Eric ran the intro this week, same as he almost always does. His headphones were cutting out on one side because he ran over the cord with his office chair last week. Rob’s daughter create a WWE-style AI image turning him into Rob the Ruthless for the night, a nickname Mark gave him a few episodes back. It’s officially a bit now.

What Le Flambeaux Actually Tasted Like

Most of us had Le Flambeaux No. 3 going at some point tonight. This is the LACC release we’ve talked about before on the show, built by Klaas Kelner, a guy not known for making strong cigars. LACC specifically pushed him to go fuller-bodied than his usual work, and you can taste that tension in the smoke. It’s floral. It’s sweet. There’s a red pepper that shows up in the middle and lingers.

I liked it. I wanted more from it. It coats the palate well and it’s built right, but it left me wanting a little more oomph than it delivered. Jim felt the same way. Mark, Bruce, Eric, and Rob were the other end of the spectrum and were very impressed by its complexity.

Give it time. It’s brand new. A few of us are letting the Le Flambeaux rest a couple more weeks before we go back for round two.

What We Bought This Week

Mark showed up with a Vincente Blends stick wearing a band that looked like actual jewelry. Cost him $42 bucks. Eric joked he could melt the band down and get some of that back.

Eric went down an El Mago rabbit hole after loving the Mr. Almond, picked up the Defender and Offender from Oak Lane Tobacconist, plus their anniversary stick made by El Mago called the Mage.

Rob hit Chartwell Cigar Club (Chesterfields – Inside Joke) and walked out with a limited Trade Craft along with two bottles of Blanton’s that he picked up from the licquore store next door. He said the Trade Craft stuck around for hours. Very citrusy. He ate a slice of pizza afterward and could still taste it.

Rob the Ruthless Is Officially a Thing Now

Rob’s daughter made him an AI wrestling character and the name took on a life of its own. His humidor is apparently now under new management. He’s earned a manager, a nickname, and a running bit that isn’t going away anytime soon.

Eric Tells the Chartwell Story

This is the one that got me. Eric was at Chartwell and Joe, a lounge regular who’s never been on the show but who all of us know and like, pulled him aside. Joe told Eric he’d met me the week before and walked away confused. He said, “Is there like two of him?” He’d expected the talkative guy from the podcast and instead got maybe twelve words out of me the whole visit.

Eric had to explain something he’s apparently explained to thirty other people by now. When the cameras are off, I don’t say much. It’s not personal. It’s not anything. I’ve always been quiet in person, and the guys who know me well enough to sit across a table from me for a year figured that out a long time ago.

I’ve got my own version of it. I ran into Rob at Home Depot, said hello, and got nothing back. He just stood there staring at a shark bite fitting like I wasn’t standing next to him. My wife was there for the whole thing.

I don’t hate anybody. I’m just quiet. Ask anyone at this table.

Skip Martin, Creekside, and What Shop Loyalty Is Actually Worth

I brought up an interview Skip Martin did with Creekside a couple weeks back, and it kicked off one of the better conversations we’ve had in a while. The question on the table: if a longtime customer starts buying most of his volume online but still comes in for one specific cigar, do you cut him a deal on that one stick to keep him walking through the door?

We landed on yes, almost unanimously. Jim made the case from experience. He used to work at a shop under an owner named Tim, and he remembers pushing back on the idea that only box buyers deserved a discount. He had one regular who never bought a full box but consistently bought thirty loose sticks a week, easily more than a box’s worth. Jim argued the guy should get treated the same. It took about a year of going back and forth before Tim agreed.

Maybe I’m naive but I’d rather take thirty percent on a guaranteed sale than nothing at all. A happy customer who keeps showing up is worth more than the margin you gave up to keep him.

New Brands, Old Questions

We talked about how many new cigar brands seem to pop up every few months now, guys with passion but not always the manufacturing background to back it up. The table landed on this being a good sign, not a bad one. When times get tough, the weak ones fall away and the good products survive.

