Looking for a New Book to Enjoy With a Cigar? If Jesus Smoked Cigars Arrives This August

There is something about settling into a comfortable chair, lighting a good cigar, and opening a book that makes the rest of the world slow down for a while.

For cigar enthusiasts looking for their next read, Joshua Evarts—the owner of The Vault Cigar Lounge in Meridian, Idaho—is preparing to release If Jesus Smoked Cigars: 8 Lessons in Relational Leadership.

The book is currently available for pre-order and is scheduled for worldwide publication on August 11, 2026.

Despite the attention-grabbing title, this is not a theological debate about cigars. Instead, Evarts uses lessons gathered over 30 years in professional leadership and a decade operating a cigar lounge to explore how relationships shape businesses, communities, and the way people lead.

Lessons Learned Around the Cigar Lounge

Anyone who regularly visits a cigar lounge understands that the experience is rarely just about purchasing a cigar.

The best lounges become gathering places where conversations develop, friendships are formed, and people from different backgrounds find common ground. Evarts draws from that same environment to make the case that trust, likability, and genuine personal connection are not secondary business skills. They are often the reason customers return and organizations succeed.

“Relationships are not a feel-good addendum to the hard work of any business. It is the foundation,” Evarts said. “Everything else is all scaffolding on top of this single irreducible truth: people do business with people they like, they stay loyal to people they trust, and they evangelize for people who made them feel loved.”

That idea should resonate with cigar enthusiasts who have watched a casual conversation across the lounge turn into a friendship, a business connection, or simply a memorable evening.

Eight Lessons in Relational Leadership

Across eight lessons, If Jesus Smoked Cigars examines how leaders can build a relationship-forward culture, prioritize authenticity over influence, and create stronger connections with the people around them.

“My goal was to share my 30-year professional journey that is both entertaining and thought-provoking,” Evarts said.

The book is aimed at business owners, managers, entrepreneurs, and readers interested in leadership, but the cigar-lounge perspective gives it a different flavor than the typical corporate leadership title.

It may be especially well suited for readers who enjoy books that mix business insight with personal stories, practical observations, and lessons drawn from real-world experience.

Release Information

If Jesus Smoked Cigars: 8 Lessons in Relational Leadership is 300 pages and carries an ISBN of 9798995573906.

The softcover edition is priced at $24.99, with paperback, hardcover, and e-book editions available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, and the book’s official website.

The worldwide release is scheduled for August 11, 2026.

For anyone looking for a new book to pair with an evening cigar, this one offers a fitting combination of lounge culture, leadership, conversation, and reflection.