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Molon Labe’s Steve Bartell is “All-In”

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People called Steve Bartell crazy for getting into the cigar business, but when you have lived the cigar life since you were a young child it’s anything but crazy. Bartell, owner and president of Molon Labe Cigars, is all in and “intent” on making his brand global. He talked with Cigar Life Guy about his start in the business and how he went from selling cigars on the Internet to building a line that has perfected the “trifecta” – pairing in-house coffee and whiskey exclusively to Molon Labe’s cigar portfolio.

First Premium Cigar Experience

Cigar Life Guy: Tell me about your first premium cigar experience

Steve Bartell: It’s funny I was just telling this story to one of my customers. My grandfather was a cigar smoker and used to sit under grapes- he had a grape arbor in the back of his house- with a cigar and homemade wine. I remember loving the smell as a little kid. He’d let me take a puff off his cigar when I was a little kid. I learned to love it. Fast forward to when I was about 18 years old and in college, and I was fortunate enough that my first real cigar experience was smoking a real Cuban cigar, a Romeo and Julieta Vintage III. I was hooked. From that moment on, I loved smoking really good cigars. So I started smoking cigars at a fairly young age.

As I got older, I joined a cigar club. I lived in Phoenix, Arizona in my twenties. I don’t know if you know Varton of Ambassador Cigar in Scottsdale, but I joined the VIP program and was the youngest guy by twenty-five years. He took me under his wing with all the old-timers in the backroom in the VIP lounge. I got to smoke a lot of great cigars as a young man. I was introduced to some rare limited-edition cigars and started working my way through the premium brands in the humidor. That was the beginning for me.

Getting into the Cigar Business

Cigar Life Guy: You have been smoking cigars for a long time.  How did you get into the cigar industry? What did you do before and how does it help inform what you do now?

Steve Bartell: I was in the tech business for 35 years. I never intended to get into the cigar business. I love cigars and I got to smoke a lot of great cigars with my customers when I was in tech and traveling all over the world. When I was fifty years old, I ran into a family that owned some land and was growing and making these amazing cigars. I had been smoking the cigars for five years and loved them so much I went to the family and told them I’d like to make a brand out of it- a limited edition, reserve brand. So it started as a pet project- a passion project for cigars.

That’s what got me into the business. That was Molon Labe. The Molon Labe brand really started eight years ago, but went to market five years ago. It was a limited reserve. We had five vitolos all the same blend- a true puro.  Nowadays that word is a bit bastardized. “Puro” to Cuban means it all comes from the same field, not the same country. So I found a true puro that all came from the same field. It was an amazing cigar and I built a brand around it. So now it’s Molon Labe. We only sold it over the Internet. We only made 500 boxes of each vitolo. Every year we sold out. People loved the cigar. That’s what got me into the next generation of where I am today.

Cigar Life Guy: You have said you never intended to have a brand of your own. What makes Molon Labe different?

Steve Bartell: There’s a lot of things that make it different. I’ll give the top five. One it’s a puro. So all of the binder and filler of that cigar come from the same field. Second, the wrapper is anywhere between a twelve and fifteen-year Habano out of Windsor Locks, Connecticut. Which makes it unique- it’s Habano and it’s Connecticut. It’s grown in the U.S. The third thing is it’s one hundred percent organic. So there’s no pesticide in the leaves and no fertilizer in the ground. The fourth thing is the experience you get from smoking the cigar. It’s unlike any cigar in any humidor you walk into. The last thing is that it’s a limited reserve. We only make 3,000 boxes a year every year and that’s it. It’s very old-school. It’s very artisanal. When you look at them they’re not beautiful. They’re not perfect. They don’t replicate each other. They’re all unique.

Challenges and Regulation in the Cigar Industry

Cigar Life Guy: What is the biggest challenge facing the cigar industry?

Steve Bartell: I think the first thing is regulation. The industry is constantly under attack. It makes it harder and harder for retailers to survive. The other thing is that I don’t think people realize what goes into bringing a cigar to market. It is really difficult. It’s not a matter of slapping your band on a cigar and having a box. That’s the easy part. The hard part is getting it out to the market and having your cigar respected. That’s why we kept Molon Labe as our legacy. It really ties back to the Cuban legacy from which it was born.

It’s a difficult industry. I always thought it was a huge industry, but it’s not. It’s small. Compared to most industries it’s small. It’s global in nature, but it’s a very small industry. It takes a lot to grow your business. It takes a lot of evangelizing. It takes a lot of trial and error. It takes a lot of intestinal fortitude to be able to overcome all of the obstacles that get thrown at you when you’re trying to bring a cigar to market. There’s production, boxes, pricing, marketing, and then just getting the cigar out there.

The Molon Labe Portfolio

Cigar Life Guy: Tell us a little about the Molon Labe Portfolio.

Steve Bartell:  We sold out our Molon Labe Reserve over the Internet. We were an internet-only business for the first three years. Last year in 2023 I acquired a company from a friend who owned a cigar business. He was a Cuban gentleman who lived in Miami. He did something similar. He had a pet project that turned into a passion project that allowed him to sell cigars in about 80 to 85 stores in Miami. He made a great cigar. He had two lines of cigars. He had a factory in Nicaragua and he had a factory in the Dominican Republic. That brand was called  Fuera de Serie- FDS is what we call it for short.  It means “out of this world” in Cuban. He grew the business about as far as he was going to grow it. He did it all by hand-to-hand combat in probably the toughest market in the United States. He became a very good friend of mine. I loved his cigars. I opened a lounge of my own up here in New Hampshire and started carrying those cigars because you couldn’t find them North of Miami. They just took off. I couldn’t keep them in stock. Everybody loved them. Even today, two years later, it’s the number two-selling cigar in my lounge.

We have a Dominican line. We have an Ecuadorian Connecticut with Dominican binder and filler that we grow in Tamboril on our farm. We have an Ecuadorian Habano with a Dominican binder and filler that we grow in the Dominican Republic. Then we have a San Andres Maduro that we also grow in the Dominican Republic. We released those in a toro and robusto. Then we created a mini figurado in a Habana and Maduro which is unlike anything on the market. It’s very similar to the Short Story in looks, but we have it in a Maduro, which is unusual.

Then for our Nicaraguan line, we buy our tobacco. We have great relationships with our tobacco growers due to personal relationships between our master blender and his father -Ostvani and Luis Hernadez. Ostvani was one of the original farmers and overseers of Aganorsa Farms. So we procure our tobacco from Aganorsa Farms- EJ Fernadez and Placencia. We only use Grade A. We only pick the very best tobacco from those farms. We hand-select everything that we buy. Our  Nicaraguan cigars only come in Toro. It is a USA Connecticut. It’s an Ecuadorian Habano and it’s a San Andres Maduro. We call the Nicaraguan Maduro “Chocolate Cake” and we call the Dominican Maduro “Chocolate Brownies” because the Nicaraguan is light and airy and the Dominican Maduro is very heavy- thick and chocolatey with a back note of pepper spice. In January, we released our Nicaraguan Habano as a 60, a Gordo. I would put that Gordo against any Habano on the market. It is absolutely fantastic.

We acquired the company in November of 2023. My partner was retiring from the business, but he didn’t want to just turn the company over to anybody. I made an offer to him to buy the company and he told me I was the only person he would sell to. So I bought the company in November of 2023 with the intent to take the entire line global. In January of 2024, we launched Molon Labe Cigars which included Molon Labe Reserve, our Dominican line, and our Nicaraguan line. We are currently in 106 stores in six countries and growing. I would say that we are the fastest-growing brand in America right now. The cigars do very well and I think that‘s because of several things. The quality of the tobacco is amazing, the construction is second to none, and the price point is amazing. The retail price of the Dominican cigars is $10.50. The retail price of Nicaraguan is $11, the Gordo is $12, and the mini smokes is $7.50. For the quality of the cigar you get,  I would put that up against any $15 or $20 cigar.

