The Cigar Pulpit

Mid-Year State of the Industry Update

Coming to you from the JRE Tobacco Aladino Studios, Nick brings you a mid-year state of the cigar industry update. He's been hearing from his network of rep and retailer friends over the past few weeks as the close of the second quarter of the year approached and passed by, and he's compiled anecdotal stories along with import data to paint a picture of the current state of the cigar industry as he sees it. 

Find out what Nick has been watching lately in the Villiger Cigars Entertainment Report.

And learn what three cigars Nick smoked and enjoyed this week.

Get your calls in for Ask the Pulpit at (863)874-0000. Or email your comments to Nick@CigarPulpit.com!

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS...

For all your online cigar purchasing needs, head over to 2GuysCigars.com! In business for 40 years, they are THE trusted name in the cigar industry! Family owned and operated, they provide a great selection, fair prices, and outstanding customer service. That's 2GuysCigars.com!

Follow JRE Tobacco/Aladino at @AladinoCigars on Instagram or check out their website, JRETobacco.com for a store near you that carries their cigars

Follow Villiger Cigars at @VilligerCigar on Instagram or check out their website, VilligerCigars.com for a store near you that carries their cigars, or visit their new online shop at https://villigercigars.store/home

The GIANT SIZE Ask the Pulpit Show!

Coming to you from the JRE Tobacco Aladino Studios, Nick takes to the phone lines to listen to your calls in a GIANT SIZE Ask the Pulpit episode! He's been asking for your calls to help keep the two shows a week schedule through the summer and you all keep coming through! 

We address more nicknames and sampler packs, Seinfeld, World Cup, the Parishioner Zoom Herfs, PulpitFest, and so much more! We even learn about armadillos and address what happens when a cigar company is bought by a larger one.

Learn what Nick has been watching lately in the Villiger Cigars Entertainment Report.

And it's Tuesday, so it's time to learn Is the Juice Worth the Squeeze where Nick reviews another lemonade! Yes, the segment has a title now!

Get your calls in for Ask the Pulpit at (863)874-0000. Or email your comments to Nick@CigarPulpit.com!

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS...

For all your online cigar purchasing needs, head over to 2GuysCigars.com! In business for 40 years, they are THE trusted name in the cigar industry! Family owned and operated, they provide a great selection, fair prices, and outstanding customer service. That's 2GuysCigars.com!

Follow JRE Tobacco/Aladino at @AladinoCigars on Instagram or check out their website, JRETobacco.com for a store near you that carries their cigars

Follow Villiger Cigars at @VilligerCigar on Instagram or check out their website, VilligerCigars.com for a store near you that carries their cigars, or visit their new online shop at https://villigercigars.store/home

Overlooked Cigar Brands with Mike Brinker

Coming to you from the JRE Tobacco Aladino Studios, Nick is joined by Mike Brinker to discuss some cigar brands that maybe don't get love often enough but are quietly out there putting out good cigars. The guys discuss some of them and also go down a rabbit hole wondering what may be happening with a few other brands we don't hear from much. 

During the Villiger Cigars Entertainment Report, hear what the guys have been watching and entertained by lately.

And learn what three cigars we've smoked and enjoyed lately!

Get your calls in for Ask the Pulpit at (863)874-0000. Or email your comments to Nick@CigarPulpit.com!

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS...

For all your online cigar purchasing needs, head over to 2GuysCigars.com! In business for 40 years, they are THE trusted name in the cigar industry! Family owned and operated, they provide a great selection, fair prices, and outstanding customer service. That's 2GuysCigars.com!

Follow JRE Tobacco/Aladino at @AladinoCigars on Instagram or check out their website, JRETobacco.com for a store near you that carries their cigars

Follow Villiger Cigars at @VilligerCigar on Instagram or check out their website, VilligerCigars.com for a store near you that carries their cigars, or visit their new online shop at https://villigercigars.store/home

Mid-Year 2026 Death Prediction Check-In

Coming to you from the JRE Tobacco Aladino Studios, Nick is joined by Noah Zeleznik to do a mid-year celebrity death check in. We recap those we lost in the first six months of 2026 and review our predictions made at the end of 2025. Did we predict any correctly? Do we stand by our predictions for the back half of the year?

All this while smoking some Aging Room cigars!

Find out what we've been watching lately in the Villiger Cigars Entertainment Report.

And you've waited patiently and it's finally here... the Lemonade-O-Meter! Nick gives the first official score to the Two Guys Lemonade. How does it score up? What do you think of the official Lemonade-O-Meter? Is it good to go or too complicated? 

Get your calls in for Ask the Pulpit at (863)874-0000. Or email your comments to Nick@CigarPulpit.com!

