Founder, Editor and Publisher of Cigar Aficionado
October 4, 1943 – October 29, 2026
Marvin R. Shanken, founder, editor and publisher of Cigar Aficionado, died on October 29, 2026, at the age of 83. His passing was announced by the magazine, which reflected on a career that helped shape the worlds of cigar journalism, wine publishing and philanthropy.
At La Saintos, we pay tribute to a publisher whose work brought sustained attention to the people, traditions and knowledge behind those subjects. His influence reached readers who knew his publications long before they knew the story of the man who built them.
The Publisher Behind Cigar Aficionado
Shanken’s publishing career began in 1972 when he acquired Impact, a wine and spirits industry newsletter. In 1979, he purchased Wine Spectator, expanding a business that would become M. Shanken Communications.
Cigar Aficionado followed in 1992. The magazine grew from his longstanding interest in cigars and his conviction that the subject deserved a publication of its own. His 2012 interview about its beginnings reveals how much personal commitment lay behind that decision.
For readers, the result was a place where a specialist interest could be explored through reporting, interviews, criticism and history. For the industry, it created a prominent platform on which its people and products could receive sustained editorial attention.
That contribution mattered because craftsmanship needs explanation. A finished cigar offers few immediate clues about the agricultural decisions, blending work and experience behind it. Journalism can give those details a place in the public record, helping readers understand the work beyond a familiar name or label.
Giving the People Behind the Craft a Wider Audience
Among Shanken’s interview subjects were Carlos Fuente Sr., Carlos Fuente Jr., José Orlando Padrón and Ernesto Perez-Carrillo. These conversations helped place the makers themselves alongside the brands readers recognized.
His wider interview work included figures such as Michael Jordan, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Fidel Castro. The magazine’s 1994 conversation with Castro remains part of that archive.
The range of those subjects shows the breadth of his editorial curiosity. A magazine built around a specialist interest could also become a setting for conversations about careers, ambition, personal history and public life.
Today, Shanken’s own anniversary interviews are part of that record. They allow readers to return to his account of building Cigar Aficionado and hear how he understood the work. His voice remains available alongside those of the people he interviewed.
A Lasting Commitment to the Reader
In his 2022 interview marking Cigar Aficionado’s 30th anniversary, Shanken explained the publication’s relationship with its audience:
As long as my reader wants to learn, we’re there to serve.
That sentence offers a fitting way to remember him. It puts the reader’s curiosity at the center of the editor’s work.
A specialist publication earns attention by helping people understand its subject. It gives unfamiliar terms context, asks questions readers might not know to ask and returns to a topic with enough care to reveal something new. Shanken’s words describe that responsibility plainly.
His recognition extended beyond the subjects his magazines covered. He was named the 2019 recipient of the Association of Magazine Media’s Lifetime Achievement Award, acknowledging his longstanding contribution to magazine publishing.
The Marvin Shanken Legacy Beyond Publishing
His philanthropic work deserves a place in any account of his life. The Wine Spectator Scholarship Foundation, established in 1983, supported education and opportunities in the wine and hospitality industries.
He also helped establish Els for Autism alongside Ernie and Liezl Els. The foundation’s account of its beginnings identifies Shanken as a co-founder and describes its work supporting autistic people and their families.
His support for scholarships connected his publishing work to people preparing to enter the industries he covered. His involvement with Els for Autism extended that commitment to an organization working with individuals and families across different stages of life.
Remembering those efforts alongside his publications gives a fuller picture of where he chose to direct his time, influence and resources.
Remembering Marvin R Shanken at La Saintos
For La Saintos, the most meaningful way to honor his contribution is to carry forward a respect for informed discussion. Our own editorial guides and writing on subjects such as cigar etiquette belong to a continuing conversation about understanding a tradition and treating others with consideration.
Shanken helped give that wider conversation a durable platform. The publications, interviews and charitable work associated with his name will remain part of how his contribution is understood.
Above all, this is a moment to remember the person behind the work. We extend our condolences to his wife, Hazel, his family, friends, colleagues and everyone mourning his loss.
Marvin R. Shanken
1943–2026
Remembered with respect by La Saintos.
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