A large contingent of Hacks invade the Ash Cigar Lounge to do an episode with Darren Hill, our local New England Sales Manager for My Father Cigars . At one point we count 20 participants, so pull out your score card for this one. The Hidden Herf receives a very good rating overall. The Reverend Harvey returns from Georgia, The Gringo is in town, and we have a couple of first timers. Local Spotlight – Ash Cigar Lounge; Kingston, NH Controversy Corner – Ho Ho Ho-Flation...
Nov 27, 2023•1 hr 5 min
Let’s get grumpy! This week we visit the new Grumpy’s Cigars & Lounge , formerly El Toro, and sit down with two of the new owners to discuss what’s involved in running a cigar bar. A pair of new Hacks are minted and the Hidden Herf stumps the panel again. Local Spotlight – Grumpy’s Cigars & Lounge; Hudson NH Controversy Corner – Feral Hog Insurrection...
Nov 20, 2023•1 hr 30 min
We drop in to the Diplomat Cigar Lounge in Keene, NH to surprise Josh, the owner, and Mike, the Rocky Patel Rep, for the first Rocky Patel event at this shop. A small contingent of Hacks make the trek on a Thursday, so we pull in a couple of regulars the round out the panel. The Hidden Herf is Pick Your Rocky, Pot-Luck style. Local Spotlight – The Diplomat Cigar Lounge; Keene, NH Controversy Corner – Ignorance...
Nov 13, 2023•1 hr 15 min
A couple of new Hack recruits join the crew at Ricky’s firepit. It’s a chilly night, so we load up the wood, have a good cigar, and sample some fine spirits to keep us warm. We recap the Pocono Palooza trip. The Hidden Herf is a new release from a well known brand, but it still stumps the panel. Local Spotlight – Pocono Palooza Lounge Tour Controversy Corner – MK Underground
Nov 06, 2023•1 hr 26 min
We head down to the Poconos for the 5th year, including Pocono Wedding Palooza. The Rabbi Cut Above joins us at Best Cigar Pub for this episode along with The JoJo Mo clan and a new recruit, Mike the Runaway. We interview the front of the house manager at Best Cigar Pub to get some details on the new lawn area. The Hidden Herf is not in the running for best cigar of the year. Local Spotlight – Best Cigar Pub; Drums, PA Controversy Corner – Feminization
Oct 30, 2023•1 hr 20 min
Kurt Kendall of Twins Smoke Shop and 7-20-4 Cigars has his 60th birthday bash with Rocky Patel . A few lucky raffle winners are invited the the lake house for the weekend with Kurt and Rocky for cigars, food and spirits. Our own Hunter Rick and Nurse Rick are among the weekend winners. We get a call in from the lake house and speak with Rocky, Rick, Mike and Pat. The Hidden Herf is a potpourri of selections from the New England Cigar Expo 1st day and we include the interview with the Nish Patel ...
Oct 23, 2023•1 hr 25 min
We recount four interviews from the New England Cigar Expo; Serino, Forged, JC Newman, and West Tampa Cigars. We have a special guest and the Hidden Herf ties in nicely.
Oct 16, 2023•1 hr 20 min
Joe Gonzalez, our new Aston, La Aroma de Cuba, and San Cristobal rep, joins us at Plaistow Cigar this week. The Mail Bag is full of great messages. The hidden herf does not disappoint. We recap the New England Cigar Expo and have a few laughs along the way. Local Spotlight – New England Cigar Expo 2023 Controversy Corner – Let’s not get canceled...
Oct 09, 2023•1 hr 43 min
Dommie the Dominator and the Blue Ash tied the knot this past weekend. The rest of the family go on a mountain top vacation for the balance of the week. We initiate a new cigar smoker and make some new friends. Between the wedding, vacation, and the New England Cigar Expo far too many cigars were consumed this week – as if that’s even possible. Local Spotlight – Wedding Cigar Bar
Oct 02, 2023•58 min
Joey, AKA The Godfather, AKA, Joey The Gent , has been on the show before but we have not told the story of his cigar journey until now. The Hidden Herf was an easy target for identification and receives a worthy rating. It’s a cast of Castro’s regulars with a few Hacks, so expect some fun. Local Spotlight – Castro’s Back Room ; Manchester, NH Controversy Corner – There is no controversy....