Coffee, Cigars, and Spirits

Cigar Life Guy: Molon Labe also makes organic coffee. Why does coffee pair so well with cigars?

Steve Bartell:  Part of my journey with Molon Labe was creating a cigar experience. I had the Reserve Cigar and it was phenomenal. I didn’t want to just go out and sell a cigar on its merits. I do think a cigar should stand on its own, but I didn’t want to generalize and say, “This cigar goes great with coffee.” Coffee is like cigars – they’re not all good. So I went on a journey to source coffee. I worked with 120 different coffees to get to five that paired specifically with our cigars. If you look at our website, it talks about perfect pairings and those perfect pairings are our cigars with our coffee and our whiskey. We did the same thing with whiskey. Our cigar company is New Hampshire-based and Miami-based. All of our coffees are roasted locally.  We select the top one percent of coffee beans and grow organically. We have the Soprano which is a dark Italian roast. We have Death by Chocolate which is a dark Italian roast with a back flavor of dark chocolate. We have the Sumatra which is an Indonesian coffee- French roast with very low acid and goes great with a cigar. We have a Nicaraguan blend which is actually grown an hour from our factory. Then we have a Creme Brulee which is a flavored coffee.

Toward the end of 2023, we went through a similar exercise to find a reasonably sourced distillery that could make five blended spirits that go specifically with our cigars. Not just a general- “This is Whistlepig or Woodford Reserve”.  All of the product that goes in the bottle is organic and grown in New Hampshire. So all the corn, all the wheat, all the rye, everything that goes into that bottle is locally grown. We’re launching that spirit line officially at the end of this month. They’re amazing. They’re taking the market by storm. So when we do a cigar event, we bring the trifecta. We bring the cigars. We bring the coffee and we bring the whiskey and rum. We start with the whiskey and rum, then go to the cigars, and finish with the coffee. The response is overwhelming.

Cigar Life Guy: You also run the ASH cigar lounge. What sets it apart from other lounges?

Steve Bartell:  I think there are a couple of things that set us apart. One is service. We provide incredible service -whether it’s at the bar or in the humidor- for pairing cigars with people’s palates and then putting them on the right drink or matching the cigar to the drink. We also serve my coffee. We have a full-service coffee bar in the lounge. We pair a lot of coffees as well.

Cigar Life Guy: Anything else you’d like the cigar world to know?

Steve Bartell: If you haven’t tried Molon Labe you definitely need to try it. As I said, We are the fastest-growing brand in the U.S. right now. We have reps up and down the East Coast. We are in Florida. We are in Atlanta. We are in Dallas and Houston. We are in New England and will soon be in other major markets down the East Coast. We come to market with something that nobody else in this business comes with. There are a lot of cigar companies that have a coffee or have a coffee “partner” or a whiskey “partner” or they do a pairing with a particular whisky company. Nobody has done it with intention. In other words, nobody has it all together as a package and says, “Hey try these things together to elevate your experience”. For us, it’s about the experience. We put a lot of thought into manufacturing our products. A lot of cigar companies come out with whiskey, but it’s a whiskey that they’re putting their label on and calling it their own. These things are all ours. We control all of it. It’s done with intention and that’s what sets us apart.  I don’t think anybody in the cigar industry is doing that.

We help lounges sell the cigars, whiskey, and coffee. We will promote it on our own site. We will promote it nationally. We will promote with as many events as you’d like to help that lounge be successful. If you’re successful, we’re successful. We also support the communities that we serve. We try to tie to local events and charitable organizations in our marketplaces. We raise money for drug addiction, hospitals, veterans, and underprivileged kids getting into business. That’s the thing I’m most proud of. People tell me I’m crazy for getting into this business at my age, but my goal is to build a company that gives back. My goal is to be successful enough to devote resources to the people who need it the most.

 

 

Follow Steve and Molon Labe Cigars on Instagram and check out the latest from Molon Labe Cigars here.

 

 

Holly Primc holding a cigar and smiling with her dog.

Holly Primc’s Wild Ride in the Cigar Game

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Holly Primc, owner of Crown Majesty Cigars, “knows her shit.” The former teacher and Certified Cigar Sommelier has been living the cigar life long enough to know she still loves learning. She talked to Cigar Life Guy about how cigars are the perfect blend of her two favorite things, how cigar memes get it wrong, and how she plans to grow her brand one cigar lounge at a time.

Holly Primc’s First Premium Cigar Experience

Cigar Life Guy: Tell me about your first premium cigar experience.

Holly Primc: I can honestly tell you I can’t answer that question simply because I don’t remember (laughs). So, I apologize. I wouldn’t be able to even try. I can tell you this: I’ve been smoking cigars — premium cigars, let me be careful there — regularly for eleven or twelve years. Beyond that, at least another decade where I was smoking once in a while.

I became serious about five years ago. When I say serious, it was really about not just smoking once a week but learning, reading, teaching myself, and getting my hands on everything I could to learn about cigars. So, I don’t have a specific cigar that stuck in my brain or made me say, “Ok, this is it for life.” It was just the smell of cigar smoke. I knew I’d be doing it forever.

Chemistry and Cigars

Cigar Life Guy: You are a Certified Cigar Commelier. Explain the process, what attracted you to the cigar world, and how you started.

Holly Primc: As a sommelier, that was one more step to take because I had my own brand. If that makes sense, I wanted to have the education to back up my brand.

To be honest, being a woman in the cigar industry is a little more challenging. I don’t mind because I love a challenge. But for me, having that certification made me more comfortable. “Yes, I’m a female. Yes, I’m a cigar brand owner. And yes, I know my shit!” (laughs)

Also, I am absolutely in love with education. I love educating myself. I love learning. Every day, I want to learn something new. Recently, I applied — I have yet to start the course — but I will become an official cigar sommelier. So, it’s not just the certified tobacconist sommelier but an actual cigar sommelier. I’m excited about that.

From Chemistry and Biology to Cigar Life

Cigar Life Guy: Your background is in chemistry and biology. How does that help inform your work in the tobacco industry?

Holly Primc: I used to be a teacher, but I did have a career before teaching, and that’s always been in the chemistry science field. As a teacher, I loved implementing the STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) mentality — so having art and science meld perfectly. It wasn’t just that, but it was also engaging my students.

Teachers would walk by my class, and my students were dying laughing all the time. Every week, this would happen because we were having fun. That’s what life is all about. It’s about learning and having fun. I apologize for the rambling; there is a reason.

When I look at the cigar industry, it dawned on me one day when I did the Perdomo tour that cigars perfectly blend science and art. It’s all about the flavor profiles and understanding what mixes with what flavor-wise, but you have to know the leaves and the soil. You have to know where it’s being grown and the amount of light and the amount of water. That’s all science. So it’s a perfect mix of my two favorite things. I love that I get to be a part of that.

Holly Primc: Launching Crown Majesty Portfolio

Cigar Life Guy: You launched your company in 2021. Walk us through some of the cigars in your portfolio.

Holly Primc: Absolutely. So, initially, when I started, I had just the four blends. I did everything theme-wise. Of course, I’m Crown Majesty Cigars, so I have the King, the Queen, the Prince, and the Knight.

My goal for my cigars was to have great flavor and phenomenal transitions between each third. One of the keys for me was to keep the Ligero low for obvious reasons, the high nicotine. I just can’t do nicotine. So I found a blender willing to work with me and say, “Yeah, we can stay away from the Ligero; It’s not a problem,” and to work with me through the entire flavor profile. It has been a phenomenal experience.

Now I have five blends. My goal is to have a cigar for every palate. You can tell me, “I love the light-to-medium cigars, and I really like this sort of flavor profile,” I would immediately go to my Prince and Duke. My Prince is a Connecticut shade. My Duke is a Sumatran. They have amazing flavors. That was something I had to have for my brand. Then I have a full body that I do. It’s a San Andres. Then I have a medium-bodied Habano and a Cameroon.

