Cigar Trivia
Do you know the story behind the culebra, those three cigars braided together? Why twist them into a bundle?
Answer at the bottom of email
Hey, it's Norm.
The Big Smoke is coming up in a few weeks, and it reminded me of this story from last year.
My buddy, Kevin and I had traveled all day.
We found these two seats at the MonteCristo Lounge and lit up.
Seemed harmless at the time.
That was a mistake.
But that chair belonged to someone everyone in the lounge recognized… except me.
I’ll tell you how it played out down below.
Enjoy this week's newsletter.
Here’s a sneak peak into this week’s podcast!
01 📕 FROM THE PORCH
I Didn’t Recognize the Cigar… Or Him.
People kept coming over to shake his hand and have their pictures taken with him.
I had no idea who he was.
I just knew I’d taken his chair.
My buddy Kevin and I had spent the day traveling to Las Vegas for the Big Smoke. Exhausted, we ended up at the MonteCristo Lounge, found two seats, and lit up.
Finally, time to relax.
Except we were sitting across from each other, and I could barely hear Kevin.
A gentleman beside him got up and left. So I took his chair.
Much better.
About ten minutes later, he returned.
“Oh, that was my seat.”
No problem.
I moved back to my original spot, where I still couldn’t hear Kevin.
The gentleman sat down, smoking a cigar I didn’t recognize. We started talking.
Meanwhile, people kept approaching him. Handshakes. Pictures.
Clearly, they knew something we didn’t.
It turned out he was the sole owner of the MonteCristo cigar lounges and ran a large cigar distribution company.
And I’d taken his seat.
We talked for two to three hours. I’m glad I didn’t make a big deal about the chair.
After 40 years of smoking cigars, that’s what I love about the culture. You don’t need to know who’s beside you. Beginner, longtime smoker, or the owner of the place, you’re welcome to join the conversation.
We still bump into each other, and he remembers how we met.
I went into that lounge exhausted. I left having made a friend.
All because I moved back to the seat where I couldn’t hear Kevin.
— Norm
🔥 Where do you keep most of your cigars?
02 ⭐️ CIGAR OF THE WEEK
A.J. Fernandez Amar Toro
A.J. handed me two Amars at PCA in New Orleans. I smoked one right there. The second came home with me.
I saved that one for a day when I could sit back, relax, and enjoy it.
The 6 × 56 Toro has a Nicaraguan Habano wrapper, with Nicaraguan binder and filler grown on A.J.’s farms. It’s made at his San Lotano factory in Ocotal.
For me, it was medium to full. I got earth and cedar, with a little pepper on the retrohale. Coffee and cinnamon became more noticeable as I smoked, and there was a natural sweetness throughout.
The pepper picked up toward the end.
The draw was perfect and the cigar burned evenly, and didn’t need any touchups. Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed this cigar.
Amar also has a story worth sharing. After the 2025 fire at A.J.’s Estelí factory, the community rallied around him.
Other cigar companies, including competitors, helped him get back to work. Amar is his thank-you to those people.
The name means “to love” in Spanish, and the box reads “Gold Is Tested By Fire.”
I gave it 92/100. At an $11 MSRP, this is definitely one I’d smoke again and keep in the rotation.
Read my full review: A.J. Fernandez Amar Toro review →
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02 🚨 NEW RELEASES
Check Out These For Your Next Smoke
Here are five recent releases to keep an eye out for. A couple of limited runs, a new shape, and one that goes all the way to an 80 ring gauge.
1. La Flor Dominicana Andalusian Bull 10th Anniversary Maduro
The Bull turns ten, and LFD is marking it with a Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro wrapper. It keeps that familiar figurado shape. The interesting part is inside: Dominican tobacco from the 2016 harvest, aged since the original Bull came out. Just 5,000 boxes of ten.
Shipping: Began October 7. U.S. MSRP: $35 per cigar.
La Flor Dominicana
2. Tatuaje Monster Jason Redux 6
Jason is back, just in time for Halloween. This sixth Monster Redux release is a 7½ × 52, with a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper and Nicaraguan binder and filler. It comes in coffin-style boxes of thirteen. There are 5,000 boxes in this run.
Shipping: Scheduled for early October. U.S. MSRP: $13 per cigar.
