David Savona

New York

Executive Editor at Cigar Aficionado Magazine

I'm the executive editor of Cigar Aficionado (@cigaraficmag), the good life magazine that debuted in 1992. Follow us for the best in cigars and so much more.

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Articles

Cigar Imports Off To Slow Start In 2025

6 days ago | cigaraficionado.com | David Savona

The first two months of 2025 have not been great ones for the handmade cigar industry. Shipments to the United States were off 8.7 percent compared to the first two months of 2024, according to data released today by the Cigar Association of America. The decrease comes after a period of considerable growth in the cigar market, which boomed from 2019 to 2022, soaring from 338 million handmade cigars in 2019 to 465 million in 2022.
Q1 Profits Down At STG

2 weeks ago | cigaraficionado.com | David Savona

Macanudo maker Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG), the parent company of General Cigar Co., Cigars International and one of the world’s largest producers of cigars, reported a modest increase in net sales but a considerable drop in net income for the first quarter of 2025. The company also changed its outlook for the year, dialing back expectations due to the impact of tariffs and a weaker U.S. dollar on its operations.
My Favorite Cigar

3 weeks ago | cigaraficionado.com | David Savona |Gregory Mottola

Blake James • Director of Athletics, Boston College • Hoyo de Monterrey Double Corona Blake James is a seasoned veteran of college sports. For the past two-and-a-half years he’s been the William V. Campbell director of athletics for Boston College, and before that he served as director of athletics for Miami University, where he spent 11 years. While athletic director, the “U” won five NCAA championships. He’s a busy man, but he makes time for great cigars.
My Favorite Cigar

3 weeks ago | cigaraficionado.com | David Savona |Gregory Mottola

Dirk Benedict • Actor • My Father Cigars As Lt. Starbuck on the TV series “Battlestar Galactica,” he was a sci-fi superstar of the ’70s. In the 1980s, Dirk Benedict became a pop-culture icon when he portrayed Templeton “Faceman” Peck on the hit action show “The A-Team.” Decades later, even millennials know the theme song, and being inextricably linked to the franchise still gives Benedict a thrill. If you remember the show, you’ll recall that it was another character who smoked cigars on screen.
My Favorite Cigar

3 weeks ago | cigaraficionado.com | David Savona |Gregory Mottola

Stew Leonard Jr. • CEO, Stew Leonard's • Padrón 1964 Anniversary No. 4 Maduro Just about anyone who grew up in Connecticut knows the magic of visiting Stew Leonard’s, with its singing animatronic characters, petting zoo and ice cream. It began in 1969 as a dairy store with seven workers and today it’s a $550 million business.
My Favorite Cigar

3 weeks ago | cigaraficionado.com | David Savona |Gregory Mottola

J.J. Dudum • Executive Vice President Discovery Land Co. • Romeo y Julieta Línea de Oro Hidalgo “If you’re gonna smoke,” says J.J. Dudum, “you may as well do it right.” He’s a fan of the exotic, smoking Cohiba Talismáns, Sancho Panza Gran Quixotes and the Diplomaticos Regional Edition made just for the Caribbean, but for an everyday smoker, he reaches for the Romeo y Julieta Línea de Oro Hidalgo.
Cigar Toy: Visol Joplin Quad Torch Flame Lighter

3 weeks ago | cigaraficionado.com | David Savona

It’s the Swiss Army Knife of cigar lighters, a sturdy, masculine-looking beast that bears some resemblance to an electric shaver. The Visol Joplin Quad Torch has just about everything you need to cut, light and even hold a cigar—and it has impressive craftsmanship. It sells for $80. The top, which flips open to reveal the lighter jets, is beveled, designed to serve as a cigar rest that can hold a considerably fat cigar. The front has a V cutter, the back, a guillotine cutter.
Fat New Padrón Blacks Coming This Fall

1 month ago | cigaraficionado.com | David Savona

The Padrón family is conservative with new releases, so a new Padrón is typically a big deal. This fall, the company will begin shipping the Padrón PB-99, a line extension to the sub-brand that is better known as Padrón Black. The cigars in that line are powerful, stronger than most other Padróns. The PB-99, which will come in maduro and natural versions, measures 6 3/4 inches long with a 60 ring gauge.
Newmans Bring Back A Taste Of The Past With Sarzedas

1 month ago | cigaraficionado.com | David Savona

J.C. Newman has been around for a long time—the company’s roots go all the way back to 1895. It has quite the portfolio of old brands. This past weekend, during the PCA trade show in New Orleans, the company revived one of those old-time brands and unveiled Sarzedas. The line is made at J.C. Newman’s PENSA factory in Nicaragua, and the blend was created by Rich Dolak, a 29-year veteran of J.C. Newman who serves as the Tampa, Florida, company’s vice president of operations.
Plasencia Creates High-Altitude Alma del Cielo

2 months ago | cigaraficionado.com | David Savona

Cigar tobacco historically has been grown in valleys, low-lying areas surrounded by hills or mountains. A new cigar unveiled at the PCA trade show turns tradition on its head, and it comes from a company with generations of experience growing tobacco. “This is something very special,” says Nestor Andrés Plasencia, opening a box of Plasencia Alma del Cielo cigars.