A Cigar Hustler Podcast Episode 376 - Starbucks goes simple, doge Pays Up and The New Cigar King
Episode Summary
Episode 376 of A Cigar Hustler's Podcast finds Mike Steponkiewicz and Mike Palmer recording from the private lounge at Cigar Hustler in Deltona, Florida, with engineer Bootsy. The guys open with shop news — the in-store-only release of Powstanie San Andres on February 28 — and show off custom cigar holders gifted by a retired state trooper who makes them under the name Bad Monkey. The Patreon smoke of the week is the Oliveros Gran Retorno No. 2, pulled from long-aged, browning cellophane.
The trending news block covers the death of Roberta Flack at 88, Starbucks cutting 13 drinks (mostly Frappuccinos) from its menu under CEO Brian Niccol along with 1,100 corporate layoffs, the Washington Commanders granting Jonathan Allen permission to seek a trade, Cameron Brink's Kendrick Lamar vs. Drake moment, and the long-shot idea of a $5,000 DOGE "dividend" check — plus a detour into Hooters' possible bankruptcy and Golden Corral nostalgia.
Cigar news is the meat of the episode. Roel Reijnders of the Mi Havana factory in Estelí launches Cigars by R&R with an ambitious nine blends across three brands (Gran Corona, Pax Romana and a third line), which the hosts use as a jumping-off point to talk about how many SKUs a brand actually needs — Powstanie has run on three or four core blends for a decade. Davidoff names Emmanuel Uccellini, previously of Lavazza, as general manager and president of Davidoff of Geneva USA, succeeding Dylan Austin, prompting a discussion of why a coffee executive is being handed a cigar business and what 2024 sales likely looked like. Gurkha ships its big-ring-gauge Fat Boy line with undisclosed wrapper, binder, filler and factory, sparking a good conversation about the cyclical return of 60-ring cigars during tight economies. Garo marks 30 years with a limited edition featuring an Ecuadorian Habano "Carmelita" wrapper, Indonesian binder, and Pennsylvania, Dominican Piloto Cubano and Nicaraguan fillers, debuting at PCA 2025 in New Orleans.
The back half covers Davidoff doubling capacity at its Dominican factory, Kentucky House Bill 211 passing the House 74-19 to legalize cigar bars (including an odd smoke-free delivery-area requirement), and a skeptical breakdown of Jonathan Lipson's new consulting firm, The Cigar Profit, and its partnership with Nicaragua-based Cigars Consulting. Shop of the week is Holy Smokes in The Villages, Florida, celebrating eight months in business.
In This Episode
- 01Powstanie San Andres In-Store Release & Bad Monkey Cigar HoldersThe hosts announce the February 28 in-store-only Powstanie San Andres release at Cigar Hustler in Deltona and show off custom microphone-themed cigar holders gifted by a retired state trooper.
- 02Patreon Smoke: Oliveros Gran Retorno No. 2The guys light up long-aged Oliveros Gran Retorno No. 2 cigars with browning cellophane for the Patreon segment.
- 03Trending News: Roberta Flack, Starbucks and DOGE ChecksRoberta Flack's death at 88, Starbucks cutting 13 drinks and 1,100 corporate jobs under Brian Niccol, Jonathan Allen's trade request, and why a $5,000 DOGE stimulus check probably isn't coming.
- 04Cigars by R&R: Nine Blends Out of the GateRoel Reijnders of Mi Havana launches his own brand with Gran Corona and Pax Romana lines across three wrappers and three vitolas each — and the hosts question whether that many SKUs makes sense.
- 05Emmanuel Uccellini Named President of Davidoff of Geneva USAThe former Lavazza executive succeeds Dylan Austin, and the hosts debate what a coffee guy brings to a cigar company facing soft 2024 numbers.
- 06Gurkha Fat Boy and the Return of the 60 Ring GaugeGurkha ships a big-ring Fat Boy line with undisclosed tobaccos and factory, prompting a discussion of how tight economies push consumers toward larger cigars as perceived value.
- 07Garo 30th Anniversary at PCA 2025Dr. Garo Bouldakian marks three decades with an Ecuadorian Habano Carmelita-wrapped limited edition in three unusual sizes, debuting in New Orleans.
- 08Kentucky Cigar Bar Bill & The Cigar Profit Consulting FirmHouse Bill 211 clears the Kentucky House 74-19 with odd smoke-free delivery rules, and the hosts pick apart Jonathan Lipson's new cigar consulting venture.
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 the Cigar Hustler podcast, the show brought to you commercial-free, but a massive shout-out to our amazing patrons on the Patreon. Thanks to your unwavering support, we're able to do unfiltered, unbiased opinions, all things cigars, personalities in the cigar world. Your backing makes it possible for us to keep it real for our listeners. Cheers to you.
com and search the Cigar Hustler Podcast. Okay. This Friday, February 28th, we are releasing Postana San Andreas at Cigar Hustler. It's an in-store only event.
It's not available online yet, but if you are in the area or want to be in the area, come and hang out with us, Deltona, Florida, Cigar Hustler, from 6 to 11, for the release of Postana San Andreas in our own store. Ooh. 829 Deltona Boulevard. You didn't give the address.
829 Deltona Boulevard. Deltona, Florida, 32725. Deltona, Florida, 32725. It's a nice coffee cup.
com. Welcome to the Cigar Hustlers Podcast, Episode 376, where cigars, industry talk, and unfiltered opinions collide. Sit back with your co-hosts, Mike Steponkiewicz and Mike Palmer, as they bring you this week's trending stories and cigar news. And me, I'm Bootsy Engineer.
Make sure these two don't burn the place down. Grab a cigar, sit back, and let's get into them. That's it? Cigar Hustles Podcast?
Now we're going. This is new. Alright, so as you can see, there's been an atmosphere change. We are in the private lounge today.
Yeah, trying to mix things up a little bit. Go ahead, Mr. Palmer. Well, first, let's show these.
Okay. These were gifted to me at the Island Gym event last week. Uh, they were made by Bad Monkey, his name is Greg. Oh.
They are, oop, I have you a microphone. What is this contraption? These are, uh, more manly cigar poker things. Holders?
Holders. Where you hold the end of it? And he made them for the podcast, so mine is a microphone, Michael's is also a microphone. Oh.
And then on the top, uh, he has the crown because he is the king. And, uh, my, uh, my little skull guy, I don't know, you probably can't see it on the camera. He has headphones on, so we'd like to thank Greg for these, it was very nice of him. I gotta tell you man, there is a ton of detail on this thing.
Yeah, it's pretty cool again. I don't know, but like, I'm not really a huge fan of somebody giving me a sharp object with you in striking distance. Well, a little further apart over here in this room. Because, I don't know man.
He's a retired state trooper, and he makes these as a hobby. Right. But he does have a... I just lost the card, I dropped the card.
It was Bad Monkey. If you look up Bad Monkey on the web or on Facebook. On the web? On the internet.
On the internets. On the interwebs? On the interwebs. I don't know if he sells them or not, but he does have them there because his wife told him he had too many.
So there you go. They're very cool. All right. Thank you so much, Greg.
Yes, thank you. Appreciate that, bro. What are we doing for Patreon? We are...
