James Giehm
Episode 142: Cigar Coop
James and Nick welcome back William “Cigar Coop” Cooper to Simply Stogies Podcast. The trio begin by discussing limited edition cigars, differences between limited edition and annual releases, and where the limited editions come and how much effort goes into them. The conversation then pivots to the Cigar of the Year lists, criteria, and what…
Read MoreEpisode 141: Small Batch Cigar
James and Nick welcome Dave and Andrew from smallbatchcigar.com to the show. The quartet quickly jump to it as they discuss the new tobacco laws in California. Andrew’s answer was insightful and gave some much needed context and perspective that seemed to be lacking in the coverage up to this point. We then talk about…
Read MoreCigar Review: Las Calaveras Décimo Aniversario by Crowned Heads
Crowned Heads has put out a Las Calaveras release each year, since 2014. Las Calaveras is made to honor those who were close to Crowned Heads and have passed that year. The Las Calaveras annual release has become on of my most looked forward to releases. Beyond its significance for honoring those who passed, it…
Read MoreCigar Review: Maestranza Valencia by RoMa Craft
In July of 2024, RoMa Craft released CRAFT Maquette La Maestranza, a limited edition cigar that was a petite gordo (4-1/4″ x 56). Honestly, that size held little interest for me, but after reading some reviews on it, I was pretty bummed that I missed out. The good news is that RoMa Craft added a…
Read MoreEpisode 140: Enrique Sanchez of 1502 Cigars
James and Nick welcome Enrique Sanchez of 1502 Cigars to the show. Enrique talks about how he got into the business and working with the Plasencia family on his first release. He shares his passion for Nicaragua and the differences between InterTabac and the PCA Trade Show, and his philosophy of “Relax and enjoy.” Enrique…
Read MoreCigar Review: OneOff Black
Released in June of this year (2024), the OneOff Black is the latest LE in the OneOff brand from Don Giolito and Illusione. I could go through the history of the OneOff brand and how Don Giolito bought it back in 2017, but there’s something about this release that puzzles me. Some retailers have it…
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