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Heath Snow found us by accident, joined the Discord, and wrote an article about Smoke and Steel. We tell the story of the message Walt misread, then argue about why so many of us walk past the big brands to get to the boutique shelf. We also open the night remembering our friend Scott. Smoke and Steel records every Tuesday night in a garage in Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania. Same crew, same cigars, same conversations we were already having before the cameras turned on. Sgt Major Mike joined us, and the lineup included The Mage from El Mago, Penn Standard Maduro, H. Upmann Anejo, Principle Martinique, and HDA Veiled Mutiny. We also got into the Warfighter 5.56 Field Connecticut. Along the way we talk limited edition cigars and shop exclusives, why Will at Chartwell can't always stock what we'd buy, Jim's verdict on the Rojas Blue Bonnet, CAO bringing back the Amazon Basin, and how rough our first episodes were. The box pass also gets foam and rules. Heath's article is here: https://heathsnow.substack.com/p/thoughts-of-a-cigar-smoker-2b3 Read the full blog post on Stogie Review: https://stogiereview.com/2026/10/03/smoke-and-steel-podcast-068/ 👉 If you enjoy this video, please like, comment, and subscribe for more cigar talk every week. 🔗 Connect With Us: 🌐 Website: https://stogiereview.com/ 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StogieReview/ 📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stogiereview/ 💬 Discord: https://discord.gg/8h5tuYaqJV ☕ Support us on Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/stogiereview 📧 Email: [email protected]

We flew to Louisiana to sit in the LA Cigar Collective lounge in Metairie, a room we’d only ever seen on screen. This one starts with a po’boy order that went sideways, then moves into a blind smoke from a viewer, Padróns from friends, and a long talk about what makes a lounge worth hanging out in. Kyle and Big Rob hosted us, and a lot of the conversation is about how they run the place: chairs that face each other, a living room and a library, and why some of us can’t really taste a cigar in a busy room. They walk us through the Collective Pack subscription, how they line up limited releases a month ahead, and why they turn down brand takeovers. Le Flambeaux, their Kelner Family Cigars collaboration, gets a fair hearing on size and price, and Kyle shares what Google’s AI summary said about our review of it. The blind smoke turns out to be a Lampert Ocean Breeze Robusto Grande from Jesse. We also smoke a Padrón 50th Anniversary Hammer Maduro from Jian and hear how fast the Padrón 60th disappears when it lands. Along the way: Discord friendships, Louisiana food, a real cigar shop on Bourbon Street, and the plan for the shop’s online side. Smoke and Steel usually records on Tuesday nights in a garage in Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania, with the same crew, same cigars, and same conversations we were already having before the cameras turned on. LA Cigar Collective didn’t provide product or payment for this trip. The Padróns and the blind smoke came from viewers and from Bruce. 🎙️ Subscribe for new episodes every week: https://www.youtube.com/@Stogie_Review 💬 Join the Stogie Review Discord: https://discord.gg/8h5tuYaqJV 🌐 Read the full blog post: https://stogiereview.com/2026/10/20/smoke-and-steel-podcast-073/

Mark's out this week, first time in longer than any of us can remember, but the garage doesn't run any different without him. Altadis USA sent us their new Golden Four sampler for this one, four event-only cigars in a single tube, and it turned into one of those nights where the free stuff wasn't even the best part. We split the Golden Four four ways and each came away with a different favorite, then got into the story of a longtime friend of the crew who's never been on the show but has quietly changed how he buys cigars entirely, walking away from chasing boxes of Opus X in favor of just trying everything he can get his hands on. That led into a longer conversation about how much good tobacco is sitting in the six and seven dollar range, a straight answer from Will at Chartwell about why he won't stock certain lines rather than mark them up, and a stop at a new shop in Boyertown that didn't quite live up to the walk over. Grievance corner covers price stickers on cellophane, self-checkout gripes, and a few Ezra Zion releases that didn't land the way we hoped. Read the Full Blog Post: https://stogiereview.com/2026/09/24/smoke-and-steel-podcast-067/ 👉 If you enjoy this video, please like, comment, and subscribe for more cigar talk every week. 🔗 Connect With Us: 🌐 Website: https://stogiereview.com/ 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StogieReview/ 📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stogiereview/ 💬 Discord: https://discord.gg/8h5tuYaqJV ☕ Support us on Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/stogiereview 👕 Check out our NEW MERCH: https://www.stickermule.com/stogiereview 📧 Email: [email protected]

