Industry News
ProCigar Festival 2026 Expands Friday Night Auction
Every year in Santiago, the week builds toward one moment. Factory tours are done. The white shirts are pressed. The room fills with collectors who know that by the end of the night, someone is going home with a piece of cigar history. The Friday Night Auction at the ProCigar [...]
La Aurora Launches Anthony Muñoz 78 Cigar
It seems that every few years, a cigar brand partners with an athlete. Frankly, most of the time, it feels like a logo swap and a photo op. This one carries a little more weight. La Aurora is stepping onto the field with Pro Football Hall of Famer Anthony Muñoz, [...]
Jonathan Drew Sann and Drew Estate Announce New Partnership: J.SANN & SON Manufacturer and Tobacconist
Comprised of a family cigar factory and brand, world-class cigar bar, live music venue, and full kitchen supper club that exists under one 7,200 sq. ft. roof in Wynwood, Florida. J.SANN & SON resides at 359 NW 28th Street, Miami, Florida, 33127 in the heart of the Wynwood Art District, [...]
Editorials
Tuesday, Santiago: The Real Work Begins | Pro Cigar Festival – Field Notes
Factories first. Parties later. Vacation mode is officially over, and it is time for me to get to work*. *I mean, is it really work? Tuesday is where Pro Cigar stops being a ‘coming soon’ on a social calendar and starts being a ‘here and now’. Off into the city [...]
Monday, Santiago: Hydrate Now, Really! | Pro Cigar Festival – Field Notes
Arrival. Beer. Intentions. If the Pro Cigar Festival is on your bucket list (and it should be), you might just wonder just how it’s done? This week I’m going to share my schedule. Day by day. Beer by beer. Cigar by…wait, I really don’t want to add all those up…so [...]
The Most Overused Cigar Phrases
I think I’m naming this title wrong. I mean, yes, I do mean ‘overused’, but I also think misused. Can both things be true? Well, let’s see where this plays out by the end of my rant…I mean ‘constructed observation.’ These are things you hear in the cigar lounges, events, [...]
Cigars Accessories
Hall of Fame Cigar Accessories Worth Buying
Since I decided to roast the worst accessories last week, I should remind everyone that good cigar gear actually exists in the wild. Now, before someone comes back and tells me they found the perfect lighter/cutter combo for $3 on Amazon, let me say this. I’m happy for you. That [...]
Battle of the Lighters: Torch vs. Soft Flame
Cigar smokers will debate about anything—wrappers, ring gauges, whether pineapple belongs on pizza, who will win the Super Bowl, best Batman, you name it. Aside from "Mold vs Plume*," nothing sparks a fight quite like the lighter debate: Torch or Soft flame? Let’s break it down before somebody flips a [...]
A $16 Amazon Lighter That Turns You Into a 1970s Magician?
There are cigar lighters, and then there are “ladies and gentlemen, for my next trick…” lighters. I saw this lighter pop up on social media a couple of times. It reminded me of a 1970s magician. Suddenly, I’m less “guy enjoying a cigar” and more “guy about to saw [...]
Cigars 101
Cigar Flavor Descriptors
Ah.. the wonderful world of cigar reviews and descriptions. Sometimes reading cigar reviews can be as colorful as the personalities behind them. It’s not uncommon to hear people say that they didn’t get any of the same notes from a cigar as the review they read. When someone writes a [...]
Plume vs Mold. Enough Already.
I can’t take it anymore. If you spend more than five minutes in a cigar group, you will see this post. Blurry photo - checkWhite stuff on the wrapper - checkCaption asks if it is plume or mold - check Then in 3…2…1…the comments explode. Half the replies say "plume." [...]
The Unwritten Rules of Borrowing Lighters and Cutters
Every cigar lounge has rules, even that “DILLIGAF” guy that actually does. Some rules are posted with a cool cigar logo in the bottom right corner but most are enforced through eye contact, silence, and quiet judgment. I don’t think there are any signs about borrowing a lighter or a [...]
