Cigar Hacks

It’s Summa-Palooza at the lake house where we sit out on the water to record. We are joined by Dave The Dentist from Nashville, Mark (Ernie) and Bret (Bert) from The Retrohale. We have a so-so Hidden Herf and more fun with the “fart machine” than we should. Local Spotlight – Summa-Palooza Controversy Corner – … Continue reading "Episode 191: Summa-Palooza – Local Spotlight: On the lake with the S....

Our special guest this week is Edgar, our local rep for Tatuaje, L’Atelier, JRE (Alidino), Regis, and Gran Habano Cigars. We learn a lot about all these lines while having the usual fun with the panel. Local Spotlight – Excalibur Cigar & Scotch Lounge; San Diego, CA Controversy Corner – Vaccines and UFOs Hidden Herf … Continue reading "Episode 190: Edgar – Local Spotlight: Excalibur Cigar & Scotch...

We take the S.S. Low Voltage out for our first episode on the water this summer. Our special call-in guest is Korb, manager of Crown City Cigars and co-host of “The Cigar Smokers” podcast. The Monte De Leon Mobile Cigar Lounge pops up two doors down and we learn about “The Vibe You’re In” podcast. … Continue reading "Episode 189: Pee-Nuts on Enema Lake – Local Spotlight: Crown City Cigars; Coronad...

Direct from The Tobacco Shack we have Mr. Black Bottle Beard Oil (a Shack regular) along with the Shack staff for this week’s episode. It’s a fun filled show with a cast of dozens – well, maybe only one. Nurse Rick brings us a boutique brand from his west coast visit as the (not so) … Continue reading "Episode 188: Jeremy Jack at the Shack – Local Spotlight: The Tobacco Shack; Rowley, MA"

Nurse Rick is on assignment in sunny Southern California visiting future Local Spotlight lounges. Taco Steve, the better brother, joins us this week and we have a few laughs at Nurse Rick’s expense. The mailbag is full and the Hidden Herf is well received. We completely skipped over the Local Spotlight – oh well there’s … Continue reading "Episode 187: The Better Brother – Local Spotlight: Ooops!"

This week we are at the Route One BNG (Business Networking Group) open event. It is a gathering of local businesses that includes cigars, a bar and pizza. Impromptu, we are joined by Scott Whitley, BNG member and host of the Boston radio and TV show; Wicked Bites. Scott and the Hacks talk with various … Continue reading "Episode 186: Wicked Cigars – Local Spotlight: Route One BNG at The Breakaway;...

It’s Memorial Day so we have some special segments and topics. The mail-bag is a classic this week, thanks Nick from RI. Plume research is in the future with a potential mail-in example. The Hidden Herf looks familiar but then it doesn’t because it’s box-pressed. Then there’s the “Storage Juice” story. Local Spotlight – Twins … Continue reading "Episode 185: Memorial Day – Local Spotlight: Twins S...

Direct from the Mustang Ranch in New Hampshire on a perfect spring evening, the birds are chirping, the horses are out in the field, and the other wild life is about. It’s a perfect time and place for a cigar and some Tennessee  moonshine. Lots of cigar news this week. The Hidden Herf is a … Continue reading "Episode 184: Return to the Ranch – Local Spotlight: Cigars R Us; Danvers, MA"

We get into how southern The Rev. Harvey is. The Hidden Herf goes in a different direction, we each choose a prefered vitola and we have panelists smoking three different sizes of the same cigar where it receives high marks. State flowers, birds and wild life are some of the side topics. We have fireworks … Continue reading "Episode 183: You’re Not Southern – Local Spotlight: Smoke & Flame; Pelham...

On the road again in the Oscuro III up to Radloff’s. It’s not warm enough to do the show outside, but almost! The cast is in rare form this week as the bad jokes are flying. The Hidden Herf takes kind of a left turn. Jamie takes a break from tending bar to sit down … Continue reading "Episode 182: Not Quite in the Street – Local Spotlight: Radloff’s Cigar Shop and On the Rox Lounge; Rochester, NH"

This week we are joined by Rabbi Cut-Above (aka Mike from New Jersey). Another fun episode with lots of laughs! We discuss multiple cigar related topics and Rabbi Cut-Above tells about his local NJ shops. The Hidden Herf is a bit of a surprise and no one has a reasonable guess. Local Spotlight – Vintage … Continue reading "Episode 181: Rabbi Cut-Above Takes Exit 199 – Local Spotlight: Vintage Ciga...

Hamlet Paredes, master cigar roller, from Rocky Patel is our special guest this week. We are also joined by Mike the Cop, our local Rocky Patel rep and winner of a “Rep of the Year” Hackie Award in 2020. The weather is perfect for our first outdoor episode of the year, the fire pit is … Continue reading "Episode 180: Hamlet from Rocky Patel Special – Local Spotlight: Hamlet Cigars"

In-lounge at the new location of El Toro Cigar & Lounge, we get a preview of what’s coming when they reopen. We are joined by the the shop owners; Netal and Vilma, a few regulars, and our local Pura Soul Cigar representative; Bugsy. The Hidden Herf is from Pura Soul and receives high marks. The … Continue reading "Episode 179: Where is White Chocolate? – Local Spotlight: El Toro Cigar & Lounge; Hu...