Nothing was on the list for Episode 66, so Bruce walked out to his car and came back in a reversible paisley smoking jacket he bought online years ago for about $200. Jim followed with the story of a first-time customer who pulled a giant fireproof ash bib out of a duffel bag and wore it for five hours. Eric wanted to know if any of us would wear the $895 Mayflower jacket he posted. Before the jackets, we smoked a Blood Medicine, a Tatuaje Pudgy Monster wrapped in brown cellophane, and a Hallowed Hands from Avowed. We argued about whether brown cellophane means a cigar lost something. We got into where the hype fooled us, from the Moonflower to the ChiMolly Pioneer. Grievance Corner came back too. Later we talked about Mark's $42 cigar that blew up and whether a cigar deserves a second chance. We also covered Sean from The Burnable's rule of judging a brand's core line before the limiteds, and what a cigar lounge means to a guy in his first winter of retirement. Ralph and Bill dropped into the virtual lounge while we were recording, a first for the show. Smoke and Steel is the same crew, same cigars, and same conversations we were having in a Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania garage before the cameras turned on. A few of the cigars on the table were gifts from friends. Check out the Blog Post on StogieReview: https://stogiereview.com/2026/09/19/smoke-and-steel-podcast-066/ 👉 If you enjoy this video, please like, comment, and subscribe for more cigar talk every week. 🔗 Connect With Us: 🌐 Website: https://stogiereview.com/ 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StogieReview/ 📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stogiereview/ 💬 Discord: https://discord.gg/8h5tuYaqJV ☕ Support us on Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/stogiereview 📧 Email: [email protected]

This week the ReXilient came up, and it turned into the best conversation we've had on the show in a while. Half the table thought Fuente's 9/11 tribute release was a genuinely good gesture. The other half wasn't sure $11 a box was enough. Then it got personal. We started with a blind sampler from Padre that nobody could identify until the end, worked through what everybody bought this week, and landed on the ReXilient conversation almost by accident. Rob's old fire department responded on 9/11, and what started as an argument about pricing turned into something about whether people still remember at all. From there we got into Xikar's recent price cuts, a Chartwell visit that turned into a full spread of free food, word that Suburban Tavern might be getting a second life under new ownership, and a rotation that ran from the Tatuaje El Triumphador to the Atabey Black Ritos to a cigar with a name we're not putting in this description. Smoke and Steel records every Tuesday night in a garage in Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania. Same crew, same cigars, same conversations we were already having before the cameras turned on. Read the Full Blog Post: https://stogiereview.com/2026/09/13/smoke-and-steel-podcast-065/ 👉 If you enjoy this video, please like, comment, and subscribe for more cigar talk every week. 🔗 Connect With Us: 🌐 Website: https://stogiereview.com/ 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StogieReview/ 📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stogiereview/ 💬 Discord: https://discord.gg/8h5tuYaqJV ☕ Support us on Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/stogiereview 📧 Email: [email protected] CHAPTERS 0:00 Blind Samplers From Padre 2:17 Guessing What We're Smoking 5:01 What Everybody Bought This Week 19:00 Rob's Facebook Bidding War Story 33:30 The OpusX ReXilient Comes Up 38:00 Rob's Fire Department and 9/11 43:07 Channel Numbers and Virtual Lounge 50:07 Top Fans and Discord Shoutouts 54:46 Airing Grievances: The Farmers Market 59:47 Airing Grievances: The Car Show 1:02:03 The Blind Cigar Gets Revealed 1:08:28 Xikar's Price Cut, Explained 1:18:00 Lighter Talk Keeps Going 1:22:40 Merch Store and Contest Winner 1:24:35 Rest of the Rotation 1:30:11 Eric's Brother's Charity Night

