Welcome back to another freezing cold episode recorded right here in Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania. Episode 30 of the Smoke and Steel Podcast brought some serious conversations about cigar lounge etiquette tips that every smoker should know, plus the harsh reality of Facebook’s crackdown on tobacco content and our brand new dynamic top 25 cigar list for 2026. If you’ve been following along, you know we don’t do things the traditional way, and this episode proves it.

A Montgomery County Institution Closes Its Doors

We kicked things off with some unfortunate news that hit close to home. After 23 years in business, Jim Cronin is closing Top Shelf Cigars in Skippack. Walt made the trip down there after seeing Jim run another massive sale on Facebook, which seemed odd timing after the holiday push. Turns out Jim’s had enough of the Pennsylvania winters and is ready to retire somewhere warmer.

He’s running some serious deals to move inventory: buy three get one, buy five get two, buy seven get three, or buy 20 and get 33% off. By the time you’re reading this, most of that product has probably already been cleared out.

It’s always tough to see a good shop close, especially one that’s been around for over two decades. Top Shelf was one of those places you’d pop into every once in a while, and Jim always treated everyone right. We’re definitely going to miss those random visits, even if they were few and far between.

What We’re Smoking This Episode

Before we dive deeper, here’s what the crew fired up during this session:

• Mark: San Cristobal Revelation
• Eric: La Flor Dominicana Andalusian Bull
• Rob: Cohiba Weller
• Jim: Gris Gris from LA Cigar Collective
• Walt: La Flor Dominicana Suave Maduro

The Suave continues to be a favorite around here. We’re really digging these cigars, and Eddie mentioned he’d give us one of the other versions to try since it’s apparently a completely different blend despite similar branding.

Eddie on the Streets: Perfect Ash in Minnesota

Our roving correspondent Eddie brought us another installment from Perfect Ash in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, just outside Minneapolis. Owner Patrick O’Brien runs the only Dunbarton Tobacco and Trust retailer in the state and is the number one La Flor Dominicana retailer in Minnesota.

The lounge looked pretty badass, and while the humidor is small, it’s absolutely packed with quality product. Eddie was smoking the LFD Suave Maduro No 5 during his visit, and Patrick made it clear that if you’re ever in the Twin Cities area, you should definitely stop by.

We love these segments because they connect us with shops and owners across the country. Even if we’ll probably never make it to some of these places, we’re building real relationships with people who share our passion for premium cigars.

Cigar Lounge Etiquette Tips: What Every Smoker Should Know

This sparked some interesting conversation and honestly, it’s one of those topics that doesn’t get covered enough. We stumbled across an old episode of the Creekside Cigar Co Podcast about lounge etiquette, and they brought up something we’d never really considered: tipping your tobacconist.

Should You Tip at a Cigar Shop?

In 15 years working at a cigar shop, Jim never received a single tip. None of us have ever even thought about tipping at a cigar shop unless we’re ordering drinks or food that gets brought to us. The only exception might be if someone goes absolutely above and beyond with customer service.

The consensus? At places like CI Hamburg or Smokies where they bring you coffee and cappuccinos, sure, tip for that service. But for a standard transaction where someone rings you up? That’s just part of their job. They’re already getting paid to be there.

Don’t Treat the Ashtray Like a Trash Can

One of the most important cigar lounge etiquette tips we can give you: respect the ashtray. Cellophane and bands are one thing, but we’ve seen people throw coffee cups, soda cans, and soft pretzel wrappers in there. Come on, man.

The Absolute Worst Offenses

Other critical etiquette violations that came up:

• Never spit in an ashtray. This actually happens, and it’s absolutely disgusting. As a former dipper, even Eric was dry heaving at this one.
• Don’t pour liquid in the ashtray to extinguish your cigar. You’re making life hell for whoever has to clean up at the end of the night.
• Ask before bringing your own cigars. We’re planning a trip to the new Legends Cigar Bar in Easton, and the first question is whether it’s a buy-on-premises-only kind of place.

Basic manners go a long way in a cigar lounge. It’s not that complicated. Show respect for the space, the staff, and your fellow smokers.

Legends Cigar Bar Opens in Easton

On a more positive note, we got some exciting local news. Legends Cigar Bar just opened in downtown Easton at 154 Northampton Street, co-owned by Larry Holmes Jr., son of heavyweight champion Larry Holmes.

The place looks sharp. They’ve got a big mirrored bar, live music (jazz band was there for the grand opening), premium cigars, craft cocktails, and a 1,500 square foot space for private events. One of the coolest touches is that they’re going to feature fight night screenings of Larry Holmes Sr.’s classic bouts.

We’re definitely planning a road trip to check it out. It’s about an hour from us, which isn’t bad at all. The only question is whether they allow outside cigars or if it’s a buy-on-premises-only kind of place. Following proper cigar lounge etiquette tips means asking before you bring your own sticks. Either way, it’s great to see another quality lounge opening in the Lehigh Valley area.

The Facebook Crackdown: What It Means for Cigar Content

Here’s where things get real. Last week, we received notice that Stogie Review is no longer being recommended to new audiences on Facebook. We thought we’d violated some community guideline, but it turns out this is happening industry-wide to anyone promoting tobacco products.

Cigar retailers, cigar media, anyone with a page that covers cigars is getting hit with this restriction. We’re not shadowbanned exactly, but Facebook is no longer pushing our content to new people. Our existing audience will still see everything, but organic growth through the platform is essentially dead.

