Cigar forums have been around since the mid-90’s. The first inception of a cigar forum was commonly known as newsgroups. Newsgroups were very popular when the internet first became available to the public. There were newsgroups on virtually any topic, including cigars. The one drawback was lack of moderation and oversight, as many became overrun with spam and trolls. Thus, cigar forums were spun off, in which the owners had full oversight and control, keeping spammers and trolls at bay. Unlike a newsgroup, a forum can have multiple discussion categories all in one place, thus making it easier to discuss topics.

Since the early 2000’s, many cigar forums have popped up, however only a couple have survived over the years. It seems that every month the next “best cigar forum” appears. Running a community takes patience, skill, money and time. We often see people who decide they want to start a community (typically because they think they’re going to make money from it), and a year later its gone. When choosing a forum to join, it’s important that you choose one that fits your style, and has a good track record and reputation.

While there are numerous cigar forums online, below you’ll find a list of some of the more well-known boards. We won’t actually review each forum per se, rather provide you with enough information to decide which community is right for you.

Cigar Forums

CigarPass.com
Year Established: 2000
Moderated: No moderators, member moderated – 1 admin, 0 moderators. Every member has a role as a moderator to uphold the established rules of the community. This creates a true community where everyone owns a stake.
Topics: Cigar Trading, Reviews, Storage/Humidification, Deals, General Cigar Talk, Pipe forum
Note: One of the original cigar forums with a huge emphasis on protecting one another. Scammers are quickly identified and removed from the community. Member moderated, and everyone is held accountable to their own actions. Tons of cigar information, user-friendly layout and design. Lots of activity. Safest place to trade cigars.

CigarWeekly.com
Year Established: 1997
Moderated: Yes
Topics: General Cigar Talk, Reviews
Note: Long standing cigar forum with various topics. Many long standing members still participate. Lots of cigar information. Activity has dropped over the years, not as active as it once was.

CigarAficionado.com
Year Established: 2004
Moderated: Yes
Topics: General Cigar Talk
Note: Owned by the Cigar Aficionado Magazine. Forums are limited in topics. Run more like a business rather than a community. Not a user friendly layout.

CigarAsylum.com
Year Established: 2009
Moderated: Yes
Topics: General Cigar Talk, Accessory Talk, Non-Cigar Talk
Note: Many members of Club Stogie left when Puff bought them out, and they started their own community. Lots of active members, good community overall.

BOTL.org
Year Established: 2004
Moderated: Yes
Topis: General Cigar Talk, Reviews, Storage
Note: A smaller cigar community. Clean interface with few ads.

Puff.com
Year Established: 2009
Moderated: Yes, extreme/heavy moderation
Topics: Various Cigar Topics and Non-Cigar Topics
Note: Puff is a marketing company which bought several cigar forums, such as Club Stogie, Cigar Live and a few others. The site is overloaded with ads, including ads that automatically play video and sound. Be sure to turn off your speakers when going there. Not user friendly. Sole purpose of this site is to make money for the owner. Owner does not participate in community. Members often report that admin’s scramble their password, and ban for no reason. Don’t post anything constructive about Puff, otherwise you’ll most likely have your password scrambled. That’s how they ban their members.

Conclusion

While there are many cigar forums to choose from, it’s best you visit each site and see which is most fitting for you. Every community has it’s own unique and feel, and no two are alike. Before you join any community, keep in mind that the cigar world is very small. Oftentimes people are members of various communities. If you mess up on one community, your reputation will follow you to the next forum.