It all began back in 2018 with a group of friends who couldn't stay away from Tobacco Republic, a cigar lounge and shop in Loomis, California, where cigars, fine spirits, and camaraderie went hand in hand. When the group made plans to attend the Cigar Aficionado Big Smoke in Las Vegas, they decided they needed a group shirt — because nothing says "we're a real crew" like matching merch. Enter Larry Marlatte, fellow cigar smoker and owner of Paradise Signs in Newcastle, CA, who went to work designing the shirts. They were a hit at the event, and on an Uber ride back to the cigar shop, Scott Robinson and Louis Star started kicking around the idea of turning the shirt club into something more official. After an afternoon of brainstorming — and a flurry of back-and-forth texts with Greg Perry — the group was born: The Loomis Cigar Cartel: Cigars, Fine Spirits and Camaraderie, a community built to celebrate all things cigar and the lifestyle that comes with it.

As we tossed around ideas for how the group could grow, we started digging into podcasts and thinking about what fresh perspective we could bring to the table. So we threw our hat in the ring with Beyond the Humidor. Joined by our friends and fellow cigar smokers Bob Bylsma and Sarah Belt, along with our resident tobacconist Craig Perry, we recorded our very first episode in the fall of 2019 — with zero clue how far it would actually go.

Fast forward to today, September 2026, and it's gone further than we ever imagined. What started as a handful of guys talking cigars over drinks has grown into a show heard and watched in over 600 cities and 38 countries around the world, racking up more than 50,000 downloads and counting from cigar lovers everywhere. Not bad for a group that started with a t-shirt idea.

These days, the podcast is hosted by Greg Perry, Scott Robinson, Larry Marlatte, and Anthony Marlatte, who continue to inform, entertain, and occasionally argue about the best way to cut a cigar — all in the name of good conversation. Catch a new episode every other Sunday at 9:00 AM (PST), available everywhere you listen to (or now watch) podcasts.

Welcome to the Cartel. Grab a chair, pour something good, and light one up.