Box Press

How do you judge a cigar? Focus on a cigar’s flavor, balance, construction and clean finish suggests HVC founder Reinier Lorenzo. A cigar with a clean finish won’t leave you with a weird taste in your mouth afterward—what smokers call ashtray mouth.  Native Cuban Reiner founded the small-batch cigar house HVC in 2011, as a homage to hand-made cigars in Havana. “To me, Cubans, when they are right, when you have a really good Cuban cigar, there’s nothing that you can compare with. So now in Nicaragua, we at HVC, we want to replicate that.”  Filmed on location at HVC headquarters in Doral, Florida with Boveda’s Rob Gagner.  Snow, cows and how to start your own boutique cigar company:  00:00 Cold open 03:05 Blending cigar tobacco is like creating a recipe 03:19 Look for flavor over strength when choosing a cigar 03:48 What cigars does HVC make? 05:56 A Cuban moves to Wisconsin 10:33 From Wisconsin to Nicaragua and AGANORSA  12:55 Why rolling a cigar at home is never as good as the premium

Take a trip to Cuba in less than five minutes with HVC founder Reinier Lorenzo. See first editions, Cigar Aficionado top cigar of the year and more as Reinier opens up his personal humidor to Box Press host Rob Gagner. Reiner founded the small-batch cigar house HVC in 2011, as a homage to hand-made cigars from Cuba’s capital city, Havana. Filmed on location in Miami, Florida. Full interview with HVC Reiner Lorenzo is coming soon. Cigar lovers, subscribe to the Boveda Box Press channel, so you don’t miss it! What’s in his humidor along with Boveda? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eF6c-3BjfeM&t=0s (00:00) Cold open https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eF6c-3BjfeM&t=56s (00:56) What’s the most flavorful Cuban cigar on the market? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eF6c-3BjfeM&t=81s (01:21) What is Rob Gagner’s favorite Cuban cigar? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eF6c-3BjfeM&t=109s (01:49) Is it true that this cigar has no aftertaste? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eF6c-3BjfeM&t=150s (02:30) What

A true crime cigar story! Thieving jacka$$es sledgehammer their way into the back of a humidor and make off with $150,000 worth of limited-edition cigars BEFORE the owner had a chance to insure his new warehouse. His next move after installing high-tech security? Craft a new boutique cigar called La Mandarria, which translates to THE SLEDGEHAMMER. Hear the backstory from Casa Cuevas Cigars’ Luis Cuevas Jr. and Alec Cuevas. In 2022, the Dominican cigar company rereleased the cigar blends that disappeared in the 2019 theft as the Flaco Habano and Flaco Maduro. The father and son duo smoke 7 x 43 Flacos with the Box Press host Rob Gagner. Shot on location at Miami’s Empire Social Lounge. Take a moment to enjoy South Florida’s cigar lifestyle—relax and listen to good stories over good cigars with good company. When you head to Miami for cigars, stop in at Empire Social Lounge and tell them Boveda sent you: https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqa3NZZVAyYjMtOFlVLXVuQ3M5

The first stop on the Miami cigar scene! Boveda’s Miami cigar tour features acrobats, a new celebrity cigar, stink bugs and other spine-tingling tales from cigar legend Jack Toraño. Espinosa Cigar’s brand ambassador gives host Rob Gagner a Knuckle Sandwich, the new Guy Fieri cigar. Hear how the Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives star launched his stick. Private jet to Puerto Rico. Mongo release party. Cadre of chefs. BAM! Shot on location at Miami’s Empire Social Lounge. Take a moment to enjoy South Florida’s cigar lifestyle—relax and listen to good stories over good cigars with good company. When you head to Miami for cigars, stop in at Empire Social Lounge and tell them Boveda sent you: https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbnNWcWIwbXpEelZvaTdIbGktSFg1YzlxcDVqZ3xBQ3Jtc0ttbGgtd1dYNURWR1VHYktLZzFRYnJ6SThlWUhmRExmVU5SRFUxRWZRLWNwT1d6MHppSW5TMmtpaS1YMFkyZDU5R2hDWnMyMVNTcV9LWFZxclRsazM5MzBTcFVqN0JqdHd5cUd3V0JUSkxqcDVkWkdRUQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fempiresociallounge.com&v=RwH

