5 Things You Need… in Your Cigar Smoking Man Cave

5 Essentials For Your Cigar Smoking Man Cave

Updated November 2020

Ah, the man cave… your getaway, your sacred space. Where the “do not disturb” sign should be taken seriously.

One thing I’ve learned in this WFH age is that having a place to get away is more important than ever: it’s not just where you could sit back with some smokes and some pals and watch a game or drink and throw some bones. Today, it might even be a place where you can sit down and focus on your job.

So if it’s been on your mind to make a space at home to smoke cigars and hang with some friends (and maybe get a little work done), then this guide is for you. I’ll walk you through the planning steps, and finish with a list of great budget-minded cigar stuff that your new man cave will absolutely need.

Putting it All Together

Just because you’re making a cigar friendly spot doesn’t mean you have to host a herf for 50. When it comes to man caves, bigger isn’t always better – comfortable is better. So if you can find inner peace in your basement or attic with a pair of chairs, a TV, and a few of your bowling trophies next to your humidor, you’ve already got half the work done for you. Sure, it would be great to go completely bonkers with a themed room that has stadium seating, a 120” TV, and a six-figure collection of sports and music swag. But how big you go depends on what kind of space you have, and what kind of budget you’re working with; and it’s entirely possible that one (or both) will be decided for you. Whether you’re taking a few bucks to the home center for paint and an air purifier, or you’re taking down walls with a full renovation in mind – you gotta have a plan. Especially for your ventilation options.

No matter how well you can air your space out, it’s still going to be a challenge to get rid of the smoke smell. Take it from a guy who was used to smoking in his office, until this Covid/WFH became a thing: no matter how good your air filters are, if you smoke a lot of cigars in there everything gets a little dusty, a little sticky and a little dirty. And anything made of cloth is a smoke magnet.

So when you’re furnishing your cigar room, go with leather or vinyl for the furniture, and wood or laminate for the floors…smoke will not do a rug or upholstered furniture any favors. Also – skip the curtains (they’re smoke traps) and go with blinds if you have windows.

A couple of tips to make your new favorite room in the house livable…

Make it comfortable. If smoking a cigar is going to consume an hour of your time, don’t let it be in a place that makes your ass hurt. When you’re arranging the furniture, make sure you can see and hear from all over the room. Soundbars are cheap and everything is Bluetooth – so as long as there’s no bad seat in the house, you won’t ruin the movie or game because you had to rewind 3 times and ask, “What did that guy say?”

Don’t go far for your essentials. If you want to have drinks on hand, and your cigar accessories nearby, have a space for them. All it takes is a small fridge or shelf/cabinet combo to create a serviceable bar area. Actually, it’s amazing to me the number of houses I’ve seen for sale that have a swanky bar in the basement. Those are good bones to work with. Whether or not your abode is so blessed, just have a place for a refreshment stash close by so you don’t have to go all the way up to the kitchen for a couple of beers.

Google “cool man cave” and you’ll see an endless stream of the most incredible ideas, themes and inspirations for an at-home cigar den. But while we’re not all blessed with deep pockets, it’s easy – and just as rewarding – to make a cool and comfortable place to hang, and that you can be proud showing off. As themes go, your retreat is a reflection of you…and I‘m sure you already have an idea of what your cigar smoking man cave would look like, if you had one.

Let you be you. As far as themes go, well – I’m no interior decorator…but if you’re a serious beer guy, I’d expect you to have a small tap setup at a bar with some craft brews, or even your own homebrew. You whiskey fans might have a good array of daily drinkers and special occasion hooch, along with some cool accessories, plus stuff on the walls that project your passions. In my case, I have plenty of treasures collected from my previous lives: vintage instruments, autographed music stuff, a few platinum records. Lots of cigar things, of course.

Don’t forget to leave room for the things you like to do – or need to do, like work. I’m actually a huge fan of smoking cigars while I write; I find that a smoke helps me think, create and keep my hands productive. So don’t be afraid to mix a little business with your pleasure in your cigar man cave.

So what else can we add to this smoky retreat and make the most of your smoking experience?

Thing 1: Something to Keep Your Cigars In

That’s a humidor – and for a box befitting your at-home retreat and center of your chill universe, it should check both boxes: safe storage and style. Start by assessing the number of cigars you want to (or possibly can) keep on hand. Also ask yourself, is this where I’m going to crash and have an occasional cigar, or is this going to be a full-tilt, full-time smoking lounge?

