Cigar Snob Podcast

The most recent issue of Cigar Snob includes a story about Aganorsa, the Nicaragua-based agriculture company that has become one of that country’s most prolific growers or premium cigar tobacco and well respected manufacturers of premium cigars. While in Nicaragua for that story, Nick Jiménez interviewed Nicholas Melillo, the founder of Foundation Cigar Co.; you can find some of his quotes in that story in the magazine. In this episode of the podcast, you’ll hear the full interview with Nick. We get into the company’s beginnings, what’s on the horizon on the product front, and what it been like for him to transition to life on the road in the U.S. after many years living in Estelí, Nicaragua. Music in this episode: "BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

The team (Erik Calviño, Ivan Ocampo, Nicolás Jiménez) smokes La Gloria Cubana Artesanos de Obelisco cigars while talking March Madness basketball, FDA regulation, Rocky Patel's new lounge in Pittsburgh, and fake meat! Mentioned in this episode: Captain Andrew Luck: https://twitter.com/captandrewluck?lang=en Jimmy P's Butcher Shop: https://www.jimmypsbutchershop.com/ Meet the guy cleaning up a nature preserve on his own: http://www.dademag.com/features/cleaning-bear-cut-preserve-mangrove-swamp-miami Take Your Pills trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6Xebo1pngM Rand Paul reads the omnibus bill (Twitter thread): https://twitter.com/RandPaul/status/976909053870911488 Music in this episode: "BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

If you shop at brick-and-mortar tobacconists, you’re almost certain in contact with loads of Eduardo Fernández’s tobacco whether you like it or not. One of the most prolific growers of premium cigar tobacco in Nicaragua, Eduardo came into the cigar business by an unconventional path. His agricultural conglomerate, AGANORSA, includes his tobacco growing operation and his cigar manufacturing business. The AGANORSA factory, which has been known until now as Tabacos Valle de Jalapa, or TABSA, makes cigars for Eduardo’s own Casa Fernandez brand, as well as JFR, Foundation, Illusione, Warped, Viaje, and HVC. Eduardo sat down with me for an interview not too long ago at his factory. We talked about his past ventures, how he built his tobacco empire, and what he sees in the factory’s future. Music in this episode: "BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Apologies for the late upload, people! We had been busy wrapping up an issue of the magazine. This episode was recorded just a few days before St. Patrick's Day 2018. We get into that, March Madness basketball, and a whole bunch more while enjoying Drew Estate's candela-wrapped MUWAT KFC Swamp Rat. Have you tried those? Let us know what you thought by emailing us at feedback@cigarsnobmag.com and we might read your note on an upcoming episode. Music in this episode: "BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

The Cigar Snob team enjoys some Debonaire Maduros (in Sagita) while talking about the Academy Awards, South Africa's troubling move to confiscate white-owned farmland, and a letter from a guy who doesn't seem to like our magazine very much. Music in this episode: "BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

We mark Rocky Patel's birthday with some Vintage 2006 San Andreas, look back on ProCigar 2018, and administer our very own citizenship test to our art director Andy "El Yuma" Astencio. What is a mullet? Who is "The Duke"? What is a Grand Slam? Join us as we smoke great cigars, talk the hottest new social media company, and stumble through our ridiculous high-stakes game show. Music in this episode: "BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Cigar Snob Magazine's Nick Jiménez hopped on a call to interview Steve Gherebean, one of the guys behind Hand Rolled, a documentary film about premium cigars. In the interview, Steve explains how the project was born, who's behind it, and how it has changed the way the filmmakers see handmade cigars and the people who make them. Music in this episode: "BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

The Cigar Snob team gathers in the studio to smoke Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust's Todos Las Dias while we chat about the winter games, boat shows, hanging with Nestor Miranda of Miami Cigar, Smoke Inn's Great Smoke event, Valentine's Day and Fergie's national anthem attempt. We also recommend movies and hotels you should check out, as well as some home improvement products you should avoid. Join us for all the cigar smoke and lady lumps. Music in this episode: "BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

We recently joined a group of cigar retailers and cigar media for Viaje al Origen, a Davidoff-sponsored tour of the iconic company’s Dominican farming, fermentation and manufacturing operation in the Dominican Republic. The tours and the tastings that were sandwiched in between were, for the most, led by Klaas Pieter Kelner. He’s the son of Davidoff’s Henke Kelner. And at 27 years old, he’s coming into his own as an ambassador for the brand. We got hooked up to some microphones for a quick chat about growing up around the cigar business and what it’s been like for Klaas to learn the ropes and become one of the Davidoff brand’s lead cigar evangelists. Music in this episode: "BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

