Kip Fisher - Co-Founder, Author at Half Ashed

Cigar Review: Aging Room Maduro Rondo

October 6, 2013 By Kip Fisher

Back in June, I posted some news from parent company Boutique Blends Cigars about a few upcoming cigars they had in the works. I later had the opportunity to sit in on their presentation at IPCPR – one of the most informational and organized at the show. Mr. Rafael Nodal, Carlos Nodal, and Joshi Blanco provided extensive information on all their upcoming blends and were very accommodating in answering questions. The samples under review today were provided subsequent to this presentation. Boutique Blends Cigars’ business umbrella covers a number of divisions – including Boutique Blends, Aging Room, SWAG, and Oliveros cigars. The new Aging Room maduro appealed to me because of its components – Dominican grown habano as the filler and binder, with an aged (5-6 years) Nicaraguan maduro wrapper. This combination sounds enticing….but, how does it hold up in practice? Let’s find out…..

The Aging Room maduro is available in five vitolas: the Major (6.5″X60); Mezzo (6″X54); Alto (7″X47); Rondo (5″X50 – today’s reviewed cigar); Presto (4.5″X48). The Rondo retails for about $7.75 in the Florida market. The Nicaraguan wrapper is medium to dark brown in color, with only the slightest mottling throughout. Overall, the coloration is fairly uniform. It lacks a “sheen” but feels oily to the touch and features moderate veining. The seams virtually disappear, as both mine were exquisitely rolled. I detected neither soft nor dense spots along their length. Once clipped, the draw is deliberate but open – just about perfect for my tastes. Before light the wrapper carries a faint barnyard aroma, with the foot providing a sweeter, more haylike experience. This sweet hay comes through more clearly on the cold draw.

At first light, the latter cigar provided a slight resistance to fire, but lit evenly. The first few puffs produce an enormous amount of smoke. I really got a hearty spice in the early minutes of both samples, which was felt most on the soft palate. Although heavy in dosage, the spice is actually very pleasant. It’s not shrill, as can sometimes be the case with some more spicy blends. There is a “caramel-esque” undertone to the flavor that really complements the spice and wrangles it into submission. Normally, I smoke two or more of a given cigar in the process of doing a review – the first with no accompaniment, and the second with something I think will accentuate the cigar. In this case, I chose coffee for the second example. While I love coffee, and today’s cigar is quite enjoyable in its own right, I don’t think it paired particularly well with my coffee. In fact, I abandoned the coffee within the first 20 minutes of smoking. The coffee was not drawing anything new from the cigar, and the cigar was deadening the flavor of the coffee. That says nothing about either, it merely means the pairing was not working for me. The end of the first segment of the Aging Room Maduro shows a good bit of ebbing in the spice, and some mildly woodsy flavors beginning to make way toward the foreground.

As I make the transition into the middle portion of the cigar, the spice has not faded entirely, but is quite subdued when compared to the early minutes. It seems to have reached a plateau for the time being. The woodsy flavors that began to peek through late in the first portion are much brighter in the midsection, with a noticeable cedar bent. The construction has been flawless on both samples I’ve smoked, as the burnline is witness to. The ash hung on to nearly an inch and a half before falling.

Going into the final stretch, the flavors didn’t change drastically from the middle portion. The spice did continue to drop into the background, with perhaps a bit more sweet cedar playing the dominant role. The finish was long and leaned more into the caramel family noted early in the cigar. I enjoyed the Aging Room Maduro quite a bit, and definitely have a place for it in my humidor. The Dominican binder and filler marry beautifully with the aged Nicaraguan wrapper to lend just the right mix of spice and sweetness to keep one entertained throughout the cigar. This might be my favorite of the Aging Room offerings to this point. Well worth investigation for any palate. Highly recommended.

**As a sidenote, the band from the Aging Room maduro has a wealth of useful information on the reverse:

Miami Cigar celebrates La Aurora 110 th Anniversary

October 2, 2013 By Kip Fisher

La Aurora 110 th Anniversary Giveaway

We’re nearing the La Aurora 110 th Anniversary, and the company is celebrating in a big way in giving away an all inclusive trip to visit the La Aurora factory. To enter the giveaway, simply smoke a La Aurora 107 next Monday, (10/7), snap a picture of the cigar and/or yourself smoking it, and share your image on social media with the hashtag #LaAurora107. This gets you in the running to win the trip.