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS...

For all your online cigar purchasing needs, head over to 2GuysCigars.com! In business for 40 years, they are THE trusted name in the cigar industry! Family owned and operated, they provide a great selection, fair prices, and outstanding customer service. That's 2GuysCigars.com!

Follow JRE Tobacco/Aladino at @AladinoCigars on Instagram or check out their website, JRETobacco.com for a store near you that carries their cigars

Follow Villiger Cigars at @VilligerCigar on Instagram or check out their website, VilligerCigars.com for a store near you that carries their cigars, or visit their new online shop at https://villigercigars.store/home

Retailers: Stock more than just singles

Coming to you from the JRE Tobacco Aladino Studios, Nick details some issues he had this week trying to get some budget friendly cigars in a bundle and how some retailers need to learn to stock more than just singles. Going through the story, Nick details the importance of having a variety of purchase options available for consumers, because you never know who might be walking in looking to drop money on a box or bundle of 20.

From there, he details an incident at a Target where a little boy got him in some embarrassing trouble.

Find out what movie Nick watched and thinks has a wonderful message for kids in the Villiger Cigars Entertainment Report.

And learn what three cigars Nick smoked and enjoyed this week.

Get your calls in for Ask the Pulpit at (863)874-0000. Or email your comments to Nick@CigarPulpit.com!

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS...

For all your online cigar purchasing needs, head over to 2GuysCigars.com! In business for 40 years, they are THE trusted name in the cigar industry! Family owned and operated, they provide a great selection, fair prices, and outstanding customer service. That's 2GuysCigars.com!

Follow JRE Tobacco/Aladino at @AladinoCigars on Instagram or check out their website, JRETobacco.com for a store near you that carries their cigars

Follow Villiger Cigars at @VilligerCigar on Instagram or check out their website, VilligerCigars.com for a store near you that carries their cigars, or visit their new online shop at https://villigercigars.store/home

Ask the Pulpit: More Sidepieces and Samplers

Coming to you from the JRE Tobacco Aladino Studios, Nick goes back to the phone lines for another Ask the Pulpit. While smoking a Diamond Crown Tampa, Nick thanks everyone for calling as it has been a huge help during the busy summertime. Truthfully, your calls are what is allowing him to keep going twice a week, so keep the calls coming!

We discuss such topics as the mystery of the origin of the nickname Sidepiece for Listener Decoda and your suggestions for cigar samplers for beginners. We also discuss heart palpitations and the fear of missing out on PulpitFest.

During the Villiger Cigars Entertainment Report, which should be named the World Cup Update since that's all Nick is watching, Nick gets a package from UPS and does an unboxing on the show. What's in the box?!?

And its Tuesday, and you know what that means... It's time for another Lemonade Review!

Get your calls in for Ask the Pulpit at (863)874-0000. Or email your comments to Nick@CigarPulpit.com!

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS...

For all your online cigar purchasing needs, head over to 2GuysCigars.com! In business for 40 years, they are THE trusted name in the cigar industry! Family owned and operated, they provide a great selection, fair prices, and outstanding customer service. That's 2GuysCigars.com!

Follow JRE Tobacco/Aladino at @AladinoCigars on Instagram or check out their website, JRETobacco.com for a store near you that carries their cigars

Follow Villiger Cigars at @VilligerCigar on Instagram or check out their website, VilligerCigars.com for a store near you that carries their cigars, or visit their new online shop at https://villigercigars.store/home

A PulpitFest Ticket Announcement!

Coming to you from the JRE Tobacco Aladino Studios, Nick is joined by his dad Jim and Kenn Klarich of the Ash & Ale Lounge to announce that PulpitFest 2026 tickets are on sale. The guys discuss the event and some of the planning going into it, designed to make this year's event fun and a little different than last year's. 

And we announce a special guest that will be at the VIP dinner and Friday's activities!

Find out what the guys have been watching lately in the Villiger Cigars Entertainment Report.

And learn what three cigars they've smoked and enjoyed this week!

Get your calls in for Ask the Pulpit at (863)874-0000. Or email your comments to Nick@CigarPulpit.com!

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS...

For all your online cigar purchasing needs, head over to 2GuysCigars.com! In business for 40 years, they are THE trusted name in the cigar industry! Family owned and operated, they provide a great selection, fair prices, and outstanding customer service. That's 2GuysCigars.com!

