Cigar Coop Prime Time Show

For Prime Time Special Edition 187, we welcome Jeremy McDonald, owner and founder of Wildfire Cigar Company to the SE side of the house. After a successful career at Caldwell Cigar Company, five years ago McDonald struck out on his own and launched Wildfire. We will catch up with Jeremy and see where things are as he hits his five year anniversary. Plus, we have our Artesano del Tobacco Under the Sea, Tabacalera USA Great Things are Happening Here, and Espinosa This Day in Sports History segments.

On Prime Time Jukebox Episode 181 of we celebrate Black History month by looking back at some of the great African American pioneers in contemporary music. We will look at some legendary careers and assess the impacts these artists have had. For this show, since Dave smokes the Espinosa Comfortably Numb Vol 3 while Coop smokes a pre-release of the Espanola 30th Anniversary Maduro. As always you can follow along with our Spotify Playlists: Episode 181 Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1QdYw0hdBqpsJNJSrOk5yX?si=a78b9a6ea8b54055

On Prime Time Episode 366, we welcome back Nicholas Melillo of Foundation Cigar Company as our special guest. Foundation Cigar has now heading into its second decade in business, and Nick has been at the forefront of some of the biggest releases in the past few years. We will catch up with Nick and recap his journey during that time. Plus, we will have our FSG Beef Question of the Night, Tabacalera USA Ties That Bind, Alec Bradley Live True, Espinosa Today in Sports History, and the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Deliberation segments.

For Prime Time Special Edition 186, it’s our annual Big Game Pre-Game Show. As each year, we are joined by Jonathan Carney of Bentley Tobacco | USA and Hooten Young. Ten years ago, Coop and Carney launched the concept of doing a Cigar Coop in anticipation of The Big Game. This year we celebrate 10 years. Joined by Bear, the three will look back at the NFL Season and take a look at the game itself. Plus, we have our Artesano del Tobacco Under the Sea, Tabacalera USA Great Things are Happening Here, and Espinosa This Day in Sports History segments.

On Episode 180 of Prime Time Jukebox, we present our unique Big Game and Halftime Show Show. For this show we are joined by John McTavish of Developing Palates, who also did our NFL pre-season show.  We will recap our predictions, make our prediction for the "big game" between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots. Of course we will dive into the Halftime Show and all the music surrounding the big game. Plus we get some cigar talk in. As always you can follow along with our Spotify Playlists:  Episode 180 Playlist

On Prime Time Episode 365, we welcome the one and only Abe Dababneh. as our special guest. With 2026 in full swing, it means that the annual Great Smoke Event is around the corner. What’s more special is that this is the 20th installment of this event. We will do a little pre-game into the event, and get Abe’s insights into some industry topics. Plus, we will have our FSG Beef Question of the Night, Tabacalera USA Ties That Bind, Alec Bradley Live True, Espinosa Today in Sports History, and the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Deliberation segments.

On Prime Time Episode 364, Espinosa Cigars' Director of Operations Hector Alfonso Sr. joins us as our special guest. While we've seen Hector on various Coop shows, he returns to the mothership show for the first time in over three years. In that period, there is plenty to talk about with Hector and Espinoca Cigars Plus, we will have our FSG Beef Question of the Night, Tabacalera USA Ties That Bind, Alec Bradley Live True, Espinosa Today in Sports History, and the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Deliberation segments.

On Prime Time Jukebox Episode 179, it's our In Memoriam Episode for 2025.We look back and reflect on the careers and contributions of many artists who passed away in 2025. On this show, Dave smokes the La Flor Dominicana La Nox and Coop smokes the Perdomo Legacy Shade-Grown. Episode 179 Playlist Dave's Top 50 Songs of 2025 References 2025 Top 50 Dolly Parton Teams With Miley Cyrus, Reba McEntire, Queen Latifah & Lainey Wilson for 80th-Birthday Version of ‘Light of a Clear Blue Morning’ Team Cigar Review: Drew Estate Nica Rustica Shade Toro - Developing Palates

Episode 363 brings two first time guests to Prime Time, Brandon Oveson & Kendrick Woolstenhulme of Apostate Cigars. Apostate Cigars is one of the more unique brands we have seen hit the cigar industry. Last year the company made headlines by joining the family of Oveja Negra Brands. We will talk with Brandon and Kendrick on the story of their brand and this new partnership. Plus, we will have our FSG Beef Question of the Night, Tabacalera USA Ties That Bind, Alec Bradley Live True, Espinosa Today in Sports History, and the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Deliberation segments.

For Prime Time Special Edition 185, we kick off the year as we have most year’s by reviewing Bear and Coop’s top cigars of the year. In the past, Bear and Coop have critiqued the selections, but this year is a little different as they will assign S-Tier grading to the assessments. Plus, we have our Artesano del Tobacco Under the Sea, Tabacalera USA Great Things are Happening Here, and Espinosa This Day in Sports History segments.

