Cigar Coop

A short video driving a golf kart around the Casa de Campo Resort. Casa de Campo was the host hotel of the La Romana portion of Procigar 2024.

On Episode 297 we kick off the first of the four Pre Game Shows leading up to the 2023 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show with our special guest, PCA Executive Director Scott Pearce. On this show, will get the low-down on what to expect at this year’s PCA Trade Show. Plus, we will have our FSG Steak Question of the Night, Tabacalera USA Ties That Bind, Alec Bradley Live True, Espinosa Today in Sports History, and the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Deliberation segments.

Prime Time Jukebox Episode 121 features the 15th installment of our Album Archaeology Series as we tackle Beyoncé’s Lemonade. Much like an archaeologist digs and hunts for gems, on Album Archaeology, we dig into the I/O album. We go deep into each of the tracks of this album, looking at the music, lyrics, and stories behind this album. Most of the time, we have discussed a classic album; this time, we tackle a new album by a classic artist. It’s one we feel is already an instant classic. We will also recap “The Big Game” and the Usher Halftime Show. Finally, also have a lot of music news including Grammys, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the death of Toby Keith. For this show, Coop smokes the Red Meat Lovers Meat Box Pressed by Dunbarton Tobacco & True while Dave smokes the My Father Le Bijou 1922 Petite Robusto. As always you can follow along with our Spotify Playlists: Full Episode 121 Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3BpQlHAHMUqZCTQJ0ufpEU?si=ebf7da82253348ad References Dave's OOPS List: https://cigarjukebox.com/category/top-50-and-oops-lists/ 2023 New Oldies Countdown: https://cigarjukebox.com/tag/2023-album-of-the-year/ 2024 Grammy Winners: https://www.grammy.com/news/2024-grammys-nominations-full-winners-nominees-list Toby Keith dies at 62 due to stomach cancer diagnosis: A timeline of his health: https://www.today.com/health/toby-keith-stomach-cancer-rcna117976 Usher’s Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hYbrdC_-s8&pp=ygUcdXNoZXIgaGFsZnRpbWUgc2hvdyAyMDI0IE5GTA%3D%3D Halftime Show Review: Usher Brings his Brand of Sexy Energy to Vegas: https://cigarjukebox.com/2024/02/12/halftime-show-review-usher-brings-his-brand-of-sexy-energy-to-vegas/ Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Announces 2024 Nominations for Induction: https://cigarjukebox.com/2024/02/11/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-announces-2024-nominations-for-induction/ From Sheryl Crow to Beyoncé: Here's what to know about the country music albums coming in 2024: https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2024/02/14/country-music-albums-2024/72578833007/ Usher says his new album, Coming Home, is about his journey from 'being a married man to a single man': https://ew.com/usher-interview-new-album-coming-home-journey-from-married-to-single-super-bowl-2024-8574788 Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign's 'Vultures 1' Is a Musical Return to Form, but a Lyrical Minefield: Album Review: https://variety.com/2024/music/album-reviews/kanye-west-ty-dolla-signs-vultures-1-album-review-1235910248/ Sheryl Crow Announces New Album "Evolution": https://sherylcrow.com/2023/11/03/sheryl-crow-announces-new-album-evolution/

Tonight, we welcome back the one and only Justin Andrews of Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) for the Prime Time Episode 296. Justin is a Business Development Manager for STG. In addition to being the creative force behind the Diesel brand, Justin has worked on a wide variety of collaborations with blenders and factories. We’ll catch up with the latest happenings with Justin. Plus, we will have our Alec Bradley Live True Segment, FSG Beef Question of the Night, Tabacalera USA Ties That Bind, and Espinosa Today in Sports History. Our Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Deliberation segment will feature questions coming out of TPE 2024.

It's that time of the year as The Great Smoke (TGS) event takes place in South Florida the weekend of 2/24/24. We are joined by Abe Dababneh of Smoke Inn and KMA Talk Radio as we take look at this event - Prime Time style!