The Cigar Family

Cigar Life Guy: What is your favorite aspect of the cigar community?

Holly Primc: The family. One hundred percent. I don’t even have to think about that. Being able to walk into any lounge feels like I’m home. It doesn’t matter what lounge I’m in. I always feel like I’m home. Some of the more modern “nightclub-ish” lounges may not be home for me, but pretty much all of the rest(laughs).

I love that I can start a conversation with anyone in that room, and they will engage. We’ll talk cigars, and we’ll talk about life. Again, it’s a learning thing for me. I always learn something when I’m talking to people because of cigars.

Cigars are the easiest way to mix an incredibly different mix of humans. They all have one major commonality — cigars. So that’s another thing I love. I love my cigar family. They’re life. They’re everything to me.

Holly Primc on Cigar Industry Challenges

Cigar Life Guy: What is the cigar industry’s biggest challenge today?

Holly Primc: Politics. Excuse me, let’s try that again — politicians (laughs). It’s a mix of a few things, in my opinion.

We have little to no scientific studies done. We have no long-term scientific studies done. But we have politicians saying, “Oh, these are terrible for you because everything else you smoke is terrible for you.“ I just look at them and think, do you know what a scientific study is? Do you know that we don’t have any? I mean no long-term studies, at least to my knowledge. I’ve checked. I check every couple of months to see if anything else has been done.

The problem with ignorance and science is that they believe that simply by smoking, you’re going to hurt yourself in some way via health. I get so frustrated by that because I don’t think that ignorance and science should be making decisions for my life or anyone else’s life in our country. Their ignorance certainly shouldn’t be making the laws that affect me.

I am not throwing all politicians in the ignorant bucket. I apologize if it sounds that way. That’s not my goal, but the lack of science and the ignorant ideologies are a lethal combination to the cigar industry.

Women in the Cigar Industry

Cigar Life Guy: Women in the cigar industry are sometimes overlooked. What advice would you give to women entering the industry and women who smoke cigars?

Holly Primc: Just be yourself. I had a conversation with a friend last night about this exact same thing. It’s about being authentic. Don’t allow anyone to intimidate you. No matter where you go. No matter what you do. Be your true self. Be true to the industry. Always show support, even when it might not be perfect, and support what you can.

I have smoked so many cigars that sometimes I ask, “Wow, how did this get out to the market?“ And then, I quickly remind myself, “Holly, this is your palate. Just because you love a medium to full and you don’t like nicotine doesn’t mean everyone feels the same.“

Every cigar you smoke is going to need to meet your palate. Honestly, not all cigars are going to be good. So, of course, I hold relatively tight to the adage, “Life is too short to smoke shitty cigars.“

We’ll do just fine for women since we are the third fastest-growing group getting into the cigar industry. The more women I talk to and try to quit smoking, the more positivity that I  hear. I love that. In fact, I just got a job at my local lounge here in Punta Gorda, and I’m loving it. I feel like when I go to work, I go home.

I’m also part of a women’s group on Facebook. They mentioned doing a book club and needing a venue. I said, “If you’re interested, we have a cigar lounge.“ Now, we’re going to be hosting a women’s book club. So those are just little ways to get women more involved.

My goal as a tobacconist sommelier is to teach them so that they can feel confident. I have talked to women who say, “The only real reason I haven’t tried cigars is because I was so intimidated when I walked into a lounge.“ And I am like, “Girl, let me help you out. Let me teach you everything I know.”

It’s beautiful because we are getting bigger and bigger in the industry. Our money matters. I see anti-female memes all the time. The “My wife takes all the money and only gives me this much for cigars har har har.” I see them almost daily in the cigar industry. So, I tend to politely call that out because it’s my job to fight for the women in our industry.

I will say this: men need to be more supportive of more women joining the industry. They need to pay attention to what they’re putting out there, and they need to pay attention to the fact that we make and spend money.

Women have knowledge and the ability to read and to learn. We are a huge part of this industry. so, the more men that respect and accept us and acknowledge that we matter, the better. That’s a big part of it.

The irony is that in my house, it’s the opposite! My husband always tells me, “Holly, you don’t need any more cigars!“ (laughs). So I look at those memes and think that’s ironic.

Looking Ahead with Holly Primc

Cigar Life Guy: What else can we expect from  Crown Majesty Cigars?

Holly Primc: It’s about growing the brand. I’m taking things slowly, mainly because of the move. We took about two months to move, which is pretty insane.

I want to start getting into lounges. Right now, it’s so easy for me to sell directly to consumers, especially where I was living in Central Florida. I was doing events at least twice a month. Now that I’m in Southwest Florida, it’s a completely different ball of wax. I’m trying to find my way here. They don’t have the same event schedules, and they don’t do the same things they do in Central Florida, where I’m from.

I am figuring out a better way to sell directly to consumers. Of course, I have my website, crownmajesty.com. I also want to beef up social media and get into more lounges. So, once I get everything settled here, the plan is lounge, lounge, and more lounge.

 

Follow Holly on Instagram and check out the latest from Crown Majesty Cigars here.

Photo credit: Holly Primc

James Vita

James “Boston Jimmie” Vita Loves Cigars and Talking about Cigars

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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

Kevin Watkins, cigar lounge owner and co-founder of Houston Cigar Week.

Is Kevin Watkins Redefining Cigar Culture?

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Kevin Watkins, cigar lounge owner, co-founder of Houston Cigar Week, and lover of the leaf, has lived the cigar life for over three decades and counting. Watkins likens the sacrifice of running a cigar lounge to having a newborn baby—the love he gets in return is worth it. He talked to Cigar Life Guy about this year’s Houston event, paying homage to the pioneers of the black cigar community and the good vibes and good people that go hand in hand with a fine cigar.

Kevin Watkins’ First Premium Cigar

Cigar Life Guy: Tell me about your first premium cigar experience.

Kevin Watkins: On New Year’s Eve 1993, some friends and I celebrated having a terrific year and rented a limo to go club hopping all over Philadelphia. We dressed to the T. We loved watching mobster movies and wanted to be like them.

Cigar Lounge High and Lows

Cigar Life Guy: You own several cigar lounges. What are the best and worst aspects of running a cigar lounge?

Kevin Watkins: The worst thing is sacrificing most of your time for your businesses. It’s like marrying your business. It’s like having a newborn, mainly when you are used to traveling and spending time with your family and friends. The best thing is all the love you receive. The smiles, conversations, networking, meeting people from all walks of life, and knowing that you probably would have never met if it weren’t for the love of the leaf.

Cigar Life Guy: What do you wish every cigar patron knew before entering your doors?

Kevin Watkins: I wish all patrons knew that cigar etiquette is necessary for cigar lounges to survive. I have seen many cigar lounges close their doors because people like to hang out and not patronize. They have no consideration for the other guests in the lounge.

Cigar Life Guy: You appreciate the experience of a fine cigar. What makes for a great experience, and what makes the cigar community unique?

Kevin Watkins: Who surrounds you? There is nothing like great people, drinks, food, and conversations to enjoy with a great cigar. Most cigar lovers have good vibes, which attracts people to us.

Growing Houston Cigar Week

Cigar Life Guy: Tell us about Houston Cigar Week. How did you get involved?

Kevin Watkins: I got involved in Houston Cigar Week because the city of Houston is a great place for cigar smokers to enjoy what we bring to the table, such as 24-hour access, BYOB lounges, and low tobacco taxes. The city itself has great restaurants and entertainment, which we try to showcase.

Cigar Life Guy: What are you most excited about for this year’s event?

Kevin Watkins: I am excited about the growth. It shows that people appreciate what you’re bringing to the table. These days, it feels good to separate and stand out from cultural vultures.

Kevin’s Most Memorable Event

Cigar Life Guy: Tell us about your most memorable event and what goes into making a great cigar event.

