The Half Ashed Cigar Podcast Episode Archive

Given below is a running archive of all previous episodes of Half Ashed. Feel free to browse around and give them a listen. Each episode can be streamed or downloaded directly from its respective summary post below. Alternatively, if you would like to subscribe to the podcast, you can find us on iTunes. Unedited video from each show is also maintained on our YouTube channel. As always, you are invited to join us every Friday night while we’re recording with live video feed and chat room on our broadcast page.

Half Ashed Episode 089: Cohiba Reserva Media Corona

November 3, 2014 By Kip Fisher

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Welcome to Episode 089 of Half Ashed, featuring the Cohiba Reserva Media Corona

This week, we’re smoking this very special selection from Craig’s list of favorites. His own words about the cigar:

5-⅝”x38rg – A size only produced only for the 2002/03 “reserva” assorted box of 30. All tobacco was aged a minimum of 3 years prior to rolling; a rarity for cigars from Cuba. It is said that premium selections from the ‘99 harvest was all that went into these cigars. Typical Cohiba “beany” flavors are present and though thought of as a “special” release, these just seem to be standard in flavor intensity and complexity. Nevertheless, they are enjoyable examples of the blend.

Tune in to see me falling all over myself enjoying this cigar. In the news, we covered items from Alec Bradley, AVO, Crowned Heads, Jose Blanco, and Xikar. We also talked over what we’ve been smoking lately, discussed the continuing upgrade of Half Ashed (and consolidation with The Cigarmy), and took a moment to answer a recent listener email. In the next episode we will be featuring the Blessed Leaf Kairos, so be sure to check back in Friday night at 9:30pm EST on halfashed.com where you can catch us recording and participate in the chatroom. If you would like to contact us in the meantime, you can reach us through the contact page or at the following emails: [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), find us on iTunes, or subscribe with any podcast app at our RSS Feed. Video, as always, will be available at the Half Ashed YouTube Channel.

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!

Half Ashed Episode 088: Pipe Smoking Volume 1

October 26, 2014 By Kip Fisher

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Welcome to Episode 088, our first Pipe Smoking episode! This is Volume One of what will be an occasional feature here on Half Ashed. We spent the first hour going through the process of how you go about readying a flake tobacco for smoking (either rubbed out or folded/stuffed). Admittedly, last night’s show is much better absorbed if you watch the video – but I hope you find some value in the audio as well. We should have another pipe smoking related topic and show lined up in about three months or so. While we realize we are a cigar podcast, we’re total tobacco geeks at heart and
since pipe smoking is a big part of my life (Kip), we’d like to include some info here as well.

Once we got through the longer-than-imagined pipe smoking content, we did manage to hit a couple of news items. First and foremost the sale of Drew Estate from the past week. We also hit the high spots for some important legislative potentialities and some upcoming Cigar Tourism trips. We didn’t get to a couple of listener emails as we normally would; we will be sure to get them in next week’s show.

In the next episode we will be featuring the Cohiba Reserva Media Corona, so be sure to check back in Friday night at 9:30pm EST on halfashed.com where you can catch us recording and participate in the chatroom. If you would like to contact us in the meantime, you can reach us through the contact page or at the following emails: [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), find us on iTunes, or subscribe with any podcast app at our RSS Feed. Video, as always, will be available at the Half Ashed YouTube Channel.

Half Ashed Episode 087: Don Pepin Garcia Blue

October 24, 2014 By Kip Fisher

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Good day everyone! I hope the week finds you doing well. Welcome to Half Ashed Episode 087, featuring the Don Pepin Garcia Blue Exquisito (corona gorda; 5-5/8″ x 46). This was one of my (Kip) suggestions, and my brief summation was:

For a time, this was my favorite vitola in the DPG Blue lineup. Nowadays, I strongly prefer the robusto or lancero in the line. Constant, but not overbearing spice is a fixture with this blend. The other vitolas have markedly sweeter dispositions. This one is pleasant in its own right, but has more of a savory bent to it. The DPG Blue comes in no less than NINE vitolas, so you have a big range to choose from. The only blend specifications known are that it’s a Nicaraguan puro with corojo wrapper. For whatever reason, I find wildly varying pricing for these. Tonight’s selection can be found anywhere from $6-8 locally.

In the news, we had items from Alec Bradley, IPCPR, a PSA for all costumers out there, further updates on the Cigar – Half Ashed migration, and a good bit of news for some of the displaced Torano salesforce. As always, we covered several cigars we’ve enjoyed this past week and hit a few ratholes along the way.

In the next episode we will be featuring our first “semi-pipe” show, so be sure to check back in Friday night at 9:30pm EST on halfashed.com where you can catch us recording and participate in the chatroom. If you would like to contact us in the meantime, you can reach us through the contact page or at the following emails: [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), find us on iTunes, or subscribe with any podcast app at our RSS Feed. Video, as always, will be available at the CigFed Half Ashed Video Archive.