On Sunday February 11th, the Big Game between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers will take place. Dave and Coop are joined by Developing Palates’ John McTavish for a recap of their NFL picks, a recap of the NFL Season, a look at the Big Game and a look at the Big Game Halftime show featuring Usher. In addition we introduce a new segment – music and cigar pairings. For this show, John smokes the Black Label Trading Company Morphine Lancero, Dave smokes the Powstanie SBC 22, and Coop smokes the La Flor Dominicana Special Football Edition 2023 cigar. As always you can follow along with our Spotify Playlists: Full Episode 120 Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3yIiEc5AjYtWi9W7gknn1h?si=9cc838e955da49df References Dave's OOPS! Top 50: https://cigarjukebox.com/category/top-50-and-oops-lists/ The New Oldies: 2023 Album of the Year: https://cigarjukebox.com/category/top-50-and-oops-lists/: https://cigarjukebox.com/tag/2023-album-of-the-year/ Wayne Kramer, Guitarist of Legendary Punk Band MC5 and Activist, Dead at 75: https://people.com/wayne-kramer-mc5-guitarist-activist-dead-at-75-obituary-8559154 Marlena Shaw Dead: 'California Soul' Singer Was 81: https://variety.com/2024/music/news/marlena-shaw-dead-california-soul-1235880602/ Developing Palates: 2023 Cigar of the Year: https://developingpalates.com/editorials/cigar-editorials/2023-cigar-year/ Billy Joel’s Turn the Lights Back On: Was it Worth the Wait?: https://cigarjukebox.com/2024/02/01/billy-joels-turn-the-lights-back-on-was-it-worth-the-wait/ Op-Ed: Perhaps Billy Joel Should Have Kept the Lights Off: https://cigarjukebox.com/2024/02/05/op-ed-perhaps-billy-joel-should-have-kept-the-lights-off/ Billy Gibbons Enters Premium Cigar Business with Virtu and Twin Turbo: https://cigarjukebox.com/2024/02/01/billy-gibbons-enters-premium-cigar-business-with-virtu-and-twin-turbo/ David Ozgo Stepping Down as CAA President: https://cigar-coop.com/2024/02/david-ozgo-stepping-down-as-caa-president-cigar-news.html Original NFL Picks (Note some errors are in this but are noted on the podcast): https://cigarjukebox.files.wordpress.com/2023/09/prime_time_jukebox_episode_108-nfl_picks.pdf

Late in 2023, Rocky Patel Cigars released their most extravagant cigar to date, Conviction, which was announced at the 2023 PCA trade show. The Conviction is a two country tobacco blend featuring tobaccos from Mexico and Nicaragua. The Nicaraguan tobacco is from the Rocky Patel farms in Condega and Esteli. The Conviction features a double binder and a special Mexican San Andres wrapper leaf that was ferminated in a special fermentation process called Terciario that is used in Cuba. Terciario process is where a bundle of tobacco is wrapped in the leaves of the Royal Palm tree which is a slower fermentation process that could take years to complete. Rocky Patel selected the 4 best rollers in their factory and put them in pairs to specifically roll the the Conviction and limited them to only 250 cigars a day. The Conviction only comes in one size, a toro. The Conviction come in a 10 count box and is limited to 5000 boxes. The MSRP is $100.00…..no, that wasn’t a typo. Vitola: Toro Size: 6 1/2 x 52 Wrapper: Terciario-fermentated Mexican San Andres Binder: Double binder from Jalapa, Nicaragua Filler: Nicaraguan (Condega and Esteli) Factory: Rocky Patel MSRP: $100.00 Final Score: 88

For Prime Time Episode 295, we welcome back Jeff Borysiewicz of Corona Cigar Company and FSG Tobacco as our special guest. There is a lot to catch up with Jeff on Corona, FSG, and industry fronts. Perhaps the most interesting thing is we will break down Jeff’s year end list – one of the most unique ones in the industry. Plus, we will have our Alec Bradley Live True Segment, FSG Beef Question of the Night, Tabacalera USA Ties That Bind, Espinosa Today in Sports History, and the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Deliberation segment. References Corona Cigar 2023 End of Year Lists: https://cigar-coop.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Episode-295_Corona-Cigar-Co_2024_End_of_Year_Lists.pdf

Prime Time Special Edition 155 is our annual “Big Game” pre-game show for 2024. Once again we will have Jonathan Carney, Vice President of Sales of La Flor Dominicana, to preview the big matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers. This year the “Big Game” is in Las Vegas, Nevada. La Flor Dominicana is also a company that has a tradition of creating a special cigar for “The Big Game” and we will learn about this year’s installment. Of course, we will preview the matchup and talk plenty of football. Plus, we will catch up on what’s happening at La Flor Dominicana. Plus, we have our Vintage Rock-A-Feller Cigar Group U.S. History segment, Tabacalera USA Great Things are Happening Here, and Espinosa This Day in Sports History segments.

