Reading Time: 5 minutes Back in the 1970s and 80s, cigar smoking was something your grandfather did. But then seemingly overnight, the “face of the industry” literally changed. And yet while the image of cigar smokers was changing drastically, the sheer number of cigars being imported and sold was even more mind-boggling.
And then, almost overnight, the boom was over.
The fascinating thing about operating in a business boom cycle is that you are constantly kidding yourself about how long it will last. But in this cycle lay the seeds for a real cigar market that would take us into the 21^st century.

Reading Time: 6 minutes Members of Charlie Toraño’s family were imprisoned by the Cuban revolutionary regime, the fathers of his friends were jailed as part of the Bay of Pigs invasion, and most of his family and friends lost everything and had to begin a new life in a different country. So when it comes to Cuba and the U.S. embargo against her, you're damn right it's personal.

Reading Time: 5 minutes Informed cigar smokers often want to know what tobaccos are in their favorite blends, but as Charlie Toraño argues, you’re basically asking cigar makers to reveal their trade secrets. What’s more, even knowing country of origin, seed, and priming of all the tobaccos in a blend, you still know less than you think about the blend. Charlie asks: is an oversupply of information limiting your cigar experience?

Reading Time: 5 minutes On October 18, 2007, my wife and two kids were enjoying a meal around the kitchen table like it was any other Thursday. I, on the other hand, was glued to CSPAN-LIVE counting votes and praying that the handmade cigar industry would survive. The moment was surreal: whether it knew it or not, my federal government was threatening to destroy my business, an industry rooted in tradition and passion, and the simple joy of smoking a great cigar.