We spent a good part of Episode 64 arguing about a cigar that costs about three dollars and sixty cents a stick, and whether that's disqualifying or exactly the point. Grievance Corner kicks things off with the Crowned Heads Moonflower not living up to the hype, and by the end of the night we're deciding if the Zino Nicaragua has earned a spot on the Smoke and Steel Top 25 Cigars of 2026. Along the way we get into new releases from Crowned Heads and Drew Estate, talk through what's too much to pay for a cigar festival ticket, and cover a local story about a Pennsylvania state trooper whose cigar collection was auctioned off for a good cause. We also read some of your comments from the last few episodes and kick around ideas for what's next on the show, including whether a Secret Santa event is worth doing this year. Read the full Blog Post on Stogie Review: https://stogiereview.com/2026/09/05/smoke-and-steel-podcast-064/ 👉 If you enjoy this video, please like, comment, and subscribe for more cigar talk every week. 🔗 Connect With Us: 🌐 Website: https://stogiereview.com/ 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StogieReview/ 📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stogiereview/ 💬 Discord: https://discord.gg/8h5tuYaqJV ☕ Support us on Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/stogiereview 📧 Email: [email protected] CHAPTERS 0:00 Cold Open and Episode Kickoff 1:20 What's Everyone Smoking Tonight 7:10 This Week's Cigar Purchases 15:30 Fans of the Week and Discord Shoutouts 20:53 Grievance Corner Starts With the Moonflower 24:14 New Releases and a Local Trooper's Story 33:38 Talking Cigar Festivals and Event Pricing 41:29 What Everyone's Smoking This Week 56:05 Reading Viewer Comments 1:01:05 The Tinderbox Subscription Debate 1:05:59 How We Decide What to Post 1:16:07 Celebrity Cigar Lines 1:19:42 Kicking Around New Show Ideas 1:34:06 Does the Zino Nicaragua Make the List 1:44:47 Wrapping Up in the Rain

We found out this week that apparently there are two versions of one of us: the guy who won't shut up on the mic, and the guy who says almost nothing standing in a cigar shop. Eric brought the story back from Chartwell, and it turned into one of the more honest conversations we've had on this show.We also went back for round two on Le Flambeaux No. 3, the latest from LACC, and got some split opinions on where it lands. From there we got into a Skip Martin interview with Creekside that kicked off a real debate about shop loyalty, whether a retailer should cut a regular customer a deal to keep him coming in the door, and what actually separates a cigar shop that's thriving from one that's quietly falling apart. Padron, Davidoff, new brands trying to break through, and a Villiger that didn't change anyone's mind all made it in too.Read the full blog post on Stogie Review: https://stogiereview.com/2026/08/28/smoke-and-steel-podcast-063/👉 If you enjoy this video, please like, comment, and subscribe for more cigar talk every week.🔗 Connect With Us:🌐 Website: https://stogiereview.com/📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StogieReview/📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stogiereview/💬 Discord: https://discord.gg/8h5tuYaqJV☕ Support us on Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/stogiereview📧 Email: [email protected]