Half Ashed Episode 086: My Father Flor de las Antillas

October 19, 2014 By Kip Fisher

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Good day, folks. I’m having to dig out the wayback machine to even post this episode. We recorded this on October 3rd, but after a week off I still failed to get it posted. None the less, here it is for all you listening pleasure. In Episode 086, we take a look at the My Father Flor de las Antillas. Specifically we’re smoking the 6×60 edition of this line, a retail exclusive for Binny’s Beverage Depot which is a chain of cigar/liquor stores in the Chicago Illinois area. Craigs words:

A shop exclusive to Binny’s Beverage Depot out of Chicago, this behemoth rounds out the large cigar offerings for the FdlA line. Binny’s says it is “Relentless from beginning to end, this medium to full-bodied blend is loaded with coffee and cocoa notes that are accompanied with a sweet woody finish and just the right amount of spice. Only 500 boxes will ever be produced” A nicaraguan cigar with a sun grown nicaraguan wrapper. I was given a box of them and they’re what I have to reach for when I want the FdlA blend. They’re… different. Imagine going from espresso to american coffee. Flavor is still there but not as robust as it could be.

In the news, we have items from Tatuaje (the “Unlucky 13” have been announced), Quesada, Oliva, and a bit of historical background from Craig. Of course, we cover what we’ve been smoking and what has drawn our attention lately. Additionally, this week we talk about some pretty massive changes coming for our websites. The Cigarmy and Half Ashed are being merged into one singular media outlet at halfashed.com.

In the next episode we will be featuring another Don Pepin Garcia cigar – the DPG Blue Exquisito (corona gorda), so be sure to check back in Friday night at 9:30pm EST on halfashed.com where you can catch us recording and participate in the chatroom. If you would like to contact us in the meantime, you can reach us through the contact page or at the following emails: [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), find us on iTunes, or subscribe with any podcast app at our RSS Feed. Video, as always, will be available at the CigFed Half Ashed Video Archive.

Half Ashed Episode 085: Cigar Federation “Collective”

October 5, 2014 By Kip Fisher

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Sorry for the late post again. I should be all caught up and back on schedule after this week. In the interest of brevity I’ll just include a short list of topics for this show:

Cigar of the Week: Cigar Federation’s “Collective”

News:

Don Kiki Berger passes
Cigar Federation charity raffle comes to a close
Crowned Heads has another LE coming down the pike – the “Hecho con Corazon”
Operation Chokepoint = potential bad news for cigar retailers
Room101 Uncle Lee has been announced
Speculation on some possible news items coming soon….

Next week, we will be featuring the My Father Flor de las Antillas 6×60 Binny’s exclusive as our Cigar of the Week. Be sure to check back in Friday night at 9:30pm EST on halfashed.com where you can catch us recording and participate in the chatroom. If you would like to contact us in the meantime, you can reach us through the contact page or at the following emails: [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), find us on iTunes, or subscribe with any podcast app at our RSS Feed. Video, as always, will be available at our YouTube channel.

Half Ashed Episode 084: Bolivar Regentes

October 1, 2014 By Kip Fisher

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Welcome to Episode 084 of Half Ashed, featuring one of Craigs faves as our Cigar of the Week. Of that cigar, Craig says:

My favorite small cigar. These earthy and mildly sweet stick packs a lot of fun into its 34×4-⅞”. Sadly, it has been discontinued for over a decade but the remaining box I have still exhibits some of the characteristics these had when young. At less than 10 years old these were the cigar equivilent of chocolate and mushrooms. That sounds to be an odd combination but it worked so well. So much so, in fact, that once I tried making a savory chocolate cake with sauteed mushrooms within. It didn’t work so well…

Today, these cigars are a shadow of what they once were and only provide an “enjoyable” 30 minutes. No longer the flavor bombs of yesterday, it is my hope that they will continue to evolve and perhaps reveal a subtle complexity of flavors in the future. If no longer bold, than perhaps one day they’ll shine for another reason. The tobacco quality was consistently excellent in over 6 boxes that I’ve personally gone through.

We have news stories from Oliva, Sam Leccia (that’s a biggie!), Hechicera, Casa Fernandez, and Cigar Dojo. We also take care of some housekeeping items, what we’ve been smoking and cover a listener email that we’ve put off for far too long….

Next week, we will be featuring “The Collective” from Cigar Federation as our Cigar of the Week. Be sure to check back in Friday night at 9:30pm EST on halfashed.com where you can catch us recording and participate in the chatroom. If you would like to contact us in the meantime, you can reach us through the contact page or at the following emails: [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), find us on iTunes, or subscribe with any podcast app at our RSS Feed. Video, as always, will be available from our YouTube channel.