Davidoff first released the Aniversario No. 1 in 1986 to celebrate Zino Davidoff’s 80th birthday which featured Cuban tobacco and was rolled in Cuba. Eventually, production was moved to the Davidoff Dominican Republic facilities and was reblened with Dominican tobacco in replacement of the Cuban tobacco. The Aniversario No. 1 was a staple of the Davidoff line up until it was phased out in 2016 with some other lines. Late in 2023, Davidoff decided to re-release this historic line as a single vitola limited release as the Aniversario No. 1 Limited Edition 2023. Having the year in the name, hopefully, means that Davidoff will be releasing this limited edition yearly or biannually. Vitola: Double Corona Size: 8 2/3 x 48 Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut Binder: Ecuadorian Filler: Dominican (Piloto Visus, San Vicente visus, San Vicente Mejorado visus) Country of Origin: Dominican Republic Factory: Cigars Davidoff Cigars provided by Davidoff Cigars Final Score: 92

For Prime Time Episode 294, we are honored to welcome Norm Hooten and Tim Young, founders of Hooten Young. This brand has a great story, and the principals behind the brand have a great story. Tonight, we will learn not only about the brand but also about Norm and Tim. Plus, we will have our Alec Bradley Live True Segment, FSG Beef Question of the Night, Tabacalera USA Ties That Bind, Espinosa Today in Sports History, and the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Deliberation segment.

Prime Time Jukebox Episode 119 features the 14th installment of our Album Archaeology Series as we tackle Peter Gabriel’s I/O. Much like an archaeologist digs and hunts for gems, on Album Archaeology, we dig into the I/O album. We go deep into each of the tracks of this album, looking at the music, lyrics, and stories behind this album. Most of the time, we have discussed a classic album; this time, we tackle a new album by a classic artist. It’s one we feel is already an instant classic. We also pay homage to Dr. Martin Luther King. In addition, we talk about what could be the end of Pitchfork and fans suing Madonna for a late concert start. Finally, we also cover Post Malone and Reba McEntire performing on Super Bowl Sunday. In this episode, Dave smokes the Undercrown Shade on this show, and Coop smokes the Tatuaje 7th Tuxtla. As always, you can follow along with our Spotify Playlists: Episode 119 Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6E54x7lJ9CJRqJaJqmZIPE?si=b89c126cb85643b6 References Top 50 x OOPS!: https://cigarjukebox.com/category/top-50-and-oops-lists/ Pitchfork faces layoffs and restructuring under Condé Nast : NPR: https://www.npr.org/2024/01/18/1225446347/pitchfork-faces-layoffs-and-restructuring-under-conde-nast Pitchfork’s absorption into GQ is a travesty for music media – and musicians: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/jan/18/pitchforks-absorption-into-gq-is-a-travesty-for-music-media-and-musicians Reba McEntire, Post Malone, Andra Day announced as pregame entertainment lineup Super Bowl LVIII: https://www.nfl.com/news/reba-mcentire-post-malone-andra-day-announced-as-pregame-entertainment-lineup-super-bowl-lviii Madonna Sued by Fans Over Starting 'Celebration Tour' Concert Two Hours Late: https://radaronline.com/p/madonna-sued-brooklyn-concert-delay-celebration-tour/ Forever (GOTM050) | GOTM | Gold On The Mixer: https://goldonthemixer.bandcamp.com/album/forever-gotm050

For Episode 293, Jack Heyer of Davidoff of Geneva makes his debut. In a short time, Jack has made his mark in the premium cigar industry going from media to sales to marketing to ambassador. We will chronicle Jack’s journey in the cigar industry and talk about some of the current happenings at Davidoff. Plus, we will have our Alec Bradley Live True Segment, FSG Beef Question of the Night, Tabacalera USA Ties That Bind, Espinosa Today in Sports History, and the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Deliberation segment.

We are back again for another Avo Seasons release. In 2022, Avo discontinued the popular Improvisation Series. Avo Cigars still wanted to have a limited release line so they introduced the new Seasons line in 2023. The Season line will be released each season, Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter, in a diadema size. They will each feature a different unique blend, but will feature an undisclosed 14 year old tobacco. Each Season will have 4000 ten count boxes and will retail for $18.00.In 2022, Avo discontinued the popular Improvisation Series. Avo Cigars still wanted to have a limited release line so they introduced the new Seasons line in 2023. The Season line will be released each season, Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter, in a diadema size. They will each feature a different unique blend, but will feature an undisclosed 14 year old tobacco. Each Season will have 4000 ten count boxes and will retail for $18.00. The Avo Seasons Winter Edition has finally arrived and this is the final iteration of the Seasons line for 2023. A few months back, I reviewed the Fall Edition and was really pleased with it. The Winter Edition has a slightly different blend from the Fall. Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut Binder: Dominican Filler: Dominican Country of Origin: Dominican Republic Factory: O.K. Cigars Diadema: 50 x 6 5/8 MSRP: $18.00 Cigars provided by Davidoff/Avo for review Final Score: 90

