James Giehm

Cavalier Genève Announces They Will Attend PCA 2020

Cavalier Genève Will Be at PCA 202 This afternoon, Cavalier Genève announced that they will be at the PCA 2020 Trade Show. In addition, they will also be attending the TPE (Tobacco Plus Expo) next week. Sebastien Decoppet, founder of Cavalier Genève cigars, said, “It will be out first time attending TPE this year. We…

Read More

Episode 20: PCA Trade Show 2020 News

With the news that Drew Estate, Altadis, General Cigar Co., and Davidoff will not be exhibiting at the PCA Trade Show this year, I give an outsider’s view of what appears to be going on. I discuss the lack of a shared vision between the PCA and the manufacturers, the PCA’s perceived lack of direction,…

Read More

2020 PCA Trade Show to Have Significant Absences

2020 PCA Trade Show to Have Significant Absences It’s no secret that many were unhappy after the 2019 IPCPR trade show. The topic garnering the most attention at the time, was the announced CigarCon consumer day. After receiving significant pushback on multiple fronts, the IPCPR (now rebranded PCA) announced the cancellation of CigarCon. However, this…

Read More

Opinion: We’re Not That Important and That’s a Good Thing

We’re Not Important and That’s a Good Thing. The FDA announced recently that it is illegal to sell tobacco, in all forms, to individuals under the age of 21. Sort of. As with all things political and legal when it comes to the national government, nothing is simple or straightforward. The legislation that increased the…

Read More

Crowned Heads and Drew Estate Announce Paniolo Especiale 2020

CROWNED HEADS PARTNERS WITH DREW ESTATE! For the second year in a row, Crowned Heads is partnering with Drew Estate to produce the annual “Paniolo Especiale” Limited Edition cigar. This cigar will be exclusive to Hawaii and limited to a production run of 4,000 cigars. The Paniolo Especiale 2020 features a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, Mexican…

Read More

Episode 19: An Interview with The Cigar Madame

Congratulations to Chris Hansen, Gary Mehrl, and Caleb McReynolds on winning the Pupperdor.com contest. A big “thank you” to Pupperdor.com for supporting Simply Stogies Podcast and sponsoring such a great giveaway! I had the opportunity to sit down and chat with @thecigarmadame (Coco Maria) an avid aficionada, cigar enthusiast, great Sister of the Leaf, and…

Read More

ISABELA Time-Traveler 2019

ISABELA Releases Time-Traveler in Time for the Holidays! Isabela Cigar Company released their limited Isabela Time-Traveler on December 13! Just in time for Christmas! This popular offering boasts “…eight distinct seamless transitions of changing flavor profiles…” and a limited production run due to the availability of the tobacco and because the tobacco is aged for…

Read More

Episode 18: An Afternoon Chat with Pete Johnson of Tatuaje Cigars

During an AMA/Virtual Cut&Light for SimplyStogies.club with Pete Johnson of Tatuaje Cigars, I get an opportunity to have a three hour conversation with Pete. We talk about everything from his cigar journey starting in a strip club, to how he looks at the FDA’s overregulation, and everything in between. Pete was generous with his time…

Read More

Episode 17: AMA/Virtual Cut&Light with Jon Huber of Crowned Heads Cigars

Jon Huber from Crowned Heads cigars joins James and some of the members from simplystogies.club for an AMA. Jon discusses his cigar journey, how he got started in the business, and where he sees the future of the business. Jon also talks about what inspires him and finding the reason for cigars to exist. We…

Read More

Episode 16: A Conversation with Jeremy Casdagli of Casdagli Cigars

I sit down with Jeremy Casdagli of Casdagli Cigars, formerly Bespoke Cigars, live from the Clayton in Chicago, Illinois. Jeremy and I discuss his cigar journey, how and why he started Casdagli Cigars, the name change from Bespoke to Casdagli, his family history and how that has influenced him, how he reacts to bad reviews…

Read More