Cigar Snob Podcast

The team reaches into the vault for some old Avos and talks about rum, pairing cigars with rum, Game of Thrones, and all that's new in the latest 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/

Nick recaps his trip to New Orleans, Erik talks about the Rocky-Patel-sponsored Mountain on Fire cigar event he attended in Austria, Ivan breaks down the old-Havana-inspired shoot that's coming in the next issue of the magazine. PLUS, a bonus mini-interview with actress Marcela Paguaga, who is a cast member in The Amparo Experience (and is also the granddaughter of the late Gilberto Oliva, Sr.). 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 reaches into the Cigar Snob vault for some old Ezra Zion Jamais Vus, then talks Fornite, Bacardi, "The Real Havana Club," immersive rum history theater, 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 gathers round to talk about the latest issue of the magazine, Donald Trump's "No Collusion Day," Chris Bosh's Miami Heat jersey retirement, March Madness, sous vide cooking, intelligent design, and all sorts of other stuff. All the while, we're smoking Balmoral Serie Signaturas Dueto cigars. Music in this episode: "BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Cigar Right of America executive director Glynn Loope dropped by for a chat about federal regulation of premium cigars, state and municipal smoking bans, and the work that CRA does to engage smokers, tobacconists, cigar makers and government officials in preserving your legal right to enjoy cigars. Music in this episode: "BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Mombacho Cigars is one of the few Nicaraguan cigar manufacturers with a destination factory that's not located in Estelí. The historic building the company calls him is in Granada, Nicaragua, where tons of tourists happen upon Mombacho's story and subsequently (at least we all hope) fall in love with the craft of cigar making. The company's not just a tourist destination, though. They're making serious cigars, including the Mombacho Liga Maestro, which Cigar Snob called the No. 12 cigar of 2018. Mombacho master blender Claudio Sgroi dropped by our office with cigars and doughnuts for a chat. Music in this episode: "BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Our publisher Erik caught some spring training baseball, Jamilet is back from the Dominican Republic's ProCigar festival, and Nick just returned from a trip to Seattle with our art director Andy. We recap all that travel while smoking Cornelius by Cornelius and Anthony. In addition, we imagine a cigar-industry spin on the Jussie Smollett assault scheme, review the Oscars, update you on the latest FDA cigar regulation news, and remind you of the differences between apes and monkeys. Music in this episode: "BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Rafael Nodal came to prominence among smokers with the Aging Room brand he helped create and popularize. Now, he's Tabacalera USA's head of product capacity. It's a role that puts him in the thick of product development as well as some of the retail and hospitality aspects of the company's expanding cigar empire. Rafael dropped by the office for a chat about his career, the cigar making process, and the myriad responsibilities he has in his current role. 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 left Miami and headed to Florida's opposite coast for this interview with Rocky Patel, the founder of one of the most recognizable brands in premium cigars. Rocky recalls how he got his start in the business, the challenges of breaking into an insular industry, and the journey from newcomer to cigar superstar. We also get into the charitable work that he does through the Rocky Patel Foundation and his efforts to combat government encroachment on your right to enjoy cigars. 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 gathers around the mics to smoke Mombacho Liga Maestro cigars, which were on our list of the Top 25 Cigars of 2018. We also talk about Matt Kuchar and his caddy, Dwyane Wade's Last Dance, the Dominican Republic's ProCigar Festival, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Ivan's favorite new medicated wipes. Music in this episode: "BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

No matter what you smoke, there’s a damn good chance you’ve been up close to Manny Iriarte’s work. The Cuban-born designer and photographer has created ads, cigar packaging art, and other designs for many of the biggest names in the premium cigar industry — most notably and frequently Arturo Fuente. Manny’s is a compelling story about grit, hard work, and all that’s possible when you’re willing to adapt to changing circumstances and take risks with new skills. Music in this episode: "BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Roberto Guerra and his family are pork roasting royalty in Miami and their Caja China pig roasting box is ubiquitous in any Cuban-American celebration. With some major mainstream exposure from Food Network personalities and the consistently delicious results of using the Caja China, the product is growing in popularity around the country. We sat and smoked with Roberto to talk about pork, parties, and how the Caja China brand has grown beyond its Cuban Miami beginnings. Music in this episode: "BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

On this special two-in-one episode, we're joined by the guys from Tea Time! with Mike & Mike, a podcast hosted by two friends of the magazine, Mike Beltran (chef-owner of Ariete, a restaurant in Coconut Grove) and Mike Ortiz (founder of JoJo Tea). This episode of the podcast is ALSO an episode of Tea Time! and you can find it on their feed. Look 'em up on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, Soundcloud and Spotify. We talk cigars, tea, food, football, and a whole lot 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/

In “Old Newgate Road,” novelist Keith Scribner tells the story of Cole Callahan, a Connecticut native who moved to the west coast after violence tore his family apart. Now Cole is back in Connecticut’s tobacco country, where he’s coming face to face with the characters, landscapes and relics of his past — including his father and childhood home, which he’d left behind decades before. It’s all set against a backdrop of tobacco fields, sheds loaded with curing Broadleaf, and the culture that has developed around the crop. 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 Saka, founder of Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust, stopped by Cigar Snob HQ for an episode of the podcast. We talked about his young company, his approach to cigar making, and Sin Compromiso, the cigar that we named Cigar of the Year when we announced our picks for the Top 25 Cigars of 2018. Music in this episode: "BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

J. Cortès CEO Fred Vandermarliere represents the third generation to helm his family's Belgian cigar company. In this interview, we talk about his family's approach to machine-made cigars, their motivation for acquiring Oliva Cigars, and where there's overlap between the cultures of the two brands. 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 list of the Top 25 Cigars of 2018 is live. We gathered around the mics to run through the rankings and jibber jabber about some of the smokes that made the cut. See the rankings here: http://www.cigarsnobmag.com/top25 Music in this episode: "BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

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/