514: Tariff REFUNDS Are Coming + Our Full PCA 2026 Review | Cigar Hustlers Podcast We Were at PCA 2026 & The Cigar Industry Just Changed |, Tariff Refunds Hit & The Industry Is BUZZING

Episode Summary

Recorded in the car on the drive home from PCA 2026 in New Orleans, episode 514 of A Cigar Hustler's Podcast features Michael, Mike Palmer (Stefan Kiewicz on the mic intro) and "Triple G" Greg unpacking a week on the trade show floor — hangovers, illness and all. The headline news item: following a February 2026 Supreme Court ruling that many of the Trump tariffs were illegal, the federal government has launched a system called CAPE to process roughly $166 billion in tariff refunds. The guys dig into who actually gets that money (importers of record, not consumers), whether any of it will be passed back down the chain, and the political pressure on large corporations to accept or refuse the refunds — a conversation with real implications for cigar importers and the retailers who buy from them.

The bulk of the episode is an honest PCA 2026 debrief. Best moments included meeting phone customers face-to-face for the first time, a photo with Charlie Toraño, Michael accidentally being mistaken for Matt Booth all week (he was wearing Booth's badge and answered with a fist in the air and a "Room 101, baby!"), a compliment from Pete Johnson on a past interview, and casual praise from Skip and Michael Rogers of RoMa Craft, Jack Toraño and Erik Espinosa. The worst moments: getting sick, New Orleans food, and retailers who still said no to the crew's "Smoke This, Trust Me" retailer program even after every objection was answered.

The team also gets tactical about trade show execution: foot traffic patterns (being near the food court and the entrance), the difference between real buying retailers and "trick-or-treaters," why booth displays need to be 50% lighter, and the need for two usable selling areas so interviews don't shut down sales meetings. They shout out the unsung crew — Paul, Alex, Jamie, and Sam and Rosie of Ceniza Fina — plus hotel logistics and the move to a new, larger hall in Las Vegas for PCA 2027. Lighter segments cover the Alcatraz dock closure, a Fox 35 undercover investigation into the Sloth World attraction in Orlando (21 of 31 imported sloths died), and Blue Origin's New Glenn putting Amazon satellites in the wrong orbit. The show closes with "What's the Score?", guessing Brooks Whittington's Halfwheel review score for the La Flor Dominicana Apollonia — a $20, 6.5 x 44 Cameroon-wrapped TAA release that scored 91.

In This Episode

1. 01
   Tariff Refunds and the CAPE System
   Breaking down the February 2026 Supreme Court ruling, the ~$166 billion in refunds owed to importers, and whether any savings reach consumers.
2. 02
   Who Actually Gets the Money
   The crew debates redistribution of wealth, political pressure on corporations to take the refunds, and whether big retailers could ever repay customers.
3. 03
   News Roundup: Alcatraz, Sloth World and Blue Origin
   Alcatraz tours halted for dock repairs, a Fox 35 undercover story on 21 sloth deaths at Orlando's Sloth World, and New Glenn stranding Amazon satellites in a decaying orbit.
4. 04
   Best of PCA 2026
   Meeting phone customers in person, a photo with Charlie Toraño, and Michael being mistaken for Matt Booth all week while wearing his badge.
5. 05
   Worst of PCA 2026
   Illness, New Orleans food, and the sting of retailers passing on the 'Smoke This, Trust Me' program despite every objection being solved.
6. 06
   Foot Traffic and Retailer Quality
   Why the food court and entrance draw the most traffic, why day three wrote real orders, and the drop in freebie-hunting 'trick-or-treaters.'
7. 07
   Booth Logistics and What to Fix for Vegas
   Lighter displays, dual selling areas so interviews don't kill meetings, hotel proximity, and prepping at least 10 days earlier for PCA in Las Vegas.
8. 08
   What's the Score: La Flor Dominicana Apollonia
   Guessing Brooks Whittington's Halfwheel score for the $20 Cameroon-wrapped TAA release, with flavor notes of spicy oak, anise and creamy almonds.

Brands & Cigars Discussed

Linked items are in our shop. Mentions without a link aren’t currently stocked or couldn’t be matched with confidence.

Transcript

Welcome to A Cigar Hustler Podcast, Episode 514! Here we are on the road again, on the way home from the PCA. With me here, as always, is, uh, Michael, I am in the passenger seat, Stefan Kiewicz, and then driving for us today, Triple G, I stayed out too late drinking last night. From Derek, damn, that drive doesn't sound fun.

I hope you have plenty of podcasts queued up. Drive safely. Fucking Derek's wise. We'll start over.

No, it's good. Keep it going. Oh, you want to leave it on? Yeah.

All right, uh, on today's show, we've got an exclusive news article. Hold on, I have to switch to the other screen. It's not really that exclusive, it's just a new, it's a breaking news. Breaking news, oh yeah, not exclusive, breaking news, breaking news, breaking news, and then we've got, we got a closing that we need to discuss.

Okay. Then we have a Fox 35 Undercover news story. Interesting. What?

You're good, I'm just curious if that should be turned up a little. Okay. And then we have a rocket update from Blue Origin, and then Michael has something special we're going to talk about, he won't divulge what it is. We're going to talk about the show a little bit.

We're going to talk about the show a little bit. Yeah. So, but before we get started, Michael, how do we get some of the CHPod swag that several people came up to us wearing at the PCA? com where you can get all of your latest CHPod swag.

Buy one, get the second one, 40% off. Spend $100 or more and get free shipping. com, a Cigar Losers podcast. com.

And some comments from the latest shows. Let's see here. " That was a great, that was a good episode, for sure. This camera, I don't look good on this camera.

