Cigar Snob Podcast

The guys answer a listener question about how best to clean the air in his man cave while Jim struggles mightily with the pronunciation of our guest's name. Jamy brings in 4 Oktoberfest beers that the guys try to pair with the Aladino Classic.

We help a listener navigate the confusing terms on a cigar box and label then turn our attention to 3 reposado tequilas all the while smoking Espinosa's Las 6 Provincias CMW edition. There's a little bit of everything in this episode including Cuban trivia, and interview with Erik Espinosa Jr., and we even learn about Jim's George Clooney man-crush.

The guys answer listener feedback about a poorly lit cigar and offer tips on how best to do it. All three taste the Stillwell Star - English No. 27 for the first time and pair it with American whiskies.

In this episode the boys smoke the limited edition My Father Le Bijou 1922 - 100 Years, straight from the PCA trade show floor while drinking 4 excellent blended Scotches. They go deep into cigar humidification methods and bring on Integra Boost's Omar Fernandez for his expertise on the subject.

The guys respond to listener feedback about their movie, drink, and cigar preferences while smoking the La Flor Dominicana Colorado Oscuro. Then they blind-tasted 3 excellent Irish whiskeys with a surprising result before sitting down with La Flor Dominicana’s Tony Gomez to discuss the upcoming Golden Bull NFT release.

The guys put together the ultimate starter guide for cigar smokers and they hit it out of the park with this list. They smoked the new FSG 20-Acre Farm while blind-tasting 4 killer bourbons including one super-value bourbon. Finally, they sat down for a chat with the cigar industry's favorite attorney, Frank Herrera.

In this episode the crew smokes the Oscar Valladares McFly, discusses the effect that shape and size has on the experience of a cigar, and sample 4 after-dinner drinks with the McFly, all before speaking with Terence “TJ” Riley about the cigar industry and Aganorsa Leaf.

The guys smoke the Herrera Esteli Lonsdale Deluxe and speak with its creator and master blender, Willy Herrera. There is a discussion about whether its OK to bring your own cigars to a cigar shop or lounge, and a blind single malt scotch showdown that ends in a split decision.

Erik, Ivan, and Jim smoke the newly released AVO Syncro Caribe and answer a listener question about the right way to relight a cigar. They also blind taste 3 añejo tequilas and have a great conversation with Total Wine's certified wine and spirits professional who also happens to love cigars and tequila jokes.

The guys smoke the new Liga Privada H99 and introduce Jim to the wonderful world of retrohaling cigars. Jamy supplies the team with 3 aged rums they taste blind with surprising results. Finally, Ivan sits down with Santa Teresa Rum's brand ambassador to learn more about the Venezuelan rum, its roots, and learn how to make a Rumoni cocktail.

What's the difference between Maduro and Oscuro? Or Connecticut Shade and Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade? The guys break it down for you before getting into 3 outstanding Imperial Stouts. They tasted the beers blind and tried to match them up with the newly released Camacho Factory Unleashed. Speaking of Camacho, we sat down with Brand Ambassador George Rami aka Latin Thunder for our share a smoke segment.

The guys weigh in on how far down you should smoke your cigar while enjoying the Crux Epicure Maduro down to the nub! They blind-taste 3 accessible rums, one which apparently "needs a push-up bra" and determine which pairs best with smoke of the day and Erik tells a story of playing golf and drinking heavily at a golf course surrounded by active volcanoes. Perhaps the best golf story of the day belongs to our guest, Casey Haugen who let a guy he'd only just met tee off from his "nether regions"!

It's a loaded show! Ivan shares a backstory about a topless model photo shoot that got us kicked out of a California park. We answered a listener-driven question: what vitola or shape do professional cigar smokers enjoy the most? Plus we caught up with Michael Herklots of Ferio Tego to discuss the latest news surrounding his cigar company. Lastly, we blind-tasted 3 Mezcals and paired them with a Timeless Prestige No. 2.

Having a hard time picking out the flavors and aromas of your cigar? The Cigar Snob guys can help! On the show they smoked the new and limited Rare Leaf Reserve from Aganorsa Leaf and interviewed Terence Reilly of Aganorsa to get the scoop on this limited blend. In the Perfect Pairings segment they matched up 3 cask strength ryes with the Rare Leaf Reserve and were blown away by one of the three.

The guys smoke Wild Hunter Oscuro by Oscar Valladares while they discuss whether it's bad form to keep the label on or off of the cigar. They also blind-taste 3 top-rated bourbons in search of the Wild Hunter's perfect match, interview Erik Espinosa about the impact of winning Cigar of the Year, and Ivan shares the backstory of the very first Cigar Snob fashion shoot.

The guys are back to announce the Top 25! Along with their standard goofiness, they also previewed the new issue of Cigar Snob Magazine including a trip to Atlanta to interview the founders of Warrior Poet Society, a fun travel story about Omaha, a super sexy cover shoot and finally they reflected on the Super Bowl. All the while they smoked 2020's Cigar of the Year. Don't miss this episode!

We're getting ready for Thanksgiving COVID-edition but before we start frying socially distanced turkeys, we sat down to smoke an Aladino Cigar. We talked about all manner of goofiness including Pope Francis' Instagram gaff, a cigar-chomping puppy savior, and a massive collection effort in support of the hurricane-impacted families of Honduras and Nicaragua.

The guys are back to discuss the madness that is this election and how it could impact the cigar business with special guest Glynn Loope, former executive director of Cigar Rights of America. Things got much lighter from there when they got into serious Masters talk with predictions from Erik and Ivan. They also responded to some interesting listener feedback! All of this while smoking the new Sobremesa Brûlée Blue!!

HVC's Reinier Lorenzo joined our host Erik Calviño to talk about the latest HVC Black Friday release. Reinier also shares his ideas on blending, Cuban cigars, and which cigars make him want to have a glass of milk!

Master blender and co-owner of Mombacho Cigars, Claudio Sgroi paid us a visit at Cigar Snob HQ. Erik surprised Claudio with a special cigar that he'd been aging for 5 years. Claudio shared his inspiring and serendipitous story of how he went from never smoking cigars, to falling head over heels, to eventually being offered his dream job of master blender.