ACHP 406 Tiger Attack
Episode Summary
Episode 406 of A Cigar Hustler's Podcast opens with the hosts' usual news-and-nonsense mix before getting to the industry meat. Up front: the fatal tiger attack at Growler Pines Tiger Preserve near Hugo, Oklahoma that killed handler Ryan Easley, PETA's response and the Joe Exotic connection; Tom Holland's mild concussion and the paused filming of Spider-Man: Brand New Day ahead of its July 31, 2026 release; and a full NFL Week 3 recap including the Panthers' shutout of Atlanta, the Vikings' blowout of Cincinnati, the Browns upsetting Green Bay, Baker Mayfield's late-game heroics in Tampa, Emeka Egbuka's one-handed catches, and the Lions' win in Baltimore. The crew also plugs the new "Gordos and Goblins" Halloween shirt at chpod.com (including their first international order, shipped to Germany).
The cigar news block leads with the formal end of the Arturo Fuente–Meerapfel relationship. The hosts read through the Meerapfel family press release signed by Jeremiah Meerapfel, walk through what Arturo Fuente International did for non-U.S. distribution, and dig into the real question: the future of the Cameroon wrapper used on Don Carlos, Hemingway and other Fuente lines. They debate who gets hurt more long-term, who might buy that Cameroon leaf instead (STG, General, AJ Fernandez), and note Fuente's empty booth at InterTabac in Dortmund. They also cover Kristoff shipping the Halftime Habano Timeout (4x60, Ecuadorian Habano, $7, 50-count boxes) and the brand's first Cigarillo Habano, Southern Draw adding a 5% tariff surcharge on top of its earlier 30-cent increase, and Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust shipping the Mi Querida Gorila Gordo — a 6x60 with a 109-style cap at $14.95, and Steve Saka's explanation of why the planned 6x64 became a 6x60.
Two regulatory/legal stories round out the news: Belgium's move to ban smoking on and within 10 meters of terraces and to outlaw dedicated indoor smoking rooms, hookah bars and cigar lounges — while preserving smoking rooms in prisons — drawing a sharp statement from Paul Varkas of the European Cigar Manufacturers Association; and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruling 7-4 against the administration's IEEPA-based tariffs, with the tariffs staying in effect until at least October 14 and Supreme Court oral arguments set for November 5. The hosts argue that even if tariffs disappear, prices aren't coming back down, and brands that stacked multiple "tariff" increases will take the heat.
The show closes with "What's the Score," guessing Halfwheel review scores. First up is Patrick Lagreid's review of the Miami Cigar & Co. Outkast Toro (5.5x54, Brazilian wrapper, Ecuadorian Sumatra-seed binder, $11.50) with its sweetened cap, pipe tobacco aroma and strawberry-jam-on-sourdough opening — it scored 76. Then a Charlie Minato redux of the AVO Limited Edition 2014 88 (6x52 belicoso, Dominican puro, $16), with walnut shell, cranberry, crushed peanut and "burnt hot dog skin" notes — 89. Shop of the week is Treasure Coast Cigars, and Fred Rewey is announced as guest host for episode 407.
In This Episode
- 01Shop Events and CHPod SwagThe hosts preview a Powstanie night at Treasure Coast Cigars and a Camacho event with a portable griddle giveaway, plus the new Gordos and Goblins Halloween shirt at chpod.com.
- 02Fatal Tiger Attack in OklahomaHandler Ryan Easley was killed by a tiger he raised from a cub at Growler Pines Tiger Preserve, prompting a PETA statement and renewed scrutiny of his Joe Exotic ties.
- 03Tom Holland Injured on Spider-Man: Brand New DayA stunt fall at Leavesden Studios left Holland with a mild concussion and paused Marvel/Sony filming ahead of the July 31, 2026 release.
- 04NFL Week 3 RecapScores and storylines from around the league, including Carolina's shutout, Minnesota's rout of Cincinnati, Baker Mayfield's late comebacks, and the Lions' road win in Baltimore.
- 05Arturo Fuente and Meerapfel End Their RelationshipThe hosts break down the Meerapfel press release, the collapse of Arturo Fuente International, and what the end of the Cameroon wrapper supply could mean for Don Carlos and Hemingway.
- 06New Releases: Kristoff Halftime Habano and Dunbarton Mi Querida Gorila GordoKristoff ships a $7 4x60 Habano Timeout plus its first cigarillo, while Dunbarton releases the 6x60 Mi Querida Gorila Gordo with a 109-style cap at $14.95.
- 07Tariffs, Surcharges, and the Belgium Smoking BanSouthern Draw adds a 5% tariff surcharge, Belgium moves to outlaw cigar lounges and terrace smoking, and an appeals court rules the IEEPA tariffs illegal pending Supreme Court arguments.
- 08What's the Score: Outkast Toro and AVO LE 2014 88The crew guesses Halfwheel scores for the Miami Cigar & Co. Outkast Toro (76) and Charlie Minato's redux of the AVO Limited Edition 2014 88 (89).
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 episode 406 of a Cigar Hustler Podcast. In today's episode, we'll start with the tragic news out of Oklahoma involving a fatal tiger attack. From there, we'll cover an on-set injury that paused Spider-Man Filming Breakdown, week three of the NFL season, and wrap up with the latest cigar industry updates. Tiger went tiger, huh?
Tiger went tiger. Later today, I'll be at Treasure Coast Cigars with a Powstanie Cutting Light, and then this Friday is the big Camacho event with a portable griddle giveaway here at Cigar Hustler. Oh. That thing's portable?
It's portable. Really? It comes off the stand. Oh.
Supposedly, you can use it indoors, but it's still propane. So it sounds a little dangerous. Sounds pretty confident of them to make that statement. It does, doesn't it?
It's like a George Foreman girl. Yeah, same idea. All right, Michael, how do we get some of that sweet CHPod swag? com, where we recently dropped our Gordles and Goblins Halloween edition shirt.
Oh, nice. If you buy one, you get the second one 40% off. Also, apparently, Michael, we're shipping to Germany. Oh.
