Smoke Night LIVE - Cigar Dojo

This week on Smoke Night LIVE, we welcome Vance Taylor of Stoic Cigars, one of the rising names in the boutique cigar industry. We’ll dive into the story behind Stoic Cigars, explore the company’s philosophy and mission, and discuss what it’s like working alongside Klaas Kelner at his factory in the Dominican Republic. Join us as we get an inside look at this emerging brand and what the future holds for Stoic Cigars.

After a two-year hiatus, the Cigar Brand Fantasy Draft is back! Master Sensei goes head-to-head with Juan Cancel, Scott Braband, and Fred Rewey as they battle to build the ultimate dream team of cigar brands. With bragging rights on the line, every pick matters, and a few strategic trades could shake things up before the dust settles. Who will walk away with the strongest lineup? That’s where YOU come in! The audience gets the final say, voting to determine who drafted the best team of cigar brands. Let the draft begin!

There’s a right way and a wrong way to light a cigar. There’s a right way and a wrong way to cook a steak. But what about everything else? This week on Smoke Night LIVE, Tim Swanson from Cigars Daily joins the show as we settle what’s right and what’s wrong across a wide range of topics.

But that’s not all. We also have details on a major announcement that’s set to blow the roof off this episode. You won’t want to miss this one.

If you could open your own cigar shop and stock the humidor any way you wanted, what would make the cut?

The Humidor Challenge returns for round three on Smoke Night LIVE! This time, Randy Griggs, Robby Rasmussen, and John “Cigar Surgeon” McTavish go head-to-head to build their ultimate cigar shop humidor from the ground up. With limited space and plenty of tough decisions, each contestant must decide which brands deserve a spot, which cigars are essential, and where they’re willing to take a chance. Do they load up on proven crowd-pleasers? Make room for boutique favorites? Chase value? Or build a humidor around their own personal tastes?

When the dust settles, you—the audience—will decide who created the best cigar shop humidor and crown the Humidor Challenge 3 champion.

This week on Smoke Night LIVE, we welcome Tim Ozgener of Ozgener Family Cigars for a conversation about one of the more interesting family histories in the premium cigar industry.

From his father Cano Ozgener founding CAO in the late 1960s, to Tim helping transform CAO into one of the industry’s most recognizable brands, and ultimately returning to tobacco with Ozgener Family Cigars, there’s a lot of ground to cover. We’ll look back at the early days of CAO, the cigar boom, the sale of the company, Tim’s years away from the industry, and what brought him back.

Join us Friday night as we light up with Tim Ozgener and explore the people, stories, and cigars behind the Ozgener family legacy.

What if I told you cigars might actually be good for your health? That’s the question we’re tackling on this week’s Smoke Night LIVE with special guest Matt Blackburn.

Matt has spent the past 16 years researching and experimenting with approaches to human health and nutrition, exploring everything from diets and detoxification protocols to supplements and natural health practices. Along the way, he developed an approach centered on mitigation rather than avoidance, and that includes his belief that regular cigar smoking can have a place within a healthy lifestyle.

On this episode of Smoke Night LIVE, we announce the newest inductees into the Cigar Dojo Hall of Fame! Over the years, we have recognized Dojo members who have gone above and beyond to help make our cigar community what it is today. From their contributions and dedication to the friendships they’ve built along the way, these members have played an important role in shaping the Dojo.

It’s been a few years since our last induction ceremony, so it’s high time we added some new names to the Hall of Fame. Join us as we celebrate the members who have made a lasting impact on the community, share a few stories, and reveal this year’s inductees.

We’ll also announce our industry inductees, recognizing individuals within the cigar industry who have supported Cigar Dojo and helped us along the way. It’s a night of recognition, memories, and a little awards-show flair as we honor the people who have helped make the Dojo what it is.

This week on Smoke Night LIVE, we’re joined by Kendrick Woolstenhulme and Brandon Oveson, founders of Apostate Cigars. Since launching the brand, Apostate has made a name for itself with distinctive releases such as Death Mask, The Deseret, Feathered Serpent, The Sword of Laban, and more.

We’ll talk with Kendrick and Brandon about the origins of Apostate Cigars, what it takes to build a new cigar brand from the ground up, and the ideas and influences behind their growing portfolio. We’ll also dive into the company’s recent association with James Brown and Oveja Negra Brands and what that relationship means for Apostate moving forward.

This week on Smoke Night LIVE, longtime friend of the Dojo Tom Zbyrad joins us in-studio! As Product Manager for Zino and Portfolio Brands, Tom has a unique perspective on Zino, Davidoff, and the cigar industry as a whole.

We’ll catch up with Tom, find out what’s happening with Zino, get his take on the current cigar landscape, and probably venture into a few topics we never planned on discussing. Tom always brings plenty of insight—and a few good stories—so grab a cigar, pour yourself something good, and join us for what should be a fun night on Smoke Night LIVE.

For the past several months, the Dojo crew has been working behind the scenes on a fun new platform built for cigar fanatics around the world. On this episode of Smoke Night LIVE, we officially soft-launch Cigar Ranker!

We’ll walk you through the site, explain how it works, highlight its features, and share the vision behind the project. We’ll also be joined by a few special guests to discuss Cigar Ranker and what it could bring to cigar nerds everywhere.

If you love ranking, rating, debating, and discovering cigars, you’ll want to check this one out.