With a cast of eight in rare form, the Podcast Juice is flowing and it shows. The Hidden Herf is a great choice and is well received, but it’s guessed instantly by a couple of the panel members. We reinstate the Current Events error “bar” because the list is so long. Local Spotlight – March … Continue reading "Episode 178: Try Not To Laugh – Local Spotlight: March Madness at the Domicile"

We swear in (or at) our newest Hack, but not before he goes through a gaultlet of questions. The Hidden Herf is a split desision, but still overall it’s a decent smoke. Comedy Chris returns to lighten up the show. Local Spotlight – Cloud Lounge; Salem, NH Controversy Corner – Prepare to have your questions … Continue reading "Episode 177: I Swear – Local Spotlight: Cloud Lounge; Salem, NH"

A regular listener wants to see how we do the show, so we drag him right into the episode. Taco Steve and Dommie the Dominator are back. The mail bag is full. The Taco does it again; using the clues, he nails the Hidden Herf. A few new words are coined during the current events. … Continue reading "Episode 176: The Scarlet Knight – Local Spotlight: Greek Night, The Tobacco Shack; Rowley, MA"

It’s just like hanging out in the local lounge for this episode. The Baroness is reunited with the impact driver. Paige sets us up with an interesting Hidden Herf that takes a while to figure out. The Reverend steps out for a few moments. Local Spotlight – The smoking bus, Cigars R Us; Danvers, MA … Continue reading "Episode 175: Cigars, Bars, and Cars – Local Spotlight: The smoking bus, Cigars R...

We are joined by Steve Saka, Cindy Saka and Casey of the Dunbarton Tobacco and Trust team at the Twins Hookset lounge. Steve gives us some interesting insight into DT&T world. Pastor Padron (Dan) is our lounge host and tells us about the shop and his first year managing this location. We have the usual … Continue reading "Episode 174: Steve Saka of DT&T – Local Spotlight: Twins Smoke Shop; Hookset...

Nurse Rick and The Reverend Harvey team up to peg the Hidden Herf right out of the gate. Harvey receives a challenge coin. Ludwig writes in from across the pond. We talk about drifting cars on slippery roads. Paige asks why she has such a lousy nickname, so we give her an even worse nickname. … Continue reading "Episode 173: Pathogina – Local Spotlight: March Madness at Two Guys, Salem, NH"

We are joined by The “Salty” Stephanie (Mrs. Bastard) for some fun and “MotherLovinCoffee”. The Mail bag is full of items and The Reverend Harvey is in rare form with “The Dew” podcast juice recipe. Some of the panel think they know the Hidden Herf just by looking at it but everyone is stumped. Local … Continue reading "Episode 172: Salty Dew – Local Spotlight: World Famous Cigar Bar; Ft. Meyers,...

Direct from a hot tub at the Holiday Inn in Jacksonville, FL, it’s Nurse Rick on the remote. He gives us a view into the Florida cigar scene while traveling around the state on college tours. This week we hear about his visit to Cigar Life in Lakeland. We answer a question e-mailed in by … Continue reading "Episode 171: In Hot Water – Local Spotlight: Cigar Life; Lakeland, FL"

It’s been a couple months since we’ve done an in-lounge episode and years since we’ve recorded in a cigar and hookah lounge. Jocelyn gives us a refresher course on hookahs. Nurse Rick brings in a Hidden Herf that, after a few hints,  we get close to guessing the brand. Elie and Jocelyn tell us their story … Continue reading "Episode 170: The Hookah Queen – Local Spotlight: Elie’s Smoking lounge; N...

Hackapalooza weekend is now just a memory, we recap all the activities since the last episode. The Hidden Herf turns out to be a mixed bag because it’s a bit strong for most of the panel. Of course, no one comes close to guessing what it is. We “swear” in the newest member of the … Continue reading "Episode 169: Hackapalooza 3.0 Part 2 – Local Spotlight: Cloud Lounge; Salem, NH"

It’s night one of The Third Annual Hackapalooza (A.K.A. The RetroHack Spectacular), we’ve taken the out-of-town visitors to their first stop of the weekend. There are four additional lounges on the schedule over the next two days. We cover the day’s events and preview what’s planned. The Hidden Herf is an aged gem that garners … Continue reading "Episode 168: Hackapalooza 3.0 Part 1 – Local Spotli...

Getting spun up for Hackapalooza we smoke a great Hidden Herf that moves right to the top of the ratings list. We have a mystery guest in the audience who comes bearing gifts for the upcoming festivities. Local Spotlight – Smoke & Flame; Pelham, NH Controversy Corner – Planet X Hidden Herf 167 / Smoke … Continue reading "Episode 167: Riff-Raff and Ballers – Local Spotlight: Smoke & Flame; Pelham,...