Sep 25, 2023•1 hr 14 min
For at least five years we have been after Roy Kirby to do an episode with us. We finally converge at the Perdomo event at Plaistow Cigar for an episode with a few surprises, including the Hidden Herf. Local Spotlight – Perdomo Cigars at Plaistow Cigar Co ; Plaistow, NH Controversy Corner – Just sit back and relax!...
Sep 18, 2023•1 hr 49 min
Direct from the Route One Business Networking Group (BNG) event for our third year, we talk with various BNG members while enjoying cigars on the back patio at the Rosaria Restaurant . It’s the usual laughs with some new and old friends. Local Spotlight – Route One BNG at Rosaria ; Saugus, MA...
Sep 11, 2023•1 hr 3 min
There’s a Blue Moon on Enema Lake for our first episode on the boat this summer where the S.S. Low Voltage lives up to it’s name. The Hidden Herf is one of Nurse Rick’s finds from his Florida trip. No fish were harmed (or caught) during the making of this episode. Local Spotlight – Five Lounge Rhode Island Recap Mr. J’s Havana Cigar Lounge Cedar Spill Cigar Lounge White Ash Cigar Lounge Boulevard Grille & Cigar Lounge Mr. Cigar Controversy Corner – The Color Blue...
Sep 04, 2023•1 hr 12 min
We return to Mr. J’s in RI with Miserable Nick to sit down with Paul Joyal of J. Grotto Cigars and Mr. J’s Havana Cigar Lounge. When we arrive we find that Mike Rosales, the “Ro” in RoMa Craft Tobac , is there on an unscheduled visit. As true Hacks we have Mike join us and talk about his experiences with making cigars and RoMa Craft . Also joining in latter is Dave Monroe the lounge manager at Mr. J’s. This is another one of those unexpected episodes where we get more than one perspective on the...
Aug 28, 2023•1 hr 54 min
We sit down with Netal of El Toro in Hudson NH for a small group session. Nurse Rick is in Haines City Florida and calls in with Anthony of The Cigar Quarters and John Deans of Madre Tierra Cigars. We will see you at The New England Cigar Expo on September 29th & 30th. Local Spotlight – El Toro Cigar & Lounge; Hudson, NH Controversy Corner – Future Controversy Predictions...
Aug 21, 2023•1 hr 12 min
For our 300th episode milestone we descend on the Tobacco Shack unannounced and set up outside in the patio area on a fine summer evening. It’s a small group recording as many Hacks are on vacation or in disrepair. Nurse Rick calls in from Florida to give us the hotel check-in report. The Hidden Herf stumps the panel and receives a decent rating. Local Spotlight – The Tobacco Shack Side Patio; Rowley, MA Controversy Corner – The USS Liberty Incident...
Aug 14, 2023•1 hr
Back with our regular rotation of panelists it’s a full house for the Big Sky Cigars event at Plaistow Cigar . We are joined by their new rep, and long time Hack regular, Brian Sonia. Some of us have had a few of the new line from Big Sky , but the Hidden Herf turns out to be a hit with the panel. Local Spotlight – Plaistow Cigar Co; Plaistow, NH Controversy Corner – Sleeper Cells to The Crazy Plane Lady...
Aug 07, 2023•1 hr 33 min
For the second week in a row we are on the road for a family event. There’s a party for the ladies going on in the house and the men are exiled to the garage for cigars, podcast juice, and to record this week’s episode. The Hidden Herf turns out to be decent after we get past a few minor issues. Local Spotlight – The Domicile 2.0 Controversy Corner – UFOs and such
Jul 31, 2023•1 hr 7 min
It’s our second summer vacation special from the north country of New Hampshire. See episode 91 for the first in this series. More family members join in this year as we smoke an unusual Hidden Herf. Local Spotlight – On the lake; New Hampshire Controversy Corner – Skinwalker Ranch
Jul 24, 2023•56 min
We head over to El Toro in Hudson, NH this week for a chat with Netal to discuss the various unique cigars he carries. Podcast Juice is what’s on tap and the Hidden Herf is another good one. Local Spotlight – El Toro Cigar & Lounge; Hudson, NH Controversy Corner – Missing Aviators
Jul 17, 2023•1 hr 7 min
The crew heads over to McGroin Manor this week where Mama and Papa McGroin join us for this episode. Mama is an aspiring stand-up comedian and keeps us in stitches for most of the episode. The Hidden Herf is a cousin to a recent one, and it gets a wide range of ratings. Local Spotlight – McGroin Manor and Fox Cigar; Scottsdale, AZ Controversy Corner – Mosquitos and such.
