#ELOsoFumarTakes

This week, #ELOsoFumarTakes welcomes the man, the myth, the unbuttoned shirt legend, Tony Bellatto of La Barba Cigars in for our #96thTake. Tony is a lot of things, but what some may not know is that he is a WSET level 3 wine sommelier. He also owns a coffee company and has been virtually been working in our beloved industry since before he could legally smoke a cigar. It's a lot to unravel, but we'll try. Enjoy!

This week, #ELOsoFumarTakes turns 2! We welcome back the man who got us started from #Take1. Tim Wong, two-decade industry veteran, and Pier 28 Cigars Founder returns to celebrate the beginning and today. We talk our Anniversary, Pier 28, La Zona Palooza, and the changes in the industry over the years. Enjoy!

 This week, #ELOsoFumarTakes welcomes former National Cigar Smoking Champion and the Every Man of the Premium Cigar Industry. From George Brighmann to Jose Blanco to Jonathan Drew, Lois is connected...a made man. We dive into Cigar Smoking Championships, Cigar Events (like the Kentucky Derby & Breeders Cup), and tackle some Industry Politics going on in Lois's backyard. Enjoy!

The rulebook for World Cigar Smoking Championship: https://www.hajenius.com/images/cswc/Wedstrijdreglement_2018_UK.pdf

This week, #ELOsoFumarTakes welcomes a duo in for our #93rdTake. How 'Bout That Cigar has already been represented back in the spring when Co-Founder Matt Tye joined us for #Take71. For #Take93, welcome Tye back alongside his partner-in-crime, Garret Robinson. Between the three of us, we'll weigh in on Cigar Destinations, Cigar Events, Cigar Inspirations and a debate for the ages: Chevy Chase: cool or not cool. 

This week, #ELOsoFumarTakes welcomes back Spencer Drake of La Familia Robaina for #Take92. Drake has been busy since the last time we sat down with him. He still owns his company, he's still making incredible cigars, and yes, he's still working with the iconic Hirochi Robaina. So, what's changed? Some obvious and not obvious things, all leading to greatness. Enjoy!

This week, #ELOsoFumarTakes welcomes in George Rico of Gran Habano Cigars. Rico has prided himself for over two decades in making world-class cigars using tobaccos that aren't widely used. As a fourth-generation tobacconist, he has the experience, but we dive deep to see just what makes them some of the quietly dominant and consistent cigars on in the industry. Enjoy!

This week, #ELOsoFumarTakes brings our #90thTake with some legendary flair. Our guest is the 'Mad Professor', 'the Wizard of Westwood' - Michael Giannini of Ventura Cigar Company. I was told once by Steve Saka that the term legend gets thrown around a lot in this history. He then preceded to throw several names of "legends" out there to me. Menedez, Carrillo, Quesada were all mentioned. Do you know what they and other legends in the industry have in common? Giannini has worked with all of them. So, in this #take...I bring you legend. Enjoy!

Ventura Cigar Company: 

https://venturacigar.com/ 

This week, the gents of Cigar Federation return for another round of blind pairings action. As always. we're upping the ante with some of our selections. In addition, we're going to have some shenanigans added into the mix with some bizarre Q&A. It's a take you don't want to miss! Enjoy!

Check out the breweries we sampled from:

Panther Island Brewing Company: http://pantherislandbrewing.com/

Heater Allen Brewing: http://heaterallen.com/

Carton Brewing Company: https://cartonbrewing.com/

This week, #ELOsoFumarTakes brings in something special for our #88thTake. Field of Dreams turns 30 this year - and we decided to marry 3 great passions tonight - Cigars, Baseball and Film.

Miguel M. Schoedel of Crowned Heads and I will breakdown our memories, thoughts, and joy behind the film and baseball. Of course, we'll be smoking cigars and talking Crowned Heads! Enjoy!

This week, #ELOsoFumarTakes welcomes Kurt Kendall of 7-20-4 Cigars for #Take87. The king of all things vintage, Kendall takes his love of nostalgia and seeps it into literally everything he does. From antique tobacciana to classic cars, it's a pretty awesome world... and we all live in it. "Smoking a piece of history," the company's tag line is quite literally. We get Kurt talking antiques, collections, of course, cigars. But, why 7-20-4? We find out. Enjoy!