Kevin Watkins: What I most remember is the first year. There was so much going on. The challenges were endless. And we were able to get through it and pull it off. Neither Covid nor anything else was able to get in the way. What makes it so unique is our group’s harmony to put what is essential first and not sweat the small stuff.

Cigar Life Guy: Have we missed anything? Please tell us anything else you’d like the cigar world to know.

Kevin Watkins:  I would like people to know that many people have inspired me to do what I do. So, I always pay homage to the pioneers in the movement for black cigar smokers. I also feel the newer cigar smokers don’t understand what we must do to have a voice. Keep shining on everyone and do things right and for the right reasons.

 

Follow Kevin on Instagram and check out the latest from Houston Cigar Week

Photo credit: Cigar Life Guy

Calvin Jenkins smiling while wearing a cowboy hat and shades.

Calvin Jenkins Unleashed: Smoke, Flavor, and Ambition

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Yes, smoking a cigar can be a religious experience. Just ask Calvin “Hollywood” Jenkins. The owner of Luxe Cigar Lounge, singer, event promoter, and cigar lover likens the cigar experience to “church.” Jenkins talked with Cigar Life Guy about his gospel roots, the Charleston Smoke Out, and the organic conversations from sharing a good smoke.

Calvin Jenkins’ Memorable First Cigar

Cigar Life Guy: Tell me about your first premium cigar experience.

Calvin “Hollywood” Jenkins: My first cigar experience was at 18. I remember smoking a Baccarat Cigar. There was a cigar lounge called Smoking Lamp in Downtown Charleston, and I went alone. But there was no special occasion; I was just interested in smoking cigars.

Hollywood’s Impact: Cigars in the South

Cigar Life Guy: You’re a proud native of South Carolina. So, how did you get the nickname “Hollywood”?

Calvin “Hollywood” Jenkins: My mother gave me that name. She was a fine soul. I always wore suits and shades to school. So people would say I think I’m Hollywood, and the name stuck.

Cigar Life Guy: You opened Luxe Cigar Lounge, the first cigar lounge in Low Country. Tell us about your lounge and what makes it second to none.

Calvin “Hollywood” Jenkins: Luxe wasn’t the first cigar lounge in the Low Country, but we were the first luxury cigar lounge. Our customer service and cigar selection are unlike any other lounge in the surrounding areas. And our live music events alone set us apart. So, the vibe at Luxe is definitely unmatched.

Cigar Life Guy: So, you appreciate the experience of a fine cigar. But what makes for a great experience, and what makes the cigar community unique?

Calvin “Hollywood” Jenkins: A great cigar experience can be smoking a cigar myself or sitting with genuine people. Sometimes, that experience can be organic — where I’m joined by people I’ve never met — and we spark conversation. Organic experiences are the best.

Having fellowship is what makes the cigar community unique. You have people from all different walks of life. It reminds me of going to church.

Calvin Jenkins: Notes and Smokes

Cigar Life Guy: You’re also a recording artist who cites various influences. So, how did you get your start in the music industry?

Calvin “Hollywood” Jenkins: Well, I’ve been singing since I was little. In fact, I traveled the world as a kid and started singing with the gospel. Then, I got out of the singing and started managing. From there, I went into promoting. I’ve always loved music, specifically old-school music. And James Brown is a big influencer of mine. I’ve always said to myself I can do that. So, I went to Florida and had an experience where I was the entertainment. Then, I contacted my little brother when I returned home, and things took off.

Cigar Life Guy: Then you founded SOUL Music & Events and the Charleston Smoke Out. Tell us, what are the makings of a successful event, whether cigars or music?

Calvin “Hollywood” Jenkins: Work, grinding, the right concept, and the right time are all factors. So, we have to think about what the people want. We must consider what vibe to give them or what experience we want them to have. The right entertainment is paramount, as are the small things (that are huge things, too) like the food vendors. All of this plays a role in a successful event.

Calvin Ignites: Charleston Smoke Out

Cigar Life Guy: This May will be the 4th Charleston Smoke Out. What are you most excited about this year?

Calvin “Hollywood” Jenkins:  One of the things we are most excited about is our partnership with the Crate Group LLC. It’s a non-profit that will support three low-income families throughout the Low Country. I’m also looking forward to this year’s growth and this event becoming more multicultural. I’m excited to see all the new and returning faces.

Cigar Life Guy: So, why did you want to bring a large cigar event to Charleston?

Calvin “Hollywood” Jenkins:  We didn’t start with the idea of making it a big event in Charleston; It just happened over time. And each year, the event grew, and more ideas rolled in. As it grew, we wanted to improve the event experience. After all, people from all over the United States come for this event, and a few come from out of the country, too.

 

Follow Hollywood on Instagram and get the latest information on the Charleston Smoke Out here.

Photo credit: Calvin “Hollywood” Jenkins

A cigar smoked down to the nub, which can be a pet peeve for some.

6 Cigar Lounge Pet Peeves to Avoid

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The behavior of fellow patrons has peeved any regular cigar lounge goer at some time in their smoking career. Some of these things are so basic they often aren’t uttered aloud but are understood. Some folks need to catch up on the basics, so we’re writing them down. What are a few common cigar lounge pet peeves? Read on to see if you can relate to any of these. More importantly, if you’re new to the cigar scene, know what kind of behavior to avoid if you want to make a good impression.

Six Cigar Lounge Pet Peeves to Avoid

Curious about which pet peeves rank at the top of our list? Without further ado, here they are, compiled for your reading pleasure.

No Shoes

No matter how nice your socks are, please leave your shoes on in the cigar lounge for the love of all things holy. You aren’t at home. You are out at a public establishment. Wearing shoes — and socks — should be common sense, but enough people take shoes off that it is worth noting. Also, do you know how many establishments have signs that read: No Shoes, No Shirt, No Service? Also, some municipalities have statutory requirements for patrons to wear shoes. There isn’t some exemption for cigar smokers who wear shoes into the lounge that allows them to remove them. You have to keep the shoes on. You take your shoes off on the (commercial) airplane? Don’t do that either.

No Belt

Nobody wants to see your ass or your underwear. Wear a belt if an elastic waistband doesn’t keep your pants at your waist. Sidenote to newer, younger smokers: you are doing your best to “fit in” — the most counterproductive way to do that is to literally “show your ass” by not keeping your pants at your waist.

No Headphones

Nobody else should be subjected to both sides of your phone conversations and listen to whatever random videos you watch on YouTube or social media. Get a pair of headphones. If you make calls, even with headphones, be mindful of your noise level and consider moving briefly to make your call if appropriate.

Being a Cheapskate

Spend some money on something. Other articles delve more deeply into what’s appropriate or not regarding bringing your cigars to the cigar lounge. While we can also appreciate the importance of frugality, being “too cheap, too unwilling to spend money” in a cigar lounge is sure to spark pet peeves among regular patrons. The bottom line is to buy something and tip your server or bartender for the service they provide. This place does not run itself for free. And yes, the staff does talk amongst themselves and other patrons about cheapskates.

Political and Religious Talk

Have situational awareness of how you interact or converse with other patrons. Simply put, read the room and know your audience. If the place is relatively quiet, the rest of the lounge shouldn’t hear constant belly laughing, loud noise, yelling, or table slapping from your table. Conversely, if the overall noise in the lounge is higher, making a little more noise yourself is acceptable. As for conversation topics, stick to friendly topics. Smoking cigars should be relaxing. Most people aren’t looking for a political or religious debate. Avoid these topics unless you know the person you’re speaking to.

Wearing Fragrance

Fragrance of any form can interfere with a smoker’s overall enjoyment of a cigar and often tops the list of pet peeves for many cigar aficionados. Here’s why. 

Some scents, like soap or deodorant, are challenging to eliminate and are generally acceptable. However, avoid heavy scents like cologne or perfume, which can overpower those around you or trigger allergies for others. 