Somebody bought his shirt in Germany? Yes. Worldwide. He's a friend of ours.
He's a friend of ours. He's got a really nice beard. Oh. I'm not sure who it is.
You know who I'm talking about? There's a lot of beards. Guy from PCA? People we know.
Oh. Kali? The guy from the lighter company? No.
He still doesn't know. No, he still has no idea. He still has no idea. I can't wait till he sees you again.
Oh, great. He's gonna say, uh, Palmer. Look at my goblin shirt. Look at my goblin shirt.
Look at my goblin shirt. We don't know, this may be our first and last export, we'll see how that pans out, but either way, we appreciate your support, brother, and we got you covered, so, if you'd like more for shipping, no, we're just gonna eat it, we're gonna take care of it, well, we're just, we're good like women and money, no, but we're good people, well, yes, and we'll continue, thank him for his support, it's gonna cost us money, I don't care, I don't care, I appreciate him buying it, no, no, that's fine, I wear it all over Germany, tell your friends, support, thank you for your support, Do they do Halloween in Germany? I don't know, you have to ask him. If I only knew who he was.
Don't worry, he'll let you know. Thank you. We've been to dinner with him. Oh, wow.
We've been to dinner with him? Yeah. Oh, now I feel bad. Yeah.
I'm drawing a complete blank. He was in New Orleans with us. Yeah, that's so bad. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
There it is. There it is. I was thinking of Germans I ate dinner with. I didn't even realize he was from Germany.
Yep. Oh. All right. I like him.
Yeah, he's a good guy. We'll pay for the shipping. Yeah, we'll pay for the shipping. In the meantime, I need to figure out how to, after I assess how much cost that is, we'll have to figure out either how to adjust it for any additional exports.
Does he want the whole set or just the one? He's got two shirts. Oh, 40% off Ian. All right, let's go.
All right, now on to trending news. Tiger kills a man in Oklahoma, and an animal handler identified as Ryan Easley was killed by a tiger in his Growler Pines Tiger Preserve near Hugo, Oklahoma, on Saturday, September 20th. Easley was performing a demonstration using finger paint and a tiger he had raised since cubhood when the attack occurred. The preserve has canceled all tours, and animal rights groups have pointed to Easley's past, including inquiring tigers from Joe Exotic.
Of course, that name had to pop up. From his traveling show as factors in the tragic incident. Details of the incident. Ryan, the owner of the animal handler Growler Pines Tiger Preserve, was doing a finger painting demonstration, painting the tiger's paw, and then he puts the paw.
Yeah. The tiger took a swipe at him and killed him instantly. Yeah. Just like that.
Bless you. Oh, excuse me. Bless you. That was the tiger swipe noise.
That was the tiger swipe noise. You know, what the hell is this guy thinking as far as painting a tiger's paw? Well, it obviously wasn't the first time he had done it. Painting the fingers.
He raised his tiger from a cub. Yeah. I mean, the photos of him show him snuggling and everything with the tiger. Yeah, he'll never attack me.
Right, he'll never, I don't think the tiger did it on purpose. I think maybe he tickled the paw or something with the paint, sliced him and he was done. I hate it when that happens. Yeah, but remember, uh, what were the two magicians in base?
Siegfried and Roy. Siegfried and Roy. Yeah. The lovers.
Um, he was all about, they were all about tigers, too. Yes. Chris Rock's stand-up. Yeah.
That tiger went tiger. Yeah, yeah, no, no, yeah, that tiger, that one bit him in the neck, and again, dead. Like, you're playing with fire, man. I don't understand.
You can't really blame the tiger. Like you said, tiger's just tiger in it. You know. Mm-hmm.
Okay. Well, is that it? PETA, the Animal Rights Organization, released a statement highlighting that direct human interaction with an apex predator is inherently unsafe. Thank you, PETA.
PETA also cued easily of mistreating his tigers in the past, including forced performances in circuses and keeping them in cramped cages after acquiring them from Joe Azotic. Of course he did. They had to make that comment. You think they chat GPT to the fact that tigers are dangerous?
PETA? Yeah, in their statement. Probably. So, help me write this email stating the fact that tigers are dangerous.
Right. Use apex predator in description. Make it sound... Thank you very much.
Use apex predator. Well, I mean, nothing hunts tigers but us, right? I mean, they have no natural predators, do they? Really?
I don't think lions hunt tigers. Tigers are bigger than lions. Lions, yeah, okay. And I don't think they're in the same place.
Yeah. So, there's nothing else after them but us. but us. Nothing.
Hunts tigers? Apex. Top of the pyramid. Hence the apex term.
Yes. Velociraptors are the apex animal. Yeah, but those aren't real, real. They were.
Is that even a real dinosaur? They make it for the movie. Well, it is a real dinosaur, but they're like this big. They're really small.
Oh, that's scary. Yeah, not as ferocious. If this thing's chasing around on the ground two and a half feet tall. Yeah.
Supposed they had feathers or something. Oh, birds. All right, moving on, Tom Holland is hospitalized after suffering a brutal injury on the Spider-Man Brand New Day set. Peter Parker isn't invincible.
Tom Holland reportedly suffered a concussion on the set of Spider-Man Brand New Day, forcing Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures to pause filming. According to the Daily Mail, a 29-year-old actor cracked his head after he suffered a fall at Leavesden Studios in Waterford, England on Friday. The incident reportedly occurred during a stunt gone wrong, Holland was hospitalized and treated for a mild concussion while no one else on the set was injured, a Hollywood reporter confirmed the outlet also reported that Holland is taking a break from filming for several days, Sony is reportedly meeting Monday to discuss filming plans, the post has reached out to Holland's rep and Sony Pictures for comment, Spider-Man brand new day began filming in Glasgow, Scotland on August 1st, marking Holland's fourth standalone turn at the web-slinging superhero. Holland teased his new costume for the film on Instagram shortly before filming kicked off, and he also revealed the superhero flick's release date.
