The Cigar Pulpit

Coming to you from the JRE Tobacco Aladino Studios, Nick dives straight into his coverage of this year's Premium Cigar Association Trade Show, held in New Orleans.  We are splitting up the PCA coverage into two episodes. This episode features interviews with manufacturers and covers more of the business of the trip, as well as Nick's observations of the show and the goings on. Learn about some new...

Coming to you from the JRE Tobacco Aladino Studios, Nick is joined by Justin who won the trip to the Aladino Farm at PulpitFest last year. Justin details his trip and all he experienced in Honduras, as well as teasing an upcoming release he got to try in Julio Eiroa's office! During the Villiger Cigars Entertainment Report, find out what we've been watching and entertained by lately. And learn abo...

Coming to you from the JRE Tobacco Aladino Studios, Nick is joined by Shawn and Paul who will be making up Team Pulpit at PCA 2025. The three guys fire up some cigars and discuss their plans for the show, what cigars they are looking forward to seeing and trying at the show, and some of the food options they're interested in while in New Orleans. If you're looking to get geared up for this year's...

Coming to you from the JRE Tobacco Aladino Studios, Nick discusses the recent tariffs implemented by the United States on imported goods and how that will impact the cigar industry. Bottom line: prices are going up. Learn about tariffs, how they factor into cigar pricing, what countries will be hit hardest, and more. During the Villiger Entertainment Report, find out what Nick has been watching, i...

Coming to you from the JRE Tobacco Aladino Studios, Nick is joined by René Castaneda, president of Villiger Cigars North America, to preview what Villiger will be showing off at the PCA trade show next week. The guys fire up some cigars and talk about the new releases, expectations for the show, and a lot more.  They also discuss this year's PulpitFest and Villiger's involvement in that event. Ren...

Coming to you from the JRE Tobacco Aladino Studios, Nick is back and ready for a cigar! After a two week health related break, Nick is back and smoking the Red Anchor in the gunner size and taking your calls in another Ask the Pulpit episode. We cover a variety of topics and answer your questions and comments.  Find out what Nick has been watching while recovering in the Villiger Cigars Entertainm...

Coming to you from the JRE Tobacco Aladino Studios in New Hampshire, Mr. Jonathan and John Calder take over the show as Nick is still under the weather and recovering. The guys discuss a revised proposal for the Strength-O-Meter. What are their thoughts? Will it work better than Dave's version? How mad will Dave be when he hears this drastic change? Also they fire up and smoke a variety of cigars...

Coming to you from the JRE Tobacco Aladino Studios, Nick takes on some of the bad advice you hear from folks in the cigar lounge and corrects the record. While smoking the Fuma Noche from Aladino, Nick covers the top five pieces of bad advice you hear commonly from cigar folks and why it is bad advice.  Find out what Nick has been watching lately, including a show he's binged the majority of the f...

Coming to you from the JRE Tobacco Aladino Studios, Nick is joined by Ed Sullivan of the Cigar Authority to talk about how to prep your car properly so you can enjoy cigars in it. We cover all of the accessories and items you need so that you can keep your car neat and tidy and preserve trade in value while still smoking your favorite cigars.  During the show, Ed fires up and tries the upcoming Pe...

Coming to you from the JRE Tobacco Aladino Studios, Nick listens to your calls and answers your questions in another Ask the Pulpit episode. This time we discuss haggis, personality testing, and we spill a little tea on an old friend of the show, while smoking the Herrera Esteli Habano toro from Drew Estate. Find out what shows Nick has been watching in the Villiger Cigars Entertainment Report and...

Coming to you from the JRE Tobacco Aladino Studios, Nick is joined by Pinky as they smoke the La Gianna 30th Anniversary cigar from United Cigars. They discuss some legislation being considered in a few different states and how they will impact cigars and cigar smokers.  They also find themselves discussing both fast food and personal strengths. Pinky dives down the rabbit hole and gives an overvi...

Coming to you from the JRE Tobacco Aladino Studios, Nick is joined by Trey Mac Shipley of Aladino Cigars to discuss their recent farm visits in Honduras and to try a new secret Connecticut blend! The guys detail all of the adventures from the trip before pivoting and discussing what we can expect from Aladino at the PCA Trade Show in April.  During the Villiger Cigars Entertainment Report, Nick an...

Coming to you from the JRE Tobacco Aladino Studios, Nick is joined by Oliver Nivaud of United Cigars to discuss this week's launch of the Gold Star cigar. Originally a limited edition cigar last year, the Gold Star is now a regular part of the United Cigars portfolio and Oliver is here to discuss it and much more! Find out what Nick has been watching lately in the Villiger Cigars Entertainment Rep...

