Cigar Coop

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/

The #7 2023 Cigar of the Year is the Las 6 Provincias CMW by Espinosa Cigars. CMW is the fourth installment of the Espinosa Cigars Las 6 Provincias series. This limited edition series pays homage to the pre-Castro era of Cuba. The name Las 6 Provincias means “six provinces,” referring to the six provinces that existed before Fidel Castro's takeover of Cuba. It is also Espinosa Cigars’ most premium limited edition series to date. Each installment of the series has a unique blend, size, and associated artwork. The name CMW stands for Camagüey, the second-most eastern province on the island of Cuba in the pre-Castro era. Since the first installment of the Las 6 Provincias was launched in 2018, it has become one of Espinosa Cigars' most successful near-annual limited series releases. The CMW is the third release of the series to land on the Countdown. Full Details: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-rfq

It’s our In Memoriam Episode for 2023. On Episode 117. we look back and reflect on the careers and contributions of many artists who passed away in 2023. We will also touch base on Dave’s Top 50 and OOPS lists, Coop’s Countdown, and recap the 2023 Kennedy Center Honors. On this show, Dave smokes the La Palina KB Part Three and Coop smokes the La Palina KB TXX. As always you can follow along with our Spotify Playlists: Episode 117 Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UH0KAMmr0Jw References Top 50 of 2023 / #10 – 6: More Aussies, A First Timer and One Long Song Title: https://cigarjukebox.com/2023/12/30/top-50-of-2023-10-6-more-aussies-a-first-timer-and-one-long-song-title/ Top 50 of 2023 / #15 – 11: More Barbie, Dolly and a Genius: https://cigarjukebox.com/2023/12/25/top-50-of-2023-15-11-more-barbie-dolly-and-a-genius/ Top 50 of 2023 / #20 – 16: A Cat, A Sister and More Missy: https://cigarjukebox.com/2023/12/21/top-50-of-2023-20-16-a-cat-a-sister-and-more-missy/ Top 50 of 2023 / #25 – 21: Hip Hop, A Collective and Interesting Collabs: https://cigarjukebox.com/2023/12/16/top-50-of-2023-25-21-hip-hop-a-collective-and-interesting-collabs/ Top 50 of 2023 / #30 – 26: Our First Reggae Track, A Lot of Gecs and Some More Bunnies: https://cigarjukebox.com/2023/12/12/top-50-of-2023-30-26-our-first-reggae-track-a-lot-of-gecs-and-some-more-bunnies/ Top 50 of 2023 / #35 – 31: Songs About Time, Reclaiming Your Music and Some Spice: https://cigarjukebox.com/2023/12/07/top-50-of-2023-35-31-songs-about-time-reclaiming-your-music-and-some-spice/ Top 50 of 2023 / #40 – 36: More Foundational Comebacks, Made – Up Languages and Aussie Music: https://cigarjukebox.com/2023/12/05/top-50-of-2023-40-36-more-foundational-comebacks-made-up-languages-and-aussie-music/ Top 50 of 2023 / #45 – 41: An Emotional Tribute, A Bunny and a Brit Pop Third Act: https://cigarjukebox.com/2023/12/02/top-50-of-2023-45-41-an-emotional-tribute-a-bunny-and-a-brit-pop-third-act/ Top 50 of 2023 / #50 – 46: Spiderman, The Blues and Metal: https://cigarjukebox.com/2023/11/26/top-50-of-2023-50-46-spiderman-the-blues-and-metal/ 2023 Cigar Coop Cigar of the Year Countdown: https://cigar-coop.com/2023-cigar-of-the-year Kennedy Center Honors: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fACLL9wahoo&list=PL14hRqd0PELEJAeYWieSbM1pnpRvWBm7q Dave's McRib Deluxe Review: https://www.instagram.com/p/C1JbUqHyl7y/

The #8 2023 Cigar of the Year is the Kristoff Guardrail Robusto. The story behind the Kristoff Guardrail is like no other. Kristoff Guardrail debuted in 2022, but the story’s roots go back a couple of years before that. Kristoff owner Glen Case was in Oklahoma and had rented a motorcycle. He was on the road when his back tire gave way and caused him to crash into a guardrail. The accident was severe enough to land Case in the hospital for weeks, followed by many months of rehabilitation – including spending time in a wheelchair. When Kristoff Guardrail was released a couple of years later, Case was fully recovered. Those around him kept the accident quiet, so many were shocked to hear of the accident. Case felt he was given a second chance at life, and this was the inspiration for the Kristoff Guardrail. Full Details: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-reD

The #9 2023 Cigar of the Year is the Tatuaje Havana VI Verocú Blue No. 1. The Verocú Blue is a regular production line that made its debut at the 2022 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show. Verocú Blue is described as an offshoot of the Tatuaje Havana VI Verocú line, which is, in turn, an offshoot of the Tatuaje Havana VI (aka Red Label) line. While there may be some DNA connections among these lines, the difference with Verocú Blue is the Shade-grown Corojo wrapper grown by the Garcia family in Nicaragua. Full Details: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-reb

The #10 2023 Cigar of the Year is the Plasencia Alma Fuerte Colorado Claro Eduardo I. In 2021, Plasencia Cigars launched an offshoot of its Alma Fuerte brand known as the Plasencia Alma Fuerte Colorado Claro. When Plasencia decided to bring its own brand to market in 2017, one of the first blends it introduced was the Plasencia Alma Fuerte. This cigar went on to become a very successful line. The Alma Fuerte was known for its dark Nicaraguan wrapper. As the name indicates, the Colorado Claro has a lighter shade with a slight reddish tint. The blend to the Alma Fuerte was tweaked, and thus the Plasencia Alma Fuerte Colorado Claro was born. Today we take a look at the second vitola released in the Plasencia Alma Fuerte Colorado Claro, the Eduardo I. Full Details: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-rdO Note: The photography used for these two thumbnails has made this cigar wrapper look darker and the cigar bands less green. We apologize for this, but we want to reassure you that this was the Colorado Claro Eduardo I that was used for his assessment.

