I fell in love with cigars in the late '80s. In 1996 I decided to turn my profession of computer programming and my passion for cigars into a garage business venture. I built a walk-in humidor, registered a domain name, built a Web site, wrote my own shopping cart program, got all the licenses, and started an online cigar outfit. The Web site - you guessed it - was Robusto.com.

The business went well right off the bat, due mostly to the high demand for cigars during that period. However, the business had its share of challenges also. For me, the most important element that was missing from the whole picture was the human component, the camaraderie, the friendships that are a natural consequence of cigar smokers coming together.

So my ultimate goal was to do away with online sales and establish a brick-and-mortar location where cigar smokers could congregate, interact face to face, and share their passion. Having a state-of-the-art humidor and a smoking room would be a must.