Not Just Blowing Smoke: Recent Episodes
Pastor Padron
NJBS is a weekly show that brings together a one-of-a-kind panel of tobacconists and bartenders from Twins Smoke Shop and the 7-20-4 Lounge, who give live reviews of cigars and pipe tobacco, each with its own pairing of a spirit or cocktail. Add in-depth interviews with area reps, cigar and pipe celebrities, discussion on cigar and pipe life, what is going on in the industry, and the occasional apple pie, and you have the makings of a truly unique podcast. And that is—Not Just Blowing Smoke! New Episodes every Monday.
Pastor Padron sits with Liz Santos, aka @remarkable_liz, co-owner of Noble Cigars. You might be tempted to think she is just a pretty face using cigars to build her social media persona, but you would be wrong! During our conversation, we delve into her personal journey into the world of cigars. We talk about her experience with building a brand from the ground up, all while juggling her responsibilities at home, nurturing her family, and managing her work commitments. Liz shares the driving passion that keeps her going through the challenges that come from being a business owner, revealing how her love for the craft and the connections she makes with fellow enthusiasts fuel her ambition and creativity.
Pastor Padron sits with Chris Topper, the president of Topper Cigars, the oldest continually produced cigar brand in America. Chris talks about Topper's 1894 line, named for the date his great-grandfather started the company, being the 4th generation of leadership, the importance of American-grown tobacco to the cigar industry, and more! Recorded live in the 7-20-4 Lounge on October 18, 2024.
Pastor Padron and Nic O. Tine smoke the Alec Bradley TAA 2023 and G.L. Pease Temple Bar and talk about March Madness, what is going at Twins, and more.
In this episode we welcome Kaz Walters from Laudisi Distibution Group and local spirit maven, Tequila Talia, as we compare two popular navy flake style tobaccos: G.L. Pease Navigator and Cornell & Diehl's Speakeasy. While we light these up back-to-back, Talia provides some Green Spot whiskey to pair them with while we talk about just about everything from cigars and tobacco, to fashion trends and lots of things in between!
With Daved and Confused moving on, and Nic O. Tine on vacation, Pastor Padron hosts this episode solo with special guest Tequila Talia, the liquor rep for a number of spirits available in the 7-20-4 Lounge including Red Breast Irish whiskey, which she brought for us to enjoy--specifically the 15 Year. We paired that with the newly released Sansepolcro Small Batch from Cornnell & Diehl. We talk Irish whiskeys, her vacation in the VI, Greek food, and the upcoming Petey Blinders Peterson pipe event she will be at here at Twins.
The Cigar Hacks' "Cigar God Dave" fills in to produce, along with several other members of the Cigar Hacks Podcast and Yvonne Ramee from Dunbarton drops in on this crossover episode of NJBS! There is a lot of conversation as we smoke the Aladino Candela Toro and Two Friends Redwood from Cornell & Diehl. Recorded live in the 7-20-4 Lounge!
Tonight, we are joined by 603 Brewery's Dan Leonard and will be highlighting Lounge Cruiser, a beer done in collaboration with Twins that was brewed to pair with cigars and specifically with 7-20-4. Of Course, Dan never brings just one so it promises to be an interesting night! We will be pairing the selection with the 7-20-4 Original Churchill and Two Friends Homeward Bound, a new addition to the Two Friends line from Greg Pease and Jeremy Reeves. Recorded live from the 7-20-4 Lounge!
Tonight, we will light up the Tatuaje 10th Capa Especial Belle Encre and then C&D House Reserve, the Virginia Flake blend released back in 2022. Recorded live from the 7-20-4 Lounge!
Toscano, the Italian company famous for its cheroot style cigars made with Fire Cured tobacco from Italy and the US, has just released a series of three pipe tobaccos utilizing their Dark Fired leaf. We light up the Toscano Toscanello, the cigar made famous by Clint Eastwood's spaghetti westerns, and then light up Toscano Maestro Sonfonia. Do their tobaccos translate well in this blend? Recorded live from the 7-20-4 Lounge!
We light up two new arrivals: the newly released Polpetta from Dunbarton and Six Pence from G.L. Pease, which while not new, is new to the selection at Twins Smoke Shop. Recorded live from the 7-20-4 Lounge!
We look back over the tobaccos we reviewed on our show in 2023 and talk about our favorites! Recorded live from the 7-20-4 Lounge!
Twins Smoke Shop has started a tradition of making blind 5 pack of cigars featuring a selection of the top selling cigars of 2023. On this episode, we reveal the cigars in the pack and name our pick for best cigar of the year! Recorded live from the 7-20-4 Lounge!
We are bringing in 2024 with reviews of the Rocky Patel Dark Star and Samuel Gawith's Cob Plug. Recorded live from the 7-20-4 Lounge!
We talk Christmas, the end of 2023 and start discussing our favorite cigars and pipe tobaccos of 2023 and smoke the Plasencia Cosecha 151 and the 2023 release of Anthology from Cornell & Diehl! Recorded live from the 7-20-4 Lounge!
Cindy Saka and Yvonne Ramee from Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust join us along with Laudisi Distribution Group's Assistant Director, Kaz Walters as we review the Red Meat Lovers Beef Stick cigar and Savinelli's Doblone d'Oro pipe tobacco! Recorded live from the 7-20-4 Lounge!
This week we review the highly anticipated Perdomo 30th Anniversary blend, smoking the Maduro Robusto in that series. Keeping with the theme, we also light up 4th Generation Tobacconist's Jubilaeums Flake, a small batch blended to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Erik Stokkebye's brand. Recorded live from the 7-20-4 Lounge!
Thanksgiving is a time you what to smoke something good, something worth being thankful for, and something that can hold up to and cap off a full dinner and a slice or two of apple pie. We have picked out the Aladino Sumatra Toro and Sliced Black Twist from Gawith Hoggarth for this year as we talk about Thanksgiving smokes. Recorded live from the 7-20-4 Lounge!
Does size matter? In this episode the boys bring out their favorite short pipes, often dubbed "nose warmers," and discuss the differences these small pipes have over more traditional sized offerings while reviewing Sliced Brown Twist from Gawith Hoggarth. Recorded live from the 7-20-4 Lounge!
We review the Metapa Maduro Corona Gorda and the sophomore release of Cornell & Diehl's Small Batch: From Beyond! Recorded live from the 7-20-4 Lounge!
The days are shorter, and the nights are getting colder, and that means it is time for one of our favorite annual episodes covering our favorite short cigars! Recorded live from the 7-20-4 Lounge!
Tonight, we welcome Kaz Walters from Laudisi Ditribution Group and Yvonne Ramee from Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust as we review the Mi Querida Black PapaSaka and BriarWorks Bacon Old Fashioned pipe tobacco! Recorded live from the 7-20-4 Lounge!
Tonight, we review the Aganorsa Leaf Aniversario Connecticut Toro cigar and Cornell & Diehl's Carolina Red Flake w/Perique Small Batch release! Recorded live from the 7-20-4 Lounge!
We are joined by Ashton rep Joe Gonzales and Tequila Talia as we review Ashton's La Aroma de Cuba CT Robusto and Ashton's The Consummate Gentleman pipe tobacco, pairing them with Rabbit Hole Bourbon! Recorded live from the 7-20-4 Lounge!
We review the CLE Eiroa Dark 11/18 TAA 2023 cigar and Kendal Dark Classic Cut pipe tobacco! Recorded live from the 7-20-4 Lounge!
We review the Liga Privada H99 toro and 7-20-4 Briary Blends 603 Roast pipe tobacco! Recorded live from the 7-20-4 Lounge!
We review the Red Anchor Gunner and Cornell & Diehl's newest Small Batch blend, Steamworks! Recorded live from the 7-20-4 Lounge!
Cornell & Diehl's Master Blender, Jeremy Reeves and Laudisi Distribution Group's Kaz Walters join us for our 4th Anniversary show as we review the Stillwell Star Holiday 2022 that Reeves collaborated on with Steve Saka for Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust, and 2022 Carolina Red Flake, one of Reeve's most popular Small Batch series that he created. Recorded live from the 7-20-4 Lounge!
Tequila Talia is back with a new tequila in her portfolio, Codigo Blanco, which we pair with the Room 101 Johnny Tobacconaut Robusto and 4th Generation Tobacconist's Twilight Blend. Recorded live from the 7-20-4 Lounge!
603 Brewery's Dan Leonard joins us as we review the Just released Aladino Limited Edition Toro and the new 7-20-4 Briary Blends: Little Gold Dust. Recorded live from the 7-20-4 Lounge!
We light up the new Epicure Habano Toro from Crux Cigars and this year's Sun Bear release from Cornell & Diehl, Sun Bear Tupalo. Recorded live from the 7-20-4 Lounge!
In recognition of the 149th anniversary of Kurt Kendall's iconic 7-20-4 brand, we each pick our favorite cigar to smoke on the show. We also each pick our favorite 7-20-4 Briary Blend, the pipe tobacco extension of the 7-20-4 brand! Recorded live from the 7-20-4 Lounge!
We review the RoMa Craft CroMagnon Fomorian, talk about what is going on at this year's PCA trade show, and announce that the live recording of NJBS is moving back to Tuesday nights. Recorded live from the 7-20-4 Lounge!
Terence Reilly V.P., Aganorsa Leaf Joins Not Just Blowing Smoke and Cigar Hacks as we celebrate Twin's 25th anniversary with the newly released Aganorsa Leaf Corojo Twins 25th anniversary cigar.
In this episode the new Fuente/Newman rep., Kristyn Castaldi joins us as we smoke the Diamond Crown No. 3 Natural from JC Newman and pair it with Coste di Moro Montepulciano d'Abruzzo wine. Will they pair? We will find out! Recorded live at the 7-20-4 Lounge in Londonderry, NH.
In this episode we smoke the newly released Rare Leaf Maduro by Aganorsa Leaf and GL Pease Triple Play. Tequila Talia joins us with two flavored gins from Malfy--Grapefruit, and Blood Orange. Will they pair? We will find out! Recorded live at the 7-20-4 Lounge in Londonderry, NH.
Londonderry based microbrewery founder and co-owner of 603 Brewery, Dan Leonard, joins us fresh off 603's 10th anniversary block party celebration with a selection of brews being paired with the newly released West Tampa Red Toro. Recorded live at the 7-20-4 Lounge in Londonderry, NH.
In this Memorial Day episode, we talk about the holiday, the unofficial kickoff of summer, conspiracy theories, and review the Illusione TAA ESP 2022 and G.L. Pease Fillmore. Recorded live at the 7-20-4 Lounge in Londonderry, NH.
Is the government moving to stop the FDA from banning flavored cigars? A new bill to fund the FDA would prevent them from moving ahead with that. While we discuss what this could mean to the cigar and pipe tobacco industry, we smoke the Plasencia Cosecha 149 and Gawith Hogarth's Ennerdale Mixture Recorded live at the 7-20-4 Lounge in Londonderry, NH.
Fresh off of our pipe event with Erik Stokkebye, president and founder of 4th Generation Tobacconist, we review his two latest releases, Erik's 2023 Small Batch series, Resolution and his new bulk tobacco, Night Slice. Recorded live at the 7-20-4 Lounge in Londonderry, NH.
In this episode Kurt Kendall, the owner of Twins Smoke Shop and 7-20-4 Cigars, introduces the Twins 25th Anniversary cigar from Rocky Patel. Mike LaRiviere, the New England rep for Rocky Patel join us as we smoke the cigar and hear from Kurt about his recent trip to Honduras and about reaching the quarter century milestone with Twins Smoke Shop. Recorded live at the 7-20-4 Lounge in Londonderry, NH.
This episode we welcome back Nic O. Tine to the regular NJBS panel of tobacconists, and review the Joya de Nicaragua Antano Dark Corojo El Martillo, and the newest release from GL Pease, Geometrie. Recorded live at the 7-20-4 Lounge in Londonderry, NH.
This week we review the West Tampa Tobacco Co.'s Attic release. Recorded live at the 7-20-4 Lounge in Londonderry, NH.
Today being Tax Day, we talk about the locations with the highest and lowest cigar taxes in the country. Did your state make either list? For our cigar review, we dug into the Twins vault and found a box of HVC Black Friday 2020. With more than 3 years of age on it how does this cigar perform? Recorded live at the 7-20-4 Lounge in Londonderry, NH.
It is all hands on deck--literally, as we air live from the deck of the 7-20-4 Lounge! We review the highly anticipated Tatuaje Lomo de Cerdo, and the just dropped release from 7-20-4 Briary Blends, Dexter's Secret, the third release in the line blended by Cornell & Diehl's Jeremy Reeves for Kurt Kendall. Recorded live at the 7-20-4 Lounge in Londonderry, NH.
Rocky Patel's Mike LaRiviere joins us as we discuss the year's new releases as of March 31, 2023. As we talk about the new releases, we will be smoking the Rocky Patel Decade Habano! Recorded live at the 7-20-4 Lounge in Londonderry, NH.
The FDA announce on March 10, 2023, its intentions to implement rules to regulate cigar factories that import to the US. Our resident law student, Certified Retail Tobacconist, and co-host Patuente has read his way through the FDA's proposal and leads on a discussion of what this means for the industry. While we discuss, we will give a live review of the Sindicato Maduro Toro! Recorded live at the 7-20-4 Lounge in Londonderry, NH.
Blues Hall of Famer Jeff Pitchell and Twins owner Kurt =Kendall join us as we smoke the Twins 25th Anniversary Gran Corona from Aganorsa Leaf! We talk music, cigars, bourbon, and what the story is behind Jeff's hit song, Fat Cigars. Daved and Confused was unable to produce so the video presented here is straight from Pastor Padrón's phone. Special thanks to Cigar God Dave and Nurse Rick of The Cigar Hacks podcast for producing the audio recording which will go to podcast platforms on March 27 and for hitting the record video on my phone when they saw the streaming fail. The video missed the introduction and announcement of the cigar but that was it. We'd love to hear your reactions in the comments! Recorded live in the 7-20-4 Lounge!
With St. Patrick's Day approaching, it seemed only fitting to highlight our top picks for lighting up on the holiday. Our choice for the cigar is the just released Aladino Candela Robusto, and for a pipe tobacco Gawith Hoggarth's Brown Irish X. NJBS alum, Nic O. Tine joins drops in as well as Laudisi Distribution Group's (aka LDG) National Sales Manager, Kaz Walters. LDG is the US distributor for Gawith Hoggarth tobaccos. Recorded live at the 7-20-4 Lounge in Londonderry, NH.
The Spring 2023 CRA Pack recently hit the shelves of retailers across America. Proceeds from the pack go to support the CRA, Cigar Rights of America, an organization that represents, defends, and fights for pro-cigar legislation. In this episode, we smoke 4 of the cigars from the pack and talk about the CRA, what it does, and why you should support it through purchasing one of these packs. Recorded live at the 7-20-4 Lounge in Londonderry, NH.
St. Patrick's Day is coming up, and that means that Alec Bradley's Filthy Hooligan has hit the stores again. Ironically, his release coincides with the purchase of Alec Bradley by Scandinavian Tobacco Group. Tequila Talia joins us as we pair the Holligan with Red Breast's Lustau Irish Whiskey, discuss the acquisition of Alec Bradley by STG, and candela tobacco. Is Candela something people want as a St. Patrick's Day gimmick, or are people looking for it to make a comeback to the American market? Recorded live at the 7-20-4 Lounge in Londonderry, NH.