The #11 2023 Cigar of the Year is the Mi Querida Black SakaKhan by Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust. At the 2022 Premium Cigar Association Trade Show, Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust would launch its third line under its Mi Querida brand, the Mi Querida Black. The cigar was initially released in one size called SakaKhan, which was a nickname given to Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust founder Steve Saka during his days in the Navy. The Mi Querida Black SakaKhan wasn’t exactly a new cigar. It had been released at the end of 2021 as a part of JR Cigar’s 50th-anniversary series when it was simply called the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Limited Edition EM Maduro. Full Details: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-rdg

The #12 2023 Cigar of the Year is the Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua Sonata Vibrato. While it’s distributed by Altadis U.S.A., Aging Room is a brand owned by Altadis’ Director of Product Capability, Rafael Nodal. Aging Room, and particularly the original Aging Room Quattro line, has seen tremendous success. In 2019, the Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua garnered critical acclaim, including a Top 20 Cigar on Cigar Coop and a Cigar of the Year from Cigar Aficionado. This past year, Nodal introduced a new line, an offshoot of the Quattro Nicaragua line known as the Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua Sonata. Like many Aging Room Cigars, the Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua Sonata is inspired by Nodal’s love of music. A Sonata is a classic music composition for an instrumental soloist, often accompanied by piano. After the success of the original Aging Room Nicaragua Quattro, Nodal decided he wanted to compose his own interpretation of a sonata, but in the form of a cigar. https://wp.me/p6h1n1-rc6

The #13 2023 Cigar of the Year is the Micallef Black Toro. If there is one cigar company that has made the best use of its Ambassador group, it would have to be Micallef Cigars. The Micallef Ambassadors group is an integral part of providing input to its products. One piece of feedback that Micallef heard frequently from its Ambassadors group is that it needed a cigar that was fuller in terms of strength and body compared to most of the medium strength and body cigars that existed in the portfolio. For the Micallef Black, Micallef incorporated this feedback and developed a blend to on the fuller side. Micallef Black had a soft launch just prior to the 2023 Premium Cigar Association Trade Show and had a full launch at the Trade Show itself. It's the Toro size of the Micallef Black that landed a spot on this year's countdown. Full Details: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-rbP

The #14 2023 Cigar of the Year is the HVC Selección No. 1 Natural Poderosos. Back in 2022, HVC Cigars released a Maduro offering known as the HVC Selección No. 1 Maduro. While HVC Cigars has been a company in business for over a decade, the No. 1 is significant. This is because, in 2022, HVC Cigars moved into its own factory, Fabrica de Tabacos HVC S.A. Before that, many of HVC Cigars’ blends had been coming out of the Aganorsa factory. The Selección No. 1 gets its name because it was the first cigar from that factory. In 2023, HVC Cigars added another blend under the HVC Selección No. 1 line known as the HVC Selección No. 1 Natural. It's the Natural offering that lands on this year's Countdown. Full Details: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-rb9

The #15 2023 Cigar of the Year is the E.P. Carrillo INCH Nicaragua No. 60.In 2012, E.P. Carrillo launched a line focused on large ring gauge cigars known as the INCH Series. Large ring gauge cigars are nothing new to Ernesto Perez-Carrillo as he was considered a pioneer in this area while he was with La Gloria Cubana. Released in a Maduro and a Natural (Sumatra), it quickly became one of E.P. Carrillo’s most successful lines. In 2022, a new regular production addition to the INCH line, the INCH Nicaragua, was added. As the name indicates, INCH Nicaragua is not only a 100% Nicaraguan cigar, but it's a cigar that's made in Nicaragua - and it's made at the Plasencia factory in Nicaragua. This marked the first time E.P. Carrillo worked in a factory outside its Tabacalera La Alianza facility. Since then, E.P. Carrillo has done the Allegiance at the Oliva factory (which landed on the Countdown at #22) and Short Run 2023 out of Oscar Valladares' factory. Full Details: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-raO

The #16 2023 Cigar of the Year is the 601 La Bomba Warhead VIII by Espinosa Cigars. One of the most popular annual limited edition series of cigars to hit the market over the past decade has been the 601 La Bomba Warhead Series. This series has a great track record of success, landing seven different times. Warhead is an extension of the original 601 La Bomba line, but it replaces the Nicaraguan Habano wrapper with a Broadleaf wrapper. As the name Warhead suggests, it is intended to be a stronger and bolder cigar. Each installment of the Warhead has featured a different size with a tweaked blend adjusted to that size as well as a different set of artwork. Warhead made its debut in 2013 and, with a couple of exceptions, has maintained an annual release schedule. The eighth installment came out in 2022 – appropriately titled Warhead VIII. This introduced a 6 x 60 box-pressed vitola into the series. Full Details: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-rao