Even if scents or aromas don’t negatively impact you personally, respect for your fellow smoker in a social situation like a lounge dictates that you refrain from heavy fragrances. One of the best ways to draw attention to yourself as a “rookie” or “clueless” smoker is to show up smelling like a bottle of cologne. On the other hand, if you’re at your own home and want to drown yourself in odor and knock yourself out, you can even take off your shoes and forgo the belt.

The Final Word on Pet Peeves

Adapting to cigar lounge etiquette is necessary to promote peace, harmony, and balance for all cigar enthusiasts. Avoiding the above primary pet peeves will create a more enjoyable cigar lounge experience.

 

Photo Credit: Cigar Life Guy

Mike Gehm of Lovely Cigars

Lovely Cigars: An Interview with Mike Gehm

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Green Bay, Wisconsin, is not the first place that comes to mind when considering cigars. However, Green Bay has a tobacco tradition dating back to when the Packers won Super Bowls in the NFL. Mike Gehm and his partners at Lovely Cigars uncovered this cigar tradition in Titletown, Wisconsin, and are now sharing it with the cigar world. Gehm talks with Cigar Life Guy about becoming part of cigar life history in Green Bay, reviving a brand, and taking the time to enjoy a premium cigar.

Mike Gehm’s First Premium Cigar

Cigar Life Guy: Tell me about your first premium cigar experience.

Mike Gehm: I’ll give you two experiences. The first cigar I smoked was an “It’s a boy” cigar. My dad had these things probably from when I was born. They were in a tin can. I found them when I was twelve. I took one outside and smoked it.

My first good cigar was a Fuente. It was from the Short Story or Work of Art collection. I’m unsure which, but it was fantastic. It was the first time I detected a ton of flavor and could pick out different notes. It was at my friend’s bachelor party. We had not planned to go to a cigar lounge and did many things around Green Bay. We did a tour of Lambeau Field and ended up in Appleton, about 30 miles south. My buddy saw a cigar shop, and we stayed there the rest of the night. That was the first time I smoked great cigars and fell in love with them.

Getting Started in the Cigar Business

Cigar Life Guy: Tell us how you started in the cigar industry. What did you do before, and how does that help inform what you do with your current business?

Mike Gehm: Initially, I would go down to Appleton with the same friend who got married to that same cigar shop. We would go down there a few times a year, pick up cigars, and hang out because it was the only cigar shop around. We went down for the Final Four to smoke cigars and watch basketball. While talking, I asked, “Why isn’t there a place like this in Green Bay?” I told him, “We should do this. We should have one,” he said, “Ok, let’s do it.” That’s the kind of person I am. I get crazy ideas like that, and I run with them.

I’ve been in sales since I was nineteen. I would go out and meet people and help them solve problems. I helped fix their issues with the solutions I provided. It doesn’t matter what job I have; that’s what I do.

So, I was trying to solve my problem. Since Green Bay didn’t have a cigar lounge, we started selling cigars out of my office for about a year and a half.

We would go to events and set up wholesale accounts and everything. After about a year and a half, we opened the cigar lounge, and that was how it started. That was about sixteen years ago. But we were one of the first places in the country to have a 24-hour high-access cigar lounge.

We had a small retail area open nights and weekends, and our members accessed the lounge with key fobs 24 hours a day.

Behind the Lovely Cigars Name

Cigar Life Guy: You named your cigar line after a historic Green Bay tobacco company. Tell us the story behind it and the importance of honoring tradition and history in the cigar industry.

Mike Gehm: When I had the cigar shop, I looked at the history in our area and the industry.

The cigar business is a handshake industry. It’s all about relationships with people. I love it. But if you look at all the old Cuban brands or the story behind what happened when everybody left Cuba and took seeds with them to continue growing. To honor that is a fantastic thing. It’s also a massive piece of our American cultural heritage. During the late 1800s and early 1900s, eight out of 10 men smoked cigars — that’s just what it was like. Everyone smoked back then.

Not that people talk much about it, but Green Bay also had one of the largest unions in the country — the Local 162, and it started as a cigar rollers union. It’s easy to see that history is lost to many people when you understand the heritage. People don’t want to talk about it because it’s tobacco-related or it gets lumped in with everything else. That’s sad because so much history is involved. People who were rolling cigars back then and were part of that industry are the ones who kept it going. It’s an essential piece of history that no one talks about, and I wanted to honor it.

My three partners and I saw the cigar brand Ain’t They Lovely. It dates from the late 1800s. The Reis family started the company. I found the box in an antique store, and when I first opened it up, the craftsmanship, artwork, and history just jumped out at me. It seemed like such a cool thing to bring back. It’s something that we’re losing because nobody is talking about it. We need to be conscious of where we came from. If we don’t know where we came from, how do we know where we’re going?

Design and Cigar Branding

Cigar Life Guy: Your boxes have a distinct design that honors the historic line. Tell us about the inspiration behind it and how it helps with branding.

Mike Gehm: Bringing back that old brand, bringing it back to life, adds a tremendous amount of history to our brand. We don’t have this long lineage of family history owning a cigar brand. We have a massive drive to be as successful as possible and bring this back to the populace. It’s such a remarkable story. We love the artwork so much that we wanted to stay accurate. For instance, in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the cherubs on the original box looked pretty innocent, like angels. But today, if we reprinted that same thing, it would look like toddlers smoking cigars (laughs). We needed to make a change. So we took what was there and added some ladies, which plays off the “lovely” theme.

We wanted it to be eye-catching and for people to say, “Wow, I want to know more about that,” when they saw the box. So, we named our second line “162” after the cigar rollers union. We wanted to emulate some of the simplicity of that time, so we went with cabinet-style boxes. There was an “RB” logo at the bottom center of the original artwork, and we made it to LV for Lovely Cigars instead of Reis Brothers. We wanted to honor it and show how incredible the history is and why people should be interested. If we were redoing it, that would be fine, but for us, it’s more about being part of that history and bringing that out.

Lovely Cigars and Connecting with Community

Cigar Life Guy: Besides fine tobacco, you have said one of your passions is connecting with people. What makes the cigar community and cigar life so unique?

Mike Gehm: You hear it everywhere. Whenever somebody talks about it, I could be next to a doctor or lawyer. I could be beside a guy welding all day, but it doesn’t matter. We’re all doing the same thing, enjoying the same product together. When people get together, everything drops away, and you connect with people on a deeper level. You get to know people better and understand what they’re looking for. However, you get to be there for them. The community is fantastic. It’s almost as if it’s pulled out of history and dropped into now, and it just hasn’t changed. You can go down to Nicaragua or Honduras and work with people, and it’s handshake deals. It’s just not like that in society today. Instead, slow down and enjoy a cigar. You can’t be running from here to here and be busy with many other things. You need to enjoy a cigar, which is a special thing when you do that together. It’s different from how the world works today, and that’s what I like about the community.

Lovely Cigars in Green Bay

Cigar Life Guy: It gets cold in Wisconsin. What’s the cigar scene like there?

Mike Gehm: When I opened a cigar shop 16 or 17 years ago in Green Bay, there was no cigar culture. The shop is still there. I’m no longer part of that shop, but it’s still open and a thriving community today. Over the last fifteen years, it’s grown quite a bit. With smoking bans and everything that’s happened, Wisconsin has a law that allows cigar smoking in cigar establishments. That’s been vital to maintaining that in Wisconsin. Summer is the big time around here when it’s nice out. People in Wisconsin get out in summer. That’s huge regarding retail sales and things, but the community continues throughout the colder months. There are cigar lounges. People have cigar lounges in their houses. They still get together to smoke. It’s definitely there; you just have to be part of it.

The Future of Lovely Cigars

Cigar Life Guy: What’s next for Lovely Cigars?