We walked into Chartwell Cigar Club this week and the owner knew Jim's name before he even introduced himself. That one moment turned into a bigger conversation about what actually makes a cigar shop worth going back to, and what makes one worth walking out of for good. Canimao sent us their Refinados for this one, a big 6x60 we hadn't smoked in years, and it kicks off a night that covers a lot of ground: a shop that gets hospitality right, one that really doesn't, our usual fight over draw tools, a humidification debate, Rob's golf trip to the Poconos with a bear wandering up to the porch, and an update on our buddy Khong, who moved back to Vietnam and is loving it. Somewhere in there we also get into new releases from Room 101, Rocky Patel, Tradecraft, and a Miles Davis tribute cigar from Ferio Tego. Smoke and Steel records every Tuesday night in a garage in Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania. Same crew, same cigars, same conversations we were already having before the cameras turned on. Read the Full Blog Post on Stogie Review: https://stogiereview.com/2026/08/17/smoke-and-steel-podcast-061/ 👉 If you enjoy this video, please like, comment, and subscribe for more cigar talk every week. 🔗 Connect With Us: 🌐 Website: https://stogiereview.com/ 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StogieReview/ 📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stogiereview/ 💬 Discord: https://discord.gg/8h5tuYaqJV ☕ Support us on Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/stogiereview 📧 Email: [email protected] CHAPTERS 0:00 Cold Open and Mic Chaos 2:10 Lighting Up the Canimao Refinados 4:44 Listener Shoutouts and a Fall Guest Tease 8:00 What We Bought This Week 13:16 A Walk Through Chartwell Cigar Club 18:32 Will Already Knew Jim's Name 22:39 Back to the Canimao and an Orange Juice Tangent 26:41 Spotify, Watch Hours, and Community Love 33:02 New Releases and a Sampler Idea 44:09 Reading Listener Comments 50:42 Rob's Poconos Trip and Summer Wrap-Up 59:11 Humidity, Draw Tools, and Smoking Pace 1:13:16 Daily Drivers and the Le Flambeaux Green Light 1:20:00 What Giving People Water Actually Means 1:25:32 Then There's the Other Shop 1:34:19 Khong, Living the Dream in Saigon 1:37:59 Wrapping Up Episode 61

A guy named Heath had been in our Discord for about a week. None of us knew him. Then he asked if he could share something he'd written a while back, an essay about nearly dying from a series of infections, starting dialysis, and how the cigar community showed up for him in the hospital when things were darkest. We read part of it out loud, and it turned into one of the more honest conversations we've had in this garage.Before that, it's a pretty normal Tuesday. Mark's on the Isla del Sol Crocodilo, Eric's got an Ashton VSG paired with a vintage zoo ashtray his dad found him, and Walt's working through a Lampert Platino in the A size that ends up climbing the Top 25 list by the end of the night. There's talk about the Scandinavian Tobacco Group price increase hitting shelves in August, why retailer markups sting more than the tariffs themselves, and how Rob's pulled back from Fuente in favor of cigars that don't punish you for enjoying them. La Flor Dominicana's Carbon Flower cigars are finally landing, the Atabey Black Ritos nearly knocks the Padron 1964 off the top spot, and there's an update on a Trade Craft Cigars guest coming to the garage in two weeks. Read the full blog post: https://stogiereview.com/2026/08/10/smoke-and-steel-podcast-060/ Check out Heath's Full Story https://heathsnow.substack.com/p/more-than-smoke?r=8x21k9&utm_medium=ios 👉 If you enjoy this video, please like, comment, and subscribe for more cigar talk every week. 🔗 Connect With Us: 🌐 Website: https://stogiereview.com/ 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StogieReview/ 📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stogiereview/ 💬 Discord: https://discord.gg/8h5tuYaqJV ☕ Support us on Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/stogiereview 📧 Email: [email protected] CHAPTERS0:00 Clapper and Cold Open 0:13 Welcome to the Garage 1:57 What Everyone's Smoking Tonight 3:40 Catching Up and Weekly Buys 13:05 Discord Numbers Are Exploding 23:05 Why We Won't Push Self-Promotion 29:04 Tags, Collabs, and Reposts 36:57 Merch, Troy, and a Coming Raffle 44:24 Catching Up on Other Cigar Podcasts 48:51 Trade Craft Cigars Coming to the Garage 52:47 Breaking Sports Corner 55:59 Price Increases and Retailer Markups 1:05:00 New Releases Landing This Week 1:19:12 The Top 25 List Shifts1: 24:39 Heath's Story 1:33:15 Wrapping Up the Night