The Cigar Snob team shoots the breeze, talking about the Super Bowl (spoiler alert: the Philapdelphia Geegles won the day), movies (spoiler alert: there's freaky fish sex in The Shape of Water) and travel to Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic (spoiler alert: there are cigars). We also get into some Joya de Nicaragua Antaño Gran Reservas and talk about how hard various cigars kick you in the nuts. Music in this episode: "BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Luís Cuevas of Casa Cuevas Cigars came by Cigar Snob HQ to talk with Cigar Snob publisher Erik Calviño about cigars, how he got into the business, and what's coming down the pike for his brand. Music in this episode: "BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

At 2018’s Puro Sabor festival in Estelí, Nicaragua, Carlito Fuente of Arturo Fuente cigars dropped a bomb of an announcement. The Fuente cigar family — known for its Dominican-made cigars — let the cat out of the bag about its plans to open a cigar factory in Estelí. The Fuentes don’t do anything halfway, which means that this one company is looking to change the landscape of Nicaraguan cigars. What’s more, Carlito announced that the person running the Fuentes’ Nicaraguan operations from seed to cigar would be Félix Mesa. There’s a chance you’ve heard the name. Felix is the owner of El Galán Cigars, which has a small factory in Estelí, as well as a retail store near the CIgar Snob offices. Félix isn’t a household name in the cigar world, so when people learned that the guy at the helm of what’s sure to be a massive operation would be a relative unknown, it generated even more questions. On a recent trip to the Dominican Republic, I had a chance to sit with Carlito Fuente and get deeper into the story. Why Nic

Godiva Chocolate Liqueur and an old Montecristo Premium Selection '07 from the deep corners of our humidor fuel the Cigar Snob team's discussion of bitcoin, the Super Bowl, and the newest issue of Cigar Snob Magazine. Music in this episode: "BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

You might never have heard much about Gilberto Oliva, Sr., but the Oliva Cigars patriarch, who died in December 2017, was as consequential in the story of cigars — especially Nicaraguan cigars — as any of his peers. In this special episode of the podcast, you'll hear from some of the people who knew Gilberto best, like his son José Oliva, Jorge Padrón (Padrón Cigars), Ernesto Pérez Carrillo (EPC Cigars), Carlito Fuente (Arturo Fuente Cigars), Nestor Plasencia (Plasencia Cigars)and Erik Calviño (Cigar Snob Magazine).

To bring you closer to the life of the late José Orlando Padrón — the Padrón Cigar family patriarch who died in December 2017 — we went to some of the family, friends, and cigar makers who knew him best. In this special episode of the podcast, you'll hear from José Orlando's son Jorge, as well as Rocky Patel, Ernesto Pérez Carrillo, Jonathan Drew, Carlito Fuente, and José Oliva. In addition, you'll hear from tobacconists Craig Cass, Abe Dababneh, and Jorge Valdés. Albert Hernández of The Bastards — the "secret society" of Padrón superfans — remembers laughing with his favorite cigar maker, and Fr. Willie García-Tuñón, S.J. tells the story of José Orlando's request for prayers that he leave this earth on a particular day.

After releasing our list of the Top 25 Cigars of 2017, the Cigar Snob team gathered around the microphones to discuss the list — and, of course, our pick for Cigar of the Year. Music in this episode: "BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

The Cigar Snob Team talks New Years Eve, the FDA, and what's coming in 2018 while smoking AJ Fernandez Enclave Broadleaf. We also do our best Bill Burr impersonations and complain about sweater weather in Miami. Music in this episode: "BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Episode art: f99aq8ove https://www.flickr.com/photos/11212545@N05/

The Cigar Snob team remembers Gilberto Oliva, Sr. while enjoying Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduros. We also talked about our Christmas traditions, our favorite stories of 2017, movie recommendations, and photo producer Ivan's new miracle pillow. Music in this episode: "BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

The team smokes Padróns in honor of the late José Orlando Padrón. We also talk about the Miami Marlins, Boston's vanishing cigar scene, fantasy football and the process of ranking the top 25 cigars of the year. Music in this episode: "BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Cigar Snob publisher Erik Calviño sits down for a talk with Terence Reilly, the new VP of sales and marketing at Casa Fernandez Cigars. Music in this episode: "BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/