Remembering Marvin R. Shanken: A Giant of the Cigar World

Today, the cigar world lost one of its most influential voices.

Marvin R. Shanken with Oscar Boruchin, from the Mike’s Cigars archives.

Marvin R. Shanken, founder, editor and publisher of Cigar Aficionado, passed away on October 29, 2026, at the age of 83. His influence on premium cigars is difficult to overstate. Through Cigar Aficionado, Marvin helped introduce an entirely new generation to the craftsmanship, history, personalities and culture that make the cigar world so special.

For all of us at Mike’s Cigars, his passing also carries a personal connection.

A Conversation with Oscar Boruchin

Nearly 30 years ago, Marvin sat down with our former owner, Oscar Boruchin, for an extensive interview published in the March/April 1997 issue of Cigar Aficionado.

At the time, Mike’s Cigars was already an institution. Oscar had transformed the business from a well-known Miami Beach cigar shop into one of the largest cigar retailers and mail-order operations in the country. Marvin took the time to tell that story in remarkable detail—from Oscar arriving in Miami from Cuba and driving a taxi, to his years with General Cigar, his partnership with Mike Mersel, and the tremendous growth of Mike’s Cigars.

But the interview also captured something larger.

The Cigar Aficionado Revolution

Oscar spoke about what he called the “Cigar Aficionado revolution.” Mike’s happened to be in the right place at the right time as interest in premium cigars exploded across America, but that renaissance did not happen by accident. Marvin Shanken and Cigar Aficionado played an enormous role in it.

Before Cigar Aficionado, cigars were largely discussed within the trade and among dedicated enthusiasts. Marvin helped bring them into a broader cultural conversation. He treated premium cigars not simply as products, but as something worthy of discussion alongside fine wine, food, travel, craftsmanship and the people who dedicate their lives to producing them.

In doing so, he elevated an entire industry.

A Visit to the Old Store

There is another part of Marvin and Oscar’s interview that stands out to us today. Marvin remembered visiting the old Mike’s Cigars store in 1991. It wasn’t glamorous. It was packed with merchandise, old display cases and cigars seemingly everywhere. And Marvin loved it.

Anyone who has been around Mike’s for a long time understands exactly what he meant.

That appreciation for the authenticity of the cigar business—the shops, manufacturers, families, characters and friendships behind it—was a hallmark of Marvin’s work.

More Than Tobacco

He understood that this industry has always been about more than tobacco. It is about relationships.

It is about sitting down with someone over a cigar and having a conversation that lasts longer than expected. It is about stories being passed from one generation to another. It is about manufacturers, retailers and customers who may compete, argue and disagree, but who share a genuine affection for the same tradition.

Marvin documented that world for more than three decades. Through Cigar Aficionado, the Big Smoke and his countless interviews and conversations with the people who built this industry, he helped preserve its history while simultaneously helping create its future.

Mike’s Cigars has been fortunate enough to witness much of that history firsthand. We were here before the cigar boom, through the extraordinary growth of the 1990s, and through every transformation of the industry that followed. Marvin Shanken was an important part of that journey.

Today, we remember him not simply as a publisher, but as someone whose passion for cigars helped make the entire premium cigar community stronger.

Our Condolences

His legacy will live on every time cigar lovers gather around a table, light a great cigar and share a story.