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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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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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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James and Tim return to David’s Fine Tobaccos in Clive, Iowa to drink some Viso Blend coffee from Janus Coffee Roasters and smoke a Perdomo Reserve 10th Anniversary Champagne Robusto. The pair also introduce the Simply Stogies 5pk from David’s Fine Tobaccos for $60 shipped, and then discuss the differences between being a cigar hobbyist…
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Tucked away in a strip mall that is just down the road from Fort Campbell, in Clarksville, TN, sits a large cigar shop. This isn’t just any cigar shop, either. With almost 5,000 sq. ft. Screaming Eagle Cigars is one of the largest cigar lounges in the Southern United States. With their proximity to Fort…
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The Kintsugi was announced by second generation cigar makers Alec and Bradley Rubin, back in March of 2020. The global pandemic changed those plans and their third full-scale production line had to be put on hold until December of 2020. The name of the line, “Kintsugi,” has a special meaning to Alec & Bradley. For…
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