This isn’t a pity party. It’s Facebook’s platform, and they make the rules. But it does mean we need your help more than ever.

Here’s what you can do:

• Share our episodes on Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, and YouTube
• Send links directly to friends who enjoy cigars
• Engage with our content (likes, comments, shares all help)
• Join our Discord community where we’re building something special

We’ve seen the same drop-off on YouTube, though we haven’t received official notification there yet. The views are substantially different than they were just a month ago.

One positive perspective: someone told us that getting this notice means we’ve built something significant enough for Facebook to notice. Pages with 10 or 100 followers aren’t getting these notices. So in a weird way, it’s almost a badge of honor that we’re doing something right.

We filed an appeal explaining that we don’t sell or trade tobacco products. We just talk about cigars while we smoke them. No monetization, no commerce, just conversation. We’ll see what happens in 4-5 days when they respond.

Goals for 2026: What’s Next for the Show

Even though we’re a couple weeks into January, we finally sat down to discuss what we want to accomplish this year.

Big Picture Goals:

• One guest per month minimum. We’re paying for the service to bring guests on, so we want to get our money’s worth. That’s 12 interviews for the year, and we’re already ahead of schedule with two guests in January.
• Strategic partnerships. We’ve got some exciting stuff in the works that we can’t fully announce yet, but LACC (LA Cigar Collective) is doing something huge for us that could help offset the Facebook issues.
• One-year anniversary celebration. We’re planning a Fourth of July blowout for our one-year mark. Fireworks, Uncle Sam, the whole nine yards. This will also double as a listener appreciation night since we’ve had so many great guests that we haven’t had a chance to properly celebrate with our audience.
• More Eddie on the Streets segments. These have been a huge hit, and Eddie says shop owners are way more receptive than he expected.

We’re also realizing we have incredible people right in our own community. Some of our listeners have fascinating stories and businesses. Joe Macko is launching a cigar vending company and he’s coming on in February. Why are we looking everywhere when we’ve got gold right at home?

Introducing Our Dynamic Top 25 Cigar List

Here’s where we’re doing something completely different. Inspired by Top Gear’s “Star in a Reasonably Priced Car” segment, we’re creating a dynamic top 25 list that changes every episode.

How It Works:

• A cigar must be smoked during the podcast to be eligible
• At least two of us need to agree it deserves a spot
• Once a cigar goes on the list, it can only move DOWN, never up
• If you rate something too high and better cigars come along, everything gets pushed down
• In case of disagreement, we average the rankings

Current Top 6 (as of Episode 30):

1. ChiMolly Pioneer – We were absolutely floored by this one
2. Foundation Tabernacle – Solid choice across the board
3. My Father Blue (Toro) – The Robusto was good, but the Toro is better
4. Gris Gris (LA Cigar Collective) – Great smoke, well-deserved spot
5. LFD Suave Maduro – Consistently excellent
6. Patina Sumatra – This cigar is a sleeper

We know this system is flawed and subjective, but that’s the point. It’s our flavor, our way of doing things. The list will be visible every episode, and it’s going to be fun watching it evolve over the next 11 months.

Cigar Shopping and What’s Coming In

Walt hit up Top Shelf before it closes and grabbed some VSG and Padrón. He also snagged some cool décor: a Nat Sherman sign, an old Sopranos box (the one that looks like a car), and an empty Opus X box for the wall.

Blind Trades Are Back

We launched a blind trade section in our Discord, and it exploded immediately. We’ve got eight outstanding trades right now.

How It Works:

• Pair up with someone (friend or stranger)
• Exchange addresses privately
• Send each other five cigars
• Post pictures of what you received

We’re also talking about doing a box pass like we used to on the old forums. Ten cigars in a box, you take what you want and replace with equal or greater value, then ship it to the next person on the list. We’ll put an AirTag in there to track it after one got stolen off a porch years ago.

What’s Coming Up

Upcoming Guests:

• Charlie from Abbina Craft Sipping Sodas – Craft sodas designed to pair with cigars. We did a pre-taste and had a blast. Pro tip: don’t mix them together, and they’re meant to be sipped over 90 minutes, not chugged.
• Joe Macko (February) – Cigar vending company launch
• More local partnerships – We’re finalizing plans with Smokies for our first episode on-location

Special Mentions:

• Don Emanuel Cigars sent us sample packs. We’re letting them acclimate before we fire them up.
• The new CAO Flathead Speed Shop (Habano) is coming out. Mark and Eric are Flathead guys, so they’re excited.
• Keep an eye out for an exclusive collaboration coming from LACC that we’re sworn to secrecy about. When we can talk about it, we will.

How You Can Support the Show

With the Facebook situation limiting our reach, word of mouth is more important than ever. Here’s how you can help:

1. Share this episode with one friend who enjoys cigars
2. Follow us on Instagram, YouTube, and Spotify (not just Facebook)
3. Join our Discord community for early episode access and trades
4. Use our affiliate links when shopping at Cigar Page and JR Cigars
5. Engage with our content – likes, comments, and shares make a difference

We’re not asking for a pity party. We’re just asking for your help to keep growing this thing we’re all building together.

Thanks to everyone who’s been part of this journey. We’re 30 episodes filmed, with 20-something published and live. To think we’ve come this far in such a short time is wild. The support from listeners like you, from shop owners, from manufacturers, it’s all been incredible.

2026 is going to be a huge year for Smoke and Steel. We can feel it.