When you’re curating your own cigar collection for an at home cigar lounge, it’s easy to keep a well-rounded humidor stocked with a little bit of everything to fit your mood. It’s also nice to have a couple of cigar options for your friends who drop by. But if you don’t have room for a huge humi like either of the NewAir wineadors that we’ve reviewed in the past, you still have plenty of well-performing storage options.

As for style, the word is vibe. Keep the theme: The Dude’s rug really tied the room together; shouldn’t your humidor do the same?

If you have a wine cellar kind of vibe going, the Renaissance will help you keep upwards of 100 cigars at home to smoke with your Cabs and your Ports. Or your 2-Buck Chuck (you do you, I’m no judge).

Let’s say your man cave is more cigar-friendly than cigar-focused. If you only need to keep a small stash at hand, the Walnut Glass top humidor does a great job (according to the customer reviews) at keeping 10-20 cigars ready to smoke – and looking great while doing it.

I gifted this to a friend, and he was bowled over by the Amalfi – a straightforward, but stately humidor that holds what I’d call a “medium” sized stash of 50 sticks or so.

This Bally II Glass Top humidor offers the same kind of tasteful presentation of your cigars as the smaller humidor with the see-through lid, but this offers a higher capacity – and similarly high ratings.

On the other end of the spectrum, there’s the Diamond Crown Wesley – built with everything you’d love in a top-shelf box…solid wood construction and holds 2 or 3 boxes of cigars, it’s a good pick if (a) money is no object or (b) you’re putting the bulk of your budget into cigar gear like this.

Then there’s the Countertop Display Humidor, if your humidor is to be the centerpiece of your man cave cigar setup. A smoke shop quality standing humidor, it features a horizontal layout to show off your smokes. If your setup is centered around a bar, this would kill. Bonus: watch how you can access all 150 cigars from either side.

Thing 2: Something to Cut Your Cigars With

A cigar cutter is a pretty personal thing: we each have our own cuts we prefer to use. And frankly, if you’re having some pals over to smoke cigars and watch a game, I’d expect that your friends would have their own cutters anyway.

But a good man cave is hospitable, and that means being prepared with a cutter in case one of your guests forgot theirs. And if that’s the case, I’d lean towards offering a “community” cutter that offers versatility and can prepare a range of cigar shapes and sizes. But don’t overlook cool factor, either.

A classy addition to any cigar setup, these Orleans silver and black cigars scissors are actually useful for more than cutting cigars – although the sub-$10 price should have been reason enough to keep ‘em on hand.

The epitome of versatile, this Firstland 4-in1 tabletop cutter is an update to the 4-cutter rig we’ve long recommended. The original had 2 straight and 2 v cuts; this has a new black finish and a wider assortment of cutting options. Excellent upgrades.

More than any cigar accessory, a great cutter will lend your cigar cave plenty of wow factor. And to me, the Quality Imports tabletop butcher style guillotine cutter does it in eyebrow-raising fashion – this is my pick for the biggest eye catcher in this entire guide. How well does it work? I can’t say from experience – but it’s a conversation piece for sure.

The biggest reason (other than style) to consider these cigar cutters for your home lounge: none of them are pocket-sized. That makes them harder to misplace, and harder for your house cutter to grow legs (though I’m sure your friend didn’t mean to walk off with it). But if you are worried that someone might leave your cigar room with a “parting gift” – keep a stash of cheapies on hand, like this 64RG cutting Vertigo Lil’ Bro:

One important point to remember: if the pandemic has taught us anything, an ounce of prevention matters more than ever – so sanitize your house cutter after each use. And it’s perfectly fine to make your house rules as strict as the local cigar lounge rules: don’t put your cigar in your mouth first, and then use the community cutter.

Thing 3: Something to Light Your Cigar With

What kind of lighter you use is also a matter of preference – and a lot of times, it’s the size of the cigar you smoke that really dictates what kind of lighter you’d use.

Of course, you also want something that performs reliably – because you can’t sit down and enjoy a cigar if you’re digging through every drawer looking for one that works.

So we’ll look at some good “utility players” that are applicable to a wide variety of vitolas and add an extra touch of cool to the room, at the same time.

The Vertigo Hades lighter’s single torch focuses a single jet of fire on the foot of your cigar – great for lighting small ring gauge smokes but stands tall on the table and lends some lounge cred to your man cave.

The Xikar Allume Double jet lighter has long been one of our most often recommended cigar lighters. But to add a little bit of flash to your fire, step up to the Xikar Verano Flat Flame lighter. You can wield the firepower of a double jet torch, concentrated in an easy-to-aim flat flame that’s insanely fuel efficient. And pretty cool.

