HDA Cigars: From Military Service to Building a Brand

From Creekside Podcast Ep. 024: From the Military to the Humidor: The Story of HDA Cigars, aired Jul 11, 2025. Recorded at Creekside Cigar Co. in Maineville, Ohio.

On the Creekside Podcast, we sat down with Zach and Dray, founders of HDA Cigars, to talk about the path from military service to the humidor. Their conversation covered how a plan to open a lounge changed into a cigar brand, how they developed their first blends, and why the community around cigars matters as much as the cigars themselves. Their story offers a useful look at what it takes to build a small brand with a clear point of view.

How did HDA Cigars get started?

Zach and Dray met while working at the same company in Northern Virginia. They discovered a shared interest in cigars and a similar idea: opening a cigar lounge. Dray had already been working on a business plan, and the two began shaping the idea together. When the pandemic derailed their plans for a physical location, they reconsidered the order of operations. Instead of starting with a lounge, they would first develop their own cigar line.

HDA stands for a Spanish phrase meaning “brothers in arms,” a name tied to the founders’ military backgrounds and their partnership. They began the business in 2022 and started selling cigars in 2024. Their approach to the branding was intentionally restrained. They wanted simple packaging and strong names, with veteran ownership as an amplifier rather than the only reason someone might try a cigar. As Zach explained, they wanted customers to return because they enjoyed the cigars.

Why did HDA choose its Nicaragua factory?

Zach introduced Dray to Black Label Trading Company and Black Works Studio, and Dray’s first cigar from that world was Last Rites. The founders researched the companies, reached out, and spent months talking before visiting Nicaragua. They chose to work with the factory associated with Black Label because they valued its construction, tobacco quality, and the chance to develop their own blends and branding.

They also spoke warmly about the people behind production, describing the factory as having a family feel. For HDA, confidence in consistency and quality was important: they wanted a production partner they could rely on while keeping control of their own ideas. The founders’ account is a reminder that a cigar’s journey starts well before it reaches a shop’s humidor, with the people who grow, roll, and handle it along the way.

How did HDA create its first cigar blends?

Rather than decide in advance that their first range needed a particular wrapper or strength, Zach and Dray started by learning about the tobacco available to them and its regional profiles. They worked through ideas together, tried samples, revised some blends, and discarded others. They arrived at three favorites for their core line, initially offered in one size: a Toro. Keeping the first range to three blends and one size also made it easier for lounges to bring a new brand into their humidors.

The names followed the smoking experience. Veiled Mutiny, an Ecuadorian Maduro, seemed smooth and unassuming at first, then delivered more impact in its final third. Cataclysm, an Ecuadorian Habano, stood out to the founders as an immediate fit for the core line. Descending Shadows, an Ecuadorian Sun Grown Habano, begins with some pepper and builds as the cigar progresses; they chose the name to suggest a growing, looming presence.

During the conversation, the founders also shared that they had ordered 5x48 versions of all three core blends, hoping to release them in the fall. They introduced Dave to Phantom Fury, a 5x48 short-run cigar. Dave described it as leathery and clean, with the palate feeling clean after each draw. The size conversation reflects HDA’s gradual approach: start with a simple range, then consider additions as the brand develops.

What does cigar community mean to the founders?

For Dray, cigars became part of decompressing with fellow service members during a deployment to Iraq. He remembered people of different ranks gathering around a fire and talking after returning from the day’s work. Zach recalled a cigar-smoking moment in Afghanistan near the flight line, where a rocket alert and the interception of the incoming rocket became an unforgettable memory. Both described the shared ritual of smoking together as a source of camaraderie.

That sense of connection also shaped their original interest in opening a lounge. At Creekside, we talked about how a lounge can bring people together across different jobs and backgrounds. Zach and Dray said they would want a welcoming atmosphere, a clean, well-maintained humidor, and room for smaller brands. Their perspective connects the product to the place where people discover it and the conversations that follow.

Key takeaways

• HDA’s founders pivoted from plans for a lounge to launching their own cigar brand.
• Their first core range was built around three blends and one size.
• They chose cigar names to reflect how each blend developed as it was smoked.
• Military experiences helped shape their appreciation for cigars as a way to gather and connect.

Cigars from this episode

• HDA Cigars Veiled Mutiny: An Ecuadorian Maduro; the founders said it starts smooth and unassuming, then gains impact in the final third.
• HDA Cigars Cataclysm: An Ecuadorian Habano that the founders said was an immediate choice for their core line.
• HDA Cigars Descending Shadows: An Ecuadorian Sun Grown Habano; the founders described pepper at the start and a profile that builds.
• HDA Cigars Phantom Fury: A 5x48 short-run cigar; Dave described it as leathery and clean.
• Black Works Studio Last Rites: Dray’s first Black Works cigar; he said it hooked him on the brand.

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