Simply Stogies

Cigar Review: Phantom Queen L.E. from Stolen Throne

Stolen Throne has always been one of my favorite manufacturers. Lee, JR, and crew are all “cigar guys.” They’re steeped in the culture. They are active in online communities and have always been gracious with their time. The last time I had Lee Marsh, one of the founders and blender of Stolen Throne Cigars, on…

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Episode 100: Micallef Cigars’ Andy Yaffee

  James and Nick welcome our friend Andy Yaffee, the National Sales Director for Micallef Cigars, to the show. For our 100th episode, we ask Andy about the new sizes of the Micallef Leyenda that are releasing soon and what Andy has learned in his role as National Sales Director for Micallef. We talk about…

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Samuel Gawith Best Brown Flake

In 1865 the longstanding pipe tobacco company of Kendal, UK, split into two, Gawith and Hoggarth, and Samuel Gawith. These companies developed their own style and specialties over the decades. G&H, as it’s often called, is well known for very strong tobaccos, notably their ropes. Samuel Gawith is better known for well balanced English blends…

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05 Clear the Air: The Simply Stogies After Show

Tim welcomes both hosts from Simply Stogies, James and Nick, to Clear the Air this week. The trio discuss the Festival del Habano and Cuban cigars in general. Nick gets the full Clear the Air treatment as he finds out that he’ll be paired with Tim during the upcoming PCA Trade Show…his disappointment is palpable….

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Cigar Review: Luciano “The Dreamer” Hermoso No. 4

I was lucky enough to spend some time with Luciano Meirelles, co-founder and CEO of Luciano Cigars, while at the My Old Kentucky Herf. As luck would have it, it was just a couple of months removed from when ACE Prime (now Luciano Cigars) released three new sizes of Luciano The Dreamer. I got to…

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Episode 99: Festival del Habano 2023

James and Nick discuss the 2023 Festival del Habano that was held in Cuba from Feb. 27 – March 3. Nick battles through the lingering cough from the “Commie Corona” to walk us through the good, bad, and the ugly of the festival. From swag to cigars and from long lines to overall costs, Nick…

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Cigar Review: Rojas Street Taco Toro

Master blender Noel Rojas has worked behind the scenes for much of his career in the cigar industry, from working on Cuban tobacco farms and studying blending and production techniques to collaborating with various boutique companies to produce highly rated cigars. Rojas Cigars, however, is Noel’s solo venture, having released their first cigars in late…

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04 Clear the Air: The Simply Stogies After Show

Tim and James have no show to discuss. Is it really an after show? Regardless, the pair discuss proposed rules for cigar factories by the FDA and how that will impact both mainstream and boutique cigars. That leads into a discussion of chewing tobacco vs vape vs cigarettes vs cigars and who chews/smokes what. Then…

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English Oriental: Peter Stokkebye vs Sutliff

Armageddon and Deep Impact. The Adams Family and The Munsters. Gobots and Transformers.  Cheeze Whiz and Easy Cheese. Sutliff English Oriental and Peter Stokkebye English Oriental Supreme. There are dozens of times competing companies have given us seemingly identical products. And we the consuming public must choose one or the other. Or you know, watch…

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Cuban Cigar Review: Por Larrañaga Galanes

On a hot, muggy Caribbean day in 1825, a Spanish immigrant stepped off a boat in the harbor of Havana, Cuba.  After weeks of travel at sea, he had finally arrived in the very place he would make his fortune and create a legacy. This man was Ignacio Larranaga, the founder and patriarch of the…

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