The original 107 line was launched about three years ago, and recently saw an extension with a maduro wrapped version – which I reviewed here on The Cigarmy several weeks ago.

For more details, you can contact Miami Cigar & Company via the following means:

Web: www.MiamiCigarCompany.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/miamicigarcompany
Twitter: @MCCBarry

News: Tatuaje "Unlucky 13" and a Poll

September 30, 2013 By Kip Fisher

This afternoon, Tatuaje announced (via Facebook) the “Unlucky 13.” These are the 13 Tatuaje retailers allotted a shipment of the extremely limited dress boxes of this year’s edition of the Monster Series. The 2013 release, the sixth edition, will be known as No. 6 – or “Jason”, in reference to the central fictional character of the same name in the Friday the 13th movie franchise. The packaging, shown at left, will be themed with a hockey mask (à la the movie-bound Jason) and the number 6. The “Unlucky 13” are listed below, but expect them to have already allotted their expected delivery of dress boxes….and possibly even have a long waiting list “just in case.” There are only 666 of these decorated 13-count boxes available, and demand is very high. But never fear – a larger release of the plain, 10-count boxes will be arriving at many other Tatuaje accounts as well. These will also be in high demand, but far easier to get your hands on.

Unlucky 13 Retailers:

Buttheads Tobacco Emporium, Danbury, CT
Prime Cigar and Wine Bar, Boca Raton, FL
Town & Country Cigar Bar, Euless, TX
Havana House, Akron, OH
Fine Ash Cigars, Avondale, AZ
Union Cigar Society, Seattle, WA
Liberty Tobacco, San Diego, CA
Atlantic Cigar Co, Folcroft, PA
Don Francisco Cigars, East Brunswick, NJ
Humidor Pipe Shop, Huntsville, AL
Tobacco Shoppe of Midland, Midland, MI
Cigar Master, Boston, MA
Leesburg Cigar and Pipe, Leesburg, VA

The list was previously made available to members of Tatuaje’s Saints N Sinners club, where the fervor has been very high as expected. As I’ve watched the public run wild via Facebook & Twitter this afternoon I have come across a number of both detractors and fans of the dress box phenomena. Personally, I will occasionally go out of my way to track down and pay a premium for a rare cigar, although it’s certainly not the norm. Monster fans love it, as it’s a chance to chase down an elusive limited edition; detractors declare they have no desire to do so because of all the hubbub and work involved with only a slim chance for success.

Generally, I can see the detractors’ point with limited edition runs of cigars. It’s just too difficult, time consuming, and expensive to go chase them all down. And what comes next if you get them? Should you find a new favorite, there’s no future in it because you won’t be able to get them again anyway. Where you fall on this is likely dependent on whether you’d rather have loved than lost, or never have loved at all.

However, I feel differently with this series. The big differentiator here is the fact that the extreme limitation is on packaging, not the cigars. Someone who wants the opportunity to smoke a cigar from the Monster Series should have little trouble finding them – the plain boxes, while also limited, are within reach of anyone with the slightest bit of ambition. I can appreciate the compromise. That’s why we’re all in this hobby, right? The cigars? I understand the collectors’ standpoint…but I’m here for the cigars. I don’t smoke the boxes….

So, I’ll put the question to you fine folks…how do you feel about Limited Edition offerings? Just to make this a little easier for those conflicted folks, I’ve left the option open for you to select 2 choices in the poll below.

[poll id=”2″]

Half Ashed Episode 034: Ramon Allones Gigante

September 28, 2013 By Kip Fisher

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On this week’s Half Ashed, we took the opportunity to smoke a cigar from one of Craig’s favorite manufacturers – a 2001 Ramon Allones Gigante. We have covered this marque before, when we smoked the petit corona back on Episode 022 and the 2005 Edicion Regional on Episode 005 (pictured at left, because I failed to snap a picture of this week’s cigar). Craig presented tonight’s cigar thusly:

This cigar has waited to be smoked for 12 years since it left its original place of manufacture in Havana. That amount of time typically suits the Ramon Allones blend nicely by tempering some of the initial nicotine strength to the point that the traditional nutty, sweet coffee flavors can emerge. This is still a strong cigar; perhaps the strongest of all Cuban Double Coronas, but is never out of balance. The punchy youth just morphs into a robust maturity. Of all the larger ring gauge cigars this one tends to be the most complex.

