Cigar Hacks

The weather is cooperating so we head out on the boat for one last time this season. The battery configuration is finally sorted out so we don’t get stranded on the S.S. Low Voltage. The Hidden Herf is well received and Nurse Rick almost backs into what it is but, no one hits it. We revisit a few topics from previous episodes and get into some new things. As usual it’s a lot of laughs, cigars, and this time a little fishing.

Local Spotlight – Twins 22nd Annual Smokin’ Blues BBQ!

Conspiracy Corner – Storm Area 51 actually happens

Hidden Herf 97 / The Humidor

Storm Area 51

This week we sit down with Jose Dominguez from Jose Dominguez Cigars and Oliver Nivaud of United Cigars, their US distributor. We planned to do a recording after an event at our home base of Plaistow Cigar on Friday but had not planned on meeting Jose, his sister Ylse, her husband “DJ”, or Oliver (AKA “Oscar”) while there. We all hit it off instantly and they stayed after the event to make this a really special episode. First we take care of business and learn all about the Jose Dominguez Hightower, their operation, and a bit about United Cigar. Then it all goes off the rails, as usual, and we get into a lot of just plain fun discussing everything from holy water to hurricanes. This is what happens when a group gets together to enjoy some great cigars and make new friends.

Local Spotlight – Two Guys 34th Anniversary Cigar Dinner

Conspiracy Corner – HAARP, a weather control system?

No-So-Hidden Herf 96 / The Hightower 662T (6X62 Torpedo)

Two Guys 34th Anniversary Cigar Dinner

A large percentage of the panel has a birthday within a few weeks of Labor Day so we have a bit of party before and during recording. We go off the rails early and this makes for a lot of laughs and some editing challenges. The Hidden Herf is a wild card with not one close guess. Recheck the math on the average rating and see what you get.

Local Spotlight – The Domicile’s Staircase?

Conspiracy Corner – Keebler Elves

Hidden Herf 95 / From the Forge / Mud Fishing

Another typical Hack episode, a plethora of random topics with plenty of cigar talk including vanity plates to hurricane naming conventions and oysters. The Hidden Herf is well received but no good guesses are made by the panel. We had a small issue with the limo but it’s back on the road again. The Cigar Dinner at Castaways was really great!

Local Spotlight – Dinner with Nick Perdomo at Castaways in Seabrook, NH

Conspiracy Corner – Comey, spying on presidential candidates, an October surprise prediction

Hidden Herf 94 / Cigar dinner at Castaways

Kelly from Ashton joins the Cigar Hacks for a special episode. Besides learning a lot about all the Ashton lines, including La Aroma De Cuba and San Cristobal, we record one fun show. We cover everything from birthing to fake Spanish and Italian. The Hidden Herf has a twist and there’s a segment on “your first cigar” that was completely impromptu. Nick and our good friend Pastor Padron (Dan) are part of the new Not Just Blowing Smoke podcast out of Twins Smoke Shop.

Local Spotlight – La Aroma De Cuba at Plaistow Cigar Co. in Plaistow, NH

Conspiracy Corner – Storm Area 51, Jeffrey Epstein

Hidden Herf 93 / 0.0K Road Race / The dog is 3

La Aroma De Cuba at Plaistow Cigar Co.

In the spirit of “2000 Flushes” we have this week’s Hidden Herf where about the same number of guesses are made before someone uses the internet to look up possible matches. We are all over the map with topics, even more than usual. We run into Kelly from Ashton at The Original and have some new ideas for Conspiracy Corner background music.

Local Spotlight – The Original Cigar & Bar; North Conway, NH

Conspiracy Corner – Storm Area 51, Social Media Bias, The Kennedy’s, A November Surprise?

Hidden Herf 92 / The Original Cigar & Bar

Cigar Hack Dave’s extended family heads up to the White Mountains and while in North Conway, NH we stop in and record with the Cigar Shenanigans family. It’s a different kind of a “family” show as the new Shenanigans Woodford Reserve House Blend arrives mid-show. Of course, we have to sample it. Spoiler alert: it’s awesome! We learn the history leading up to, and how Cigar Shenanigans came to be. This one has been on our radar for 18 months, the stars aligned, and our two families made it a good one.

Local Spotlight – Cigar Shenanigans, Cigar & Cocktail Lounge; North Conway, NH

Conspiracy Corner – Storm Area 51, James Comey leaks, Mueller Report

Hidden Herf 91 / Cigar Shenanigans, Cigar & Cocktail Lounge

Richard Carleton Hacker, the author of “The Ultimate Cigar Book”, joins us on the remote while the in-studio guests are Mr. Johnathan and David Garofalo of “The Cigar Authority”. We talk about history, cigars, pipes, and spirits. With a couple of professional interviewers and a great subject to interview this quickly becomes the most informative episode we have done to date. The spirits we sample, while smoking the Hidden Herf, are the Four Roses Small Batch and Ardbeg 10 Year. Nurse Rick pegs the Hidden Herf again and asks the question that sends us in an odd direction. The spirits are detailed by Richard, but it’s Mr. Johnathan’s description that is spot-on. We talk about writing, editing, and publishing including Richard’s cigar, pipe and spirits books plus David Garofalo’s “David vs. Goliath”. Notables from the trade show: Lighters.

Local Spotlight – Studio 21 Podcast Cafe (Upstairs at Two Guys Smoke Shop); Salem, NH

Conspiracy Corner – Storm Area 51, Mueller Testimony, Facebook and the FTC, Digital assistants are spying on us.

Studio 21 Podcast Cafe / Richard’s Book / Hidden Herf 90

The Cigar Hacks again take the pedal-powered paddle-wheeler barge for a two night camping adventure. We are on the Saco River in Fryeburg Maine, this year it’s with a crew of 15. Using a new portable recording configuration we are able to do the episode around the campfire on a sandy beach with the entire crew. Just as last year we were at Fiddlehead Campground for one night and “in the wild” for the second night where we recorded this episode.

Local Spotlight – The Saco River; Fryeburg, ME

Conspiracy Corner – Storm Area 51

Hidden Herf 89 / The Saco

The Engineering team solves the power problem on the S.S. Low Voltage which allows us to record out on Enema Lake. There’s a little competition from the campers on the island. The Saco River Trip is previewed, we are planning to record an episode on the river again this year. The Hidden Herf is a box press robusto that the panel should recognize but don’t. The Meat Raffle was a fun evening. Since when do parents have to go to Drivers-Ed? Ricky lands a pair of big fat catfish and we talk about a lot of cigars.

Local Spotlight – Toscano at Two Guys; Seabrook, NH

Conspiracy Corner – A build up in the Middle East.

Hidden Herf 88 / Toscano at Two Guys