Walt found a lyric in an old country song, went down a rabbit hole, and came out the other side connecting two Crowned Heads cigars to a trademark dispute. Then the crew told him the real story, and it was better than the conspiracy. This week it's Roman night in the garage courtesy of a few Tradecraft blends, and the Atabey Black Ritos is back on the table for a real conversation about whether it still earns its spot at number two on our list. We get into an old Scotsman who picked a half-smoked cigar out of an ashtray at Chartwell, the ongoing mystery of what happens when a brand like HDA moves factories, and a debate about whether Moonflower actually lives up to the hype it's getting online right now. Somewhere in the middle of all that we build our dream five-pack, argue about music, and start planning a cigar lounge none of us can afford yet. Check out the full blog post: https://stogiereview.com/2026/08/01/smoke-and-steel-podcast-059/ 👉 If you enjoy this video, please like, comment, and subscribe for more cigar talk every week. 🔗 Connect With Us: 🌐 Website: https://stogiereview.com/ 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StogieReview/ 📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stogiereview/ 💬 Discord: https://discord.gg/8h5tuYaqJV ☕ Support us on Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/stogiereview 📧 Email: [email protected] CHAPTERS 0:00 Cold Open and Lighting Up 15:17 The Ashtray Incident and Other Hustles 30:01 Ranking the Atabey Black Ritos 39:39 Fan Generosity and Lounge Mishaps 48:39 HDA Moves From Black Label 57:00 Blending, Rolling, and Frankenstein Cigars 1:11:41 Cigar Conspiracy Corner 1:17:11 Is Moonflower Cigar of the Year 1:21:04 New Cigars and the Black Card 1:26:02 Building the Dream Five Pack 1:33:00 What We're Listening To 1:43:09 Designing Our Own Lounge 1:54:08 Merch Store Update 1:57:51 Wrapping Up

A Discord member sent the whole crew a box of smokes, and one of them, the Atabey Black Ritos, ended up in a real debate for a spot on our Top 25 Cigars of 2026 list. Smoke and Steel records every Tuesday night in a garage in Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania. Same crew, same cigars, same conversations they were already having before the cameras turned on. This week's episode covers a lot of ground. There's a father's thank-you gift of OpusX and Don Carlos cigars from the Dominican Republic, a growing debate over the upcoming Le Flambeaux out of the Kelner factory, and an update on LA Cigar Collective's Membership. One of the crew goes down a rabbit hole trying to figure out how many cigar lounges actually exist across the country, and the show wraps with a conversation about Ireland's new smoking restrictions and the old story about JFK stockpiling Cubans before the embargo. The Atabey Black Ritos was sent to the show by a member of our Discord community, not a sponsor. Just a genuinely generous gift that turned into one of the best cigars of the year. Read the full blog post: https://stogiereview.com/2026/08/06/smoke-and-steel-podcast-058/ 👉 If you enjoy this video, please like, comment, and subscribe for more cigar talk every week. 🔗 Connect With Us: 🌐 Website: https://stogiereview.com/ 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StogieReview/ 📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stogiereview/ 💬 Discord: https://discord.gg/8h5tuYaqJV ☕ Support us on Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/stogiereview 📧 Email: [email protected] CHAPTERS 0:00 Welcome Back to the Garage 1:09 What We're Smoking and Buying This Week 9:29 The Hunt for the Johnny Tobacconaught 19:38 Community Shoutouts and the Virtual Lounge 25:24 A Text From Abe Flores at PDR 27:00 Flambeaux Hype and the Collective Pack's Growth 37:20 The Atabey Black Ritos Joins the List 43:53 A Gift Box and a Comedian Tangent 48:05 The Croc, and a Shoutout to Smokin' Sounds 52:27 An Update on the Garage Build 54:45 The LFD Project Carbon Flower 58:21 Conspiracy Corner: Counting Cigar Lounges 1:04:33 Fan Questions: Letdowns and Consistency 1:11:34 One Year In, and the Merch Store Blows Up 1:17:10 Smoking Bans, From Ireland to JFK's Cuba