It's Fat Tuesday! What better way to celebrate than with Aganorsa Leaf's latest release, the coveted Supreme Leaf Toro! Aganorsa Leaf's Brett Bowersox joins us as we smoke and review this cigar and talk TPE (the Total Product Expo) that is kicking off in Las Vegas February 22-24. Recorded live at the 7-20-4 Lounge in Londonderry, NH.
It was bound to happen. A live podcast recording on Valentine's Day. Is that really such a big deal? We will talk about the pros and cons of Valentine's Day, and perhaps even the Super Bowl. But whatever is talked about, we will be doing it while smoking a new arrival to the Briary at Twins, Louisiana Flake by Gawith Hoggarth & Co. This Virginia/Perique blend can be hard to get, but is it worth the chase? We will let you know! Also, Altadis Adam joins the show and we review the Monte by Montecristo AJ Fernandez Robusto, a collaboration between Grupo de Maestros and AJ Fernandez. Recorded live at the 7-20-4 Lounge in Londonderry, NH.
This episode reviews the Olmec Claro Corona Gorda, the NJBS pick for best new blend of 2022. Pastor Padron shares about his trip to the JRE farm and factory in Honduras. Recorded live in the 7-20-4 Lounge.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
They say, "the best things come to those who wait." It's 2023 but the 2022 TAA release from Pete Johnson and Tatuaje Cigars just dropped. Was it worth the wait? Plus, Pastor Padron shares about his upcoming trip to the JRE factory in Honduras, NJBS crossing the 10,000 downloads milestone, and more! Recorded live in the 7-20-4 Lounge.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
What were the best pipe tobaccos of 2022? We share the list, while smoking two of our favorites, including the one that the members of Twins Pipe Club picked as their favorite new blend of 2022 in a blind tasting! We will talk about our picks for Best Line Extension, Best Limited Edition, Best New Blend, and will reveal the Pipe Club Consumer Choice for Best Blend in the Briary! Recorded live in the 7-20-4 Lounge.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
In this episode we reveal our picks for the categories of best line extension, best value cigar, best limited edition, and best new blend of 2022. While we conclude our discussion on the best cigars of 2022, we will be smoking the cigars in the Twins Consumer Choice pack, a four pack of the consumer favorites in our humidor. These cigars were un-banded and given numbers so customers have been smoking them blind. As the show progresses, we reveal what the cigars were, and what cigar was voted the 2022 Humidor favorite by our customers. Recorded live in the 7-20-4 Lounge.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
Last week we announced our nominations for the categories of best line extension, best value cigar, best limited edition, and best new blend of 2022. We encourage you to smoke our nominations for these categories and let us know what you think should be the winners The list of our nominations is below)!
In this episode we look at some of the other top cigars of 2022 lists from around the industry. How close or far off are they from ours? Were there any surprises? While we have this discussion, we smoke the Twins 25th Anniversary Cigar blended for Twins by Kristoff! Recorded live in the 7-20-4 Lounge.
Best Line Extension Nominations: • Altadis Montecristo 1935 Espaso • Foundation El Gueguense Mocha Raton • Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Sin Compromiso Paladin de Saka• CLE CBT Lancero • H. Upmann by AJ Fernandez Corona
Best Limited-Edition Cigar Nominations: • Kristoff PCA Vengeance Box Pressed Figurado • K.A. Kendals 7-20-4 Exclusive Club Humidor Limited Edition • RomaCraft Craft 2022 • Tatuaje La Riqueza • Padron 1926 No. 95 Maduro.
Best Value Cigar Nominations: • Drew Estate Nica Rustica Abobe Toro • Drew Estate Blackened Toro • Rojas Street Taco Carnitas Toro • Aladino Queens CT
Best New Blend Nominations: • Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust SakaKhan • Foundation Olmec • Rocky Patel The Edge 20th Anniversary Toro • Rojas Street Taco Carnitas Toro • Selected Tobacco Byron 1850 No. 3.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
In this episode we look back over 2022 and talk about our favorite cigars and discuss what each of us thinks should be contenders for best value, best line extension, best limited edition, and best new blend. While we debate the merits of this year's cigars for these categories, we will be smoking the favorite we smoked on the show this year: The 7-20-4 Club Humidor Cigars, Cars, & Cycles Toro! Recorded live in the 7-20-4 Lounge.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
Best from what we reviewed: • K.A. Kendalls 7-20-4 Exclusive Club Humidor Limited EditionBest Line Extension:• Altadis Montecristo 1935 Espaso• Foundation El Gueguense Mocha Raton• Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Sin Compromiso Paladin de Saka• CLE CBT Lancero• H. Upmann by AJ Fernandez CoronaBest Limited Edition Cigar:• Kristoff PCA Vengeance Box Pressed Figurado• K.A. Kendals 7-20-4 Exclusive Club Humidor Limited Edition• RomaCraft Craft 2022• Tatuaje La Riqueza• Padron 1926 No. 95 Maduro.Best Value Cigar:• Drew Estate Nica Rustica Abobe Toro• Drew Estate Blackened Toro• Rojas Street Taco Carnitas Toro• Aladino Queens CTBest New Blend:• Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust SakaKhan• Foundation Olmec• Rocky Patel The Edge 20th Anniversary Toro• Rojas Street Taco Carnitas Toro• Selected Tobacco Byron 1850 No. 3.
The plan has been to do the Twins 25th Anniversary cigar that Kristoff made for us, but shipping issues made that impossible. Needless to say we were more than a little pissed off about that, so what better cigar to smoke with Kristoff's newest rep, Lee Graves, than the Kristoff Pisstoff Robusto? Recorded live in the 7-20-4 Lounge.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
In this episode, we are joined by Mike LaRiviere from Rocky Patel and Kaz Walters, the National Account Manager from Laudisi Distribution Group (LDG). Rocky Patel just released two new cigars, The Edge 20th Anniversary and the DBS, which we will be smoking on the show. Kaz was with us for our annual Savinelli Christmas Event, which seems to just get bigger and better every year. In addition to distributing that iconic brand of smoking pipes, Laudisi also distributes G.L. Pease tobaccos. Bankside, the newest release from Gregory Pease is also the first in a new series for the brand. We will be pairing both with the Old Forester Single Barrel, the newest arrival to the 7-20-4 Lounge's Barrel Select menu! Recorded live from the 7-20-4 Lounge!
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
As we come to the end of 2022, we look back over the year's 4th quarter releases and start the conversation about what new cigars and tobacco stood out as the best of this year. While we have that conversation, we smoke of those 4th quarter releases: the Stillwell Star Holiday Y2022 from Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust. Recorded live from the 7-20-4 Lounge!
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
We review the Davidoff Winston Churchill Toro. Recorded live from the 7-20-4 Lounge!
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
Recorded live from the 7-20-4 Lounge!
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
Altadis' Adam Najarian joins us as we look at two cigars that came out of a team up of Raphael Nadal with AJ Fernandez: the Romeo Y Julieta Reserva Real Nicaraguan Toro and the H. Upmann Nicaragua AJ Fernandez Heritage Corona. Recorded live from the 7-20-4 Lounge!
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
It's November, and that means it is time for our annual episode covering short cigars! Our featured cigars this year include the My Father Le Bijou Short Robusto, the Mi Querida Trici Traca 448, and the RoMa Craft Intemperance Intrigue! Recorded live at the 7204 Lounge!
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
Edgar Dekermanji from JRE Tobacco joins us as we review the Aladino Cameroon Queens and Corojo Reserva No. 4. Recorded live at the 7204 Lounge!
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
This week we look at the new El Gueguense Mocha Raton from Foundation Cigars and Gawith Hoggarth's Best Brown No. 2 Flake! De'Bree joins us as well as we record live at the 7204 Lounge!
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
De'Bree joins us as we review the Cojonu 2015 from Tatuaje and Peterson's University Flake live at the 7204 Lounge!
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
We try out a new venue, the 7-20-4 Lounge and review the Ferio Tego Timeless Ten Years cigar and Gawith Hoggarth's Dark Flake (Unscented).
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
We review the Statement Toro by Rojas Cigars and Peterson's Flake (Formerly Dunhill Flake).
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
In this episode we look back at the second and third quarter cigar and tobacco releases while we light and review the Menelik by Foundation Toro (6x52) and Mac Baren Virginia No. 1.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
This week we look at two annual releases: Bishop's Blend Corona Largo from Black Label Trading Co., and Carnell & Diehl's Small Batch Carolina Red Flake.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
Cavalier's National Sales Director, Brian Motola joins us via Skype from Miami as we review the Cavalier Geneve White Toro and Peterson's De Luxe Mixture.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
We review the Surrogates Animal Cracker AC 550 and Cornell & Diehl's Burley Blend #5.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
In this special 3rd anniversary episode, we have a special show featuring special guests Steve Saka from Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust, Jeremy Reeves, Master Blender from Cornell & Diehl, Kaz Walters the National Account Manager from Laudisi Distribution Group (the guys that distribute Peterson and Savinelli pipes, Cornell & Diehl, GL Pease, Kiribi Lighters...you get the picture), and De'Bree from the 7-20-4 Lounge. We will be smoking the Stillwell Star Navy No. 1056 from Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust and Black Frigate from Cornell & Diehl!
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
This week, we light up the new Carnitas Street Taco from Rojas Cigars and Hermit Tobacco's Captain Earle's Nightwatch.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
Recently, the storied manufacturer of pipe tobacco, Gawith Hoggarth, released several of its most popular blends that up to now have only been available in a fine shag cut, in a more traditional ribbon cut format. As you might expect, the change in the thickness of the cut plays a part in how the blend will perform. But how much? In this pipe focused episode, we will look at one of these tobaccos, Dark Birds Eye smoking both the "Classic" shag cut version, and the new "Vintage" ribbon cut just released. What is the difference? Does it offer something new? Is it an improvement? And more importantly, is this something you should be on the hunt for?
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
July 24th (aka 7/24) is always a huge day at Twins Smoke Shop, the national home of the famous boutique cigar brand, 7-20-4. Building up to that celebration, we will be focused on 7-20-4 cigars for the weeks leading up to that event. In this cigar focused episode, Kurt Kendall, owner of Twins Smoke Shop and 7-20-4 Cigars joins us and talks about his experience at this year's PCA trade show, his future plans for 7-20-4, and the state of the cigar industry while we light up one of his favorites, the 7-20-4 1874 Lancero.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
July 24th (aka 7/24) is always a huge day at Twins Smoke Shop, the national home of the famous boutique cigar brand, 7-20-4. Building up to that celebration, we will be focused on 7-20-4 cigars for the weeks leading up to that event. Today we continue looking at a cigar that Kurt Kendall made available at the PCA this year, the 7-20-4 Hustler Five & Dime. For our pipe tobacco, we look at Cornell & Diehl's PCA timed release, Anthology.
Speaking of pressing, Cornell & Diehl recently released a new variant of their popular Haunted Bookshop tobacco as a crumble cake. The original blend is available in tins as well as in bulk--which is how we carry it at Twins. Is this new format worth getting? Does the crumble cake change the way the blend performs? Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
July 24th (aka 7/24) is always a huge day at Twins Smoke Shop, the national home of the famous boutique cigar brand, 7-20-4. Building up to that celebration, we will be focused on 7-20-4 cigars for the weeks leading up to that event. Today we start with a limited-edition cigar that Kurt Kendall blended for The Club Humidor shop in Texas. Extremely limited, these sold out quick. The cigar was a first for Kurt Kendall on two points: it was his first Honduran puro, and his first box pressed project.
Speaking of pressing, Cornell & Diehl recently released a new variant of their popular Haunted Bookshop tobacco as a crumble cake. The original blend is available in tins as well as in bulk--which is how we carry it at Twins. Is this new format worth getting? Does the crumble cake change the way the blend performs? Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
Dan and PJ from the 603 Brewery bring beers from around the world to pair with the RoMa Craft 2022 Craft Robusto and HH Bold Kentucky from MacBaren.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
If you have spent any time at all in the world of cigars, you know that there are a number of brands out there that have achieved cult status. Take for example Drew Estate's Liga Privada line. Drew Estate's "Nasty" Nick Laramie joins us as we discuss cigar cults and their followers while we light up the Liga Privada No. 9 Robusto. Does the coveted No. 9 blend live up to its reputation?
In the second half of the show, we planned to crack a tin of one of Mac Baren's HH Bold Kentucky, reputed to be the strongest in the HH line. But Pastor Padron pulled an audible and brought some Esoterica Penzance (does any other pipe tobacco in production have such a cult following?) as we continue the debate on tobaccos with cult followings.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
In this cigar focused episode, Adam Najarian from Altadis leads us through an introduction to different wrappers used on cigars including where they are from, what each of them brings to a cigar, and how to recognize them when you smoke them. Whether you are just starting out, or are a seasoned connoisseur, this is a discussion you don't want to miss.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
In order to stand out or to keep standing out, you will need to do somethings that you have never done before. Tonight, we are looking at some brands that are doing just that. First off is Sindicato, a brand known for its Nicaraguan blends. Recently they collaborated with El Artista in the Dominican Republic and have released their first Dominican blend cigar, the Sindicato Artista. Next is 7-20-4, the iconic brand that Kurt Kendall brought back to life in 2006. This year, 7-20-4 has gone down a totally different road by beginning a line of premium pipe tobaccos to market under the banner 7-20-4 Briary Blends. First was Boston Tea Party. Their second blend, Queen City just landed. Are these moves going to help keep these brands stand out?
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
With Memorial Day just behind us, aka the unofficial start of summer, we look at a cigar to start the day and a tobacco to end the day as we light up the Aladino Queens Perfecto CT and Cornell & Diel's latest Small Batch, Palmetto Balkan.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
Legend has it that swans sing their most beautiful when they are about to die. From this belief, the phrase "swan song" was born, being used to mark the final performance of an actor or artist. It is a phrase that denotes ending their work in style. After 147 episodes of NJBS, Paul, aka Pablo Maduro, is moving on from the podcast and from Twins to his next adventure. In this special episode we send him off with some very special cigars from Patuante's personal stash. We don't want to give it away beforehand, so you will have to watch to find out what they are. Twins Tobacconist Shel, aka Brother Broadleaf, and Tequila Talia join the panel of Not Just Blowing Smoke as we send Paul on his way.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
In this episode we light up the Wiseman Toro Huaco from Foundation Cigars and Sutliff 1849 in the pipe. Why? Because the Wiseman Toro is one of Pablo Maduro's favorite cigars, and his favorite type of pipe tobacco are Virginia/Perique blends. Why are we doing Paul's favs? Well, first he has great taste. But more importantly, we wanted him to pick our cigar for this episode because Paul is moving on to other things.
Twins Tobacconist Shel, aka Brother Broadleaf, joins the panel of Not Just Blowing Smoke as we discuss these releases.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
It has become a staple in the cigar industry to expand vitolas in existing lines. You can liken it to Hollwood taking a hit movie and turning it into a franchise...and keeping the franchise going. Of course, just as movie sequels are compared to the original, new line extensions hope to live up to or surpass the original. Today, we look at Aganorsa Leaf's latest extension to the popular Guardian of the Farm series, Cerberus, specifically the Cerberus Robusto. Does this new extension hold up?
