Not Just Blowing Smoke with Pastor Padron

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 an...

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...

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...

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 th...

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 cig...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 onl...

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 wi...

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 signi...

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...

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 h...

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 wan...

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 hel...

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 fe...

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...

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 t...

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 my...

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 blendi...

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...

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...

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...

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...