Cigar News

Episode 123: Brooks Whittington & Festival del Habano

James and Nick welcome co-founder, author, and editor of halfwheel.com, Brooks Whittington to the show. James asks Brooks and Nick about their time in Cuba for the 2024 Festival del Habano. The trio discuss the Festival, the humidors, and the events; they also talk about the general state of Cuba and Cuban cigars. Brooks explains…

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Episode 108: The 2023 PCA Trade Show Part 1

This episode is made up from some of our favorite interviews from this year’s PCA 2023 Trade Show. For part 1 we start off with Scott Pearce, the Executive Director of the Premium Cigar Association as he talks about the trade show and some of what’s in store for next year. We then talk with…

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Episode 107: Luciano Meirelles of Luciano Cigars

Nick and James sit down with Master Blender and owner of Luciano Cigars, Luciano Meirelles. Luciano tells us why the Maria Lucia is so special to him and how it fulfills his promise from the 2022 PCA Trade Show. We talk about what’s real in the cigar industry and how Luciano Cigars is helping mentor…

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10 Clear the Air: A Simply Stogies After Show

Tim is joined by Nick and James and the trio dissect the latest Simply Stogies Podcast episode that features William “Cigar Coop” Cooper. There’s a lot of talk around what is “cigar media” and what isn’t. Who should be allowed to cover the trade show? What’s an influencer? What is the “job” of cigar media?…

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Episode 105: Cigar Coop on Media & the PCA Trade Show

James and Nick welcome William “Cigar Coop” Cooper back to the show. This time we pick Coop’s brain about what exactly constitutes “cigar media” and their role in the industry. We also discuss the upcoming PCA 2023 Trade Show in Las Vegas, Coop tells us what his theme is this year, and he gives Simply…

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06 Clear the Air: The Simply Stogies After Show

Tim, Nick, and James discuss the 100th episode of Simply Stogies. The trio discuss Micallef Cigars and Andy Yaffee’s  appearance, and what it takes to be a sales person in the cigar industry. They also discuss the industry as a whole, media, Simply Stogies role, the work that goes into making a podcast, and much…

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Episode 99: Festival del Habano 2023

James and Nick discuss the 2023 Festival del Habano that was held in Cuba from Feb. 27 – March 3. Nick battles through the lingering cough from the “Commie Corona” to walk us through the good, bad, and the ugly of the festival. From swag to cigars and from long lines to overall costs, Nick…

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04 Clear the Air: The Simply Stogies After Show

Tim and James have no show to discuss. Is it really an after show? Regardless, the pair discuss proposed rules for cigar factories by the FDA and how that will impact both mainstream and boutique cigars. That leads into a discussion of chewing tobacco vs vape vs cigarettes vs cigars and who chews/smokes what. Then…

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Episode 96: Island Jim

James and Nick welcome Island Jim to the first video show. Jim talks about how he got started in the business and his humble beginnings. We ask him about the industry, boutique cigars, and much more!   You can now WATCH Simply Stogies Podcast on YouTube or Rumble!

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Episode 93: The Cuban Sub-Series Finale with Nick Syris

We wrap up our Cuban Sub-Series with our friend, and new Simply Stogies Podcast host, Nick Syris of LH Cigars. Nick and I wrap up our sub-series in a nice big bow by giving you the latest news out of Cuba, and then spend a good amount of time discussing the current state of Cuban…

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