Catch-Up / Recent Articles
Industry News
Altadis U.S.A. Releases Jogo Bonito World Cup 2026 Sampler
The World Cup is reaching the business end of the tournament. Dreams are still alive. Hearts are about to be broken. Somewhere, an entire nation is already blaming the referee. Whether your team is still chasing the trophy or you're simply looking for a good excuse to gather with friends, [...]
Did Davidoff Just Send a Message to the Rest of the Industry?
Every cigar company tells you they're having a great year. Some are. Some define "great" very creatively. Davidoff just showed its homework. Oettinger Davidoff announced it closed 2025, the company's 150th anniversary year, with sales of CHF 545.3 million. That's a 2.5 percent increase despite what the company described as [...]
Plasencia Continues Building Momentum with Eddy Guerra Hire
I've known Eddy Guerra for quite a few years now, and one thing has always stood out. He understands how to connect premium cigar brands with premium cigar smokers. Whether working with manufacturers, retailers, or consumers, Eddy has built a reputation as one of the industry's most respected marketing minds. [...]
Editorials
Are Cell Phones Ruining the Cigar Lounge?
A retailer recently sent me an email asking a simple question... Are cell phones changing the cigar lounge? My first reaction was that the answer seemed obvious. The more I thought about it, the less obvious it became. Every generation has had its version of "things aren't like they used [...]
Do Infused/Flavored Cigars Belong in Smoking Lounges?
You finally get some time away and settle into your local cigar lounge and light up one of your favorite "traditional" cigars. As you light up, the rich of aroma immediately hits your senses. You melt into the chair and your stress melts away. Then, from out of nowhere a [...]
Why Fire-Cured Tobacco Refuses to Go Away
We recently created another category to rate what we considered ‘non-traditional’ cigars. There were obvious inclusions in that list. Infused, carrying the characteristics of fruits, spices, and whatnot. Coffee, banana, purple (pretty sure purple is not a flavor, but let’s run with it). The grey area was barrel aged. That [...]
Cigars Accessories
LES FINES LAMES Flying Tigers Limited Edition Honors America’s 250th
Some limited editions, even though pretty cool, are little more than a new color and a different box...This isn't one of those. To celebrate America's 250th anniversary, LES FINES LAMES looked back at one of the most remarkable stories in American military history, the Flying Tigers. Long before Pearl Harbor, [...]
Tübr Alümen Travel Case Review: James Bond Vibes for Your Cigars
I’ve reached the point where most cigar accessories immediately trigger skepticism...especially travel cases. They all claim to be premium, airtight, and stylish. Then the case shows up looking like the free Bluetooth speaker that came with my AAA membership (not good). The Tübr Alümen was a nice surprise. Very nice. [...]
RabbitAir MinusA3 Ultra Quiet Air Purifier Review
RabbitAir MinusA3 Ultra Quiet Air Purifier I’ve had my eye on RabbitAir for quite some time so I was pretty excited to finally get my hands on one. Until now, I haven’t had any sort of air purifier in my smoke room. As you can imagine, it smells like a [...]
Cigars 101
Are Cell Phones Ruining the Cigar Lounge?
A retailer recently sent me an email asking a simple question... Are cell phones changing the cigar lounge? My first reaction was that the answer seemed obvious. The more I thought about it, the less obvious it became. Every generation has had its version of "things aren't like they used [...]
Why Fire-Cured Tobacco Refuses to Go Away
We recently created another category to rate what we considered ‘non-traditional’ cigars. There were obvious inclusions in that list. Infused, carrying the characteristics of fruits, spices, and whatnot. Coffee, banana, purple (pretty sure purple is not a flavor, but let’s run with it). The grey area was barrel aged. That [...]
The Twisted Legend of the Culebra
Walking into a humidor is candy-land for cigar enthusiasts. Countless cigars neatly stocked on shelves, boxes lined up like art with perfect looking, impeccably straight cigars and beautiful packaging is quite the display. Every so often, possibly tucked away on a special shelf, something will catch your eye, something that [...]