No? Or maybe that's the way I look, but my head looked huge from that angle. You have a huge head. Yeah, I know, but it doesn't look huge on this, on a regular camera.

You're much further away now. It's the same camera. No, on the Matt Booth show, uh, it was a huge head. Yeah, I know, but it doesn't look huge on this, on a regular camera.

You're much further away now. It's the same camera. No, on the Matt Booth show, uh, It was that camera. We don't use those at home.

Okay. All right. Nee, nee, nee, nee, nee. " So I guess somebody said Swiss Miss when we were talking?

Matt Booth said Swiss Miss. You don't correct the Booth. Yeah, we don't correct Matt. We don't correct Booth.

We don't correct Boofy. @TXSouthpaw, I feel like @TXSouthpaw knows Boofy well, though, to be honest. Knows Booth well? Yeah.

I think everybody knows Booth well. Still waiting on the full-sized Burger King Whopper review, we'll definitely look forward to a Little Debbie showdown. We had one. We did the Little Debbie, it'll come up on Saturday.

It was epic, we'll put it up here soon, I gotta edit the film though, so. " Did I already say that one before? " Thank you, David, thank you for acknowledging me. Do you know what the rock is cooking?

It's very nice. And then we already had Buzzinator. If you want to hear your comment, settle out on the show. Comment below on this episode and it may make the show.

It may not, you know. Oh, you're getting closer. Okay. Does that make you feel better?

You hide your tummy a little bit? No, I have air. Oh. Your head looks bigger.

Yeah, the closer you get, the bigger your head gets. Like your wife? Make sure you like and subscribe. We're reviewing and listening to this show.

No braking. No braking? He hit the brake and I almost fell for it. Okay, well, you know.

It was either hit the brake or hit the truck. I have to go like this when you talk. Hit the brake or hit the truck. Greg is a hot mess.

Greg decided to go out and have a late night soiree. With our friends from Fine Ash Cigars. Yes, and the Aroma Craft crew. and he got angry as Palmer was leaving this morning.

He got angry. He ripped open the door in his underwear and said, you better not leave me. I have money. I have money.

I will get a plane. I will take a flight home. I'll beat you home. Any comments?

That is not what I said. Yes, it is. That's verbatim what you said. He asked the awkward lady I had to share the elevator with.

He wouldn't make eye contact. He's like, okay, I don't know what happened there. Strange man in his underwear telling for me to come back in the bedroom. Do you know who I am?

I'm Triple G. They call me Triple G. He has fully embraced the name. He has.

Not what I said. You know, what's funny is as we were breaking, yeah, he doesn't remember, as we were breaking down the booth yesterday. Yes. Greg was in his button-up Posanya shirt.

Yes. And he had his gloves on. He's a cowboy hat away from looking like Rip. I mean, he's right there.

Yeah, it's true. Yeah, I kind of agree with that. You wear a cowboy hat at home? Yeah, he's got the little belly, you know, he's got all, he's aesthetic, yeah, perfect.

He could be a stunt double. He could get a haircut. A haircut? I'm gonna get him, let's get him the cowboy hat.

We'll get him a cowboy hat. Yeah, that'd be great. For when he's on the show. Only when he's on the show?

Triple G, cowboy. Triple, triple G, rip. Oh, it's nice. Don't you have a hat?

I think I do. You were triple, you were triple, you were triple G for Halloween. You were RIP for Halloween. I was triple G for Halloween.

Michael G for Halloween. I think this thing is... There we go. Okay.

Much better. All right. On with the show. On with the show.

All right. Actual tariff refunds to businesses. It's a real thing happening right now. In February 2026, the Supreme Court ruled many of Trump's tariffs were illegal.

Because of that, the government is now working to return about $166 billion in tariffs. More of this information, we go to Greg, live on the scene. Greg, that's a really big number, that is a very big number. I thought you had information, Greg.

You thought I had what? Information on this. Well, this is exciting, I mean, it's okay, you know, he doesn't like to talk, he's a little hungover. All right, a system called CAPE, C-A-P-E, just launched to process your refunds.

CAPE. S. businesses or consumers. So if a company imported goods and paid those tariffs, they can apply to get the money back.

Mike, whether they pass that savings on to customers, it's totally up to them. Right. So, this is a disaster. I just saw another headline, too, that Trump said, allegedly said, I don't know, because it's just a headline, said that he will remember the corporations that do not take back refunds.

Oh, really? Yeah, put in pressure. So, what's your thoughts on this, Triple G? It's a redistribution of wealth.

I mean, basically, the consumer wound up paying for it, and it's going to wind up going back to the company. Is he talking? I can't hear him. Yes, well, what he said, well, you're hard of hearing, and he's- No, he's whispering.

Yeah. He said that it's a redistribution of wealth, and pretty much what happens is it goes from the consumer and it goes into the companies, right? Right, yeah, they're not gonna lower the prices. Yeah, well, are they gonna give the money back is the question.

So how would you do it? How would you give the money back? Uh, what, if I was the government? No, if you're one of the companies that's gonna receive a check with two fucking commas in it.

I would have to go back and trace through my consumer and figure out what the average was, and then pay them back. So, like, if you're Walmart, you're gonna figure that out? Yes. There's no way.

Okay. That's what I would do. If you paid in cash, you can't do that. Pretty much impossible.

Give everybody gift cards when they walk in. Everyone. Yeah. Everybody who comes in gets a five-cent gift card.

Five cents. You all get five cents back. Oh, you get five cents. You get one nickel.

No, you know what? Personally, I don't think the money should have just been given back at all. If anything, I think it would have been better off if it was redistributed to the youth. Like, take all the money, figure out everybody under the age of 18, and give them an investment account so they can use it.

The problem is that it was gained illegally. That's what the federal court said. Like, they weren't allowed to do this and they did it. You can't do something and then do something with those funds.