If the cigar industry's practice of line extensions can be compared to expanding movie franchises, the pipe tobacco world might well be likened to a Hollywood re-boot of popular films. Sometimes you see this as old brands are picked up and produced by new manufacturers. Other times, like in the case of Cornell & Diehl's Small Batch series, blends are released on an annual or biannual (or even longer) basis. In tonight's pipe tobacco review, we look at the Spring 2022 release of Cornell and Diehl's House Reserve, a blend that was originally released in late 2020 and is exclusive to B&M stores. Is this re-release worth picking up?
Twins Tobacconist Shel, aka Brother Broadleaf, joins the panel of Not Just Blowing Smoke as we discuss these releases.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
Our resident legal commentator, Patuente, leads us in a legal brief on the FDA's announcement that it intends to ban all flavored cigars and what that means for the industry. May 1st kicked off a six-week promotion with Rocky Patel that will culminate on June 17th with Rocky himself! In light of that, while we have the discussion on the FDA, we will be smoking the Rocky Patel White Label Sixty and let you know all about the event. For pipe tobacco, we will light up a new arrival to The Briary at Twins, Mac Baren HH Old Dark Fired.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
Altadis' Adam Najarian joins us with the about to be released line extension to the highly acclaimed Montecristo 1935 Anniversary line, the 5 1/2 x 60 box pressed Espeso. The Montecristo 1935 was one of our favorite new releases from last year, does this new "thick" vitola rise to meet those high expectations?
Speaking of high expectations, Erik Stokkebye, who's 4th Generation Tobacconist line of pipes and tobaccos is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. And to celebrate that, Erik has released Jubilæums Flake, a small batch release consisting of 1500 100g boxes. Does this latest release from Erik live up to the Stokkebye legacy? In the second half of the show, we will open one of these prized tins and find out. Both the Monte and the Jubilæums Flake will be paired with Willet bourbon.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
One of the great things about being in New Hampshire is that the state is one of the hot spots for microbreweries. One of the local breweries that is regularly featured on tap at The 7-20-4 Lounge is Able Ebenezer. On this episode, we are joined by Able Ebenezer's Brendan Dekemper, as we sample several of their current brews with the Plasencia Alma Fuerte Sixto I.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
Toscano's Brand Ambassador, Michael Cappellini, joins us as we pair the Toscano Duecento cigar with the latest High West Single Barrel to arrive at the 7-20-4 Lounge. This pairing will be featured at the High West launch party at the 7-20-4 Lounge at Twins Smoke Shop, Londonderry on Tuesday, April 12th. As we get this preview of the pairing, Michael will share the Toscano story, one that literally goes back hundreds of years! Pastor Padron and Pablo Maduro think this is a perfect pairing, will Michael, Pat, and Dave agree? Join us and find out!
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
One of Patuente's favorite pipe tobaccos is Seattle Pipe Club's Mississippi River. Recently Pastor Padron brought the latest variant, Mississippi River Rum Barrel Aged. The recipe is the same, but the tobaccos are aged in a rum barrel for 30 days. After the tobacco is tinned, a section of the barrel is cut and placed into the tin with the slices of crumble cake so that the tobacco continues to be in contact with the charred oak barrel. Does this process add something to an already great blend, or is it nothing more than a marketing gimmick? We smoke both side by side and let you know. The answer might surprise you!
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
In this episode we take a look back at the new releases in the cigar and tobacco industry over the first quarter of 2022. What stands out? Were there disappointments? What might this first quarter releases tell us about what to expect from future releases? As we have this discussion, we will look at two of these new releases: the Black Label Memento Mori and Cornell & Diehl's Eight State Burley Small Batch. Tequila Talia also joins us as we pair these tobaccos with The Glenlivet 15.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
In a world where you can get just about anything, including cigars and pipes online, is there a place for the traditional B&M tobacconist? How can the B&M store not just survive but thrive in this e-commerce driven culture? In this episode we talk about that as we review the Padron 1926 Serie No. 6 Maduro. In our pipe segment we look at a tobacco that is new to Twins, Sutliff's Crumble Kake Red Virginia.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
Buy 4 get 1. Buy this box and get this swag. Come in today and get this special deal... Those are some of the typical tags we see over and over in the industry for events at B&M stores. But whether you are a retail tobacconist, an industry rep, or a customer, you have probably noticed that the traditional retail sales forward event does not have the draw or the flash it once did. As Albert Einstein said, "The height of insanity is doing the same thing, expecting a different result." In this episode we talk about doing events: the importance of them, the purpose of them, and different ideas we at Twins have tried to make events an experience you will not forget rather than just another sale.
Ashton's Lauren Ferraro joins us after a long hiatus to light up the Ashton Cabinet No. 8, one of the three cigars being featured at Twins Smoke Shop's Ashton Cigar dinner that will be taking place right here in our studio on March 15th. We will catch up with her, what is going on at Ashton, and talk about the upcoming dinner, the rationale behind doing this instead of a more traditional retail sales event, and what needs to happen to make a non-traditional event like this a success.
In the second half of the show, Kaz Walters from Laudisi Distribution Group joins us, fresh off our St. Patrick's Peterson Pipe event on Saturday March 12th. Instead of doing what we had done in the past, having a traditional trunk style show with a discount on pipe purchases during the event, we went in a different direction, where there was essentially a cover charge to attend the event that created an incentive to purchase a pipe. Kaz and the guys debrief the event while smoking 7-20-4 Briary Blends' Boston Tea Party, a new tobacco blended by Jeremey Reeves and produced by Cornell and Diehl exclusively for Twins Smoke Shop.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
An editorial released on Halfwheel on March 1, 2022, ignited a firestorm of debate about what in the premium cigar and pipe industries constitutes as marketing tobacco products to minors. The FDA has made it clear that marketing to children is one of the most important issues in their regulation of the industry.
We look at this topic from a number of vantage points, including parallels with the beer industry with our guests, Dan and PJ from the 603 Brewing Company in Londonderry, NH. As you can tell from the running time of this show, it was an engaging and spirited conversation about what constitutes as crossing the line to marketing to minors and what is not, how concerned should the industry be about outside perception (or misperception), and what might the future look like.
While we have that discussion, we conclude our 2-part series we started last week on beer pairings by pairing three different 603 offerings with using GL Pease Fillmore. In the second half of the show we continue talking about the topic of marketing to minors with the Rojas Street Taco Short Corona (and a 4th beer). Is naming cigars after food and packaging them in non traditional ways a bold marketing idea or just a bad one? Join us and find out what we think and feel free to continue the conversation in the comments.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
Boston Beer Company's Catherine Shanely joins us as we light up the JFR Lunatic Torch Habano. She's bringing a selection of different beers to pair up with it! Which beer pairs best? How do each of the beers impact how we experience the cigar, and how does the Torch impact the flavor of the beer? Join us and find out!
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
Tonight, we are joined by three new members of the Twins family, Nick , Shel , and Shyanne. As we help you get to know the newbies, we test their tobacco prowess as we review the Fiat Lux Intuitions cigar and 4th Generation Tobacconist's 1897 pipe tobacco, both paired with The Glenlivet Caribbean Reserve. Will there be hazing? We can't answer that, that would be telling. But we will be asking our audience to come up with a nick name for Nick. The person whose moniker is chosen will win a 7-20-4 Hustler Five and Dime T-shirt.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
Is Valentine's Day still a big day for couples? Should we care if it is or isn't? In this Valentine's Day episode, while we share our thoughts on that subject, Tequila Talia stops by with some Camp Viejo Roija Gran Reserva wine to pair with the La Flor Dominicana Colorado Oscuro No. 5 and Cornell & Diehl's Blockade Runner pipe tobacco.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
Coming at you live from Pastor Padron's smoking room! Join us as we do a blind tasting of three different coin cut tobaccos--Davidoff Flake Medallions, Peterson's De Luxe Navy Flakes, and Escudo--each paired with Woodford Reserve. Will anyone be able to pick out which is which? Which will turn out to be the top one? Join us for this special off-site fireside episode of NJBS!
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
Popular guest and rising boutique "cigarleberty," Erik Wentworth, Executive VP of Cigars for Hammer + Sickle joins us as we look at the second release of the EPH, a cigar Erik blended to honor the founder of Hammer + Sickle, the late Erik P. Hansen. Originally released as a torpedo in 2019, the 2021 release is a Toro which uses the same blend. We loved the original release and even did a follow up smoking the original with two years of aging on it, and it only got better. Will this vitola live up to our expectations? We will share our thoughts with you as we smoke it along with a Hammer + Sickle Vodka cocktail in this special all-cigar episode.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
Cigars, tobacco, drinks, sports, and a rare inside look at one of the leaders behind the scenes at Twins Smoke Shop--this episode has it all! Baseball great, Orlando Cabrera and Twins Smoke Shop GM Shawn Rienert perform an all-star takeover of NJBS. Orlando, a longtime cigar aficionado brings some cigars that he has been aging specifically to share with us. Shawn is excited to get to interview his good friend Orlando and talk about his colorful and storied career, but not as excited as Orlando is to interview Shawn who is Kurt Kendall's right-hand man who usually avoids the spotlight. Don't miss this one!
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
In this episode we mix things up by doing our pipe tobacco segment first and revisit a tobacco we reviewed 2 years ago when it was initially released--G.L. Pease Penny Farthing. Does this tobacco still hold up to expectations now? In the second half, we look at the new and much anticipated release from Steve Saka and Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust--The Sin Compromiso Paladin de Saka. Is this super premium cigar all Saka promises it to be? There is only one way to find out! But don't just take our word for it, break out your pipe and get a tine of Penny Farthing and a Paladin and smoke along with us and share your thoughts with us!
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
In this episode we reveal our picks for best new cigar and pipe tobacco of 2021. There was a lot of competition this year. What made the final cut? You will have to tune in tonight to find out!
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
Kurt Kendall tasked us with choosing the next single barrel selection of Woodford Reserve for the 7-20-4 Lounge. And that is a responsibility we take with the seriousness it deserves! Woodford's local rep Tyler Tomlin joins us as we taste from 3 different possible selections. While we discuss which we think should be the next barrel selection for the bar, we will be pairing it with the newly released 7-20-4 Original Toro and with Esoterica's Penzance pipe tobacco from Pastor Padron's personal cellar.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
When life hand you lemons, you make lemonade. A number of things that were out of control made it impossible to do the episode we had planned. So we adapted and decided to talk about our favorite new cigars and tobaccos of 2021. We each picked one of our top 5 cigars and tobaccos to smoke on the show, and each of us brought a whiskey: Paul smoked the Montecristo 1935 Toro and brought Old Tub, Pastor Padron smoked the Undercrown 10 Lonsdale and brought Old Forester 100 Proof, and Dave smoked the Stillwell Star English No. 27 and brought Glenlivet Caribbean Cask. We each planned to have a dram of each and see which paired best with what we were smoking. At the last minute, NJBS friend and previous guest, Kelly Shemeth, showed up with her own favorite cigar, a Fiat Lux Insight and a bottle of Hudson Whiskey's Do the Rye Thing. Fun and hilarity ensued!
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
Christmas. That holiday that invokes enjoying time in front of a roaring fire, or beside a decorated evergreen tree, with family, friends, good food, and joyful music. Holidays like Christmas invite us to pull out the stops and enjoy something extra special. In our 2021 Christmas episode we will be talking about our picks for holiday smoking. Special guest Tequila Talia joins us as we discuss Christmas worthy cigars and joins us in lighting up the Black Diamond Radiant by JC Newman. Should that cigar make it to the top of your Christmas wish list?
When it comes to pipe tobacco, one of the most sought-after brands is Esoterica; and one of their most coveted blends is Stonehaven, and it is on many a pipe smoker's Christmas list. Is it truly worth the search, or is its almost mythical reputation more hype than truth?
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
The Cigar Family Charitable Foundation, founded by the Fuente and Newman families, benefits the families living in the cigar regions of the Dominican Republic. Every fall since 2003, the foundation has released a special Toast Across America pack, a special coffin box containing a Fuente Opus X and a Diamond Crown or Julius Caeser cigar. 100% of the $50.00 purchase price goes to the families and communities the foundation supports.
In this special episode, we will be smoking the cigars in this year's pack: An Opus X and Julius Caeser Shark. We will get into the Foundation, what it does, how it has helped, and tell you how you can join them in their mission to help improve the lives of the people in the D.R.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
This is the time of year when short cigars become popular as colder weather has people looking for cigars that won't leave you out in the cold for hours. For our 3rd annual short cigar episode, we review two of the new short cigars that have hit smoke shops: the Don Pepin Garcia Sparky by My Father Cigars and the Oliva Serie V Melanio Edicion Limitatda 4x60. Do these cigars deliver full size satisfaction despite their short size? Of course, cold weather is also pipe weather. There is nothing like holding a nice warm pipe in the hand when it is cold outside. And pipes also afford the option for shorter smokes. In the second half we review this year's B&M exclusive from Cornell & Diehl, House Reserve. Is it worth tracking down before it is gone?
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
Steve Poirier, the Northeast Territory Manager for Micallef Cigars, joins us for another round of talk about aging cigars with original release Micallef Connecticut Robustos that we will smoke alongside of current release ones. Is this boutique blend something worth enjoying now and aging to enjoy later? In the second half of the show Steve hangs in there as we review Cornell & Diehl's holiday blend, We Three Kings. Is this year's release a blend that wisemen should seek? Tune in and find out!
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing
New Hampshire is a hot spot for microbreweries. One of the local favorites here is the 603 Brewery in Londonderry, NH. On this episode Dan (a co-owner/founder) and PJ (director of sales) join us on the show as we try several different brews with a Perdomo Reserve 10th Anniversary Sun Grown Churchill and Cornell & Dielh's 2021 Small Batch release of Carolina Red Flake w/Perique. Usually we have the parings all figured out before the show. This time we will decide what is the best pairing live on the show! What are they bringing you ask? You will have to watch to find out!
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
Regius Cigar's Ahkil Kapacee joins us in this episode as we smoke his Regius Black Label Grandido. How does an English investment banker end up with an international cigar brand? It is a great story and you are going to want to hear it. While we talk we will be enjoying his cigar with a Mojito. In the second half of the show we will be lighting up Odyssey by G.L. Pease and discuss what seems to Pastor Padron to be a rising number of women enjoying cigars and pipes. Is that true, or is he just imagining it? Only one way to find out...
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
In this episode we will have an unique discussion with Kelly Shemeth, who was the NE rep for Ashton a few years ago about life after being a cigar rep. While we catch up and have that discussion we will be smoking the Foundation Tabernacle Havana Seed CT No. 142 David Perfecto, and C&D’s Briar Fox. It’s the Afterlife episode and you won’t want to miss it.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
Pat leads this episode in a discussion of the court's ruling concerning warning labels and cigars. The FDA may have lost that battle, but what does it mean for the cigar and pipe industry? Our producer, Dave, was still in the hospital for this one, so again it is a no frills recording. While we have that discussion we review the Undercrown 10 Lonsdale from Drew Estate and Cornell & Diehl's Bijou.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
The Round Table is a special lo key (and lo tech) episode tonight as our producer Dave is in the hospital. We will be talking about dealing with stress and how cigars and pipes can help with that as well as how the current cigar boom is going. Those discussions will be happening over the review of the Casa Cuevas Reserva Maduro Toro and Cornell & Diehl's Bayou Morning.
We have done many pairings with bourbon, whiskey, scotch, tequila, rum, beer, wine, various cocktails, and even coffee. But we have never tried to pair anything on the show with cognac. In truth, it is a spirit that is often overlooked when it comes to making a cigar or tobacco pairing.
