Cigar Smoker

17 Clear The Air: A Simply Stogies After Show

James takes over as host of Clear The Air for the first and last time (hopefully) as this particular occasion went to his head. Just kidding. Tim sat in as the guest host for the Pete Johnson interview on the last episode of Simply Stogies so James is now sitting in for Tim on Clear…

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Cigar Review: El Gueguense Macho Raton by Foundation Cigars

The El Gueguense line was one of the first cigars I had from Foundation. I instantly fell in love with the medium-bodied blend and the company. If there was one cigar I would tell people to buy if they are just starting to smoke cigars, it is the El Gueguense in Corona. It is balanced,…

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Episode 112: Catching Up with Pete Johnson

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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Cigar Review: Club Mareva Jure from Casdagli Cigars

The Jure is the latest offering of the Club Mareva line from Casdagli Cigars. It was made for the opening of Club Mareva Zagreb, in the capital of Croatia. It was also dedicated to the memory of Marko Bilić’s father. Jeremy spoke about this when he was last on our podcast. The Jure differs from…

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16 Clear The Air: A Simply Stogies After Show

Tim, James, and Nick are back again to talk about the latest Simply Stogies Podcast with special guest Vlada Stojanov of Bespoke Cigar Co. Unfortunately no one came to the table with any jokes, but there is plenty of good conversation about the skill of the retrohale. James explains how Simply Stogies rates their cigar…

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Cigar Review: The Somm BDX Gordo

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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Episode 111: The Somm, Vlada Stojanov

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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Cigar Review: Highclere Castle Petite Corona by Foundation Cigars

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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15 Clear The Air: A Simply Stogies After Show

Tim brings James and Nick back to the mic in another episode of Clear The Air. This Episode is a behind the scenes thoughts and opinions session about the latest episode of Simply Stogies Podcast where James sat down with Brian Desind of LCA and Privada Cigar Club.

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Episode 110: An Unfiltered Conversation with Brian Desind of Privada Cigar Club

James sits down via Zoom with Brian Desind of Privada Cigar Club. James and Brian discuss the cigar industry and Brian’s place in it. Topics include marketing, the FDA, Privada Cigar Club, the PCA, the CRA, and much more. This was a frank and honest conversation with who many consider to be a “polarizing” figure…

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