On Prime Time Jukebox Episode 178, it's our annual year in review. In Jukebox style we look back at both music and cigars for the year 2025. This includes Jukebox classic segments such as Now or Never and Crystal Ball. On this show, Dave smokes the Viaje Vampire Dust while Coop smokes the Perdomo 30th Anniversary Maduro Robusto. As always you can follow along with our Spotify Playlists: Episode 178 Playlist Dave's Top 50 for 2025

The #1 Cigar of the Year for 2025 is the Perdomo Legacy Shade-Grown Epicure. This gives Perdomo back-to-back #1s, as last year the Perdomo 30th Anniversary Maduro Epicure captured the top spot. Legacy is a project spearheaded by Nicholas Perdomo III, the son of Nick Perdomo Jr. Nicholas aimed to craft a cigar in tribute to his father’s 60th birthday. This endeavor would lead him to embark on one of the most ambitious projects in the history of Perdomo Cigars. At the core of this project is shade-grown tobacco cultivated from a proprietary hybrid seed. Full Details: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-ywv

Coming in at #2 Cigar of the Year for 2025 is The Tabernacle Knight Commander by Foundation Cigar Co. The Knight Commander is a limited-edition cigar measuring 6 3/4 x 52 in a perfecto shape, belonging to the Foundation’s Tabernacle brand. The name “Tabernacle” refers to a biblical resting place for the Ark of the Covenant. According to legend, the Ark is said to be located in Ethiopia, which adds a rich narrative connection to The Knight Commander’s story. Full Details: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-yws

Coming in at #3 Cigar of the Year for 2025 is the Aladino Cameroon Reserva by JRE Tobacco Co.. The Aladino Cameroon Reserva is one of the more unique blends to hit the market. The cigar features 100% Honduran-grown Cameroon tobacco from the JRE Tobacco farm. One type of blend I don’t recall seeing anywhere is a 100% puro of Cameroon seed tobacco. JRE, and its owners, Julio and Justo Eiroa, have definitely not been afraid to push the envelope when it comes to innovation on their farm. The concept of a cigar made entirely from Cameroon seed is undoubtedly innovative. It’s also a project that JRE has been working on for nearly seven years. Full Details: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-yvL

Coming in at #4 Cigar of the Year for 2025 is the H. Upmann 180th Anniversary Churchill. In 2024, the H. Upmann brand celebrated its 180th anniversary. To mark the occasion, Altadis U.S.A. would release a special cigar line in honor of that milestone.  Rafael Nodal, Vice President of Product Capability at Altadis, and cigar master AJ Fernandez developed this cigar. Full Details: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-yvb  

Episode 362 kicks off 2026 for Prime Time and tonight we welcome back the one and only Tim Ozgener of Oz Family Cigars to the show. Tim has a long history in the cigar business, but he came back twofold in 2022 – joining Crowned Heads and starting a new company, Oz Family Cigars. We will talk to Tim on the road he is making back in the cigar industry as well as the happenings in the companies. Plus, we will have our FSG Beef Question of the Night, Tabacalera USA Ties That Bind, Alec Bradley Live True, Espinosa Today in Sports History, and the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Deliberation segments.

Coming in at #5 Cigar of the Year for 2025 is the Domain Entropy Robusto Gordo. Domain Cigars is a new company that launched in March 2024. The company is part of a partnership between Esteban Disla and Daniel Lance. One thing that is quite interesting about Domain Cigars is that they are not just entering the market as a brand, but as a full-service tobacco company. This includes agriculture, tobacco processing, tobacco brokering, and cigar making under its own factory, Tabacalera Familia Disla. Domain Entropy is the third regular production line under the brand. This cigar follows Domain’s path of naming cigars after concepts in physics, as the brand’s first two lines were Neutron and Negentropy. The concept of Entropy is most commonly associated with states of disorder, randomness, or uncertainty. Full Details: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-yuu

Coming in at #6 Cigar of the Year for 2025 is the Perdomo Legacy Maduro Robusto. This Maduro is part of Perdomo’s Legacy line. Legacy is a project spearheaded by Nicholas Perdomo III, the son of Nick Perdomo Jr. Nicholas aimed to craft a cigar in tribute to his father's 60th birthday. This endeavor would lead him to embark on one of the most ambitious projects in the history of Perdomo Cigars. At the core of this project is shade-grown tobacco cultivated from a proprietary hybrid seed. Full Details: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-ytI

Coming in at #7 Cigar of the Year for 2025 is the Fuente Fuente OpusX La Familia 25 Years. As the name suggests, this line commemorates the 25th anniversary of the Fuente Fuente OpusX brand. OpusX holds significant importance for its creator, Carlos “Carlito” Fuente Jr. In late 1995, Carlito introduced the Fuente Fuente OpusX, a revolutionary cigar that demonstrated to the world that an ultra-premium Dominican puro could be crafted using a Dominican-grown wrapper. The OpusX 25 Years line was first introduced at the 2021 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show as part of an offering in an Elie Bleu humidor. That vitola for that release was a Churchill known as El Tributo. Fast forward to the 2024 PCA Trade Show, and Arturo Fuente showcased a perfecto size known as La Familia. Full Details: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-yt1

For Prime Time Jukebox Episode 177, it’s our 21st installment of the Album Archaeology Series. Tonight, we go back to the landmark 1987 album, Kick by INXS. Much like an archaeologist digs and hunts for gems, on Album Archaeology we dig deep into an album. We examine each of the tracks of this album looking at the music, lyrics, and stories behind this album. For this show, Dave smokes the My Father Blue Petit Robusto and Coop smokes a pre-release of the Micallef White Robusto. As always you can follow along with our Spotify Playlists: Episode 177 Playlist References 2025 Top 50 2025 New Oldies Brigitte Bardot: The blonde bombshell who revolutionised French cinema Perry Bamonte, guitarist and keyboardist for The Cure, dies at 65 Dolly Parton tells Zac Brown time off helped her heal and grieve Kennedy Center Honors Highlights 2025 Cigar of the Year Countdown