Are you ready? 7/31/2026. Okay, so that's going to be the July movie of next year. Summer games.
Right, the big summer blockbuster of next year. Okay, do you know how old Tom Holland is? No, really, I don't. Isn't he younger?
He is. How old do you think he is? He's probably high 20s, low 30s. That's pretty good.
He's 29 years old. All right. So listen, how much longer do you think he can keep up with the whole... I think after this, maybe he's got one more movie.
And then they got to go younger again. Do you got to just reduce them? Or, well, I mean, they keep, he's what, the third Spider-Man? Well, Toby was like almost 40 when he ended, right?
I think it's just what happens is, we start, you know what, dude, I don't think you need to do all your stunts. We got this technology. Well, yeah, I was going to say, that's the difference between Tom Holland and Tobey Maguire, all those flips and spins and stuff, Tom does. Right.
Yeah. At some point, like, it's going to cost millions of dollars to the organization. Right. If he continues forward with that.
Okay, so they put in a stuntman instead of him. Yeah. I mean, the guy's in a mask, for God's sakes. You have no idea who it is who's doing it.
Right, yeah, I mean, as long as it's the same body type, you'll never know. Yeah. Is he A-lister or B-lister? Tom Holland?
He's got to be an A. I would consider him A at this point. Yeah, he should definitely have a stunt double. " Right.
People go nuts. So, yeah, I think that he continues. I just think that they, you know, they got to work something out here. I don't want Spider-Man getting hurt.
No, nobody wants Spider-Man getting hurt. Yeah. Right. Is that Rupert true?
Wasn't he the kid dressed as Iron Man in, like, Iron Man 3 or something? In the scene when they're doing the big fair and all the robots are, the robot Ironmans are fighting Ironman and, what was the other guy's name? Oh, God. Rhodey.
There's a scene where a kid dressed in an Ironman suit and he puts up his hand. He's got like a flashlight on his hand. He's going to fight the bad guy. Yeah.
The rumor is that was Tom Holland when he was young. Really? That's the rumor I've heard. I don't know if it's true or not.
It's probably a lie. It doesn't sound... I don't think... maybe, but...
Maybe. I mean, he's young enough where he could have been. That was the worst Iron Man. I don't even remember that part.
Yeah, with the Russian guy with the... That was Iron Man 2. Was that Iron Man 2? Yeah, Iron Man 3.
Who was the bad guy in Iron Man 3? Oh, the guy who... I can't think of his name. The guy who we met earlier in life, and found out how to make himself heal with fire or something like that, whatever that was, where the people blew up.
Iron Man 3 villain, because I don't know if I trust you. Blew up. Let's see here. Kapowie.
Kapowie. The main antagonist in Iron Man 3 is Aldrich Killian. There you go, Aldrich. That was the other scientist.
He was the Mandarin. The Mandarin was a character he created. Mm-hmm. Yeah, like, he was, he was a terrible bad guy.
I don't even remember who he was. Yeah, Iron Man 3 obviously wasn't impactful. Oh, I liked Iron Man 3. Iron Man 2, I didn't like so much with, um, Mickey Rourke.
What? I like 3 better than 2. Oh, no way. You're crazy.
No. Okay, well. Explains a lot about those cigars. Well, 3 is when they...
Explains a lot about terrible taste. Three is when they blew up his cliffside home. Yeah, and there was just so many Iron Man robot guys flying around and stuff. He learned how to make them autonomous from the bad guys in Iron Man 2.
It just seemed so excessive. Just over the top. It's like they had to level. It's like, I think some of these superhero movies what happens is you gotta level up bigger, bigger, and then eventually it gets to a point where like, okay, no one believes any of that and it's not even fun anymore.
Well, the thing with Iron Man is from each, technically it's a movie, but from each interaction with a bad guy, he learns what he did wrong, and he fixes it for the next one. Oh, is that how that works? Yeah. Okay.
So, like in two, the guy could defeat him with electricity, because he had those whips that gave out the electricity. So, in three, the new suit would absorb electricity and turn it into energy, and he could use it as a weapon. Oh, it harnessed the energy. Right.
And then all those robot guys in two almost beat him. So in three, he made his suit could work without anybody in them. Yeah, it just sounds ridiculous. Far reach.
Why is that ridiculous? It just went too far. It just went too far. Not too far.
Oh, but the aliens coming out of the hole in the sky is perfectly reasonable. More believable. More believable. More believable.
Okay. Yep, absolutely. Okay. Yeah, we're talking, now you're going Avengers at that point.
It's totally different. Totally different. Yeah. All right.
Okay. Tom Holland, we here at Cigar Housers Podcast will have a speedy recovery because we want that July 2026 release date to go into effect. Yeah, don't fuck that up. All right, not August.
Later that day, he was seen at a charity thing, so he's... So he humpty-dumpty, cracked his head, and he's good to go. Well, he's got a concussion. It depends on how bad.
My wife's concussion lasted six months, so it depends. He's 29 years old. Well, that's true, but still it's your head. But his was listed as a mild concussion.
He's 29 years old, and he has access to probably the best doctors in the world. That's probably true. You know what, we're going to get you a new head. Right, exactly, right, not a problem.
Not only are we going to get you a new head, but we're going to get you one of those goblin t-shirts from Cigar Hustle's podcast. Make it feel all better. Yeah, check this out, enjoy your Gordos and Goblin shirt. Because he is over in Europe somewhere filming movies.
Yeah, he's in London. We could ship his with the other one. Yeah, we could just, yeah, one picture there. That way we don't pay for shipping twice, right, Palmer?
Right, that's the way to do it, don't pay for shipping twice. Yeah, Kali, Tom Holland has your shirt, just so you know. Yeah, just look him up, it'll be fine. Just pick it up in England.
Right. Probably his fiancée, the girl, probably has it in her luggage. Right. I can't think of her name.
Tommy Holland. Tamina? All right, moving on. Welcome back to our NFL Weekly Recap.
