There’s something special about this episode of Smoke and Steel. For the first time, we had a remote guest join us in the garage—and not just any guest. Kyle Salzer, owner and proprietor of LA Cigar Collective (spoiler: that’s Louisiana, not Los Angeles), became our first official sponsor by sending us his house blend, the Gris-Gris.
What started as a Secret Santa exchange on Discord years ago turned into a genuine friendship, and now we’re finally getting to sit down—virtually—with the guy who’s been building something pretty damn special down in New Orleans.
Table of Contents
The Cigar That Started the Conversation
Before we dive into Kyle’s story, let’s talk about what we were smoking. The Gris-Gris (pronounced “gree-gree” for us northerners who butchered it at first) is Kyle’s second house blend, rolled at Tabacalera La Isla in the Dominican Republic by Hostos—the same guy making cigars for Warped and several other respected brands.
Gris-Gris Specs:
- Wrapper: Indonesian Sumatra
- Binder: Nicaraguan Condega
- Filler: Nicaraguan Jalapa, Dominican Piloto Cubano & Criollo ’98
- Size: Toro (with a potential Lonsdale in development)
- Price: $11 retail / $99 per bundle (10% off)
- Availability: LA Cigar Collective website
Here’s the thing about this cigar—Kyle didn’t even blend it. He’s honest about that right off the bat. He was working on a Mexican San Andreas blend when Hostos rolled this across the desk and said, “Man, I just got this Sumatra wrapper in. It’s really beautiful.” Kyle smoked it and immediately knew: this was better than what they’d been working on.
That kind of honesty? That’s what you’re getting with Kyle.
Mark nailed it when he said the smoke just lingers in your mouth, coating your palate. It’s got that drying, tannic effect you find in lighter-bodied cigars, but don’t let that fool you – this isn’t mild. The retrohale is solid, the burn is straight as an arrow. At $11, it’s in that sweet spot where you can smoke it regularly without destroying your budget.
From Oil Refinery to Cigar Entrepreneur
Kyle’s path into the cigar industry isn’t typical-but then again, nothing about this industry is. Before opening his lounge, he was a controls technician at an oil refinery in Louisiana, absolutely hating his job. He started a website selling high-end cigar accessories (cutters, lighters, all the boutique stuff), and it went better than expected.
But here’s where Louisiana regulations threw him a curveball: you need a brick-and-mortar location to sell cigars online in the state. So Kyle did what any reasonable person who hates their day job would do—he rolled the dice, got in bed with the bank, and opened a lounge.
“Before getting into the industry, I worked at an oil refinery, and I absolutely hated my job,” Kyle told us. “I started the website and it went better than expected. In Louisiana, you have to have a bonafide brick and mortar in order to sell online. So, I felt like it was time to roll the dice.“
That was about a year and a half ago, and the lounge has surpassed every projection in his business plan. He went from naive shop owner with no rules (more on that disaster in a minute) to running a tight operation with 66 members—a fantastic number for any lounge, let alone one that’s barely two years old.
Building a Community, One Cigar at a Time
One of the most refreshing things about talking to Kyle is his willingness to admit what he didn’t know. When he first opened, he came from the online Discord community where everyone’s helpful, generous, and constantly bombing each other with cigars. He thought running a lounge would be like that.
It wasn’t.
“I was like super naive,” Kyle admitted. “I didn’t have any rules. I was used to the online community where everybody’s super selfless and helpful. That’s just not the reality of what a normal customer is like.“
The breaking point came when he checked his security cameras from home one night. Thirty people turned into fifty people. Bluetooth speakers were blasting. There were three ice chests with fruit soaking in vodka. Three women were somehow getting grinded on in his cigar lounge.
“I was like, okay, what the… this can’t happen again. This isn’t the vibe I’m going for here.“
That’s when the rules got written down. The biggest one? Buy one, burn one. If you’re going to smoke a cigar in his lounge, you need to buy one. It’s not about being a hardass – it’s about keeping the lights on and paying employees.
