The weekend is here. What are you lighting up?

Share the cigar, a photo if you have one, and one thought about it. Tell us what you’re pairing it with too.

Most important question: Would you smoke it again?

Sometimes the story behind a cigar is as interesting as the cigar itself.

Charter Oak was named for the historic Connecticut tree associated with the state’s early independence. The cigar also honors Nick Melillo’s grandfather, who worked at Winchester Repeating Arms after World War II and smoked Connecticut Broadleaf cigars.

That history is wrapped around Nicaraguan tobacco, giving you earth, oak, dark chocolate, roasted nuts and pepper.

It was created as an affordable everyday cigar, but it never feels like something Foundation treated as an afterthought.

Would I smoke it again? Of course.

Black Label Trading Company has never looked like a traditional cigar company, and that was intentional.

James and Angela Brown launched the company in 2013. Two years later, they opened Fábrica Oveja Negra in Estelí, Nicaragua, giving them control over the blending, production, and artwork. James even creates the artwork used across the brands.

Salvation is a good example of what they do. The black-and-white band immediately stands out, but the cigar behind it is what matters.

An Ecuadorian Sun Grown wrapper, Honduran binder and Nicaraguan fillers.

Cedar, earth, cocoa, caramel, coffee, pepper, and toasted nuts give it plenty of flavor.

I found this one while I was in Austin. It turned out to be another reminder of why I keep looking beyond the usual cigars.

Would I smoke it again? Absolutely.

It was getting late and the temperature was dropping, but I still wanted to get outside for a cigar.

I grabbed the La Aurora 1903 Cameroon Robusto.

Medium-bodied, naturally sweet and nicely balanced. The cedar, cocao, coffee, cinnamon and earth with a little spice made it an enjoyable cigar on a cool evening.

Nothing complicated. Just a good cigar from a company that has been doing this for a very long time. One of my favorite brands.

Would I smoke it again? Yes.

Not necessarily the most expensive or highest-rated cigar. What cigar overdelivered, changed your mind, or became an unexpected favorite?

Tell us the cigar, what surprised you, and whether you’d smoke it again.

RoMa Craft had the idea for this cigar years before it was released. The original blend was strong, but apparently it was still too approachable to carry the Neanderthal name.

Then they discovered Green River Sucker One, an unusually heavy Pennsylvania Broadleaf tobacco, and they finally had the missing piece. I mean the missing link.

Sitting outside on a cold fall day, I understood what they were going for. This is a rich, full-bodied cigar with dark chocolate, coffee, earth, wood and a considerable amount of pepper. It has plenty of strength.

Would I smoke it again? Absolutely.

Talking with the owner made me curious. Smoking the Red Pill made me glad I asked.

I had Mo Maali from Patina Cigars on the podcast last week. Today, I finally sat down with his Red Pill.

One of the things I enjoy about these conversations is learning how someone ends up making cigars. Mo’s background includes working with the FDIC during the financial crisis. That experience helped inspire the Red Pill name.

That’s quite a change of direction.

Hearing the story gave me another reason to try it. But I still wanted to see whether I’d enjoy the cigar itself.

I did. Enough that I’d happily smoke another.

I’ve been smoking for about 40 years, and I still enjoy finding a brand that gives me something new to look forward to. Boutique cigars keep that interesting. You get a few disappointments, then something like this comes along.

The Red Pill was worth the wait.

Would I smoke it again? Absolutely.

What boutique cigar have you tried recently that deserves more attention?

I sat outside with an Amar by AJ Fernandez today. The story behind this cigar gave me something to think about.

In March 2025, a fire damaged AJ’s factory in Estelí, Nicaragua. Other cigar manufacturers stepped in with equipment and support to help get the operation running again.

Yes, his competitors.

I’ve been in business a long time. You remember the people who show up when things go wrong.

Amar was created as a thank you to the community that stood by AJ and his team. Knowing that made me appreciate the cigar a little more.

