James Giehm

Cigar Review: Lumineer Toro by Valacari Cigars

I was first made aware of the Lumineer several years ago by Lou Cross, now of Lure Cigars. At the time, Lou was good friends with Nimmer Ahmad of Valacari. Nimmer would allow Lou, and the members of a local Tallahassee based cigar club – “C4” – to sample different test blends to get feedback….

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Episode 159: Les Mann of ST Dupont

James and Nick welcome Les Mann from ST Dupont to the show. Les discusses how he came to work for ST Dupont and the challenges that came with it. We ask Les how he’s developed the relationships in the cigar industry and the importance of trust with each of his clients. Les gives us his…

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Episode 158: Robert Caldwell

James and Nick welcome Robert Caldwell of Caldwell Cigars to the podcast. We find out about the friendship between Robert and Nick. We discuss the pitfall of the overconsumption of information without context, that leads some “cigar geeks” to make false assumptions. We discuss if “a cigar made is a cigar sold” still holds true,…

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Cigar Review: Macanudo Emissary France Toro

The sophomore release in the Macanudo Cigars’ Emissary lineup is the Emissary France. According to Macanudo’s website the cigar features, “rare and refined French tobacco grown in the Mugron River Valley, nestled between Bordeaux and the Spanish border. Nurtured by the Atlantic sea breeze and the region’s rich terroir, this tobacco develops distinct notes of…

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Episode 157: Trey Mac of JRE Tobacco

James and Nick sit down with Trey Mac Shipley, the National Sales Manager of JRE Tobacco. The trio discuss how Trey and Nick became friends, before diving into cigars. We find out from Trey what a good cigar rep looks like and the differences in cigar culture across the United States. We discuss handshake deals…

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Episode 156: Mike “BDP” Palmer of Pospiech Cigars

James and Tim (Nick is on assignment) sit down with the Pospiech National Sales Manager Mike “BDP” Palmer. We find out how Mike got the nickname “BDP,” the name of his cigar. We talk about how Mike got involved with Postawnie CIgars and Mike “Mikey” Szczepankewicz. This leads us into talking about their podcast “Cigar…

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Cigar Review: Micallef Purple Toro

Way back in July of 2023, Micallef launched their color series with the Micallef Black. Since then, they’ve had two other releases (the Red and the Blue). Micallef’s shift away from their “Grande Bold” lines to the color series has been wildly successful. The reception to each of new release of the color series seems…

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Episode 155: Noel Rojas of Rojas Cigars

James and Nick welcome Noel Rojas of Rojas Cigars to the podcast. Noel discusses growing up in Cuba: from working on tobacco farms at a young age, to his military service, and why he went back to tobacco. He gives us an in-depth look into his career in tobacco from Cuba, to the US, and…

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Cigar Review: New Dawn Robusto Grande by Avowed Cigars

Avowed Cigars launched earlier this year. The brand was started by Andrew Considine and Dave West, the gentlemen behind Small Batch Cigar, They are blended and rolled at the Kelner Cigars SAS in the Dominican Republic. The New Dawn was one of three lines launched with the company, the Vow and the Awakening being the…

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Cigar Review: Patina LE 24

We last had Mo Maali of Patina Cigars on the show in September of last year. If you remember, I was pretty bummed about missing out on his first limited edition from the year before. There was no way I was going to miss out on his 2024 LE. So, I grabbed a box when…

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