Coming to you from the U.S. hot bed of cigars, Miami, Florida! Catch the new Box Press series as Boveda's Rob Gagner goes deep with Miami cigar legends, including: • Nick Perdomo, Jr. and son Nick III, Perdomo Cigars • Henderson Ventura, Ventura Cigar Company • Robert Caldwell, Caldwell Cigar Co. • Reinier Lorenzo, HVC • Jack Toraño, Espinosa Cigars • Ernesto Padilla, Padilla Cigars • Luis Cuevas Jr. and his son Alec, Casa Cuevas Cigars Miami's a lit locale for cigar lovers. Plan a trip for sticks with your smoking buddies to visit Miami's cigar lounges and take a tobacco factory tour. Remember to pack Boveda Humidor Bags to safely transport souvenir cigars home from vacations. Boveda preserves the oils and sugars in the tobacco until you're ready to smoke Miami's best cigars. Stock up on Boveda Humidor Bags here: https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbTQwdlBWOWJiak55bkFsYTcycHk2UVFEY05vQXxBQ3Jtc0tsQ0ViVmlvQUdVVEVsWmtVTnd2dWRnYVowV1UtbTlQckZseG1PTGRyQ2NrUWIxdHpTV21k

Unicorn chasers, this one’s for you! Think you’re missing out not smoking Cuban cigars? Get your hands on these new small-batch sticks from Lampert, which were mistaken for premium Cubans by cigar lovers around the world. Blended by current GM of Mombacho Cigars, SOTL Indiana Ortez, these fine cigars sold out at 2021 PCA in Las Vegas. With the last cigar box in the house, Founder Dr. Stefan Lampert joined Boveda’s Rob Gagner for a short Robusto. Highlights from this European cigar podcast include: 00:00 Cold open 01:42 How to retrohale a cigar 03:24 Who blends Lampert’s boutique cigars? 05:03 Do smaller cigars get the better tobacco leaves? 09:32 How many lawyers does it take to make a cigar? 10:37 Where can you buy Lampert Cigars in the United States? 12:45 Blending cigars with construction and environmental law 16:51 Does Lampert Cigars have a Connecticut wrapper? 17:08 Cigar smokers around the world taste test Lampert Cigars 21:00 Do Europeans prefer Cuban cigars? 28:35 What cigar is reminiscent of

Are you overwhelmed when you visit a tobacco shop’s humidor? Approach the tobacconist to help you find the perfect cigar for you. Next, learn how to use all of your senses to enhance your smoking experience. Boveda’s Rob Gagner was shocked by what can influence your opinion of a cigar. Amaze your cigar buddies with tips from sensory expert Reinhard Phorec, host of cigar podcast, Light ‘Em Up Lounge. Recorded at 2021 PCA in Las Vegas. Learn how to enjoy cigars better in this cigar podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzRLY3Ok_tw&t=0s (00:00) Cold open https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzRLY3Ok_tw&t=321s (05:21) Why retailers should break from the script when you’re at the register https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzRLY3Ok_tw&t=588s (09:48) What cigar shops can learn from the hospitality industry https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzRLY3Ok_tw&t=1419s (23:39) A professional cigar taste tester shares how to fully taste cigars https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzRLY3Ok_tw&t=1799s (29:59) Try thi

Steelers fans, light up an Ike Taylor cigar! Before retiring in 2015, Ike won two Super Bowl® rings during his 12-year career with Pittsburgh. Now the former NFL® player has launched a premium cigar called 1OFAHKINE (pronounced one of a kind). Working with black-owned cigar brand, Howard G Cigars, Ike sampled 40 different tobaccos to develop the blend, which is in the All Pro Series. Ike and boutique cigar company founder Howard Gumbs joined Boveda’s Rob Gagner at 2021 PCA in Las Vegas.  Cigar podcast highlights include:   (2:28) Shout out to Corona Cigars on Sand Lake! (3:22) The cigar man who knows his bacon (4:40) What new cigar smokers need to know before they visit a cigar shop (5:49) Life after the NFL®  (8:48) What young Ike Taylor learned from hanging out in cigar lounges (9:18) Why Ike Taylor partnered with Howard G Cigars (10:40) Working with tobacco is like raising a kid (11:05) Origin story of the BIPOC cigar company Howard G (11:25) The late cigar legend and pianist Avo&n