Tradecraft came up as the example, since Rob Blumenthal was just on the show and the brand is only eight months old. We also talked about Dave West and Avowed Cigars, a cigar Bruce wasn’t sold on until he met Dave in person and heard him talk about it. One smoke in, it knocked his socks off.

Padron and Davidoff, Two Completely Different Roads to the Same Result

This one came from the same Creekside interview. Picture two cigar makers. One does everything by the book with total precision. The other runs the same simple process the same way for decades and cuts corners by comparison. Does it matter which one is best made if it’s not the one you actually reach for?

We used Padron and Davidoff as the example. Padron runs almost like a machine, consistent every single time, and none of us could remember a bad one. Davidoff is the more painstaking, technically flawless build, and none of us could remember a bad one of those either. Two completely different philosophies, both landing in the same place. Most brands fall somewhere in the middle.

The Villiger Heath Sent Us

We give Villiger a hard time on this show, mostly as a running joke. Our buddy Heath sent Eric one of their higher-end sticks hoping it would change our minds on the brand. Eric smoked it and gave it an honest shot.

It did not change his mind. He told Heath as much, and Rob asked him if he’d paid a toll with a tunnel that big. Heath took it well. There are plenty of guys out there who love Villiger, and that’s fine. Not every cigar is for every palate, and we’re not going to pretend otherwise just to spare feelings.

The Signs a Shop Is on Its Way Out

We got into what tips you off that a cigar shop is struggling before you even buy anything. Empty boxes left on the shelf instead of restocked. A nicotine film on the picture frames. A bathroom nobody’s cleaned. Bruce said cleanliness is the first thing he notices, and the rest of us agreed a hole in the wall is fine as long as it’s not an actual health hazard.

Jim and Rob both remembered the same shop near Phoenixville, where they picked up a cigar and it crumbled in their hand. And that was a cigar stored in their walk-in humidor.

On the flip side, we’ve all walked into shops that looked rough from the parking lot and turned out to be immaculate inside, hydrometers reading exactly where they should. You can’t judge it from the curb.

Stay in the Conversation

If you want to catch these conversations as they happen, the easiest way is to subscribe to the Stogie Review YouTube channel, since Smoke and Steel lives there every week. We’re also always hanging out over on the Stogie Review Discord, where the fans of the week get picked and where a lot of these conversations keep going long after we sign off. And if you want to support the show directly, the Smoke and Steel Merch Store has you covered.

I’m still working on being less quiet in public. No promises.

That Creekside Interview

Once you’re done with Smoke and Steel Episode 063, check out the Creekside interview with Skip Martin.

Le Flambeaux Press Release

LA Cigar Collective (LACC) has announced its third exclusive cigar, Le Flambeaux. Produced by Kelner Cigars SAS in the Dominican Republic, LACC has also said it will wholesale this for nationwide distribution.

For this project, LACC challenged Klaas Kelner of Kelner Cigars SAS to “Build us a cigar that’s full-bodied. Push beyond the strength profile people expect from a Kelner blend without sacrificing the complexity and balance that define your work.”

The result was La Flambeaux, a cigar inspired by the city of New Orleans and the historic flambeaux carriers of Mardi Gras. Before modern street lighting, flambeaux carriers lit the parade routes in the evening.

“Le Flambeaux is about shining a light on a side of Klaas Kelner’s blending talent that many cigar smokers may not have experienced,” added LACC.

The blend features a Mexican San Andres wrapper over an Ecuadorian Habano binder with all Dominican fillers. The fillers consist of 60% ligero. Le Flambeaux comes in one size – a 6 1/2 x 55 Gran Toro. The cigars come in 15-count boxes with a total production of 10,000 cigars.

Currently, Le Flambeaux is available at La Cigar Collective and Small Batch Cigar. Each box is priced at $275.00 USD.

Blend and Origin
Wrapper: Mexican San Andrés
Binder: Ecuadorian Habano
Filler: Dominican Republic — 60% Ligero
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Factory: Kelner Cigars SAS
Vitolas Available
Gran Toro: 6 1/2 x 55