Hold yours up. Yours already doesn't have the cellar. We are doing the Oliveros. Can you see that, Bootsy?
A little bit. It's blind. It's, uh, glared on it. Yep.
There you go. The Oliveros Gran Ritorno, number two. These should be amazing. Oh, can't wait.
Look at the cello on these things. It's practically brownness. They've been sitting for a long time. I'm sure they will be delicious.
Oh, okay. All right. All right. In trending news.
Beloved Roberta Fleck passed away this week, the singer of Killing Me Softly. Is this before your age? Do you know who she is? I don't know.
I thought you were just going to review what we're talking about first. I am, but I'm just a little… No, I have no idea. Alright, Starbucks is trending with simpler, easier to make drinks. No more extensive fancy name drinks.
Okay. Washington Commanders has released a defensive tackle. Yes. A WNBA star has decided that she wants somebody else over Drake.
Ooh. And the Doge, I put Dodge, the Doge may be paying all of his $5,000 from the hidden government treasures, but don't spend the money yet. Oh, okay, let's get into that. Well, then, in cigar news.
Tell me. Previews. Roel Rainier is starting his own brand, world's most complicated initial offering. Davidoff likes a new coffee, I mean a new Cigar King.
Gurkha is getting fat. Oh. Garo celebrates with a new cigar, shipping, Maybe shipping, they're not sure. The new Davidoff King makes a new Castle bigger.
Okay. Kentucky may get more cigar lounges. And then finally, a new consultant shows you how to sell cigars, Michael. Thank God.
You've been doing it wrong all these years. I believe it. I believe it. And he's highly qualified.
Oh, I can't wait. Highly qualified. Okay. We also have on Patreon, a new member has entered the portal.
Oh. Yes. Actually, two. Two?
I'm not sure if you're aware of the other one. Okay, all right. One just happened yesterday. Oh, I didn't hear about that one yet.
Oh, yeah. I actually heard about it last Thursday, but it was released, press release yesterday. It's very interesting to see the shakeup in Q1. And we got another month left of this, so there could be more to come.
There could be more to come. All right, today's world news. Roberta Flack, Grammy-winning Killing Me Softly singer with an intimate style. Oh, she sings with an intimate style, died at 88.
Roberta Flack, the Grammy-winning singer and pianist whose intimate vocal and musical styles made her one of the top recording artists of the '70s. When were you born again? '84. An influential performer long after died Monday.
She was 88 years old. She died at home, surrounded by her family. Publicist Elaine Stuck said in a statement, Flack announced in 2022 she had ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, and could no longer sing. Little known before her early 30s, Fleck became an overnight star after Clint Eastwood used The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face as a soundtrack of one of cinema's more memorable and explicit love scenes between the actor and, you know, you know who it was?
You probably have no idea. Clint Eastwood? No, the actress that did the love scene with. Very explicit for the times.
Jake Gyllenhaal? I don't think he would have been more of the time either. Who's that? Donna Mills.
It is 1971 film Play Misty for Me, The hushed, hymn-like ballad with Flax's graceful soprano afloat on a bed of soft strings and piano topped the Billboard Pop Chart in 1972 and received a Grammy for Record of the Year. Oh, very interesting stuff. I will miss Miss Roberta. Well, I know the song, Killing Me Softly.
Killing Me Softly with his song, Killing Me Softly. That's all we can sing when we get in trouble. Yeah, the Fugees redid it. Oh, did they?
Yeah. Oh, they have not released a statement. The Fugees have not released a statement yet? No.
No, you'd think they would. They used their song. So, but that song wasn't the hit that... That hers was?
No, but Killing Me Softly came later. What's he doing? What's wrong? No, it's in.
Do you see the green light? That's just the sleeve. He's thinking he's had technical problems over there. " Help me.
Help me. Help me from over there. Yeah, I gotta tell you though, I really don't like not having headphones. It's pretty awkward.
Yeah? It's a little weird. I didn't think it would look good in here. Oh yeah, we should totally do it still.
It's the same. You did a good job. All right, Starbucks. Starbucks.
Starbucks. That's all you got for the... That was Roberta. That was Roberta.
Yeah, that was the news. She had ALS, she died, she's 88, and that was the way it goes. Are you going to miss her? I am a fan of that song.
I never saw her live. You never saw her live? No. I was born in '67, so when the song came out, I was three.
I was doing other things at the time. Got it. I am familiar with the song. You haven't found your peepee yet?
You found your PB at? No, at three, I'm sure I was. Found your PB at three? I'm sure I was, yes.
Oh, okay. I was very quick potty trained. Oh, you're a fast potty trainer? Yes.
That's good news. Well, when you have an older sibling, you're like, oh, this is what you know. This is how you pee. This is how you pee.
You're peeing a thing over there. Peeing a thing. Peeing a thing. Okay.
And then we go to Starbucks? Sure. Starbucks is overhauling its menu. If your favorite drink is among the 13 to get 86?
I checked, Michael. You're safe. There's no cold foam, nitro, whatever, yada, yada, yada. Nitro cold brew?
Yeah, that's fine, they're still doing that. Yeah, you can't access, it's the simplest, basic... It's very simple, that's the problem, all their drinks are a little complicated, and it takes a long time to be made, I guess. Right.
So, the Starbucks drink menu is getting an overhaul next week. The coffee chain will remove some of its less popular hot, cold, and blended drinks starting March 4th in an effort to speed up service and lighten the load of baristas. It's very complicated. Okay.
Is that it? Is there a list? No, there's a list. I have more to talk about.
This is where we discuss. I was waiting for you to go through the whole thing, and then I could discuss things. Big orders with complicated modifications have made it difficult for baristas to keep up lending to dissatisfied customers and a decline in company sales, Bloomberg reported. com.
This will make way for innovation, help reduce wait times, improve quality, consistency, and align with our core identity as a coffee company. The decision is part of Chief Executive Officer Brian Nicol, Nicol? Overhaul goal to streamline the company's operation. In a letter to employees Monday, Nicol announced there will be layoffs.
They don't need the complicated people anymore. For 1,100 global corporate employees, the layoffs won't impact store baristas. Oh, our intent is to operate more efficiently, increase accountability, reduce complexity, and drive better integration, Nicole said in the letter. Which 13 drinks are getting cut from the menu?
We have the list. Oh, boy. These are drinks being 86 along with the alternative suggest, I cut the alternative, but the iced matcha lemonade. Okay.
Espresso frappuccino. There's one that's like complete bullshit that Boots likes. It's just like a fucking. The apple thing is still there, though.
Oh, thank God! The heated apple juice is still there. He just gets hot apple juice. Oh, thank God.
This is my coffee. It's pretty funny. Whenever we were on the road and we're running around with him, like, who wants coffee? Like, who needs coffee?
Right. First of all. It was like, all of us. Except for Dum Dum.
He needs his apple juice. And he's like, yeah, I just want my warm apple juice. Yeah, he may be heated apple juice. I don't drink coffee.
Yeah. I guess that's, you know what, dude, good for you. I don't, like, I'm trying to drink less of it. Oh, not me, I'm bulking up.
Yeah, you need to. It's caffeine bulking season. Life of the road warrior, buddy. The iced matcha lemonade, espresso frappuccino and cafe vanilla frappuccino.
