Cigar Companion (Connoisseur's Guides) (Hardcover)

by Marvin R. Shanken (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Cigar Aficionado magazine, known worldwide for its celebration of the good things in life, revolutionized the art and enjoyment of cigar smoking. More than one million readers turn to the magazine to learn about the world's most enjoyable cigars, spirits, wines, beers, restaurants, resorts, collectibles, and more. In each issue, the editors evaluate a wide variety of cigars in a blind tasting format and rate them on a 100-point scale. Our previous Cigar Aficionado titles have sold a combined total of nearly half a million copies. Now Cigar Aficionado presents the ultimate resource, an easy-to-use, full-color guide with ratings and tasting notes for more than 200 fine cigars, organized by brand. For less than the price of 3 good cigars, it also explores the history and production of cigars, with expert advice on buying, storage, preparation, and smoking etiquette. With a wealth of useful information, this is an essential reference for both connoisseurs and those just beginning to appreciate the pleasures of cigars.

About the Author
Marvin R. Shanken is the chairman and owner of M. Shanken Communications, Inc., which publishes Cigar Aficionado and Wine Spectator and is based in New York City.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Running Press (May 31, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762419571
• ISBN-13: 978-0762419579
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #296,277 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars The internet is the best cigar resource, October 31, 2006

By	K. Wilcox "Colonise Mars, Already!" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I bought this thinking it would be a good reference and tell me something about all the different brands of cigars, but I don't find any value in it whatsoever. I feel like the author wanted a quick buck so he cut and pasted alot of crap from back issues of his magazine into this book so he could sell the same opinions twice. In addition to that, the brands discussed are very limited and only a few examples from each are featured. Take my advice: I realized that it is dumb to buy any book that claims to lists different types /brands/shapes of cigars because the information is always changing - look on the internet at cigar sellers' websites and cigar makers' websites, where you will find everything you need.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book, Highly recommended, June 24, 2005

By	B. Jaamour "El Havana" (Monaco) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Excellent book, rich in information on cigar's brands, history. Very nicely divided by topic. The book covers various aspects about cigars, but trully stands out in two sections;

1. Cigar brands with history and advice on their best production, with notes, year made....

2. Nice section containg what is considered to be the best cigars ever made.

A joy to read, light hearted strongly recommended.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good content, poor overall style..., November 18, 2005

By	Another Joe (Miami, FL) - See all my reviews

This book does have a lot of good information for the beginning cigar fan (hence the 3 stars), the bulk of which lies in the Cigar Reviews section. The rest of the book is an attempt to cover all the bases quickly without much elaboration if any. If you are looking for an in-depth reading, you should look elsewhere or you will be disappointed.

In addition, the writing style is similar to that of a high school student. The many typographical errors, grammatical mistakes, and poorly formulated sentences show that very little thought or effort went into its production.

Overall, it is a good book for beginners who don't care whether the author shows at least a college level mastery of the English language or not.