Cigars Daily

July 4th, 2026 is America's 250th birthday. Two and a half centuries since the Declaration of Independence was signed and the whole experiment got started. The country is throwing a party and the cigar industry showed up with something I honestly did not expect. An actual American puro. Every single leaf grown right here in the United States. No Nicaraguan filler. No Dominican binder. No Ecua...

Last year My Father dropped the Blue and it changed the conversation. A Honduran puro from the Garcia family, produced at their brand new factory, and it flew off shelves faster than anyone expected. Some people called it a home run. Some thought it was just okay. But nobody ignored it. Now the second cigar out of that same Honduras factory has arrived and it's called La Lealtad, which means...

Tonight on Cigars Daily LIVE, I've got fresh space in the humidor and I'm looking to fill it with cigar makers that are actually worth going all in on. Not brands with one good cigar. Brands that show real consistency, identity, momentum, and staying power. I've already placed some big bets on names like Crowned Heads, Tatuaje, Atabey, Byron, Alfonso, Meerapfel, Ozgener, El Mago, an...

PCA 2026 is almost here and the announcements are coming in faster than we can keep up with. Dunbarton just dropped 18,000 new releases. Espinosa is putting out eight-ish. My Father has La Lealtad. Oliva built a humidor shaped like a soccer ball. Plasencia rebranded the whole company. And we haven’t even gotten to the show floor yet. Tonight the whole crew is pulling up to talk about the releases...

PCA 2026 is right around the corner and the leaks are already out of control. Plasencia is changing their entire logo and brand identity for the first time in forever. My Father just announced a brand new release called La Lealtad coming out of their Honduras factory. And Oliva just dropped maybe the most bizarre release I’ve seen in a long time. A Serie V Melanio humidor shaped like a literal soc...

If you've watched this show for any amount of time, you know Billy. The man, the myth, the chicken wrangler. Cigars Daily's fictional CEO who rules the roost with an iron beak and has earned a cult following among the Cigars Daily Nation. Tonight we're sitting down with Jonas Santana of Blackbird Cigar Co. to introduce Billy's very own blend. It's called Cock of the Walk,...

Tonight on Cigars Daily LIVE we've got Nick Melillo of Foundation Cigars in the house. Nick is one of the most respected names in the business and Foundation is celebrating 10 years, so we're getting into the whole story. How the brand started, what it took to build it, and what he's learned along the way about making something that lasts in this industry. We'll talk about the...

Tonight on Cigars Daily LIVE 421, we’re leaning into the St. Patrick’s Day spirit and talking about the cigars that make us green with envy. These are the projects that make other cigar makers stop and say, “Man… I wish we had done that.” From legendary limited releases like Alec Bradley’s Filthy Hooligan, to brand-new flavor bombs like Romeo y Julieta’s Reserva Real Nicaragua Profundo crafted by...

Tonight on Cigars Daily LIVE 420, we’re celebrating milestones… and then immediately getting shown up by Steve Saka. Over the last few weeks there have been a lot of big moments worth raising a cigar for — 15 years of marriage, 10 years working in the cigar industry, the Cigars Daily YouTube channel crossing 350,000 subscribers, and even my Dodge Challenger rolling over a very distinguished mileag...

Ten years ago I walked into this industry looking for part-time work while I was serving as a pastor. I had no idea that decision would change my entire life. What started as a side gig turned into a calling. Cigar maker, content creator, lounge manager, retail owner. Eventually all of that led to co-founding Cigars Daily with my father-in-law Jim Campbell. A decade later we've built one of t...

He started as the gopher guy at a factory in Estelí, Nicaragua. Nearly 20 years later, he's one of the most recognized faces in the entire industry. Tonight Drew Estate's Global Brand Ambassador Pedro Gomez joins us LIVE to tell his story — how a kid from humble beginnings in Nicaragua ended up becoming the voice of one of the biggest brands in the business. My name is Tim and I'm t...

Cuba just cancelled its biggest annual festival for the first time since 1999. The island is in crisis — blackouts, fuel rationing, and airlines pulling out entirely. What does this mean for the future of Cuban craftsmanship, and what does it signal for the global industry?

Tonight on Cigars Daily LIVE 416, we've got Oliva Nick in the studio, which means it's one of those nights where everyone in the chat gets to interrogate a real cigar industry insider while we sit here and pretend we're mature adults. We'll be talking Oliva updates, what's actually happening with new releases this year, and the kind of behind-the-scenes stuff cigar people...

