Each year Crowned Heads releases the Las Calaveras line of cigars. They began releasing Las Calaveras in 2014 as a way to honor and remember those in the cigar industry who passed away the previous year. It has become a release that I look forward to every year. Some are better than others, but I…
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On this episode, James and Nick welcome Nimmer Ahmed of Valacari Cigars. The trio find out about Nimmer’s background: how and where he started his cigar journey, how Valacari came to be, and how he chose the name “Valacari.” Nimmer has great insights into the manufacturing side of the cigar industry, as well as on…
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I once again find myself reviewing a cigar that has its beginnings pre-2018. (For those not in the know, 2018 was the year I started smoking cigars.) This time, it’s the Tatuaje Lomo de Cerdo, or “pork loin” in Spanish. The original Tatuaje Pork Tenderloin was released in 2010. Of the original release, I have…
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James sits down with John Peter Laurendi and Adrian Maharaj of Peter James Co. The trio discuss John’s journey with Peter James and how he overcame adversity by putting everything on the line to follow his dream and passion. John explains how Adrian came on board Peter James and the value he adds. Adrian explains…
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James and Nick Syris welcome back Nick Melillo to the show. Nick talks about what’s new at Foundation Cigars (Metapa, Tabernacle Knight Commander, and the Charter Oak Pasquale and Pegnataro). The trio briefly talk about Nick Melillo running the DE Factory, before they deep dive on the Highclere Castle Senetjer. We discuss how things have…
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The 2023 PCA Trade Show gave us a lot to look forward to, and one of those cigars was the Y Panda by Luciano Cigars. I was lucky enough to steal the one that was given to Tim and smoke it at the show. Honestly, it was one of the better samples that I tried…
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Tim calls the hosts of Simply Stogies Podcast, Nick and James, back to the microphones to discuss Episode 113: Jose Blanco. The trio expand on some of the topics touched on in Episode 113. Should you retrohale? Where do the thirds of cigars come from? Are cigar reviews helpful? The topic then turns to cigar…
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Full transparency: there isn’t a lot of information out there about this brand by Davidoff. When you Google search for Seleccion de Fabrica by Davidoff the only thing that comes up are links to buy the cigars from Oxford Cigar Company. What I could gather about the Seleccion de Fabrica Connecticut by Davidoff was found…
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James and Nick welcome cigar industry legend, Jose Blanco to the show. The trio discuss what cigar smokers should know and why they should know it, we take a look at how Jose got started in the industry, and how he started with Arturo Fuente. Jose Blanco is a wealth of knowledge and we are…
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With James out and about, Nick shows off his interviewing chops by having a great conversation with his longtime friend Pete Johnson of Tatuaje Cigars. The trio discuss Pete’s start in the industry, the CRA, Pete’s involvement with the movie Hand Rolled: A Film About Cigars, and what Tatuaje has coming up. We find out…
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Stay smoky, friends.