The white chocolate mocha frappuccino is gone. The java chip frappuccino is gone. What is a frappuccino exactly? Anybody know?
It's like the frozen. Is that the frozen part? Yeah. So I think there's a lot of frozen things that are going.
We're eliminating the blender. The blender. Ah, java chip. Where is that one?
Their ice cream machines broke. The Kai Cream Frappuccino Caramel Ribbon Crunch Cream Frappuccino, Double Chocolaty Chip Cream Frappuccino, Chocolate Cookie Crumble Cream Frappuccino, and White Chocolate Cream Frappuccino. So anything Frappuccino, anything with cookies. White Hot Chocolate.
Only the Black Hot Chocolate. Oh, thank God. You don't like the white? No, I like the black.
Is that the red or the white? All right. Royal English Breakfast Latte. Okay.
Never had to have it. It sounds good. It's gone now. I'm probably never going to have it.
Honey, almond, milk, flat white is gone. Oh, damn. I don't think I've ever ordered any of those. That's for those healthy drinkers.
Those are like the frappuccinos, like the milkshake coffee things. I got you. They're trying to streamline the customers also. I don't want the sugar.
Well, here's what's kind of happened with Starbucks. The last CEO, he went in on an interview and he talked about after six o'clock, you cannot get in touch with me. I'm done. I'm spending family time.
It's over. Oh, wow. Yeah. And sales kind of plummeted, right?
Because how that guy operated is how everybody else operated. Well, he's done. I'm done. Right.
I don't know in what world, uh, like if you contact me anytime past six o'clock we have, if it needs correspondence, it gets correspondence, right? Sure. Uh, and employees are approving orders 24 seven, you know, if they're there or whatever. Right.
And we're constantly doing that. Right. So if you, if I had the mentality of, Hey, I'm not Yeah, no Saturdays, no Sundays, 6 o'clock, I'm done. Right, it's over.
I walk out that door, and I said, I'm finished. Sales would plummet, like things wouldn't be done, people, work would get piled up on people, and eventually, those are your hard workers, they eventually say, hey, screw this, I'm not doing this anymore. Right. And you just kinda, right, so that guy, he torpedoed Starbucks.
Oh. Right? Now the guy that came in, I think that that's the Chipotle guy, Brian Nicole. Oh, is he?
Yeah. So, what he's doing is he's just trying to streamline things and make it more efficient. Right, trying to make it more efficient. Which makes sense.
He's also pledged to improve the customer experience by getting back to the company's coffeehouse roots and making stores feel cozier with handwritten notes on cups and ceramic mugs for to-stay orders. Oh. If he could get them to clean, that'd be good, too. They're usually, by the end of the day, they're usually pretty rough looking.
Yeah, well, you know, they went hard on the paint when it came to, like, no smoking or anything outside or anything like that. Right. You know, I think that's a mistake. There should be a Starbucks cigar lounge.
You can't smoke outside of a Starbucks? No, you cannot. Really? Not generally speaking, no.
I guess it depends on who's working, if they tell you to put it out or not. Well, that's one of the rules. I mean, you know, I can't imagine some teeny bopper teen coming up and saying, "Sir! " Make it a Frappuccino that comes outside.
You? Yeah, he can't be bothered. No, whatever. Well, they're making less Frappuccinos now, so maybe they have more time.
Oh, maybe they freeze them up now to harass you outside for smoking. Right. The Commanders are letting go a defensive tackle Jonathan Allen because he's seeking to be traded. The Washington Commanders have granted defensive tackle Jonathan Allen permission to seek a trade, a source confirmed amid multiple reports signaling an end to their eight-year relationship.
3 million. 3 million in cap space whether he is traded or leased before June 1st. 4 June 1st, Seattle has inquired about Allen before the 2023 trade deadline, according to multiple sources, but with a new coaching staff, it's uncertain if the Seahawks would remain interested. 3 million.
Yeah, I mean, the question is, do you think he's worth it? You know, eight years in, he might be getting a little long in the tooth. Oh, defensive tackle, yeah, he's been hit quite a few times. He's been hit quite, he's usually the guy doing the hitting.
Well, he still gets hit too, which is so, yeah, impact. We're pushed. Yeah. What do you know about Allen, Boots?
Not much. I mean, not a huge name, really, on that team. The more bigger names is, you know, was Chase and the other guy on the other side. Jayden Daniels?
Yeah. So, I mean... 5 million and he's not one of the big names? No.
Is that low paying? Yeah, it sounds like someone fucked up on the pay scale. Yeah, no shade. I mean, I'll go sit the bench for 15 million dollars.
If the guy's a two-time pro bowler, right? Right? I mean, he's got to be good at what he does. Sure.
Realistically, you don't hear a lot about the defensive players. No, you don't. There's probably three or four that really people know about that aren't entrenched in the NFL, right? No.
But, you know, hey, whatever, wishing the best. I think what's even funnier, though, is something that you're not covering is the fact that the Packers are trying to get the tush push eliminated. Oh, that was the unidentified team? What is the tush push?
So the tush push, yeah, the unidentified team is the Green Bay Packers, so the tush push is the quarterback lines up, and the running back is behind him, and then what happens is two people push him through the offensive line to score. The only team that's really successfully mastered that is the Philadelphia Eagles. Everybody else who's tried it does a shit job of it. So now they're trying to get it eliminated, which I think is absolutely ridiculous.
- That's stupid. - Yeah. Just learn how to stop it. I mean, I've seen it be stopped before.
- Right. - Well, the problem is the center cuts underneath. - Okay. - So actually cutting, cut blocking is illegal.
- Okay. I guess if it can be seen, I don't know. - Yeah, that's the problem. It can't be seen.
- Yeah, they can't see it when he's doing it because people are pushing somebody over top of him. - Oh, is that your analytics from that? - Yes. - That's your analysis?
- There you go. - Logistically speaking. - Well, he saw it a lot in the Super Bowl, remember? - Yeah.
And the blowout to your boys, Kansas City Chiefs. Don't follow my wife's team. And now you're not interested. Oh, trouble.
5 million, though none of it is guaranteed. Oh. Well, that sucks. 5, but maybe not.
Well, he's been paid before, and it's probably, you know, you can't get injured. There's... Oh, well, I guess it's next part then. Alan, 30, missed nine games this season with an injury.
There you go. torn pectoral muscle that was initially said to be season-ending, but during surgery, doctors discovered the tear was not as severe as feared. Allowing him to work back into the lineup, Allen played in the final two regular season games as well as three postseason contests. He finished with three sacks, three tackles, for a loss of seven quarterback hits.
In eight seasons with Washington, he has recorded 42 sacks and 108 starts. That's pretty good. Is that good? Yeah, that is pretty good.
So he's probably looking just to get a solidified check. Yeah, he went to guarantee a deal somewhere. Yeah. Because when you start getting injured and you start getting sidelined.
And he's older. Yeah. Those injuries don't go away. No.
Yeah. He's going to be in so much pain later. If he's not already. He'll be rich in pain.
That's true. I guess he can afford the pain. Right. WNBA star Cameron Brink says Kendrick Lamar saw a clip of her choosing him over Drake.