Week three is in the books and it's delivered everything fans could want. Close finishes, shocking upsets, and a couple of downright blowouts. Let's start with some of the most eye-catching results. Buffalo Bills stayed unbeaten, pulling away from the Miami Dolphins in a game that was closer than the scoreboard suggests.
Meanwhile in Charlotte, the Carolina Panthers pitched the league's first shutout of the season in a 30-0 thumping of the Atlanta Falcons, leaving Atlanta searching for answers on offense. Unbelievable. In Indianapolis, the Colts lit up the scoreboard, doubling up on the Titans at a 41-20 rout. Cross-eyed Jones.
Not far away, the Jacksonville Jaguars eked out a 17-10 win over the Houston Texans, leaning on discipline while Houston struggled with penalties and missed chances. Philadelphia Eagles pulled off one of the wildest comebacks of the week, storming back against the Rams to win 33-26. A blocked field goal late sealed the victory in front of a roaring home crowd. Over in Pittsburgh, the Steelers and Patriots battled to the very end with turnovers tilting the game toward the black and gold.
In Washington, the Commanders, the Commandos, the Commandos, they run around naked, finally broke through, dropping 41 points on the Raiders in one of them. Commandos run around naked in your world? They went Commando. Yeah, okay.
They went Commando. Oh, got it, got it, okay. See, because when I thought, when you said Commando, I instantly went Schwarzenegger, you know, like... Oh, no, the Commanders were Commando.
Got it. There you go. All right, dropping 41 points on the Raiders in one of their strongest all-around showing this season, the Minnesota Vikings. Vikings, a lot of games.
Minnesota Vikings completely dismantled the Cincinnati Bengals, cruising to a 48-10 win that wasn't close from the opening kickoff. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Cleveland Browns stunned the Green Bay Packers in a 13-10 slugfest highlighted by a late block kick that swung the game. Unbelievable. In Tampa Bay, the Buccaneers edged the Jets 29-27 in a nail-biter, while out west, the Los Angeles Chargers slipped past the Broncos and Denver showing poise in the final quarter.
The Seattle Seahawks had no such trouble. They blasted the New Orleans 44-13 in a dominant performance from the opening drive. The San Francisco 49ers survived. Okay, do you want all this?
There's a lot of information. This is good. Well, there's one you haven't covered yet. You didn't cover Detroit-Baltimore.
All right, hold on. He probably didn't get that one yet. Cowboys bouncing back from a rough start to their season. On Sunday night, the Kansas City Chiefs righted the ship with a 22-9 win over the New York Giants.
Okay, that's a brag. There's nothing to brag about there. You beat the Giants. Um, which game do you want me to do?
The Lions. Last night. Oh, I don't have last nights. Yeah, I didn't think you, I didn't think you won.
You know, Detroit Lions beat Baltimore. In Baltimore. That's a big one. It's a good game.
Yeah, it was a great game. All offense. It was crazy. Um, yeah, so, so, so Skip is obviously a fan of the Detroit Lions.
I don't know if you, if you've caught on to this a few years ago. Yeah. I'm going to root for the Lions. When Dan Campbell, yeah, when Dan Campbell came around.
Yeah. And, you know. Was that because Dan Campbell was a Cowboy? I have no idea.
No, I just think that the Cowboys are so atrocious that you got to start rooting for something. Something that's positive. Yeah, there's a dumpster fire over there. He just started rooting for the Cowboys and now he's picking the Lions.
He's been a Cowboys fan his whole life. Right. And now it's like, okay, go Lions. Yeah.
It's just, you know, it's like a side hustle. Which is almost like, that's like a, isn't that a rivalry? They're both in the NFC, but I will say this, there's a guy in Tampa, and he's willing to go all the way, and everybody's going to underrate him every single week, but he's an absolute dog, and he has led his team to victory in less than two minutes in the first three games of the season, and his name is Baker May. field so if things shape up the way that they are i think that you're gonna see detroit and tampa possibly in tampa in the postseason yeah uh yeah as long as this isn't mike then mike evans just get hurt he tweaked his hamstring is he out or not uh he might be out we'll see maybe he might miss a week it's to be determined i heard that on the radio this morning on the way in they're We're doing MRIs today or something.
Yeah, it's to be determined. But look, you got, I'm going to screw up his name. Agubka. Oh, please.
Yeah, don't worry, I handle the short clip, so I'll keep it going. Amir Agubka, right? Ameka Agubka. Ameka Agubka.
That sounds exactly right. Yeah. He's a dude, he is an absolute stud. They didn't even count a catch that he made, which was right.
Oh, yeah, yeah, the one-handed. One-handed. He had two one-handed catches, one they counted, there's no denying that one. The second one, Todd Bowles called a timeout so that it could go under Booth Review.
Yeah, he slid the toe. And they let it go. Yeah. It was clearly a catch.
Yeah, and you're gonna tell me that Vegas isn't involved in covering that six and a half spread? Like, oh, that's a, you know, not to mention, the catch that was made in the end zone by the Jets, that could have gone either way as far as it being a touchdown. Right. But I got to be honest, I'm really looking forward to Monday night.
This upcoming Monday, Jets and Dolphins. Will this be the game that Mike McDaniels has finally let go? If they lose, yeah. If they lose to the Jets, he's in trouble.
I think he's in trouble if they lose to the Jets. Are you excited about him being in trouble? Um, I just want these motherfuckers to get back on track. Are you, as a Dolphin fan, looking forward to the exit of Mike McDaniels?
I just want to see them throw the ball consistently. I want to see Tyreek get his stats consistently. I want to see A. Chain get his stats consistently.
That's it, I just want them to go back and play football. I want to see an apology to Brian Flores. That's what I want to see. That's never going to happen.
I want to see, you know what, you were right, we were wrong, you should still be the head coach of this organization, now he's over in Minnesota, just dicing people up as a defensive coordinator. Brian, on behalf of the Cigar Hustler Podcast, we apologize for the NFL. No, for the Miami Dolphins. We apologize for the Miami Dolphins.
