CSM George joins us on the remote where we swear him in as a Cigar Hack. We recount the Vouchers for Veterans event from last week. The Hidden Herf is identified with an initial lucky guess and gets a high rating. The crickets are in the background while we sit around the firepit for the third outdoor episode in a row. The Caballero ( GilVideosVisual ) tells us about his travels and making cigar brand videos. Local Spotlight – Out in the Limo Last Saturday Night – Twins & Radloff’s Controver...
Aug 09, 2021•1 hr 12 min
This week the Hacks put on the Vouchers for Veterans ; Smok’em If You Got’em Event at the Smokey Quartz Distillery in Seabrook NH, a veteran owned operation. The event was a huge success. The Hidden Herf was also a huge success, receiving a high rating from the panel. CSM George made the trip up from CT to join us for this special veterans event and was joined by Mr. Bojimbles of Two Guys , and MJ of the Black Bottle Beard Co. We speak with Jeanne from Vouchers for Veterans , Edgar from Aladino ...
Aug 02, 2021•58 min
It’s a Hacks’ outing with the goats, dogs and a bonfire on a perfect Saturday evening. We’re grillin’ and chillin’ while feeding peanuts to the animals before the show. The neighborhood joins in for the fun and a few join us on the show. The Hidden Herf is interesting and there is a fair amount of cigar talk. The Podcast Juice is flowing so it’s lots of laughs. Local Spotlight – Gran Havana ; San Diego, CA Controversy Corner – Mask Madness! Goats and the bonfire pile...
Jul 26, 2021•1 hr 15 min
Stories from Summa-Palooza weekend, Who fell in? Who caught the big ones? It’s a small world. The Hidden Herf draws a split decision. The Smoky Quartz Veteran’s event is Friday July 30th – Tickets available here . Local Spotlight – The Lake, The Original Cigar & Bar , Cigar Shenanigans Cigar & Cocktail Lounge ; North Conway, NH Controversy Corner – Controlling the narrative and how it relates to the agenda. Hidden Herf 192 / The Barge...
Jul 19, 2021•1 hr 25 min
It’s Summa-Palooza at the lake house where we sit out on the water to record. We are joined by Dave The Dentist from Nashville, Mark (Ernie) and Bret (Bert) from The Retrohale . We have a so-so Hidden Herf and more fun with the “fart machine” than we should. Local Spotlight – Summa-Palooza Controversy Corner – Landing vs. catching a fish. Hidden Herf 191...
Jul 12, 2021•1 hr 5 min
Our special guest this week is Edgar, our local rep for Tatuaje , L’Atelier , JRE (Alidino) , Regis , and Gran Habano Cigars . We learn a lot about all these lines while having the usual fun with the panel. Local Spotlight – Excalibur Cigar & Scotch Lounge; San Diego, CA Controversy Corner – Vaccines and UFOs Hidden Herf 190...
Jul 05, 2021•1 hr 26 min
We take the S.S. Low Voltage out for our first episode on the water this summer. Our special call-in guest is Korb, manager of Crown City Cigars and co-host of “ The Cigar Smokers ” podcast. The Monte De Leon Mobile Cigar Lounge pops up two doors down and we learn about “ The Vibe You’re In ” podcast. The Hidden Herf (with clues) stumps the panel. The “ Retrohale ” podcast goes on hiatus. The usual hi-jinks ensue and there’s no shortage of bathroom humor. Local Spotlight – Crown City Cigars; Cor...
Jun 28, 2021•1 hr 17 min
Direct from The Tobacco Shack we have Mr. Black Bottle Beard Oil (a Shack regular) along with the Shack staff for this week’s episode. It’s a fun filled show with a cast of dozens – well, maybe only one. Nurse Rick brings us a boutique brand from his west coast visit as the (not so) Hidden Herf. The Jeremy Jack receives good reviews from the panel. Plenty of laughs in this one! Local Spotlight – The Tobacco Shack ; Rowley, MA Controversy Corner – Black Rock and the price of silver...
Jun 21, 2021•1 hr 21 min
Nurse Rick is on assignment in sunny Southern California visiting future Local Spotlight lounges. Taco Steve, the better brother, joins us this week and we have a few laughs at Nurse Rick’s expense. The mailbag is full and the Hidden Herf is well received. We completely skipped over the Local Spotlight – oh well there’s always next week. Local Spotlight – Ooops! Controversy Corner – Extended Unemployment, the real reason for it. Hidden Herf 187 / New Swag...
Jun 14, 2021•1 hr
This week we are at the Route One BNG (Business Networking Group) open event. It is a gathering of local businesses that includes cigars, a bar and pizza. Impromptu, we are joined by Scott Whitley, BNG member and host of the Boston radio and TV show; Wicked Bites . Scott and the Hacks talk with various Rt. 1 BNG members, who just happen to be cigar smokers too. It’s like a pop-up cigar lounge on the back patio at The Breakaway . The cigar stories are great and the banter around the economic pers...