Mike Gehm: There’s Dylan, Keith, and me, and in general, our main goal is to have consistent growth, and we want to take care of the shops we work with. We are trying to be consistent and present with the shops and want something other than backorders. We want to avoid creating those kinds of issues. We’re in about 42 shops right now. We want to get ourselves up in that 100-shop range. That’s where we would like to see ourselves. Getting there in a positive way where we’re seeing consistent growth is important.

We have the Elegante X2 Ain’t They Lovely, the original cigar we came out with. We have the No. 162 in three vitolas– Churchill, Robusto, and a Corona. Then we’re working on a new line. I’ll leave the name out of it right now, but the new line will have two wrappers, a Connecticut and a Maduro. So we’re looking to add to what we already have. We’re hopeful we’ll have some of those for the show in Vegas.

Final Thoughts

Cigar Life Guy: Have we missed anything? Please tell us anything else you’d like the cigar world to know.

Mike Gehm: We want solid partnerships with the retailers we work with. We’re not selling directly to any users. We’re not looking to have an online store where we’re undercutting people. I came from the cigar shop side of things, and the guys I partnered with at Lovely Cigars used to go to the shop, and one of them worked at the shop after I was out of it. So we all have this history of wanting shops to succeed, and that’s the ultimate goal here. We want to be successful through cigar shops. That’s where people get the most education. That’s where they learn from other people, other aficionados. They learn from all of the people at the shop. That’s what good shops do. They help people understand their path and what cigars they’ll like, and they help find new cigars. That’s where I want to be. That’s what we’re looking for. Anybody who feels they’d like us to be part of their shop, talk to us. We welcome those conversations.

Follow Mike and Lovely Cigars on Instagram and check out the latest from Lovely Cigars here.

Photo credit: Mike Gehm

Howard Gumbs Jr. of Howard G Cigars

Howard Gumbs Jr. of Howard G Cigars: Interview

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Entrepreneur Howard Gumbs Jr. has never balked at a challenge, and after launching Howard G Cigars amidst the pandemic, he has never looked back. A true brother of the leaf, Howard is building his legacy with the All-Pro Series and his newest line, The Perfect Round. Howard talks to Cigar Life Guy about his start in the industry, smoking with Avo Uvezian, and the best part about cigar life — forging lasting relationships while enjoying a premium cigar.

Howard Gumbs Jr.: First Premium Smoke

Cigar Life Guy: Tell me about your first premium cigar experience.

Howard Gumbs Jr.: I’ve been smoking cigars for sixteen years. The very first cigar I smoked was Rocky Patel Decade 1990. I was in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I was with a gentleman named Duncan, a cousin of a business partner, and I remember smoking that at a place called Twigs, and that was my first time smoking a premium — a Rocky Patel.

Learning the Cigar Life

Cigar Life Guy: Tell us how you got started in the cigar industry. What did you do before, and how does it help inform what you do with your current business?

Howard Gumbs Jr.: I got in the cigar business differently here in Orlando. I had the privilege and honor of smoking a few days a week with Avo Uvezian. So, I’m in the cigar business because of Avo. One day, we sat outside together, and he said, “Howard, you should be in the cigar business.” 

And I said, “Why do you say that, Papa,” and he said, “Because you love the people like I love the people.” It was a shocking thing. He believed me. About six or seven months after that, a buddy of mine said the same thing that Avo said. He had a brother who owned fifty percent of a factory. So, it went from mindset to putting it into action.

As far as business, I’ve always been an entrepreneur. I have multiple companies. The cigars started from that relationship, but it’s the same mindset as other businesses. It transferred to the cigar business because of all of the connections.

Cigar Community and Cigar Culture

Cigar Life Guy: You have stressed the connections you can make while sharing a premium cigar. What makes the cigar community and cigar culture so unique?

Howard Gumbs Jr: What makes it special is we have something in common. Typically, you’re not in a rush when you’re smoking a cigar. You’re gonna sit down, you’re gonna cut it, you’re gonna light it. You’re going to have a beverage with it. 

Enjoy that time. You have forty-five minutes to an hour and a half where you’re relaxing. You’re not worrying about what happened at work, you’re not worrying about business, you’re not worrying about any other issues, but you’re just enjoying that cigar. 

Many people I meet talk about the moment they get off work and the excitement just to come and smoke their cigars and socialize for an hour and a half. That is one of the things I associate with the cigar life. Also, you must always find out who you’re sitting down with. One of the things with the cigar community is you need to know who in the world you’re sitting next to. There are a lot of times I’ve had Fortune 500 CEOs sitting next to a janitor. We’re all smoking cigars. The one thing that we have in common is that leaf. No matter which cigar you’re smoking, we’re all sitting there enjoying it.

Launching During the COVID-19 pandemic

Cigar Life Guy: You started Howard G. Cigars in 2020 amidst the pandemic. What was that like? What challenges did you face, and how did you overcome them?

Howard Gumbs Jr.: I only had a few challenges. What happened was the cigars were made in 2019. I wanted to release the cigar when I had the proper boxing. When the pandemic occurred and the world shut down, I was told, “Hey, there’s so many people stuck at home, why don’t you just get the cigars out?”

The cigars were ready, so I just got them out and put them in different packs of four. Then I looked at my database of personal friends — palates I trust, guys I know that they are serious smokers. So, I just took that time to send out the product. I sent out the product and asked for honest feedback. Take away friendship. Take away how you feel about me.

Nothing is going to hurt my feelings. If you hate it and think it’s trash, tell me it’s trash. Tell me if this cigar could be in your wheelhouse because you’re an experienced smoker. Those are the things that I did during the pandemic.

So, during 2020, when people were sitting at home, it launched us across the country just with friends. First, people said, “Hey, he said he was going to do something, and he actually did it,” and second, “The sticks were great!”. 87% of the feedback was exceptional. We knew we were on to something. From that point on, we decided to continue.

We take it seriously. So, we go to the shows where the large retailers are, to PCA. And we go there with the mentality that we’re in the game for the long haul. 

We’re going to keep on expanding and growing. Our goal is always to get better by one percent a day and continue to create and build on lasting relationships and great products like the legacy brands that have come before us.

The All-Pro Series with Howard Gumbs Jr.

Cigar Life Guy: You have cigars commemorating former NFL stars Leon Searcy and Ike Taylor. How did you forge those relationships, and what’s the story behind the collaboration?

Howard Gumbs Jr.: There’s not a significant story behind it. Those are my brothers. I already knew that Black Moses would become a series, and Magic Stick would also become a series.

I also knew I wanted to do an All-Pro series, but when I had the idea, I wanted to ensure that my athletes seriously smoked cigars. It wasn’t just guys who smoked a cigar when they had a child or who smoked because their team won a championship. 

I wanted somebody who appreciated and loved the cigar community. People smoke when the lights are not on, the cameras are not on, and nobody is looking. People that sit down and have a couple of sticks. That was my mindset.

So the first person I thought of was” Big Searc,” Leon Searcy. We smoked cigars together for years. Leon would come to my house, and in five hours of hanging out, seven cigars would magically disappear out of my humidor. He wasn’t taking cigars for souvenirs but smoking them (laughs). So I told him, “How about we do an All-Pro Series with Leon Searcy? You’ll be the first cigar in the All-Pro Line,” he said, “Howie, I love it!”. 

From there, we went through his favorite cigars, found his palate, and created the perfect cigar for him. Once he gave the seal of approval, we shot a video and went ahead and put it out on the market.

Ike Taylor was a little different. He was a Steelers legend. The Steelers have one of the biggest fan bases along with my Dallas Cowboys, so I wanted to gear it toward that. 

We went through forty different blends for Ike. Every time we narrowed it down, we realized Ike’s favorite wrapper was a Sumatran. So his blend is eighty percent Nicaraguan, but we added twenty percent Lancaster, PA tobacco because he is Steeler. So that was different.

Both cigars have been doing phenomenally well. We appreciated the love we received from Steelers Nation and the Jaguars because of Leon and his affiliation being a top fourteen Jaguar of all time.

