If you’ve read my review of the Freakshow from Nomad by Ezra Zion, then you know that Nomad releases can sometimes speak to my inner geek. In this instance, Sweep the Leg scratches that nostalgia itch that Hollywood has figured out we all have. Beyond that, myself and our former content director (Mike Breig) have…
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I chat, via Zoom, with the one and only Tommy Zman. Tommy “Zman” Zarzeki is a writer, producer, voice actor, humorist, and content creator. While he has worked on projects outside of the cigar industry, Tommy is well-known for his work in the cigar industry. Tommy talks about how he broke into the cigar industry…
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I welcome Lucas Da Silva, owner of oxfordcigarcompany.com, back to the podcast. We discuss the state of cigar retail, what it’s like to do business during the second cigar boom, and how Oxford Cigar Company chooses what new cigar manufacturers to carry. Lucas also talks about the current logistical problems plaguing the industry and why…
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James returns after his bout with COVID-19 and reviews the Montecristo no. 2 (Cuban) while drinking the Hotel Bravo blend from Three Rivers Coffee Company. The Montecristo no. 2 is the quintessential Cuban cigar experience. With notes of coffee, baking spices, barnyard, chocolate, and white pepper, how will James score this classic cigar? Three Rivers…
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The Chinchalle is a first for Warped Cigars, as it’s the first time they’ve produced a cigar in the Dominican Republic. The Chinchalle also happens to be one of the first cigars produced at Tabacalera La Isla, a factory owned by Hostos Fernandez Quesda. Theses “firsts,” coupled with my love of Dominican grown tobacco, demanded…
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I welcome Nick Syris, the owner and Master Blender of LH Premium Cigars and a Subject Matter Expert on all things Cuban cigars, to the show. Nick and I run the gamut of Cuban cigars, as we discuss the U.S. embargo on Cuba and some of the effects on the Cuban people, the changing U.S….
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Hidden away in a corner of the Galleria West Shopping Center in Brookfield, Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee, sits Prime Cigar Company. It is owned by the one and only Johnny Piette of Isabela Cigars. Prime Cigar Company has been in business for over 14 years, but there are changes coming. Johnny told me that…
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I have said before that the Midwest seems to be largely overlooked by the cigar industry. There are a few exceptions, like Up Down Cigar in Chicago or Safari Cigars in Omaha, NE. There are a few in St. Louis that seems to get some love, too. But by-in-large, most cigar shops throughout the Midwest…
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I travel to Capital Cigar Lounge in Lincoln, Nebraska and sit down with Alec Rubin of Alec Bradley Cigars. Alec and I discuss what it was like growing up in the industry and his unique cigar journey. Alec describes what it’s like working with family, what he believes makes a cigar manufacturer “boutique,” and his opinions on vitolas…
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The AVO brand was created by musician and composer Avo Uvezian in the late 1980’s. Uvezian travelled to the Dominican Republic and struck a deal with Hendrik Kelner to blend and eventually distribute the AVO brand. While the brand took off and has done well over the years, it hasn’t been one that I typically…
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Stay smoky, friends.