Cigar Snob Podcast

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/

The gang is back at the mics to smoke Particulares, a cigar made for Sindicato by Aganorsa, and talk about Kevin Hart, traveling to Pheonix, and the Miami Dolphins' win over the New England Patriots.

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 Herrera Estelí Maduro cigars by Drew Estate, recaps our recent Cigar Snob Lechón Challenge, plots escape from North Sentinel Island, and remembers Thanksgiving diners past.

Music in this episode:

"BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Brian Chinnock of Chinnock Cellars (and Chinnock Cellars Cigars) stopped by the office to talk about wine, cigars, Napa Valley, how he got his start in a Texas laboratory, and how his friendship with Carlito Fuente and a layover in Miami played a role his his catching the cigar bug.

Music in this episode:

"BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/