[2] Launched in 1992, the magazine is known for its profiles on celebrities, including Michael Jordan,[3] Jack Nicholson,[4] The Rock,[5] Demi Moore,[6] Robert De Niro,[7] Arnold Schwarzenegger,[8] Usher,[9] Nick Jonas,[10] Tom Selleck,[11] Hugh Jackman,[12] Wayne Gretzky,[13] Charles Barkley,[14] Mark Wahlberg,[15] Michael Strahan,[16] and Steve Harvey;[17] for its cigar ratings and reviews; and the latest coverage on cigars, Cuba, gambling, golf, beer, spirits, and more.

Prior to launching the publication, Shanken engaged in extensive market research, collecting more than 1,300 four-page surveys of cigar smokers which detailed their occupation, income, net worth, travel tendencies, as well as their drinking and smoking habits.

From the beginning the magazine emphasized celebrity profiles, including cover stories on Rush Limbaugh, Jack Nicholson,[4] and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

[19] The publication scored its first great journalistic coup on February 4, 1994, when editor and publisher Shanken met Fidel Castro in Havana for a two-hour interview.

[21] Cigar Aficionado and sister publication Whisky Advocate together co-host Big Smoke Meets WhiskyFest, an annual event held in Hollywood, Florida since 2021.