WNBA star Cameron Brink probably never thought an answer to a red card. This carpet question would eventually produce the highlight of her life. Brink, along with other WNBA future stars, was asked by Complex last April to choose between Kendrick Lamar and Drake as a WNBA draft, and the Stanford alum was the only one to stand out among the players and give K-Dot the nod over Dizzy. Wow.
Interesting. Which one's K-Dot? Kendrick. Kendrick Lamar.
Okay, and Dizzy is Kendrick. Drake. Why could I have to give him weird names? It's just a nickname.
So apparently she was the only one on the red carpet that picked the one guy over the other guy. Well, look, I mean… That's what's always been kind of funny to me. Like, a lot of people picked apart the halftime show and all these other things. I thought that Kendrick delivered exactly what he was supposed to deliver.
Oh, that was the halftime guy, you're right. I think for sure he's a better artist than Drake. Does Drake have more hits? Sure, whatever.
But the reality is, if some of those rumors are allegedly true, I wouldn't want to be endorsing Drake. That's for damn sure. Well, Palmer, you do know that this is a beef. This is a what?
There's a song that Kendrick Lamar that is a beef. Well, yeah, I've heard that from the Super Bowl. That song was about the other guy or something. But this is just some interviewer who went, "Hey, pick one that you like the best" or "one you want to date" or whatever the hell it was.
Yeah, super controversial. Well, one allegedly, you know. Right. Which one?
Yeah. Drake. That's the guy. That was the dog fighter guy, wasn't he?
Allegedly. Dog fighter? That's Michael Vick. Oh, Michael Vick.
That's a totally different sport. This is a rap artist. I don't know. They're weird.
Maybe he has dogs. That's the dog fighter. That's from the dog fighter guy. Oh, my God.
Maybe he has dogs. I don't know. He might have dogs. He's got a cat.
Go back to Roberta Flack. I know who she is. Okay. Does she have dogs?
No, she didn't. She had a service dog. She had ALS. Don't make fun of her.
Cam explained that on a recent episode of her "Straight to Cam" podcast, she was approached by an alleged Lamar associate at the USC and Notre Dame women's basketball game in November, who revealed that Kendrick saw the clip and gave Brink her flowers as a Hooper, claiming to be a fan himself. Hmm. There you go. Atta boy.
That makes sense. Is a Hooper someone who plays basketball? Yes, that's what it is. Okay.
Just making sure. Yeah. It's WNBA. Hooper.
Oh, that's what they just call women players. Yeah, they just call it. The Hoopette. Yeah, the Hoopettes.
Got a $5,000 Doge stimulus check really be happening? Probably not. I hope. We all hope.
The idea of $5,000 refunds from the ongoing drive to reduce federal spending has been floated, but don't add that bonus to your account just yet. That's because Doge, the Department of Government Efficiency, ideally must meet its $2 trillion savings goal to make the kickback feasible. And he already found that much? Already?
Didn't he just find... No. Is he in the billions now is what it is? I think he's still in the billions.
In the billions. He's getting close, I'm sure, though. He's getting close. He just needs one more government agency.
Oh, look. " Oh, they're not letting him in there. Oh, they sure are. Oh, did you hear that our governor, DeSantis of Florida, is doing a Florida doge?
Yes. And he's contemplating removing property taxes. I don't own any property. I'm okay with that.
Most of the property taxes don't get paid down here anyways. What are you talking about? This is one of the biggest states for veterans that there is, for disabled veterans. Okay, but I pay property taxes.
Well, I'm just saying, most of the property taxes are paid down. Get a couple of goats and a cow on your property and say you're agricultural and there's no property tax. This is farmland. This is farmland.
It's fine. You adult big dogs, have them chase goats around your yard. Yeah, but that's a stuffed animal in your yard. It's still a cow.
It's still a cow. Kickback feasible and the accomplishment is something even Elon Musk, the unofficial leader of Doge, said may be... How is he unofficial? Isn't he in charge?
I don't know how that works. Don't you have to get elected or something? No, no, no. You don't have to get elected to be in charge of a government agency.
But I do think you have to be approved or whatever it's called that they've had everybody been doing lately. Oh, okay. Yeah. No, I don't think he's been approved or anything like that.
This is a new thing. This is a new thing. I'm just in charge. Yeah, I'm in charge.
How much are we going to pay you? You don't have to pay me. I ain't got enough money. I got 400 billy.
What are you going to pay me? You have to pay me the 5,000. Hmm. Let's see.
The unofficial leader said it may not be doable back in January. Still, President Trump on Wednesday said the administration is considering giving 20% of Doge savings to citizens. His comments come a day after Musk said he would confer with Trump about the idea. We'll talk about it.
No, no, we're doing it. It's fine. It's a great idea. I love it.
It's a huge idea. It's a huge idea. It's a great idea. It's my idea.
It's my idea. It's the best idea I've had today. It's a good idea. It's a fantastic idea.
Even if the idea of $5,000 stimulus checks involves, Congress would need to approve a dispersal of funds for taxpayers. That's where the problem is. Oh, yeah? Why don't you do it like the last one?
Just drops in your bank account. It just shows up one day in your bank. All right, on to cigar news, Michael. Oh.
What about the boots? Oh, Booty, you got one over there, buddy. Hey, go to Swiss, make sure you're on Palmer. I'm on Palmer.
Oh, so he can, you know, do stuff he's not supposed to do. Do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do. Here we go. Oh, yeah, there's no music.
Now I got to program another board. All right. Hooters is getting ready to file bankruptcy, according to Bloomberg report. Aww, no more chicken wings.
The casual dining franchise is working with creditors on a plan to restructure its operations. No more chicken wings. Hooters is... He's taking stage directions again.
Hooters is working with the ropes and gray law firm to assist with the filing process. The company has not made a final decision on seeking Chapter 11 protection, but a filing could take place in the next two months, according to Bloomberg. The Atlanta-based sports bar chain showed her dozens of underperforming restaurants. You can speak up.
Oh, it says quieter. Oh, they can hear him on the microphone. We just can't hear him over here. Oh.
That's where we had headphones. June 2024. Hooters joined a growing list of eateries. Not the whole thing.
Just that one statement. Oh, just the one stage direction. I don't know some paragraphs here. Hooters joined a growing list of eateries that faced the harsh realities of inflation and changing consumer habits.
Since 2018, Hooters has seen a 12% decline in the number of restaurants, starting with 333 at the end of the year, and then finishing with 293 in 2023. The publication reported based on data from restaurant consulting firm's Technomic. First Golden Corral, now Hooters. We saw a Golden Corral still open in Fort Pierce.
Oh. We were going to stop in and take pictures of it and stuff, but it looked too nasty on the outside to go in. Yeah, we're not doing it. We're not going in there.
The inside's great. You guys could have had Carved Steak. Mia Vanna's launching cigars by R&R, Raul Ranier. You don't want to talk about how detrimental that's going to be for Boots?
Yeah, okay. Oh, you want to talk more about it? No, that's fine. It was horrible.
It was horrible. It's horrible. Go ahead. The food there is really not that good.
I'm not surprised. No, it's terrible. The food there is terrible. Yeah, the food there is terrible.
Yeah. I remember when we went to Golden Corral, because there was no other options. I don't even remember where we were. I don't remember where we were either.
