Hey, it's Norm.

Flying Pickles, two left shoes... I promise this is a cigar newsletter.

Some weeks the best cigar moments start with the story around them.

And this one’s no different.

Enjoy this week’s newsletter.

Years ago, I was rushing out the door for a trade show in Montreal.

I packed my suit, packed my shoes, grabbed my cigars, got on the plane and thought nothing of it.

That evening, we were heading to Gibby’s for dinner when I looked down and realized I had packed two left shoes.

Not ideal.

But they were on my feet, I could still walk, and I wasn’t missing a steak dinner over it.

So off we went.

Gibby’s brings out the bread and the pickles before the meal, and I was starving, so I grabbed a pickle.

I put my fork into it, went to cut it and...

The thing launched off my plate and landed on the table beside me.

For a second, everything went quiet.

Then the waiters started laughing.

My partner looked around the room and decided to make things even better.

“If you think that’s bad, the guy’s wearing two left shoes.”

Now everyone was looking at me.

Perfect.

I still laugh about that night because nothing actually went wrong that mattered. Dinner was great. We had a good time. And decades later, I still remember the flying pickle.

Cigars are a little like that.

A cigar is handmade. By the time you smoke it, hundreds of hands may have played a part in getting it there. It really is a small work of art.

So don’t let one little imperfection ruin the cigar.

Remember, it’s the whole experience.

— Norm

Here’s how a real blind label test works.

Someone else selects the cigars, removes the bands and gives them to the reviewer without revealing the brand, price, rating or reputation.

Now you’re on your own.

The review starts before the cigar is ever lit. You look at the overall appearance and construction. You check the aroma and the cold draw. Then you light it and follow the cigar through the first, second and final thirds.

Along the way, we’re paying attention to the body, strength, taste and aroma, complexity, finish and, ultimately, the overall smoking experience.

You’re judging the cigar in front of you, not the story surrounding it.

For me, that’s the purest form of rating and reviewing a cigar.

It still isn’t a perfect laboratory test. We’re human. Your palate matters. The setting matters. Even what you ate or drank beforehand can affect the experience.

But when you remove the identity, price, scores and hype, you remove a lot of the noise.

And that’s where things get interesting.

The expensive cigar doesn’t automatically win. The famous brand doesn’t get extra credit. A $7 cigar gets the same opportunity as a $70 cigar.

That philosophy is one of the biggest reasons we called this Blind Label Cigar.

We wanted to build a community where the cigar gets a chance to speak before the marketing does.

When you see Blind Label Cigar Verified on one of our reviews, it means we didn’t know what we were smoking while we were reviewing it. The score and tasting notes were recorded before the identity was revealed.

Then comes my favorite part.

The reveal.

Sometimes you nod because you had a pretty good idea.

Other times you look at the band and think:

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Put your senses to the test. You might be shocked by the results.

Dallas heard the humidor open and knew exactly what was coming. Time to head outside.

This week it was the Matilde Limited Exposure No. 3 Toro, a 6 × 50 Dominican-made cigar with an Ecuadorian wrapper, Dominican binder and a 50/50 mix of Dominican and Nicaraguan filler.

Cocoa grabbed my attention almost immediately, followed by cedar, baking spice and pepper on the retrohale. There was enough going on from the start that I wanted to see where this cigar was headed.

This was probably my favorite part. Coffee and cream started coming through, with wood and bread underneath. The draw was right where I wanted it, the burn behaved, and I could just sit back and enjoy the cigar.

This is where it lost a little ground for me. Things became drier and woodier, and some of the complexity from earlier faded. Not bad by any means. It just didn't finish as strongly as it started.

I enjoyed this cigar enough that after smoking it, I reached out to Matilde to let them know.

For me, the first two thirds are the reason I'd smoke it again. Great construction, an interesting profile and enough development to keep me paying attention. The final third kept it from scoring higher, but there's plenty here that I'd happily come back to.

VegaFina Robusto Extra PigTail Anejado 7 Años
Cedar, baking spice, cream, cocoa and natural sweetness give you some familiar territory with a different personality.

La Aroma de Cuba Connecticut
A little lighter, with cream, toast, cedar, nuts and baking spice. There's more going on here than you might expect from a Connecticut.

Quesada 1974 Toro / Robusto
Bread and toast, cedar, baking spice, pepper, cream and some dried-fruit character take the profile in another interesting direction.

Black Works Studio has built its name on cigars that break from convention, so when the studio calls something its boldest release yet, it's worth a closer look.

For 2026, Black Works Studio is releasing Culture Vulture, a limited edition created by James Brown and handcrafted at Fabrica Oveja Negra in Estelí, Nicaragua. The blend pairs an Ecuador Maduro, Connecticut, and Candela wrapper with an Ecuador Habano binder and Nicaraguan filler. It comes in three sizes, a 6 × 48 Toro, a 5.25 × 50 Robusto, and a 6 × 42 Panatela, and begins shipping to select retailers next week.

The interesting part is the presentation. Culture Vulture uses a dual wrapper finished in an "ombré"-style fade that runs from green to yellow and back to green, playing the Candela against the darker leaf for contrast. Brown says the artwork was designed alongside the cigar so the two tell the same story, and he calls it the boldest profile the studio has ever built, with an intensity and depth he describes as completely unique.

We haven't smoked or rated it yet, so this isn't a review. It's simply one of those releases that made us stop and take a second look.

Toro: 6 × 48 | $14.50

Robusto: 5.25 × 50 | $14.00

Panatela: 6 × 42 | $13.50

Drew Estate DE30
Drew Estate is marking its 30th anniversary with DE30, a rewards program and year-long celebration running into 2027.

J.C. Newman Bricktoberfest
Bricktoberfest brings J.C. Newman’s Oktoberfest-inspired Brick House release back for the fall season, including the limited-edition Bricktoberfest Churchill Pigtail.

La Aurora Perseverancia
The second cigar in La Aurora’s Family Creed Series is a box-pressed blend with a Pennsylvania Broadleaf wrapper, Mexican San Andrés binder, and filler from Nicaragua, the U.S., and the Dominican Republic.

Before signing the U.S. embargo against Cuba in 1962, President John F. Kennedy asked his press secretary, Pierre Salinger, to track down Cuban cigars for him.

Salinger came back the next morning with 1,200 H. Upmann Petit Coronas.

Kennedy got his cigars. Then he signed the embargo.

One last thing before I go, this is a quote I wanted to share…

“For me, what we do has always been about lighting up people’s souls. For me, what we do has always been about lighting up people’s souls.”

- Néstor Andrés Plasencia, Plasencia Cigars

That’s it for this week.

Just remember, trust your palate. The band can wait.

See you next week…

— Norm AKA The Cigar Fossil

P.S. Three launches. One week. Website, podcast, newsletter. Blind Label Cigar, next week. If you’re going to forward an email to a cigar buddy, make it the next one.

P.P.S. Dallas inspected the launch plan. One bark. We’re calling that approved.