I remember watching my dad smoke "homemade" cigars and cigarettes from tobacco grown on his fathers farm.  This was a far cry from the delicious tobacco of today, but it always brought people together. Neighbors, workers, family, and friends would sit around and gossip while trying out the new crop.  That being said, I strayed away from the farm after growing up, settling in Miami.  Over time, I began to feel a sense of loss for something, a need for more.  One day my boyfriend took me along with him to a cigar event.  To be honest, I wasn't even that excited.  But after we got there, I noticed people were relaxed, inviting us to sit and just hang out.  That night I fell in love with this industry, this family of sorts.  I have never looked back since.

This progressed to a cigar blog which is basically my rantings on unfair taxes and smoking bans, with a little humor thrown in.  

Running the blog allowed me to meet the passionate people of this industry, many of them boutique cigar makers. Naturally, I wanted these small businesses to succeed, but I also realized this is a tough industry and times are tight. I wondered how I could help. Slowly, I came up with the concept of a website devoted totally to boutiques and have been working on the details ever since.

So, it may not have the most well-known or the easiest to find brands, but I can assure you that boutiques make some of the best cigars around. Try some and visit often! 

xoxo Elissa

Charmedleaf.com is a fully licensed Florida Tobacco Retailer.