Yeah, but... Oh, it was after Greg's bachelor party. Oh, yeah. We hit it for breakfast on the way out of Kissimmee.
Yes. Yes. Man, was he excited. He was so excited.
He was... And they knew him when he walked in. Yeah. He's like the mayor of Golden Corral town.
Where you been? He busted out his gold member card. Right. Flashing around.
Yeah, it's insane. They gave him two plates. Yeah. You know, you take this extra one with you.
Yeah. No worries. Toggy bag. Get your waffle.
He knows the secret menu at Golden Corral. And the chocolate fountain. Yes. The chocolate fountain.
Yes. All right. Let's get into some cigar news. All right.
Cigars by R&R. Roel Rainier, who owns the Mi Havana factory in Esteli, Nicaragua, will be offering his own brand next month. Rainier will launch cigars by R&R. Very good name.
Debuting nine different blends. Nine. Nine in an initial offering. Okay.
The nine blends are divided into three different brands. Each brand offered in three different blends, and each blend offered in three Vitolas. Okay. There's a lot going on here, this man's cigars.
It's going to be Toro, Robusto, and Gordo. I believe that is it. Yeah. They are scheduled to ship during the first week of March, Gran Corona is described as the strongest of the offerings listed as a full, listed as full, all three blends use a binder from Oma Tempe, Nicaragua over a blend of Nicaraguan fillers, the three wrapper options are Gran Corona Connecticut Broadleaf by R&R, Gran Corona Habano Escuro by R&R, Gran Corona Mexican by R&R.
Okay. So, only three blends. Three wrappers. The opposite end of the spectrum, this is just for that one brand.
There's three brands. Okay. Each brand has three wrappers. Okay.
Each wrapper has three sizes. It's the rule of three. Rule of three. Okay.
All right. The opposite end of the spectrum is Pax Romana. Romana. Romana?
R-O-M-A-N-A? Romana? Described as mild, medium. Unlike Grand Corona, the blends vary a lot more.
Pax Romana, Connecticut by R&R. The Connecticut Seed, Binders, Mexican San Andreas, Fillers, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Pax, Roma, Habano by R&R, with Ecuador, Habano, Claro Rapper, Binders, Nicaraguan, Condega, Fillers, Dominican Republic and Nicaragua, Pax, Romana, Mexican by R&R, Rapper, Mexican San Andreas, Binders, Nicaraguan, Jalapa, Filler is Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. That's a lot. That's a lot.
There's one more. You're kidding me. No, that's only two. There's three.
Oh, my God. Do you want to skip? Yeah. It sounds like guys making a lot of cigars.
Making a lot of cigars. Making a lot of cigars. A lot of cigars. Wait, wait.
Did you leave the last one? Is it the best one for last? No, actually, no. All right.
So, to kind of elaborate, so Powstanie has one, two, three, four core sizes, or core blends, right? Right. One of them we're not in producing anymore, so we essentially have three. And we've been doing it for a decade.
Right. And this guy's banging out nine. How do you know what's going to work and what's not going to work? He owns his own factory.
He doesn't care. He has all this extra tobacco. But he's not his own grower. He doesn't have his own farms.
This just is. Luciano's behind all this. He also claims to be the record holder for the world's longest cigar, which rolled in Pompano, California, where there also is a members only lounge called Mi Havana. Oh, OK.
So he not only makes the biggest offering, but he makes the longest. Do you think he's micing that right next to the, he's torching right next to the mic? No, he's not, he's burning the window. OK.
Emmanuel Ussolini, named head of Davidoff of Geneva. Ussolini? Ussolini. Ussolini.
Oh, Ussolini? Ussolini. Ussolini. U-C-C-E-L-L-I-N-I, Ussolini.
Not quite, Ussolini. Not quite Mussolini. It was close though, no M. Very close, very close.
The distant cousin. Went through Ellis Island, removed the M. Davidoff AG has announced that Emmanuel has been named as general manager and president of Davidoff of Geneva, USA, according to a press release. Ussolini's last position was the business unit director of Lavazza Group, the Italian coffee company, where he was responsible for the distribution, markets, and business in the American regions.
So he's from Italy. S. market and take it to the next level, said Beat Houston, CEO of Otinger Davidoff in a press release. Emanuel has proven track record of developing successful channel strategies.
We are based on win-win propositions and understand the importance of value of relationships built on trust and accountability because, you know, if you like coffee, you also like cigars. Yeah, you know, it's kind of weird just seeing this happen in more than one scenario. I mean, like, Privada's now pushing tremendous amounts of coffee. I don't know what's going on there.
A lot of, I mean, Caffey's always made coffee. He's done it. There's a lot of people doing it. Where do you realistically...
How do you grab a guy that's not in this industry, where you think that there's some things that would work, right, like there's some particular systems? Go ahead, Boots. Well, pairings is like a big thing now. You know, that's become like a big thing.
Yeah, but that's all bullshit. I don't buy that. I mean, yeah, I do. I don't drink coffee.
Yeah, I don't buy that for a second. I just don't know, you know, I mean, what systems did he put in play where they think that Davidoff thinks that that's advantageous to acquire him? Well, they're going to put cigars in all bags now. Oh, they're going to go in a bag?
Like coffee bags, yeah. Oh, okay. And it's going to be tight? Yes.
Like a seal? With a little wreath hole on it where they suck all the air out? Right. Yeah, they're going to do that now.
Oh, that's what they're doing. Yes. That's a great idea. And the cigars are going to be drank, not smoked.
We're going to drink them now? Yes, we're going to drink them. We're going to mash them into a liquid. Right.
You know, okay. Do they paint those or spray those? Do they paint them? I don't know.
Do they paint those? Like a coffee bean? I think you think maybe they're doing this to try to because sales are down or numbers are down or whatever you think maybe they're trying to do this to feel a fill that void and the solution to sales down is hire a coffee guy well I mean you know it's fresh blood I guess yeah it's kind of to be determined if the guy's gonna do his job or not but you know which is kind of interesting we kind of monitor that but I think the reality is as far as the scar industry is concerned pretty much any That's what the industry is concerned as far as retail consumption. You had to continue to press forward throughout the entire year.
You had to make these limited runs and all these other things. I don't know what's going on behind me. It makes me nervous when the engineer gets up and walks away from the table. I thought something was wrong, but you just needed an ashtray.
So you saw a major push with a lot of these bigger brands of more limited stuff, and that dropped faster and harder, and they had more inventory of those things. And I really think that they were trying to boost up sales. So, Davidoff does have a fair share of that, but they didn't have an astronomical amount of it, so I would assume that 2024 didn't perform the year that they wanted to, and they're probably trying to shake things up, that would make sense. Well, they lost the guy a little while ago, the guy quit, the guy who was in charge.
Okay, so did he go somewhere else? I forget what happened to him. I mean, generally speaking, if you quit... I don't know if he quit or got fired, I don't remember the story.
Yeah, I would assume, I would assume that the writing was on the wall, you know, like, you can't fire me, I quit, or, hey, it's probably, this isn't working out, you know, it's probably best to be part ways, or whatever the case may be, you know. Uh, oh, here we go. Emmanuel succeeds Dylan Austin, whose tenure ended last May. Zach Medwin and Alana Frazier have been sharing the leadership duties in the interim, and neither of them are pissed off that they didn't get the job.