Prime Time Special Edition 154 we welcome Mike Copperman and Cody Carden of CRA (Cigar Rights of America). Mike has been with CRA for over a decade and was recently promoted to the Executive Director position. Cody works as the Director of Communications. We will learn more about Mike and Cody, plus we will get an update on some of the key initiatives with CRA Plus, we have our Vintage Rock-A-Feller Cigar Group U.S. History segment, Tabacalera USA Great Things are Happening Here, and Espinosa This Day in Sports History segments. Plus in an annual tradition, Bear and Coop will also recap their Top 10 lists for 2023. References Bear Rescued from Abandoned Zoo in Ukraine Finds New Home in UK: https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/bear-rescued-from-abandoned-zoo-in-ukraine-finds-new-home-in-uk/ Watch the Pandemonium as Hockey Fans Break Record Hurling 75,000 Teddy Bears Onto the Ice for Charity: https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/annual-hockey-charity-teddy-bear-toss-breaks-record/

Today we announce the contest winner from the December 2023 contest around Onyx. This contest is brought to you by Tabacalera USA - great things are happening here.

The #1 2023 Cigar of the Year is the My Father Le Bijou 1922 100 Años Limited Edition Corona Extra. In 2008, Jaime Garcia created the first My Father Cigar to honor his father, Don José “Pepin” Garcia. A year later, Pepin paid homage to his own father, José Garcia Alayón, releasing a cigar known as the My Father Le Bijou 1922. Le Bijou is French for “The Jewel.” He called it 1922 because that was the year that Pepin’s father was born. Since the year 2022 marked 100 years since the birth of José Garcia Alayón, the Garcia family decided to create a special limited edition cigar offering to mark the centennial of the elder Garcia’s birthday and called it the My Father Le Bijou 1922 100 Años Limited Edition. The 100 Años was released in two sizes, but it was the Corona Extra that put this cigar over the top for 2023. Full Details: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-rit

The #2 2023 Cigar of the Year is the Alfonso Extra Añejo No. 2 by Selected Tobacco. In 2022, Selected Tobacco launched a fourth brand in the Alfonso portfolio. Alfonso gets its name from Nelson Alfonso, who is the owner of Selected Tobacco. For the past decade, Selected Tobacco has been known for its three other brands: Atabey, Bryon, and Bandolero – all of which are distributed in the U.S. market by United Cigars. Alfonso is an ultra-premium brand that revolves around exquisite packaging and extra aging. The first line to be released under the Alfonso brand was the Alfonso Extra Añejo. The name Añejo is appropriate because it means “aged.” It’s the No. 2 size that lands at the #2 spot. Full Details: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-rim

The #3 2023 Cigar of the Year is the Meerapfel Richard Double Robusto. The Meerapfel family has over 150 years of experience in various aspects of the tobacco business. Today the family is best known for being tobacco brokers and, in particular, for brokering tobacco out of Cameroon, Africa. In 2021, Jeremiah Meerapfel announced he was creating a new ultra-premium cigar brand with the Meerapfel name. In this case, it wasn’t just an ultra-premium brand, but it was one he calls UberLuxury. UberLuxury involves using the highest quality of materials with the highest level of craftsmanship. In the case of this new Meerapfel UberLuxury line, the cigars pay homage to past generations of the Meerapfel family. Specifically, the Meerapfel Richard pays homage to Jeremiah's father, Richard Meerapfel. Full Details: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-rhM

The #4 2023 Cigar of the Year is the Black Label Trading Co Deliverance Porcelain Robusto. Black Label Trading Company and its sister brand Black Works Studio are two brands created by James Brown of Oveja Negra Cigars. James Brown has been known for his dark and full-bodied maduro offerings. In 2018 that would change as Brown would introduce a pair of Connecticut Shade offerings: Black Works Studio Killer Bee Connecticut and Black Label Trading Co Deliverance Porcelain. Both cigars would be hits and would both make their way into becoming regular production offerings: Porcelain would join the regular production lineup of Black Label Trading Co in 2019, and Killer Bee Connecticut would become regular production in 2022. Porcelain was originally released in a Corona Gorda size, but a Robusto was added in 2021 and it's the cigar that lands at #4. Full Details: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-rhs

