James Giehm

PCA 2025 Coverage: Arturo Fuente

Nick Syris visits the Arturo Fuente booth and visits with Jose Blanco. View on YouTube: https://youtu.be/r-4zI3l1gf0

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PCA 2025 Coverage: Mayflower Cigars

James and Nick stop by the Mayflower Cigars booth at the 2025 PCA Convention & Trade Show in New Orleans. We talk with Michael Knowles aboard his ship, and find out what he was expecting during his first show and he teases something special coming later this year. View on YouTube: https://youtu.be/r-4zI3l1gf0

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PCA 2025 Coverage: Boveda

Nick Syris stops by the Boveda booth at the 2025 PCA Convention & Trade Show, to talk to his old friend Tim Swail. View on YouTube: https://youtu.be/r-4zI3l1gf0

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Episode 151: 2025 PCA Convention & Trade Show from New Orleans

  James, Nick, and Tim give you their thoughts (sans Day 3) of the 2025 PCA Convention & Trade Show in New Orleans, Louisiana.    

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Episode 150: Pre-PCA with Charlie Minato

  James and Nick welcome Charlie Minato of halfwheel.com back to the program. This special bonus episode and all of our 2025 PCA Convention & Trade Show is sponsored by Small Batch Cigar Our coverage is also brought to you by My Old Kentucky Herf. We ask Charlie what halfwheel will be looking for in…

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Episode 149: Vance Taylor of Stoic Cigars

James and Nick welcome the owner and founder of Stoic Cigars, Vance Taylor, to Simply Stogies. Vance tells us how he was first in the cigar industry with LUJ Cigars, and how his first PCA trade show was in New Orleans. Bringing things full circle, his first trade show as an owner will also be…

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Cigar Review: Justice by Stoic Cigars

Late in 2024, Vance Taylor launched Stoic Cigars. For those who might be unfamiliar with what Stoicism is, it is the philosophy of self-discipline and self-denial, in order to better one’s. An interesting view in a hobby that aligns more with a hedonistic lifestyle. However, there is an element of introspection that goes hand-in-hand when…

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Episode 148: Michael Knowles of Mayflower Cigars

James and Nick welcome Michael Knowles of Mayflower Cigars and The Daily Wire to the program. Michael discusses how is passion for cigars began and shares why cigars and Mayflower Cigars are very personal for him. He tells us about how he launched his career, writing his first book, and smoking cigars at The Daily…

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Cigar Review: Avowed Awakening Limited Edition Gran Robusto

Avowed Cigars might be a new cigar brand, but the folks behind the brand are not. Andrew Considine and Dave West should sound familiar to our audience, as they are behind Maxamar Ultimate Cigars and Small Batch Cigar. To be clear, Avowed Cigars is not owned by the store, nor is this just a house…

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Episode 147: Riste Ristevski of JSK Cigars

  James and Nick welcome Riste Ristevski of JSK Cigars. Riste talks about how he got into the cigar industry, what’s changed over the last ten years, and some of the risks that he’s taken to make JSK what it is today. Riste talks about switching to his newest factory and what that entailed, as…

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