Follow JRE Tobacco/Aladino at @AladinoCigars on Instagram or check out their website, JRETobacco.com for a store near you that carries their cigars

Follow Villiger Cigars at @VilligerCigar on Instagram or check out their website, VilligerCigars.com for a store near you that carries their cigars, or visit their new online shop at https://villigercigars.store/home

Ask the Pulpit: Nicknames, World Cup, and Constructive Criticism

Coming to you from the JRE Tobacco Aladino Studios, Nick takes more of your calls in another Ask the Pulpit episode. He lights up a Herrera Esteli Habano and covers such topics as dad jokes, nicknames, some constructive criticism of the show, and more. We also hear some of your pack ideas for beginners looking to get into cigars and there were some fantastic suggestions!

During the Villiger Cigars Entertainment Report, Nick nerds out and discusses his reactions to the first full weekend of World Cup soccer. Not a topic he expected to be discussing but really fun!

And it's Tuesday, so you know what that means... time for another Lemonade review!

Get your calls in for Ask the Pulpit at (863)874-0000. Or email your comments to Nick@CigarPulpit.com!

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS...

For all your online cigar purchasing needs, head over to 2GuysCigars.com! In business for 40 years, they are THE trusted name in the cigar industry! Family owned and operated, they provide a great selection, fair prices, and outstanding customer service. That's 2GuysCigars.com!

Follow JRE Tobacco/Aladino at @AladinoCigars on Instagram or check out their website, JRETobacco.com for a store near you that carries their cigars

Follow Villiger Cigars at @VilligerCigar on Instagram or check out their website, VilligerCigars.com for a store near you that carries their cigars, or visit their new online shop at https://villigercigars.store/home

Four cigars I'd give to a beginner

Coming to you from the JRE Tobacco Aladino Studios, are you thinking about getting into cigars but not sure where to start? Or maybe you have a friend who's curious about the hobby and you're wondering what cigars to hand them first?

Nick builds the ultimate beginner cigar sampler and breaks down the four cigars he'd recommend to help a new smoker learn about the world of premium cigars. Along the way, he discusses why mild doesn't have to mean flavorless, the difference between spice and strength, why dark wrappers aren't always stronger, and how different wrappers and tobacco varieties can completely change the smoking experience.

Nick also explains why construction matters just as much as flavor, what new smokers should look for in a cigar, and why he has begun to generally avoid recommending flavored or sweet-tipped cigars to someone who wants to learn about premium tobacco.

Whether you're brand new to cigars or looking for the perfect recommendations for a friend, this episode offers a practical roadmap for exploring the hobby one cigar at a time.

Find out what movie Nick saw lately in the Villiger Cigars Entertainment Report.

And learn what Three Cigars Nick Smoked and Enjoyed This Week!

Get your calls in for Ask the Pulpit at (863)874-0000. Or email your comments to Nick@CigarPulpit.com!

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS...

For all your online cigar purchasing needs, head over to 2GuysCigars.com! In business for 40 years, they are THE trusted name in the cigar industry! Family owned and operated, they provide a great selection, fair prices, and outstanding customer service. That's 2GuysCigars.com!

Follow JRE Tobacco/Aladino at @AladinoCigars on Instagram or check out their website, JRETobacco.com for a store near you that carries their cigars

Follow Villiger Cigars at @VilligerCigar on Instagram or check out their website, VilligerCigars.com for a store near you that carries their cigars, or visit their new online shop at https://villigercigars.store/home

The Sliding Scale of the Age of Legality

Coming to you from the JRE Tobacco Aladino Studios, after an extended weekend with his son, Nick is thankful you guys called in and gave him something to talk about on another Ask the Pulpit episode!

Nick takes your calls and hears from you about a variety of subjects including how long would it take for a cigar butt to decompose and more. Nick also gets a call from listener James that sets him off down a rabbit hole that eventually leads to a discussion about the Age of Legality for various things in the United States and how the sliding scale of that age makes absolutely no sense. What are your thoughts?

In the Villiger Entertainment Report, Nick takes a slightly different approach to this segment and talks a bit about some of the fun he and his son had this past weekend.

And its Tuesday, so its time for another Lemonade Review!

Get your calls in for Ask the Pulpit at (863)874-0000. Or email your comments to Nick@CigarPulpit.com!

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS...

For all your online cigar purchasing needs, head over to 2GuysCigars.com! In business for 40 years, they are THE trusted name in the cigar industry! Family owned and operated, they provide a great selection, fair prices, and outstanding customer service. That's 2GuysCigars.com!

Follow JRE Tobacco/Aladino at @AladinoCigars on Instagram or check out their website, JRETobacco.com for a store near you that carries their cigars

Follow Villiger Cigars at @VilligerCigar on Instagram or check out their website, VilligerCigars.com for a store near you that carries their cigars, or visit their new online shop at https://villigercigars.store/home