Episode179: Interviews from NOLA

Episode179: Interviews from NOLA

From Simply Stogies by James Giehm

May 2, 2026 · 2h 39m · Episode 256

About this episode

This episode features interviews with various notable figures from the Premium Cigar Association Convention & Trade Show in New Orleans.

We sat down with some of the most interesting people at this year's Premium Cigar Association Convention & Trade Show in New Orleans, Louisiana. Despite a few hiccups with both audio and video, we sit down with Steve Saka of Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust, Rick and Sara Rodriguez of West Tampa Tobacco, Lou Cross of Lure Cigars, Nimmer Ahmad of Valacari Cigars, Zack Van Ginkel and Andray McCuien of HDA Cigars, and Michael Knowles of Mayflower Cigars. A big shoutout to the entire team...Jimmy Dailing, Timothy Allen, Mimi VonSwagg and Mike Morrow. Their tireless work and dedication made our coverage of this year's PCA trade show a success. We also want to thank Small Batch Cigar and My Old Kentucky Herf for sponsoring our coverage of the show this year. Stay tuned to our YouTube and Rumble channels for more interviews and coverage of the 2026 Premium Cigar Association Convention & Trade Show.

People in this episode

Host: James Giehm

Guests: Steve Saka, Rick Rodriguez, Sara Rodriguez, Lou Cross, Nimmer Ahmad, Zack Van Ginkel, Andray McCuien, Michael Knowles

Topics covered

  • cigar industry
  • interviews
  • Premium Cigar Association
  • trade show
  • New Orleans

Keywords

  • cigars
  • interviews
  • Premium Cigar Association
  • trade show
  • New Orleans
  • cigar industry
  • Dunbarton Tobacco
  • West Tampa Tobacco
  • Lure Cigars
  • Valacari Cigars

Sponsors

Small Batch Cigar, My Old Kentucky Herf

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust, West Tampa Tobacco, Lure Cigars, Valacari Cigars, HDA Cigars, Mayflower Cigars

Places: New Orleans, Louisiana

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