Rob Blumenthal joined us in the garage this week to talk about Tradecraft Cigars, the brand he launched on his own outside the family business. He walked us through the Gladius, the Azorian, and the Vitruvian, and by the end of the night the Gladius had the whole table talking. We got into how Rob built three completely different blends instead of one house line with different wrappers, why he lowered his prices while most of the industry is raising theirs, and the story behind naming a cigar after a Cold War CIA mission. Rob also broke down his family's history in the cigar business going back five generations, his partnership with blender Wiber Ventura, and what's coming next for the brand, including a fourth line called Shinobi. We picked these cigars up ourselves at Chartwell Cigar Club and smoked them live on the show. Check out the full blog post on Stogie Review: https://stogiereview.com/2026/08/19/smoke-and-steel-podcast-062/ 👉 If you enjoy this video, please like, comment, and subscribe for more cigar talk every week. 🔗 Connect With Us: 🌐 Website: https://stogiereview.com/ 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StogieReview/ 📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stogiereview/ 💬 Discord: https://discord.gg/8h5tuYaqJV ☕ Support us on Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/stogiereview 📧 Email: [email protected] CHAPTERS 0:00 Before We Officially Start 0:19 Meet Rob Blumenthal 2:38 How Tradecraft Came Together 6:14 Building Three Distinct Blends 14:02 Cutting Prices While Everyone Raises Theirs 18:46 Box Press Launch and Chartwell Shoutout 23:01 Blending for a Split Room 29:08 The Half Wheel Review Story 35:13 Five Generations of Cigar History 41:01 Running a Brand vs a Shop 44:53 Naming Gladius, Azorian, and Vitruvian 52:20 Shinobi and Finding Wiber Ventura 1:00:23 The Gladius Wins the Table 1:03:08 Digging Into the Vitruvian 1:07:46 Tobacco Supply and Industry Relationships 1:16:47 What's Next and Smaller Boxes

We built our own cigar rating system this week and used it for the first time. Five swords, one through five, no half points. By the end of the night, one cigar walked away with a perfect score. Plasencia sent us two boxes to open on camera, each one loaded with a magnetic lid, matching lighter, and cutter. One stayed with the crew, the other went to Eric, who's been running our social media all year and finally got something back for it. From there we worked through what everyone smoked, talked through the price increases hitting some of our go-to sticks like Tatuaje's Monster Series and Black Label's Bishop Blends, and got sidetracked into a long conversation about AI tracking, toll cameras, and how much of your day gets logged without you noticing. Bruce also joins partway through and tells us about his move from Cigar Mojo to Chartwell Cigar Club. Smoke and Steel records every Tuesday night in a garage in Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania. Same crew, same cigars, same conversations they were already having before the cameras turned on. Read the full blog post here: https://stogiereview.com/2026/07/22/smoke-and-steel-podcast-056/ 👉 If you enjoy this video, please like, comment, and subscribe for more cigar talk every week. 🔗 Connect With Us: 🌐 Website: https://stogiereview.com/ 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StogieReview/ 📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stogiereview/ 💬 Discord: https://discord.gg/8h5tuYaqJV ☕ Support us on Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/stogiereview 👕 Check out our NEW MERCH: https://www.stickermule.com/stogiereview 📧 Email: [email protected] CHAPTERS 0:00 Episode 56 Rolls In Late 6:20 Plasencia Surprises Eric With a Box 10:45 Bruce Joins and Lights the Farce 13:01 What Everybody Picked Up This Week 22:03 The Sword Rating System Is Born 24:57 Fans of the Week and Growing Numbers 29:41 Grading the Don Emmanuel So Far 31:25 Monster Series and Bishop Blends Get Pricier 36:04 AI Tracking and Toll Road Paranoia 48:50 Titans of Tobacco and the UK Tobacco Ban 53:31 Walt Lights the Fratello 59:40 Bruce Makes the Move to Chartwell 1:03:59 The Great Plasencia Burn Debate 1:11:01 Rob's Cafe Racer Rebuild 1:18:36 An Old Crowned Heads Court Resurfaces 1:29:57 Life on the Road and Slowing Down 1:43:05 One Year of Smoke and Steel 1:46:19 Final Sword Scores of the Night

