PHX Rises Cigars

The budget: $50 a month.
The bank statement: a mystery even to me. 😅

We've all had that moment scrolling through the shop ""just to look."" No judgment here — that's basically a PHX Rises rite of passage.

What's your actual monthly cigar budget vs. what you tell people it is? 👀

https://www.phxrisesci**rs.com/

🚨 BLOG ALERT 🚨

Most cigar smokers ask whether Dominican or Nicaraguan ci**rs are better. Experienced smokers eventually learn a different question matters far more: which ci**rs fit their palate.

Explore the real differences between Dominican and Nicaraguan ci**rs and why origin matters less than blend and craftsmanship, explained by PHX Rises Ci**rs.

Read here -> https://www.phxrisesci**rs.com/blogs/ci**rs/dominican-vs-nicaraguan-ci**rs-the-differences-matter-less-than-you-think

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‼️ NEW RELEASE ‼️

There’s a new chapter in Stolen Throne’s lineup: Highway Drifter, the company’s first cigar made with a shaggy foot. The release began shipping to retailers in September and we have it in stock and ready to send your way.

For anyone unfamiliar with the term, a shaggy foot leaves to***co extending beyond the wrapper at the end of the cigar, rather than finishing everything at the same edge. It’s a construction detail Stolen Throne hasn’t used on a release before.

Highway Drifter is a 6 × 52 Toro, made at the Rojas Cigar Factory in Nicaragua, with an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and filler.
The announced production is 1,000 bundles of 10, totaling 10,000 ci**rs for this release.

While MSRP is $130 per bundle, we have it ready to ship to you for $117, which includes shipping. A Story to Tell members save even more when you use your club promo code.

Our supply is very limited though, so I'd suggest you go buy some packs now!

https://www.phxrisesci**rs.com/products/stolen-throne-highway-drifter-le-2026-toro

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That little paper wrapped around your cigar isn't just decoration.

It's basically a business card:
🐦‍🔥 Brand & line name (obviously)
🐦‍🔥 Country of origin, sometimes printed small along the edge
🐦‍🔥 Factory or blender info on limited/special releases
🐦‍🔥 Gold foil and crest detailing = usually signals a premium or commemorative line

Next time you're deciding what to grab off the shelf or "bragging in the lounge", read the band first. It'll tell you more than you think!

Ever bought a cigar just because the band looked incredible? Be honest. 😅

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Some ci**rs earn their place by being loud. The Warped La Hacienda earns it by being thoughtful.

That is what I love about the La Hacienda Gran Robusto, and why I wanted it included in this month’s A Story to Tell cigar club selection.

Kyle Gellis has always taken a different approach to blending. He grew up around ci**rs through his father, smoked his first Montecristo No. 2 at sixteen, and began making regular trips to Little Havana at eighteen to learn everything he could about to***co, rolling, and blending. Those years working alongside Cuban cigar makers helped shape the style Warped is known for today.

Kyle isn’t interested in chasing whatever is popular. His ci**rs are influenced by the Cuban tradition of balance, nuance, and restraint. He wants flavor without burying the palate under strength and black pepper.

The La Hacienda is a perfect example of that philosophy.

Kyle revived the name of an old Cuban brand from the early 1900s and gave it a modern identity. La Hacienda means “The Estate,” and the idea was to connect that history with what today’s cigar smoker expects from a great boutique cigar.

It is made at TABSA in Nicaragua using a shade-grown Jalapa Corojo ’99 wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and a combination of Corojo ’99 and Criollo ’98 fillers. It was only the second regular-production Warped line made at TABSA, and when the Gran Robusto was introduced, its 52-ring gauge was actually the largest size in the Warped portfolio.

What stands out to me is how much character Kyle gets from that to***co without making the cigar aggressive.

The La Hacienda opens with leather, cedar, and earth, followed by roasted pistachio and other nutty flavors that really give this cigar its identity. As it develops, I find citrus, cream, brown sugar, coffee, sweet wood, and a little white pepper. You may also get touches of anise, milk chocolate, and baking spice, depending on how your palate reads it.

It is medium-bodied, smooth and balanced, but there is still plenty happening. The pistachio note alone makes it different from almost anything else in the Warped portfolio.

This may not have the immediate name recognition of La Colmena, Don Reynaldo or Serie Gran Reserva 1988, but I think that is part of its appeal. La Hacienda has quietly remained one of the most approachable and versatile ci**rs Kyle makes. It has enough depth for an experienced smoker, but it doesn’t require the right meal, the right drink or a completely fresh palate to appreciate it.

It can simply be your cigar for the day.

The La Hacienda is not a limited edition, and I don’t want to pretend that scarcity is what makes it special. What makes it special is that it has been part of the Warped portfolio since 2015 and still feels like a cigar more people should know about. It is an overlooked core-line blend from one of the most distinctive blenders in the industry.

That is exactly the kind of cigar I want A Story to Tell to bring to your attention.
Thank you to everyone who has joined the club and continues to trust me with your monthly selections. This club will introduce you to new brands, but it will also bring you limited ci**rs, properly aged ci**rs, and plenty of my personal favorites.
Sometimes it will also bring you a cigar that has been sitting in plain sight, waiting for more people to discover how good it is.

If you have not joined A Story to Tell yet, you can become a member here:
https://www.phxrisesci**rs.com/products/a-story-to-tell-membership

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🚨 BLOG ALERT 🚨

Think you can't identify cigar flavor notes? Most smokers are already tasting far more than they realize.

