Hey everyone! I’m Walt, and I’m excited to share our brand new cigar podcast Smoke and Steel with you. What started as conversations between five friends at our local cigar lounge has turned into something we think you’ll really enjoy. In our debut episode, myself, Mark, Rob, Jim (we call him “Godfather”), and Eric sit down to share how we all got into this amazing hobby.
How We All Got Started: Our Cigar Origin Stories
One thing I love about cigar culture is how everyone has their own unique path into it. We all met at our local brick-and-mortar shop, but our individual stories are pretty different:
Eric’s Inspiring Journey: Probably the most meaningful story came from Eric, who found cigars during a major life transition. About eight years ago, when he made the decision to get sober and quit chewing tobacco, cigars became his new ritual. He started by smoking alone on his front porch until Mark spotted him coming into the shop and invited him to sit down and smoke with the group. The rest is history.
Jim’s Family Legacy: Our “Godfather” has the longest history with cigars—he started at 17 when his father, who came from a multi-generational cigar-smoking family, taught him the basics. That was 51 years ago, and Jim’s still passing on that knowledge to all of us.
Our Brick-and-Mortar Home: We all met at the same local cigar shop that opened on Black Friday 2007. It became the heart of our cigar community, and honestly, it’s where some of my best friendships were formed. There’s something special about cigar culture—how a shared passion can bring people together like that.
What We Really Talk About
The Humidor Learning Curve
Let me tell you, we’ve all made our share of mistakes when it comes to storing cigars. Eric shared one of his more embarrassing moments—trusting the built-in hygrometer on his first humidor and ending up with cigars that felt like flubber. If you’re just getting started, learn from his mistake: don’t trust those built-in gauges!
The Great Cutting Fee Debate
We got into a pretty fun discussion about something that really bugs me: cutting fees at cigar lounges. Picture this—you walk into a shop, spend $60 on cigars, then they want to charge you another $10 just to smoke one in their lounge. My take? If I just dropped that kind of money, I shouldn’t have to pay extra to enjoy it there. The guys had mixed opinions on this one, which made for some great debate.
Keeping It Real About Prices
Sure, we talked about some expensive cigars (Rob mentioned a $110 Cuban), but honestly, some of the best smokes don’t cost a fortune. As Rob said during our chat, “the less expensive ones are sometimes even better.” That’s the beauty of this hobby—great experiences don’t have to break the bank.
Why I Think You’ll Enjoy Smoke and Steel
Look, we’re not trying to be the most polished podcast out there. What we is a bunch of friends who genuinely love cigars and enjoy hanging out together. Our conversations flow naturally from cigar talk to sports arguments to personal stories—just like they would if you were sitting with us at the lounge.
The chemistry between all of us comes from years of friendship, not from being thrown together for a show. We joke around, we disagree, we share stories, and hopefully, we give you the feeling that you’re part of the conversation.
What’s Coming Next
We’re already planning future episodes with blind cigar reviews and hopefully some interviews with people in the industry. With our mix of humor, shared knowledge, and genuine friendship, I think we’re carving out our own little space in the cigar podcast world.
Whether you’ve been smoking cigars for decades or you’re just curious about what this whole cigar thing is about, I hope Smoke and Steel gives you an entertaining, down-to-earth look at our hobby and the community around it.
Want to join our conversations? Subscribe to Smoke and Steel on YouTube and Spotify so you don’t miss any episodes. Trust me—once you hear us going back and forth, you’ll want to be part of this crew.
Got your own cigar stories? We’d love to hear from fellow enthusiasts—find us on social media and let’s talk cigars!