You have to give it back to the people that you took it from. Right. And then they have to give it back to the people they took it from? No, that's a, just because something's legal doesn't mean that it's moral.

So there's, so one person takes the other guy, hmm, not so much? Unfortunately, yeah, that's probably what's gonna happen. America, what a country. America.

Uh, yeah, you know, I think the other, the other big issue here too is, by Trump going out and saying, you know, I'll remember those who didn't take the tariff money back or whatever, you're really, you're really putting some of these corporations in that position. No, I don't think he's threatening them, but realistically, okay, what if I wanted to say, hey, you know what, we don't want to take the money because we don't want to be part of this disaster, but we also don't want to support Trump, so now what, right? Now I have to take the money? They have to take the money, right?

So, I mean, obviously this isn't a big deal for smaller corporations, you know, call it, I don't know, sub 200,000 and below, people who are They're getting tariffs. I mean, that's not the end of the world, but some of these bigger guys that are in the millions. Right. There's $166 billion sitting around.

Do you think we all get iPhones? Apple's a big company. Apple definitely shipped a bunch of product out of China. Apple definitely paid a boatload in tariffs.

They just got rid of their CEO. So you think they just update all of us with an Apple iPhone 97, whatever we're at? Free iPhones for everyone. They just raised the price of the iPhone again.

That's all they did. I don't, you think they raise the price? Yeah. Why not?

They do it every year. Maybe they lower it this time because, hey, we made some extra money. We got a little cash here. You know what I'm saying?

Hey, we're up a little bit. Hey, we're the CEO. We got a new guy in charge. Yeah, we're paying him less.

For everyone. We got cash flows up. You know, we don't want to pay taxes on this. We started a new company called The Pear.

The Pear. The Pear. It's not quite as big as the Apple, but it's still just as juicy. Just as juicy.

Okay, well. That's what's located. It's just as juicy. Well, we'll see how this unfolds in the future.

Let me move this up. Oh, nope. What are you doing? Up, up, up.

You adjusting? Over, over. It's adjusting for us. Oh.

Oh. Which isn't good. I need to see... Triple G Rip's face.

Triple G, you need to see that hangover. Yeah, that hangover face. Look at a little bit. There it is.

There it is. Ah, look at that. It's beautiful. Okay.

I think how he put his jewelry on for driving. Yeah, he's a maximum accessory man. I saw him, by the way. Right here.

No, the one that worked for my father. It works for my father. Oh, Joaquin. Joaquin.

Yeah. Look, it keeps moving. It does. It really wants to put Triple G in the photo.

There's gotta be a lock. Is it focused on me and something? What's going on here? Maybe because you're touching it.

Okay. Don't touch it. I'm not touching it. Is it moving now?

I don't know. It's a little shaky. Alright, moving on with the news. Okay.

Keep going. All tours to San Francisco's Alcatraz Island are suddenly canceled. Done. The Rock is closing for dock repairs this week.

Park officials said San Francisco's Alcantara's Island has shut down and will be closed for the rest of the week to undergo repairs at the dock. Mm, so it's shut down. National Park Service officials told SFGate on Monday morning the historic landmark and tourist association is scheduled to reopen by next Saturday. I just marked it on my calendar.

Okay, so it's down for a week. It's down for a week. What are people gonna do? What are they gonna do, Greg?

Didn't Phil think that that was local? You're gonna ruin my joke. What are they gonna do? What are they gonna do?

I don't know. I didn't get the script. What they're gonna do is they're gonna have to just visit the Statue of Liberty. That makes sense.

Thank you. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Ladies and gentlemen, literally, we're here. Go check out Alice Island.

You know, visit the World Trade Center. Right. Right. That's the joke.

Because Phil said that Alcatraz is in New York. It's in New York Harbor. com. You too can get in on the joke.

And the joke. Yes. Now, look at it. Now it's high.

See, I have to constantly adjust this. It's gonna drive me nuts. If I hold it, is it less rubbly? No.

No. Okay. Okay. Right there.

Good. Okay. Ready to move? Yes.

Alright, now on with the next story. Fox 35 investigation has an undercover devastating loss. Uh-oh. Anyone wanna guess?

Lots of money. It's a loss, Michael. They lost their money? No.

Triple G? Greg Messes Up the Script? Uh, no. I'm done with this.

Several weeks ago, we covered a story about Sloth World opening in Orlando. Oh. No. There's a Sloth World?

It's gonna open in Orlando on iDrive attractions. Uh, but this is, not even had the grand opening yet. And according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation, 31 sloths were shipped to Florida in December 2024 from Guyana. And in February 2025, from Peru, 21 of the 31 have died.

No! Yes, in December of 2024, 31 of them have died. What happened? Well, suspected of cold stun is what the investigation found out.

It got cold, they weren't, they showed up early, they didn't have power or water set yet in the warehouse where they were going to be temporarily stored, so they could not turn on the space heaters. It got down to 45 degrees, which is 5 degrees or 10 degrees colder than they can stand, apparently, and some of them died. - So we froze the sloths? - The sloths froze.

- Were you gonna go to the sloth museum? - I really like sloths actually, I think they're a really cool animal. - You're a big sloth guy? - I kind of am.

I like the three-toed sloth, that's one of my favorites. - Would you like to get one of these sloths taxidermy? - I have more. - Okay, I'm sorry.

- In February 2025, two arrived dead, eight others were emancipated upon arrival, and they got sick and died. - Of coldness? - The FW, no, no. - They just got sick.

- Emancipated me. - Hold on, hold on, how do you emancipate a sloth? - No, they were-- - They're free of the country. - Not emaciated, sorry.