Yes, I think that that's appropriate. We will apologize on behalf of the Miami Dolphins. So I can't wait for Monday. A lot of people aren't excited about that game.
There's two games Monday. Yeah, I saw a post that said, if you have plans on Monday, don't cancel them. And then it showed both of those games. There's two games on Monday night?
Yeah. Denver's playing somebody too. That's odd, isn't it? No, they've been doing this, like a double up.
They'll start one at 7, and they'll start the next one at 10. Oh. It's to free up the primetime on Sunday. Is that what it is?
Yeah, because before, remember, they used to usually be like, It would be either a super late game, or there would be two Sunday nights. So they're trying to free up some time. And now CeeDee Lamb is out in Dallas. There's a lot of people out.
Tyrone Tracy. Yeah. Who's that? Tyrone Tracy from the Giants running backs that are really fucked now.
Yeah. I mean, you mean the guys that are 0-3? Yeah. I mean, that does pave the way for Skadabo, though.
Yeah, it's true. Which is going to be cool to see him get a lot more touches. Sorry, man. And you could plug anything into that train wreck of a team.
Yeah, it is a train wreck. Saquon Barkley leaves, becomes a champion. Daniel Jones, which I was talking about at the beginning of the season. Yeah, Crossout Jones.
He's doing all right. He's better than Russell Wilson. Fourth and short, let's just fire this ball into the back of the end zone. That guy, after the first quarter, looked like he just forgot how to play football.
Yeah. I don't know what happened to him. I don't know. Probably forgot to take his meds.
All right, so I don't know. It's a joke. Please don't come for me. All right, what else you got?
We're moving on from the NFL. Oh, sorry. Yeah. Oh, it's like a break for you.
Oh, yeah, it's like a break for me. You like that. All right, that's what's making headlines today. Now let's shift gears from the world of trending news and something a little slower burning.
It's time to talk cigars. Oh. Merifels says the Toro-Fuente relationship has ended. Oh, no.
He's put all of Toro-Fuente's stuff in a box and told him to come get it. It's in the front yard. He's put it in a box. He told him to come get his box.
A month after Toro-Fuente informed his international customers that its distribution agreement with the Merifels has come to an end, the Merifels family has issued its own press release. In it, the Merifels say that the two families who have been business partners for decades have ceased trading together. The relationship was multifaceted. S.
and Latin America. Otoro Fuente has distributors in each international country, but the Merifels, though Otoro Fuente International served as the go-between from Otoro Fuente to local distributors. At the time of this announcement, it raised the question of whether the Merifels would continue to supply Otoro Fuente with Cameroon wrapper leaves That of Toro Fuente uses for Don Carlos and Hemingway Cigars, as well as other lines. When asked, the owners of both companies declined to answer Half Wheel's explicit questions regarding the future supply of Cameroon wrappers.
It's over. It's over, Johnny. But a press release from the Mariffel's family appears to provide the clearest answer to the question. The two companies are no longer doing business together.
The press release signed by Jeremiah Mariffel reads: For decades, our family has poured investments into our distribution business with a significant emphasis on the Arturo Fuente brands. Indeed, our investments have gone well beyond the financial, committing our time, knowledge, and passion to building the Arturo Fuente brands. Two families have a history together spanning three generations, and Merifel is incredibly proud of what we are able to achieve for the Fuente family. Three generations?
Three generations. Yeah. Wow. You don't watch the interviews, obviously.
No. Unfortunately, Fuente and Marafel have ceased trading together. We are disappointed and saddened by this. And it brings an important chapter in our esteemed history to a close.
Because of how both companies do business, the abrupt end of the company's relationship is unlikely to mean changes for cigars that consumers are buying. Toro Fuente prides itself on having extensive inventories of tobacco with the goal of having enough tobacco for multiple years of production on hand in addition to its expansive aging rooms of rolled cigars. Still, barring a reversal of the current situation, at some point in the future, Arturo Fuentes, Don Carlos, and Hemingway Cigars will not come with wrappers that Merrifield sold to Arturo Fuente. While neither family has commented on what caused a split statements from both companies this week, paint a picture that the relationship has not ended pleasantly.
Notably, neither side letters made any mention of wishing the other partner well or anything close to it, and a sign placed in the otherwise empty Arturo Fuente booth This week's Enter Tabac Trade Fair says that the company is not at the trade show in Dormant, Germany, due to unexpected circumstances beyond its control. Hmm. This story is definitely ran by Charlie. Yeah.
Well listen, I honestly think that this is gonna change the shape of both companies forever. It's gonna take, it'll probably take about 10 years or so. But, man, things are going to be different. Here's what I think is the best approach to really kind of resolve this situation.
We have PCA in New Orleans. Yes. This upcoming year, and then you go back to Vegas. Right.
Let's get Carlito to agree to the terms. What are the terms? In one year, when we go back to Vegas, a UFC fight. Yes.
For both of them. Yes. Shorty vs. Tali.
Shorty vs. Tali. Jeremiah's not short. I didn't say Jeremiah was short.
Who do you think wins in an outright MMA fight? I think Jeremiah. I think so, too. I think Fuente tries to talk him out of it.
But, the stipulation is he can't lose the hat during the fight or he's out. The hat has to stay on at all times. No, you can't desecrate the hat by bringing it in the rings. Okay, a different, a fighting hat.
A fighting hat? With a buckle. Not the actual hat. Not the actual hat.
With a chin buckle. And I would lose the scarf because Carlito will use that as a weapon against him. Oh, no, I think Jeremiah can use that as a weapon. Oh, yeah.
Well, if he takes it off, but if he lose it on. Yeah. You know, we kind of saw that this was heading this direction. We've talked about this in the past.
Right, what was the other announcement that they're no longer... Fuente Cut Distribution. Oh, that's right, Fuente Cut Distribution. Now it seems like Marifel, it's...
Oh, so this is their slap back. Oh, yeah. Well, now you can't have any of the Cameroon. That's huge.
Sure it is. Who do you think it hurts more? Do you think it hurts Mirapel more, or do you think it hurts Fuente more? I mean, definitely Mirapel.