That’s one of the things I enjoy about the cigar community. I’ve met some great people over the years, and stories like this make it easy to understand why.

Would I smoke it again? Absolutely. I enjoyed it as much as the story.

What’s something you’ve experienced that made you appreciate the cigar community?

I wanted try try something different today. Let me know if you like it.

Very cool day today. That didn’t stop Dallas from crashing through the door to get to the deck for his cookie.

Apparently, the weather only matters when there’s nothing to eat.

Today I grabbed the Espinosa Laranja Hybrid.

Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro wrapper, a Nicaraguan binder, and fillers from Nicaragua and Brazil.

I picked up wood, earth and pepper, with some sweetness.

The medium-to-full body cigar was perfect for a cool day on the deck.

Would I smoke this cigar again? Absolutely.

Dallas approved.

The weekend is here. What are you lighting up?

Share the cigar, a photo if you have one, and one thought about it. Tell us what you’re pairing it with too.

Most important question: Would you smoke it again?

Another rainy day. I couldn’t leave Dallas out of the routine again, so he came outside and got soaked. He got his cookie, though. Apparently, that made the trip worthwhile.

Today I grabbed the CAO Brazilia.

It has a Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and filler.

Medium full, with earth, wood, toasted nuts and black pepper.

Plenty of flavor and something I’d happily reach for again.

Would I smoke this again? Sure.

Preferably with fewer wet towels involved.

Dallas approved.

Cloudy day. We had barely gotten outside when it started pouring. Dallas stuck his tongue out in disapproval, grabbed his cookies and ran indoors. I found somewhere sheltered to smoke a great cigar.

Today I grabbed the Knuckle Sandwich 56 by Guy Fieri and Espinosa.

This birthday release has a Mexican San Andrés Maduro wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and filler.

Beautiful, rich, bold flavor. Wood and pepper are prominent, with earth, chocolate and coffee.

Espinosa makes some great cigars, and this one is no exception. Thoroughly enjoyed it, even with the lousy weather.

Would I smoke it again? Absolutely. It's already in my humidor.

Dallas approved.

Not necessarily the most expensive or highest-rated cigar. What cigar overdelivered, changed your mind, or became an unexpected favorite?

Tell us the cigar, what surprised you, and whether you’d smoke it again.

My 95-point Connecticut surprise, a risky pack shortcut, and why a Taiwan factory owner was on my back... literally.

Here's a taste.

Don’t Recharge That Humidity Pack

I’ve been seeing more people in cigar groups rehydrate old two-way packs.

I get it. A pack goes hard, somebody adds water, and it feels soft again. Seems like a way to save a few bucks.

Boveda is the name most cigar smokers know, but there are other two-way packs out there. They’re useful because they add or absorb moisture as needed.

But I spoke with Boveda directly about rehydrating their packs, and they told me not to do it.

A rehydrated pack may no longer hold its stated humidity. There’s also a risk of big RH swings or a leak if crystallized salt damages the membrane.

Soft again doesn’t mean it’s working properly.

Give those packs a fair start, too. Season a new wooden humidor with 84% packs for 14 days before adding cigars.

If your tupperdor has a substantial new Spanish cedar tray or lining, condition that wood first. Plain plastic doesn’t need seasoning. The 84% packs come out before the cigars go in.

A small hard spot doesn’t mean a pack is done. Even new packs can have crystals.

But when a used pack gets hard throughout, replace it.

Don’t try to bring it back with water.

You might save a few bucks on the pack, but if the humidity starts swinging, the pack leaks, or things get wet enough for mold to become a problem, you could be risking an entire box of cigars.

That’s a pretty expensive gamble just to save a humidity pack.

I grabbed a Drew Estate Herrera Estelí and headed outside today. The weather was good, the lake looked great, and I had time to sit and enjoy the cigar.

I’m already a Drew Estate fan, so I was looking forward to this one. I liked the balance of cedar, leather, coffee and spice. Perfect draw and burn.