- Ah, yeah, that's-- - No, they emancipated. - No, no, no, no, no. - No, we emancipated. - They emancipated, they had-- - You're under the age of 18, but you can still go live off on your own.

- Right, right, that's right. - Yeah, you're free, sloth. - Damn, I got that word right. - I got that word right.

The FWC conducted and closed this investigation, finding there were no intentional malconduct by the businesses. Sloth World denies these allegations. - They say this is not true? - No, no, they really died.

- Oh. - They say they died of a sloth virus. It was a sloth virus. Recently, this is a quote from the sloth people, "Recently our facility had been managing a difficult situation involving a foreign virus.

We have worked tirelessly alongside our veterinarian, the Florida Department of Agriculture, and other outside experts to successfully identify the virus and address it. " You know, they like to read at night. Right. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Bureau.

Because they're emancipated. Right. Conducted a thorough inspection about: they can read whatever the hell they want, they've been emancipated. Because they've been emancipated, been emancipated.

We have always prioritized the health and well-being of our sloths, investing millions into their care and habitat, just not at the warehouse. I added that part. Okay. Safety and health of our sloth population.

So the organization says they got sick, they got a virus. We didn't freeze them. They got a virus. Yeah, they didn't freeze.

The fact that it was 45 degrees and they had no heat or power or water. It has nothing to do with it. They should have paid the rent. I want to get back on this sloth fascination that you have, sir.

Would you ever acquire a sloth to have at your house? No, we already have too many animals. Do you want me to tell your wife? Hey, you know what, Greg?

No, do not. You know what? No. No, don't do that.

Thank you. Triple G really wants a sloth. No. Specifically...

She wants a mini cow. You probably can't own one in the United States anyways. Specifically a three-toed one. Yeah, you can, you just have to get a certificate, I heard these guys on the radio.

I know a place has only got a couple left, we might be able to get one on clearance. You could definitely get one that's not breathing. Well, they're emancipated, they can come up with them. Yeah, they can act, yeah, they make their own, they do what they want.

They make their own decisions. I'm going with the man in the funny hat. I'm going with Triple G! I'm not staying here, you kill people, you kill sloths.

You killed my cousin. You unalive all these sloths, I must go. Barney, Bob, Phil, Steve, they're all gone. They're all gone.

We can't even run away because we're too slow. Well, they can't run, either. Yeah, I know. They hang on a tree.

They live their whole life upside down. I get it. Kind of like us. Is that like a fire up there?

Maybe. It looks very great. It may be a fire. Who cares?

We're driving towards it. We'll be driving to hell. We'll be fine. Do you think that they're working as tirelessly, the doctor and them, as much as, you know, three idiots that spent an entire week at PCA?

Probably not. Oh, yes, you know. It's impossible. Not as tirelessly.

Okay. You think if they did, maybe they would have saved some sloths? Saved a sloth or two. At least one or two.

Okay. Good. Perfect. Alright, a final news story.

Blue Origin's new Glenn rocket put the satellites in the wrong orbit. Oh, good. Is this the Amazon one? Yeah, they said five new satellites.

I knew it. I knew it. It's a waste of time. They said five new satellites up.

The rocket booster did not go off as planned. It didn't go as high as it was supposed to. So they're in a degrading orbit around Earth. They're in orbit around Earth.

Oh, good. There's no way to turn them on because they won't turn on until they get further away. So it's a matter of time before they crash into something in the Earth. Correct.

Good news is though, the Booster rocket did land safely on the, they have a remote controlled boat that picks it up hundreds of miles off the coast. Yeah. And then they brought it back. Oh, so it already landed.

Yeah. Yeah, this is, well, yeah, that's how they know it's, you know, it goes up, drops these things off, and then comes back down. Okay, but they're in orbit still. The satellites are, but not the booster rocket that comes back, we reuse those.

Okay. It's on a drone ship coming in from wherever it is they picked it up. Got it, got it. So, imagine ordering a package from Amazon and then having one of these satellites just crash at your front door.

Oh. I don't think they... Well, if you ordered a satellite... They don't deliver...

They get no refunds. They don't deliver the package. It's yours. Yeah, but it'd be funny.

Oh, okay. All right. Jeez, you know. All right, bye.

Listen, I'm gonna emancipate you in the backseat. I've been emancipated, didn't get a decent meal for seven days. You're gonna get an emaciated emancipation. Everything is spicy in New Orleans, I hate New Orleans.

I can imagine seeing like just a little sloth going out and getting a job at McDonald's, at its first job, in its first apartment at 17. Yeah, I'll have the Egg McMuffin, and it goes to hit the button. Sorry sir, breakfast ended at 10:30. I ordered an hour and a half ago.

And a half ago. It's now 11:15. Yeah. No, too bad.

I got here at 9:30. I'm sorry, sir. It's a computer. I can't make it.

It's a computer. I can't change it. It changes the pictures. It changes the pictures.

So I think he's up to it. Okay. Oh, now it's a cheeseburger, sir. Would that be okay?

Cheeseburger? It better be, hurry up. They have the little claws at the end. Hurry up.

We're about to close. Okay. Is that all your news articles? Yes, yes.

It's all the news. There is the news. Okay. There is no good cigar news because it's all about Charlie's backpack.

Yeah, well, I mean, there is some good cigar news, but we're not going to kind of touch into it, we're going to let the media controversy kind of handle themselves at this point. Oh, I like pick sides. I know, but I don't like to pick sides. So, um, I do want to talk a little bit about PCA with you two fine gentlemen.

Okay. And I'm going to start with you, Palmer. I don't like New Orleans. What?

I don't like New Orleans. Okay. That's what you're asking. Uh, what was, what was the best thing that happened to you at PCA?