Jun 07, 2021•1 hr 20 min
It’s Memorial Day so we have some special segments and topics. The mail-bag is a classic this week, thanks Nick from RI. Plume research is in the future with a potential mail-in example. The Hidden Herf looks familiar but then it doesn’t because it’s box-pressed. Then there’s the “Storage Juice” story. Local Spotlight – Twins Smoke Shop ; Londonderry, NH Controversy Corner – Did it come from a lab? Hidden Herf 185...
May 31, 2021•1 hr 19 min
Direct from the Mustang Ranch in New Hampshire on a perfect spring evening, the birds are chirping, the horses are out in the field, and the other wild life is about. It’s a perfect time and place for a cigar and some Tennessee moonshine. Lots of cigar news this week. The Hidden Herf is a new release and it receives high marks overall. Local Spotlight – Cigars R Us ; Danvers, MA Controversy Corner – Global Cooling Hidden Herf 184 / Antique Cigar Cutter...
May 24, 2021•1 hr 7 min
We get into how southern The Rev. Harvey is. The Hidden Herf goes in a different direction, we each choose a prefered vitola and we have panelists smoking three different sizes of the same cigar where it receives high marks. State flowers, birds and wild life are some of the side topics. We have fireworks in the background at just the right time. Local Spotlight – Smoke & Flame ; Pelham, NH Controversy Corner – Elective Audits Hidden Herf 183...
May 17, 2021•1 hr 5 min
On the road again in the Oscuro III up to Radloff’s . It’s not warm enough to do the show outside, but almost! The cast is in rare form this week as the bad jokes are flying. The Hidden Herf takes kind of a left turn. Jamie takes a break from tending bar to sit down with us for a while. Local Spotlight – Radloff’s Cigar Shop and On the Rox Lounge ; Rochester, NH Controversy Corner – China Moon Hidden Herf 182...
May 10, 2021•1 hr 23 min
This week we are joined by Rabbi Cut-Above (aka Mike from New Jersey). Another fun episode with lots of laughs! We discuss multiple cigar related topics and Rabbi Cut-Above tells about his local NJ shops. The Hidden Herf is a bit of a surprise and no one has a reasonable guess. Local Spotlight – Vintage Cigar Lounge & Club ; Westerly, RI Controversy Corner – 4% of the internet Hidden Herf 181 / Vintage Cigar Lounge...
May 03, 2021•1 hr 22 min
Hamlet Paredes , master cigar roller, from Rocky Patel is our special guest this week. We are also joined by Mike the Cop, our local Rocky Patel rep and winner of a “Rep of the Year” Hackie Award in 2020. The weather is perfect for our first outdoor episode of the year, the fire pit is lit and so are the cigars! Sit back and relax while we transport you to sitting by fire pit with Hamlet and the rest of the folks. It’s the usual Hack shenanigans and laughs with our friends. Local Spotlight – Ham...
Apr 26, 2021•1 hr 14 min
In-lounge at the new location of El Toro Cigar & Lounge , we get a preview of what’s coming when they reopen. We are joined by the the shop owners; Netal and Vilma, a few regulars, and our local Pura Soul Cigar representative; Bugsy. The Hidden Herf is from Pura Soul and receives high marks. The mail bag is full again and we have another first time write-in. It’s Dapper Cigars , not the other thing. Local Spotlight – El Toro Cigar and Lounge ; Hudson, NH Controversy Corner – Weather Control ...
Apr 19, 2021•1 hr 9 min
With a cast of eight in rare form, the Podcast Juice is flowing and it shows. The Hidden Herf is a great choice and is well received, but it’s guessed instantly by a couple of the panel members. We reinstate the Current Events error “bar” because the list is so long. Local Spotlight – March Madness at the Domicile Controversy Corner – Connecting the dots to Georgia Hidden Herf 178
Apr 12, 2021•1 hr 13 min
We swear in (or at) our newest Hack, but not before he goes through a gaultlet of questions. The Hidden Herf is a split desision, but still overall it’s a decent smoke. Comedy Chris returns to lighten up the show. Local Spotlight – Cloud Lounge; Salem, NH Controversy Corner – Prepare to have your questions canceled Hidden Herf 177
Apr 05, 2021•1 hr 8 min
A regular listener wants to see how we do the show, so we drag him right into the episode. Taco Steve and Dommie the Dominator are back. The mail bag is full. The Taco does it again; using the clues, he nails the Hidden Herf. A few new words are coined during the current events. It’s lot of laughs and as usual a fun time while smoking cigars. Local Spotlight – Greek Night, The Tobacco Shack; Rowley, MA Controversy Corner – Ever Given in the Suez Canal Hidden Herf 176...