For Episode 292, we are proud to welcome back Pete Johnson, owner and founder of Tatuaje Cigars. Pete is one again coming off a banner year in 2023 for Tatuaje Cigars and there is plenty to look forward to in 2024. We will catch up with Pete on all of the happenings of Tatuaje Cigars! Plus, we will have our Alec Bradley Live True Segment, FSG Beef Question of the Night, Tabacalera USA Ties That Bind, Espinosa Today in Sports History, and the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Deliberation segment.

The #5 2023 Cigar of the Year is the La Flor Dominicana Solis. Many cigar companies are family operations, and that applies to La Flor Dominicana and the Gomez family. La Flor Dominicana is known for the blends created by Litto Gomez. Litto’s wife Ines and his son Tony have also been involved with the company for many years. In 2022, another member of the family, Litto Gomez Jr, would get a chance to spearhead his first project. Dubbed “Solis,” the cigar had its debut at the 2022 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show. Full Details: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-rgN

Drew Estate introduced the Blackened M81 cigar line last year which is a collaboration with Rob Dietrich, master distiller and blender of Blackened American Whiskey, Jonathan Drew of Drew Estate, and lead singer and rhythm guitarist of Metallica, James Hetfield. The cigar gets it name from the first track off Metallica’s ….And Justice for All album released in 1988 and M81 which M is for Metallica and their founding year of 1981. All three had a major hand in coming up with the blend of the Blackened cigar. From Drew Estate about the collaboration: Dietrich and Drew Estate President Jonathan Drew have been friends for many years. It was Dietrich who introduced Metallica lead singer James Hetfield to Drew. The idea was floated about creating a cigar brand. From there, the wheels were put in motion to create a cigar that shared the vision of the Blackened Brand. Drew provided cigars from the Drew Estate portfolio to sample and Hetfield and Dietrich kept cigar journals to critique the cigars and identify what they liked and disliked about each one. Eventually they were able to settle on the flavor profile which was the Blackened M81. Rob Dietrich also blended the companion whiskey also called Blackened. Will Cooper also reviewed this cigar in the toro size earlier year and it made #21 on Coop’s Cigar of the Year list for 2023. Vitola: Robusto Size: 5 x 50 Wrapper: San Andres Mexican Binder: Connecticut Broadleaf Filler: Pennsylvania Broadleaf, Nicaraguan Country of Origin: Nicaragua Factory: La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate MSRP: $9.45 Cigars purchased at B & B Tobacconist in Asheville, NC Final Score: 91

The #6 2023 Cigar of the Year is the Macanudo Estate Reserve Flint Knoll Churchill 2022 edition. Over the past few years, several Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) brands have been collaborating with various spirits companies, some involving utilizing barrel-aged tobacco. In 2022, Macanudo became one of the STG brands that would collaborate with barrel-aged tobacco. For its project, Macanudo would engage with Napa Valley-based winery Flint Knoll. What was different about this project compared to the other STG barrel-aged collaborations is that Macanudo would be working with a winery as opposed to a distillery – and that the barrels used for aging tobacco would be French Oak barrels that were previously used to age Flint Knoll’s single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. Full Details: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-rfX

Prime Time Special Edition 153 kicks off the 2024 year as we welcome the newest member of the Cigar Coop Coalition team, Tripp Waldrop. Tripp is coming on-board and bringing his Let’s Get Pairing brand into the Coalition. As the name indicates, this show will be all about pairings with cigars. We’ll get to know Tripp better and find out more about the vision for Let’s Get Pairing going forward. We will also take a look ahead to 2024, and look back at some of our favorite cigar moments. Plus, we have our Vintage Rock-A-Feller Cigar Group U.S. History segment, Tabacalera USA Great Things are Happening Here, and Espinosa This Day in Sports History segments. Tune in tonight as we welcome Tripp Waldrop to the Cigar Coop Coalition! References Maui Jewler repairing/restoring jewelry damaged in fires for free: https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/maui-jewelry-store-restores-jewelry-damaged-by-wildfires-for-free/ Archeologists Confirm Oldest Viking Ship Burial in All Scandinavia–Could Rewrite the Viking Age: https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/archeologists-confirm-oldest-viking-ship-burial-in-all-scandinavia-could-re-write-the-viking-age/