Cigar Snob Podcast

On this episode, we’re bringing you a conversation that Cigar Snob publisher Erik Calviño and senior editor Nicolás Jiménez had with Jochi Blanco of Tabacalera Palma when he stopped by our office on a recent visit to Miami. Tabacalera Palma has been around a long time, but it was only more recently that the company made a hard push marketing its own brands, like La Galera. We talked about the company’s history, Jochy’s approach to blending, and what it’s been like for him to get to know a side of the cigar business he hadn’t dealt with very much early on. Music in this episode: "BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

The team smokes El Güegüense, Music in this episode: "BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Whether at your local cigar shop, in social media, or in the hands of your gadget-obsessed friends, it’s likely that you comes across a lot of cigar accessories. There’s always some new shape of ashtray, finish of humidor or guillotine mechanism out there to try out — but rarely are those new features much more than cosmetic or novelties that stop just short of being truly innovative. Every once in a while, though, a game changing tool comes along. One such tool is the S.T. Dupont Le Grand lighter. In a nutshell, the lighter seamlessly marries soft and jet flame in a way that’s as beautiful as it is practical. To get the details, we spoke recently with Jennifer Loria, the S.T. Dupont brand manager at Davidoff, which has sole distribution in the U.S. market. Music in this episode: "BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

The gang is back at the mics to smoke Particulares, a cigar made for Sindicato by Aganorsa, and talk about Kevin Hart, traveling to Pheonix, and the Miami Dolphins' win over the New England Patriots. Music in this episode: "BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

The team smokes Herrera Estelí Maduro cigars by Drew Estate, recaps our recent Cigar Snob Lechón Challenge, plots escape from North Sentinel Island, and remembers Thanksgiving diners past. Music in this episode: "BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Brian Chinnock of Chinnock Cellars (and Chinnock Cellars Cigars) stopped by the office to talk about wine, cigars, Napa Valley, how he got his start in a Texas laboratory, and how his friendship with Carlito Fuente and a layover in Miami played a role his his catching the cigar bug. Music in this episode: "BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Rob and Jay from Boveda dropped by Cigar Snob HQ for a conversation about cigars, humidification and their sunburnt calves. Music in this episode: "BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

If you're a subscriber to Cigar Snob Magazine, you've probably come across some of the work of journalist Abraham Mahshie. We had him write a story for us about the consumption of fighting bull meat in Spain, and then later an interview with bullfigher Morante de la Puebla. While in Miami to see some family, Abraham stopped by our office to chat about his experiences in Spain and how he came to embed himself in the peculiar world of Spanish bullfighting. Music in this episode: "BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

The Cigar Snob team smokes My Father Limited Edition 10th Anniversary 2018, recaps some recent sports news — like Drew Brees' passing record and the melee at UFC 229 — and wonders which bygone species should be brought back with CRISPR technology. Music in this episode: "BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Steve Zengel dropped by the office to talk about his cigar brand, Los Caídos (Spanish for "The Fallen"), and its mission to support the families of police officers and firefighters who have died in the line of duty. We also talk about his working with Aganorsa, working as a white guy in the athletic program at an HBCU, and more. Music in this episode: "BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

The Cigar Snob team enjoys Liga Privada No. 9 in Corona Viva, laments the bygone days of Dairy Queen before it became “DQ,” and wonder aloud about the fate of the newly abbreviated “Dunkin’.” Also, Tiger Woods is winning golf tournaments and people are passing out on carnival rides. All that and more on this episode of the podcast. Music in this episode: "BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

We remember Arsenio Ramos, the late master blender at Aganorsa, while smoking one of the many cigars he helped craft: the Casa Fernández Miami Arsenio Maduro. Also, we recap the 2018 Emmy Awards, wonder what Dwyane Wade's last NBA season will look like, and run through some of the highlights of the September/October 2018 issue of Cigar Snob Magazine. Music in this episode: "BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