Mar 29, 2021•1 hr 6 min
It’s just like hanging out in the local lounge for this episode. The Baroness is reunited with the impact driver. Paige sets us up with an interesting Hidden Herf that takes a while to figure out. The Reverend steps out for a few moments. Local Spotlight – The smoking bus, Cigars R Us; Danvers, MA Controversy Corner – The Boston Strangler Hidden Herf 175
Mar 22, 2021•1 hr 5 min
We are joined by Steve Saka, Cindy Saka and Casey of the Dunbarton Tobacco and Trust team at the Twins Hookset lounge. Steve gives us some interesting insight into DT&T world. Pastor Padron (Dan) is our lounge host and tells us about the shop and his first year managing this location. We have the usual bundle of laughs with a cast of thousands. See Episode 116 from Feb. 3rd, 2020 to hear the DT&T Ladies episode for some backstories. Local Spotlight – Twins Smoke Shop ; Hooksett, NH Contr...
Mar 15, 2021•1 hr 49 min
Nurse Rick and The Reverend Harvey team up to peg the Hidden Herf right out of the gate. Harvey receives a challenge coin. Ludwig writes in from across the pond. We talk about drifting cars on slippery roads. Paige asks why she has such a lousy nickname, so we give her an even worse nickname. Local Spotlight – March Madness at Two Guys, Salem, NH Controversy Corner – Mold vs. Plume
Mar 08, 2021•1 hr 2 min
We are joined by The “Salty” Stephanie (Mrs. Bastard) for some fun and “MotherLovinCoffee” . The Mail bag is full of items and The Reverend Harvey is in rare form with “The Dew” podcast juice recipe. Some of the panel think they know the Hidden Herf just by looking at it but everyone is stumped. Local Spotlight – World Famous Cigar Bar ; Ft. Meyers, FL Controversy Corner – The Fed Hidden Herf 172 / World Famous Cigar Bar ; Ft. Meyers, FL...
Mar 01, 2021•1 hr 11 min
Direct from a hot tub at the Holiday Inn in Jacksonville, FL, it’s Nurse Rick on the remote. He gives us a view into the Florida cigar scene while traveling around the state on college tours. This week we hear about his visit to Cigar Life in Lakeland . We answer a question e-mailed in by Nick from RI about higher priced cigars. Our Hidden Herf is another well-aged beauty with a yellowed cellophane. Local Spotlight – Cigar Life ; Lakeland, FL Controversy Corner – The Texas Power Grid Hidden Herf...
Feb 22, 2021•1 hr 2 min
It’s been a couple months since we’ve done an in-lounge episode and years since we’ve recorded in a cigar and hookah lounge. Jocelyn gives us a refresher course on hookahs. Nurse Rick brings in a Hidden Herf that, after a few hints, we get close to guessing the brand. Elie and Jocelyn tell us their story about starting Elie’s Smoking Lounge . Local Spotlight – Elie’s Smoking lounge ; Nashua, NH Controversy Corner – The Superbowl Hidden Herf 170...
Feb 15, 2021•1 hr 5 min
Hackapalooza weekend is now just a memory, we recap all the activities since the last episode. The Hidden Herf turns out to be a mixed bag because it’s a bit strong for most of the panel. Of course, no one comes close to guessing what it is. We “swear” in the newest member of the Hacks. Local Spotlight – Cloud Lounge ; Salem, NH Controversy Corner – The Lindell Video Hidden Herf 169...
Feb 08, 2021•1 hr 13 min
It’s night one of The Third Annual Hackapalooza (A.K.A. The RetroHack Spectacular), we’ve taken the out-of-town visitors to their first stop of the weekend. There are four additional lounges on the schedule over the next two days. We cover the day’s events and preview what’s planned. The Hidden Herf is an aged gem that garners a respectable rating from the entire cast of Hacks. Local Spotlight – The Tobacco Shack ; Rowley, MA Controversy Corner – Vietnam, then and now – The Hanoi Commitment by J...
Feb 01, 2021•1 hr 14 min
Getting spun up for Hackapalooza we smoke a great Hidden Herf that moves right to the top of the ratings list. We have a mystery guest in the audience who comes bearing gifts for the upcoming festivities. Local Spotlight – Smoke & Flame ; Pelham, NH Controversy Corner – Planet X Hidden Herf 167 / Smoke & Flame Where’s Bernie?...
Jan 25, 2021•1 hr 6 min
Hop Tarts in Scranton! Lots of news and items from the mail bag. The Reverend Harvey and Nurse Rick try out the double recliner. The Caballero is on a roll and goes for two in a row out of the gate with the Hidden Herf, this time the shape and appearance of the cigar was the give away. Current events are starting up again after the holidays. It’s the usual fun time with the same panel of Hacks as last episode. Local Spotlight – Cuban Crafters ; Miami, FL Controversy Corner – Paper vs. hard curre...
Jan 18, 2021•1 hr 18 min
