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Cigar Magazine Comparisons

D

Doc Stogie Fresh

New Member
Joined
Aug 20, 2008
Messages
133
Location
California, US
I recently collaborated with Colin Ganley of CigarResearch.com to write up an article that compares Cigar Magazines.

This article is not going to tell you which magazine is the best, because there ain't no such animal for every person. The magazine that is best for you will be related to your likes, dislikes, interests, etc. In other words, its subjective.

However, we compared 9 popular cigar magazines on purely objective considerations: shelf price, subscription price, total pages, percent cigar-related pages, number of reviews, words per review, and cigar-related articles. We also make note of the kind of coverage each magazine has: Habanos coverage, non-Cuban coverage, etc.

People are finding this an interesting read and I've been getting a lot of feedback so I thought I would share it with you. Let me know your thoughts. You look at the data and you be the judge.

Here's the link: Cigar Magazine Comparisons

Enjoy!

Doc
 
Thanks for the link doc. Very interesting article. It's amazing how you can read a magazine for years and not really have an objective handle on it's content. I found the cigar related content numbers very interesting. Good job
 
Excellent material, and nicely done! I've been a Cigar Aficionado customer since '98, and I have seen the drastic change from "cigar magazine" to "good life magazine" take place over the years. I find myself finishing each copy of CA faster and faster, due to the lack of cigar articles present. I find it amazing that CA is now charging $240/ticket to attend the Big Smoke, for only 3 hours! I went to the Big Smoke back in '06, and it was like a herd of cattle. Impossible to enjoy yourself for 3 hours, and with so many other people present - hardly worth $240. You get around 30 free cigars, most of which are low quality and/or not stored properly. The food was excellent, if you can make your way through the crowd. If they reduced attendance by at least half and cut the price back down to $125/ticket, and ran the event for 8 hours instead of 3, it might be worth it. I was pretty disappointed.

After reading your study, I think I'm going to give some of the other publications a try. Been thinking about signing up for Cigar Magazine for quite some time now.
 
Well done. Cigar Magazine is my favorite, and I typically read it cover to cover. I will say that if you subscribe, use your credit card. This way, if you have problems with your subscription, and I've had plenty, you have some recourse.

ECCJ is also excellent; and the last issue had much friendlier translations to English. Intelligent comes to mind.

I also read smoke for the past year and it's not too bad, with a decent amount of cigar related content.

The ratings in all of them, are probably controversial, but they try.

The others I wasn't familiar with. Should be fun seeking them out.
 
MadMonk said:
Well done. Cigar Magazine is my favorite, and I typically read it cover to cover. I will say that if you subscribe, use your credit card. This way, if you have problems with your subscription, and I've had plenty, you have some recourse.
Click to expand...

I've just come to the fence of Cigar Magazine recently, while I was in my local Barnes and Noble bookstore. I've read CA, but I didn't feel like dealing with the fluffy bullshit of watch and fragrance ads on every other page, and never truly felt like I received my money's worth in the "cigar" magazine. I've peered through a few issues of Cigar Press, but when I picked up a copy of "Cigar Magazine," I was thoroughly impressed.

For the price of the magazine, coupled with the information you gain from the articles, it was worth the money to me, and I didn't have to deal with European male models flashing overpriced hardware on their wrist. That's only a magazine that I think Napa_smokes could actually deal with...


Good link Doc Stogie!
 
souldog24ca said:
MadMonk said:
Well done. Cigar Magazine is my favorite, and I typically read it cover to cover. I will say that if you subscribe, use your credit card. This way, if you have problems with your subscription, and I've had plenty, you have some recourse.
Click to expand...

I've just come to the fence of Cigar Magazine recently, while I was in my local Barnes and Noble bookstore. I've read CA, but I didn't feel like dealing with the fluffy bullshit of watch and fragrance ads on every other page, and never truly felt like I received my money's worth in the "cigar" magazine. I've peered through a few issues of Cigar Press, but when I picked up a copy of "Cigar Magazine," I was thoroughly impressed.

For the price of the magazine, coupled with the information you gain from the articles, it was worth the money to me, and I didn't have to deal with European male models flashing overpriced hardware on their wrist. That's only a magazine that I think Napa_smokes could actually deal with...


Good link Doc Stogie!
Click to expand...


Fluffy Bullshit indeed Jon. It smacks of the same arrogance as the pretentious Robb Report. Hardly a cigar article to be found, and far to many MAXX cigar ads to be taken seriously anyway.


Excellent article Doc. I have been looking for a new cigar rag to have a flick through. Good post.
 
Nice post and very nice link mate.
I used to buy CA but gave up. It just seemed to be biased and full of crap advertising to me.
I now get European Cigar Cult Journal as it has more reviews and information on the cigars I keep in my Humidors.
 
