An independent Cigar Working Group was formed by interested cigar stakeholders (e.g. manufacturers and testing laboratories). The goals of the Working Group are to explore opportunities for engagement with the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) on issues relating to the manufacturing, analysis and testing of cigars. Recent deeming by the FDA places the burden on cigar manufacturers to obtain authorization for new products not on the market as of February 15, 2007 through one of three regulatory pathways. However, scientific research necessary to support regulatory submissions for cigars is limited and some of what exists, due to a lack of standardization in the field, is lacking in rigor. Though cigars and cigarettes are both combustible tobacco products, cigars, unlike cigarettes, have not been the subject of widespread scientific study. A Cigar Science sub-group was formed within the Cigar Working Group to explore the challenges and opportunities within the cigar science space. The group has identified the following as areas where research and development is warranted: 1. Quantity and breadth of scientific literature on cigars 2. Cigar use patterns and smoking topography 3. Cigar reference products 4. Standardized, validated analytical methods for chemical constituents 5. Lack of a common set of defined terms or terminology The outcome of this collaboration will ensure that: a) future research on cigars is standardized across laboratories, b) cigar terminology will be consistent and c) future cigar research is robust and reproducible. These key factors will ensure that questions of public health are appropriately answered.