career in the premium cigar industry that has taken him to factories in Nicaragua, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic, to fermentation warehouses in Cuba, and to every PCA trade show since the late 1990s. He consults with boutique producers, maintains relationships with distributors and retailers across the Americas, and writes the books he wishes had existed when he was learning. He lives in South Florida with his wife Liliana, who manages the spreadsheets that track his cigar spending, and their cigar friends who fill the screened porch his late father Gerardo used to sit on every night.
More about Miguel SolanoCommon questions about The Complete Beginner's Guide to Cigars
Is this book good for someone who has never smoked a cigar?
Yes. The book starts with absolute fundamentals: choosing your first cigar, what to expect, and how to smoke without getting sick. No prior knowledge assumed.
Do I need expensive equipment to follow along?
No. The book covers storage solutions starting at $20 (Boveda packs in a Tupperware) and builds up to dedicated humidors. You can start smoking properly with under $50 in gear.
What makes this different from other beginner cigar books?
Most are written by people who learned cigars from other books. This is written by someone who has spent 30 years on factory floors with the people who actually grow, ferment, and roll the tobacco.
How long is the book?
About 160 pages, 39,863 words. Designed to read in 4-6 hours but referenced for years.
Other books in the Phase 1: The Core Six series
Phase 1: Core Six
Lifestyle & Culture
Cigars aren't just about tobacco. They're about people. The lounge conversations, the herfs, the community, and the culture that forms around a shared ritual.
Phase 1: Core Six
Brands & Pairing Guide
There are over 1,000 cigar brands. Most are mediocre. Some are exceptional. A few are legendary. This guide is the filter.
Phase 1: Core Six
Storage & Collecting Manual
Most cigar storage advice is outdated, overcomplicated, or flat-out wrong. This manual is the system Miguel wishes he had read twenty years ago.
Phase 1: Core Six
Industry Intelligence Report
The premium cigar industry is a $10 billion global market most people don't understand. This report tells you what's actually happening and why it matters.
Get launch notifications
Drop your email and we will tell you when The Complete Beginner's Guide to Cigars goes live, plus updates on the rest of the series.