I mean, they're not as big. I don't know. It depends on how often... I mean, if Fuente has these large supplies of Cameroon, how often are they actually buying it?
They have to buy every year. They buy every year. They buy every year. Of course.
That's how they build it up. Then... I don't know. Maybe it's a wash.
Maybe the cost of the Cameroon balances out with how much money they don't make selling Fuente. I don't think that that's the case at all. No, I... Could they had the agreement with they're paid in Cameroon?
Paid in Cameroon? No, I guess it wouldn't work because... Paid in Cameroon. What does that mean?
Well, you give us cigars to sell, and then we give you Cameroon. I'm Marafel, you're Fuente. I don't think that's how it works. You give me your cigars, I sell them internationally, and in exchange for that, I give you the same value in tobacco.
That's so messy. You know, the Luciano payment method. Easy. That's so messy.
Allegedly. Allegedly. That's so messy. I wouldn't do it that way.
But I think, honestly, for me, I think that it hurts Fuente the most. Yeah? Eventually. Eventually, right.
Yeah, eventually. You know, the Cameroon tobacco is really good. Sure. But from the conversation that we had with Jeremiah, it doesn't sound like it's going to be difficult to sell it to somebody else.
He'll find somebody else who wants to buy it. Somebody else will. Who do you think he sells it to? I mean, STG will buy it in a heartbeat.
Yeah, STG, General, or AJ Fernandez. Yeah, I mean... Do you think Padrón goes after and tries to make a different cigar? I don't think so.
There's being ship says only AJ on it, you know. Only AJ. Only AJ. major um yeah i think that you know maybe hector makes a good cigar out of it maybe not uh i thought he had a different one the sumatra oh yeah he's on the sumatra he can replace the sumatra with uh sumatra is their best seller they said so that goes to tell you that there are a lot of cigar guys out there that don't see any pictures of it oh my god uh you know i i got a i got a message I had a message from a brand or manufacturer that was very upset about one of the things that we said, and I won't say his name.
What did we say? And that's exactly what, that's the first thing that I said. I was like, well, first of all, what did we say? Right.
Second of all, you listen to the podcast? That wasn't the first thing? That would have been the first thing. What do you mean you listen?
Who are you? Those things could have been interchanged. He's like, I listen to the podcast. I'm like, wait a second, you listen to the podcast?
Can you tell me after? Sure. And I just think that it was funny to me because I'm like, what do we honestly say that really pisses somebody off? You know, like, we don't have intentions of really trying to hurt anybody.
Yeah, no. We're not mean-spirited. This is all fuckery up here. Yeah, this is all fuckery.
This is for entertainment. It's not like Hector's gonna call us after we break his balls. You know what? Fuck you guys.
You crossed the line. Fuck you guys. That's it. We're done.
My entire staff is canceling their Patriots. I'm taking my ball. I mean, the PCA guy, we went after several times, Joshua Hiberski. Oh, he loves us now.
Semi-regular on the show. I don't get it. I don't get it. I just, I'm like, so I apologize.
I'm like, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. Just say, I'm sorry, whatever we said. Yeah.
I don't know. I actually said, I'll have to go back and listen. But for one, apparently he agreed with what I said. Oh.
And I'm like. But he was angry? Yeah. Did we say it about him, or did we say it about somebody else, and he thought it was mean-spirited?
I'm just gonna leave it at that. I'm not gonna go further down the hole. Okay, well, let's end the show quickly. We need to find out.
But like, man. Who are we talking about lately? Who's new? I'm like, come on, dude.
For real? Yeah. Don't be upset with me. I got nothing but love for this industry.
We've been kicked in the head 75,000 times. Right. As we've been in this industry. I'm sorry, I was talking, but he was singing something.
- Sorry. - On the mic, like, you know what, now's a good time for me to bust out a tune. - Sorry. - So.
- I was actually listening to that song this morning. Drake. - But, yeah, I mean, like, I got some, also I have some interesting stuff, some theories that I want to talk about on the Patreon, which I think will be really good, because... - Can we release this name on the Patreon?
- No, I'm not gonna do that. - Oh, okay. - I'm not gonna do that. I've already upset the guy.
- Maybe. - No, I'm not gonna do it. I'm gonna tell you right now, I'm not gonna do it. - No.
Because if I've legitimately hurt somebody's feelings, you know, until, or whatever, if I've upset them, until they can understand what we're about, I'm not gonna keep digging that hole. He was still upset even after the conversation? I don't know, we don't, we're not that tight where I can follow back up. Ooh, okay, now he gave us clues.
So how you doing? Maybe one day we'll be friends. So Mickey Pegg finally reached that back out to you? He's got no reception on the trail.
That was the worst one, man. That was a long conversation when that went sideways. I'm so glad with the complaints, they call you and I beat it. It's crazy.
It's crazy. But, you know, we want what's best for the industry. You know, I don't know how else to say that. And we have a good time, and we break everybody's balls on the show, and everybody seems to love it.
Well, not everybody. Not everybody. Not one person. One person.
One guy. Well, now maybe two. There's definitely, guys, I got news for you, there's definitely more than two, okay? There's definitely more than two.
The list is long, but distinguished. So, but whatever. All right, so go ahead, continue. All right, Karen Berger is shipping a halftime Habano timeout and Cigarello Habano this week.
This week, Karen Berger Cigars will ship two new cigars to retailers, including the company's first ever Cigarello Vitola. Oh, boy. The first new release is the Halftime Habano Timeout, a 4x60 Vitola with an Ecuadoran Habano wrapper covering a binder and filler blend of Nicaraguan tobacco. In addition, the Halftime Habano Timeout is made with pigtail cap and a closed foot.
Each cigar is an MSRP of $7 and comes packed in a 50-count box. The Halftime line debuted in May when the company released the Halftime Maduro Timeout, a 4x60 Vitola, Incorporating an Ecuadorian Maduro wrapper, Indonesian Sumatra seed binder, and filler tobaccos grown in Niquiragua. 5x22 Vitola made entirely of Ecuadorian Habano tobacco. Each Cigarello Habano has an MSRP of?