Oh, I got a picture with Charlie Manano. That's the best thing for you? That was the best thing. That was the best thing.

No, no, I enjoyed meeting some of the customers I've been talking to for like eight or nine months on the phone. It was nice to see them in person. Some of them got hugs, some of them got photos. Almost all of them wants me to come to their shop.

So it was nice meeting the peoples. Yeah, I thought so too. I thought that that was very well received. What about you, Greg?

What was the best thing that happened to you at PCA? Probably hearing Sam and Rosie's origin story. Yeah? Yeah.

Do you not want, you don't want to share it though at this time? No, I don't think so. It's appropriate for them to share it? Seems personal.

I think, I think you should call them. Right now? No, not right now. Right now?

We can have them on the show. I think we've had to do that before. We have called them in the past. Yeah, I think they've done their origin story on the air.

Well, it's a story I never heard, so. Then I may, I probably, I may have not even heard it either. Well, Greg's not a fan of the show either, so. Yeah, that's a good point.

But now that he's on it, his mother watches all the time. He may want to, oh yeah. Yeah. You know, for me, I got a, I got a few bests.

Yes? One of the best ones for me was, hold on, hold on. " You got it, Lightweight. I mean, I'm working on that with the Powstains.

Yeah, we're working on that. No, I mean, that wasn't the best part. I just thought it was funny. Do we win a Benson Lee last night?

I know what your best part is going to be. What was it? And he's being really mistaken from Matt Booth. That was actually really fun, you know, and what's funny is I don't, like, I don't want to take that story away from a couple of people because there's a couple of interactions that had happened and I want them to tell that story as well.

" And then... There's people watching this have no context, so you have to tell them why it is that this is correct. Okay, fine, I'll say this story. " he's like, I love your cigars.

I sell a lot of your cigars. And I said, Oh, thank you so much. And as I started to walk away, the guy said, thanks, man. Thanks for everything you do.

And I shoved my fist up in the air and I yelled room one on one, baby. And the, my, my buddies that were in the other booth as they're trying to get, uh, like kind of pitched on, like they're explaining what the product is that they're talking about. They're all just start dying, Like, there's a poor person trying to talk to them, and, you know, uh, they're just, they're erupting, so, um, yeah, that was, that was a lot of fun. I will say that was a lot of fun.

Um, for me, to be honest, I think the unintentional comments were really, uh, unintentional, uh, compliments were really good. Like, some of the things that we heard, that I heard this, this week, were definitely kind of, like, rejuvenating, you know. Right. " That was awesome.

And then a lot of the good compliments that kind of naturally happened with Skip and Michael from Roma Craft and Jack Taranio and Eric Espinosa from Espinosa Cigars and even Matt Booth. I mean, hearing some of the things that they said about us, just kind of casually in conversation, not like a, hey, you're doing great type of a scenario, just like, this is what happened, and damn, right? I thought that was probably the best thing, to be honest. So, now moving on to the next question.

Palmer, what was the worst thing that happened to you at PCA? Getting sick. Getting sick? I got a sty in my eye, I call it whatever disease you've passed around.

Yeah. I think I've got an ingrown toenail. Oh my God. I know, and there's not any food in the city that's not spicy.

Yeah. Outside of the PCA building, I had a terrible time. You had a terrible time outside of the PCA building. Terrible time outside of the PCA building.

So, everything outside of the PCA building. Everything outside of the PCA building. And your body. And my body, yeah.

Okay. What about you? Well, I feel the illness brought on everything else. Well, you got the illness at the tail end of it.

Well, no, I got it in the car on the way there, it just came up heavier at the tail end. Right. I was dying at the beginning. Yes, I was dying at the end.

Yesterday was kind of a long, rough day, but luckily it went by fast because we were busy. Okay. Surprisingly busy. All right, Triple G, what do you got?

Well, I too got sick, but that wasn't the worst part for me. The worst part was probably the 12:30, 1:00 in the morning phone call that I got from you when you were dying. Number one, worried about you, but then also going through all the different things that were going to have to happen if you were taken off of the field. Oh, that's very sweet of you.

That's very nice. Yeah, we're going to close, leave early, go home. Yeah, just pack it in. Pack it in.

It's a waste of time at this point. Greg was going to fly us. Greg's going to fly us. Yeah, because he's very rich.

He's very rich. He's going to get us a plane. I could get a plane. I have money.

I have money. I could get a plane. Absolutely epic. Okay, do you think that traffic was up this year?

What? What was the worst part for you? Oh, it's a great, that's a great question. That is how this format is supposed to work, right?

You ask a question, we answer, then the ball gets lobbed back to you. It's like back and forth, back and forth. Yeah, I don't really think about me though. So, and not in this scenario, but that's a great question.

Great question. Worst thing that happened to me. " And I don't want to be a part of it. That's the worst thing that happened to me.

And the reason why is not because it's from us, but it's like something that we legitimately built to try and help all these retailers. And they're still like, some of them are still like, nah, I don't want to do that. Like, okay, that is, what are we doing? What are we doing?

We, like, this is, we're making. It's a way for you to make money and we don't. We're not making shit on this deal. It's true.

I had one retailer give me a reason why it wouldn't work, and then I gave him a solution. Then he gave me another reason why it wouldn't work, and then I gave him that solution. Then he gave me another reason why it wouldn't work, and then I gave him that solution. " Yeah.

I mean, that's crazy. That's crazy. " Like, "You want to take my wallet? " Right.

And we're doing everything but giving you money. They might be like, "You know what? I don't want that. Is it your money?

No, I don't want the wallet. No, that's okay. " So I would say that that was probably the worst thing, because that was kind of sad for me when they said no. I got a good thing that you won't mention.

Okay. Pete Johnson gave you a really nice compliment on the interview that you did. Oh yeah, he did. He did.