Tequila Talia joins us with some Martell Blue Swift Cognac that we are going to pair with the Aladino Rare Corojo Figurado and G.L. Pease JackKnife Plug. Does it work? Only one way to find out...
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
Pat leads us in a discussion on the FDA definition of pipe tobacco and how it impacts the fight for premium tobacco in litigation. Is it a good definition, or does it leave something to be desired? While we have that discussion we will be giving our thoughts on Cornell & Diehl's new Small Batch release, From Beyond and CLE's Signature Series THT-EKE 03/17 11/18 TAA cigar.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
What kind of experience should a cigar lounge provide, and how can you get the most out of it? We share our thoughts from the viewpoints of both retail and consumer. While we talk about those questions we will review the 2021 T110 Reserva from Tatuaje and give our thoughts on Cornell & Diehl's Speakeasy pipe tobacco.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
About a month ago, Tequila Talia came to us and asked us what we would pair with Aberlour Single Malt. It is a strong full bodied scotch, so pairing could be tricky. We thought answering that challenge would make a great episode, so we are going to pair it on the rocks with the HVC Hot Cake Gran Canon, and try it straight with Gawith Hoggarth’s Black Irish X.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
On this episode we are joined by Hammer + Sickle's Executive Vice President of Cigars, Erik Wentworth as we look at how aging has impacted their EPH cigar, a blend by Erik to honor the late founder of Hammer + Sickle, Erik Hansen. We saved a box from the original release in 2019 for just such an occasion. The question is, was it worth it? In the second half of the show we light up another favorite we stuck in the vault from 2019, the Cornell & Diehl Small Batch Carolina Red Flake. We are looking forward to seeing what a solid 2 years does to this release that quickly sold out.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
On this episode we are joined by Adam Najarian, the New England rep for Altadis whose broad cigar portfolio is crowned by the storied Montecristo brand. We will be smoking the Monetcristo 1935 Anniversary Toro, a special blend made to celebrate the 85th anniversary of Montecristo. Adam is also a pipe smoker and stays on with us for the second half of the show while we open a tin of Escudo Navy De Luxe, a Virginia/Perique blend that has been a benchmark for other VAper blends to be measured against for over 100 years. De'Bree from the 7-20-4 Lounge joins us as well and brings 1792 Full Proof to pair with each of these tobaccos.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
It may be Labor Day, but the boys of NJBS are still at work for your viewing pleasure! In this episode, we look at full strength and full bodied cigars and tobacco not for the faint of heart. First up is the Sin Compromiso No. 5 from Steve Saka and Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust. We are going to follow up in the second half of the show with Gawith Hoggarth's Dark Birds Eye. We will be paring both of these high test blends with the 7-20-4 Barrel Select Old Forster Cask Strength bourbon.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
At the center of all the legal battles between the luxury tobacco industry and the FDA is the question, just what is a "premium" cigar and how is it defined? Coming up with a definition that everyone agrees with has proven to be no small feat. In this episode of NJBS, our newest co-host and promising law student, Patuente (a moniker that nods to Pat's near fanatical attraction to Fuente Opus X cigars), leads us in a discussion in which we will give our thoughts on what makes a premium cigar. While we do so, we will be smoking Aladino's Cameroon Elegante Lancero and then Erik Stokkebye's 4th Generation Tobacconist Evening Flake. Both these luxury tobaccos will be lovingly paired with spirits from the 7-20-4 Lounge by Kendra the Potion Master who joins us as well.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
Jarrid Trudeau, VP of Kristoff, one of the fastest growing boutique cigar brands joins us vis Skype as we continue looking at TAA cigars, specifically the Kristoff 685 Woodlawn, their 2021 TAA release. Last year's San Andreas TAA was a huge success, will this year's release keep that success rolling? In the second half of the show we light up an old fan favorite, Peterson's Deluxe Navy Rolls. Does it live up to the hype?
Also, Nick O. Tine's swan song episode, we will look back on some of our favorite Nick moments from the last two years and send him off in style to his new adventure.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
On August 16th we will be celebrating 2 years of NJBS! In this special episode, we will be recoding with a live audience at our studio in Hooksett, NH! Join us live as we light up some of our favorite cigars from the past year. For our pipe tobacco, we will be reviewing this year's Small Batch release of Sun Bear Black Locust from Cornell & Diehl. Also joining us on the show will be Tequila Talia and De'Bree from the 7-20-4 Lounge!
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
Without a doubt, the most popular lighter for the cigar lover is a torch style lighter. They can be angled any which way you like, are great outdoors, and light your cigar in just a few seconds. With all those checks in the pro column, is there any reason why the cigar lover should consider a soft flame lighter? As we discuss that question we will be continuing our look at TAA cigars with the 2018 EPC TAA. In the second half of the show we will be reviewing the long popular Erinmore Flake from Scandinavian Tobacco Group. Of course, when it comes to pipe smoking, soft flame lighters are a necessity. But which ones are worth your money? Tune in and find out our thoughts.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
We are getting into the dog days of summer as they say. Today we are going to look at some great options for summer smoking. Of course with summer comes special releases by manufacturers for the TAA, a select group of B&M retailers that together have about 100 stores in the country. These TAA releases are not available online, and are only found at member stores of the TAA. So why not look up one of these special releases, like The Lost Angel by Crowned Heads. For our pipe tobacco, we will be looking at Habana Daydream, one of Cornell & Diehl's popular blends what is available at Twins in bulk.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
The girls are back! Kendra and Bree from the 7-20-4 Lounge head up the show along with special guests Tequila Talia and The Dunbarton Girl herself, Yvonne Ramee from Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust. Together they will be lighting up Dunbarton's Sobremesa Brulee Blue and Cornell & Diehl's Pirate Kake...talk about going from one extreme to the other! those tobaccos could not be more different! One can only guess what is going to happen!
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
Kurt Kendall joins us as we conclude our celebration of the 15th anniversary of his 7-20-4 brand. Just back from the PCA tradeshow in Los Vegas, Kurt will be giving us the lowdown on the industry's biggest and most important tradeshow and will be sharing his thoughts on the state of the industry. Kendra "The Potion Master" will be with us as well and will be showcasing her wiley mixology skills with pairings for the as yet to be announced 7-20-4 that Kurt will be bringing for our cigar, and for Esoterica Tobacciana's Dorchester for our pipe tobacco review. Will Kurt be joing us for a bowl of this fabled pipe tobacco? Only time will tell. But if he does, you do not want to miss it!
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
We continue to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Kurt Kendall's relaunch of 7-20-4 and get ready for 7-20-4 Day on July 14th by lighting up one of the latest additions to Kendall's 7-20-4 Factory 57 line, the Churchill vitola. For our pipe tobacco review, we look at a popular favorite from Gawith Hoggarth--Bob's Chocolate Flake.
Both the cigar and tobacco are dark, rich, full bodied and have significant cocoa notes. Tequila Talia joins us with her choice of a whiskey to pair with these blends: Jamison Black Barrel. Will it pair? There is only one way to find out....
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
Popular guest and liquor rep Tequila Talia was supposed to join us, but she still came through and dropped off Monkey 47 Gin for the show. As the song says, "You can't always get what you want, but if you try, you might just find, you get what you need." Undaunted, and possessing the planned pairing spirit, we continue to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the relaunch of 7-20-4 and get ready for 7-20-4 Day on July 14th. We try pairing the Monkey 47 Gin with the 7-20-4 WK Toro in the first half, and with Samuel Gawith Best Brown pipe tobacco in the second half! Can gin really go with cigars or pipe tobacco? Talia thought so, but does it really? We are going to find out!
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
In anticipation of 7-20-4 Day (aka July 24th... Get it? 7/24?) and in celebration of the 15th Anniversary of the rebirth of the classic brand by Kurt Kendall, we are smoking one of Kendall's newest releases, the 7-20-4 Hustler Torpedo. Historically, the Hustler line has been well recieved by customers and critics alike. Does this new line extension live up to our high expectations?
In the second half of the show, we will talk about the growing pipe club at Twins and their pick for the Pipe Club blend of the year, G.L. Pease Barbary Coast. Just how did that blend end up on top?
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
Tonight we compare aged cigars with new ones with Drew Estates own Nick Laramie as he shares with us an aged and new UnderCrown Dogma Maduro. Next we dive into a bowl of Gawith Hoggarth Kendall Gold, a beautiful golden shag-cut.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
Can you relight a cigar that has been out for a while? Can you fix a ripped wrapper? Why has my lighter stopped working? Why is my pipe gurgling? Why can't I get my pipe to stay lit more than a few minutes at a time? If you need answers to those and other questions you will not want to miss this one, and that is not just blowing smoke!
In this "how to" episode, we talk about tips and tricks to help you overcome some of the common issues that get in the way of enjoying a good cigar or pipe.
In the first half of the show, Brett Bowersox of Aganorsa Leaf joins us as we smoke the JFR Short Titan Maduro. In the second half, we break open a tin of Erik Stokkebye's 4th Generation Tobacconist 2012 blend.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
Cigars and conspiracies. Do they go together? When it comes to Illusione cigars, the answer has to be yes. In this episode, we are joined by Brian Motola, US Director of Sales for Illusione as we talk conspiracies and smoke the Illusione Ultra Po. No. 9. In the second half of the show, we light up the new release from Cornell & Diehl, Eight State Burley, the first in thier Small Batch Series to feature a Burley blend. If that were not enough, Tequila Talia returns as well with Glenlivet Caribbean Cask Scotch to pair with our cigar and tobacco!
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
Pipe tobacco can be presented in a number of forms: ribbon, shag, coarse, ready rubbed, flake, crumble cake, and plugs to name a few. Tonight, we are going to look at one of the rarer presentations: the twist or rope. Gawith Hoggarth is one of a few companies that produces twist tobaccos today, using techniques and machinery that go back 200 years! Today we will be looking at two of these rare and hard to find twists--Rum Twist and Whiskey Twist. Are these tobaccos worth the effort to find? Join us and find out!
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
Tatuaje's Pete Johnson joins us via Skype for some Tat Talk on this week's episode of NJBS. While we catch up with Pete and hear about what is going on in the world of Tatuaje, we will be smoking two of his cigars: the Regios and the Escasos R. The Escasos series is available at a few select accounts and sports an Ecuadorian Rosado Habano Claro wrapper around the Nicaraguan binder and fillers of the original Brown Label Regios. How much difference does the wrapper make? Join us and find out!
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
Mike, the New England rep for Rocky Patel joins us as we light up the Rocky Patel Quarter Century Toro. A lot has happened since Mike was last on our show, in fact, we haven't even seen him around for months. What is all that about?
In the second half, we are going to review a very hard to find tobacco, Esoterica Tilbury. When you mention Esoterica, the first blends that come to mind are almost mythic--Penzance and Stonehaven. But they also make many blends that are excellent in their own right. Is Tilbury one of them? There is only one way to find out...
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
This week we will be looking at blends that have a British theme to them. We start with the Highclere Castle Victorian Toro and will be joined via Skype by the Yoda of Broadleaf, Nick R. Agua, Nick Melillo of Foundation Cigar Co! In the second half of the show we continue the theme by looking at Greg Pease's popular Westminster pipe tobacco. Both Nick and Greg are known for their prowess in blending the leaf. Are these blends worthy of the British monuments they are named after? Join us and find out!
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
Justo Eiroa, President of JRE Tobacco, joins us talk about the new releases in the Aladino Habano Vintage Selection series : the Vintage Elegante Lancero, and the Vintage Toro. The Habano Vintage Selection was launced last year in a single size, a 4 1/2 x 48 Rothschild, which was recieved with great acclaim. Will these new sizes measure up to the hype?
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
Cigars and pipes are steeped in history and traditions that go back hundreds (for cigars), even thousands of years (for pipes). It is no surprise therefore, that one of the major influences that often sparks the inspiration of a blender for a new cigar or tobacco is history.
In this episode, we look at two examples of this. First, the A.J. Fernandez Bellas Artes Maduro Toro, which was inspired by the experience Fernandez had visiting the National Museum of the Fine Arts in Havana (aka the Bellas Arts, which means "fine arts").
And second we will look at Hermit Tobacco Works' Captain Earle's Honor Blend. Captain Earle's is named after the famous captain of the Charles W. Morgan, a whaling ship that was active for over 80 years. The line was inspired by the founders of Hermit Tobacco Works, Jay and Louise Jones, after acquiring a pipe owned by Captain Earle. Honor Blend, is named after Captain Earle's wife, Honor Matthews, who accompanied him on his voyages after they were married.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
This episode, we are going to focus on cigars and tobacco that incorporate rare tobacco in their blends. We will start by lighting up the Aganorsa Rare Leaf Toro and will have Aganorsa’s Terence Reilly on the show with us via Skype!
For our pipe tobacco we will be cracking open 2016 and 2021 tins of C&D’s Small Batch series Perique bomb, The Beast, side by side! How does aging impact Perique heavy blends? We are going to find out! It is going to be one packed episode you will not want to miss!
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
On this episode, we look at some of 2021's first new releases: The Bandolero Serie A Audaces cigar from Nelson Alfonso and Selected Tobacco, and Greg Pease's newest release, GL Pease Windjammer. Alfonso and Pease are both master blenders in their respected fields. Do these new blends live up to the high expectations fans of Selected Tobacco and GL Pease have of these two masters?
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
Last June, we reviewed the newly arrived Aladino Cameroon Lonsdale. One of the things that sets the Aladino Cameroon line of cigars apart, is that JRE Tobacco grew the Cameroon themselves on their farms in Honduras, so that they could have control over the whole process of the crop. The result was a wrapper that had unique and subtle nuances that tobacco from the country of Cameroon typically offers. While we enjoyed the cigar then, we wanted to see how it might improve with some age, so we put some aside and hid them in the Twins vault.
Tonight we take those cigars out and smoke them back to back with newly arrived Aladino Cameroon Lonsdales. Will the new cigars measure up to our expectations? How does several months of aging impact this particular cigar? The boys of NJBS are back to find out!
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
It is The Ladies Night Takeover of NJBS! Bree takes the wheel from Pastor Padron and Kendra the Potion Master takes over for Pablo Maduro, and Dave is transmorgified into "Davina the Divine" for this special estrogen laden episode, and that is not just blowing smoke!
Bree and Kendra are joined by special guest: liquor rep "Tequila Talia." The ladies will be smoking the Sobremesa Cervantes Fino from DT&T, and the incredibly popular Lane Limited 1-Q (aka Granite State at Twins Smoke Shops). Talia is bringing Jefferson Rye to pair with the night's smokes! This is sure to be one episode you don't want to miss!
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
One thing that the tobacconists of Not Just Blowing Smoke agree on is that you do not need to spend a lot of money to have a world class smoke. In fact, there are a number of great options out there for cigar smokers that are $10 or less.
On this episode of NJBS, we share some of our picks for excellent cigars at or below the $10 range, including the cigar we will be smoking on the show--the San Lotano Habano Toro by AJ Fernandez, which has an MSRP of $7.50.
There are also ways to get a lot without spending a lot when it comes to pipe tobacco. It is true that a typical 2oz tin of quality pipe tobacco costs about as much as a couple cigars, that can still add up, especially if you are buying multiple tins to age. But there are a number of popular blends that are available in both tins and as bulk. One of those is Cornell & Diehl's popular Billy Budd, a four star rated blend on tobaccoreviews.com. You can get this blend at about half the price of the tin when you buy it in bulk. We also share some other options for great tobacco at a great price.