They agree that Coffee Guy was the best choice, even if both of them are more cigar inclined. They will return to their positions as Head of Sales, while Frazier will remain Head of Marketing and Retail. Emmanuel will begin his new role on March 3rd. His new role as Lightning Rod.
To the other two people that apparently weren't qualified to run the cigar business. It sounds like there was a smart tactic on their behalf. Like, "Hey, you know what? " Oh, it didn't work?
Oh, God. I guess he's out. All right, Gurkha is releasing the Fat Boy. Uh-oh.
Gurkha, the company that likes to sue people for using their name, has begun shipping a new cigar line that is called Fat Boy. It has nothing to do with barbecue or motorcycles and, as the name would suggest, the line is made up of a large ring-gauge Vitola. The blend features a Habano wrapper over an undisclosed origin, oh, a wrapper of undisclosed origin, over an undisclosed binder and filler. The line is offered in three sizes because they really don't know where they got the tobacco either.
Gurkha Fatboy is a 4x60, a box of 20, Gurkha Fatboy 5x56, Gurkha Fatboy 6x66. The Gurkha Fatboy is a wonderful addition to our portfolio, said Jim Colucci, president of Gurkha Cigars. So the other guy just sort of has disappeared. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
It's much easier for him to just go away. Well, yeah. After the backlash. I mean, okay, so he has his backlash on social media.
Right. And he pulls out. Sure. If you're out of the limelight and the brand's still working, why would you go back into the limelight?
That was the next question. You think he's still financially connected to the company? I would think that 100% he's still attached to the company. This is my guess.
Let's see. Jim Colucci, president of Gurkha Cigar, in a press release, customers have been requesting a return of the larger ring gauges we used to carry, and we thought that The Fat Boy is a perfect way to bring them back without copying anybody else. Kirk is having the Fat Boy line produced at an undisclosed factory because, again, they don't know what they've got. They don't know what they've got or where they got it.
They have no idea. They just showed up. It's in Nicaragua somewhere. It's in a third world country.
So not saying the wrapper binder and filler and not word of where it's made, but we are very sure it's a cigar and they came up with the name on their own. It's going to be. Well, you know, what was the think tank to come up with Fat Boy? I mean, you know.
Right. What is kind of funny is, I've been in this industry 15 years, you've been in this industry for about 10. Right. I think what's really kind of remarkable is you see these cycles, these things that happen over and over again, it's the same thing, same scenario.
So when you start to see this impact of this draw, like an economy is kind of tightening, people will look for bigger cigars interpreting that as value. Right. Right. So you're starting to see that swing again where the 60 ring gauges are coming back into that.
Do you guys have a larger ring gauge cigar? You got any 60s? You got any 60s? So it makes sense.
If it's smart, it's a smart sales tactic. Sure. I don't really like a lot of 60 ring gauge cigars. I don't think a lot of them are good.
I don't like them. They're too big. I have a small mouth. I don't like them.
Not only that, but a lot of the flavor profiles are dull. Well, that's true. Yeah. Well, it's supposed to be more tobacco, more flavor, right?
No, that's Roma Craft, more tobacco, more flavor. Yeah. But they're the only one who can claim that. Yeah, but even, you know, some of their bigger cigars that they made in the past, I would, you know what, that's, I kind of take that back because like the Brotherly Kindness is a big one.
It's like a 58, I think, or 56. And that's pretty good. Yeah. But more often than not, I'm not gravitating towards that as a consumer.
No. I think that there's better flavor profiles in Corona Gordas, and that's what happens. You're gonna see the 660 come out, and people are gonna be producing that, and then all of a sudden, four or five years from now, you'll see that the Corona Gordas are a bigger hit. Right, something will cycle back through again.
You know what, this tastes better, and it's like, okay, yeah. You don't want that big one anymore. Right, this is ridiculous. My mouth hurts.
Right. Garo to celebrate 30th Anniversary with a new line debuting at PCA 2025. This year marks the 30th Anniversary of Dr. Garo Bolderkein.
What's his last name? Bolderkein. Bolderkein. Bolderkein.
B-O-U-L-D-A-K-I-A-N. Bolderkein. Bolderkein. Bolderkein.
Sounds German or some type of European. German or some type of European. Starting his boutique cigar company, which originally named Garo, G-A-R-O, Habano Fine Cigars. To mark the occasion, he is releasing a new limited edition at the 2025 PCA convention and trade show in mid-April.
To mark its three decades in business, the company selected a blend that features an Ecuadoran Habano Carmelita wrapper. Ooh. What is Carmelita wrapper? No idea.
Carmel? This is the second week in a row we've had these weird names attached to tobaccos. Look, man. Is it Carmel in color?
Probably. And it's probably a feminine type of leaf. Why would you think it's feminine? Lita?
Lita? Carmelita? Well, they couldn't say Carmelo, because that would be obviously caramel. Carmelo?
Carmelo? Carmelo? The candy bar. That's an interesting take on things.
An Indonesian binder and a filler blend that includes a Pennsylvania leaves, Dominican Piloto Cubano, and tobaccos from Nicaragua. The company calls a medium to full body with a sophisticated profile that unfolds in distinct phases, delivering unique century journey from start to finish. finish the garo 30th anniversary been offered in three sizes each offered in a 25 count box like gets on the sizes michael you'll never get these three sizes yes toro okay they this has numbers and it's not numbers i'm familiar with so i don't think it is a toro probably it has numbers you're not familiar seven by 47 it's like churchill 30th anniversary four 30th anniversary Is it four and three quarter by 52? That's a Robusto.
Okay, so it's almost a Robusto. And the Garo 30th Anniversary, five and a half by 42. Five and a half by 42. The Corona Gordo?
That's more Corona Gordo-esque. Right, but these aren't your standard sizes. Yeah. So they were just off a little bit when they measured them.
Yeah, somebody's measurements were off at the factory. That one guy must work there now. Is it the inside measurement or the outside? When I said Toro, I said six by 52.
Not 7 by 47. Yeah, it's 7 by 47. Sorry, boss. Okay.
The Garo third anniversary is scheduled to begin shipping approximately one to two weeks, or maybe three or four weeks, well, sometime in the spring, but maybe the fall, we're not sure. After the PCA convention and trade show, which runs from April 4th, 11th to the 14th in New Orleans, Garo cigars are distributed by SZ Wholesale. S-Z. S-Z.
I figured it was not meant to be said. Well, that's pretty interesting to make those cigars in those particular sizes. I wonder why they decided to do that. I think somebody messed up.
You really think somebody messed up? I think they had old molds or something and you know, when they put them together and like, this is what we got, this is what we got, you know, we've been around 30 years, this is the way they used to make them. I mean, those are great. I mean, it's yeah, they're a little different, but those are the good sizes, you know, Corona Gordo, Toro.
But it's almost Corona Gordo. It's almost Churchill. It's almost a Toro. Yeah, maybe the guy's got a weird gag reflex or something.