Howard Gumbs Jr.: The Perfect Round

Cigar Life Guy: You recently released The Perfect Round. What’s next for Howard G. Cigars?

Howard Gumbs Jr.:  Perfect Round is our golf line. Here in Orlando, where I live, the amount of golf tournaments we’ve been at physically or sent products to has doubled nearly yearly. 

We have friends who play golf religiously. Some guys that out of 365 days, they’re playing a minimum of 200. That’s profound love. Tee time is typically seven, eight, or nine a.m., so we wanted to come out with a cigar to help you with the front nine and start your day. It’s a 52 by 7. It’s our first Dominican blend — very well-aged tobacco. The construction of the cigar is fantastic. But it’s a Connecticut Shade because we want you to start on the front nine with a milder cigar. Typically, you’re not drinking alcohol that early in the morning, so milder is best.

Once we get to the back nine, you tend to have had something to eat, and maybe you’ve had a spirit or two, so we wanted to strengthen the Back Nine. If you’re going to finish stronger on the back nine, we’re also giving you a more robust cigar. 

The Back Nine has a Habana wrapper but the same binder as the Front Nine. Put them together, and it’s an eighteen-count box — nine Front Nines and nine Back Nines.

That cigar has done exceptionally well. We sold out in pre-orders at PCA. The reviews from that cigar in our official launch last week were incredible. We’re excited about that. 

We’re excited about what we’re doing. Right now, we constantly have events lined up around the country. We’re just having a good time. Be on the lookout for things we’ll be bringing out.

Final Thoughts

Cigar Life Guy: Have we missed anything? Please tell us anything else you’d like the cigar world to know.

Howard Gumbs Jr.: We have our phrases at Howard G Cigars. “We got action.” is one. Another one is, “We’re slinging cigars,” and the last term is, “You want this smoke.”

 

Follow Howard on Instagram and check out the latest from Howard G Cigars here.

Photo credit: Howard G Cigars

Interview with Micky Pegg

Interview: Micky Pegg on All Saints Cigars

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When it comes to the cigar industry, Micky Pegg has done it all. After a brief hiatus, he launched his line in 2019. Pegg continues growing the All Saints Cigars brand with plans on expanding to the West Coast. Pegg talks with Cigar Life Guy about lounge culture, smoking with Kid Rock, and how the business evolved since he made cigar runs for senators.

Micky Pegg’s First Premium Smoke

Cigar Life Guy: Tell me about your first premium cigar experience.

Micky Pegg: One of my first memories was working for a senator on Capitol Hill. Back then, they didn’t have to pay interns. They would have you run errands, and when you ran errands, you got to keep the change because there weren’t Ubers. It was only taxis. 

One senator sent me to Georgetown Cigars to fetch and bring cigars back. They liked a particular cigar, Juan Clemente; I don’t even know if they make them anymore. The cool thing was you got to keep the change because you had to jump in the cab, go to Georgetown, and come back. He always got an extra cigar, and I got to sit with the senator. It was like talking with the President of the United States at a pub- on speaker phone. It was pretty cool. So Juan Clemente and fetching cigars for a senator was my first experience. Then I started buying some of my cigars, and Georgetown Tobacco gave me a part-time job, which was awesome.

Micky Pegg: Life on Capitol Hill

Cigar Life Guy: You worked on Capitol Hill in college and made regular cigar runs to Georgetown Tobacco. You shared a cigar in the senator’s room. Who was the exciting person you smoked with?

Micky Pegg: Jeez, I’ve smoked with a lot of people. Interesting? I’ve been fortunate. Rock stars. Business moguls. The most interesting was Kid Rock. He has strong business acumen. It was in my old days at CAO. It was cool how much he loved cigars and how in tune he was with the business aspects of it.

And Hank Williams Jr. Those two guys know each other. And it’s the same thing. Hank Williams is like a big brother to Kid Rock. There were plenty of others, but those two because they were about cigar culture, the business side, and their smartness.

Launching a Cigar Line

Cigar Life Guy: You have said you enjoyed visiting retail shops as a sales rep. What makes a retail shop stand out?

Micky Pegg: I started working in a retail shop, then as a rep, and then as VP of sales at CAO. Now I own a company. I always loved it. I always say, “If you’ve only been to one retail shop, you’ve only been to one retail shop.” It’s a different culture, even for guys who own many shops under the same name. Every shop has its personality. I see the different personalities, talking to the people, enjoying a cigar, and creating ways to grow the business. Plus, all the banter. We all like the same things.

Cigar Life Guy: You have worked in various capacities for some premier cigar lines. What is different about launching your line?

Micky Pegg: A lot more work. A lot more on the table. You’re starting something and building a foundation. It’s completely different than taking something with a foundation and growing it (like I did before in the cigar world and the mutual fund world, where I was for a bit). So many critical little details need to get done, from keeping up with the tax situations in all the different states to ordering the inventory. All the other companies have specific people that did all these different practical things. Now it’s me and Frank Layo, my partner. He’s behind the scenes, and I’m more the “front of the house.” There’s a lot.

You’re always moving and working on things. That’s one of the reasons I keep going down to the factories as much as I do. You must stay on top of it to keep getting what we promise to deliver—everything from the packaging to the most important part, the cigar.

Micky Pegg on Cigar Lounge Culture

Cigar Life Guy: You have done it all in the cigar industry and have been in it on and off for a long time. How has the premium tobacco business evolved since you were in Washington?

Micky Pegg: The biggest thing is the lounge culture that has evolved with it. When I got in, most cigar shops were cigars, cash, and carry. Smoke shops were either cigar stores that sold pipes or pipe stores that sold cigars. And they were cash and carry. Very few people had lounges. In the last ten to twelve years, lounge culture has taken over.

And there are all different types of lounges. There are BYOB lounges. There are “on-premise” lounges, meaning they sell booze on-premise. Sometimes it’s just beer and wine. Sometimes it’s full service.

Then you have these smoking lounges that have a small humidor as an accent to the place. Then you have places that have larger humidors for full service. I’m trying to say that there are all different types of lounges, but everybody has a lounge component in their stores. That’s why you see so much on lounge etiquette. But it’s relatively new in the premium market. The lounge culture is relatively new if you go back to the boom chapter starting in the late 80s and early 90s. There were lounges out there, don’t get me wrong, but they were only here and there.

When I was in retail, if a guy had a lounge, the manufacturer or brand owner would not sell directly to that lounge. Instead, they had to buy it through a retailer, which would give them ten to fifteen percent off. So they had to rely on their liquor sales. But now that’s completely changed.

Growing the All Saints Cigars Line

Cigar Life Guy: What can we expect from All Saints Cigars in the future?

Micky Pegg: Growth! We’re working on it every day. Right now, I’m in the middle of a 25-day tour. We’re onboarding three new sales guys: one for Arizona, one for Southern California, and one for the DFW (Dallas Fort Worth) of Texas.

This year is our third year in the market, but the first year was COVID. So we had two years with an asterisk. The first year we had 40 accounts, and now we have over 300.

We have four lines on the market and need people to smoke our cigars. Since the media has done an excellent job of giving us exposure, it’s time to capture that. We have had a good online presence, though. In fact, we spent the last couple of years on the East Coast and are now expanding to the West Coast.

Cigar Life Guy: Have we missed anything? Please tell us anything else you’d like the cigar world to know.

Micky Pegg: This started with Frank Layo and me. We’re excited about what we’re doing. We are all in. I don’t have a Plan B. I put everything into this business, and we will make it work. We’re very proud of our relationship with Rocky Patel because we use his boutique cigar factory, Tavicusa. Working down there (Esteli, Nicaragua) with guys like Amilcar and Gerber, who run the factory, is a pleasure. We love the relationship we have with those guys.

 

Follow Micky on Instagram and check out the latest from All Saints Cigars here.

