Hi and welcome to the first in a series on Pipe FAQ’s, where I will try to answer questions from both new and old school pipe smokers. Pipe smoking, like cigar smoking, is not as simple as lighting up some tobacco and puffing away. This article will help you get the most out of your experience.

When we talk about cigars, the name Cuba gets bandied about. In much the same way that if someone says “horror” you think of Stephen King, when the word “cigar” is mentioned, for most of us it brings to mind Cuba. But Cuba was not always king of the cigar world. For those of us that live in sunny Florida, there is another name that rises up from the past like a phoenix from the proverbial ashes: Ybor City.

When I talk to people about cigars – and specifically the people that make them – there seems to be two schools of thought. One is born of myth and legend; the other is born of slick marketing campaigns. In this article we will attempt to look beyond the smoke and mirrors and lift the veil of advertising to sneak a peek at the everyday men and women that live, eat, and breathe cigars. 

We walk past them without a second glance. They star in television shows, grace the cover of books, and stand vigil over one of the world’s greatest treasures. They are also the butt of jokes and sometimes accused of being stereotypes. They are cigar store Indians, and their serious, chiseled faces convey a sense of pride and grandeur as they humbly greet you at the entrance to that wonderland of wonderland’s, the cigar store.