The Team

From news and reviews, to interviews with cigar industry insiders, to the latest in products and innovation in the cigar industry; we here at SimplyStogies.com are dedicated to bringing you the best possible content.

James Giehm

Executive Producer/Editor-in-Chief/Host/Author

James began his cigar journey in 2018 and quickly made it one of his passions. James’ other passion was podcasting. He’s now been podcasting for 15 years. He started Simply Stogies Podcast to document his cigar journey, but it grew to feature interviews with those in and around the cigar industry.

Nick Syris

Podcast Co-host/Cuban Cigar Afficionado

Nick Syris’ journey starts with running cigar shops in the Middle East, then to Cuba where he learned the art cigar blending and finally to his own cigar brand, LH Cigars. Nick is a subject matter expert when it comes to Cuba and is a former co-host of the Smooth Draws radio show

Timothy Allen

Executive Producer/Editor/Host/Author

Tim is an Active Duty National Guardsman and a Cigar Rights of America Ambassador for the state of Iowa and Nebraska. Tim began his cigar journey in 2008.

Michael Gouge

Author/Pipe Expert

Michael is a mechanical engineer living in Central Pennsylvania. He started pipes in 2014 and almost immediately began writing pipe tobacco reviews.

Randy Carmichael

Executive Producer/Author

Randy has been smoking cigars for over 15 years. He’s a simple man of simple pleasures, but has learned to appreciate the finer things in life.

David Howell

Photographer

David is an Active Duty member in the US Air Force. He smoked his first cigar in 2005 and has been on a serious cigar journey since 2010.

Ryan Nehus

Author

I was born in Baltimore, MD and have lived all over the United States and in Asia. While I have smoked cigars occasionally for the last 9 years. In the last 4 years, smoking hand made cigars has become a hobby. Most weekends you will find me BBQing, drinking whiskey, and smoking cigars. I also enjoy drawing, powerlifting, and mountain biking. I have been happily married for 13 years and have 4 daughters.

Carley Dawson

Author

Carley is the only active female Certified Retail Tobacconist in the state of Iowa. Carley has worked at a cigar lounge in the Quad City area for over three years. Her hobbies include anime, gaming, and spending time with the friends she’s made in the lounge.

Erik LaMere

Author

Erik has been enjoying cigars for 30 years. He is a Certified Retail Tobacconist. He is currently the General Manager of Habano Cigar Lounge in Davenport, Iowa and enjoys traveling the country looking for the perfect cigar lounge.

Logan Williams

Podcast Coordinator

Logan is a Canadian podcaster who scheduled, produced, and hosted a very successful true crime podcast for many years. Logan brings her scheduling, coordinating, and people skills to Simply Stogies Podcast.

Hello fans of Simply Stogies Podcast and simplystogies.com! We appreciate you, the loyal listeners and readers, for stopping by and even considering supporting this passion project of ours. We strive to bring you interviews, cigar reviews, and to bring you along on our journeys as cigar enthusiasts. To help us do this, we need your help! All money donated goes directly to keep the podcast and website up and running and bringing you the latest reviews, taking us to cigar events and lounges around the country, and giving you the best cigar content we can. You can also choose to become a member of our LE Club! For $10 a month or $100 a year, you can get access to exclusive content and a limited edition Simply Stogies Cutter Club branded cigar cutter. Thank you so much for your consideration!

Stay smoky, friends.