We missed Kyle Gellis at last year’s IPCPR, so we made a point of getting on the Warped schedule this time around as soon as we could. You might wonder why Brian, with the formidable beard is not in front of the camera facing off with Kyle’s equally robust beard for this interview. The answer is simple, Ben out-geeked Brian on all things Warped. Sure, Brian knows Warped going back to the OG Egyptian-themed lines (bonus points if you remember the names), but Ben sleeps on a pillow stuffed with Sky Flowers and Krispy Kreme doughnuts. There’s just no beating that level of fandom, no matter how many jump kicks you can do in the hallway outside the booth. (Note: we don’t recommend storing cigars in pillow cases, or with Krispy Kreme doughnuts unless you’re an absolute expert at both.)
In this video Kyle tells us about new Maestro del Tiempo, Villa Sombra, and Corto X46 (which replaces the retired Corto X50). While Ben smokes a sample Maestro del Tiempo, Kyle talks about how the ever-evolving blend incorporates the three main growing regions of Nicaragua. From there he reiterates his nothing-over-52 policy to vitolas, favoring the sizes of the Cuban cigars his father smoked. The Villa Sombra (or “Shaded Villa”) is all Aganorsa Jalapa tobaccos under an Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper, with a big molasses-like sweetness.
From there Ben asks Kyle to talk about the Flor Del Valle Sky Flower, which leads to a discussion about Medio Tiempo tobacco, how limited it is, how difficult it is to harvest and ferment and how that affects production of the popular cigar.
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