Got a NFW cigar story to share? This proves that in-store herfing leads to unexpected mash-ups and good couch for a cigar podcast! Hear the whole cigar lounge tale and more as Warfighter Tobacco Company’s Jon Simons and Scott Jansen join Boveda’s Rob Gagner at 2021 PCA in Las Vegas.  Highlights from this armed forces cigar podcast include:   (2:28) What Warfighter cigars are they smoking? (5:07) Why do cigar smokers taste wild flavors in cigars? (6:06) What’s a trifecta cigar smoking experience? (7:12) THE BEST COMEBACK TO WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE CIGAR?! (8:34) How did Warfighter Tobacco Company get started? (12:55) How service members crowdsourced Warfighter into tobacco shops (16:44) Why is the Warfighter cigar called Garrison? (17:48) What’s the difference between Warfighter’s Garrison and Field cigars? (18:58) What do Warfighter Tobacco’s calibers mean? (19:59) What’s Warfighter’s Minutemen cigar like? (20:45) Good name for a pandemic cigar—The Dumpster Fire! (28:30) THE BEST CIGAR SHOP S

When the world throws you a curve, lean into mentors, then pivot. For this elite boutique cigar maker, that meant revitalizing the c brand. Abe Flores has embraced the roots of the D.R.’s cigar lineage; simplified his tobacco blends; halved the number of cigars his Tamboril factory produces; and picked up business advice from cigar legends.  Talking to Boveda’s Rob Gagner at 2021 PCA in Las Vegas, the cigar entrepreneur shares what’s next as PDR nears its 20th anniversary. This cigar podcast’s highlights include:   (6:31) Best place to buy Cuban cigars in Europe (8:13) What cigars you should try if you go to Cuba (10:50) How COVID affected the cigar industry (12:33) How smoking cigars influences what you do now for fun  (15:05) What to watch out for before investing in a vacation property if you’re a cigar smoker (17:20) You can rent Abe Flores’s apartment in the D.R. on Airbnb! (17:29) Dating advice for cigar aficionados—find a mate who likes cigars (or at least, doesn’t mind them) (20:31

So what if a kid gets kicked out of kindergarten and fourth grade and tenth grade? He can still succeed—and even earn a master’s degree and make the big bucks in financial services! It’s about what you learn from setbacks that counts. Micky Pegg’s gone from Capitol Hill to tobacco sales to mutual funds, then back to cigars again. In 2018, this professional chameleon and certified tobacco sommelier launched the boutique cigar brand, All Saints Cigars. Listen to this cigar talk with Boveda’s Rob Gagner as he and All Saints founder share the boxworthy Habano Dedicación at 2021 PCA in Las Vegas. This cigar podcast’s highlights include:   (1:50) Discovering that your great-great-grandfather ran a legendary tobacco shop  (3:07) Delivering cigars to senators while they conferenced with POTUS (4:30) Selling cigars, then managing Georgetown Tobacco (7:55 ) Blending All Saints Cigars (8:31) Accidental cigar run that became All Saints’s Solamente (11.09) Trademarking St. Francis for a cigar release (12:49

National treasure? More like an international treasure! Hiram & Solomon is sold worldwide as the official cigar representing Freemasons. Hear Masonic theories debunked, Freemasonary history revealed and fake cigar ops foiled. What’s the “Da Vinci Code” on the cigar brand founded by Masonic Brother, Fouad Kashouty? Find out with Boveda’s Rob Gagner from Fouad and his wife, Romy for a smoke at 2021 PCA in Las Vegas.  You don’t have to be a Mason to buy Hiram & Solomon Cigars, which include Enter Apprentice, Fellow Craft, Shriner, Traveling Man, Veiled Prophet, Grand Architect and Master Mason. Curamus is the latest cigar release in the Hiram & Solomon Grand Master cigar line.  Hiram & Solomon protects its premium cigars by packaging with Boveda. You can protect your cigars just like cigars makers. Preserve your passion with Boveda, makers of 2-way humidity control for cigars, easy seasoning for wood humidors, humidor bags and the NEW Humidor Starter Kits. Shop Boveda for cigars here: h

