Vlada Stojanov, the man behind Bespoke Distribution, is a certified sommelier. For those who may not know what that it is, it’s someone who has been trained to taste. That may be an oversimplification, but it’s essentially correct. The testing to become a certified sommelier is intense. Vlada has parlayed that training into a successful…
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Nick and James welcome the illustrious Vlada Stojanov to the show. Vlada is the owner and founder of Bespoke Distributing and the man behind the Somm cigar lines. He is also a certified sommelier. The trio get into the weeds with cigar tasting and reviewing. Ever wonder what flavor notes are subjective and which are…
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When one hears the words, Highclere Castle, the first things they do not think of are cigars. If they do happen to know what Highclere Castle is, the first thing that comes to mind is the television show, Downton Abbey, which uses Highclere Castle as its primary setting. Highclere Castle does have a long history…
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Master blender Rick Rodriguez seems to be putting in the time and effort it takes to grow West Tampa Tobacco. With the “Red,” they will bring their third regular production cigar to market. They have also produced their first Limited Edition, the Attic, making four blends in just over a year of operation. The Red…
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I have heard about Lampert a few times but if you aren’t completely in tune with the cigar industry, it is possible that you have not heard of this company. Lampert Cigars was founded by the lawyer Dr. Stefan Lampert. His first cigar line was MY CIGAR LAB and while on vacation he wanted to…
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Micallef announced at the end of May, 2023, that they would be releasing their first new blend since 2020 called the Micallef Black at the PCA Trade Show in July. While it won’t get a wide release until July, there are several retailers who have had access to “pre-release” events and have been able to…
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Patina is one of those “if you know, you know” brands. It just doesn’t get a lot of love from some in the industry, which is a shame. I fell in love with the Patina Connecticuts and never looked back. I have been excited about the Patina Sumatra ever since owner Mo Maali announced it…
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There have been a few cigars put out by Altadis by AJ Fernandez. These blends go all the way back to 2017 when the H.Upmann by AJ Fernandez was released with a sumatra wrapper. Then in 2019, the H. Upmann 175th Anniversary was released and was a highly rated cigar also by AJ Fernandez. With…
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We, at least all the cool kids, were excited when Rick Rodriguez stepped out on his own with West Tampa Tobacco. Rick worked at General/CAO/STG for over 20 years, helping to blend some well-known and very popular cigars, such as the Flathead and the Amazon Bason, which made quite a splash with its re-release. West…
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Released in 2022 Caldwell’s Crafted and Curated series acts as a creative outlet for Robert Caldwell, offering unique blending and sizing experimentation to discerning connoisseurs. Some crafted and Curated cigars tweak existing Caldwell blends with different components or process, while others are entirely distinctive blends. However, all are extremely limited in production and represent Robert’s…
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