You know Karl Malone for his hall-of-fame career in the NBA, where he won 2 league MVP awards and cemented his place in basketball history as half of one of the greatest duos of all time — the other, of course, being John Stockton. In retirement, though, he’s taken on other pursuits. He’s an outdoorsman, an entrepreneur, and a tobacconist. At this summer’s IPCPR trade show in Las Vegas, Karl also launched Barrel-Aged by Karl Malone, a cigar thats being made at La Aurora in the Dominican Republic. I had a chance to speak with him about life after basketball, his love of hunting, being an outspoken athlete, and the process he went through to have La Aurora make a cigar bearing his name. Music in this episode: "BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

At July’s IPCPR trade show in Las Vegas, senior editor Nicolás Jiménez had a chance to sit down with Drew Estate master blender Willy Herrera and Jeff Borysiewicz, owner of Orlando’s Corona Cigar as well as Florida Sun Grown, the Central Florida tobacco growing operation whose tobaccos have made their way into various premium cigars, including the eponymous FSG brand made by Drew Estate. They talked about Willy’s blending process, what’s new in the Drew Estate portfolio, how the relationship between Drew Estate and FSG came together, and what it means to Jeff to produce premium cigar tobacco in his own backyard. Music in this episode: "BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Jason Lois will be competing for the title of Cigar Smoking World Champion in Croatia. Cigar Snob's Erik Calviño and Nicolás A. Jiménez spoke with Jason about what that even means, what the competition looks like, and how he's been training to reach the tippy top of the cigar smoking mountain. Music in this episode: "BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

The team smokes Arturo Fuente Don Carlos cigars, recaps a recent trip to the Dominican Republic, explains a tostón wager, and wonders whether it's a good idea to require major league baseball players to learn English. Music in this episode: "BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Alec Bradley is one a name loads of cigar smokers know well. But fewer know that there isn’t actually a guy named Alec Bradley behind the brand. The name refers to two brothers — Alec and Bradley — who are the sons of the company’s founder Alan Rubin. While the name might not have referred to anyone in the cigar business at first, that’s starting to change. Our publisher Erik Calviño sat down with Alan Rubin to talk about his company, what’s new in the Alec Bradley portfolio, and the cigar project that the now-adult Alec and Bradley have taken on. Music in this episode: "BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

The Cigar Snob team is back. We're smoking Camacho Coyolar, the company's new Dominican puro. Also, we talk about Coney Island Hot Dogs, meeting country band Old Dominion, shooting in the Dominican Republic, and Erik's adventures in brisket. Music in this episode: "BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Sometimes it can seem like any mention of “Central American” cigars is necessarily a reference to Nicaragua. Most of the region’s noteworthy factories are in Estelí. There are great cigars coming out of other countries in the region, though, and one of the hottest protagonists of Honduran cigars is Oscar Valladares. His name recognition in the U.S. got a major bump from Leaf by Oscar, and he's now putting out consistently excellent cigars and some of the most inventive packaging of any boutique brand. I sat with Oscar at last month’s IPCPR trade show to talk about his latest releases, the artist behind the design of some of his new packaging, and what it's like to helm a company that is decidedly Honduran. Music in this episode: "BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

If you’re an American smoker of premium cigars, there’s a chance you still aren’t familiar with Royal Agio. But make no mistake; the company is a powerhouse in Europe, with a multi-generational history that has led to its position as one of the largest manufacturers of cigars in the world — when you count machine-made products that is. While machine made cigars have some negative stigma attached to them in the U.S., Agio products don’t compromise on quality and craft. Just a few years ago, the company expanded its Balmoral brand to include handmade products made at its Dominican factory. Our publisher Erik Calviño sat with Agio’s Boris Wintermans to talk about the company’s history, his family’s fascination with Brazilian tobacco, and their latest project, Dueto, which they launched with a cigar that came out of a collaboration with Ernesto Pérez-Carrillo. Music in this episode: "BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License creativecommons.org/licens