Read our latest blog and learn how to develop your palate and get more from every cigar -> https://www.phxrisesci**rs.com/blogs/ci**rs/most-smokers-can-taste-more-than-they-think

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Here's what you actually get subscribing at "A Story To Tell" ! No fine print, no gotchas 😌

🔥 5 to 10 hand-picked ci**rs every month, priced 10–30% below MSRP
🔥 A full info sheet with real tasting notes for every stick in the box
🔥 15% off the rest of the shop, every month you're a member
🔥 Monthly live Q&A with the maker behind that month's featured cigar
🔥 Quarterly giveaway and promotions exclusive to members
🔥 A seat in "Rising Above the Ashes""— our private community, not just a Facebook group
🔥 Boveda packs included, so your ci**rs stay fresh up to 60 days after they land
🔥 Shipping included

No infused sticks. No beginner filler. Just ci**rs worth telling a story about.

Ready to stop guessing what to smoke next? Join the rise!
https://www.phxrisesci**rs.com/products/a-story-to-tell-membership

Shout out to Gary Courtney for this awesome snap! 📸

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It's been Foundation Week here in PHX Rises, and it continues with our Club Selections Intros...

There are brands where I enjoy a cigar or two, and then there are lines that feel like they were made for my palate.

For me, that line is The Tabernacle.

Foundation blends a lot of excellent ci**rs, but if you ask me to choose my favorite line from their portfolio, this is it. The Tabernacle consistently gives me the darker, richer flavors I enjoy while still delivering the balance and refinement that separate a well-blended cigar from one that is simply strong.

The Havana Seed CT No. 142 Corona is one of the best examples of what makes this line so special.

This cigar begins with an incredibly rare Havana Seed No. 142 wrapper grown in the Connecticut River Valley. The leaf produces so much oil that it requires roughly three years of fermentation before it is ready to use. Underneath it is a Mexican San Andrés binder with fillers from Estelí, Jalapa and Jamastran.

That combination produces a deep and full-flavored cigar with cedar, dark earth, espresso, black pepper, cocoa and leather. There is also a natural sweetness that brings in dried fruit, cinnamon and sweet spice, keeping the cigar from ever becoming too heavy or one-dimensional.

It is bold, but it is also smooth and balanced. That combination is difficult to create, and it is one of the reasons I consider Nick Melillo a genius when it comes to blending ci**rs.

Nick was born and raised in Connecticut and began working in the cigar industry in the 1990s. He later spent more than a decade in Nicaragua with Drew Estate, where he played an important role in developing ci**rs such as Liga Privada, Undercrown, and the Único Serie. He eventually launched Foundation Cigar Company in 2015 and has continued building blends around rare to***co, patience, and a deep understanding of how every leaf works together.

The No. 142 is a great example of that patience. Nick began working with Connecticut farmers on this wrapper years before the finished cigar was released. He waited through the long fermentation process and would not release it until he believed the to***co was ready.

That effort was noticed. Cigar Dojo scored the Corona 93 points, called it its favorite Foundation cigar at the time, and later named The Tabernacle Havana Seed CT No. 142 its No. 1 Cigar of the Year for 2018.

I also chose the Corona because the weather is beginning to change.

As the days get shorter and the evenings become cooler, I don’t always want to commit to a large Toro or Double Corona. At 5¼ by 46, this Corona gives you the complete character of the blend in a more manageable size. You still get a rich, satisfying smoking experience, but it fits much better into those cooler evenings when you want something a little quicker without feeling like you settled for less.
That combination of flavor, craftsmanship, and practicality made this an easy choice for A Story to Tell. It is a cigar I already love from my favorite Foundation line, in the size I believe makes the most sense for this time of year.

Thank you to everyone who has joined the club and continues to trust me with your monthly selections. A Story to Tell will introduce you to brands you may not know yet, but it will also bring you limited releases, properly aged ci**rs and plenty of the personal favorites that have earned a permanent place in my own rotation.
The Tabernacle Havana Seed CT No. 142 Corona is absolutely one of those ci**rs.

If you have not signed up for A Story to Tell yet, come join the club today: https://www.phxrisesci**rs.com/products/a-story-to-tell-membership

Some nights it's a table full of laughter and stories. Some nights it's just you, the porch, and the quiet.

Both count. 🔥

There's no wrong way to enjoy a great cigar — solo reflection and shared celebration both earn a spot in the rotation. The ritual is yours. Make it however it fits.

Solo smoker or crowd smoker — which are you tonight?
Tell us below. 👇

https://www.phxrisesci**rs.com/

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📦 NEW ARRIVAL 📦

Some ci**rs come with a story. This one comes with a fuse. 🎆

Meet the Tabacos Bandolero Firecracker Short Robusto — the 2026 Limited Edition.

This year's build carries an Ecuadorian Habano Maduro wrapper over an Ecuadorian binder and a Dominican-Nicaraguan-Peruvian filler blend, rolled at Tabacos de Costa Rica and rested two years in cedar-lined rooms before it ever left the factory. That signature pigtail fuse tucked into the band? A nod to the Firecracker series that's been passed between 13 different makers since 2007 — this is Bandolero's turn with it.

Expect the natural to***co sweetness, cedar, earth, and black pepper on the retrohale this line is known for, with the maduro wrapper bringing a little extra depth up front. Medium-bodied, short in size, big in presence.

Only 30,000 made. Once they're gone, that's it. 🔥

Available now at PHX Rises Ci**rs! 🐦‍🔥 Grab a box now before it's gone!
https://www.phxrisesci**rs.com/

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