I sit down with Jeremy Casdagli of Casdagli Cigars, formerly Bespoke Cigars, live from the Clayton in Chicago, Illinois. Jeremy and I discuss his cigar journey, how and why he started Casdagli Cigars, the name change from Bespoke to Casdagli, his family history and how that has influenced him, how he reacts to bad reviews…
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OVERVIEW VITOLA:Â Â Â Edmundo (Box-Pressed) SIZE:Â Â 5-1/2″ x 52 ORIGIN:Â Â Nicaragua FACTORY:Â Â Nicaraguan American Cigars S.A. (NACSA) WRAPPER:Â Â Mexican San Andres BINDER:Â Â Nicaraguan (Jalapa Habano Rosado) FILLER:Â Â Nicaraguan STRENGTH:Â Â Medium SOURCE: Gift from Dapper owner, Ian Reith ENVIRONMENT WHERE: Three-Season Porch at Home WHEN: January 20, 2018 at 10 PM DRINKS: Intrinsic Cabernet Sauvignon WEATHER: Great winter…
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James begins this episode with several big announcements! James announces interviews with Jeremy Casdagli of Casdagli Cigars and Pete Johnson of Tatuaje Cigars. He also announces a contest with pupperdor.com. Details and rules of the contest are found in this episode! Thank you to Pupperdor.com for sponsoring this contest. Have you ever wondered why there…
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HISTORY OF THE LINE It would be impressive if any avid cigar smoker had not heard of Tatuaje’s annually released Monster series of cigars. Â Sometime around 2008, Tatuaje’s bossman, Pete Johnson got the novel idea to start a line of stogies based on classic monsters from the film and literature’s horror genre. Â They debuted the…
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THE WAR ON TOBACCO Everyone needs something to do; a purpose. We find our self-worth and identity, to one degree or another, from our occupations and contributions to our employers, families, and communities. Plumbers need clogs to clear and lines to lay, computer folks need systems to build and software to code, and lawmakers need…
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I get the opportunity to sit down and chat with Nick Melillo, master blender, and founder of Foundation Cigars for a SimplyStogies.club AMA/Virtual Cut & Light via Zoom Meeting. We had a fantastic conversation about Nick’s cigar journey, how he got started, what he’s learned, and where he’s going. We discussed a slew of topics…
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I am pleased to announce the launch of simplystogies.com! I’d like to thank all the hard work put it in by the team (Timothy Allen, Mike Brieg, Wonho Frank Lee, Troy Kelso, and Stephanie Hattan) in order to get the website off the ground!!! Please, check out simplystogies.com and let us know what you think…
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OVERVIEW VITOLA:   Toro SIZE:  6″ x 52 ORIGIN:  Nicaragua FACTORY:  EZ HQ WRAPPER:  Nicaraguan Corojo BINDER:  Indonesian & Nicaraguan (double binder) FILLER:  Nicaraguan Jalapa, Esteli & Ometepe STRENGTH:  Medium SOURCE: Trade w/ fellow BOTL ENVIRONMENT WHERE: Le Cigar (Dearborn, MI) WHEN: July 25, 2017 at 8 PM DRINKS: Bell’s Oberon – favorite summer-time brew WEATHER: Sitting Inside…
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OVERVIEW VITOLA:Â Â Â Robusto SIZE:Â Â 5″ x 52 ORIGIN:Â Â Nicaragua FACTORY:Â Â Undisclosed WRAPPER:Â Â Nicaraguan BINDER:Â Â Nicaraguan FILLER:Â Â Nicaraguan Corojo & Criollo STRENGTH:Â Â Mild SOURCE: Secondary Market ENVIRONMENT WHERE: Three-Season Porch at Home WHEN: July 10, 2017 at 10 PM DRINKS: Sailor Jerry Rum on some rocks WEATHER: Gorgeous summer night – low 70s, no precip WHAT’S ON:…
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OVERVIEW VITOLA:   Robusto SIZE:  5-1/4″ x 52 ORIGIN:  Nicaragua FACTORY:  La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate WRAPPER:  Kentucky Tapa Negra & Mexican San Andres BINDER:  Nicaraguan FILLER:  Nicaraguan & US (Kentucky) STRENGTH:  Mild SOURCE: Pappy’s website (only source currently) ENVIRONMENT WHERE: Three-Season Porch at Home WHEN: October 13, 2016 at Noon DRINKS: Costco Root Beer WEATHER: Nice fall…
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Stay smoky, friends.