Tonight we are honored to welcome Patrick Legreid of Halfwheel to the Prime Time Show.

Without a doubt Patrick is one of the best and most recognizable journalists in the cigar industry. The work he has done for over a decade with Halfwheel has changed cigar media. Tonight we will look at Patrick’s journey in cigar media, and get his perspectives on things going on in the industry. Plus, we will sneak in some baseball talk.

Plus, we will have our Cattle Baron Steak Question of the Night, Tabacalera USA Ties That Bind, Alec Bradley Live True, Espinosa Today in Sports History, and the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Deliberation segments.

As is now a tradition on Cigar Coop, we close out our 2023 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Coverage at the Tatuaje Cigars booth. This year, it was “33 Minutes with Pete Johnson,” as we discussed a wide range of cigar and industry topics. Johnson is one of the most ardent supporters of the PCA, so it’s no surprise he has brought his A-game to the show regarding releases. And to make things more exciting, Tatuaje is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2023. We would all present Pete Johnson with two special awards.

Full PCA Report: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-qmW

As is now a tradition on Cigar Coop, we close out our 2023 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Coverage at the Tatuaje Cigars booth. This year, it was “33 Minutes with Pete Johnson,” as we discussed a wide range of cigar and industry topics. Johnson is one of the most ardent supporters of the PCA, so it’s no surprise he has brought his A-game to the show regarding releases. And to make things more exciting, Tatuaje is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2023. We would all present Pete Johnson with two special awards.

Full PCA Report: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-qmW

When we started to compile our "Cigar Big Board" for the 2023 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) of what new products are being showcased and launched, one of the first companies to make their announcements was Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust. At that time, the company announced seven different products it would be introducing to market. What's interesting is there is quite a wide range of products - from the $7.95 mixed filler Polpettas to the new $100.00 ultra-premium Unicorns. It was no surprise that the Dunbarton booth was bustling with activity. Despite being a very busy booth, owner Steve Saka has been quite generous with his time, as he gave us a 36-minute interview at PCA. We also used this interview to present Saka with the  2022 #2 Cigar Coop Cigar of the Year for Sin Compromiso Paladin de Saka and a special award by Bear Duplisea for the "most watched Take" on El Oso Fumar in 2022.

Full PCA Report: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-qm0

When we started to compile our "Cigar Big Board" for the 2023 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) of what new products are being showcased and launched, one of the first companies to make their announcements was Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust. At that time, the company announced seven different products it would be introducing to market. What's interesting is there is quite a wide range of products - from the $7.95 mixed filler Polpettas to the new $100.00 ultra-premium Unicorns. It was no surprise that the Dunbarton booth was bustling with activity. Despite being a very busy booth, owner Steve Saka has been quite generous with his time, as he gave us a 36-minute interview at PCA. We also used this interview to present Saka with the  2022 #2 Cigar Coop Cigar of the Year for Sin Compromiso Paladin de Saka and a special award by Bear Duplisea for the "most watched Take" on El Oso Fumar in 2022.

Full PCA Report: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-qm0

Foundation Cigar Company often themes its cigars around different cultures. Over the years, the branding of Foundation has paid homage to the cultures of Nicaragua, Ethiopia, Egypt, Jamaica, and England as well as Melillo's home state of Connecticut. That continued in 2023 as the owner Nicholas Melillo's company's new releases honored Nicaragua, Ethiopia, and Connecticut. A couple of the releases showcased this year were quite personal for Melillo, as there is a release honoring Melillo's grandfathers and one for a special honor that Melillo received from the country of Ethiopia. Foundation has worked with the Aganorsa and AJ Fernandez's factories to handle his production. This year, the focus was on the AJ Fernandez-produced brands.

Full PCA Report: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-qlf

Foundation Cigar Company often themes its cigars around different cultures. Over the years, the branding of Foundation has paid homage to the cultures of Nicaragua, Ethiopia, Egypt, Jamaica, and England as well as Melillo's home state of Connecticut. That continued in 2023 as the owner Nicholas Melillo's company's new releases honored Nicaragua, Ethiopia, and Connecticut. A couple of the releases showcased this year were quite personal for Melillo, as there is a release honoring Melillo's grandfathers and one for a special honor that Melillo received from the country of Ethiopia. Foundation has worked with the Aganorsa and AJ Fernandez's factories to handle his production. This year, the focus was on the AJ Fernandez-produced brands.

Full PCA Report: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-qlf

On Prime Time Jukebox Episode 106, Dave and Coop look at some of musicians who decided to try their hand at acting and those actors who tried their hand at music. We also discuss music and cigar news including the death of Robbie Robertson, and the recent win by the cigar industry in U.S. Court. Dave will talk the Australian concert scene – and yes, Barbie!

In this episode, Dave smokes the Espinosa 601 La Bomba Warhead IX while Coop smokes the West Tampa Tobacco Red

As always you can follow along with our Spotify Playlists:

• Episode 106 Playlist

• The Band’s Robbie Robertson Dies at 80

On Prime Time Jukebox Episode 106, Dave and Coop look at some of musicians who decided to try their hand at acting and those actors who tried their hand at music. We also discuss music and cigar news including the death of Robbie Robertson, and the recent win by the cigar industry in U.S. Court. Dave will talk the Australian concert scene – and yes, Barbie!

In this episode, Dave smokes the Espinosa 601 La Bomba Warhead IX while Coop smokes the West Tampa Tobacco Red

As always you can follow along with our Spotify Playlists:

• Episode 106 Playlist

• The Band’s Robbie Robertson Dies at 80

For the third consecutive year, Matilde Cigars was a part of the Sutliff Tobacco pavilion. During this time, Sutliff has provided distribution services for many companies, including Matilde. It had been almost 6 1/2 years since Matilde Cigars has released a new regular production line, but earlier this year, Matilde released the Matilde Serena Maduro. The Matilde Serena Maduro is the fifth regular production line for Matilde, and it's meant to complement the Matilde Serena, which is a Connecticut Shade offering. Meanwhile, Matilde is continuing its Limited Exposure project - a series of limited-production cigars from Tabacalera La Isla that feature small production runs in different sizes. This year the Matilde Limited Exposure No. 1 was released in a Robusto size. In what has become a Cigar Coop Coalition tradition, the Matilde booth was visited as the Trade Show was getting ready to shut down for 2023.

Full PCA Report: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-qky