0:00 Welcome to the Garage 4:04 Mark Finds Out About the Herf 8:03 What We Bought This Week 15:06 Remembering Drew Estate's Glenn Wolfson 16:39 Fan Questions: Show Changes and Newcomers 24:42 Cigar Bands and Ash, Stash, or Trash 34:15 The Opus X Baby Shark Price Debate 38:38 Rebranded Blends and Honest Reviews 56:00 Tasting Notes and Reference Points 59:35 Connecticut vs Maduro Showdown 1:04:58 LACC, HDA, and the Collective Pack 1:09:53 Seasonal and Limited Edition Cigars 1:17:19 List Talk: Liga Privada, Bishop's Blend, and Alma Fuerte 1:30:18 Cigar Sizes and Easy Blind Buys 1:34:38 Fans and Discord Shoutouts 1:37:57 Walt's Movie and TV Remake Rant 1:48:35 Rob's Package Mix-Up and Closing Out

Eddie walked into a vape shop looking for nothing in particular and walked out having bought every Plasencia they had in stock. Old Plasencia short fillers sitting next to current Alma Fuerte hexagons, priced like nobody behind the counter knew what they had. The price has already gone up since we recorded this. Smoke and Steel records every Tuesday night in a garage in Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania. Same crew, same cigars, same conversations we were already having before the cameras turned on. This week the table gets into a $1,200 spinning humidor that showed up on Rob's porch, a full rundown of what everybody bought during the Father's Day sales, and a debate about who we'd actually pick to blend a cigar if we ever made one. Crown Heads and LFD both come up more than once. Later on we get into the economics of why a cigar that costs a couple bucks to make can sell for twenty, why an Opus X gets flipped for triple retail and nobody seems mad about it, and the ongoing argument about buying by the box versus buying five-packs. Check out the blog post here: https://stogiereview.com/2026/07/18/smoke-and-steel-podcast-054/ 👉 If you enjoy this video, please like, comment, and subscribe for more cigar talk every week. 🔗 Connect With Us: 🌐 Website: https://stogiereview.com/ 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StogieReview/ 📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stogiereview/ 💬 Discord: https://discord.gg/8h5tuYaqJV ☕ Support us on Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/stogiereview 👕 Check out our NEW MERCH: https://www.stickermule.com/stogiereview 📧 Email: [email protected] CHAPTERS 0:00 Back In The Chair After Five Weeks 2:26 What's Burning Tonight 7:29 Fans Of The Week And Discord Points 11:33 The Father's Day Sale Damage Report 14:12 A Vape Shop Turns Up Old Plasencia 17:47 The Rest Of The Shopping List 20:55 Walt's Porch Full Of Boxes 21:58 New Releases On The Horizon 29:00 Would We Ever Make Our Own Cigar 34:36 The $1,200 Spinning Humidor 38:40 Giving Bruce Grief And Old Episodes 44:04 Picking A Blender For Our Cigar 53:36 Nicaragua Versus Dominican Tobacco 58:58 Bike Updates And Backwards Uploads 1:00:57 Ranking The Avowed Lineup 1:09:49 Black Card Clubs And Boogeyman Cigars 1:13:07 Where The Real Discounts Live 1:20:35 The Mark Episode And What A Cigar's Worth 1:26:17 Spoiled By Having Four Lounges 1:34:14 Boxes Versus Five Packs 1:44:57 Closing Out Episode 54