Joining us is one of our favorite liquor reps, "Tequila Talia," who reps more than just tequila. With St. Patrick's Day coming up, we wanted to pair our cigar and tobacco with a good Irish whiskey. Talia has us pair our smokes with Redbreast 12 Year Single Pot Irish Whiskey.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
Baseball star and cigar aficionado, Orlando Cabrera, joins us for the next in our series on aging cigars and tobacco. In this episode, we look at a method of aging that is a bit out of the box--incorporating whiskey!
Orlando has found that aging his cigars using whiskey adds complexity and depth to his cigars. And he is not the only one! Kurt Kendall offers a set of 6 of his famous Dog Walker cigars, aged inside an empty bottle of 7-20-4 Lounge Barrell Select Jack Daniel's as a regular offering at Twins. The left over essence of the whiskey has an incredible impact on the tobacco giving them a very unique flavor.
We talk with Orlando about why he enjoys using whiskey to age his cigars, how he came to try it, and what his process is. While we talk, we smoke the 7-20-4 Jack Daniels Dog Walkers and some whiskey aged cigars from Orlando's own collection.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
Jorge Armenteros, Certified Master Tobacconist, Owner of A Little Taste of Cuba Cigar Parlor, and President and Founder of Tobacconist University, joins us via Skype in a rare podcast appearance from TU's new home base in southwestern Florida. We talk about Jorge's extensive experience as a B&M retailer, how that grew into a passion to help train and educate other retailers, and the birth of Tobacconist University, now a national organization and the official educational curriculum of the PCA.
Pastor Padron trained as a CRT (Certified Retail Tobacconist) under Jorge at his shop in Princeton NJ from 2000-2002. In fact, it was Jorge who gave him that moniker!
To cap what is already sure to be a great night, while we hear what Jorge has been up to and what his plans are for TU, we smoke the Padron 1964 Anniversary Series Presidente Maduro and Gawith Hoggarth's Kendal Kentucky! Can it get any better? We think not! And that is not just blowing smoke!
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
Cigar maven, Instagram sensation, and one of our most popular guests, Aida Ritnery, aka the Cigar Boss Lady, returns to NJBS as we review the Leaf by Oscar Connecticut Toro and The Virginia Cream by G.L. Pease!
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
In this episode, we are joined by retired private investigator and Twins Tobacconist, Scott Keller!
Scott joins us to talk about Netflix’s hit documentary Trial 4. Scott is in episodes 6 and 7 of the series, and discovered what may be argued as the key facts for the defense which has been seeking to prove the innocence of a man accused of shooting a Boston policeman over twenty years ago.
While we talk about the case, the documentary, and the life of a real life PI, we smoke the Diamond Crown Maximus Toro No. 4, and Captain Earle’s Ten Russians pipe tobacco.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
Whether you are enjoying a fine cigar or a bowl of your favorite pipe tobacco, one of the key skills you need to know is how to cut and prepare it. It is not rocket science, but there are some dos and don'ts everyone needs to know.
In this episode of NJBS, we are going to ask: What is the difference between a good cut and a bad one? How can you tell the difference? What kind of cutter works best? Joining us for this discussion will be CLE's Jimmy Price who is bringing the Wynwood Hills Unhinged cigar for us to smoke.
We will keep the cutting theme going in the pipe section of the show by showing you how to cut and prepare Gawith Hogarth's Brown Bogie, a tobacco that is sold as a spun rope! How do you get it into the right condition for you to enjoy in your favorite pipe? We will show you how!
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, or YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
If you spend any time around Twins Smoke Shop and Lounge locations, you will hear stories about Kurt Kendall's private collection of cigars, aka Kurt's Vault. Just how big is it, what is in it, and what does he continue look for? Find out in this episode as Kurt gives us a rare look inside his fabled vault and talks about his passion for collecting, aging, and sharing premium cigars.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, or YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
Did you know that how you light your cigar or pipe and what you use to light it can dramatically impact the performance of what you are smoking? What methods work best and what ways should you avoid? What lighters work best for lighting tobacco? How do you take care of the lighters you have?
In this episode, Pastor Padron, Paul, Nick, and Dave discuss lighters, lighting, and relighting. Of course, this conversation will happen around some smoking, starting with the Charter Oak Habano Toro, and then Rattray's Old Gowrie.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, or YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
Max Stokkebye, Brand Ambassador for Peter Stokkebye and Lane Limited pipe tobaccos for STG returns to the show for a pipe tobacco double header: Peterson's Elizabethan Mixture and Peterson's 3P's (aka Peterson's Perfect Plug)! Are these tobaccos worth picking up? We give you our honest opinion, and that is not just blowing smoke!
And yeah, Max is related to Peter Stokkebye--Peter was his grand father! Max is the son of Erik Stokkebye and is now the 5th generation of the Stokkebye family in the tobacco business. We will also be joined by Kendra from the 7-20-4 Lounge and enjoying pairing that she mixed up to go with these tobaccos.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, or YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
In this episode we talk about learning to pick out and describe the distinct flavor and aroma profiles in what you are smoking. To do that we will be smoking the 7-20-4 One 13, a limited edition collaboration of Kurt Kendall and Joe Torres, and Peterson's My Mixture 965. Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, or YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
Online shopping has revolutionized the cigar and pipe business. This has been a big plus for many people who are not near a B&M (Brick and Mortar) smoke shop.
But while websites can offer huge selections and low prices, they cannot replace the personalized service, atmosphere, and expertise available at B&M stores. Many manufacturers see the traditional smoke shop as the heart of their business, and make cigars, pipes, and tobacco that are only available in B&M stores.
This week, we review two B&M exclusives: the Padron Toro TAA Maduro and Cornell & Diehl's House Reserve.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, or YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
It’s the NJBS 2020 COTY TOTY (that's geek speak for Cigar of the Year and Tobacco of the Year) Episode! At the end of each year, we look at what we think were the year’s best freshman releases for cigars and tobacco, and tell you what our picks are for the top spot.
2020 saw some great new releases, and picking the best of the best was no easy task. And that was an enjoyable problem to have! Our COTY award went to the Perdomo 10th Anniversary Box Pressed Maduro Epicure and the TOTY award went to G.L. Pease Spark Plug. What was the competition, and how did we come to those conclusions?
Along with sharing our picks for cigar and tobacco of the year, we share some of our favorite clips from 2020, Pastor Padrón gives a Cigar Confession, Paul shares some industry news that puts the cherry on 2020, Nick answers the hardest Would You Rather yet, and Pastor Padrón answers the question, "is Pastor Padrón a real pastor?"
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, or YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
We often approach the pairings for the show starting with the cigar or tobacco and then asking what would it pair with. Tonight, we reversed that philosophy, and started with the drink and then looked for what would pair well with it.
There is nothing like coming home or arriving at your favorite bar or pub on a cold winter's night and warming up with a finger or two of your favorite Scotch. What cigars or tobacco will make an amazing pairing with a dram of your favorite single malt?
We start with The Caleanoch 50, a cigar that was specifically blended to pair with scotch by the makers of Hammer + Sickle cigars. Our choice for a pipe tobacco pairing is Royalty, an English blend by Davidoff (yeah, they make pipe tobacco too)! Whether you like cigars or a pipe, we think you will enjoy these scotch pairings, and that is not just blowing smoke!
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, or YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
Christmas is right around the corner, but this is 2020, and that means it is a COVID Christmas! While no one was sick with “the rona,” shipping delays and pet illnesses left us without the planned 7-20-4 One 13 cigars, the Savinelli and Peterson’s Christmas pipes, Paul, and Kendra.
What do do…
We went with one of Paul, aka “Pablo Maduro’s” favorite cigars for the holidays, the Oliva Melanio Double Toro which we paired with Redemption Rye, and Erik Stokkebye’s new bulk aromatic, Morning Blend, which we paired with B&B. Pastor Padron shares his weekly Cigar Confession, and his top 5 most hated Christmas songs of all time. Dave and Nick try and stay positive and lift the Pastor out of what they see as a real grinchy Christmas mood. Do they succeed? Are these worthy of being one your short list of Yuletide smokes? You will just have to find out for yourself!
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Pandora, Spotify, iTunes, Google, or YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
Size Matters!
In this episode we are joined by 7-20-4’s Kurt Kendall who invites us look at how ring gauge effects the smoking experience of tobacco blends. We explore how size matters by smoking the "Master of Flannel's" 7-20-4 1874 Gagger, a 6x60 vitola, and then the 1874 Lancero, a 7½ x 38 vitola. Both are made up of the same blend of tobaccos. So, just how much does the girth of a cigar change how the tobacco presents itself? It’s a very special episode with the return of Kendra the Potion Master, insider talk with the “Maestro of Mata Fina,” News with Paul, and a very Kendall Would You Rather.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, or YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
In this we are episode, we go back to one of our audience’s favorite topics: how aging effects tobacco. We focus on how aging effects pipe tobacco by smoking Night Cap that was tinned this year, and then comparing it with Night Cap that was tinned 9 years ago in 2011. Both these tins were sealed and were opened for the first time on the show.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, or YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
I know. You were expecting the Ladies to take over. But like the great philosopher Jagger wrote: “you can’t always get what you what. But if you try sometimes, you just might find you get what you need.” So tonight, will be a special fireside-show with yours truly—Pastor Padron! (and Dave... aka Daved and Confused.)
Smoking by the fire set the mood and the agenda--talking about our favorite Fireside smokes! While we each shared our favorite night cap cigars and tobaccos, we smoked one of Pastor Padrón's favorite fireside cigars, the Neanderthal LH by RoMaCraft, followed by one of his favorite fireside pipe tobaccos, Esoterica Dunbar.
It is an unexpected, unplanned, and unconventional episode that comes with plenty of brother banter. And that is Not Just Blowing Smoke!
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, or YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we will be sharing the 5 cigars and tobaccos that we are most thankful for this year...our top 5.
While we talk about our top 5 cigars, we review the Byron Petit Poemas by Selected Tobacco. Should this super premium cigar be on your short list of cigars to smoke this Thanksgiving?
For our pipe tobacco review, we light up Davidoff's Flake Medallions. While we discuss what we think about his blend, we each share the 5 pipe tobaccos we are most thankful for.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, or YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
Advertising, branding, and building name recognition, all work together to create consumer desire and to cultivate expectation for premium cigars and tobacco. But just how much influence does all that have on the consumer’s experience and impression of what they are smoking?
We are going to do our own experiment to find out!
On this episode of NJBS, we smoke a well known and popular brand cigar…but without the band or any identifying information. Will we still think “it is all that?”
In the second half of the show, we will be joined by Erik Stokkebye the founder of 4th Generation Tobacconist pipes and tobacco! Again, we will be smoking blind, but it will be a new blend of Erik’s that none of us has had before and we will not know what it is, or what is in it. This is going to end up like an episode of one of those food network cooking competitions… Is the panel of NJBS going to like what Erik serves up? There is only one way to find out!
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, or YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don’t miss a thing!
Is it possible to have a great cigar or pipe tobacco without having to break the bank? Yes it is! In this episode the guys of NJBS smoke the Charter Oak Broadleaf Grande as the poster child of a great cigar for $6. While they review that cigar and sip some fresh brewed coffee with Jamison Cold Brew and Bailey's Irish Cream, they share their picks for world class cigars for less than $8.
In the second half, they talk the virtues of bulk pipe tobacco, which is only a fraction of the cost of getting tobacco in tins. Is bulk pipe tobacco a lesser quality than what you find in tins? Nope! While they share some of their favorite bulk tobaccos available at Twins Smoke Shop, they light up Peter Stokkebye's Luxury Bullseye Flake.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, or YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don’t miss a thing!
A few months ago, Paul threw out the thought of recording an episode live at an event. We thought it was a great idea and decided to give it a go at our Tatuaje event on October 30th at Twins Smoke Shop in Hooksett, NH. Edgar, Tatuaje's New England rep, sits down with us and talks all things Tat, Monsters, and Pumpkins as we smoke one of Tatuaje's most coveted event only cigars, the Pumpkin Spice Robusto! We also took advantage of recording live by giving customers the opportunity to have a guest appearance on the show!
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, or YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
The days are getting shorter and the evenings are getting cooler. And that means it is the season for short cigars! This year we are continuing our tradition of looking at 4 different short cigars that are prefect for a 20-30 minute smoke; just right for your evening walk or a short sit on the porch after dinner. This year we look at Tatuaje's Havana VI Verocu No. 5, the 7-20-4 Factory 57 Dog Walker, the Hemingway Short Story by Arturo Fuente, and the Intemperance EC XVIII Virtue from RoMa Craft. Fall weather is also a favorite time of year for pipe smokers. On chilly mornings and cool evenings there is nothing like holding a nice warm pipe in your hand. Keeping with the theme of "short smokes" we look at short pipes, pipes that easily fit into your pocket and that work to warm your nose when you are clenching them. We smoke a variety of styles of short pipes and discussing the benefits of these "nose warmers" while reviewing Peterson's Early Morning Pipe! Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, or YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
For a long time, the most popular cigar vitola was the Robusto. But as the years have gone on, the desire for larger and thicker cigars have been gaining popularity in the marketplace. One of the proofs of this growing trend is that now the Toro is the most popular size. In this episode, we delve into the world of extra large cigars with Asylum Cigar's founder, Tom Lazuka, and Regional Sales Manager Jimmy Price, as we smoke the Pandemonium 70 x 8.5 by Asylum.
In the second half of the show we look at how pipes with XL bowls impact the smoking experience, while we enjoy some Carolina Red Flake (2019) from Cornell & Diehl, one their most popular annual Small Batch blends.
What is it about big ring gauge cigars that makes them so popular? Is it just a fad, or is there something else behind it? Do they have something to offer that "normal" sizes don't? Do large pipe bowls enhance the smoking experience, or are they just larger tobacco delivery systems designed to get you to go through your tin of tobacco faster? We let you know what we think. And that is Not Just Blowing Smoke!
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, or YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
While the most popular cigars and pipe tobaccos are on the mild side, we know that some people like to live on the wild side and light up strong, bold, in-your-face cigars and tobaccos. In this episode, we look at cigars and tobacco that have that sucker punch you are looking for! To help us with that, for the first half of the show we are joined by La Flor Dominicana's Jonathan Carney as we smoke one of the strongest cigars LFD makes, the LFD NAS!
In the second half of the show, we light up one of the strongest pipe tobaccos on the market, Gawith Hoggarth's spun rope tobacco, Brown Irish X.
What is the difference between body and strength? What is the attraction to strong tobaccos anyway? Is the only reason to smoke these just to test your stamina, or is there more to them than beats the eye? We let you know what we think. And that is Not Just Blowing Smoke!
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, or YouTube, and to our website, notjustblowingsmoke.com, to make sure you don't miss a thing!
In "Everybody Wants Some," we welcome back to the show World Series Champion and retired Red Sox player Orlando Cabrera! He is the perfect guy to talk about all those cigars and tobaccos that are on the top of everyone's wish list. You know what we are talking about! As we talk about these rare and hard to find tobaccos and cigars, we will look at some ourselves, smoking Fuente Fuente Opus X Forbidden X 13 Keeper of the Flame 2013 from Orlando's personal collection (from 2015), and then in the second half of the show smoking Esoterica Penzance, arguably the hottest pipe tobacco on the market today. Are these cigars and tobaccos really worth the hunt, or is all the buzz just a bunch of hype that leaves you with buyer's remorse? We will let you know what we think. And that is Not Just Blowing Smoke! Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, or YouTube.
