Smokin Tabacco

Oh this episode of the Smokin Tabacco Show, we are back home in the cold at the JC Newman cigar studios from The Great Smoke. We welcome on Nestor Plasencia and Wayne D Clark of Plasencia. In the first half hour, we talk to Nestor about launching the Plasencia brand after being such a big name in farming and production for other brands for so many years and generations. Nestor gives us a glimpse into what it is like on the farm and tells us about how important the soil is that the tobacco is grown in and the methods they use to keep it the best it can be.

In the second half hour, we talk about the return of Fred Rewey to the industry by way of Illusione and the launch of Bellatto Premium Cigars by Tony Bellatto as part of our Micallef news segment. Wayne talks us about the things the brand is working on this year and teases that there is much to look forward to. Wayne plays along in our Top Three segment brought to you by Room101 by telling us the three most interesting things you wouldn't know about him. Listen in to hear more and don't forget to Like & Subscribe and visit www.smokintabacco.com for more information and news!

This week we are LIVE from West Palm Beach, Florida where we are on location for The Great Smoke 2022: The Last Luau. Our good friend Andy Yaffee of Micallef Cigars joins us as our first in person guest on the show. We talk about the TGS weekend and all of the festivities. Andy fills us in on the newest things that Micallef is rollin gout this year and provides an update on Micallef Madness. Andy also tells us of the story of when he traveled to the G.W. Zoo in Oklahoma - home of Joe Exotic. HE tells us what it was like to meet Joe in person well before the documentary had even aired. Listen in to find out more. The Smokin Tabacco x CFCF fundraiser will begin March 28th so stay tune for more info. Don't forget to Like & Subscribe and visit www.smokintabacco.com for more news!

Juan Lopez, Vice President at Gurkha cigars joins us from Arizona after getting crashed into on the highway on his way to the show! But he is safe and sound and here to talk all things Gurkha including how their reputation is being rebuilt and their business model has shifted away from online mega sites and back towards a focus on brick-and-mortar retailers. We discuss the news brought to you by Micallef Cigars remembering Carlos Torano Sr. who passed away this week. Juan tells us what Gurkha has in store for PCA 2022 and what we can expect from the brand moving forward. Don't forget to Like & Subscribe and visit www.smokintabacco.com for more news and information!

This week, Matt and Nicole welcome Charlie Minato fro halfwheel.com onto the show. They get Charlie's back story on how halfwheel came to be and the early days with Brooks Whittington. Charlie then get into the halfwheel Consensus which he explains is losing it's edge and may not continue. We also get into the the highly controversial issue of the "strategic marketing" debate on certain packaging that could be argued by the FDA as direct towards children. Charlie gives his take on the issue and provides more info from what he knows on the FDA side of the argument and how that effects talks between the PCA and FDA. 

In the news, Micallef Cigars announced two new sizes to their Reata line, a toro and a corona extra. Expect these to be in stores this month. Charlie partakes in the Top 3 and tells us some of the things outside of cigars he really enjoys and even gets into a fourth. Listen in to find out more and as always, don't forget to hit the Like and Subscribe buttons and visit www.smokintabacco.com for more news and content.

Brought to you by Drew Estate: The Rebirth of Cigars - On this episode of Spare Notes, Coop and Matt talk about the Tobacco Plus Expo and what they thought was good, bad and what the future holds for both TPE and the PCA show and how that could affect PCA down the road. They also talk about some of the marketing that is out there and how the PCA has make a public announcement of the subject matter and is this good for the PCA to announce? Does it just bring even more light to the situation that they otherwise want to hide? Listen in as Matt and Coop dissect the topic. Don't forget to Like and Subscribe and visit www.smokintabacco.com for more news and information.

This week we welcome Pete Johnson back to the show to see what's new at Tatuaje. We talk about Tobacco Plus Expo, Pete explains why Tatuaje did not attend the show but confirms they will be at PCA 2022 in July. During our Micallef new segment, we get into some of the cigar marketing and packaging that goes on that some feel is too far or too childish and we get his opinions on it based on his experience with the Monster Series. We also talk a little bit about the cigar documentary, Hand Rolled, that Pete helped to make. In our Room101 Top Three segment, we asked Pete to tell us the three projects he ever worked on that just kind of slipped away and never became successful or never even came to market. Don't forget to Like and Subscribe and visit www.smokintabacco.com for more news and information.

This week we are live from Las Vegas for the Tobacco Plus Expo (TPE) Trade Show. We talk about the show and who's here, what they are showcasing and what we are excited about. We also share some insight from manufacturers on what their plans are for 2022 including what many are planning for the Premium Cigar Association Trade Show (PCA) in July. We talk some FDA news about flavored cigar regulation for the spring and some forecasts into the potential downsides to the industry we might see this year as a consequence of the previous two year slow downs and other impacts from the pandemic. Don"t forget to Like & Subscribe and visit www.smokintabacco.com for more news and coverage.

This week we host and introduce you all to the new owners of Dissident Cigars, Josh and Cynn Coburn! They tell us about who they are, their back stories and how they met. We talk about what their first cigars are and how they came to owning the brand. They also answer the popular question of "What Happed to Ben?" Tune in to find out. They also talk to us about some of the other things that they work in outside of cigars including Josh's book "Shit That Needs Said" and how you can find it. Micallef Madness is here so be sure to fill out your bracket NOW! Also in our Top Three segment, they talk to us about what their favorite tattoos are and what they mean. Don't forget to Like & Subscribe and visit www.smokintabacco.com for more news and information!

Brought to you by Drew Estate: The Rebirth of Cigars - This week on Spare Notes, we debut our new theme song and intro courtesy of Jon Carney. Coop and Matt dive into all of the Top 25 Cigar of the Year lists and pick apart who got what and why some cigars are on the lists we feel shouldn't be. We talk about the changes to the board of the Premium Cigar Association going from 15 to 19 seats as well as the new mission statement. Matt Booth has Matt ask Coop if he would be open to a "sensual sponge bath", listen in to find out if Coop accepts this challenge. We discuss the new Firecracker cigar announcement from United CIgar and talk about how close and accurate we were with predictions. We end our show a bit abruptly due to Coop having technical issues with his microphone interface that prevented him from returning from the show and for that - we sincerely apologize. Don't forget to Like and Subscribe and visit SmokinTabacco.com for more content, news and info!

This week, Barry Stein of “The Cigar Authority” joins us to talk about his early days in Brooklyn, New York and how he got into the cigar industry. Barry has been at this for twenty-one years and has seen the earlier days of basic cigar media and blogging all the way through its evolution to where it is today. He lends us his opinion on a few current hot topics in the industry including the Top 25 Cigar of the Year lists and how he feels about some of the picks, including ours. Barry talks to us about the retail side of the business and even tells us some fun stories. Find out more and hear what Barry has to say in this all new episode. Don’t forget to Like and Subscribe and head over to SmokinTabacco.com for more news and content.