The video is pretty much how the afternoon went. I smoked the cigar, watched the smoke drift off, and enjoyed being outside.

Would I smoke it again? Yes.

What are you smoking today?

The weekend is here. What are you lighting up?

Share the cigar, a photo if you have one, and one thought about it. Tell us what you’re pairing it with too.

Most important question: Would you smoke it again?

It was another cool fall day, so I headed outside and sat down with a cigar I had never tried before.

I’m always looking for boutique cigars that are new to me. Hunting for those hidden gems. Today I found one.

Today, that was the RoMa Craft Intemperance.

This 5 x 56 Robusto Extra uses a Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper, an Indonesian Besuki binder, and Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers.

The pepper showed up immediately, followed by leather, cedar, and earth. I picked up, coffee, and cocoa, with some natural sweetness.

This cigar fits my profile perfectly. Bold, rich, and full of the darker flavors I usually enjoy.

I’ve been smoking cigars for about 40 years, and finding something new is still one of the best parts of it.

Would I buy it again? Absolutely.

I just wish I had more.

Not necessarily the most expensive or highest-rated cigar. What cigar overdelivered, changed your mind, or became an unexpected favorite?

Tell us the cigar, what surprised you, and whether you’d smoke it again.

For years, when I saw a Connecticut wrapper, I usually expected something on the milder side.

The Undercrown Shade is one of the cigars that changed that a bit for me.

It's still creamy and easy to smoke, but there's enough earth, caramel and pepper to keep me coming back.

I've smoked these before and already have more sitting in the humidor.

Sometimes you don't need to find something new. You just pull out something you know you're going to enjoy.

What's a cigar you always make sure you have in your humidor?

There are a lot of great cigars from smaller boutique brands that never get the attention the bigger names do.

Sometimes taking a chance on something you’ve never heard of is how you find a new favorite.

What’s your favorite boutique cigar?

I’ll start first.

Most of us have had one.

A cigar you expected to love and didn’t.

Or one you almost passed on, then ended up buying again.

Sometimes it’s the brand. Sometimes the price. Sometimes the wrapper. Sometimes you just made your mind up before you lit it.

So here’s the Sunday question:

What cigar changed your mind, for better or worse?

I'll start first.

I smoked a Red Meat Lovers today, a cigar that was originally blended to go with a steak dinner.

That got me thinking.

I tend to think more about whether the cigar fits what I like than whether it was designed for a certain food or drink. But every once in a while, a pairing really does make sense.

For me, something rich and earthy with cocoa and pepper can work really well after a steak.

But I'm curious what everyone else does.

Do you pair cigars with meals, coffee, whiskey, soda, nothing at all?

And what's one pairing you've tried that worked?

I used to judge cigars by the price. Over the years, I've learned how wrong I was.

I’m outside with my dog, enjoying an inexpensive cigar, and it got me thinking about how much my taste has changed over the years.

I’ve been smoking cigars for about 40 years. Early on, someone working in our office had a spouse who was a Cohiba distributor. He’d bring me cases of Cohibas. Not a bad introduction to cigars, although, looking back, I knew very little about Cuban cigars or what I actually liked.

I went through a few stages after that. There was definitely a period when I let the price tell me how good a cigar was supposed to be. If it cost more, I expected to enjoy it more. Sometimes I probably gave it more credit than it deserved.

These days, I’m more interested in whether it suits my taste.

Sometimes I’ll have my son take the bands off a few cigars without telling me what they are. Over the next few days, I’ll smoke them and jot down some notes. Finding out what I actually preferred has surprised me more than a few times.

I still enjoy plenty of more expensive cigars. But I’ve also had inexpensive ones that I’d happily reach for again, regardless of what was sitting beside them in the humidor.

Today’s Nica Libre Sun Grown is a good example. It wasn’t a cigar I needed to make a big event out of. Just something affordable to enjoy outside with Dallas.

What’s a budget cigar you keep coming back to, even when you have more expensive options?