Small Business Champion Dr. Gaby Kafie
Dr. Gaby Kafie has been living the cigar life since he smoked his first cigar as a teen. He is also the founder of the Boutique Cigar Association and Kafie Cigars and Coffee. Since then, he has been advocating for family-run cigar businesses. Kafie spoke with Cigar Life Guy about the reflective aspects of a […]
The Wild Backstory of Wildfire Cigars Founder Jeremy McDonald
From breaking the no-smoking rules in the seminary to playing guitar in a band, Jeremy McDonald has lived the cigar life for nearly thirty years. After working for decades in cigar retail and as a sales rep, McDonald started Wildfire Cigars in the spirit of sitting around a campfire shooting the shit with a premium […]
HERficionado® Octavia Toliver Talks Finding Community in Cigars
Octavia Toliver, founder of Atlanta Cigar Week, CEO of HERficionado, and a true Sister of the Leaf (SOTL), has lived the cigar lifestyle for nearly two decades. She is as passionate about cigars as she is about curating cigar events and building a welcoming and comfortable community for women in the industry. She talked with […]
DAV’s Armen Caprielian Talks Cigars
Armen Caprielian, managing partner of DAV Cigars, may have gotten into the cigar industry by chance, but he’s been living the cigar life since he was seventeen. Caprielian, a real estate broker, is also the president of the Boutique Cigar Association. He advocates for and promotes family-owned companies. Caprielian talked with Cigar Life Guy about […]
Holly Primc’s Wild Ride in the Cigar Game
Holly Primc, owner of Crown Majesty Cigars, “knows her shit.” The former teacher and Certified Cigar Sommelier has been living the cigar life long enough to know she still loves learning. She talked to Cigar Life Guy about how cigars are the perfect blend of her two favorite things, how cigar memes get it wrong, […]
James “Boston Jimmie” Vita Loves Cigars and Talking about Cigars
James “Boston Jimmie” Vita has lived the cigar life for five decades. A true brother of the leaf, he tried his hand at print magazines before eventually creating the online giant Stogie Press. Vita has been reviewing cigars and sharing his knowledge ever since. Newly retired, Vita discussed his early start in the cigar world, […]
Meet New PCA Head and Top Cigar Advocate Joshua Habursky
Working in Washington, Joshua Habursky takes pride in earning a reputation as the “cigar guy.” Recently named the Executive Director of PCA, Habursky has been living the cigar life and advocating for the cigar industry for over a decade. He spoke to Cigar Life Guy about his start in Washington as a lobbyist, building bridges […]
More Than a Cigar Prop: Meet Kevin Shahan
Cigar life began simply enough for Kevin Shahan — with dinner and a beer. Like many who take up cigar smoking, it evolved into a passion and the desire to know about cigars. As his website states, Shahan’s company, Cigar Prop, was “born out of necessity.” While working as a mechanic, he needed a place […]
Rick Rodriguez from West Tampa Tobacco Company Talks His Wild Ride with Cigars
Rick Rodriguez worked at General Cigar for 25 years. He trained under Benji Menendez before starting West Tampa Tobacco Company in 2022 with Gus Martinez. While Rodriguez has built an extensive and impressive (cigar life) resume, he didn’t smoke his first cigar until he was forty. He talked with Cigar Life Guy about that first-smoke […]
Sebastien Decoppet: A Switzerland to Honduras Cigar Journey
It takes guts and a genuine love of cigars to drop everything and move to Honduras, but that’s exactly what Sebastien Decoppet, owner of Cavalier Geneve Cigars, did. Growing up in Switzerland near one of the cigar industry’s premier lines (Davidfoff) might have had some influence. Still, Decoppet is making his mark with his Diamond […]