Yeah, it was nice. Briefly saw him, you know, because we didn't really get out that much this time. Right. So yeah, he did.

He said very nice things about the interview. He still gets people coming to him and telling him. Saying that it was a great interview. It was, man.

He's a good guy. It was nice to kind of paint a picture more about him, you know. Oh, covered up the door. You're fine.

Everything's fine. Okay, next question. What did you think about the overall foot traffic of the show? You didn't ask me if I thought it was busy.

That's what I'm asking. No, whatever question you just asked Greg, you'd skip me. No, I'm going to you right now. Oh.

Day one, day two, day three, what did you think the overall traffic was for the show? Like you said, we didn't get out much, so you didn't get to see what was further down past the other way, how many people were there, but it seemed like a lot of people ate. Yeah. I mean, because we were right by the food.

I mean, yeah, we had a lot of flow throughout those three days. I read on Half Wheel this morning that the two best places to be is the food or in the beginning where everybody walks in. Right. Because that's where you get the most foot traffic, I guess.

Other than people started cutting through our booth on day three, it didn't really happen much on one and two, but day three, we became a highway. Yeah. People, I guess, because we were busy in spurts on the last day. Right, okay.

That's annoying, I mean, can't they just walk, what, four more feet and go around? Right. To be fair, foot traffic is not part of our business model. We, we book meetings, uh, we meet with people that know us, that we know if they're a new customer, we have them slotted out for a time.

" That's how you get a lot of trick-or-treaters, and that's not what we're there to do. There didn't seem to be a lot of trick-or-treaters this year. No, that's true, too. It seemed like, you know, the retailers that were there were invested in buying and growing their business.

There was one group that I knew from somewhere that I couldn't give the high sign to Greg and Paul, they were trick-or-treaters. One guy tried to trick-or-treat from Paul and he put his foot down and wouldn't give the guy anything. Yeah, well, Paul protects. Paul does a good job protecting, right?

Yeah, I feel bad because he always thought he wasn't doing enough, but without Paul, this thing sort of falls apart, right? Yeah, a hundred percent. I mean, when we get there, it's set up and ready to go. As Skip says, the unsung heroes of the PCA definitely exist.

You know, Alex is another one that, you know, they just don't get enough praise for the things that they do. Yeah, 100%, man. And Jamie, too. Jamie doesn't get out of the race.

Oh, God, yeah. She's a logistical ninja. Yeah. Paul's always Johnny on the spot with the samples.

He had the hats, paperwork. And I gotta say, Sam and Rosie were awesome as well. You know, they helped out tremendously, too. They killed it.

They worked it. They were talking to customers. Sam was a little bit, you know, out of his comfort zone, which was fun to watch. Yeah, I agree.

Yeah. But once he got rolling, he was pretty good. Yeah, absolutely. Okay, so, but I would-- I felt bad sort of summoning him when people, you know, wanted to-- Yeah, come here, come, come.

Yeah, Sam, come here, I'm not summoning you, but these people would like to meet you. They would like to meet the man behind the Ceniza Fina. Right. So, yeah, I mean, I thought the traffic was up.

Like, day three, especially, we had customers. We wrote orders day three. Yeah. Yeah, opened up some new accounts.

Yeah, and in the past, day three, there was room. Right. A whole lot of nothing. So...

I think all but two of our accounts showed up. Yeah. Okay. Okay, if you could do anything differently at PCA next year...

I think I know your answer, Palmer. But what would it be? Not get sick? Was that the answer?

No, I was gonna say not having a New Orleans. Not having a New Orleans. I'm never going back to New Orleans. Or I'll bring my own food next time.

Is that truly your answer? Uh, no, give me a minute. Let's see if I can lock on your face. Go to Triple G.

Okay, there you go. Ooh, I locked it on your face. Oh. That's better.

Okay, Triple G, what about you? What's the one thing that we can do better at PCA or you would do better at PCA? I have a whole list. I just want one.

I have two. Can I do two? No. This is like a Keanu conversation.

All right, one, I don't know, I won't use anything from the list. If we could make all of the displays for our booth 50% lighter, it would be easier. That would be nice, yeah. Yeah.

Like a composite something? Yeah. Just not made out of steel. Looks like metal?

Looks like metal, but not metal. But not metal? But not metal. You know that's not craft, right?

I'm well aware. You're well aware that that's not craft. Very much aware. Craft has to be metal?

Craft has to be metal. Craft is definitely metal and wood. They don't make metal things down at Roma Craft. You know what would be cool is aluminum.

Aluminum is lighter. It is, but that's not craft. You know if Mago was? Titanium.

Titanium would be great. Do a Mago wall, like that light-up thing, but have like a scene from World War II in Poland. Yeah, I thought that was a cool-looking booth. With the original logo sprayed on.

Yeah, the screen, I'm a fan of the screen. Yeah, the screen makes it look like it's walls. Yeah, that'd be cool. Here's what I'd like to do.

Okay, tell me. So the way we set up our booth, we have like the one area with the table and the four chairs and everything's on that thing. And then we have the high-top table over here we're supposed to be using too, but we never get to use the high-top table. Okay.

Because that's where everybody hangs out and that's where they eat their food and where they put their lunches. If we could have two areas set up for sales, like maybe split the stuff or have another set of boxes over on the other one, so that when you're maybe doing an interview or I'm maybe running a sales meeting, there's still a place for the second group to go to. Okay. Because when you do an interview, it's a setup because they got ringing cameras, they move the chairs, sometimes they have lights and things.

So it causes me and maybe the sales customers to stand there and watch because over there they're having a buffet or something. So you think realistically we need two more spaces? No, we just need to have better use of the space we have. Gotcha.

