Happy Hour kicks off with a box-pressed Robusto and a simple question: what happens when a cigar everyone’s been whispering about finally gets lit?

Tony Katz and Fingers Malloy fire up the OZ Family Cigars Karatoba Robusto, a 5x52 that wastes no time making its case. Early impressions land on wood, white pepper, and a creamy, nut-forward profile that quickly turns into what may be the most accurate tasting note of the night: chew the cashew. Cedar spice, nutty creaminess, and a steady, easy burn make this one worth slowing down for—and worth revisiting as it moves through the thirds.

From there, Happy Hour does what it does best. The conversation drifts into humidor reality, not humidor mythology—why there is no universal “right” humidity, how winter messes with everything, and why results always vary depending on where you live, what you store in, and how much control you actually have. Rules get challenged. Dogma gets tossed. Notes get written.

Then things loosen up.

Winter storms, busted snowblowers, regional weather envy, and the emotional toll of shoveling your own driveway all make an appearance. So does a surprising deep dive into restaurant bankruptcy, food-court nostalgia, and the sudden realization that Hot Dog on a Stick is a real place with real uniforms and very real debt.

It’s cigars, weather, food, business, and chaos—exactly the way Happy Hour is supposed to feel.

Pour something. Light something. Pull up a chair.
This one’s for letting the conversation wander and seeing where it lands.

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