BREAKING
CIGARS

For premium cigar brands

Nobody will rent you an audience. Build your own.

Cigar ads are banned almost everywhere. So we go around them.

  • In front of smokers
  • Onto lounge counters
  • On a list you own

We get you there without ads. Keep reading to see how.

Book a callSee the tiers

01

Made by hand.

Leaf, blending and rolling go into every band you press.

02

Then it can't be advertised.

Google, Meta and TikTok refuse cigar ads. Instagram hides the posts.

The offer

Smokers who find you and buy you, without ads.

Start with one story. Grow into lounge sales and a list you own.

  • 01Story feature one episodeA sit-down episode with your founder or blender, cut for every platform.
  • 02Lounge sell-through monthlyA code for your line at lounges, with redemptions counted by location.
  • 03Brand program monthlyEverything above, plus your own list of smokers who opted in.

Tap to jump to the tiers, or keep scrolling to see how it works first.

See the three tiers
17M+ views across platforms764K+ followers across platforms795.8% men255.8% aged 35 to 54260% in the US2

How smokers walk away

They loved the cigar. Then they lost you.

  1. A smoker tries your cigar at a lounge. He loves it.
  2. Next week he asks for it at his local shop. The clerk shrugs and offers something else.
  3. He looks you up. No list to join, and Instagram hides your posts.
  4. The shop that sold your box once never reorders. Your rep won't be back for months.
  5. Nobody told him no. Nobody told him anything. So he moved to the next brand.

Where they slip away, and what we fix

  1. The smoker who can't find you again.An email list he can join, with release notes.
  2. The clerk who can't explain your cigar.Staff notes and event kits for the counter.
  3. The shop that never reorders.Retailer follow-up between rep visits.
  4. The post Instagram hides.Stories made for the platforms' rules.
  5. The event that ends at the door.A thank-you note that says where to buy you.
  6. The first "not now" from a retailer.We follow up again, with something useful.

Who it's for

For the people around the cigar.

If your work touches cigars, there may be a story worth telling together.

  • Cigar brands
  • Makers
  • Retailers
  • Venues
  • Accessory makers
"And then I watch for the next two or three years as they do nothing. And the whole time they wonder why their brand isn't growing."
Tim H. SwansonFounder, Cigars Daily, on brand owners who put off social mediaCigars Daily

The problem

Every rented channel is closed.

In the platforms' own words, checked 12 October 2026.

Cigar brand · Channels · Oct 2026
  • Google & YouTube adsBans "cigarettes, cigars, snus."Refused
  • Facebook & Instagram adsBans "cigarettes and cigars."Refused
  • Influencer postsBranded tobacco content is barred.Refused
  • Instagram reachHidden from people who don't follow you.Limited
  • TikTok ads"In all countries or regions."Refused
  • Stripe & FedExCigars are on both lists.Refused

What still works is what you build.

  • Your storiesTold by the people who make them.Open
  • Your email listSmokers who asked to hear from you.Open
  • Lounges that stock youWhere the cigar gets lit.Open

The squeeze

Tariffs. The FDA. A flat market.

12.5%Nicaragua's tariff today, after 18% and then 10%.PCA tariff summary ↗
45 daysto dispute each FDA fee invoice. Past fees aren't refunded.FDA ↗
$10M+in FDA fees nine family makers are suing to recover.halfwheel ↗
262companies exhibiting at PCA 2026, chasing 970 retail accounts.CigarDojo ↗
"... there's a lot of companies doing a lot of hype that have a big sales force and they're able to get to the brick and mortar in America ..."
Ernesto PadillaFounder, Padilla Cigars, on who wins the shop shelfPadilla Cigars
"What sets you apart from everybody else? And you'd be shocked by how many cigar makers I meet and talk to who have no answer for that question."
Tim H. SwansonFounder, Cigars DailyCigars Daily

Free brand audit

How much is your line leaving on the table?

  • Score your brand out of 100
  • See your biggest gaps, ranked
  • Get a dollar range on what they cost a year
  • Know which fix comes first
Start the auditAbout 6 minutes. No call needed.
?/100Your score, your gaps, and what they likely cost you.
Being found
At the counter
Reorders
Your own list
Revenue likely slipping away$••,••• to $•••,•••

Keep them warm

Smokers forget a brand between boxes.

Everyone who opts in hears from you by email, in your voice, until the next purchase. Email only, never text.

Inbox5 from Your Brand

  1. Your BrandWelcome. Here's how the blend started
  2. Your BrandWatch: our blender at the Breaking Cigars table
  3. Your BrandThree lounges near you carry us
  4. Your BrandTasting night, Thursday at 7
  5. Your BrandA first look at the new size
Every opt-in hears from you between boxes.
  • Welcome seriesNew subscribers meet the founder and hear how the blend came together.
  • Story emailsEach episode becomes an email, so the story keeps working after the post.
  • Where to find itReaders learn which lounges near them carry your line.
  • Retailer updatesShops that carry you, and shops that should, get news between rep visits.

The offer

Stories first. Then sales you can count.

Priced after the first call. Start with one feature, or run the whole program.

01 · One episode

Story feature

The story you aren't allowed to advertise.

  • A sit-down Breaking Cigars episode with your founder or blender
  • Short cuts made for each platform's rules
  • Labeled as a paid partnership, everywhere it runs
  • Full rights to use it on your site and your list

A good first step before any monthly work.

02 · Monthly

Lounge sell‑through

Sales at the counter, counted by location.

  • A Breaking Cigars code for your line, redeemed at lounges that stock you
  • Redemptions tracked by location and reported each month
  • Staff notes and event kits, so the counter can sell you
  • Follow-up between rep visits, with shops that carry you and shops that should

Codes run only where local law allows tobacco discounts.