Jul 10, 2023•1 hr 24 min
Mike the Cop from Rocky Patel Cigars is back and redeems himself after Episode 292 from two weeks ago. We present a special award. The Hidden Herf is a complete surprise and gets a top rating. This one is a lot of fun as the podcast juice is flowing. Local Spotlight – Plaistow Cigar Co; Plaistow, NH and The Adventures of Pat & Chuck Controversy Corner – Supernatural Demons of 1999...
Jul 03, 2023•1 hr 28 min
We slow things down a bit after a double header the previous Friday that produced the last two episodes. It’s over to The Tobacco Shack for one of the first nights of the summer with the extended hours. With a relatively small group of eight we have a few laughs and try a real nice Hidden Herf. Local Spotlight – The Tobacco Shack; Rowley, MA Controversy Corner – Is that a banana in your hand?...
Jun 26, 2023•1 hr 13 min
Nimish Desai, of Rocky Patel Cigars, Kurt Kendall of 7-20-4 Cigars and Twins Smoke Shops , plus our host for the evening, Eric “Killer” Kilbane of Castro’s Back Room join the Hacks for a wild ride out on the Elm Street sidewalk in front of Castro’s in Manchester, NH . The rest of the Rocky crew has already had too much fun for one evening because they came from Nimish’s event at Twins in Londonderry . They drop into Castro’s in Manchester to meet up with us after we finished up episode #291 at P...
Jun 19, 2023•1 hr 15 min
Direct from Plaistow Cigar , where it all began, we sit down with the Micallef team for a special interview episode. We are joined by Amanda Micallef, Michael Granito, Andy Yaffee, and Jeff, The Micallef Ambassador of the Year. This was a unique opportunity to get four perspectives on the Micallef brand in a single interview. It’s the usual fun and games and the Micallef team fits right in. Local Spotlight – Plaistow Cigar Co; Plaistow, NH Controversy Corner – On Track....
Jun 12, 2023•1 hr 35 min
With a cast of thousands at the fire pit we review the meet up with Miserable Nick out of Providence. He jumps into the Oscuro III and we head around the mid-state RI area on a cigar bar adventure. Nashville Dave finds a new lounge in downtown Nashville. The Hidden Herf is something we should have know from the clues. Local Spotlight – Rhode Island Cigar Lounge Tour Controversy Corner – Oath.
Jun 05, 2023•1 hr 14 min
We have a small panel for a low keyed Memorial Day episode. Cellophane; on or off? The Hidden Herf was sent in from a regular listener and is a very surprising cigar. We hear about Cigar World East in Warren, RI while we prepare to tour RI shops on the other side of the state. Local Spotlight – Plaistow Cigar Co; Plaistow, NH Controversy Corner – No indictments?
May 29, 2023•1 hr 15 min
The Gringo is in town and joins the panel this week. The Hidden Herf brand is guessed but the particular cigar is elusive. Kostas the Olive Man’s brother, Rembrandt the Painter, joins us for the first time while The Gringo breaks up the place. This is a fun one! Local Spotlight – Twins Smoke Shop; Londonderry, NH Controversy Corner – It’s all true.
May 22, 2023•1 hr 15 min
It’s taco & margarita day and the panel doesn’t miss the opportunity the sample the various margaritas at Elie’s. Elie give us an update on what’s in the works for the lounge. We drag Phil from the peanut gallery and put him in the hot seat. The Hidden Herf is discovered early on, but there’s no shortages of laughs in this episode. Local Spotlight – Elie’s Smoking lounge; Nashua, NH Controversy Corner – Nuclear Mars and bank rescue.
May 15, 2023•1 hr 17 min
The Rabbi Cutabove swings into town and we roll out the Oscuro III. The day starts at The Cigar Authority live podcast where the guest for the week is Jose Dominguez Jr. of Jose Dominguez Cigars . We load the crew into the Oscuro III stretch limo and head over to El Toro in Hudson to record this episode. The Rabbi Cutabove brought the Hidden Herf up from New Jersey, it virtually stumps the panel but gets great reviews. Local Spotlight – El Toro Cigar & Lounge; Hudson, NH Controversy Corner –...
May 08, 2023•1 hr 17 min