Anybody? Anybody? Three dollars. It's a Cigarello?
Yes. Five. Two. And cigars are being sold in 50 count boxes.
50 counts are a new thing, apparently. Both new cigars are being made in the company's factory in Esteli, and a text message, Bruce Bush, VP of Sales for Karen Berger Cigars, declined to specify how many boxes of each cigar are being shipped, but he did confirm that the new cigars are limited production release and that both are scheduled to begin shipping to retailers on Friday. Well, the price is so low, you have to sell it in that quantity. Yeah.
Oh, is that what it is? Yeah. Just to make enough money to justify the cigar? Yeah, well, just to justify the transaction.
Yeah, $100 retail. The Cigarello, I thought it may be a smaller, you know, more, but smaller quantity at one time, like maybe a five-pack or something. I think the price has got to go up, especially if you put it in a pack. Yeah, it's easier to sell for her.
I guess you're right for her. Okay. All right, Southern Draw, remember that? Southern Draw.
Adds a tariff-related surcharge to the cigars. Remember them? After implementing a 30-cent increase to the price of its cigars in May, as tariffs went into effect, Southern Draw has begun adding And a 5% surcharge onto the cigars it has received beginning September 1st. Including Jacob's Ladder?
Whatever they're getting September 1st. When the company took receipt of its first shipment with the new 18% tariff rate, the company has said it hopes it will be temporary, with Rubber Holt telling Half Wheel that the surcharge will be adjusted or eliminated when the tariff rate is reduced or removed. J. Fernandez Cigars, which means its imports are subject to the 18% tariff.
The tariff's not going away. Well, we're around two of the illegal battle, and he's lost, and Trump is lost again, we'll cover that story here in a few minutes. Okay, I still don't think it goes away. I feel like you just covered it.
No, we'll get to it in a minute, but we'll just relax over here. Sing another song. Oh, yeah. I mean, I would love to see the clustery mess of what happens if it's pulled out, because then every, what's, and this is wrong, But what's going to happen is every manufacturer and brand owner that has raised that price for the tariff, they're all going to fall under fire.
Sure. You know, oh, you had a price increase, plus you had a tariff, plus you had another price increase, like, where's our reduction, you know? Right. And then I, then I got to deal with that shit on Facebook.
Hmm. Like, it's already, you know, crazy enough right now on Facebook. Yeah. Well, maybe it'd be a new problem and it's less horrific than the other problem.
When did we, when did we become a society that just constantly talk shit about people that we disagreed with? I just don't understand it. When Jimmy Kimmel had got a TV show. When Jimmy Kimmel, it was all about Jimmy Kimmel?
It was all Jimmy Kimmel. No, his original one was, was not about any of that. Well, Jimmy Kimmel used to do comedy, and you know, I just, I never really thought he was that funny. Well, I did like The Man Show, now I'll take that back.
That was his original show. That was back in the day. Yeah, way back. I'm more of a Fallon guy myself anyways.
I like Jimmy Fallon's show, but he's an alcoholic. Is he? Yeah. Yeah, he's got a problem.
Good for him. I don't know what to tell you. I mean, he still does his work, so let him boost it up. I don't care.
That's none of my business. Right. As long as he shows up. Shows up for the show every night.
Yeah. Is he a good dad? He seems like a good dad. Oh, well, that's the TV part you see.
I don't know. I don't think he beats his children or anything like that. Yeah, that's right. You're 100% correct.
I'm looking at this from a bird's eye view. Right, right. And I think that's another thing, too, is that people look at a situation and they're 100% committed We're committed without having all the facts, just what they saw on TV or we're on a YouTube short or whatever. We're on a podcast.
Does his kid flinch? I have no idea. I'm not sure. Not on the TV.
Yeah. Maybe he doesn't beat him. This kid's got like a tree house or whatever. Oh, he definitely doesn't beat him.
With a slide. Well, Jimmy didn't build it. It doesn't matter. No, if you have Jimmy Fallon money, you don't have to.
Because, I mean, you're probably not qualified, for one, for two, you know, you can have that guy do it. Sure. You know? Hire Harrison Ford to come over.
He's a good carpenter. Yeah? It seems a bit over the top, but okay. I don't think you could pay Harrison Ford to come over and build some insurance.
I'm not coming. Can he walk over? He flies helicopter. Yeah.
Still? He still flies. Have they retested him? Yes.
Do they retest? I don't know. Oh yeah, you have to qualify. Oh, all the time.
You have to qualify, though, in a simulator. He's got an emulator. Well, they check your eyesight and stuff and all kinds of things. He's got money he can pay for that.
How old is Harrison Ford? He's in his 70s, I believe. That's a great question. How old is Harrison Ford?
All right, well, he looks up how old is Harrison Ford. We're going to go to Belgium, is banning smoking at terraces, cigar lounges, and more. Oh, God. He's 83 years old.
Yeah, I mean, he's got to be close to the drop. He's got to be close to the drop? Yeah. You know, the big boulder's finally going to get him.
The big boulder in the sky? Finally gonna get it. Wow. You know, I just, listen, thank you.
You see him running and the ball just catches up to him now? Listen, Mikey, per your standards, he's 30-some years over the plummet. Yeah, as far as, like, you're using Tom Holland as a comparable? No, you, like, you say, oh, in your 50s, like, that's it.
I think, I think, no, when did I say that? You say you're gonna have a heart attack in your 50s. Me? i think i think i make it to my 60s okay somewhere in the 60s so he's 20 some years past i think 50s is is like is is that post midlife crisis crisis that a lot of people have like holy shit i'm 50 but i just want to say you add so much value with all the dumb shit that you say on this podcast and we absolutely love it and appreciate it dude the big boulder coming finally You think it closes on Harrison Ford?
That's absolutely... Paul, can you tell us, is there anything that happened in your 50s? Nothing exciting. Did you have a, like, "Holy shit, I'm 50" moment?
