Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Culture

Recap: The Manual Meet Up Portland

By

On April 9th, we had our second Manual Meet Up, this time in our Portland, Oregon HQ. From 6-9 pm we welcomed 40 guys and gals into our brand new entertaining space on the 10th floor of the ‘Big Pink’ in downtown Portland.

As the sun set, the guests witnessed spectacular views of the city while they sipped wine from local urban winery, Seven Bridges. Local chocolatiers Casabonne Confections offered up a variety of treats as well as custom bourbon truffles made with Bullet Bourbon. Olympic Provisions was also on hand with mounds of Portland’s finest charcuterie and cheese to feast on.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Heimplanet  sent us one of their epic new ‘The Cave’ inflatable tents for one helluva conversation piece. Of course as the wine flowed more people crept in to experience the tent, although our concrete floors aren’t as conducive for pow wows as creek side moss.

Some of the brands that swung by included:

  • Chester Wallace
  • Marine Layer
  • Tanner Goods
  • Kiriko
  • Index PDX
  • Colliers
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Keep up with our hashtag #TheManualMeetup to hear about the next Meet Up destination!

Cator Sparks
Cator Sparks
Former Former Digital Trends Contributor, The Manual
Cator Sparks was the Editor-in-Chief of The Manual from its launch in 2012 until 2018. Previously, Cator was covering…
Don’t ruin your cigars: here’s how to properly season a new humidor
Seasoning secrets every cigar lover could use
faceless man presenting a cigar humidor with cigars inside with gloved hands

If you're a newcomer to the world of cigars or just bought a brand-new humidor, you'll need to season it. And no, I'm not saying to add salt and pepper to it. If you've never heard of it, you might ask, "What is seasoning for a humidor?"

Don't think you need to flavor the box or anything — seasoning is really about getting the wood inside your humidor so as not to rob your cigars of precious moisture. Easy to understand, and getting it done is relatively straightforward as well. The trick is figuring out the "why," and we'll get into that in a bit. But let's first discuss seasoning a humidor.

Read more
The NBA’s ultimate celebration tool: The victory cigar
A look at the players and coaches who smoke to celebrate
Jordan smoking a cigar image on a bag

Sports are synonymous with celebration. After winning the biggest trophy of their lives, athletes want to indulge in the payoff that comes with seeing their dreams realized. Teams go into the locker room, where a waterfall of champagne hits them in the eyes, and swimming goggles seem to be a requirement, lest you walk around on the best night of your life half blind. While drinking is often the activity of choice after winning a championship, the NBA has an alternative symbol of greatness that other sports don't use nearly enough: the victory cigar.

Basketball is a team game, but it's also an individual canvas for solo superstardom. After winning an NBA championship, the coaches and players who sit atop the throne have long smoked a cigar in the locker room, during the parade, or even on the bench before the clock has hit zero. There's nothing quite like a good stogie to signify the ultimate win over the rest of the league, but how did the victory cigar get so ingrained in NBA championship celebrations? We want to take a walk down memory lane and look at some of the historical moments and people who made the cigar what it is within the NBA today.
Red Auerbach's victory cigar on the bench
Red Auerbach: The Story Behind the Victory Cigar + His Disdain of NBA Officials - Red on Roundball

Read more
The best medical shows of all time to binge now
From ER to The Pitt, these are the best medical shows ever made
Noah Wyle in the Pitt

Throughout TV's long history, the medical drama has occupied a somewhat unique place in the landscape. Medical shows are often some of the most reliable on TV precisely because there's so much drama built in to working in a hospital.

Personally, I've found the medical drama to be deeply comforting for years, even if I have no desire to be a doctor myself. Understanding the stress of people in the healthcare profession is fascinating in and of itself.

Read more