In this episode, we welcome Aida Ritnery, one of social media’s growing sensations on the cigar scene, IG's @cigar_bosslady, as we smoke the Roma Craft Baka Jengi, and The Balkan Sobranie by J. F. Germain and Son. Does anyone know how pronounce those names? Is the Jengi a winner from RoMa? Should the current incarnation of The Balkan Sobranie still hold the iconic status of its predecessors? How much of a Boss is the Cigar Boss Lady anyway? You're going to want to tune in and find out the answers to these and other pressing questions! And that is Not Just Blowing Smoke!
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, iHeart Radio, Spotify, iTunes, Google, or YouTube.
“The Make Up Episode” welcomes back Ashton’s Lauren Ferraro. Life got in the way of her planned appearance a few weeks ago, but she’s back and will be in the studio with us as we ligh up with some Ashton ESG action! In the second half of the show for our pipe tobacco review we will check out Cornell & Diehl’s holiday release: Golden Days of Yore. Are ESG’s as good as they say? Is Golden Days of Yore going to put you in the holiday spirit?
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, Spotify, iTunes, Google, or YouTube.
In this episode, we welcome back Erik Wentworth, Exec. V.P. of Cigars at Hammer + Sickle, and smoke their Berlin Wall Box Pressed Churchill! This leads to a great discussion on box pressing cigars: what is it, why do it, and how it effects the smoker’s experience of the blend.
In the second half of the show for our pipe tobacco review, we look at Robert McConnell’s St. James Park, which is advertised as a “clone” of Dunhill Aperitif.
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, Spotify, iTunes, Google, or YouTube.
In this episode we welcome La Aurora’s New England sales rep, Arturo Diaz, and smoke the La Aurora Barrel Aged by Karl Malone Sumo Toro. Arturo has been in and around the cigar business for a long time, but this is his first appearance on a podcast! He fills us in on the history of La Aurora, how the Karl Malone line came to be, Arturo’s biggest Cigar pet peeve, and how he and La Aurora have kept climbing upward in these unprecedented last few months.
In the second half of the show for our pipe tobacco review, we light up some of BriarWorks International’s Sweet Tea. There is a lot of speculation about what this aromatic is cased with. Pastor Padrón goes to the source and finds out…and the answer might surprise you.
Did “The Mail Man” deliver? Is Sweet Tea “just like mama used to make it?” Find out on this episode of Not Just Blowing Smoke!
Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, Spotify, iTunes, Google, or YouTube.
This week we look at some collaborations in the cigar and pipe world. First, we light up Ashton’s San Cristobal Revelation Legend, which was blended by Don “Pepin” Garcia, and is produced in the My Father Factory in Nicaragua. In the second half, we open up a tin of Savinelli’s recent release of Jupiter, which is made for them by Cornell & Diehl.
Special guest Mark Mormar from Laudisi Distribution Group joins us again this week. Miss Ashton,” Lauren Ferraro, lost her voice and couldn’t be with us in person, but you work with what you got, and Mark did not disappoint! Mark fills us in on what he has been up to, how the pipe industry is fairing, and why tobacconists benefit from servicing the pipe smoking community. Of course we have all the usual segments: Pastor Padron’s Cigar Confessions, News with Paul, and Would You Rather.
This is the only podcast that brings the wealth of knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop, New England’s premiere smoke shop, right to you, wherever you are, whenever you want it. Each week we review a cigar and a pipe tobacco and have each expertly paired with a spirit or cocktail from the bar at our own 7-20-4 Lounge. And that is…Not Just Blowing Smoke! New episodes every Monday. Follow us on Podbean, iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, and Google.
In this episode, the crew of NJBS celebrate their first anniversary! While smoking the Bolivar Cofradia No. 754 and Rattray’s Old Gowrie—each of course with pairings from the 7-20-4 Lounge—Pastor Padron, Paul, Nick, Dave, Kendra, and Bree reminisce over the last year, sharing their favorite moments, some year-end audience stats, and milestones. Bree, breaks out in song, and Kendra is asked to reprise her “happy dance.” Of course we have all the usual segments: Pastor Padron’s Cigar Confessions, News with Paul, and Would You Rather.
This is the only podcast that brings the wealth of knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop, New England’s premiere smoke shop, right to you, wherever you are, whenever you want it. Each week we review a cigar and a pipe tobacco and have each expertly paired with a spirit or cocktail from the bar at our own 7-20-4 Lounge. And that is…Not Just Blowing Smoke! New episodes every Monday. Follow us on Podbean, iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, and Google.
This week we are joined by special guest Yvonne Ramee of Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust, as we light up one of DT&T's strongest cigars, the Todos Las Dias Double Wide Belicoso! Yvonne is a great friend, and we are thrilled to have her join us as we smoke this cigar that Steve Saka says has your daily requirement of "Vitamin N." In the second half of the show, Yvonne sticks around for our pipe tobacco review. This week we open a jar of BriarWorks International's Country Lawyer. Sam the Barman from the 7-20-4 Lounge brings pairings for the cigar and pipe made with High West's Campfire whiskey! Sam loves contrasting pairings, and whenever he joins us, we know we are in for a flavor ride! In addition, we have Pastor Padron's Cigar Confessions, News with Paul, and Would You Rather. It is sure to be a great show, even with Paul "Pablo Maduro" being on vacation! And that is Not Just Blowing Smoke! Not Just Blowing Smoke is the cigar and pipe podcast that brings the knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop right to you. Wherever you are, and whenever you want it. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe to us on Podbean, Spotify, iTunes, Google, or YouTube.
On this week’s show, we look at two long-standing favorites. In the first half of the show we talk about the extremely popular MJ 12, one of Illusione’s “Original Documents,” and a cigar that seems to be just as hot now as it was when it came out over 10 years ago. Of course, you can’t talk about the MJ 12 without talking about the history behind the name, aliens, conspiracy theories, and shows like The X-Files and the Netflix series The Umbrella Academy that reference the mysterious “Majestic 12.”
In the second half, we will look at one of Peter Stokkebye's classic pipe tobaccos that continues to remain a favorite after decades, their Cavendish-pressed Virginia Blend--Luxury Twist Flake. We talk about what Cavendish is, how it is done, and why manufacturers do it.
We also talk about upcoming events at Twins Smoke Shops, and of course all the usual segments: Pastor Padron’s Cigar Confessions, News with Paul, and Would You Rather.
This is the only podcast that brings the wealth of knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop, New England’s premiere smoke shop, right to you, wherever you are, whenever you want it. Each week we review a cigar and a pipe tobacco and have each expertly paired with a spirit or cocktail from the bar at our own 7-20-4 Lounge. And that is…Not Just Blowing Smoke! New episodes every Monday. Follow us on Podbean, iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, and Google.
This week we start off by welcoming special guest Glen Case of Kristoff Cigars and light up the Kristoff Vengeance Perfecto. Glen shares his personal circuitous route from being a corporate banker to heading up one of the most successful boutique cigar companies out there. And wait till you hear how the Vengeance got it's name! It's an interview you don't want to miss!
In the second half of the show we open up a tin of Cornell & Diehl's sophomore release of Sun Bear, one of the most anticipated Small Batch releases of the year. Its freshman run in 2019 was met with rave reviews. Does the second run hold its own? Tune in and find out!
This is the only podcast that brings the wealth of knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop, New England’s premiere smoke shop, right to you, wherever you are, whenever you want it. Each week we review a cigar and a pipe tobacco and have each expertly paired with a spirit or cocktail from the bar at our own 7-20-4 Lounge. And that is…Not Just Blowing Smoke! New episodes every Monday. Follow us on Podbean, iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, and Google.
We start off this episode by lighting up Nestor Miranda's Don Lino Africa Toro, the Pundo Milia. Kendra paired this medium bodied box pressed cigar with a new rye based banana cocktail she conjured up. Can you pair bananas and cigars? Apparently the Potion Master thinks so. But does it work?
In the second half, we switch from a light and creamy cigar to one of the stronger and gruff pipe tobaccos available on the market today, Gawith Hoggarth's Black Irish X, a black, box-pressed coil of rope twist spun tobacco. We didn't fool around pairing with this one and went with The Peat Monster Scotch Whiskey by Compass Box. Is this hard to find tobacco worth hunting down?
This is the only podcast that brings the wealth of knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop, New England’s premiere smoke shop, right to you, wherever you are, whenever you want it. Each week we review a cigar and a pipe tobacco and have each expertly paired with a spirit or cocktail from the bar at our own 7-20-4 Lounge. And that is…Not Just Blowing Smoke! New episodes every Monday. Follow us on Podbean, iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, and Google.
This week cigar legend Kurt Kendall is back and he brought a friend… 10 time Emmy winner and sports TV personality, “The Mad Fisherman” himself, Charlie Moore! Kurt brought his 7-20-4 Factory 57 Toro for us to smoke and some 7-20-4 Original blends from 2013 from his vault. We smoked both with Kurt’s barrel select from High West that is only available at the 7-20-4 Lounge at Twins Smoke Shop in Londonderry NH. There’s no fishing in this episode, but we catch a lot with these two guys, and that’s not just blowing smoke!
This is the only podcast that brings the wealth of knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop, New England’s premiere smoke shop, right to you, wherever you are, whenever you want it. Each week we review a cigar and a pipe tobacco and have each expertly paired with a spirit or cocktail from the bar at our own 7-20-4 Lounge. And that is…Not Just Blowing Smoke! New episodes every Monday. Follow us on Podbean, iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, and Google.
Our favorite liquor rep, Talia, is back, this time with Avion Extra Anjeo 44 Tequila. We paired this high end tequila with the Rocky Patel Exclusivo TAA while we heard from her about tequila and what all those terms like Anjeo and Reposado mean,and what makes one tequila better than an other.
In the second half of the show we changed things up by doing a blind tasting of two similar blends of pipe tobacco. When you remove your knowledge of the brand and have no idea about the blend, how does it impact your experience of the tobacco? If that weren’t difficult enough, how do you make a pairing for a blind tasting? Kendra made a blood orange margarita to go with them. It’s a palette expanding experience you don’t want to miss, and that is Not Just Blowing Smoke!
This is the only podcast that brings the wealth of knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop, New England’s premiere smoke shop, right to you, wherever you are, whenever you want it. Each week we review a cigar and a pipe tobacco and have each expertly paired with a spirit or cocktail from the bar at our own 7-20-4 Lounge. And that is…Not Just Blowing Smoke! New episodes every Monday. Follow us on Podbean, iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, and Google.
In the first half of this week’s episode we are joined by the one and only Christian Eiroa of CLE Cigars as we smoke his Eiroa First 20 Years Colorado 54 x 6 which Kendra expertly paired with Knob Creek 12 Year.
In the second half we are joined by Mark Mormar from Laudisi Distribution Group as we review the new Savinelli Juno.
Pastor Padrón asks Christian what it’s like being a germaphobe in a global pandemic, Paul shares some personal industry news, viewers chime in with questions, would you rather, and much more!
This is the only podcast that brings the wealth of knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop, New England’s premiere smoke shop, right to you, wherever you are, whenever you want it. Each week we review a cigar and a pipe tobacco and have each expertly paired with a spirit or cocktail from the bar at our own 7-20-4 Lounge. And that is…Not Just Blowing Smoke! New episodes every Monday. Follow us on Podbean, iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, and Google.
Cameroon is one of those tobaccos that seems to be appearing in more and more new cigars. Today we light up one of the most anticipated Cameroon releases, the Aladino Cameroon Super Toro, which features a Cameroon wrapper grown by Julio Eiroa on his own farm in the Jamastran Valley of Honduras. We paired it with Down East Aloha Friday, an apple and pineapple hard cider. Was this a complimentary or contrasting pairing or a "comp-trasting" pairing? While we smoke the Aladino, we also talk about the differences between this Honduran grown tobacco and the African variety, and share what our favorite Cameroon cigars are.
For our pipe tobacco we light up what some say is the "Nirvana" of Balkan blends, Seattle Pipe Club's Plum Pudding Special Reserve. Does this coveted crumble cake deserve such praise? We give our take on this popular tobacco. We brought pack a favorite cocktail that Pastor Padron believed would be a perfect pairing with the Plum Pudding Special Reserve-the Penicillin, a cocktail made with Johnnie Walker Black, lemon juice, honey ginger simple syrup, over ice with a float of Laphroaig 10 Year.
We also talk about our favorite summer drinks, Paul brings us up to date on the latest news, talk about the difference between English and Balkan blends, answer viewer questions, and ask an other would you rather question.
This is the only podcast that brings the wealth of knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop, New England’s premiere smoke shop, right to you, wherever you are, whenever you want it. Each week we review a cigar and a pipe tobacco and have each expertly paired with a spirit or cocktail from the bar at our own 7-20-4 Lounge. And that is…Not Just Blowing Smoke! New episodes every Monday. Follow us on Podbean, iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, and Google.
It was the best of times it was the worst of times. That basically describes what is this week’s episode of Not Just Blowing Smoke. A perfect storm of technical challenges caused by National outages of cell phone coverage and intermittent Wi-Fi because of said issues, ended up making the first half of what we thought we were recording completely unusable. Which is a damn shame because it was a great Interview With My Father cigars VP of sales Jose Ortega. We had a great time, had a great interview, and really enjoyed reviewing the My Father The Judge TAA Robusto. Unfortunately all of that was lost. As a result, what we have for this week is the second half of the show where are we smoked and reviewed Rattray’s Marlin Flake pipe tobacco. We will have Jose on again in the near future. But we are choosing to see the glass as half full and making lemonade out of lemons by going ahead with putting out the half of the show that we did get. We hope you enjoy!
This is the only podcast that brings the wealth of knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop, New England’s premiere smoke shop, right to you, wherever you are, whenever you want it. Each week we review a cigar and a pipe tobacco and have each expertly paired with a spirit or cocktail from the bar at our own 7-20-4 Lounge. And that is…Not Just Blowing Smoke! New episodes every Monday. Follow us on Podbean, iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, and Google.
Baseball great and member of the Red Sox 2004 World Series team, Orlando Cabrera joins us this week as we review the Camacho Liberty 2012 Throwback and Cornell & Diehl’s most recent Small Batch release, Sansepolcro. Join us for this special episode where we get to talk about life in and after the MLB, his love of cigars and much much more! We also have Bree from the 7-20-4 Lounge who brings her own pairing skills to the table with a bourbon sangria! This is one episode you don’t Want to miss! This is the only podcast that brings the wealth of knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop, New England’s premiere smoke shop, right to you, wherever you are, whenever you want it. Each week we review a cigar and a pipe tobacco and have each expertly paired with a spirit or cocktail from the bar at our own 7-20-4 Lounge. And that is…Not Just Blowing Smoke! New episodes every Monday. Follow us on Podbean, iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, and Google.
This week we review the Sindicato Maduro Toro, a square-pressed and crafted by Arsenio Ramos with tobaccos from Eduaro Fernandez’s farms in Nicaragua which Kendra paired with Elijah Craig Barrel Proof 2018.
For our pipe tobacco review, we lit up the newly released Janus from Savinelli which Kendra paired with Oskar Blues Death by King Cake White Porter.
There is also the usual fun and banter as we discuss dealing with difficult people, the ban on favored tobacco in Massachusetts, and talking on gigantic horse sized ducks. It is everything you want and more in a podcast, and that is not just blowing smoke.
