Some cigars demand an occasion. Others simply find their way into one. This particular evening wasn’t about celebration, contemplation, or chasing some spectacular sunset. It was maintenance night in the Cave—one of those routines I’ve followed for years. Weapons out. Cleaning cloths on the table. A little oil. Inspection. Wipe down. …

I hadn’t planned on writing anything this week, but I just smoked a really wonderful cigar. It was called an Optimate, but don’t confuse it with the machine-made short filler Optimo brand that you see in supermarkets or drugs stores… this was a real quality cigar. I looked up the …

There are cigar names that feel like marketing, and then there are cigars that somehow find themselves in exactly the environment they were meant for. ADVentura Blackfin’s Parlay found me aboard The Reel Paws on a Saturday morning, cruising the Fort Lauderdale Intracoastal with Stacey beside me, Saber along for the adventure, …

There are cigars you buy because of the wrapper. There are cigars you chase because of the blender, the rarity, the reputation, or some ridiculous score printed beside the price tag. And then, every once in a great while, you choose a cigar for a completely ordinary reason—and life gives …

Well, it’s that time of the year again. Time to head to Kansas to visit relatives, then out to Wyoming to see our son Shane, and then to pack up here in New Jersey and head down to Florida.  So, I may not be writing this blog thing as often …