And here’s the thing: Kyle gets it. He admitted that when he was new to cigars, he’d bring his Cubans into lounges without buying anything. Someone had to explain it to him before it clicked. Now he’s paying that forward, diplomatically letting people know the deal. Most people get it once you explain why.
The culture he’s built works. His members aren’t just customers, they’re planning going-away parties for each other without Kyle’s involvement. He’s got guys texting him when he’s not at the shop. That’s not a customer base. That’s a community.
The Big Rob Effect
No conversation about LA Cigar Collective is complete without talking about Big Rob. This guy messaged Kyle on Facebook in the early days asking if he could come smoke – but it was summer in New Orleans (translation: surface-of-the-sun hot), and Rob admitted he couldn’t afford to buy a cigar that day.
Kyle’s response? “Get your pocketbook ready, dude.“
Rob showed up anyway, started coming weekly, and eventually applied for a job. Kyle had concerns but Rob walked to work on his first day, the longest he’d walked in years. Family members were calling to make sure he made it.
Today? Rob’s the backbone of Kyle’s YouTube operation. He pitched the idea, convinced Kyle that people would watch them talk about cigars, and he was right. The LA Cigar Collective YouTube channel has become a significant driver of online sales—to the point where Kyle describes it as “a different stratosphere of online revenue.“
Rob curates the monthly samplers that consistently outperform Kyle’s own selections. He’s authentic, has that perfect voice for video, and genuinely loves what he’s doing. Talk about a blessing falling into someone’s lap.
The Realities of Running a Cigar Shop
Kyle doesn’t sugarcoat the challenges. Managing allocated cigars like Opus can be a nightmare. Balancing local customers who support the shop daily with online customers who want access to limited releases gets dicey. Some guys are just going to flip cigars no matter what you do.
His solution? Stay competitive where he can, carry stuff the big online retailers don’t have, and build relationships. He’s not trying to compete with Cigar Page on price—he can’t. Instead, he focuses on boutique brands, curated samplers, and creating an experience you can’t get clicking through a massive website.
The online/brick-and-mortar balance is fascinating. Half his humidor is stuff local customers love; the other half barely moves locally but crushes it online. Brands like Aladino that nobody in his region carries? They do great on the website. Meanwhile, his local bestseller for the first year was the Grand Habano Corojo No. 5 Maduro Shaggy Foot—a 7×60 monster at $10 that people go crazy for.
And then there’s the guy who buys seven Acid Blondies. Every. Single. Day.
Why Authenticity Matters
Throughout our conversation, Kyle kept coming back to one theme: authenticity. He’d rather tell someone he absolutely hates a cigar than be diplomatic for the sake of saving face. When customers ask about cigars he doesn’t like, he’ll say it—but he’ll also point them toward Big Rob or another staff member who does enjoy it.
“Our generation and younger people really crave authenticity,” Kyle said. “I would rather do business with somebody that’s authentic than just always diplomatic and never truthful.“
That authenticity extends to his approach with manufacturers. When he visited Hostos’s factory, the hospital-level cleanliness and cloud-based tracking system impressed him. Everything’s documented, tobacco beetle stations are every 20 feet, extra fumigation is standard. Hostos has grown like crazy in just a few years, and you can taste the quality control in the Gris-Gris.
Kyle’s heading back to the DR next week to work on blend number three with Klaus Kelner (the guy behind blending the Avowed and from the Davidoff lineage). He’s also visiting LFD for the first time. The excitement in his voice when talking about these trips is genuine—this isn’t some jaded shop owner going through the motions. He’s still geeking out about the industry.
The Discord Connection
For those who don’t know, Kyle and our crew met on Discord—one of those online communities where cigar guys trade, sell, and generally shoot the shit. We’ve never met in person, but that Secret Santa exchange where Eric got Kyle’s name started this whole thing.