Photo credit: All Saints Cigars

Cigar Mike Bennett

Interview: Cigar Mike Bennett

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You don’t get a nickname like “Cigar Mike” by being a novice. As a cigar consultant, event coordinator, and aficionado of all things cigars, Mike Bennett has been an ambassador for the cigar life for 26 years. With nearly 1000 events under his belt, his legend is building. Bennett lives to his name and talks about smoking as an experience, looking for maniacs in the industry, and creating all the elements of a successful cigar event.

Cigar Mike Bennett’s First Premium Smoke

Cigar Life Guy: Tell me about your first premium cigar experience.

Cigar Mike Bennett: I was at a buddy’s place; it was springtime. There were four of us. It was a double-date situation. We were hanging out, and my first premium cigar was a Don Tomas. So Don Tomas was my first foray into smoking premiums and just smoking, period.

I think I enjoyed the experience maybe a little bit more than I enjoyed smoking the cigar. It just continued from there. I started smoking occasionally. Then I found more occasions to smoke, and then bam, I smoke every day.

Cigar Mike Bennett: The Nickname

Cigar Life Guy: A straightforward and authoritative nickname like “Cigar Mike” must be well-earned. So how did you get it?

Cigar Mike Bennett: Well, I smoke a lot. That’s one way. The other way is I do a lot of cigar events. At one point, I was doing 110 events a year just working inside the industry.

But I actually got the name from a buddy of mine, Cedric Ward. I was hanging out at a cigar spot and introducing myself, and Cedric said: “Man, that’s Cigar Mike; you want to know something about cigars, ask him.” So we joked it off. And a week or so later, we were in a completely different spot with another set of people, and I was talking, and guys were like, “Oh, that’s Cigar Mike.” From there, it took on a life of its own. So someone heard it in the first spot, and then it took on a life of its own.

The trouble is living up to it (laughs). But I’m pretty good at that.

Mike Bennett: Cigar Ambassador

Cigar Life Guy: You are an ambassador for the cigar life. What do people who don’t smoke cigars not understand about cigars and the cigar lifestyle?

Cigar Mike Bennett: That’s an excellent question. The first thing is the misconception that it’s an old man thing. That you have to be 50 to smoke a cigar. I’m 51, and I’ve been smoking for 26 years. I started when I was 25, and it was a peculiar space because 25-year-olds were looking at me like, “What the hell are you doing?” And 45-year-olds were looking at me like, “What the hell are you doing?” (laughs).

I realized it was a microcosmic environment that people not in this world don’t completely understand. Once in the cigar world, it was like, ok, I’m a kid, and I’d get, “Look at the young fellow.” But there was a lot of information that was given. Guys asking, “Have you ever had this?” Or “Do you want to try this?”

We’re a welcoming world once you decide to be a part of it. But, unlike other worlds, we don’t solicit and encourage. Instead, we don’t go out and say, “Hey, Smoke Cigars. You’ll have a great life as we do.”

No. If you want to smoke cigars, then sit the hell down and light one up and let’s talk about it. That’s a big thing. We don’t care if you don’t understand; it’s if you want to understand.

Finding the “Maniacs”

Cigar Life Guy: You work with many new and up-and-coming brands. What do you look for in a brand to work with? And what advice would you give to someone considering launching a new business in the cigar space?

Cigar Mike Bennett: I look for maniacs. You’ve got to be a maniac to be in this space. You must be a function of pure passion and really want to be here. That’s what I am looking for. I ask myself, is this guy or young lady really committed? They’re really committed to doing this because you’re not gonna make a lot of money upfront.

You don’t jump into this business and become Rocky Patel or Pete Johnson. An overnight sensation in the cigar business takes about five years! That’s how long it takes for people to know who you are. So I look for people who really want to put in the work. I didn’t have a car when I was doing 110 events a year. Instead, I was catching the bus to my events, cabs, or Uber. If you’re unwilling to put in that, then it’s not much of a conversation. The fly by night: “I’m gonna be in the cigar business?” I wish you luck, but there’s really nothing I can do.

The Hustle

Cigar Life Guy: You have lived the cigar life for over 25 years, and your hustle is legendary. How many events do you think you’ve done? And how has it changed over the years?

Cigar Mike Bennett: I’ve been doing events for fifteen years. If I had to guess, I would say over 500, less than 1000. I would do some stuff every week — weekly and monthly events and everything in between. Events change, I don’t want to say dramatically. The numbers have grown.

I make it a point not to change my business model because I always want to be welcoming to somebody new to smoking but still endear the event to everyday smokers. These guys have been smoking for three, 10, and 15 years. So I want to be that common ground where everybody can exist and still get information. I call it cigar entertainment. I want you to be educated and entertained.

You don’t need someone saying, “This is this” or “That is that.” Nobody wants to sit in a classroom, and very few people want to take that class(laughs). But it speaks a little better if you’re having fun and you pick up on this information. That way, it’s manageable. So you come here, and it’s not, “I’m gonna get all this information.” If you want to sit and smoke a cigar. So be it. You give people fun facts, and they can do more research on that if they wish.

It’s the same thing with spirits. I like merging the cigar and spirits world. Because they do go together. Whiskeys and cigars. Cocktails and cigars. I try to bring in different elements. I’m actually doing an event with the owners of Greenwood Whiskey later today. They’re gonna be hanging out with me at a cigar lounge, and we’ll be sampling the whiskey with a cigar. Which is great — to have a whiskey you’ve never tried before and maybe a cigar you’ve never tried before. And the experience ties it all together.

The fun of it is in the journey. When people decide they want to be a part of the cigar life. You’re around people who are typically highly educated from all walks of life. A trash collector is sitting next to a CEO; they’re best friends. This is one of the sole environments where that happens daily. But, hey, we’re all here to smoke cigars. I don’t care what kind of watch you have. And I don’t care what type of cigar you smoke.

Fellowship means a lot because people leave their daily grind and want to kick back, spend ten or fifteen dollars on a cigar, and light it up. You want to enjoy that while avoiding talking about work. Be a regular person in a chair enjoying a cigar. You want to be around people you enjoy because if not, you can go home and smoke in your garage.

Endearing Customers to a City

Cigar Life Guy: Over the last few years, there has been an influx of new cigar events with varying degrees of success. What are some of these new entrants or promoters doing well? What are they missing or getting wrong?

Cigar Mike Bennett: They’re really going above and beyond entertaining their customers — anything from comedy shows, concerts, and events taking place during their cigar week for their city. That’s great. I’m not opposed to it but I don’t want to see River Dancing (laughs). I’ve watched it on YouTube occasionally. It’s interesting, but people are doing things and want to do something to endear people to their city.

I was in Houston, and they had a Scarface concert. What better representation of Houston, Texas, than Scarface? I’ve been on boat rides that were part of events from the National Harbor. Different things attach people to their city. And that’s what I like. So I go to New York for a New York state of mind, and I go to Miami for a Miami state of mind. So I want to do what people who live in that city like to do. Because if they’re enjoying themselves, consequently, I’ll enjoy myself.

I really enjoy being part of a lot of events. For some reason, people like me and trust me to entertain their crowds. And I’m really appreciative of that as well.

Signature Event Expectations

Cigar Life Guy: What should people expect at your signature event, the 2023 Atlanta Cigar Experience?

Cigar Mike Bennett: Honestly? Tomfoolery. Foolishness. A great deal of smoking and copious amounts of beverage consumption. We stuff 17 events in seven days, and foolishly, this year, we added a golf tournament — so 18 events in seven days. I want you to have as much fun as possible in my city. Literally, from noon every day till three in the morning, I got you. There’s something to do. No matter what time that plane lands, there is something to do. I want people to have a good time, enjoy themselves, go home, and return next year.

Follow Cigar Mike on Instagram and check the latest on the Atlanta Cigar Experience.

Photo credit: Cigar Life Guy

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