Coming to you from the JRE Tobacco Aladino Studios, it's that time of year when planning really ramps up and announcements are made about cigar events taking place through the year. Nick takes a look at some and asks what makes for a good cigar event, all while enjoying the Blackbird Finch robusto. Find out a movie Nick saw and surprisingly enjoyed in the Villiger Cigars Entertainment Report.  And...

Coming to you from the JRE Tobacco Aladino Studios, Nick is joined by listener Chris who is a postal worker to discuss the problems plaguing the United States Postal Service. As listeners of the show know, Nick has had a multitude of problems over the years with USPS and Chris is here to discuss those and some of the other issues the average person doesn't know about. Chris fires up a Warfighter D...

Coming to you from the JRE Tobacco Aladino Studios, Nick fires up the new Villiger Cuellar Caribe and answers your questions on another Ask the Pulpit episode. We discuss cigar deserts, tracking cigars through the year, your taste palate, and more. Find out what Nick has been watching lately in the Villiger Cigars Entertainment Report.  And learn about a man who tried to make his town a more enter...

Coming to you from the JRE Tobacco Aladino Studios, Nick is joined by Mike Brinker to discuss the recent Super Bowl, the NFL, and what most people tune in to watch... the commercials! We fire up a West Tampa Tobacco Red toro and give all of our thoughts on what we saw and what we'd have liked to have seen. We also discuss the upcoming PCA trade show and what we're looking forward to there as well....

Coming to you from the JRE Tobacco Aladino Studios, Nick is joined by Noah as they fire up the La Aurora 100 Años robusto and recount the rest of their recent trip to Las Vegas for the TPE trade show. We get Noah's perspective on the show as a first time attendee and we discuss the other aspects of our trip. We cover the after party, the food, drinks, and more! Find out what we've been watching la...

Coming to you from the JRE Tobacco Aladino Studios, Nick is joined by listener Hank Holcomb to discuss his recent trip to the Puro Sabor Nicaraguan Cigar Festival. While Nick enjoys a Villiger 1888 Nicaragua, Hank details his trip to the festival and gives a day by day description of what it was like to attend it and relays some of what he learned there.  Hank was fortunate enough to be able to go...

Coming to you from the JRE Tobacco Aladino Studios, Nick brings you all of the action from TPE 2025 while smoking the Parishioner's 2024 Cigar of the Year! Hear interviews from manufacturers and find out all of Nick's thoughts on the Total Product Expo. You're going to learn about the changes to the cigar section, what the future holds for cigars at TPE, and Nick's blunt thoughts about what cigars...

Coming to you from the JRE Tobacco Aladino Studios, Nick is joined by Noah as they preview their trip to Las Vegas for the TPE 2025 Trade Show. The guys discuss what they're looking forward to and also what changes they expect to see from previous years. And since it's Noah's first time, they guys go over what the trade show is like and what he can expect. Find out what they've been watching latel...

Coming to your way from the JRE Tobacco Aladino Studios, Nick kicks back with a Yagua from JC Newman and answers your calls on a pre-TPE Ask the Pulpit. He takes calls about a variety of topics including cigars with leathery notes (he gets a phone a friend assist there), cigar deserts, some advice on clearing smoke, and more. And during the Villiger Cigars Entertainment Report, Nick gives his opin...

Coming to you from the Aladino Studios, Nick is joined by Jonas Santana, owner of Blackbird Cigars. Jonas gives a nice recap of 2024 for the company and previews a bit of what we can expect in 2025. He also gets into a bit of his philosophy of running a business and the value of a home/work balance.  Also learn about the Blackbird Cigars Tasting Panel and how you can be a part of the team. Find ou...

Coming to you from the Aladino Studios, the votes are tallied and its time for Nick to announce the 2024 Parishioners Cigars of the Year! Nick runs down the top five cigars and has an interview with the manufacturer who took the top spot. There were more votes cast this year than in the previous two years and the list was definitely surprising. But... no spoilers in the episode description, you'll...

Coming to you from the JRE Tobacco Aladino Studios, Nick is joined by Cherry Chernobyl as he goes over his personal top ten cigars of 2024. He reviews some of the best cigars he smoked last year while smoking the Henry Clay Warhawk Rebellious. Find out what he enjoyed and why. Also, Nick and Cherry discuss some proposed legislation in Indiana that would make it illegal for anyone born after June 3...