An independent look at cigars, gear and the culture around them.
A holiday gift guide for anyone shopping for someone who enjoys cigars, with cutters, lighters, ashtrays, starter sets and cigar samplers by budget, and what to check before you order.
Read the story: Gifts for cigar lovers: a holiday guide for people who don’t smoke themWhat relative humidity measures, why published targets differ, and what too wet, too dry and too warm can do to stored cigars.
Read the guide: Understanding your humidor’s humidityWhat the guides say about strength, size and wrapper for a first cigar, where they disagree, what a sampler is for, and what to look for before you buy.
Read the story: How to choose your first cigarA note from Charles
I’m Charles. Cut & Smoke is where I document what I’m learning about cigars, storage, gear and pairings.
Meet the person behind the journalThe everyday setup
How cigar cutters and lighting tools work, the trade-offs the sources name for each, and where those sources disagree about what is easy, what is hot and what changes the taste.
Read the story : The basic tools for cutting and lighting a cigar