Davidoff expands Dominican factory to double production capacity. Oh, 1,200 employees with a new highway access and a larger cafeteria. Oh, more sandwiches, more sandwiches. In a related story, Luciano Morales has released a press statement saying that his imaginary factory is expanding to threefold, 1,201 employees, Two cafeterias, and a video arcade, and a life-size statue of himself taking a wallet out of a basketball player's pocket.
Okay, probably not true about the statue. That'd be silly for him to admit that on a public forum. Probably not true about any of it. Yeah, maybe.
It's all legend. Kentucky House passes Cigar Bar Bill. Sends to Senate on Tuesday. The Kentucky House of Representatives approved House Bill 211, which would allow for the creation of cigar bars in the state.
after a pair of floor amendments were made, the bill passed by, oh I'm seeing that, I'm seeing something move in the TV, it's driving me crazy. the bill passed by 74 to 19 vote, one of the amendments which allow local government to permit cigar bars without the requirement of a liquor license, while the other reworks a requirement that cigar bars must provide a smoke-free area for delivery so that the businesses that are already in operation won't be forced to remodel their space to comply with the law. So it's just smoke-free deliveries. Seems odd.
I'm not understanding that. Yeah, so that means that, so there has to be a section where somebody drops off packages and they don't have to access, be around smoke. Correct. That's the craziest thing I've ever heard in my life.
Isn't it stupid? So is there no, there's no cigar bars in Kentucky, period? I don't know. It's one of the, it's, you know, there was more regulation in Kentucky for a long time and it sounds like they're starting to walk some of that back, which is good for Kentucky.
The harder part here, if I drive on the highway, and there are diesel trucks that emit smoke, and my windows are down, am I supposed to say to them, oh, this is a- Well, in Kentucky, there are smoke-free roads. They're smoke-free roads? Yes, in Kentucky. They're completely smoke-free.
Driving to eliminate smoke-free. Only electric cars. Only electric cars. Because all cars give off some type of smoke of some kind.
Right, some type of emissions or something? Yes, emissions, that's the word, right? Okay. So they're worse than California.
Just for smoke. Just for smoke. They just have a problem with smoke in Kentucky. Yeah.
Right. No smog here. No coal mines or anything like that? Well, those don't smoke.
They don't smoke? No. Just when they collapse. If those catch on fire, it's a problem.
Yeah. Coal will burn. I heard that. They only collapse.
Right. It'll still require new bills to comply with the requirement. The bill still requires cigar bars to meet the number of requirements, Including that they must make at least 15% of its profit from the sales of cigars, pipes, and related accessories, and the rental of humidors. " Except in the back where we take packages, no smoking.
Except in the delivery section. Well, yeah, I mean, everybody's been beat there for years for smoking. The smoke-free delivery section. And additionally, if a cigar bar shares a physical wall or common enclosed airspace within any other structure, it must take appropriate measures to ensure the smoke does not pass into those other structures.
You just build a wall all the way up? It's got to be a smoke-proof wall. This smoke shall not pass. They just paint that at the top.
This bill will not roll back any municipality's local smoke-free law. That's not the intention, Lewis previously said. This is not about having a cigar in a regular bar or bowling alley or a restaurant. I like to smoke my bowl.
You bowl? No, I don't bowl. I can see you as a bowler. No, I don't bowl.
You know what I mean? With the whole button up. The bowling shirt. I do like bowling shirts.
Team Palmer. I like those. He added he sees numerous people coming to the state for the Kentucky Derby and other events and then crossing the border to Indiana where they realize there is nowhere for them to enjoy a cigar and a drink. That's not true.
Yeah, there's cigar bars in Kentucky. No, in Indiana. No, he's saying people go to Indiana where you can smoke. Oh, got it.
Yeah, I went to Kentucky. I mean, they sell cigars at the Kentucky Derby. Got it. I guess you can smoke them.
They do. Yep. Hmm. The bill has been making steady progress, though, through the House, as it is introduced by Rep.
Chris Lewis from Lewisville on January 10th and received approval from the House Government Committee on February 12th. And now heads to the Senate for consideration. Oh, that's a long story. That's because he probably drives to Jeffersonville and goes to see Riverside or match, smoke cigars, and realizes that he's no longer in Kentucky, and he's in Indiana.
It's literally 45 minutes from anywhere in Kentucky. Well, from Louisville, it's right across a bridge. Yeah, I went. If this passes, we'd like to announce the expansion of Cigar Hustler, the old Kentucky home Cigar Hustler, where Greg will be moving with his family and expanding the Hustler empire.
So, so it's kind of blows your mind, right? The biggest bourbon state, it has no cigars, but everybody likes to drink bourbon with their cigars. Right. Kind of blows your mind.
Really just missing some sales there, huh? It's mind-blowing. Mind-blowing. And there's other places that make bourbon.
Tennessee makes bourbon. Yeah, but Kentucky is one of the biggest. It probably is the biggest. We don't fact check on this, you know.
Yeah, that's true. Jonathan Lipson launches the Cigar Profit. Oh, he's a prophet. Cigar industry veteran Jonathan Lipson has launched the Cigar Profit, a specialized consulting firm designed to help cigar businesses sharpen their strategy, build brand equity, and drive long-term.
God. Don't do that on camera. It's not on me. He's not on camera.
Don't give away the secrets, Palmer. Yeah. I've seen how brands thrive and where they lose momentum, said Lipson. At Lipson, the Cigar Profit helps businesses make smarter moves, refine their positioning, and create lasting impact in a competitive market.
Is it profit, like P-R-O-F-I-T, or is it P-R-O-P-H? No, profit, P-R-O-F-I-T. Cigar, cigar money. Lipson brings more than 20 years of experience in the cigar industry to his company.
He is likely best known for his 12 years with Alec Bradley, which included eight years as the director of sales and marketing following STG's acquisition of Alec Bradley. Lipson transitioned to be a senior brand manager. Isn't it just a guy who does events? Yeah, that's pretty much what that is.
Pretty much it is, right? Yeah. Okay. He was in charge of sales and marketing.
They buy the company and now he's a monkey going to the events. That's pretty much, yeah. Ambassador was really kind of flagged high there and you knew that your head was on the chopping block as soon as like numbers went down, they were instantly fired. Right, that's an easy replaceable person.
So they kind of slid in under the term brand manager. They felt that that was more effective and a little bit more secure. as a job. Occupation.
Let's see. He also worked with STG for March 2023 until June of 2024. Oh, sorry. He transitioned to brand manager at STG also.
Got it. What was his name? A lot of brand management transitioning. Where has this guy been in all this he's been in the industry for how many years?
20. For 20 years. He started off at Alec Bradley or he wound up at Alec Bradley? I think Alec Bradley was where he was at.
Oh, no. He was there no he started as a regional sit well hold on let's figure out where he started let's see this this all the way to the back uh okay started out as a tobacconist for the whole cigar company okay started at holtz and then he moved as a regional sales manager for la florida minicana okay lfd lfd and then he worked as a brand manager for stg okay and then he was sales and marketing manager at alec and bradley okay until they got bought and then they made him a The brand manager again. All right. Like, he did really good at passing out cigars, so we're going to put you back into passing out cigars.
You can pass out more cigars? Right. And now, he's telling you how to start his own company. So, we got four different jobs, 20 year span, so an average of five years per.
Yeah. Well, one of them, he was only there for a year. Okay. But on an average.
