The Cigar Accessories I Use: Charlie Minato

Each year, during the PCA Convention & Trade Show, we publish a series called What’s in My Bag? Each of us detail what equipment we carry around while covering the trade show. Like many other ideas at the start, it is produced because I always find it interesting to learn about the tools of someone’s trade. At this point, there’s so little difference from year to year that I think the series has run its course, but people still keep clicking on it, so we keep doing it.

For those familiar with those articles, this will seem very familiar. The concept for this new series is very simple: what are the cigar accessories that each of our reviewers uses? This will be the first of three of them; Brooks’ and Patrick’s articles are coming soon.

Similar to What’s in My Bag?, the plan here is to do new versions of these articles a year from now.

Cutter: Fox 749 Cigar Cutter

Of late, I’ve been using the Fox 749 Cigar Cutter. I once used this as my primary cutter but, after a few months, switched back to the below-mentioned Davidoff. After being tasked with reviewing some cigars that were too thick for the Davidoff, I switched back to the Fox as my review cutter and haven’t looked back. Performance-wise, the Fox 749 is one of a bunch of cutters that work more or less flawlessly. It’s not as if I think the Fox delivers better cuts, but I seem to have fewer hiccups with this cutter than any other.

There is one area where I think the 749 is better than just about any other cutter: having to recut a cigar. Whether it’s cutting the top of the cigar for a second time or choosing to cut a cigar in half, the 749 is better at those jobs, though I hope you don’t have to use it like that.

Honorable Mention: Over the last 365 days, I’ve cut more cigars with the Davidoff Double Blade Cutter than any other. The one downside with the Fox is that it’s not a very portable cutter, so I use this while traveling.

Lighter: Blazer PB207 The Torch

This is easy. The Blazer PB207 The Torch is the lighter. As in, if you told me I could only use one lighter for the rest of my life, it would be The Torch. For the last decade, I’ve used a total of three different PB207 The Torches: one broke, one was lost, and the third is about to wrap up its sophomore year as my go-to lighter. I’d totally understand why many of you would scoff at the idea of a no-frills, plastic, single-flame, $60 lighter, but time and time again, it’s proven to be the most reliable lighter I own. It has a large translucent fuel tank, is fairly efficient on gas, is easy to adjust, and lights up every time.

There is a reason why Blazer continues to get away with selling this plastic lighter at this price point. Once you’ve used one, it’s very difficult to switch to any other option.

Honorable Mention: When I want to get fancy, there’s nothing like an S.T. Dupont Ligne 2. 

Humidor: Plastic Bins + Boveda

I review humidors and humidification products here at halfwheel, so you can read my thoughts on products here.

Traditional desktop humidors are so tough to recommend because I find them to be more luxury accessory than a practical storage solution. There are some companies that make good humidors, but trying to recommend one is so tough because they come in all different shapes, sizes and prices.

More than anything, I use plastic bins to store cigars. At the office, we have roughly 60 of these IRIS bins currently storing cigars. They are relatively inexpensive, require minimal maintenance and can hold a lot of cigars in an efficient manner. I still use Boveda humidification packs for our bins and each bin’s Boveda packs get checked very two months. The Boveda packs make this a bit more expensive and are a recurring cost, but this is the route I not only use but also recommend to most people.

Ashtray: OH!VAL Cigar Ashtray

I smoke most of my cigars indoors, and while I’ve only used the OH!VAL indoors, I don’t see why it wouldn’t work outside. This is a Japanese-made ashtray that is currently not available for sale in/to the U.S., but it cost around $225 when I bought it in July 2023. It’s a single-cigar ashtray made of cast iron, consisting of three pieces: an oval-shaped ashtray bowl, a base, and a stirrup. After two years of nearly daily use, the two sides of the bowl show signs of wear, the finish having worn off. While we have prettier ashtrays in the office, I prefer this one due to its simplicity and ease of cleaning.

Bonus Accessory: VISOL NIGHT CARBON FIBER 2 FINGER CIGAR CASE

I don’t know when Visol last sold this case, but it should bring it back. It’s a two-cigar case that can hold cigars up to 60 ring gauges. The best part is it’s made of carbon fiber, meaning it’s super light and super strong. When people ask about the case, I always try to get them to drop it on the ground to show just how strong it is. After nearly a decade of use, there are barely any signs of wear. Because it’s made of carbon fiber, it can handle lots of high temperatures, making it a great cigar rest. It’s the case I’ll store cigars in when going out.

Charlie Minato

I am an editor and co-founder of halfwheel.com/Rueda Media, LLC. I previously co-founded and published TheCigarFeed, one of the two predecessors of halfwheel. I have written about the cigar industry for more than a decade, covering everything from product launches to regulation to M&A. In addition, I handle a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff here at halfwheel. I enjoy playing tennis, watching boxing, falling asleep to the Le Mans 24, wearing sweatshirts year-round and eating gyros. echte liebe.