Kyle used to be heavy into Discord, putting significant effort into deals and building relationships. Now, with the YouTube channel and shop demands, he’s had to pull back. But he’s still got his own Discord server for LA Cigar Collective, keeping that community feel alive in a more focused way.
That online-to-offline connection is becoming more common in the cigar world, but it’s still special when it works. We’ve been following Kyle’s journey from website to lounge construction to opening day, watching the smoke eater installations and floor updates via text. Now here we are, smoking his house blend and planning a guys’ trip to New Orleans to film an episode on-site (Eric informed us of this during the interview).
New Orleans Cigar Culture
One thing that surprised us: New Orleans isn’t a huge cigar town. Kyle saw a void in the market – shops with great vibes but no selection, or great selection but sterile atmospheres that felt like smoking in a gas station. He wanted to combine the best of both.
The city itself is cigar-friendly (you can smoke anywhere outside), but New Orleans proper has restrictions on smoking inside unless you’re grandfathered in. That’s why Kyle opened in Jefferson Parish, where the regulations are more relaxed. Good thing, too, because he’s got residential units above the shop. Everything’s insulated to prevent smell and sound from traveling, but he still has to manage customers who want to finish cigars outside after closing.
And yes, you can roll a joint on Bourbon Street and nobody cares. But cigars in casinos? That’s done. Everyone’s upset about it.
PCA (Premium Cigar Association trade show) was in New Orleans last year, and Kyle’s shop was so new they didn’t even make it into the official city guide. But he hosted events with Stolen Throne and Definition Cigars—the latter bringing 60-70 people into his small space. “I could have got robbed blind that night and I wouldn’t have known,” Kyle laughed.
This year’s PCA should be different. Kyle’s on the map now.
What’s Next for LA Cigar Collective
Kyle’s working on a Lonsdale version of the Gris-Gris, and he’s thinking smaller run with actual boxes instead of bundles—maybe even 8-9-8 style. He believes this blend has serious staying power.
The LA Cigar Collective website makes ordering dangerously easy with Apple Pay integration. As I (Walt) discovered, double-clicking your phone is a quick way to have cigars show up at your door with same-day shipping most days.
His inventory has exploded from 300 SKUs at opening to around 900 now. He’s expanded the humidor three times and is maxed out on space. From here, it’s about cycling products and staying fresh while keeping core offerings that locals depend on.
The YouTube channel with Big Rob will keep growing. Kyle’s committed to consistency—showing up every Saturday morning to film even when he doesn’t feel like it, because that’s what builds an audience. The online sales generated from those videos have been game changing.
Final Thoughts (and One Weird Phenomenon)
Before we wrapped, Kyle asked Jim if he’d ever encountered a customer taking butts out of ashtrays to smoke later. Apparently, Kyle has a well-off, older regular who’s been caught multiple times retrieving partially smoked cigars to take home.
Jim confirmed: yes, this happens. He’s seen it once or twice over the years. Guys who grew up dirt poor sometimes can’t shake the “waste nothing” mentality, even when they’re financially comfortable later in life.
It’s weird. It’s uncomfortable. But it’s also a reminder that everyone’s got their story.
That pretty much sums up what makes LA Cigar Collective special. Kyle’s building something real down in New Orleans – a place where members plan parties for each other, where Big Rob went from 600 pounds to 350, where honesty matters more than diplomacy, and where the owner will tell you straight up if he thinks a cigar sucks.
The Gris-Gris is a damn good smoke at $11. The story behind it is even better.
Ready to try the Gris-Gris for yourself? Head over to lacigarcollective.com and grab a bundle. While you’re there, check out their curated samplers and subscribe to the LA Cigar Collective YouTube channel to follow Kyle and Big Rob’s journey.
And do us a favor—share this episode with your cigar buddies. Whether you’re in our Discord, Kyle’s community, or just someone who appreciates authentic conversation over a good stick, we think you’ll dig what we’re building here.
See you in the garage next week. Or maybe down in New Orleans if Kyle lets us take over his members-only room for an episode.