03 · Monthly

Brand program

An audience nobody can switch off.

  • Everything in Lounge sell‑through
  • Your own email list of smokers who opted in. Email only, never text.
  • A story feature every quarter
  • A monthly review of list growth, redemptions, retailer replies and events

The list stays yours if you ever stop.

  • No paid ads.
  • No influencer deals.
  • No promised shelf space.
  • You approve everything before it runs.

We'll tell you which level fits on the first call. Book a callOr apply in writing

More ways to work together

Every paid relationship is disclosed beside it. Coverage stays editorial.

  • Newsletter collaborationsA feature for readers who care about the craft.
  • Venue featuresYour room and the evenings people spend there.
  • Retailer relationshipsWhat fits your shop and our readers.
  • Something elseTell us in the form.

From the table

Brand founders we've sat down with.

Tim H. Swanson
Tim H. SwansonFounder, Cigars Daily · 350K+ YouTube subscribersWatch Ep. 010 ↗
Ernesto Padilla
Ernesto PadillaFounder, Padilla Cigars · 23 years in the brandWatch Ep. 012 ↗
Brian Desind
Brian DesindFounder, Privada Cigar ClubWatch Ep. 008 ↗

Before Breaking Cigars

The same systems, proven elsewhere.

Results fromLeadsACEAnatolie's growth agency

  • Not cigar-industry results
  • No cigar-brand program run yet
  • The same systems, built for your brand

Hospitality · events
  • Automated email and text follow-ups
  • CRM under $200 a month, down from a ~$33K a year stack.3
  • 65,000 clean contacts from a clogged ~75K list
"Since Anatolie set up our automated email and text follow-ups, our conversion rates are close to 50%, up from 30%."

Anna Sargent · Operations lead, Tipsy Putt

Client-stated. Reviewed Aug 2026. Read the case ↗

Clinics · $0 ad budget
Pipeline
~$640K4
Clinics
67
Leads
2,600+
Ad budget
$0
  • LinkedIn outbound as the main engine
  • A podcast that qualifies guests in real time
  • A touch every 48 hours, so leads never go cold
"Anatolie built the pipeline while I was building the technology for Caesar Health."

Shoukri Kattan · Founder & CEO, Caesar Health · edited for clarity

Pipeline at list price, not revenue. Reviewed Aug 2026. Read the case ↗

Anatolie Clevan in a leather chair, holding a cigar

Who you'll work with

Anatolie Clevan

17M+views across platforms7
64K+followers across platforms7
7.5Mviews on one reel1
50+products shipped6
  • Breaking CigarsFounder
  • BitLabCMO. AI products for regulated companies
  • LeadsACEFounder of the growth agency
  • Caesar HealthCMO and co-founder
  • Waterloo EngineeringFormer engineer officer, Canadian Armed Forces5

Start here

Tell us about your brand.

Thirty minutes on Zoom with Anatolie. No commitment.

  1. Pick a time in your timezone
  2. We study your brand and retailers first
  3. A written scope, if there's a job
Open the booking page ↗

Calendar not loading? Open the booking page ↗

Prefer writing to a call?

Agreed in writing first.

  1. Apply. Two minutes, on the form.
  2. We reply. Fit and format, together.
  3. Terms in writing. Agreed before anything runs.
  4. It runs. You approve each piece first.

Your answers go into an email from your own email app. You check it and press send.

Prefer to email directly? aclevan@leadsace.io

Questions

Before we speak.

A lit gold lighter beside a cigar on a lounge table, from Anatolie's photos
Do you run paid cigar ads?

No. Google, Meta and TikTok don't allow them. We use what's still open: stories, your list and the lounges that stock you.

How is it priced?

After the first call, once we know your retailers and what you want counted.

Are lounge codes legal everywhere?

Not everywhere. Some US cities and states ban tobacco coupons and discounts. We check each location before a code goes live.

Is a story feature the same as being a guest?

No. Guest interviews are editorial and free. Apply here. A story feature is paid, and labeled as a partnership.

Sources
  1. Google Ads, Tobacco policy, read 12 Oct 2026. google.com
  2. Meta, Ad Standards: tobacco. meta.com Branded content: Tobacco Control, 2024.
  3. Instagram, recommendation eligibility, 2022. instagram.com
  4. TikTok, NA SMB Ad Policy. tiktok.com
  5. Stripe, restricted businesses. stripe.com FedEx, shipping tobacco. fedex.com
  6. Tariffs: PCA, 3 Aug 2026; USTR, 23 Jul 2026.
  7. FDA FY26 Q4 cigar invoice letter. Refund suit: halfwheel, 7 Jul 2026. PCA26: CigarDojo, 29 Apr 2026.
  8. Quotes: Breaking Cigars interviews with Tim H. Swanson and Ernesto Padilla.
  9. ¹ Top Breaking Cigars Instagram reel: 7.5M views, 19 Oct 2026.
  10. ² Meta Business Suite audience screen, 5 Oct 2026.
  11. ³ LeadsACE: Tipsy Putt, client-stated, reviewed Aug 2026.
  12. ⁴ LeadsACE: Caesar Health, pipeline at list price, reviewed Aug 2026.
  13. ⁵ leadsace.io, founder profile.
  14. ⁶ bitlab.co, "50+ products shipped in regulated industries," read 12 Oct 2026.
  15. ⁷ Instagram, YouTube and Facebook combined, 19 Oct 2026. Followers: 64,572, added per platform, so not unique people. Views: 17,525,410 (Instagram: the higher of Vista Social and the public count for each reel. Facebook: Vista Social. YouTube: public counts). First post: 13 Oct 2025. Instagram and YouTube passed 50,000 followers on 29 Mar 2026, 167 days in.

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