And this is the guy. This is the guy. This is the guy. This is the guy.
This is the guy. That will save. The old cigar company means he worked in a cigar shop, I'm assuming. Pretty much, yeah.
That must have been a teen years. He started off as a retailer. Yeah. Is there other companies like this, or is this the first?
Oh, I'm sure there's others. Oh, there. There's probably all sorts of people tell you how to run your business. Consulting companies.
Consultants. Oh, yes, I'm sorry. Consultants. The Cigar Profit has partnered with Cigars Consulting, a Nicaraguan-based procurement and logistics firm with additional operations in Honduras and the Dominican Republic.
Cigars Consulting was founded by Nasir Valawinza, whom Lipson has previously worked with in the cigar industry. Valawinza takes a comprehensive approach to procurement, including relationships with cigar factories across Latin America, quality control, vendor negotiations, and end-to-end logistics from raw material sourcing to finished goods with distribution. You can't make this stuff up. No.
We're excited to combine our global procurement and logistic capabilities with the Cigar Profits strategic expertise of changing jobs every four or five years. This partnership gives clients the tools to streamline production, control quality, and optimize costs while growing their brand effectively. What the hell does this cost to hire this guy, do you think? What does it cost?
Yeah, what do you think it costs? I mean, he has to make money doing this, so let's say we hire them for... It's probably a percentage. Percentage of sales, you're thinking over there, Boots?
I think it's both. I think it would probably be like a flat base. There's got to be a fee involved because they can't survive on percentage. Like a retainer?
Retainer? Yeah, it's probably a few grand a month. Ooh, monthly. Yeah, plus X amount, percentage in sales.
Yeah. Sounds like pretty good money. I mean, if you're consulting-based, you probably wouldn't want to be tied to sales at all, right? Okay.
You'd probably just want to get as much money up front. And your pitch would probably be, well, you know, if you're going to invest in me and then you're investing in your future, the whole thing, right? And then by the time you realize that things aren't working out the way that you thought they would, it's at least six months to a year of you spending cash. Sure, for this guy to tell you, post more.
Yeah, it's not like he's like, "Hey, here's the brand that I've built. " Right. Not like a track record. Right.
And here's how I can make this work. Right. Instead, it's, okay, I've worked at four different businesses. I've done everything from retail to manufacturing to wholesale.
I'll give you every term that makes it sound elaborate, all the things that I've done. Right, right. All the fancy words, brand manager. But in all reality, I haven't really...
Done really anything. Yeah. You know, I mean, Alec Bradley became as successful as it did because of catalogs, right? And Alec and Bradley.
And Bradley. And there was two. No, only the one that we like. Which one do we like, Bradley?
Bradley. Bradley. Bradley. That's the one who used to have the mustache.
Because Bradley's a sweet man. Yeah, we like Bradley. We never really met Alex, so. That's true.
We're just gonna say we don't like him. Well, you gotta pick one. Yeah. One brother is clearly better than the other.
Oh, as with you and Greg. Yeah, of course. And me and my brother. So yeah, that's quite obvious.
And Bradley wins that. Right. So this guy has never owned his own brand? No.
No. No. I'm sorry. He was probably instrumental in Alec and Bradley's selling and making all that money.
Oh, you think? Well, that's what I would tell people at a meeting. Well, that's what he's probably going off of. Right.
We'll get you big and get you sold. Hey, you guys remember Alec and Bradley? I would like to announce the start of the Hustler Consulting Business, please. Right.
With our 21 years of combined cigar industry knowledge. Over two decades. Over two decades. Of business success.
Seven years of smoking, I've done. You can add in seven more years. I got to be honest, at the end of the day, a consulting business for us wouldn't be the worst thing because, you know, you would sit down with the person and you would analyze them and get their perspective and talk about them and be like, okay, you know, your expectations are here when they need to be here, right? You're hiring, firing schemes, all these other things that you do are wrong.
I mean, I could break down a lot of that stuff. Sure. Because we actually have knowledge in that. Right.
I don't know if I'd want to do that though. That sounds like. You send a couple of emails. He sent a couple emails.
He made a brochure. Well, the qualifications here are a lot better than his qualifications. Oh, 100%. Oh, yeah.
Because you own your own brand. Right. You have your own wholesale distribution business. I can do everything that the Venezuela guy's doing.
Right. All the logistics, factory making, moving things from here to there. Right. Making sure the product's quality control.
Sure, I can do all that. Right. I still have people. They're just not doing anything right now.
They're just, they're just between jobs. No, there's other lines that I wasn't involved with. They're just, they're, they've joined other consulting firms. Cigar Province currently accepting inquiries from cigar manufacturers, brand owners, and retailers who want to sharpen their strategy and grow confidently.
This story is courtesy of Cigar Coop, which is the only place I saw it. Ah, I think I'm not sure. Did he cover this? Yes.
All right, we got a shop of the week. Do we have a shop of the week? I have a shop of the week. Then, yes, we have a shop of the week.
Holy smokes! In the villages where I was yesterday. Yes. It's today's Tuesday.
I lose track of the days anymore. They're a new retailer. They're working hard. Yeah, they celebrated their eight-month anniversary yesterday.
Okay. They're doing some things right. They're finding their way. It'll be good.
It's not an easy business. It is not an easy business. Did you offer us the consulting business to them? Did you hit them up with some consulting fees?
No, apparently, though, we should. We could help you. We could help you. If you just sign right here.
Sign right here on the dotted line and give me a check. Give me a check. That's all you got to do to get started. Okay.
No post-dated second-party company checks either. Post-dated third-party out-of-state. None of those. That's what it's called.
You got a listener of the week, Michael? No, you do. No, I haven't listened. How do you not have a listener of the week?
I did shop of the week this week. I do one, you do the other. No. I did all the stories.
You even check with me afterwards. " You walked in, sat down, we started basically. We moved the things around a little bit, shuffle, shuffle, shuffle. And now I got to take everything back in the other room.
Shuffle, shuffle, shuffle. Hector Alfonso Sr. Oh, our newest Patreon member, Hector Alfonso Sr. Newest Patreon member.
We wish him well in his medical inquiries. A speedy recovery. Yes. We miss you, Hector.
We miss you, Hector. Okay. All right, it's been episode 376, Cigar Hustler Podcast. Let us know what you think about the new setup.
If you like it, don't like it, when it's back in the other room, give us some words, we don't care. Give us your intel. All right, thanks, gotta go, bye. All right, bye.
you
Show Notes
This week, we dive into the latest headlines, from the passing of legendary singer Roberta Flack to Starbucks simplifying their menu—say goodbye to those over-the-top custom orders! The Washington Commanders shake up their roster, a WNBA star makes it clear she’s choosing someone over Drake, and Dodge might owe you $5,000… but don’t start spending just yet.
In cigar news, Raul Reyner is launching a new brand with the most complicated initial offering ever, Davidoff crowns a new Coffee—er, Cigar King, and Gurkha is getting a little… bigger. Meanwhile, Garo might be shipping a new cigar, Kentucky expands its cigar lounge scene, and a brand-new consultant is here to teach you how to sell cigars.
All this and more on Episode 376 of A Cigar Hustlers Podcast! Tune in now!