Back at the end of July ’24, I found myself in LA (lower Alabama) for a launch party for the “Mean Jean” from Lure Cigars. That cigar launch just happened to be at Boll Weevil Fine Cigars in Enterprise, Alabama. When I asked owner Stephen Frank why the shop was named after an insect, he…
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James and Nick welcome the world’s #1 humidor maker, Daniel Marshall. Daniel tells us how he started making humidors, the trials and tribulations of getting started, and not letting anyone tell you “no” when you’re following your dreams. Daniel discusses the importance of a good humidor; whether you’re aging your cigars or just storing them…
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The Fiat Lux Tenebrus gets its name from the Latin “lux ex tenebris” which means “light from darkness.” It’s a great play on the original Fiat Lux, the Latin, “fiat lux,” which means “let there be light.” The Fiat Lux Tenebrus Limited Edition features two wrappers. The first is a Honduran habano Azuacualpa from the…
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James and Nick welcome Dan Thompson, President of Micallef Cigars, back to the show. Dan talks about the new Micallef Red and the manufacturing and research & development that went into the Red and all of their color series. Dan discusses what’s next and teases something new for the PCA 2025 Trade Show in New…
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In July of this year, AGANORSA began shipping the AGANORSA Leaf Arsenio. The Arsenio is a cigar named after Arsenio Ramos. Ramos was a longtime blender for Casa Fernandez, now AGANORSA Leaf. Before that, Arsenio worked 40yrs in Cubatabaco. Terence Reilly, Vice President of Aganorsa Leaf, credits Arsenio for much of Aganorsa’s signature flavor and…
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The Daughters of the Wind Robusto was originally released in 2018. It was the first sub $10.00 ($9.25 MSRP) in the Casdagli Cigars lineup. Since it’s release the Pony, as the DotW Robusto is affectionately known, has undergone some changes. First, it is no longer a sub $10.00 cigar. The MSRP is now $11.00. The…
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Espinosa Cigars is the cigar manufacturer that I credit with giving me that “oh, I get it now” moment with cigars. I just have not had the opportunity to smoke a lot of Espinosa in the last few years. The exception to that is the 601 La Bomba Warhead series. This seems to be one…
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James and Nick welcome Mo Maali, owner and founder of Patina Cigars back to the show. We discuss the current economy, its impact on the cigar industry, and how it affects cigar releases and how Patina approaches releases. Mo talks about the Oro de Nicaragua, which factory it came from, and why it was released…
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Just a little over three years ago FUMA Cigar Social was under different management. When the original owners wanted to sell, they approached two of their regular customers and asked if they would be interested in taking over the business. Chuck and Marquis said, “Yes.” Three years later and FUMA Cigar Social has made some…
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Nimmer Ahmad of Valacari Cigars returns to Simply Stogies Podcast to chat with James and Nick about what he has been up to. Nimmer talks about his process of validating blends and the time it takes to make sure they’re ready for release. He also discusses his latest release, the Astronomia. The Astronomia is the…
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