Rod said:
Excellent material, and nicely done! I've been a Cigar Aficionado customer since '98, and I have seen the drastic change from "cigar magazine" to "good life magazine" take place over the years. I find myself finishing each copy of CA faster and faster, due to the lack of cigar articles present. I find it amazing that CA is now charging $240/ticket to attend the Big Smoke, for only 3 hours! I went to the Big Smoke back in '06, and it was like a herd of cattle. Impossible to enjoy yourself for 3 hours, and with so many other people present - hardly worth $240. You get around 30 free cigars, most of which are low quality and/or not stored properly. The food was excellent, if you can make your way through the crowd. If they reduced attendance by at least half and cut the price back down to $125/ticket, and ran the event for 8 hours instead of 3, it might be worth it. I was pretty disappointed.

After reading your study, I think I'm going to give some of the other publications a try. Been thinking about signing up for Cigar Magazine for quite some time now.
Click to expand...
The best things about the Big Smoke are the free food and free booze, so what does that tell you?

Here's what you do, while the masses stand in line to get their free General and Altadis cigars, head directly to the food. Then, drink your way around the outskirts until you can reasonably get your cigars. I did get a chance to talk to Tim from CAO the last time that I went. That was cool.


Thanks, Doc!
 
Doc

In my mind this is a great idea, i have only read CA and another i found named Smoke. This i think will help a lot of noobs like myself along with helping Fogs. What i have read so far in that link was great, objective insight and a fair comparison of what can be read in differnt mags. I hope you are able to do this (in your spare time :laugh:) , i think it would be great.

Sam
 
TBaGZ said:
need to finish reading this tomorrow when sober.
Click to expand...

No no no TJ, please...POST MORE. And DO TELL about your opinions on this, as well as others my friend! :p :sign: Remember, menudo works wonders for a hangover!!! :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
 
Very nice comparison Doc! :thumbs:

I'm a huge fan of ECCJ these days. I started in the premium cigar world with my volume 1, No. 1 issue of CA and I have every issue. I have to admit, I don't think I've read it in the last four years :laugh: but I figure that since I've been getting this thing since the very beginning, what's another $20.00 a year to keep the collection complete? :D

I agree that CA has certainly become less of a cigar magazine over the past ten years. Matt R. recommended ECCJ to me five years ago and I've throughly enjoyed it ever since.

Thanks Matty! :D
 
I've really been eyeing ECCJ lately. I think it might be time to get a subscription to that, while letting my CA expire.

I'm getting tired of the Rolexes/Ferraris/Louis Vuton (with Keith Richards as a spokesmodel?!?!?!) queep. As far as cigar knowledge goes, the search function here is MUCH more illuminating. I've lurked and posted here for the past 4 months or so I've found myself referencing CA less and less. If I want industry news, Cigar Cyclopedia is every bit as good as CA without the fluff.

Barry
 
Nice article. I didn't even know there were 9 cigar magazines out there. :)

I used to buy Cigar Magazine at the local Barnes & Noble, but they stopped carrying it for some reason. I enjoyed it, but I never subscribed.
 
ECCJ is my only subscription. I like reading it through in German first and then in English to compare the translations, sometimes there are some funny things wrote by accident.

Really nice link DS :thumbs:
 
Rod said:
Excellent material, and nicely done! I've been a Cigar Aficionado customer since '98, and I have seen the drastic change from "cigar magazine" to "good life magazine" take place over the years. I find myself finishing each copy of CA faster and faster, due to the lack of cigar articles present. I find it amazing that CA is now charging $240/ticket to attend the Big Smoke, for only 3 hours! I went to the Big Smoke back in '06, and it was like a herd of cattle. Impossible to enjoy yourself for 3 hours, and with so many other people present - hardly worth $240. You get around 30 free cigars, most of which are low quality and/or not stored properly. The food was excellent, if you can make your way through the crowd. If they reduced attendance by at least half and cut the price back down to $125/ticket, and ran the event for 8 hours instead of 3, it might be worth it. I was pretty disappointed.

After reading your study, I think I'm going to give some of the other publications a try. Been thinking about signing up for Cigar Magazine for quite some time now.
Click to expand...
That is so true. When the first issues of CA came out, there was nothing like sitting down with a great smoke and a glass of scotch to read all the cigar related articles for a few hours. The content was well written, informative, and interesting to a cigar smoker that loved the hobby/lifestyle...what a relaxing time that was. The anticipation of the coming issues was heart wrenching. Originally their cigars reviews were believable, now...I'm not so sure.

The first few Big Smokes were outstanding because there was nothing like it at the time...but as you said, they are a chore to attend anymore and not worth the money.

I guess if I wanted a comparison of Personal/Corporate jets, advice about which Ferrari to buy, or where to buy custom made shoes...they'd be the place to find it.

I subscribed to Cigar Magazine a few years ago, it's not bad...try it, you may like it.
 
CigarManDan said:
Is the link not working for anyone else right now?
Click to expand...

I keep getting a page load error. I look forward to reading this when it's back up.

ECCJ is the only cigar magazine I've read with any regularity in the past few years. Wish it were published a little more often. :-)
 
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