He’s been a coach, a teacher, a vice principal, a financial advisor and a Jersey Shore cigar shop owner. So with a doctoral diploma on the wall, why is Steve Zengel running a cigar company for a living? Um, because it’s awesome. Hear the whole twisty-turny origin of Los Caidos from its founder who sat down with Boveda’s Rob Gagner at 2021 PCA in Las Vegas. And learn how neither sleet, nor rain, nor gloom of night stopped Steve’s motorcycle ride across the U.S. for the Life of a Ride Time, a non-profit organization for fallen first responders. (And why Steve will stick to regional rides from now on!) For Steve, a cigar is more than just a smoke, it’s a connection to a fallen friend who was a financial advisor and victim of the terrorist attack at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Los Caidos translates to the fallen.  Currently, $1 from every Los Caidos cigar sold goes to support family members of first responders. Cigar smokers can choose either Los Caidos Blue for a fallen police officer or

When you share a cigar, you open up to each other. It’s no different for Raquel Quesada who  grew up in a cigar dynasty. She revealed some never-told stories to Boveda’s Rob Gagner over Quesada 1974 cigars at 2021 PCA in Las Vegas.  Raquel talked openly about childhood hijinks; the least favorite training rotation of cigar operations; secret grows on the Quesada tobacco farm; and blending swaps she pulled on her dad, Manuel "Manolo" Quesada. As president and owner of the family-owned cigar factory, Manolo raised two strong daughters to succeed in the C-suite boy’s club of premium cigars.  Highlights of the cigar conversation with Quesada include:  Shaking her booty to Dance VXN (1:07) Tweaking tobacco blends in dad’s cigar recipe (13:52) Coloring a box of cigars for consistency (16:07) Making your mark to get what you paid for (18:47) Studying and working at a tobacco shop in Boston—a tropical girl in the snow (21:20) Playing well with competitors strengthens the Dominican cigar industry (

Tunneling. Band burning. Puffing too soon. Puffing too late. One by one, a cigar smoking err takes them down. See who’ll represent the U.S. at the world event of the Cigar Smoking World Championship (CSWC). Will it be a BOTL or SOTL? Coined the Slowest Race on Earth, this international competition is all about “slow smoking” cigars. Pick up smoking strategies as Box Press Podcast Host Rob Gagner talks to cigar smoking competitors at BURN by Rocky Patel in Pittsburgh, PA. In 2021, 13 qualifying rounds were held at smoke clubs and lounges across the U.S. There were qualifying events in more than 30 countries. The winner from each country attended the grand finale in Split, Croatia, in September 2021. A well-humified cigar burns more slowly and evenly. Extend your own smoking experience by storing cigars in your humidor with Boveda, a global partner of CSWC. Boveda, is the maker of https://store.bovedainc.com/collections/boveda-for-tobacco (2-way humidity control for cigars), https://store.bovedainc.com/collecti

Ferio Tego is like a greatest hits album for cigar lovers. All your favorites, less of the “something new we’re working on and we hope you like it” smokes. Learn why there’s room in your humidor for oldies-but-goodies and hot-new-hits. Ferio Tego’s Herklots joined Boveda’s Rob Gagner at 2021 PCA in Las Vegas for this episode of Box Press, the cigar lifestyle podcast. Metropolitan and Timeless cigars are alive today because of Herklots and his business partner Brendon Scott. When the now-defunct Nat Sherman International closed, the two former employees started a cigar company with saved legacy brands and cigar accessories and two new blends, Elegancia and Generoso. Highlights of the cigar conversation with Herklots include: 6:00 Getting a job at a tobacco shop to pay for his cigar hobby 8:01 Succeeding at work is doing more than your job 13:30 Wearing a guayabera and Panama hat while standing in the middle of a tobacco field smelling green leaves is not him 15:50 Comparing wine to cigars 19.50 Learning h