Tune in to the show for updates throughout the smoke to see how that went. We also covered several items of news this week, including the following:

As reported by halfwheel, Iconic Leaf is suing Kurt Kendall (7-20-4) over the trademarked use of a spider on cigar packaging….

A recent ruling in Nebraska opens the door to ban smoking….in cigar lounges.

Guayacan is expanding their lineup, in an extension to the existing line and a new maduro offering.

The GAR Deli is open! Total cost is $250 – per GAR, “This includes all of your samples, the workshop, and your box of cigars. George will sit down with you and give you a fascinating informational seminar to guide you through the process of constructing a well-balanced cigar. He will discuss the tobacco growing process and give the customer useful background information on how this process influences the flavor of a cigar. Once you have made your tobacco selections, it takes the rollers a few hours to put your custom blend together. You can usually take them with you the same day or you can return the following day to pick them up. Your box can also be shipped to you.”

GAR also just announced the addition of the GAR Red to the lineup. Reportedly a medium-full bodied stick that is available in 3 size – 6×60, 6×66, and 7×70. Nicaraguan puro w/Habano wrapper, Jalapa binder, & Habano/corojo filler. Price is a major selling point on these, with the 7×70 coming in at a $5 MSRP.

Barry Stein reports that he’s trying samples of a 6X60 KILO…..and tells me that there will be a corona! Hoowahh!

Gary Griffith is implementing a new idea with retailers – the opportunity to become House of Emilio “Master Retailers.” I posted this press release in an earlier post at The Cigarmy.

Democratic Senator Robert Menendez of NJ has signed on as a co-sponsor of S.772. This is a big deal – Every Senator sponsorship is quite important and carries a lot of weight.

Also in this episode, we review what we’ve been smoking lately and a number of various and sundry ratholes….as well as a listener email from Enzo Temko.

Next week, our Cigar of the Week might be the Fuente Unnamed Reserve from this past December….I say “might” because we changed plans up in the final minutes of the show, and there is an outside chance it may change again. In any event, be sure to check back in for that next Friday at 9:30pm EST at www.halfashed.com. If you would like to contact us in the meantime, you can reach us through the contact page or at the following email addresses: [email protected] or [email protected]. Please feel free to drop us a line if you have any questions you’d like answered, comments to make…or even compliments and complaints. We love to get your emails! Also, remember you can always go back and listen to previous episodes, which can be found in the Half Ashed Archive. You can download this week’s audio directly below (right-click “Download” and save), or find us on iTunes to subscribe. Video, as always, will be available at the CigFed Half Ashed Video Archive.

P.S. – If you have unbanded suggestions or contributions, you can get those to us by sending an email to [email protected]. This email address goes directly to my wife, so you can simply suggest an unbanded cigar for her to source, or send me an email to [email protected] if you have something you’d like to send in. I will provide an address to send them. Thanks!

Two Bits of News from House of Emilio

September 23, 2013 By Kip Fisher

I received two pieces of news from House of Emilio today. First up is a press release detailing a new program being implemented wherein House of Emilios retailers can become “Master Retailers” for all HOE products. This will entail training for said tobacconists, a representation of all House of Emilio brands in respective shops, and early access to new product releases. From Gary Griffith:

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Newark, DE September 23, 2013 – House of Emilio Announces Master Retailer Program

Gary Griffith announced today that House of Emilio, which includes the Emilio, 1502, Ezra Zion, Nomad, Epicurean, Rodrigo, Guayacan, and Bodega Premium cigar brands has created a “Master Retailer” program. Participating retailers receive training for their staff on all House of Emilio brands and blends so as to best serve the consumer. Qualifying retailers carry facings from every brand in the line, assuring consumers the best possible selection from a well-informed and educated staff. In addition consumers can be assured that Master Retailers have the earliest access to new product releases, and enjoy the benefit of extra allocation of limited edition products.

“This is an important step for us,” says Griffith, “in that we are able to be certain that retailer staff is well versed on the profiles of each of the blends in order to appropriately make recommendations to consumers.”

Over time this program will be expanded to include additional enhancements that will have value for both the retailer and consumer. Interested retailers may get additional details by contacting Nathan McIntyre, National Sales Director.

Secondly, I received further news on the upcoming Draig Cayuquero release, which was announced earlier this year…..

