James and Tim return to David’s Fine Tobaccos (9759 University Ave, Clive, IA 50325) to talk about what they saw at the PCA 2021 Trade Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. They discuss their experience and all the good…and not so good they saw while attending. There is never a shortage of drama in the cigar…
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I sit down at the Recluse Cigars/Iconic Leaf Cigar Company booth on the PCA Trade Show floor with owner and blender Scott Weeks. Scott and I talk about his and his family’s background in the cigar industry and how he started Recluse Cigars and Iconic Cigar Leaf Company. We talk about federal regulations and how…
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Back in May, myself and a friend of the show (Randy Carmichael) took a trip to Charlotte, North Carolina to attend the inaugural Queen City Cigar Fest. Randy was told by Master Blender Nick Syris of LH Cigars, that we should check out a newer cigar lounge named The Vintage while we were in Charlotte. …
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Our first PCA (Premium Cigar Association) Trade Show has come and gone, and it has been a lot to digest. Tim and I had a lot of fun going from booth to booth and talking with those in and around the premium cigar industry. Of course, some of the exhibitors were happy to share with…
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James and Tim return to David’s Fine Tobaccos in Clive, Iowa and take on their coffee arch-nemesis…Starbucks. The pair smoke a Crowned Heads Four Kicks Capa Especial LE and muddle their way through the almost unbearable coffee experience. Along the way, James regales you with tales from his high school days, and they talk about…
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English pipe tobacco has an incredible depth and breadth. There are smoky Latakia-driven monsters like Esoterica’s legendary Penzance, C&D Star of the East Flake, and Hearth & Home 10 to Midnight. There are tamer, more balanced blends like Presbyterian, Peterson 965, Samuel Gawith Squadron Leader, and Peter Stokkebye’s Proper English. The spicy English is a…
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It has been a week since this year’s PCA Trade Show officially ended. I have had to time to look back and reflect on what was good and bad at the year’s premiere industry event. This year was our first year attending the PCA’s (Premium Cigar Association) annual trade show. To be honest, we had…
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I talk, via Zoom, with Nick Syris of LH Cigars. We discuss his journey from an audio business to his life as a retailer and how he eventually started LH Cigars. Nick talks about what he’s learned and where LH Cigars is going in the future. We discuss the cigar industry, what it means to be…
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Spurred by suggestions from his retailers, Master Blender Nick Syris came out with the “Nick” Toro .The Toro is very similar to his “Nick and Jim” blend that he did with “Island” Jim Robinson. It uses the same wrapper, which happens to be Nick’s favorite, a Ecuadorian Vuelta Abajo Seed and just different proportions of…
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James and Lucas, owner of Oxford Cigar Co., discuss the 2021 PCA Trade Show LIVE from the show floor. Lucas is open and transparent with what he sees as good and bad about this year’s trade show. The pair discuss how things could be better, fi the PCA will survive, if TPE is good for…
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