James “Boston Jimmie” Vita has lived the cigar life for five decades. A true brother of the leaf, he tried his hand at print magazines before eventually creating the online giant Stogie Press. Vita has been reviewing cigars and sharing his knowledge ever since. Newly retired, Vita discussed his early start in the cigar world, the beauty of the cigar community, and his latest endeavor- PERILOUS, a cigar trivia game show.
James Vita: First Premium Cigar Experience
Cigar Life Guy: Tell me about your first premium cigar experience.
Jimmie Vita: I started enjoying cigars in the late 1970s. I did not know much about cigars or premium vs whatever. Eventually, I tried different cigars — there were not as many on the market then — and found some that pleased my palate. I remember seriously enjoying the Hoya de Monterrey Excalibur and Arturo Fuente Double Chateau. But for some reason, I recall my game-changing cigar was a Punch Double Corona that I received from an engineering subcontractor I was working with after a big dinner. I smoked that cigar for over two hours with my fellow engineering friend. We looked at each other and said, “Wow, we must keep trying more cigars.” I have smoked and reviewed thousands of different cigars over my life. Some were not to my liking. Many were just fine, and some were simply outstanding.
Starting Stogie Press
Cigar Life Guy: How did you get into the cigar industry? What did you do before, and what inspired you to start Stogie Press?
Jimmie Vita: I was an Aerospace Engineer and have enjoyed cigars since I was a freshman in college. In the early 1990s, a fellow engineer and I created a local cigar magazine called Central Florida Cigar Smoke Magazine (CFCS). We had everything ready to go except advertising. We’re not salesmen, and we were an unknown entity, so it was difficult. And we also needed financial support to start it, as it was print-based, not web-based. The project failed, so we shelved it.
We kept smoking cigars and helping others understand cigars whenever we went to shops. Speeding the film up to 2013, I was on a short-term assignment in the dead of winter in Dearborn, Michigan, where I stumbled into a local cigar shop (Don Yeyo’s). I met a young man, Ryan Gallimore, who managed the shop. By this time, my wife (website designer) and I had just launched a web version of the cigar magazine Space Coast Cigars. Ryan and I hit it off, and he asked, “Why do you have a regional name for a website when cigars are global?” He was right. So we searched various names and came upon StogiePress.com. I immediately secured the website, and my wife moved the small content from Space Coast Cigars to the new Stogie Press, and we were off to the races.
James Vita: Educating the Cigar World
Cigar Life Guy: You started Stogie Press, providing news, lifestyle articles, and product reviews. Why is it important to educate the cigar world and describe the joy you get sharing your knowledge of something you love?
Jimmie Vita: The cigar lifestyle is special. It is not just about smoking cigars. It is the camaraderie of fellow men and women cigar enthusiasts sharing their love of the leaf. The industry offers numerous events throughout the year where consumers can gather in larger groups beyond shops and celebrate the lifestyle. I have always enjoyed sharing my experiences of these festivals with my readership. The more educated the consumer, the better the consumer.
I recall one time I was at Don Kiki’s in Daytona Beach, FL, where I sat with a group of enthusiasts I just met. An older gentleman told me he read my reviews constantly but needed to get the notes I discussed. All he got was smoke. I chuckled and said hold on. I bought a handful of cigars and passed them out to the group, and we embarked on an educational tasting session. In the end, the older gentleman was getting notes from pre-light to end. He also learned to smoke slower. That made me feel good as I helped someone better enjoy cigars.
Retirement and the Generous Cigar Community
Cigar Life Guy: What is your favorite aspect of the cigar community?
Jimmie Vita: The people. They are some of the most generous people I know. When there is a charity or someone in need, they rally behind the cause and help. For example, Stogie Press raised over $10,000 last year for Autism Speaks when my son and I climbed Mt Fuji. It was a fantastic experience with a satisfying outcome. Most of that money was raised directly from the cigar community.
Cigar Life Guy: You recently retired from your 9-to-5 job. How is retirement, and are you smoking more cigars?
Jimmie Vita: Retirement is awesome. I just returned from a long weekend in the Smoky Mountains with a few lifetime friends who also just retired. Operating on my own schedule and focusing on cigars and fun is nice. I smoke about the same, maybe even less, as I have more time to devote to Stogie Press articles during the day and spend more time with my wife in the evening.
PERILOUS: The Cigar Game Show
Cigar Life Guy: Tell us about your latest project, PERILOUS, a game show designed to be “informative and perilous.”
Jimmie Vita: Ah, PERILOUS!! Yes, this is something I have wanted to do for many years. However, with my day job, I needed more time to make it happen. PERILOUS is a new and engaging game show that will help educate cigar enthusiasts. We designed the game to be informative and perilous to play. It is informative for the players as well as anyone watching. We will have questions ranging in levels of difficulty and category. It is perilous because you have to wage points and if you get something wrong you create a more perilous climb to catch a fellow contestant. Contestants compete to win prizes and gift certificates for shops and lounges to purchase products of their choice. Each PERILOUS season will consist of at least 16 regular episodes followed by a bracketed tournament of champions made up of the top 16 players in the season.
There are two rounds in the PERILOUS Cigar Trivia game. Round one is the competitive round, where three competitors compete against each other. Each player starts with 100 points and can wager up to the total points, and there are five levels of questions in round one. Players will get their individual questions to answer for each level. If they get the question right, their point wager will be multiplied by the level number (1X, 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X) and added to their total points.
The point wager will then be deducted from their score if they get the question wrong. Players wager before the questions are presented. They have one chance to increase or decrease their wager before the questions start for the level. At the end of round one, the player with the most points moves to round two. Additionally, the winner of round one will receive a monetary gift certificate. All players will also receive a PERILOUS branded Xikar cutter for participating.
Round two is the champion round. Here, the winner from round 1 will compete against themself. Again, there will be five levels of questions with increasing difficulty. This time, the player will be presented with a prize package of SWAG and a Monetary gift certificate. The player can either go for the prize for that level or stop the game and keep what they have won. So, if they choose to go for the next higher prize, they forfeit the previous award. They can stop the game at any level. If the player goes for a higher-level question and gets it wrong, they bust out of the game and only receive the prize they won from round one.
A Look Ahead: James Vita and Stogie Press
Cigar Life Guy: What else can we expect from you and Stogie Press in the future?
Jimmie Vita: Stogie Press is entering its second decade this year, along with a weekly talk show — Taking It To The Nub. We have added PERILOUS to the content to kick off our second decade and will be growing that through the year. I am also considering running a Space Coast Cigar Festival in 2025. That will take more planning and coordination to make it happen. You will also see me at more lounges now that I have more free time, so expect more lounge reviews. I may even run PERILOUS shows at specific lounges.
Follow James Vita on Instagram and check out the latest reviews, articles, and episodes of Taking it to the Nub at Stogie Press.
Photo credit: James Vita