Gary Griffith of Emilio Cigars announced today that the second release in the Draig series, Cayuquero, will begin shipping to retailers within the next few weeks.

Each year Griffith creates a new blend in the series, and production is limited to however many cigars can be made from the selected tobaccos. This years release will be available in four sizes: Corona, Robusto, Toro, and a small run of Torpedo. Total production is 1600 boxes, with quantities per size varying based on how wrapper graded out.

The cigars feature a Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper, enveloping a delicious blend of sweet Jalapa, and spicy Esteli ligero, and are packed 10 to a box.

As always, the cigars are dedicated to Griffith’s Welsh heritage, and feature the Welsh dragon on both the boxes and bands.

Half Ashed Episode 033: Unbanded 009

September 22, 2013 By Kip Fisher

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Episode 033: Unbanded 009

Welcome to Episode 033 of Half Ashed, everyone. This week, we’re smoking Unbanded 009, provided by Jacob Pinkas (thank you Jacob!). In news, we covered the departure of IPCPR CEO Bill SPann, a massive and unfortunate theft at the Alec Bradley warehouse, and upcoming/current releases from Jesus Fuego, Crowned Heads, Tatuaje, Barry Stein (Miami Cigar), and a Sons of Anarchy cigar….

There were several great (and a couple not so great) cigars from the “what have we been smoking” segment, and we kicked around some ideas that the both of us have been pondering and pontificating about recently as well.

Next week, our Cigar of the Week will be the Ramon Allones Gigante – so be sure to check back in for that Friday at 9:30pm EST at www.halfashed.com. If you would like to contact us in the meantime, you can reach us through the contact page or at the following email addresses: [email protected] or [email protected]. Please feel free to drop us a line if you have any questions you’d like answered, comments to make…or even compliments and complaints. We love to get your emails! Also, remember you can always go back and listen to previous episodes, which can be found in the Half Ashed Archive. You can download this week’s audio directly below (right-click “Download” and save), or find us on iTunes to subscribe. Video, as always, will be available at the CigFed Half Ashed Video Archive.

News: IPCPR CEO Bill Spann Resigns

September 20, 2013 By Kip Fisher

Just a short time ago, I received the following press release from IPCPR. Bill Spann has resigned as CEO, effective tomorrow to follow other pursuits. We wish Bill the best in his future endeavors….

September 19, 2013 Columbus GA –Citing a two-plus year separation from his family and the opportunity for employment in his new home town of Jacksonville Beach, Florida, IPCPR Chief Executive Officer Bill Spann today informed his Board of Directors he will resign his position effective September 21, 2013.

“My staff and many of our members know that I have been apart from my family each week since I took this position in July 2011,” said Spann. “We fully intended to move to Columbus, but unfortunately the town’s size did not afford my spouse the career opportunities she required.”

“I have great respect for our dedicated Board of Directors, our Associate Member Advisory Board, and our loyal and dedicated retail members and staff, but after more than two years of nearly constant family separation, the time is right to move on,” Spann said.

IPCPR Board President, Finnie Helmuth, said “we are grateful for Bill’s efforts on behalf of the premium cigar and pipe industry. His dedication to the industry, successful trade shows, new legislative staff in Washington, D. C. all speak to his stewardship of IPCPR. We wish him and his family a bright future.”

Cigar Review: Barry Stein’s KILO

September 16, 2013 By Kip Fisher

Barry Stein’s KILO

Any of you who are involved in the online cigar community probably know who Barry Stein is. Barry founded acigarsmoker.com, and later handed off that review site when he took a position with Miami Cigar Company. He’s a prominent personality within the industry, and is one of the folks who most everyone fortunate enough to know him would say they are better for it. As detailed in a recent blog post on the Miami Cigar website, Barry had the opportunity to create his own cigar blend this past year – which has been through a number of small, friendly market tests wherein it received quite a bit of praise. With that warm reception, a decision was made to produce an initial release of his cigar, now named the KILO. One of the small market tests was at an event I attended – the Chattanooga Tweetup. Barry was kind enough to give me a couple of the KILOs to try, and I thought I’d jot down some notes from them here.

The KILO will, for the time being, be available in a single robusto (5″X50) format, and is launching officially September 20th at Primo Cigar Shop in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It features an Ecuadoran Sumatran wrapper, cloaked around a Cameroon binder and filler blend consisting of two different Dominican ligeros, a Nicaraguan ligero, and Pennsylvanian Broadleaf. The robusto will retail for $8.00 before local taxes.