Just politely ask for the space back. You've got to guess that if the down-to-earth guys are hanging out at the booth and you've got to do business and they're sitting on the table, just say, "I need this table for a second, guys. " That happened many times during the PCA. Yeah, just clear 'em out.

Yeah, but it could be a 10-minute thing. I mean, you know, they've got food and stuff spread out on the table and everything. Nobody hangs out in the corner or down at the moment. The great part is right on the other side of our display, there are these massive tables.

Right, where they could be sitting. Hey, could you guys mind grabbing anything over there? 'Cause I need this table. Right.

Yeah, just do something like that. Where are we at next year? Is it, do we have an idea? Yeah, it's by the food court.

So right next to the restrooms. In Vegas, though. Yeah, lower level. The restrooms are in the middle or on the side?

I'm just kidding. I have no idea where we are. New hall in Vegas. Oh, yeah?

What's the hall? I can't recall. Just looking at the map, I'm like, this is totally different. Oh, it's a different hall.

It's more square than it's elongated. Oh, okay. Yeah, Vegas is square. No.

With the thing in the middle. Different hall. Different hall, I'm telling you. Far bigger.

Oh, no idea, though, how we're at? No idea. You usually know by the end where we're going to be when you do it. Yeah, I knew where we were because I did it last time.

Right. Okay. For me, what can we do differently? I mean, not unaliving ourselves before the show would be great, obviously.

Yeah. It makes that first day so hard. I think, you know, being a little bit more prepared, better prepared, is definitely something that we're going to have to focus on, especially, Because this next one is in Vegas. Like this one, 25th hour, if we're panicking, we could still put a box together and put it in the truck and we're good to go.

So I just think making sure that we're ahead of the curve by at least 10 days next year is something that we need to do better in this upcoming year. I think that's really much, those are my three main questions from the show. What about hotel stay? Did you like where we stayed?

We stayed at the Q&C, Marriott. It seemed better than last year, because last year I think we had like a radiant air conditioner or something that ran through the room or something. This year it was central air, so I don't know if we just had a different room or something, different floor. Right.

It is a little far away. I'd love to have been where Paul was at the Hampton right across the street. Being closer to the show is more advantageous. Yeah, you would think.

Sure, you know the time it saves. We wouldn't have to move the car every day. That's true. Save all that parking, Greg, at the thing.

Yeah. What about you? Did you like the hotel? The hotel was fine, but Palmer's are correct.

We should be staying at that same place that Paul stays on. As close as possible. Yes, agreed. The problem is you gotta book that early.

We're not really booking early people. We're not early bookers. There's just a lot going on. You know what I mean?

You get the email, and you roll over to a hundred other things, and you gotta do that. Yeah, that's fair. You gotta have priorities. You gotta certain things gotta be done.

Yeah, and... Or just have Gretchen book our hotel. Yeah, if she's going, she's probably not going to Vegas. Well, Paul said he's going, so I imagine she'll go.

Okay. Well, we'll see. Okay. Yeah, I mean, I liked our hotel.

I thought our hotel was better this time around. They had better customer service. You were in the main building this night. Yeah, the main building's way nicer.

How about that peach of a waitress though? Tammy? Tammy, oh, she's amazing. She was there last night when we got there.

She was just getting off shift. With her bicycle? Yep, she was saying goodbye and going out to her bike. Nine years she's been working there.

Nine years. She's a fixture. Nine years of fucking up orders. Nine years of not caring about anybody that's there.

There's a black lady that works in the morning that's like the other version of her. Oh, really? She's exactly the same. Tammy.

Another Tammy? Another Tammy? Maybe her name's Cammie. Is it Cammie?

Cammie and Tammy? I don't know. She's there every morning when you come down. Would you like some coffee?

Oh, she's English. Yes, apparently. I don't know. I'm very tired.

I got it. You're very tired. Okay, that's fair. Okay, so that's it.

Do you guys want to play What's the Score? I'll get the score out. Don't we, so we go to Vegas for two years and then we go to New Orleans again? Yes.

And then maybe St. Louis after that. I'm with Skip. I don't really care where it is as far as whatever, but so we have, we do have another New Orleans to do.

We do, of course. New Orleans. Do you guys want to play What's the Score? Is there a hotel connected to where it is in Vegas?

I have no idea. That's Vegas' problem. Oh, we talked about the Airbnb, Greg, where you were asleep. Maybe just a nicer Airbnb, he said.

He didn't like the shower. Yeah, the water was cold or something. And my wife is never ready on time, but she won't be there next year, so. Yeah.

So we won't have that problem. So I'll be ready downstairs like I was this morning. There's so many half-wheel PCs. Yeah, but there's no review.

No reviews. You gotta hit review list. Review, there's a review list? Hit the lines.

Oh, we're all dying. Now we're in a zipped up car again. Oh, God, that's nice. Oh, these are...

Ooh! You know, this is a cigar I was interested in trying. I don't think, I don't know if you did this one yet. So...

Okay. We're gonna play this industry's favorite game. What? What's the score?

He's trying, he's doing, he's doing it. Oh, I can't hear him. He's hung over. Okay, on today's show, March 1st, 2024, La Flor Dominicana, Apollonia.

I want to try a cigar, it's the TAA cigar. It is by Brooks Whittington, March 1st, 2026. Am I playing Mike Palmer? Yes.

Yeah. Oh, this is new, okay. Yeah, you get to go first this time. I don't like to go first.

It's too bad. Brook 20, 10, La Flor Dominicana, the TAs here. 89. 90.

All right, let's see here. La, la, la, la, la. A. Rapper Cameroon, Binder, Dominican Republic, Filler, Dominican Republic, Length 6 1/2", Gauge 44, Shape, Pressed, MSRP, $20.

