CigaRobbie Radio Program moving to WTAN 1340 AM & Affiliates

Last week Sammy and I inked a deal that will make the CigaRobbie Program heard in six states through the southeast. Moving the show to WTAN 1340 AM with affiliates WDCF 1350 AM, WZHR 1400 AM, and 50,000 watt powerhouse out of Little Rock AR KLRG 880 AM, brings the show to a new level.

Besides the move which allows us to produce the show in a new studio we  will also have a two hour format every Saturday from 3 to 5 pm EST. The show's great success in a short period of time has allowed for such growth. You the listener has propelled us to this level and we are doing everything we can to make sure we get great information to you!

With our commitment to existing sponsors: Maduro's Cigar & Bar, and CheapHumidors.com we'll be bringing on some new sponsors in the Tampa market. I don't want to take on to many and clutter the show with all ad's, but I need to cover some additional growth expenses. I try to make myself the best spokesperson I can for each and everyone of them and want to keep it more about you the listener and the cigars. This two hours helps us with that goal, knowing all to well the one hour just was not cutting it!

40 Acres of History; Ybor City!

Ybor City, (pronounced EE-borh), founded in the 1880’s, with its accessible port, and railway locations it attracted the attention of prominent Spanish born cigar manufacturer Vicente Martinez Ybor. It was first the discovery of Don Gavino Gutierrez, a New York civil engineer also of Spanish decent in search for “guavas” for a canning into a jelly which was becoming a craze in the northeast. Even though the 40 acre parcel of swamp and scrub Mr. Gutierrez, saw it industrial possibilities of something much more than canning jelly. He quickly relayed the information to his cigar manufacturing friend. Vicente would travel to the palmetto ridden area north of Tampa to purchase it.

First order of business for the industrialist to connect the harden area between Tampa City and his newest creation by rail (El tren, urbano) was created and would run: “often!” Soon to be the Cigar Capital of the World and an early century moniker of being the finest Cuban cigars in the world. With tobacco picked in Pinar del Rio and shipped directly to the tiny port of Tampa for production, in its day with over 200 cigar factories, employing over 12,000 cigar makers (Tabaqueros), and producing over 700-million cigars. Ybor City was incorporated into the City of Tampa in 1887, becoming a staging ground for the Cuban Revolution after the Spanish sunk the USS Main in the tiny harbor of Havana. Enticed by the hearty nightlife of card rooms, brothels, bolita games (Cuban version of Powerball), and active commerce Teddy Roosevelt stationed with his “Rough Riders” and rumored to have enjoyed all the Ybor accommodations.

If you look deep enough you can still see the brick streets, concrete pavers, old fashioned cast iron street lamps, aligned handmade wrought iron balconies and ornamental tile work makes this place a walk in time. Walking through Centennial Park bordered by canopied oaks and statues of predominate business leaders of Ybor City, there is one statue that stands out the most; The Immigrant Statue, depicting a young Hispanic family exiled or having escaped a oppressing regime and finding solace, gainful employment and workers housing.

Must see’s if traveling to Ybor City today; Artist Arnold Martinez, a blue collar son of a cigar roller (torcedor), who will warmly greet you at the door of his historic studio and immediately poor his long time history and experience of the city he is proud to call home. He will take you on a historic tour through each one of his paintings hanging on his wall, so proud you feel as though he really does not want to part with them, you get the sense it’s much more than connection with people than actually mass producing artwork. His paintings may have a unique appearance, that’s because some of them are created with such mediums as: tobacco, Cuban coffee, tea and wood.

Since 1982, the Ybor City Museum Society that serves as the experts to the legacy those 40 acres has meant to our history. Exhibits, programming, educational tours, combined with cultural and historical resources are for you to explore…

CigaRobbie Radio Program & The Cigar Guy

My Day in Ybor!

Walking down 7th Avenue in the heart of Ybor City, a.k.a. The Cigar City! It's like you’re walking back in time, other than the modern cars passing you by you would think you’re in the turn of the century. Pretty Cuban senorita's walking pass with huge smiles, the constant wafting summer smells of a city so steeped in heritage and tradition to any other place in this country. I smelled Cuban coffee, pastries, and cigars! Oh wait that was me I'm smoking a Fuentes Opus X, just cause I'm here.

I read The Cigar Maker, written by Mark Carlos McGinty in the middle of Centennial Park as the locals would brush by me every so often to make sure I was not an outsider. To them I was an outsider, but the funny thing as a budding aficionado, and just armed with enough of Ybor City history to be dangerous, they seem to me to be the outsider. One man even came up to me as I smoked my local stogie and told me, "Those things will kill you." My reply, "Everything will kill you." I did meet two very interesting gentlemen... both meaning so much to the rich heritage of cigars and Ybor: Wallace Reyes, yes that name rings a bell you cigar geeks! He is the man who is legendary in Ybor; you may know him of his Guinness Book of World Records, longest cigar. The other kindly local was Wally's good friend and local born artist Arnold Martinez, you may know his name as the artist who uses such mediums as tobacco leaves, Cuban coffee, tea and acrylics.

What a day my friends, I would look for both of these men to be guest on the CigaRobbie Radio Program! I know tomorrow I will be smoking one of Wally's personally rolled cigars a Bazarte, with a rich deep maduro wrapper the size was recommended to me by another local working at the museum store: torpedo and I can't wait to light this treasure and tell you about it on the air. Really thinking of making this a regular trip, well you know for the history part of it!

Wallace Reyes, Grand Master Cigar Maker

Gary Streitz, CigaRobbie's Father!

Becoming one of the most popular guests of the CigaRobbie Radio Program, CigaRobbie's dad who provides great insight on: well, nothing! Will be called and see what cigars he has smoked since the last time he was on?

I will wish him a happy fathers day and see if he has been on the http://www.cheaphumidors.com/ site to purchase great cigars and by using his son's C-I-G-A-R-O-B-B-I-E code and get an extra 10% off his purchase!

David Blanco's, On the June 26th Show.

We've just slated David Blancos from Los Blancos Cigars Company for Saturday June 26th 2010. With their rich Cuban history to the cigar industry combined in deep family heritage they bring you Los Blancos Sumatra, Criollo, Connecticut, Maduro and Nine blends. All providing great Nicaraguan & Honduran blends with the craftmanship of olde world Cuban construction. I look forward to sit down on the program and speak with such a master crafting family such as Los Blancos Cigars! Won't you join me each and every Saturday as we talk to the people that make a difference in this industry!

Next Week's Show!

Working on a couple of things for next weeks CigaRobbie Radio Program, Dr. Augie Mauser not only a retired Professor Emeritus College of Education at the University of South Florida but for the last thirty five years being the only official licensed cigar vendor in the city of Tampa. Dr. Mauser known to most as "Augie" by all the major players in the cigar industry. Consulted by the likes of Rocky Patel, Alan Rubin and Fuentes Family, Augie will bring his rich history and colorful tales to the CigaRobbie Radio Program.

The other interview I am working on is: Nick Perdomo! Wow, would be nice to speak with Nick about his wonderful line of entirely puro Nicaraguan cigars. With such classics like the 10th Anniversay Champagne, the Habano and his five year aged creation Perdomo (2) squared. I will talk to him about him having one of my absolute favorites... the Perdomo Edicion de Silvio, its pricy but its worth it!