Women make up a minority of cigar smokers. Even in Cuba, where many thousands of women smoke cigars, they make up only a small minority of this group. Minorities should not be ignored! Women consume huge numbers of cigars and are a valuable part of the cigar community.

Aknowledging this, two websites have recently come online and a new women’s revolution is afoot in cigar-land. www.Cigars4Women.com is a discussion board that came online on 6, April 2008. This forum is designed to give women a place to discuss anything they desire as long as they themselves enjoy fine cigars.

Creator of the site, Clarice Save, had this to say about starting the site, “Searching the Web 2.0 cigar social, I discovered that cigar sales, and community were active on the internet. Although the social networks were welcoming to the SOTL [Sisters of the Leaf], such as Cigar Live which has embraced us, and others, we didn't have an identity ourselves.  It was kinda like still being on the outside pressing our noses up against the window to see what’s inside. Women like to nest - Hence, C4W was born. “

Much like other discussion boards (cigarlive, BOTL, etc.) this board allows members to freely discuss many topics but most choose to talk about cigar-related topics. Because many women find the male-dominated cigar clubs and lounges less appealing than they could be, forums such as this gather many female cigar enthusiasts who want a less masculine location to discuss cigars.

Several women’s cigar boards have been created in the past but this is the only one which exists today. Through the internet, women are actively present on non-gender-specific cigar boards. As each forum finds its niche, it finds success. Cigars4Women has a clear audience and niche and has gathered a good group of members who post regularly on its pages.

Another initiative for female cigar smokers is www.womencigarsmokers.com. This site is home to a non-profit organization designed to promote females in the cigar world. It offers education, ways to meet women in the industry and a newsletter, amongst other offerings.

Its mission is “To serve as an informative resource for female cigars smokers, To collect data to help the cigar industry better cater to women, To provide support to female cigar shop owners.” No organization of this kind exists in the cigar industry though some exist for other industries.

In the late 1990s, women smoking cigars was all the rage. The New York Times covered the phenomenon with great interest. When the hype of that period ended, so did much of the attention given to women smoking cigars. Since much of that attention was given to women smoking for shock value, this latest change appears to be an evolution of sorts. Women, though small in numbers, are now given the respect of peers in connoisseur circles.