How long can you make a cigar last? Watch cigar smokers go head to head in the U.S. Semifinals of the Cigar Smoking World Championship (CSWC). Coined the Slowest Race on Earth, this international competition is all about “slow smoking” cigars. Contenders talk smoking strategies with Box Press Podcast Host Rob Gagner at Club Leaf & Bean, a private cigar club just south of Pittsburgh, PA. In 2021, 13 qualifying rounds were held at smoke clubs and lounges across the U.S. There were qualifying events in more than 30 countries. The winner from each country attended the grand finale in Split, Croatia, in September 2021. A well-humidified cigar burns more slowly and evenly. Extend your own smoking experience by storing cigars in your humidor with Boveda, a global partner of CSWC. Boveda is the maker of https://store.bovedainc.com/collections/boveda-for-tobacco (2-way humidity control for cigars), https://store.bovedainc.com/collections/boveda-for-tobacco (easy seasoning for wood humidors), https://store.bovedain

Did you know that cigars, a lot of cigars, were once made in the U.S.? Learn your U.S. history of cigars in America’s West in this Box Press episode with Big Sky Cigar Company and Boveda’s Rob Gagner at 2021 Tobacco Plus Expo in Las Vegas. Jess Coleman and Brandon Marsh rejuvenated the Montana boutique cigar scene building on the state’s rich cigar heritage. Did you know that in the early 1900s, Montana was home to over 107 cigar factories? Today’s Big Sky Cigars are designed locally and created with the highest quality Nicaraguan tobaccos. This cigar podcast digs into: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEBjL44vXF0&t=126s (2:06) Big Sky Cigar’s Yellowstone River Box which was featured in Fly Fishermen Magazine’s 2021 Father's Day Gift Guide https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEBjL44vXF0&t=350s (5:50) Montana’s little-known but rich cigar history https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEBjL44vXF0&t=588s (9:48) Antiquing for cigar boxes and cigar tokens like American Pickers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t

Prep yourself: Your mouth will water during this Box Press episode with Jake Wyatt Cigars and https://bovedainc.com/tobacco/ (Boveda’s) Rob Gagner at 2021 Tobacco Plus Expo in Las Vegas. The company’s gourmet cigar lines are artisanal tobacco blends, say Jake Wyatt founders, Neil Garcia and Gerard Abajian.  Friends Neil and Gerard launched Jake Wyatt in 2020. Named after their two sons, the boutique cigar brand offers five gourmet lines of cigar blends you won’t find anywhere else. Looking for a new cigar to linger on your palate? Nab a Jake Wyatt sample box at your brick-and mortar cigar shop.  This cigar podcast delves into the men behind the business and includes: Where’s a good steak place in SoCal where you can smoke cigars? (12:22) How Neil Garcia transitioned from playing pro baseball to launching a cigar business. (13:01) How to stay friends with your business partner. (16:34) What’s a gourmet cigar? (25:00) Is your cigar palate consistent or varied? (25:34) Why 22 cigars in Jake Wyatt boxes

Shop for that first cigar with confidence. Cigar smoking friend or tobacconist suggesting a Connecticut wrapper? Learn what to ask for instead from Blackbird Cigar Company’s Jonas Santana. This rapper turned cigar maker joined https://bovedainc.com/tobacco/ (Boveda’s) Rob Gagner cigar podcast at 2021 Tobacco Plus Expo in Las Vegas. Find out why a Blackbird is the hot new cigar you gotta try. This new boutique cigar brand is the next wave of cigars born from those not born into a cigar empire.  A cigar talk where you’ll learn: What’s with these cigars named after birds in brightly colored cigar boxes (Crow, Finch, Cuco, etc.) How to smoke Blackbird cigars in the right order (Perfect advice for a three-cigar-a-day smoker looking for progressive blends.)  What famous cigar smoker to share a cigar with. How to sharpen your skills beyond college, smart from someone who designed https://blackbirdcigar.com/product/cant-clip-my-wings-hat-black-blue/ (Can’t Clip My Wings) cigar swag. Jonas protects Blackbird