My most recent podcast episode features Rick and Sara Rodriguez of West Tampa Tobacco Co. During our conversation, Rick discussed what it was like going from a “corporate kitchen” (CAO) full of “ingredients” (almost any tobacco he wanted to work with), to a “home kitchen” (WTTC) with few ingredients (limited access to tobacco) to work…
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Rick Rodriguez is a name that most enthusiasts and aficionados have heard of. Rick has had a lot of accomplishments over his 22yrs with General Cigar Co. Learning from such Titans in the industry as E.P. Carillo, Daniel Núñez, and Benji Menendez, Rick took over as “Brand Ambassador” for CAO. There he had a string…
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John Laurendi, owner and co-founder of Peter James, announced his foray into cigars with his Los Estoico line. Listening to John talk about his cigars, you can hear the passion in his voice. Known for their leather cigar cases, cigars seem like the next logical step for Peter James. The Los Estoico line have a…
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J. London is a brand that I was first introduced to during the PCA 2021 Trade Show. I was able to chat with the man behind the J. London brand, Jonathan Fiant. I can remember being impressed with the Gold Series ; so much so, that it ended up being one of our brands to…
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Warped Cigars rarely goes full-bodied, but their new Nicotina – based on a Cuban Nicotina from 1880 – goes balls to the wall and presents a fully flavored, robust cigar to its more medium and mild arsenal. Created with all Aganorsa Leaf tobacco, the Nicotina takes a nod from the older Cuban style with a…
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The guys at bellhopcigars.com (based in Canada) thought it was time to put their knowledge from having imported Cuban cigars for so long to good use, by crafting a cigar of their own. The adventure has since allowed them and even public figures such as goalie Martin Brodeur, to develop a product of their own, after…
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For those not in the know, the story of how Micallef cigars began is quite interesting. The story goes that Al Micallef was at his local cigar lounge for a cigar rolling event featuring the Gomez Sanchez family. Upon leaving the event, Al came upon a van that was broke down on the side of…
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Way back, in the middle of the pandemic, Privada Club released a cigar that captured the attention of the cigar world: the Cookie Monster. Not all of it was good attention. As it turns out, the cigar industry doesn’t like it when cigars are named after beloved children’s puppets. While the industry bemoaned the cigar,…
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I don’t watch baseball. And did not know this was a baseball-related cigar until after a bit of research. Truthfully, James gave me these in an Oxford Cigar company bag, and they went into the humidor for a bit without even being opened. When I finally opened it, I took one look and thought, Okay,…
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Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust (DTT) is a company that has nailed every cigar they have ever release. The “ligador and catador de puros,” Steve Saka, is a big part of that with over 20 years of experience in the industry. When I see DTT on the shelves of a brick and mortar, I find myself…
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Stay smoky, friends.