This is the only podcast that brings the wealth of knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop, New England’s premiere smoke shop, right to you, wherever you are, whenever you want it. Each week we review a cigar and a pipe tobacco and have each expertly paired with a spirit or cocktail from the bar at our own 7-20-4 Lounge. And that is…Not Just Blowing Smoke! New episodes every Monday. Follow us on Podbean, iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, and Google.
On this week’s episode we have special guests Erik Wentworth and John Considine of Hammer + Sickle. Erik is the VP of the cigar side of Hammer, and John is the head of sales for Hammer + Sickle Vodka. John makes us Elder flower martinis while we smoke the original Hammer + Sickle cigar, the Tradicion, blended by Davidoff’s Henke Kelner to pair with Hammer’s premium 6 times distilled vodka.
After that we switch gears and have Kendra join us for our pipe tobacco review. This week we review Mac Baren Navy Flake, a Burley based Navy Flake that Kendra paired with a new cocktail she brewed up just for us.
This is the only podcast that brings the wealth of knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop, New England’s premiere smoke shop, right to you, wherever you are, whenever you want it. Each week we review a cigar and a pipe tobacco and have each expertly paired with a spirit or cocktail from the bar at our own 7-20-4 Lounge. And that is…Not Just Blowing Smoke! New episodes every Monday. Follow us on Podbean, iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, and Google.
Finally awakened from his COVID driven slumber, Sam the Barman (aka Sam Van Winkle), that mixologist with moxie, returns to the podcast for our first episode in which we were all able to be back under one roof in over a month.
We start off lighting up the 10th release of Tatuaje's cigar for the TAA. It is not what many people expected. But the goal of the TAA is to come up with something different. The real question is: is it good? Sam paired this with a cocktail he called a Chocolate Manhattan.
For our pipe tobacco review, we look at another bulk tobacco offering at Twins, Cornell & Diehl's Haunted Bookshop. Sam paired this with another outside the box cocktail, a "Sam's Savory Gin and Tonic."
Pastor Padron shares another Cigar Confession, react to the impending tax increase on cigars in NY state, talk bulk vs tinned tobacco, mules in Russia, and rate Sam's pairings with the Tatuaje TAA 2020 and Haunted Bookshop.
This is the only podcast that brings the wealth of knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop, New England’s premiere smoke shop, right to you, wherever you are, whenever you want it. Each week we review a cigar and a pipe tobacco and have each expertly paired with a spirit or cocktail from the bar at our own 7-20-4 Lounge. And that is…Not Just Blowing Smoke! New episodes every Monday. Follow us on Podbean, iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, and Google.
This week we are joined by special guest Steve Saka who gives the story behind his new Unstolen Valor, the latest edition to his Muestra De Saka line up. We paired the Unstolen Valor with Old Forester Rye. While we smoked the cigar and gave thoughts about the pairing, Pastor Padron peppered Steve with a series of questions that were aimed to reveal the man behind the legend. No "So when did you have your first cigar?" questions here! The result is an in depth interview that took up more than an hour of the show. In the second half, we lit up the first Plug released by GL Pease, his Jack Knife Plug. We paired that with an Italian Coffee (i.e. black coffee with Frangelico and Disaronno). This is one packed episode that you don't want to miss!
This episode is an edited audio recording of our fifth Facebook Live event which aired on May 15, 2020.
This is the only podcast that brings the wealth of knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop, New England’s premiere smoke shop, right to you, wherever you are, whenever you want it. Each week we review a cigar and a pipe tobacco and have each expertly paired with a spirit or cocktail from the bar at our own 7-20-4 Lounge. And that is…Not Just Blowing Smoke! New episodes every Monday. Follow us on Podbean, iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, and Google.
Kurt Kendall joins us on this week’s episode as we smoke his 7-20-4 WK Torpedo and 7-20-4 Lancero. Kendall, the owner of 7-20-4 Cigars and Twins Smoke Shop and Lounge, opens up about life as a retailer and brand owner, and a lover of history and antiques. As someone who would rather stay out of the spotlight, we jumped at the opportunity to have him on the show.
We encourage you to join us Friday from 8:00-9:30pm EST on our Facebook Page (facebook.com/NJBSpodcast) to be part of the show. The Monday podcast will be an edited version of that live event.
This episode is an edited audio recording of our fourth Facebook Live event which aired on May 8, 2020.
This is the only podcast that brings the wealth of knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop, New England’s premiere smoke shop, right to you, wherever you are, whenever you want it. Each week we review a cigar and a pipe tobacco and have each expertly paired with a spirit or cocktail from the bar at our own 7-20-4 Lounge. And that is…Not Just Blowing Smoke! New episodes every Monday. Follow us on Podbean, iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, and Google.
It’s always a great time when we are able to get together with Ashton’s Lauren Ferraro…even if it’s virtually! We light up the Ashton Cabinet No. 7 and pair it with Glenmorangie 14 Year Quinta Ruban while we catch up with Ashton’s New England rep.
Then we try out Peter Stokkebye’s Luxury Navy Flake, a bulk blend manufactured by STG. Kendra suggested pairing it with a white wine called Three Sheets to the Wind by Zorvino Vineyards, a local winery in Sandown, NH.
We talk about Ashton, how they are adapting in the current circumstances of COVID-19 restrictions, specials that Twins is offering ON Ashton brand cigars May 1-8, how the PCA is still attempting to go ahead even with having to comply with a myriad of social distancing restrictions, how each of us has been passing the extra time at home, and all the shenanigans you have come to expect from the crew of Not Just Blowing Smoke.
We encourage you to join us each Friday from 7:00-8:30pm EST on our Facebook Page (facebook.com/NJBSpodcast) to be part of the show. The Monday podcast will be an edited version of that live event.
This episode is an edited audio recording of our third Facebook Live event which aired on May 1, 2020.
This is the only podcast that brings the wealth of knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop, New England’s premiere smoke shop, right to you, wherever you are, whenever you want it. Each week we review a cigar and a pipe tobacco and have each expertly paired with a spirit or cocktail from the bar at our own 7-20-4 Lounge. And that is…Not Just Blowing Smoke! New episodes every Monday. Follow us on Podbean, iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, and Google.
This episode begins with an interview with Joe DesMarais, the New England rep for Southern Draw Cigars as we smoke the Rose of Sharon Lancero, aka “The Thorn.” You may not picture us being willing to smoke any cigar with a pink band, let alone a Lancero, but we will smoke anything once, and that is not just blowing smoke! Does this Southern Draw cigar come out smelling like a rose or leave you thinking you pricked your finger on a thorn smoking it in this vitola?
Kendra and Bree wanted to pair it with Chardonay, but Paul wanted to use an IPA. We solved that problem by doing both. Paul and Pastor Padron paired it with a Fiddlehead IPA, Nick paired his with Boom Sauce, and David decided to stick with his first love, Samuel Adams Summer Ale.
In the second half of our show we packed our pipes with a straight Virginia blend from Cornell & Diehl called Opening Night. We paired this with an Empress 1908 Gin cocktail. We were mesmerized by the beautiful deep colors of the gin and the bright late springtime flavors or the cocktail, but was Opening Night going to be just as impressive a performance?
Pastor Padron shares another Cigar Confession, Paul introduces a new segment talking about what is happening in the industry, and much more!
We encourage you to join us each Friday from 7:00-8:30pm EST on our Facebook Page (facebook.com/NJBSpodcast) to be part of the show. The Monday podcast will be an edited version of that live event.
This episode is an edited audio recording of our third Facebook Live event which aired on April 24, 2020.
This is the only podcast that brings the wealth of knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop, New England’s premiere smoke shop, right to you, wherever you are, whenever you want it. Each week we review a cigar and a pipe tobacco and have each expertly paired with a spirit or cocktail from the bar at our own 7-20-4 Lounge. And that is…Not Just Blowing Smoke! New episodes every Monday. Follow us on Podbean, iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, and Google.
With many of us having to stay at home, we thought it was time for us to step up and step out and make some changes to how we do things so that our show would be more interactive with you and the awesome guys and gals that make up the Twins Smoke Shop community. What we wanted to do was to host a virtual herf (that is a term for people getting together to enjoy a cigar or pipe) where we were all smoking the same thing in a format that allowed you to interact with the tobacconists and bartenders of Twins Smoke Shop and the 7-20-4 Lounge.
This episode is an edited audio recording of our second Facebook Live event which aired on April 17, 2020.
In this our second live episode, the regular crew was joined by the Lovely Lisa, and for the first time, Bree from the 7-20-4 Lounge. In the first half we lit up the freakishly popular Le Bijou Box Pressed Torpedo by My Father Cigars and paired it with a rum based Old Fashioned. In the second half we reviewed the much sought out Squadron Leader pipe tobacco by Samuel Gawith, we tried pairing this with several different Founders Beers.
Not going to lie, we had some issues with the audio in this episode. We are in a whole new world as we work to change with the times.
We encourage you to join us each Friday from 7:00-8:30pm EST on our Facebook Page (facebook.com/NJBSpodcast) to be part of the show. The Monday podcast will be an edited version of the live event.
This is the only podcast that brings the wealth of knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop, New England’s premiere smoke shop, right to you, wherever you are, whenever you want it. Each week we review a cigar and a pipe tobacco and have each expertly paired with a spirit or cocktail from the bar at our own 7-20-4 Lounge. And that is…Not Just Blowing Smoke! New episodes every Monday. Follow us on Podbean, iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, and Google.
With many of us having to stay at home, we thought it was time for us to step up and step out and make some changes to how we do things so that our show would be more interactive with you and the awesome guys and gals that make up the Twins Smoke Shop community. What we wanted to do was to host a virtual herf (that is a term for people getting together to enjoy a cigar or pipe) where we were all smoking the same thing in a format that allowed you to interact with the tobacconists and bartenders of Twins Smoke Shop and the 7-20-4 Lounge.
This episode is an edited audio recording of that premiere event.
In the first half of the show we smoke the CroMagnon EMH by RoMa Craft. In the second half of the show for our pipe tobacco review, we lit up the just released Carolina Red Flake with Perique from Cornell & Diehl. Since Kendra was not able to make cocktails for all of us since we were all in different locations, we decided to pair each of these with a bourbon of our choice.
This episode had a lot of firsts:
It was our first recording with a live audience. And we had a lot of great comments from people who were watching and smoking with us including Skip Martin and Kurt Kendall, and a surprise video call from the Lovely Lisa one of the bar tenders from the 7-20-4 Lounge.
It was our first video recording of the show. Many of you have asked for that... ask, and you shall receive!
It was our first time recording from 5 different locations at once. Pastor Padron, Paul, Nick, Dave, and Kendra used Skype to video call into the podcast using OBS editing suite.
It was our first time streaming on Facebook Live. And we found that we were not alone! We had a good number of people online with us and even more have watched it after it was over!
We encourage you to join us each Friday from 7:00-8:30pm EST on our Facebook Page (facebook.com/NJBSpodcast) to be part of the show. The Monday podcast will be an edited version of the live event.
This is the only podcast that brings the wealth of knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop, New England’s premiere smoke shop, right to you, wherever you are, whenever you want it. Each week we review a cigar and a pipe tobacco and have each expertly paired with a spirit or cocktail from the bar at our own 7-20-4 Lounge. And that is…Not Just Blowing Smoke! New episodes every Monday. Follow us on Podbean, iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, and Google.
Coming again from an undisclosed location where we are able to practice social distancing while recording, we light up the 7-20-4 Hustler Corona Gorda which Kendra pairs with her own Smoke Shop Margarita. In the second half of the show we review Deception Pass by Seattle Pipe Club which Kendra paired with an Italian dry red wine.
We argue over how the margarita interacts with the Hustler, talk about our lame first attempt at Facebook Live, get a surprise call-in from our fellow co-worker at the 7-20-4 Lounge, Kimbaah, share how we are coping with life inside because of COVID-19, and Nick shares his frustration at not finding Kendra’s drinks at other bars.
This is the only podcast that brings the wealth of knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop, New England’s premiere smoke shop, right to you, wherever you are, whenever you want it. Each week we review a cigar and a pipe tobacco and have each expertly paired with a spirit or cocktail from the bar at our own 7-20-4 Lounge. And that is…Not Just Blowing Smoke! New episodes every Monday. Follow us on Podbean, iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, and Google.
Kendra the Potion Master and Jim Price from CLE join us for this week's episode of NJBS. We have created a virtual speakeasy in which we have four different whiskeys that we all pair with two favorites of Pastor Padron: the Julius Ceaser Toro by JC Newman and Barbary Coast, by GL Pease.
We talk about what is going on--or not going on--at Twins Smoke Shop, Pastor Padron has another Cigar Confession, Jim wonders if the Julius Ceaser Toro taste like brown bread in a can (what??), the importance of good pairing, curbside service during the social distancing directives NH has in place due to the Corona Virus, and much more!
This is the only podcast that brings the wealth of knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop, New England’s premiere smoke shop, right to you, wherever you are, whenever you want it. Each week we review a cigar and a pipe tobacco and have each expertly paired with a spirit or cocktail from the bar at our own 7-20-4 Lounge. And that is…Not Just Blowing Smoke! New episodes every Monday. Follow us on Podbean, iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, and Google.
The 7-20-4 Lounge is closed, Paul and Nick were detained with family obligations. But fear not my friends! Coming from an undisclosed secret location, Pastor Padrón and Dave work to bring you another episode of Not Just Blowing Smoke!
I light of the world wide pandemic (and since we did not have the Potion Master, Kendra available to us, we decided to drink Corona Extra for both cigar and pipe tobacco reviews.
For the cigar, we light up the Drew Estate Liga Privada No. 9 Lounge Exclusive Box Pressed Toro, a cigar only available at Drew Diplomat Partner Tobacconists, and Twins is the only one in New England.
For the pipe tobacco, we cracked a tin of Cornell & Diehl's Awakened Elder, which happen's to be one of Dave's favorite blends.
We talk about how the Federal and State response to the Corona Virus has been effecting the cigar industry and Twins, Pastor Padrón has another Cigar Confession, and we share how we are adjusting to the new idea of social distancing.
This is the only podcast that brings the wealth of knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop, New England’s premiere smoke shop, right to you, wherever you are, whenever you want it. Each week we review a cigar and a pipe tobacco and have each expertly paired with a spirit or cocktail from the bar at our own 7-20-4 Lounge. And that is…Not Just Blowing Smoke! New episodes every Monday. Follow us on Podbean, iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, and Google.
With the Corona Virus canceling or pushing off all major sporting events, there is no excuse for not being able to make time to binge on Not Just Blowing Smoke, This is the only podcast that brings the wealth of knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop, New England’s premiere smoke shop, right to you, wherever you are, whenever you want it. Each week we review a cigar and a pipe tobacco and have each expertly paired with a spirit or cocktail from the bar at our own 7-20-4 Lounge. And that is…Not Just Blowing Smoke!
In this episode, Mark Mormar from Laudisi Distribution Group joins us again as we light up the RoMaCraft Neanderthal HN which Pastor Padron paired with West Cork's Black Reserve Irish Whiskey, and the Savinelli 140th Anniversary blend from Cornell & Diehl, which Kendra paired with a Vesper Martini.
We talk James Bond, what makes a martini, catch up with Mark, what the heck is going on with the Corona virus and much more.
