The question we get most often from first-time visitors is some version of: how do you choose?

A thousand cigars is a lot of cigars. Walk into our humidor and you will find everything from a $7 Connecticut shade to a $45 Opus X. You will find Nicaraguan puros and Dominican blends, Honduran binders and Ecuadorian wrappers. You will find cigars that have won Cigar Aficionado's top rating and cigars that have never appeared in a magazine but have been quietly beloved by people who know.

So how do we choose?

The First Principle: Honesty

We do not carry anything we would not smoke ourselves.

This sounds obvious, but it is not. The cigar industry, like any industry, has its share of products that sell on marketing rather than merit. There are cigars with beautiful bands and mediocre tobacco. There are limited editions that are limited for a reason.

We taste everything before it goes on the shelf. Not every staff member, not every time — but someone who knows what they are doing has smoked every cigar in our humidor and made a judgment about whether it belongs there.

The Second Principle: Range

We believe that a great cigar lounge should serve the full spectrum of the experience.

This means we carry mild cigars for the guest who is new to the ritual and does not want to be overwhelmed. We carry medium-bodied cigars for the guest who wants complexity without intensity. We carry full-bodied cigars for the guest who wants to feel the tobacco.

It also means we carry cigars at different price points. A $12 cigar can be extraordinary. A $40 cigar can disappoint. Price is a signal, not a guarantee.

The Third Principle: Story

Every brand in our humidor has a story worth telling.

Padrón began in exile, a Cuban family rebuilding their craft in Nicaragua. Arturo Fuente is four generations of obsession with a single Dominican terroir. Liga Privada was a private blend that escaped the factory and became a cult classic.

When we bring a new brand into the lounge, we learn its story. We tell it to our guests. Because a cigar is not just tobacco — it is a place, a family, a tradition. Knowing that makes it taste better.

What We Will Never Do

We will never carry a cigar because a distributor offered us a deal. We will never put something on the shelf because it is trending. We will never compromise the humidor for margin.

The humidor is the heart of this place. Everything else — the leather chairs, the spirits, the events — exists in service of what is in that room.

Come in and see for yourself.