Dave West joins James and Nick to catch up on everything that’s been going on throughout 2025. Dave addresses if the industry is seeing a slow down in sales or a shift in buying patterns. He tells us what he thinks it all boils down to. Dave tells us why some cigar shops are thriving…
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I was able to catch up with Rick Rodriguez and his daughter, Sara, while visiting the West Tampa Tobacco booth at the 2025 PCA Convention & Trade Show in New Orleans, LA. During our conversation he showed off the Dark Time as the company’s first $30.00 cigar. This was obviously something that they were both…
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James and Jimmy welcome Privada Cigar Club owner and founder, Brian Desind, back to the podcast. The two catch up with Brian and find out what he, Privada Cigar Club, and the LCA have been up to. Brian discusses being passionate about cigars and the industry, as well as being good at marketing. Brian talks…
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Micallef Cigars has released another cigar in their color series, the Green. Their color series began in July of 2023 with the release of the Micallef Black. The Red, Blue, and Purple followed over the next two years. The Green is rather special for fans of the Micallef brand, as it sees the return of…
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James, Jimmy, and Tim opine on the recent news of How Bout That Cigar, a cigar media outlet, closing their business. What does this mean for the cigar industry? What is “cigar media?” Who’s responsibility is it to define “cigar media?” The three give their opinions and thoughts on what all of this means for…
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Way back in November of 2024, Steve Saka and Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust announced thy would be adding yet another cigar to the Sobremesa line: Solita Red. I have loved the Sobremesa line; in particular, my favorites are the Wagashi and the Brulée Blue. To say I was excited to see how the new blend…
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James and Nick welcome Zack Van Ginkel of HDA Cigars to the program. The trio discuss how Zack and his business partner, Andray, got into the cigar industry. We find out that Zack is a good ‘ole Iowa boy who is making his way in the cigar industry. We discuss Iowa retailers and retailers in…
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Back in 2020 Alec Bradley released the Kintsugi under the Alec & Bradley line of cigars. At the time, it was my favorite Alec Bradley cigar. Fast forward to August of this year and Alec Bradley is owned by Forged Cigar Co., a General Cigar company, the Alec & Bradley line does not seem to…
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With Nick Syris on vacation, James welcomes Jimmy Dailing to the show. In addition to being a reviewer at simplystogies.com, James announces that Jimmy is a new host at Simply Stogies Podcast. Jimmy also manages a brick & mortar called The Drawing Room in Davenport, Iowa. The duo discuss the cigar industry, cigar lounges, the…
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If you live outside of Tampa, Florida you may not be familiar with what “Devil Crab Tampa Style” is. I know I certainly had no idea what it was. Thanks to Google’s AI, I now know what it is: “A Devil Crab Tampa Style is a hand-held, football-shaped fritter filled with a spicy crab and…
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Stay smoky, friends.