$20. Release date: December 2025. Number of cigars released: 1,500 boxes of 20 cigars, totaling 30,000 cigars. Cigar numbers reviewed: 3,88.

87. Visually, the three La Flor Dominicana Apollonia cigars are covered in similar medium-brown wrappers, each with quite a bit of darker splotching. There is an abundance of oil and numerous protruding veins. On each cigar, and when I run my finger down their lengths, the wrappers, I feel like fine sandpaper, although the second cigar's wrapper is a bit rougher than the other two, 86.

88. Each cigar starts with a small amount of spice and bitter espresso, interspersed with some generic sweetness, but after no more than 10 puffs, a combination of, I Denise and Coco, Coco Nibs, takes over the top spot in the profile, secondary flavors of peanut butter, toasted bread, gritty earth, coffee beans, pencil lead, and cinnamon show up at various points, while a large amount of both red pepper and raisin sweetness permeates the retrohale. And he spelt retrohale with the number zero. A lot of typos, isn't he?

Did he use the word emanciated anywhere in that description? It's in the third paragraph. Got it. They were emancipated.

86. 88. Okay, third clue. During the emancipated second third, the amount of spice in the profile takes a major leap forward as main flavors of spicy oak and anise take over the top spots.

There's a new white pepper in the profile as well, which combines wonderfully with additional flavors such as dark earth, plain white rice, roasted peanuts, Cinnamon Charred Meatness, Semi-Sweet, Chocolate Chips, and Hay. That's amazing. 86. Thank you.

Is this the final one? No. 87. Okay, final thought.

I'm trying to lean out so I don't see. While I have enjoyed most of the cigars that I have smoked from La Florida Minicana over the years, I do tend to gravitate towards the company's more medium-bodied blends. The Apollonia is one of those middle strength blends, a flavor bomb from start to finish, featuring flavors of spicy oak, anise, and creamy almonds, combined with a wonderful, but never overwhelming red pepper on the retrohale. I would also be remiss not to point out the absolute fantastic construction, as each one of the three cigars performed like a dream, with a razor sharp burn lines, plenty of smoke, and excellent resistance.

This is another winner from a company that is no stranger to great cigars, and I can't wait to smoke more of them. - 91. - Ooh, that's a tough score. He said 91?

- He did. - Ooh, that's tough. I'll go 90. - You went the wrong way.

- Damn it! Was it 93? - You went the wrong way there, too. Greg wins by nailing it with a 91.

Did you see it? No, I didn't. Wow. I think he looked at it.

Look at that. Oh, he's driving. Triple G. I can fly if I want to.

Screw you guys. I have money. I'm the man. 91.

Ship it. He won't leave us both. I have money. Yeah.

I'm very rich. I am rich. 91. Almost rip.

Attaboy. Nice job, Greg. Congratulations, Greg. You nailed it.

Would you like to add before we let you go? Fuck no. For your winning prize, you can drive for the other two hours and 55 minutes we have left on the trip. Congratulations.

Excellent job, excellent job. What about you, Mr. Palmer? Anything else to add?

Yeah, I like hanging out with this crew when we're there because it's, I don't know, it's just different than the other groups because the other groups, you know, they're all matching in clothes. You know, we've got 15 people, maybe four or three of us are wearing the same type of clothes. Yeah. And it's just like there's no, we can't say the word, there's no F's given.

And we just sort of walk through the place. Right. Yeah, that is nice. That is nice.

I will tell you this, though, with the three of us, inclusive to Paul, the four of us. Yes. We're extremely efficient when it's just, when it's a smaller number of us. Oh, yeah.

Whenever we start adding and incorporating additional people other than the four of us, things don't flow as fast. Certainly. Things are way more complicated. So, like and subscribe wherever you're viewing or listening to this show.

And thank you so much. We appreciate your support. com, where you can get all of your chpod swag, and our Patreon, A Cigar Hustle's Podcast, if you pay for the year in advance, you're gonna get 10% off. And that's my wife calling.

Have a good day. Goodbye. Tell her we're podgazzing. We're podgazzing.

Bye.

Show Notes

The Cigar Hustlers are back with a PACKED episode straight from the smoke — we break down everything that went down at the PCA 2026 Convention & Trade Show in New Orleans AND what the latest IEEPA tariff refund ruling means for YOU, your shop, and your wallet.💰 TARIFF REFUNDS — What You Need to Know:The Court of International Trade issued a refund order directing U.S. Customs to roll back IEEPA tariffs on certain imports. Nicaragua faced an 18% reciprocal tariff rate — we break down who's getting money back, what's still being appealed, and how this affects cigar prices on the shelf.🔥 PCA 2026 HIGHLIGHTS:Drew Estate's HUGE announcement — they're going full Dominican RepublicPadrón's 100th anniversary sneak peek (Elie Bleu humidor!)Espinosa drops 8 new products including Warhead extensions & moreCasa Carrillo's Ascend line & new Deep Blue limited releaseOscar Valladares Colaboraciones — a collab series worth watchingPlasencia's rebrand + the World Cup-inspired TriunfalSTG reunites General & Forged brands under one roofPlus: was this the STRONGEST year for new releases in a decade?Whether you're a retailer, collector, or just a guy who loves a great smoke — this episode is required listening.🔔 Subscribe & hit the bell so you never miss an episode.👍 Like the video if this brought value to your lounge time.💬 Drop a comment — what was YOUR favorite release from PCA 2026?#CigarHustlers #PCA2026 #CigarPodcast #PremiumCigars #CigarTariffs #NewOrleans #CigarLife #DrewEstate #Padron #CigarCommunity #CigarReview #CigarTalk #SmokingCigars #CigarIndustry #BoutiqueC igars