Alexandre Avellar is considered Brazil’s main reference in cigars. He writes for many cigar publications around the world and has been declared by Habanos S.A. Habanos Man of the Year in Communications in 2020. He travels around the world covering the main events and promoting the cigar culture.

Andrea Schellner worked as a freelance journalist and press photographer in Austria, South Africa and Kenya, before pursuing a career as a translator, proofreader and editor. She specializes in translating and editing work in the field of fine arts and culture, her list of clients including major Austrian museums. She joined Cigar Journal in 2009.

Ben Vinken is a publisher in Belgium of a beer magazine ( Bierpassie/Bièrepassion) since 1998 and started also a cigar magazine in 2007, named ” El Gusto”. This magazine was published for 12 years, until it had to stop by government rule. It earned him the title of ” Hombre Habano” in 2014. Ben is still a great cigar lover, is part of the Cigar Journal tasting panel and member of two cigar clubs.

Bruce Busch is a cigar passionado who is also the Vice President of Karen Berger Cigars. He loves writing articles about the vibrant sectors of cigar culture in the United States. Bringing the reader news about great cigar lounges in America, as well as small cultural lessons about the states are his specialty.

Cem Erten, one of Turkey’s leading voices in cigar culture, blends passion, travel, and storytelling to celebrate the world of cigars. As creator of el Lector Blog and ambassador for Light’em Up, he highlights the people, rituals, and craftsmanship that unite a global community of cigar enthusiasts. He has also been tasting cigars for CJ and Cigar Sense and holds national titles in CSWC in Switzerland and UK.

Christof Habres is a freelance journalist, author, bar passionados, and art consultant: This “Strawanzer” (a Viennese term for globetrotter) writes for magazines such as PARNASS and Weltkunst, as well as for Cigar Journal. Every Friday, he chats with his colleague Alexander Giese—not without irony—in the live blog “kunstundschnittlauch” (which can be followed on Instagram) about the international art scene, over chive sandwiches and the “soup of the day,” meaning the cocktail of the day.

Originally trained as a sociologist, Claudia Puszkar has written about Cuban cigars and their history for years. She travels regularly to Havana to hunt down old and new cigar factories, and is always on the lookout for new impressions of the city and its residents.

Elisa has been working with Cigar Journal since 2015 and enjoys translating the articles into Spanish. After studying art history in Madrid and Vienna and spending several years working in the international art world, she decided to turn her passion for languages into a career. She has been working as a translator and editor ever since.

Elizabeth Alvarado is a model and actress from Venezuela and has been living in Hong Kong for the last ten years. She is a new cigar smoker after her boyfriend introduced her to the wonderful world of cigars. She now enjoys traveling and smoking in places like China, Vietnam, Cambodia etc. She loves to learn about the role of women in the world of the Tobacco. Her favorite cigars are lanceros with a hot cup of Chinese tea.

George Manzella is a passionate cigar smoker who credits his father for introducing him to the leaf in 1994 when he was just 18 years old. George has been a high school English teacher in New Jersey, USA since 2003 and wrote for two other periodicals before joining Cigar Journal in 2015. His passion for premium tobacco has taken him on a remarkable journey with unforgettable memories.