Cigar Snob Podcast

Alec Bradley is one a name loads of cigar smokers know well. But fewer know that there isn’t actually a guy named Alec Bradley behind the brand. The name refers to two brothers — Alec and Bradley — who are the sons of the company’s founder Alan Rubin.

While the name might not have referred to anyone in the cigar business at first, that’s starting to change. Our publisher Erik Calviño sat down with Alan Rubin to talk about his company, what’s new in the Alec Bradley portfolio, and the cigar project that the now-adult Alec and Bradley have taken on.

Music in this episode:

"BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

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The Cigar Snob team is back. We're smoking Camacho Coyolar, the company's new Dominican puro. Also, we talk about Coney Island Hot Dogs, meeting country band Old Dominion, shooting in the Dominican Republic, and Erik's adventures in brisket.

Music in this episode:

"BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Sometimes it can seem like any mention of “Central American” cigars is necessarily a reference to Nicaragua. Most of the region’s noteworthy factories are in Estelí. There are great cigars coming out of other countries in the region, though, and one of the hottest protagonists of Honduran cigars is Oscar Valladares.

His name recognition in the U.S. got a major bump from Leaf by Oscar, and he's now putting out consistently excellent cigars and some of the most inventive packaging of any boutique brand.

I sat with Oscar at last month’s IPCPR trade show to talk about his latest releases, the artist behind the design of some of his new packaging, and what it's like to helm a company that is decidedly Honduran.

Music in this episode:

"BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

If you’re an American smoker of premium cigars, there’s a chance you still aren’t familiar with Royal Agio. But make no mistake; the company is a powerhouse in Europe, with a multi-generational history that has led to its position as one of the largest manufacturers of cigars in the world — when you count machine-made products that is.

While machine made cigars have some negative stigma attached to them in the U.S., Agio products don’t compromise on quality and craft. Just a few years ago, the company expanded its Balmoral brand to include handmade products made at its Dominican factory. Our publisher Erik Calviño sat with Agio’s Boris Wintermans to talk about the company’s history, his family’s fascination with Brazilian tobacco, and their latest project, Dueto, which they launched with a cigar that came out of a collaboration with Ernesto Pérez-Carrillo.

Music in this episode:

"BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Andre Farkas’ Viaje brand isn’t always easy to come by, but their reputation has spread far and wide. When you come across Viaje cigars, you scoop them up.

While at the 2018 IPCPR trade show, Cigar Snob publisher Erik Calviño and senior editor Nicolás A. Jiménez sat with the L.A.-based owner of Viaje for a chat that touched on cigars, booze, basketball and pool parties — along with the first release in Viaje's new Private Keep series of cigars.

Music in this episode:

"BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

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Business ideas can come from all sorts of places. In the case of surfer-dude-turned-sailor-turned-humidor maker Daniel Marshall, it all started with a thoughtful thank you gift. Daniel sat down with me while we were at the IPCPR trade show in Las Vegas to talk about his company’s beginnings, how he came to be regarded as among the premier humidor makers in the world, and the benefits of making a living and building a brand inside the cigar culture.

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, the Cigar Snob team recaps the 2018 IPCPR trade show, where a number of cigars brands and manufacturers debuted new product. We also got our hands on some innovative new accessories, met Karl "The Mailman" Malone, and watched the World Cup Final when a small fire delayed the show.

Music in this episode:

"BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Robert Holt came into the cigar business after careers in the military and telecommunications. Now, he’s at the helm of Southern Draw, whose cigars are made exclusively by AJ Fernandez in Nicaragua. In a recent interview he did with Cigar Snob's Nick Jiménez not long before the annual IPCPR trade show in Las Vegas, he talked about his life before cigars, what it’s been like to work with his wife Sharon (the namesake of Southern Draw Rose of Sharon, which he and Nick were smoking during this conversation) and how he and Sharon have made their faith and values the cornerstone of their business approach.

Music in this episode:

"BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Rick Rodriguez dropped by Cigar Snob HQ for an interview. Rick is the blender and ambassador at CAO Cigars, the General Cigar brand known for products like Flathead and Pilón, among others. Unlike so many other blenders, Rick came into his role from the sales side of the business. We talked about how he got his start, what it was like learning to blend with a cigar legend, and what’s on the horizon for the CAO brand.

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 got cigars in the mail from Davidoff ... ad we blended them ourselves! Join us as we smoke through some of the cigars we blended while in the Dominican Republic for Davidoff's Viaje al Origen.

We also recap the World Cup, talk about leaf blowers, celebrate the survival of the Thai cave kids, and review 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/