Appearance, Construction & Taste

The KILO is medium brown in coloration, and shows extensive mottling throughout much of its length. While not shiny, it is quite smooth to the touch and definitely “feels” oily. The wrapper leaf is very supple and smooth to the touch. Veining is moderate, and the bunch on both my samples was uniform in density – neither soft nor hard spots were found.

Before light, the draw resistance was just about perfect, and provided a mild hay that carries a nice sweetness that borders on graham cracker or brown sugar in flavor. The unlit aroma is a bit earthy on the wrapper, but at the foot I find a deeper, darker sweetness – akin to the cold draw noted above. I find it to almost be molasses-like, actually.

The Smoke

Except for what is listed above, I don’t know the exact details of the blend Barry selected for the KILO. There is at least some portion of Nicaraguan ligero in the filler, which makes itself known in the first few minutes of the cigar. What I find most entertaining at this time, though, is the interplay between the ligero’s spice and the PA Broadleaf’s toasty flavor. As I continually explore the various components used in cigarmaking, I find a few leaf varieties that increasingly appeal to me. One of these is PA Broadleaf, which provides a very toasty flavor palette. There is a clear backdrop of an earthy character here as well. This really comes through on the finish for me. I have to pause here and offer some remarks to any of you that happen to be pipesmokers. The finish during these earlier segments of the KILO gives me a very familiar flavor memory. While not a direct match, it puts me in mind of some McClelland Virginia blends. For those who aren’t pipesmokers, the blends of which I speak are NOT what you might imagine as pipe tobacco – I speak not of the typical drugstore variety, heavily flavored tobaccos. McClelland is world renowned for the processing and blending prowess with unflavored Virginia pipe tobacco blends, and are able to achieve a very distinct and pleasing “twang” in their tobaccos. Again, the KILO is not identical in this respect, but leaves that distinct impression in my mind.

Middle Section – As I progress into the midsection of the KILO, the burn has been very good; I’ve touched up a scalloping burn but I’m a little more compulsive than most cigar smokers. Many would not have bothered, and it likely would have corrected itself. After a start in the medium range, the strength has picked up noticeably, although I’d still put it on the lighter end of full. Other folks smoking the KILO at the Chattanooga Tweetup seemed to classify it as a bit more potent than I…perhaps my tolerance is building :).

final stretch – Continuing onward, and into the final stretch of the KILO, I notice the flavors have drifted a little further from the initial sweetness. I’m detecting a bit of a lightly sweet cedar flavor, and some leather. The early brown sugar and graham cracker sweetness has entirely faded into the background at this point, and a little bit of broad citrus has crept in to replace it. This citrus is generic in nature, meaning that I would not place it squarely onto a specific citrus fruit; just a flavor that brings the family to mind. The toasty character has really developed, although it is less emboldened than in the early minutes. It is now more defined and bready in nature. The burn and construction has proven to be spot-on in both examples I’ve smoked.

Summary

Overall, I think the KILO is a solid offering from Miami Cigar. When I first saw the list of components in this cigar, I was concerned with how it might smoke….would the flavors be muddled? Confused? I wasn’t sure if the Cameroon binder would play nicely with the PA Broadleaf. My fears were allayed once I had the opportunity to actually fire one up and smoke it. As it turns out, the components cooperate beautifully. The first KILO I smoked was across a very polluted palate, after a number of cigars at the Tweetup….and I still found plenty of flavor to enjoy (impressive in its own right). The second was on a clean palate as the first cigar of the day after a couple days of not really smoking….and still really dug it. Barry has done an outstanding job of building something that I believe would be a welcome addition to the Miami Cigar lineup. I find myself jealous of the accomplishment; he is living out his dream. I truly hope to see the KILO on my local shelves in the near future….not only would I buy in the future, but I’m ready today. Barry? You out there? Hook up the Tampa market, brother….

Half Ashed Episode 032: A Visit with the Dogwatch Guys!