This is the only podcast that brings the wealth of knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop, New England’s premiere smoke shop, right to you, wherever you are, whenever you want it. Each week we review a cigar and a pipe tobacco and have each expertly paired with a spirit or cocktail from the bar at our own 7-20-4 Lounge. And that is…Not Just Blowing Smoke! New episodes every Monday. Follow us on Podbean, iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, and Google.
We don't know about you, but we love smoking by the fire. It's the time of year when the evenings are warm enough to get the fire pit going in your back yard. This week we review two great smokes that make you want to do just that.
First is the Guardian of the Farm Night Watch Campeon from Aganorsa Leaf, the Maduro incarnation of the popular Guardian of the Farm collaboration between Aganorsa and Warped Cigars. We pair it with Founders 2018 CBS (Canadian Breakfast Stout) a well aged Imperial Stout we've been aging here at Twins.
Then we light up Engine 99, one of Cornell & Diehl's most popular English blends. We paired it with a West Cork Whiskey cocktail Kendra dubbed The Bloody Irishman.
We hear from Kendra the Potion Master, talk about the history of Aganorsa Leaf, Pastor Padrón has another Cigar Confession, we talk differences in palates, and fill you in on everything going on at Twins Smoke Shop.
This is the only podcast that brings the wealth of knowledge, expertise, and fun of Twins Smoke Shop, New England’s premiere smoke shop, right to you, wherever you are, whenever you want it. Each week we review a cigar and a pipe tobacco and have each expertly paired with a spirit or cocktail from the bar at our own 7-20-4 Lounge. And that is…Not Just Blowing Smoke! New episodes every Monday. Follow us on Podbean, iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, and Google.
Tomorrow on the next episode of Not Just Blowing Smoke, we continue our look at how aging effects tobacco, this time we light up C&Ds Joie De Vivre from 2014 and 2019. Aging made a huge difference in the LFD Chisel Maduro we smoked last week. But how about pipe tobacco? Cellaring (ie aging) pipe tobacco has been a growing trend over the last few decades. Is it worth it? How do you do it? Steve Poirier from LFD joins us again for this talk on aging tobacco, and Kendra "The Potion Master" from the 7-20-4 Lounge provides us with truly epic pairings for each of these tobaccos. Don't miss it!
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On this episode, we begin a 2 part series on aging tobacco. We are joined by Steve Poirier, the North East rep for LFD. Steve provides us with DL Maduro Chisels from 2007 and 2019, and we smoke them together (along with some great bourbon). If you have ever wondered about aging cigars this is one episode you don't want to miss...and that is Not Just Blowing Smoke!
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In this episode, we end the year with each of us sharing our top 5 favorite cigars and pipe tobaccos. Sam the Bar Man shares 5 of his favorite spirits (that you've never heard of). We talk about the federal government raising the minimum age to purchase tobacco to 21. And we share some of our favorite memories of our first 20 episodes and think about what we want to do in 2020. Don't miss out on this one!
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This week we have a little High School reunion as Jim Price, New England rep for Eiroa Cigars and past member of the Twins team joins us on the show. We atart of reviewing one of the latest offerings from Christian Eiroa and Eiroa Cigars, the Jamastran Robusto. On the second half of the show Jim picks up the pipe for the first time in a few years and joins in on our review of Seattle Pipe Club's Mississippi River.
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Mark Mormar from Cornell & Diehl joins us as we light up the Room 101 Farce and C&D's own Christmas blend, Corn Cob Pipe and a Button Nose. Don't miss this epic discussion. You won't be disappointed, and that is Not Just Blowing Smoke!
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One of the unfortunate realities of having a world class selection of cigars and pipe tobacco like we do at Twins Smoke Shop is that really great things can get overlooked. This week we review two of things that are hidden gems in our selection: the Antaño Dark Corojo Poderoso, and Three Nuns pipe tobacco. We are joined by Nick Laramie from Drew Estate who distributes Antaño. Nick is also a pipe guy and joins us in our review of Three Nuns. Kendra gets back with us as well and has some excellent pairings from the 7-20-4 Lounge for each review.
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This week we begin by lighting up the Muestra De Saka #NLMTHA Lancero, a cigar that Steve Saka created just to quell the calls from his fans who continually pecked at him to make a lancero. Steve's answer to this continual call is the #NLMTHA, which stands for "Now Leave Me The Hell Alone." Does this traditional size lancero merit such a hash tag? For the pipe tobacco, we look at Potlatch from Seattle Pipe Club, a tobacco that has more kinds of tobacco in it than anything we have reviewed so far--seven to be exact. Potlatch is named after a Northwest American Indian celebration of plenty. Is this Joe Lankford blend a blend to celebrate?
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In this week's episode we light up the Plasencia Reserva Original Robusto, a Nicaraguan puro that claims the distinction of being the world's first certified organic cigar. For the first time, Lisa from the 7-20-4 Lounge jumps in to do the pairings with us. The Reserva Original is Lisa's favorite cigar, and she knew just what to pair it with, Michter's Toasted Barrel Bourbon. For the pipe tobacco, we light up on of Pastor Padron's longtime favorites, G.L. Pease Haddo's Delight. But Lisa was trapped upstairs and unable to come back down with a pipe pairing. Would the Michter's do just as well with Haddo's? Of course, just because something is "organic" doesn't mean it is good. Is the Plasencia Reserva Original good? Is it worthy of being a Thanksgiving smoke? Is Haddo's really a delight? Or is Pastor Padron caught up in his love for all things G.L. Pease? Tune in and find out on this Thanksgiving episode of Not Just Blowing Smoke.
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Here in New England, the days are getting colder and people are beginning that seasonal trek searching for good short cigars they can enjoy outside. In this episode we review 4 short cigars that make excellent 20-30 minute smokes: the Hustler Dogwalker by 7-20-4 Cigars, the Mi Querida Pequeno Pequeno by Dunbarton Tobacco and Trust, the Intemperance BA XXI Intrigue by RoMa Craft, and the Escurio Short Robusto by Davidoff. Now with pipe smoking, you can control how long of a smoke you want, but what might be a good tobacco for a cold November night? We light up Samuel Gawith's Brown No. 4 with that question in mind. Sam the Barman, one of our experienced mixologists behind the bar of the 7-20-4 Lounge brings pairings for both cigar and pipe. We also discuss the difference between being proud of what you are smoking and bragging about it, how to keep your humidor working great in the winter months, and what we use in our own personal humidors for humidification.
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This could also have been called "The Whiskey Episode" as this time Kendra-the Potion Master and manager of the 7-20-4 Lounge-brought wine and whiskey rep Colin onto the show. We reviewed the Cigares Prive Pactum Toro Maduro by Illusione, which happen's to be one of Paul's favorite cigars. After listening to the tasting notes of the cigar, Colin decided to pull out all the stops and pair it with Glenfiddich 21. We were completely blown away by this amazing single malt. But could the Pactum hold its own with the scotch? For the pipe tobacco review we lit up Erik Stokkebye's 4th Generation 1957 blend. Kendra lit some up herself pre-show and decided to pair it with Peated Westland American Single malt Whiskey. Kendra felt it was such a great pairing that that she broke into her happy dance! Did the rest of the guys feel the same? Listen here and find out or click on the link below.
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In this episode we are joined by Bo Zaryckyj from 7-20-4 Cigars and light up the new 1874 Series Toro that literally just arrived from Nicaragua. We then light up Dreams of Kadath by Cornell & Diehl. Both Kendra and Sam from the 7-20-4 Lounge bring their choices for pairings with each of these, Kendra a Japanese whiskey for the cigar and Sam a Malbec from Argentina. We talk the history of 7-20-4, what makes a good lighter, and debate who made the best pairing. Is the new size and blend of the 1874 Series worth looking for? Is Dreams of Kadath a Dream worth remembering? Who made the best pairing? Tune in and find out!
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This week Twins celebrated the arrival of the latest 7-20-4 Lounge Single Barrel Jack Daniels, so we decided to reverse our normal routine and picked the cigar and pipe tobacco to pair with it. That led us to review the Oliva Serie V Double Robusto and Quiet Nights by GL Pease. How did we do? How is the new Single Barrel Jack? Is it worth the trip to Twins Smoke Shop Londonderry? Listen and find out!
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This week we are joined by special guest Max Stokkebye, the pipe tobacco Brand Ambassador for Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG). Max joins us as we light up the newest release from Sindicato Cigars, the Cubico, which Kendra from the 7-20-4 Lounge paired with an Ultima Palabra. Then Max leads us in the review of one of STG's classic pipe tobacco blends, Escudo Navy De Luxe which Kendra paired with a porter called Death by Coconut. In addition, we answer the question "Should I leave the cellophane on my cigars when I take them home?" And David plays with his new soundboard. Does the Cubico make the cut? Does Escudo deserve the reputation it has? Tune in and find out!
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We have a very different episode for you this week. Episode 9 is a crossover collaboration with another cigar podcast, The Cigar Hacks. Pastor Padron, Nick, and Dave of Not Just Blowing Smoke are joined by "Cigar God Dave," "Nurse Rick," "Dom the Dominator," and "Reverend Harvey" of The Cigar Hacks. Why? Why not! Our crossover was the Hacks' 100th episode too! Both Pastor Padron and Nick have been on their podcast a number of times and are glad to support and celebrate our fellow podcasting BOTL! Along with these guests, we are joined in the first half by KC Johnson of Tatuaje cigars and we light up and review the newly released ME II Toro. We talk Tatuaje's history, how KC got involved, and his thoughts on working for his little brother. For the second half of the show we get the Hacks to pull out their pipes and join us in giving our thoughts on the new Small Batch release from Cornell & Diehl, Carolina Red Flake, an all red Virginia, all North Carolina leaf flake. This is a fun show that was recorded right in the middle of the 7-20-4 Lounge.
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Golden Sliced Lancero-The Director's Cut, includes almost 7 minutes of new audio not in the original episode. In this week's episode we are joined by special guest Nick Laramie from Drew Estate. Conversation went all over the place in this one. We talk Drew Estate (of course), The Dark Crystal, the trend of raising the tobacco age from 18 to 21, and follow up on Paul's pooch adventures. For the cigar we lit up the BOTL Lancero, which Kendra paired with a new cocktail she brewed up for us that she called a Kentucky Russian. For the pipe tobacco, we reviewed an old favorite, Orlik Golden Sliced from STG. Kendra decided to pair with Nikka from the Barrel Whiskey. The BOTL is hard to find and very limited, is it worth tracking down? Is Golden Slice a slice of heaven? Does Kendra continue her triumphant run of pairing cordial to smoke? Listen and find out!
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The bartenders of the 7-20-4 Lounge take advantage of Paul's absence this week and joinnus for full segments on the show. Sam the Bar Man joins us for thee first half of the show as we review the Aladino Corojo Reserva Robusto by JRE cigars. Sam brought a Vieux Carré to pair with this 100% Honduran Corojo cigar. For the second half of the show Kendra the Potion Master joined us for our pipe tobbaco review. The tobacco which we picked for this week was Cornell and Diehl's Autumn Evening, a very popular aromatic Virginia cavendish with a maple casing. Kendra paired this with another 7-20-4 Lounge orginal cocktail, the Jack Apple Crisp, a fall drink featruing Jack Daniels Apple. And to top it all off David brought in his famous Apple Pie... This is not an episode that you will want to miss, so sit back with a cigar or pipe and listen in!
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In this week's episode we are joined by special guest Nick Laramie from Drew Estate. Conversation went all over the place in this one. We talk Drew Estate (of course), The Dark Crystal, the trend of raising the tobacco age from 18 to 21, and follow up on Paul's pooch adventures. For the cigar we lit up the BOTL Lancero, which Kendra paired with a new cocktail she brewed up for us that she called a Kentucky Russian. For the pipe tobacco, we reviewed an old favorite, Orlik Golden Sliced from STG. Kendra decided to pair with Nikka from the Barrel Whiskey. The BOTL is hard to find and very limited, is it worth tracking down? Is Golden Slice a slice of heaven? Does Kendra continue her triumphant run of pairing cordial to smoke? Listen and find out!
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Technology. When it works, it's awesome and makes your life easier. And when it doesn't? Well, you have to rise to the challenge. This episode came with a lot of challenges... and we mean A LOT! But in the end, we overcame and have a great show with special guest Mark Mormar the Eastern US Sales Manager for Laudisi Distribution Group (aka LDG), the parent company of Cornell and Diehl who makes the pipe tobacco we reviewed. In this episode we review the MI Querida Triqui Traca from Dunbarton Tobacco and Trust and Speak Easy from Cornell and Diehl. Kendra and Sam face off for the title of the 7-20-4 Potion Master. Is the Triqui Traca the big bang the Firecracker was? Is Speak Easy a blend worth mentioning or just another navy blend? Does Kendra continue to hold on to the title of Potion Master or does Sam Van Winkle wrest it from her pretty little hands? Listen and find out!
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In this episode the boys are joined by Erik Wentworth of Hammer + Sickle cigars. Through September 30, 2019, Twins Smoke Shop is offering a 10 count grab bag of Hammer + Sickle cigars for $79.99. The grab bag contains selections from every line of Hammer + Sickle: Tradicion, Trademark, Hermitage, Berlin Wall Box Pressed, and The Caleanoch, and we smoke 'em all on the show! We talk about the history of the company, why German tobacco (one of the components in the Heritage) is so hard to blend with, and how to properly extinguish a cigar.
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Pastor Padron, Paul, and Dave head up episode four this week as Nick was in-flight to Florida. We covered everything from the difference bewteen graciously accepting a cigar from a friend and being a mooch, to how you can tell from your dog's business that he has been feasting on your cat's business. We also answered a listener's question: what is your favorite cigar and why? Needless to say, we covered a wide range of topics in this one. We get down with Oscar Valladares' new Super Fly cigar, and open up Penny Farthing, the first new pipe tobacco from G.L. Pease in 2 years. Is the Super Fly worthy of such an epic name? Is Penny Farthing worth the ride, or is it just another shag? Listen and find out what we think!
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This week we light up one of the latest newcomers to Twins Smoke Shop, the Intemperance Whiskey Rebellion 1794 Jefferson by RoMa Craft. While the Whiskey Rebellion line has been out for several years it has only just become available for national distribution. Should you look for it? In the first half of this episode we give you our take. In the second half we review Cornell & Diehl's latest Small Batch release, Sun Bear. C&D has sold out of the 4500 tins they made, and while Twins has a good supply, it will be harder and harder to find. Is it worth the effort or a blend you don't need to feel bad about missing? Listen and find out!
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The boys are back and start the Pre-Perdomo-Pomp in preparation for Nick Perdomo's visit to Twins Smoke Shop on August 29th by reviewing the Perdomo 20th Anniversary Epicure Maduro. We meet Kendra from the 7-20-4 Lounge for the Mid-Show Pallet Cleansing, and light up the new blend from Seattle Pipe Club Wild Man. We also debate the pros and cons of background music, talk about PCA's postponing Cigar Con, and lots more... Listen and believe!
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In our inaugural episode Pastor Padrón, Pablo Maduro, Nasty Nick, and The Nube tell you what you can expect from their podcast, review the Eiroa First 20 Years TAA Diadema, enjoy a mid show pallet cleansing cocktail from the 7-20-4 Lounge, and pull out their pipes to review Cabbie's Mixture by Samuel Gawith.
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Curious about what our podcast is about? Give us just 59 seconds. And that is Not Just Blowing Smoke (see what we did there?)
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