As we step up to larger RG cigars, and some cigar lighters better equipped to light them…here’s where we find the Visol Rhino. Three jets pack plenty of punch, with a sturdy case, big fuel window – and a cigar rest formed into the flip top.

This Vector Thundra is a matte black and chrome triple flame that I think would go great with the Xikar Burnout ashtray below. Features a huge butane tank capacity and ignites on the first push of the button – so just flip open, click and fire.

Crank up the heat on your favorite 7x70s with the Xikar HP4 Quad lighter: a four-jet torch flame lighter that’s herf-ready out of the box. Comes in six finish options, each backed by Xikar’s lifetime warranty.

If you’d prefer a less expensive alternative to the HP4, I’ve recommended the Jet Line Leather quad flame many times over. Not just because of the four searing jets of fire, and their ability to light the biggest of cigars – it’s the refined look that hooked me, because so many cigar lighters look like crazy sci-fi pocket weapons from outer space instead of…a lighter.

Thing 4: Something to Put Your Cigar Down On – Ashtrays

So far, you’ve got a good room going – nice vibe, great cigars, and all the accessories, except one: the ashtray. This is not the time to take the easy route of a Solo cup with water, or grab the cheap plastic ashtray that usually lives on your picnic table. Complete the package with a bit of style. But should you go big or small?

This really depends on your setup; if your herfing layout is a couple of chairs around a central table, I’d lean toward a large central ashtray that’s within everyone’s reach. If you’ve pointed a comfy chair or two at the tv, and they’re spread out across the room, then an ashtray for each seat is a little more convenient…because no one wants to have to get up and walk across the room just to ash their cigar.

The Craftsman’s Bench Sterling ashtray is a straightforward bowl, sized right to catch all the ash of a single cigar or two. Spread two or three of these throughout the room, if you don’t have centralized seating.

Or go with this Visol ashtray for all the same reasons – except that it’s a rectangle, not round.

Cheap and deep: the HF Melamine Grid is a colorful alternative to the similarly styled ashtrays out there. The well is deep, the saddles are plentiful, it’s easy to clean, and impossible to tip over. And that extra space under the lid means fewer trips to empty it out.

Our customer Pottsc in Idaho called this Boca Grande Leaf ashtray “a good cigar den addition.” I can see why: plenty of space for ashes and airflow, which helps keep your cigar burning evenly. Only drawback I found was that there’s only two saddles for cigars. If your man cave vibe is straight cigar lounge, this one’s a no brainer. Also available in a darker brown “Maduro.”

Here’s one more, if your man cave leans motorsports. The Xikar Burnout is shaped like a custom wheel, with plenty of spots to set your cigar down. Easy-clean melamine makes wiping up a breeze. Not just an ash catcher, but an eye catcher too.

Thing 5: Something to keep the place from stinking like old cigars (Ventilation/Smoke Elimination)

In the Cigar Advisor office, we’ve relied on some different ventilation systems over the past couple of years, including Rabbit Air systems and UV filtration that removes the smoke particulates from the air. Depending on how serious a smoking space you’re planning to build, I’d expect (recommend, actually) that you’ll either (a) at least crack open a window or (b) consult a pro.

Experts are expensive, but worth the investment if you’re intent on a cigar bar level smoke eater. But no matter what kind of ventilation system you choose, make sure you properly seal off your door jambs so smoke doesn’t travel, and turn the neighboring rooms into part of your at-home cigar lounge by accident.

The cleaner the air, the better. But if busting open walls and rerouting the HVAC in your house isn’t in the cards, consider an air purifier that at least meets the following needs:

One thing we can help you control is the lingering aftereffects of cigar night. It’s a cheap way to help stop the smell at the source, called Whiff Out:

Sprinkle any of the three formulations (what “rustic” and “vintage” smell like, I don’t know) to help eliminate the stale smoke smell at the source, right in your ashtray. Cheap insurance for helping keep your room from smelling like stale smoke. It’s great for getting the smoke smell out of your clothes, too – and they even make a spray to spare your upholstery.

One More Thing: Cigars

Last but not least…I mean, it wouldn’t be a cigar room without cigars, would it?

The tough thing is, this is so subjective that I don’t even know where to begin. Truth is, you’ll end up smoking what you like – and isn’t that really what you’re supposed to do in a smoky man cave?

As I mentioned before, I like having a well-rounded humidor. By keeping a little bit of everything in there – a few mellow sticks, some medium sticks, and a few full sticks – you’re just as ready for a morning cigar with coffee, a midday meditation smoke, or an after-dinner cigar that will give you plenty of relaxation, and an escape from the rigors of the real world.

Happy man cave planning – I’ll be looking for my invite to drop over once it’s done!