September 15, 2013 By Kip Fisher

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Episode 032

Good afternoon, everyone! Welcome to another week and another episode of Half Ashed, this being Episode 032. Yes, we’ve managed to make it another week without being booed, chased, or otherwise kicked off the internet. Craig was out of town this week, and I had the good fortune of getting Dale Roush & Bob McDuffee on as special guests. Bob & Dale – or the godfathers of cigar podcasting as I like to call them, were the hosts of Dogwatch Cigar Radio for 8 years, ending the show at the end of 2012 with 410 episodes. I owe much to them, including the impetus for Half Ashed, and truly appreciate them taking time out of their schedules to sit in with me to hang out and catch up. It’s always a special treat to visit with the guys, and this week’s show is no exception. Here’s a brief summary of some of the topics we covered…

Cigar of the Week

The Cigar of the Week was an impromptu unbanded stick I sent to the guys just to get their opinions about…not to ruin the surprise, you’ll have to tune in to find out what it was and what they thought of it.

News Items

The Cigar Federation charity raffle a total of $5,680! That’s an amazing turnout, especially for a first run at something of this nature. A big thanks to the guys over there who coordinated the raffle and put in all the work to make it happen.
It’s Padron’s 49th Birthday!
The Factory Fresh from Wynwood Cigars – we talked about the idea behind the Factory Fresh, and some of the pros/cons with such a project.
The Davidoff Nicaraguan…..good? meh? worthwhile? How does their first foray into a Nicaraguan cigar stand up to their typical Dominican offerings?
Some “Nanny news” from an NPR story Bob heard.
The “Royal Monkey Cigar Society.” You’ll have to tune in to get that story!

Other Items

What we’ve been smoking….the guys haven’t let up since ending Dogwatch. They’re still alive and kicking – and smoking plenty of cigars

Listener email – we take a question from Swede214 about tooth in a cigar wrapper….complete with visual aids :).

Wrap

Next week, we’ll return to a normal programming schedule. The Cigar of the Week will be an Unbanded, number 009, from Jacob Pinkas (Thanks Jacob!). If you would like to contact us in the meantime, you can reach us through the contact page or at the following email addresses: [email protected] or [email protected]. Please feel free to drop us a line if you have any questions you’d like answered, comments to make…or even compliments and complaints. We love to get your emails! Also, remember you can always go back and listen to previous episodes, which can be found in the Half Ashed Archive. You can download this week’s audio directly below (right-click “Download” and save), or find us on iTunes to subscribe. Video, as always, will be available at the CigFed Half Ashed Video Archive.

Half Ashed Episode 031: Casa Miranda Chapter 2

September 8, 2013 By Kip Fisher

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Hello folks, and welcome to Half Ashed Episode 031, featuring the Casa Miranda Chapter Two and with guest Barry Stein of Miami Cigar. Barry was slated to join us for the whole show, but we had a bit of a mixup with a Miami storm that took down the power grid in Barry’s neighborhood. He was able to join us for a short time later in the show, when he went above and beyond the call of duty by driving down to Neighborhood Humidor and calling in on his phone. We very much appreciate his doing that; it was truly a stand-up thing to do and not leave us hanging. Check out the episode to get some great insight into Miami Cigar and their upcoming lines.

We cover the Chapter Two several times throughout the show, as well as a number of other cigars from this week’s selections – notably one other Miami Cigar offering, the Nestor Mirand Special Selection Exclusivo Regional. The NMSS Exclusivo is a geographically limited edition, only to be available in the midwest and only in 2500 of each of two vitolas. We also talked Barry’s upcoming release – the KILO – which you all definitely need to be on the lookout for.

Other topics included this week’s news and happenings, some trips you might want to consider taking in the near future, a minor rant from Kip – and our giveaway! This month’s giveaway of some phenomenal cigars goes to…John C. Craig. We’ll be getting those in the mail this week, so be on watch John.

Next week, we’ll have very special guests Bob McDuffee and Dale Roush, formerly of Dogwatch Cigar Radio. Craig will be out of town, so it will be just Kip, Bob, and Dale. Be sure to check back in then as these guys are the godfathers of cigar podcasting, and much of the credit due for the impetus to begin Half Ashed is owed to them. If you would like to contact us in the meantime, you can reach us through the contact page or at the following email addresses: [email protected] or [email protected]. Please feel free to drop us a line if you have any questions you’d like answered, comments to make…or even compliments and complaints. We love to get your emails! Also, remember you can always go back and listen to previous episodes, which can be found in the Half Ashed Archive. You can download this week’s audio directly below (right-click “Download” and save), or find us on iTunes to subscribe. Video, as always, will be available at the CigFed Half Ashed Video Archive.