Phase 1: Core Six
The Complete Beginner's Guide to Cigars
Finally, a cigar book that actually makes sense. Nearly three decades of factory knowledge, blind-tasting data, and straight answers. No gatekeeping. No pretension.
Industry Intelligence Report
Phase 1: Core Six
Industry Intelligence Report
2026 Edition: What's Really Happening in the Cigar Industry
Brands get acquired. Factories consolidate. Regulations shift. Supply chains collapse. Cuba's production is in crisis. Nicaragua dominates. The FDA just handed the industry a historic victory. California implemented the most restrictive tobacco law in U.S. history. Tariffs loom. Miguel Solano has been in the cigar industry for nearly three decades, attends trade shows on three continents, and maintains relationships with sources throughout the industry.
Launches 2026-03-17. Drop your email and we will tell you the day it goes live on Amazon.
Inside this book
- Market size and brand positioning: who's winning, who's fading, and why
- Complete M&A transaction history (2000-2025)
- Regulatory update: FDA victory, California UTL, state-by-state risk analysis
- Cuba's production crisis: why the cigars aren't coming back
- Supply chain vulnerabilities: climate risk, hurricanes, disease, dependency
- Consumer demographics: who's smoking, what they're buying
- Retail economics: how lounges, online, and subscriptions actually work
- Investment analysis: STG financials, valuations, market forecast through 2031
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 Industry Intelligence Report
Who is this report for?
Retailers planning inventory, investors evaluating the cigar segment, collectors making long-term decisions, and enthusiasts who want context behind market changes.
How current is the data?
All data verified through Q1 2026. M&A transactions cataloged through 2025. Regulatory analysis current as of February 2026.
Is this report updated?
Yes. The Industry Intelligence Report is part of the Edition Series and updated periodically as the market shifts.
Other books in the Phase 1: The Core Six series
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Get launch notifications
Drop your email and we will tell you when Industry Intelligence Report goes live, plus updates on the rest of the series.