Terms of Service

Effective date: April 8, 2026 · Cigar Sommelier Academy · cigarsommelieracademy.netlify.app

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the Cigar Sommelier Academy ("the Academy"), operated by Garber Digital at cigarsommelieracademy.netlify.app. By purchasing or using the Academy, you agree to be bound by these Terms in full. If you do not agree, do not purchase or use the course.

The Course

The Cigar Sommelier Academy is an independent online education program. Upon completing all 10 units and passing the comprehensive final exam, students are eligible to receive the Cigar Sommelier Certified Taster credential, issued by the Cigar Sommelier Academy. This credential is issued solely by us and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or equivalent to any external certification body.

Course materials are delivered as digital PDF downloads. The course is self-paced with no expiration on your access to materials.

Eligibility

You must be at least 21 years of age to purchase and use the Academy. By completing your purchase, you represent that you meet this age requirement. The Academy involves discussion of tobacco products, which are intended for adults only.

Account Access and Your Access Link

Upon successful payment, you will receive a personalized course access link by email. This link is unique to your email address and is secured using cryptographic tokens. Your access link is:

Personal and non-transferable. You may not share, sell, forward, or give your access link to anyone else.
Permanent. Your link does not expire. If you lose it, you may request a resend by emailing hello@cigarsommelier.club from the address used at purchase. We verify all resend requests against our purchase records.
Your responsibility. You are responsible for keeping your access link secure. We are not liable for unauthorized access resulting from you sharing your link.

All Sales Are Final

All purchases are final. We do not offer refunds under any circumstances once course access has been granted. Because course materials are delivered digitally and are immediately accessible upon purchase, no refund will be issued after access is delivered.

If you experience a technical failure that prevents you from accessing your course materials, contact us at hello@cigarsommelier.club. We will work to resolve any legitimate access issues promptly. Technical issues are not grounds for a refund but will be addressed and corrected.

By completing your purchase, you acknowledge that you understand and accept this no-refund policy. If you initiate a chargeback with your bank or card issuer without first contacting us, we reserve the right to dispute the chargeback and provide purchase records to the financial institution.

The Final Exam

The comprehensive final exam is unlocked upon completion of all 10 course units. The following rules apply to all exam submissions:

Each student is allowed 3 exam attempts per purchase
A passing score is required to receive your Cigar Sommelier Certified Taster certificate
We do not publish the passing score threshold. You will be informed whether you passed or did not pass, along with your percentage score
Exam results are emailed to the address used at purchase within minutes of submission
Each attempt is logged in our system with your score, timestamp, and pass/fail result

After exhausting all 3 attempts, you may request a reset. Each reset grants 1 additional attempt. Resets are processed within 24 hours of your request and are subject to our review. We reserve the right to deny a reset request if we have reason to believe exam integrity has been compromised.

Exam Integrity

We trust our students to take the exam honestly. The exam is designed to reflect genuine understanding of the course material. Attempting to circumvent the exam, sharing exam questions publicly, or using unauthorized aids undermines the value of the credential for everyone who earns it legitimately.

We monitor exam submissions for anomalies. Scores that appear inconsistent with course engagement patterns may be flagged for review. We reserve the right to withhold or revoke a certificate if we have reasonable evidence of dishonesty.

Your Certificate

Upon passing the final exam, a Cigar Sommelier Certified Taster certificate will be generated and emailed to you as a PDF within minutes of your passing result. Your certificate will display:

The full name you enter on your exam submission
The date of completion
A unique certificate number
The Cigar Sommelier Academy seal and signature

You are responsible for entering your name correctly on your exam submission. We will make a reasonable effort to correct certificate errors reported within 30 days of issuance. Requests for corrections after 30 days may not be honored.

The certificate is issued by the Cigar Sommelier Academy. It is an independent credential and does not represent affiliation with, endorsement by, or equivalence to any external industry body.

Intellectual Property

All course materials, including the illustrated workbook, diagrams, visual aids, exam questions, and website content, are the intellectual property of Garber Digital / Cigar Sommelier Academy. Your purchase grants you a personal, non-transferable license to use the materials for your own private study. You may not:

Redistribute, resell, or share course materials with anyone else
Reproduce any portion of the materials in any public or commercial context
Use course materials to create competing products or derivative works
Post exam questions or answers publicly in any format

Violation of these terms will result in immediate revocation of your course access and certificate, without refund.

Course Illustrations

Illustrations and visual aids used in this course are AI-generated. All written course content, exam questions, and instructional material have been reviewed and edited by the course author.

Disclaimer of Warranties

The Academy is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind, express or implied. We do not guarantee that the course will result in employment, industry recognition, or any specific outcome. We make no representation that completing the course or earning the certificate will satisfy any external licensing, regulatory, or professional requirement.

Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Garber Digital and the Cigar Sommelier Academy shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of the course. Our total liability to you for any claim arising from your purchase shall not exceed the amount you paid for the course.

Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the United States and the state in which Garber Digital operates, without regard to conflict of law principles. Any disputes arising from these Terms or your use of the Academy shall be resolved through binding arbitration or, where arbitration is not available, in the courts of that jurisdiction.

Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. When we do, we will update the effective date at the top of this page. Your continued use of the Academy after any update constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms. For material changes that affect your existing access or rights, we will make a reasonable effort to notify you by email.

Contact

Questions about these Terms should be directed to:

hello@cigarsommelier.club
Cigar Sommelier Academy / Garber Digital