Simply Stogies

Quick Review: Blackbird Cigar Company: COCU

Previous Next Cigar Notes Construction Great Flavor Chocolate and Pepper Strength Medium/Full Enjoyment Good + Wrapper: Brazil Criollo Binder: Indonesia Filler: Dominican Length: 5 Ring Guage: 50 Vitola: Robusto MSRP: $7.75 Since being introduced to Blackbird Cigar Company at the 2021 PCA tradeshow I have been a fan of brand and their core . . . This content and…

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Cigars and Coffee Episode 34: Blackbird Finch and Nicaragua Jinotega Paraiso

Tim is back with the newest edition to the Cigars & Coffee lineup. Sit back and enjoy his inability to pronounce so many words while he tells us about the Blackbird Cigar Company Finch Robusto and some more coffee that he roasted, Nicaraguan Jinotega Paraiso from Burman Coffee Traders.  

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Episode 68: Bonus Episode with Lucas Da Silva of Oxford Cigar Company

I welcome Lucas Da Silva, owner of oxfordcigarcompany.com, back to the podcast. We discuss the state of cigar retail, what it’s like to do business during the second cigar boom, and how Oxford Cigar Company chooses what new cigar manufacturers to carry. Lucas also talks about the current logistical problems plaguing the industry and why…

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Cigars and Coffee Episode 33: Montecristo No. 2 (Cuban) and Three Rivers Coffee Company’s Hotel Bravo

James returns after his bout with COVID-19 and reviews the Montecristo no. 2 (Cuban) while drinking the Hotel Bravo blend from Three Rivers Coffee Company. The Montecristo no. 2 is the quintessential Cuban cigar experience. With notes of coffee, baking spices, barnyard, chocolate, and white pepper, how will James score this classic cigar? Three Rivers…

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Cigar Review: The Warped Chinchalle is a Wonderful First for Warped Cigars

The Chinchalle is a first for Warped Cigars, as it’s the first time they’ve produced a cigar in the Dominican Republic. The Chinchalle also happens to be one of the first cigars produced at Tabacalera La Isla, a factory owned by Hostos Fernandez Quesda. Theses “firsts,” coupled with my love of Dominican grown tobacco, demanded…

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Pipe Tobacco Review: Erik Stokkebye 4th Generation Evening Flake is Great “Factory Fresh”

When McClelland closed its doors in 2017, there were numerous blends that became objects of veneration, from their annual Christmas Cheer release to the Frog Morton line, to their incomparable oriental blends. What was lost with little fanfare was their bulk blend #2015, Virginia-Perqiue, aka VaPer Flake. This humble offering combined the illustrious McClelland Virginias…

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Episode 67: The Cuba Episode with Nick Syris of LH Premium Cigars

I welcome Nick Syris, the owner and Master Blender of LH Premium Cigars and a Subject Matter Expert on all things Cuban cigars, to the show. Nick and I run the gamut of Cuban cigars, as we discuss the U.S. embargo on Cuba and some of the effects on the Cuban people, the changing U.S….

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Lounge Review: Prime Cigar Company in Brookfield, WI

Hidden away in a corner of the Galleria West Shopping Center in Brookfield, Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee, sits Prime Cigar Company. It is owned by the one and only Johnny Piette of Isabela Cigars. Prime Cigar Company has been in business for over 14 years, but there are changes coming. Johnny told me that…

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Cigar Review: The Absurd from DROP Rings in the Holidays

Kyle Gellis has become well known in the cigar world, namely through Warped Cigars. In 2018 Kyle created a side project called DROP. DROP is a cigar club for cigar enthusiasts who want access to Hyper Limited and exclusive blends from Kyle Gellis. These projects “serve as a tribute to Kyle’s early days at El…

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Lounge Review: The Outlaw Cigar Company in Overland Park, KS is a Bucket List Cigar Destination…with a Caveat

I have said before that the Midwest seems to be largely overlooked by the cigar industry. There are a few exceptions, like Up Down Cigar in Chicago or Safari Cigars in Omaha, NE. There are a few in St. Louis that seems to get some love, too. But by-in-large, most cigar shops throughout the Midwest…

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