Tonight on Cigars Daily LIVE 415, we’re talking about what I’m calling The 2026 Cigar Squeeze—because it feels like cigar smokers are getting pinched from every direction right now. Prices are moving, checkout totals are getting weird, and depending on where you live, shipping and taxes are starting to feel like a mini boss fight you didn’t sign up for. And no—this isn’t some “go buy everything ri...

Cigar lounges used to be the heartbeat of cigar culture—where you learned, met people, and actually hung out. But lately it feels like the lounge is getting squeezed from every direction. Some places are dealing with regulatory pressure, others are fighting the simple reality that people spend more time online than ever… and even when you walk into a lounge, half the room is already on their phone...

It’s that time of year again — the lists are out, the debates are raging, and everyone wants to know the same thing: what’s really the No. 1 cigar of the year? In this episode of Cigars Daily LIVE, we’re digging into the Cigar of the Year results from the major publications. We’ll walk through the rankings, talk about what the critics got right, where they missed the mark, and why some cigars alwa...

Some cigars are good. Some are memorable. And then there are cigars that refuse to quit. Tonight on Cigars Daily LIVE, we’re telling the full story behind Unkillable — a cigar born out of resilience, grit, and the kind of determination that defines this industry. This isn’t just about a blend; it’s about what it represents and why that idea matters in a world that’s constantly trying to wear peopl...

It’s the first Cigars Daily LIVE of 2026, and we’re kicking the year off exactly how we mean to continue it: with hot takes, questionable choices, and a whole lot of fun. Tonight we’re talking Top Lists as they start rolling out across the cigar world—what they get right, what they miss, and why you shouldn’t let a list tell you what to enjoy. We’re also unveiling something brand new and completel...

It’s the last LIVE of the year, and tonight we’re doing something big. We’re taking a deep look back at 2025 — the festivals, the trends, the standout cigars, the industry moments you loved (and some you didn’t see coming) — and then turning our attention forward to 2026 with predictions, premonitions, and bold calls for what’s next. We’ll recap the year’s hottest events, review what made headline...

The holidays are here — and so is the chaos. From judgmental in-laws to freezing back patios to your aunt who’s still trying to tell you cigars are worse than cigarettes… it can be a lot. In this episode of Cigars Daily LIVE, we’re talking about how cigars can actually make the holidays better. Whether it’s escaping the madness for a moment of peace or sparking up meaningful conversations in the g...

The Magic 8 Ball has been shaken, and the future is hazy… but that’s never stopped us before. In this episode of Cigars Daily LIVE, we’re peering into 2026 to make our boldest cigar predictions yet. From industry trends and upcoming projects to award-season guesses and long-shot prophecies, this is our chance to call our shots and see what the next year might hold for cigar lovers. We’ll talk abou...

Tonight on Cigars Daily LIVE, I’m joined by Michael Knowles — yes, that Michael Knowles — who’s stepping into the lounge to talk cigars, history, craftsmanship, and his own new project: Mayflower Cigars. This isn’t a political show and it isn’t a debate. It’s two guys hanging out, talking cigars, joking around, and digging into the story behind a blend inspired by one of the most iconic journeys i...

This last week has been absolute madness in the cigar world — and tonight we’re unpacking all of it. From Thanksgiving rolling straight into Cigartopia, to the launch of LecheBurra, Steve Saka’s visit to the HQ, and the non-stop chaos of Black Friday weekend… it’s been one of the wildest stretches I’ve ever experienced at Cigars Daily. And as if that wasn’t enough, we’re heading into December with...

Tonight on Cigars Daily LIVE, we’re unleashing the wildest episode of the entire year. Steve Saka from Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust is in the studio, and we’re diving deep into the story behind LecheBurra — the completely unhinged collaboration he and I cooked up together (mostly he, but we’ll explain more during the show). This is the kind of project you can only make with Saka: part genius, par...

Tonight, we’re putting the power in your hands. This is Cigars Daily LIVE: Community Choice 2025 — where we find out which cigars you think are true 10/10s. The chat will build the leaderboard as we go, so drop your top smokes in the comments and we’ll crown a winner by the end of the night. Are we talking Padron 1926? Tabernacle? Or something totally off the radar? We’ll run some quick-fire shout...