Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

Cigar Sommelier ("we," "us," or "our") operates the website at cigarsommelier.club — an AI-powered cigar education and recommendation platform. We are not a tobacco retailer and do not sell physical products.

For privacy inquiries, contact us at: support@cigarsommelier.club

2. Information We Collect

Information you provide directly:

• Email address and name (when creating an account via Auth0)
• Payment information (processed by Stripe — we never see your full card details)
• Cigar preferences, humidor entries, and tasting journal entries you enter into the Service
• Cigar band images you upload via the camera scan feature (processed and discarded immediately — not stored)

Information collected automatically:

• Browser type, device type, and operating system
• IP address and general location (country/region level)
• Pages visited, features used, and session duration
• Error logs and performance data

Information we do NOT collect:

• Your full payment card number (handled exclusively by Stripe)
• Cigar band images (processed in real-time, never stored on our servers)
• Sensitive personal information such as health data or government IDs

3. How We Use Your Information

• To provide, maintain, and improve the Service
• To authenticate your identity and manage your account
• To process subscription payments and send receipts
• To deliver AI-generated cigar recommendations based on your input
• To respond to support requests and communications
• To detect and prevent fraud, abuse, or unauthorized access
• To comply with legal obligations

We do not use your personal data to train AI models. Cigar preference inputs are sent to Anthropic's API for real-time processing only.

4. Local Storage

Your humidor tracker and tasting journal data are stored locally in your browser's localStorage. This data never leaves your device unless you explicitly use a feature that syncs it. Clearing your browser data will delete your local journal and humidor entries.

We store a session token in localStorage to keep you logged in between visits. You can clear this by logging out.

5. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party providers to operate the Service. Each has its own privacy policy:

• Stripe — payment processing. Stripe stores your payment method and billing history. stripe.com/privacy
• Auth0 — user authentication and account management. Auth0 stores your email address and login credentials. auth0.com/privacy
• Anthropic — AI recommendation engine. Your cigar preferences and queries are sent to Anthropic's API. Anthropic's data usage policies apply. anthropic.com/privacy
• Netlify — website hosting and serverless functions. Netlify may log request metadata. netlify.com/privacy
• Google Fonts — typography. Google may log font requests. policies.google.com/privacy

6. Cookies

We use essential cookies and browser storage to keep you logged in and remember your preferences. We do not currently use advertising cookies or third-party tracking pixels.

Auth0 sets authentication cookies to maintain your login session. Stripe sets cookies related to payment sessions. You can disable cookies in your browser settings, though this may prevent certain features from working.

7. Data Sharing

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes. We share data only in the following limited circumstances:

• With Stripe and Auth0 to process payments and authentication (as described above)
• With Anthropic to generate AI recommendations in real-time
• If required by law, court order, or government authority
• To protect the rights, property, or safety of Cigar Sommelier or its users
• In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets (with advance notice to users)

8. Data Retention

We retain your account information for as long as your account is active. If you cancel your subscription, we retain your data for up to 90 days before permanent deletion, in case you wish to reactivate.

Payment records may be retained for up to 7 years as required by financial regulations.

Cigar band images uploaded via the camera scan feature are processed in real-time and are never stored on our servers.

9. Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Correction — request correction of inaccurate personal data
• Deletion — request deletion of your account and associated data
• Portability — request your data in a portable format
• Opt-out — unsubscribe from marketing communications at any time

To exercise any of these rights, email us at support@cigarsommelier.club. We will respond within 30 days.

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA) or California, additional rights may apply under GDPR or the CCPA respectively.

10. Children's Privacy

The Service is intended for adults aged 21 and older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 21. If we become aware that a user under this age has provided personal information, we will delete it immediately. If you believe a minor has used our Service, please contact us.

11. Security

We implement industry-standard security measures including HTTPS encryption, secure authentication via Auth0, and PCI-compliant payment processing via Stripe. However, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security of your data.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the effective date at the top of this page. For material changes, we will notify active subscribers via email at least 14 days before the changes take effect. Your continued use of the Service after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact us:

Cigar Sommelier
support@cigarsommelier.club
cigarsommelier.club