It’s Cigars of the Year time — and the guys do it the only way that actually makes sense.

No points.
No rankings spreadsheets.
No pretending they can quantify enjoyment with decimals.

On this Happy Hour episode of Eat Drink Smoke, Tony Katz and Fingers Malloyoffer part 2 of their annual Cigars of the Year conversation by laying out the rules, the philosophy, and the reality of how these lists actually get made.

The short version:
They like what they like — and what sticks, sticks.

Along the way:

• Why Eat Drink Smoke waits until the year is fully over before doing year-end lists

• The only real requirement for Cigars of the Year: we had to review it on the show

• Why price, size, wrapper, and hype don’t decide anything by themselves

• A deep pour of Woodford Reserve Double Oaked and why it’s an always-in-the-cabinet bottle

• Dessert debates that spiral into crème brûlée, dried fruit, and general confusion

• The claim that America is “falling out of love with pizza”… and why that doesn’t pass the smell test

• Shrinking restaurant chains, rising prices, and what people are actually reacting to

• Cable TV viewership collapsing — not because people stopped watching, but because they stopped watching that way

• And why Happy Hour exists: so the show can wander a little and still land on its feet

More episodes, cigar reviews, and show info are available at EatDrinkSmokeShow.com.

Follow Eat Drink Smoke on social media!

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Facebook: @eatdrinksmoke
IG: @EatDrinkSmokePodcast

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

They do it the right way.

No shortcuts.
No calendar cheating.
No pretending December 15th is “close enough.”

On this Happy Hour episode of Eat Drink Smoke, Tony Katz and Fingers Malloy kick off their Cigars of the Year conversation — after a full year of reviews, arguments, surprises, and more than a few humidor debates.

Along the way:

• Why Eat Drink Smoke isn’t just a bourbon show (and never really was)

• The only real rule for Cigars of the Year — did it move you?

• Why price, size, wrapper, and hype don’t decide the list

• A deep pour of Woodford Reserve Double Oaked and why it’s an always-there bottle

• Cream, caramel, dried fruit, crème brûlée… and whether any of us know what dessert we’re actually talking about

• How a $9 cigar nearly stole Cigar of the Year

• Why surprise matters more than pedigree

• Tony’s early reveal of his #3 cigar of the year

• Fingers’ philosophy: value first, enjoyment always

• And a brief, spirited disagreement over whether America could ever fall out of love with pizza

This is the relaxed, wandering version of the show — part cigar talk, part spirits talk, part food world detour — exactly how Happy Hour is supposed to be.

Light something up.
Pour something you like.
They'll take it from there.

More episodes, cigar reviews, and show info are available at EatDrinkSmokeShow.com.

Follow Eat Drink Smoke on social media!

X (Formerly Twitter): @GoEatDrinkSmoke
Facebook: @eatdrinksmoke
IG: @EatDrinkSmokePodcast

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this Best of 2025 episode of Eat Drink Smoke, Tony Katz and Fingers Malloy reveal their Top Cigars of the Year (2025)—and they do it their way: they wait until the full year is finished before ranking anything.

Tony Katz and Fingers Malloy also pair the cigar conversation with Woodford Reserve Double Oaked (90.4 proof), breaking down the bourbon’s flavor profile and making the case for why it belongs in a liquor cabinet year-round.

The episode features two separate top-three lists with zero overlap, plus plenty of signature Eat Drink Smoke banter, food-world news, and culture commentary.

Featured in this episode:

• Woodford Reserve Double Oaked tasting notes, including caramel, dark chocolate, dried fruit, and a crème brûlée debate

• Tony Katz’s Top 3 Cigars of 2025

  • HVC Hot Cake “Fresh Out of the Oven” (Connecticut Broadleaf)

  • El Rey del Mundo “Appointment” (high-value standout)

  • Ferio Tego Timeless TAA Exclusive 2024 (Tony’s cigar of the year)

• Fingers Malloy’s Top 3 Cigars of 2025

  • Rocky Patel Thirtieth Anniversary (Mexican San Andrés wrapper, box-pressed premium)

  • La Flor Dominicana Cameroon Cabinet Lancero (wrapper-forward, high flavor ratio)

  • Micallef Red Toro (value pick with San Andrés Habano wrapper and Pennsylvania Broadleaf binder, Fingers cigar of the year)

Also covered:

• A debate over claims that Americans are “falling out of love with pizza”

• Chain restaurant and fast-food shifts, including a spirited argument over curly fries

• Cable TV ratings drops, cord-cutting, and how media consumption has changed

More episodes, cigar reviews, and show info are available at EatDrinkSmokeShow.com.

Follow Eat Drink Smoke on social media!

X (Formerly Twitter): @GoEatDrinkSmoke
Facebook: @eatdrinksmoke
IG: @EatDrinkSmokePodcast

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.