Tatuaje
3. Don Emmanuel Anunnaki Enki
The change here is the shape. Enki takes the Anunnaki blend, developed with Eladio Díaz, and puts it into a 6 × 54 figurado with a tapered head and closed foot. I’m always interested in how the same blend smokes in a different size or shape.
Shipping: Underway by September 30. U.S. MSRP: $18 per cigar, in boxes of ten.
Don Emmanuel
4. Beast Mode by Kingmakers
Marshawn Lynch has teamed up with Kingmakers on a 6 × 52 made in Nicaragua. It has a Habano 2000 Rosado wrapper, a Criollo hybrid binder, and Nicaraguan filler. The cigar debuted at Eight Lounge in Las Vegas on October 2.
Availability: Presale is open. A retail shipping date hasn’t been confirmed.
Kingmakers
5. Alec Bradley Chunk Sumatra
Four inches long, with ring gauges of 60, 66, and 80. Yep, 80. The new Chunk uses an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, U.S. Broadleaf binder, and Dominican, Nicaraguan, and Honduran fillers. Alec Bradley describes it as medium-bodied, with dried fruit, spice, and cedar.
Release: Scheduled for October 1. U.S. MSRP: $6.49–$9.49, depending on size.
Alec Bradley
03 🎙️ THIS WEEK’S BLC PODCAST
The Art of the Boutique Cigar (Money Can’t Buy Premium Tobacco) | Samuel Schöelen
What happens when 30 years of global cigar smoking meets a desire to create something entirely unique?
In this episode of the Blind Label Cigar Podcast, I sits down with Samuel Schöelen, founder of Schöelen Cigars, to uncover the fascinating journey behind his European-inspired boutique brand.
Sam shares his experiences traveling the world, demanding "under the counter" local cigars instead of the usual Cubans, and how a transformative trip to Nicaragua led him to create his own custom blends.
Whether you're a seasoned aficionado or a newcomer to the leaf, this episode offers a rare, behind-the-scenes look at what it actually takes to build an award-winning cigar brand from scratch.
04 💨 CIGAR 101
Why Experienced Cigar Smokers Still Use Tupperdors
Whether you’re just starting or have smoked cigars for years, a tupperdor makes storage simple.
They’re inexpensive, hold humidity well when properly sealed, and make sorting easy.
A larger plastic bin works well for cigar boxes.
For individual cigars, I’d recommend a smaller setup with removable Spanish cedar trays.
Ordinary food containers don’t include cedar trays. Some cigar storage kits include trays, a hygrometer, and a humidity device.
Check the listing before buying. Capacity varies too. A larger setup can hold 50 cigars or more, depending on cigar size and the space taken up by trays.
The plastic doesn’t need seasoning. New, unfinished Spanish cedar should be conditioned according to the tray maker’s instructions. If those instructions recommend the 84% RH two-way pack method, leave the container closed for two weeks with no cigars inside.
Afterward, remove the seasoning packs and add your storage packs. Let the humidity stabilize before loading your cigars. Replace with a 69% two-way humidity pack or choose 65% if you prefer a drier cigar, and don’t mix humidity levels.
If the kit includes a foam or gel humidifier, I set that aside and use two-way humidity packs for consistency.
Keep the container away from heat and direct sunlight. Leave some space around the cigars, and check the humidity with a calibrated hygrometer. Inspect the collection every few weeks and rearrange layers if needed.
In fact, I have moved away from traditional humidors and turned my wooden filing cabinet into the perfect storage for my tupperdors.
05 ✅ THE BLIND LABEL TRIVIA REVEAL
According to a popular Cuban factory legend, workers received three cigars a day for their own enjoyment. Braiding them together made their personal allowance easy to recognize.
If someone left with straight cigars intended for sale, the difference would be obvious.
The unusual shape supposedly helped factory owners keep track of what workers took home.
That’s it for this week.
As always, trust your palate. The band can wait.
See you next week…
— Norm AKA The Cigar Fossil
P.S. Thursday is podcast day! Follow the Blind Label Cigar Podcast on Apple Podcasts and join us for the next episode.
P.P.S. Know someone who enjoys cigars? Send them the podcast link. I’d love to have them join us.