Half Ashed Episode 083: Unbanded #018

September 22, 2014 By Kip Fisher

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Unbanded 018

I apologize for such a late (2 weeks) post of this episode…..which means, by the way, that you’ll be getting TWO episodes in rapid succession this week. I’ve been pretty tied up with preparing for my upcoming move. Here is a brief wrap-up of Episode 083, featuring Unbanded #018, generously furnished by zedman.

News

The 2015 CFC dates have been announced by Fuente…

Don Pepin has revived the El Rey do Los Habanos line to release as a shop specific cigar for The Pipe and Pint in Greensboro, NC. Five sizes in 23-count boxes; estimated to retail between $8-11 per stick.

Nomad will be offering a lancero in their CT Fuerte line….presented as Fred Rewey’s personal cigar. He says these were previously just rolled for him, and that he wants to share them with the rest of us…..EC Hab//EC CT//DR & Nica.

The Nebraska AG has requested the court to reconsider their decision to declare the existing exemption for cigar bars as unconstitutional. These requests are rarely accepted, but will at least delay the formalization of the decision for several weeks. If accepted, the case would take several more months to get through the process of review. As a sidenote, I read there are only 11 cigar bars in the entire state of NE!!! STORY HERE

What we’ve been smoking

Craig

H.Upmann Sir Winston

Pueblo Dominicano

Bolivar Belicoso Finos

Kip

El Suelo from DC

per Dale’s recommendation: JdN Fuerte B

Other

A demonstration of Craig’s wrapper dissection.

One listener email from Eric Bernabe.

Half Ashed Episode 082: Guest Barry Stein

September 10, 2014 By Kip Fisher

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Welcome to Episode 082 of Half Ashed, featuring special guest Barry Stein of Two Guys Smoke Shop and The Cigar Authority. Craig was traveling this week, Barry graciously agreed to sit in and host with me. So, a huge thanks to Barry. I chose the Insidious by Asylum for the show, and unfortunately Barry was unable to join me due to his lease agreement restrictions.

In addition to an excellent update Barry about his personal recent history, we covered stories from EP Carrillo, Crowned Heads, La Aurora, and My Father. In other topics, we discussed lots of legislative goings-on, and the validity of a couple new packaging concepts. So tune in and enjoy!

Next week, we will be featuring an Unbanded (#018, from Zedman) as our Cigar of the Week. I will be rejoined by my esteemed co-host, so be sure to check back in Friday night at 9:30pm EST on halfashed.com where you can catch us recording and participate in the chatroom. If you would like to contact us in the meantime, you can reach us through the contact page or at the following emails: [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), find us on iTunes, or subscribe with any podcast app at our RSS Feed. Video, as always, will be available at the CigFed Half Ashed Video Archive.

Half Ashed Episode 081: Joya de Nicaragua Dark Corojo

September 4, 2014 By Kip Fisher

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Welcome to Episode 081 of Half Ashed when we’r featuring the Joya de Nicaragua Dark Corojo – specifically, the “El Martillo” vitola. This week we review this cigar during the show, as well as cover several news items from Willy Herrera/Drew Estate, the Guayabera Lady, some legislative news, Cigar Federation’s charity raffle, and Ezra Zion. We also discuss what we’ve been smoking, and a couple of other interesting diversions….

Next week, we will be featuring a wildcard Cigar of the Week, as Craig will be out of town. I will be joined by special guest host Barry Stein of Cigar Authority, so be sure to check back in Friday night at 9:30pm EST on halfashed.com where you can catch us recording and participate in the chatroom. If you would like to contact us in the meantime, you can reach us through the contact page or at the following emails: [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), find us on iTunes, or subscribe with any podcast app at our RSS Feed. Video, as always, will be available from our YouTube channel.

Half Ashed Episode 080: Bolivar Belicoso Fino

August 27, 2014 By Kip Fisher

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Good evening and welcome to Episode 080 of Half Ashed, featuring the Bolivar Belicoso Fino as our Cigar of the Week. Through a shipping mishap, I (Kip) was without the featured cigar so I partook of a different bunch….and a pipe. We covered industry news from Crowned Heads, L’Atelier, La Sirena, the Rocky Mtn. Cigar Festival and some legislative news from Chicagoland.

We also had quite a bit to discuss in our “What Have We Been Smoking” segment, what else we’ve been pondering this week, and a viewer email from Officer Paul. Next week, we will be featuring the Joya de Nicaragua Dark Corojo “El Martillo” as our Cigar of the Week, so be sure to check back in Friday night at 9:30pm EST on halfashed.com where you can catch us recording and participate in the chatroom. If you would like to contact us in the meantime, you can reach us through the contact page or at the following emails: [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), find us on iTunes, or subscribe with any podcast app at our RSS Feed. Video, as always, will be available at the CigFed Half Ashed Video Archive.