No. No, you just kind of... I think I'm going to want to hit 60. You think 60 is going to be real?
I'm rolling up on 60, and I think that's going to be real. You're rolling up on 60? Yeah. Two years.
Hmm. Hmm. Well, when we hit podcast episode number 800 and whatever, We will find out. We will find out, exactly.
What would we do, 52 a year, two years? No, it's more like 600 and something. Yeah, it's only like six. Oh, okay, that seems a lot closer.
All right, in Belgium, smoking is said to be banned in and around terraces as well as smoking rooms, cigar lounges, hookah bars, and more places in Belgium. The move was announced last week by Frank van der Bootsch. Oh, he's in trouble. Belgium's health minister who claims that it was originally targeted to go into effect in 2026 but was pushed back to allow businesses more time to comply.
The largest change will be the smoking ban at terraces, which also includes smoking within 10 meters of a terrace. I wonder who they pissed off. Somebody through there. Yeah, could they push it back?
Yeah, some guy said, you know what, this guy smoking on a terrace 30 feet away from me is a problem. And now, no more. Now it's just dead. Well, maybe that guy on that terrace was Pete Hernandez, and he was having a rough day.
Dang! Could be. Those caught violating the rule by lighting up on a terrace could be fined, and businesses that do things to encourage smoking, such as having ashtrays out, could also be fined. Oh, now you get fined if you have an ashtray.
You have a fucking ashtray outside? Yeah, that's a horrible thing to have. What are we doing? You have an ashtray?
We almost find you. I don't know how they talk in Belgium. I don't know the answer. That was perfect.
That was French. That's perfect. Smoking his most dedicated indoor smoking rooms, including cigar lounges, will be outlawed as part of the move. No more smoking inside.
Yeah, that was perfect. In a weird twist of fate, smoking will continue to be allowed in smoking rooms in prison. What? Well, you're already in prison.
What are they going to do to you? So, best we get to jail? Is that what you're saying? Apparently, you want to smoke a nice cigar in Belgium, you got to go to prison.
You got to be in jail. The Belgian government has once again decided to sacrifice the thousands of jobs involved in the specialized cigar sector to favor the political personal crusade of his junior coalition, partnering against cigarettes. If it had to be said again, all available public evidence confirms that cigars are neither consumed by young people nor smoking-initiated products, said Paul Varkas, Director General of the European Cigar Manufacturers Association, which our friend is probably joining now. Maybe we get a double up.
Maybe for like a co-main event, we got Joshua Haberski to fight this guy next year, PCA in Vegas. No, no, we have an international guy now to do the fight. Oh, that's right. We got Ricardo.
Yeah, the kayak guy. He's going to be joining the European Cigar Manufacturers Association. Nice. He should, at least.
Yeah. We got to get him on the show. For another cool $400,000. You know, nothing drives me crazier, though, like as these regulations keep popping up and worse and worse things continue to happen for the cigar industry.
Yes. You can still suck on your fucking battery wherever the hell you want. Your personal appreciate against vaping. I can't stand it.
We were at Universal and, you know, every once in a while you'd catch the dude with his little pink fucking thing and blow it out and no one was going to say anything because it's quick and easy and it's in and out and I'm just like, dude. What was that, fucking cherries? Light up, puff your cigar and put it away. Oh, yeah.
You should have followed the vape guidance and done that all day long. First of all, I've always abided by the rules when we go there. And, like, I remember when I was walking in CityWalk and some lady, when you're allowed to, some lady lost her minus. I go get a security guard.
Security guard goes, gets the security guard, comes back. He's like, yeah, no, they're fine. Like, hmm. Thank you.
I know, but, you know, your BMI is really high, lady. You're probably going to die before me. Oh, but you're fat, he means. Goodbye, fat Karen.
Goodbye, fat Karen. Bye, fat Karen. Insane. One of those lowest points where individuals in prison for committing crimes would have more smoking rights than adults simply wanting to occasionally consume cigars.
Makes sense. The text will now be a discussion in Parliament where we hope to see the cigar community raise its voice to defend the right to smoke cigars in a considerate manner. This is the latest in a series of moves from Van der Broek that could cement Belgium's status as one of the least cigar-friendly countries. Earlier this year, he announced stricter packaging rules for tobacco products.
The problem is, the cigar voice is small. Yeah, I mean, how many cigars does Belgium consume? I have no idea, but it's just in general. Let's call Ricardo Zorro, from now on.
Zorro? He kind of looks like Zorro. Okay, I'll go with that. Well, I'm Zorro.
Like Antonio Bandera Zorro? Yeah. He needs to swing into Belgium. Because his name is Ricardo?
Is this why we're going there? Yes. He needs to swing into Belgium. Ricardo, Zorro, and all the same.
He needs to swing into Belgium. Swing into Belgium, fight this dude with a sword. Olay. Okay.
He draws a cigar instead of a Z, he draws a quick cigar on him. Olé. Now I'm going to have to try. Olé?
Now I'm going to have to try and use some type of AI video of Zorro swooping in. Yes. All right, Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust ships Mi Querida Gorilla Gordo. Gorilla?
Gorilla. But it's spelled wrong. The new addition to Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Mi Querida line is on the way to retailers, but it's not the Vitolo that was originally planned. The Mi Carita Guerrilla Gordo is a 6x60 Gordo with a 109 style cap.
What was that again? It's a point, like a Belicoso, but it's more rounded. Ah, gotcha. Made up of a Connecticut broadleaf wrapper covering a Nicaraguan binder and filler blend.
As with the other size in the Mi Carita line, it's produced at Nicaragua American Noxa. The 109 style cap is a hybrid between the traditional round cap of Robusto or Toro and the pointy cap of a Belicoso. Very good, Michael. There you go.
Which cigar is an MSRP of? Can I wait, these are Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust prices. It's at least $75 a stick, I mean minimum. I'm going 74.
74. 95. And it's packed in boxes of 20. He's practicing for later.
95. Right, it started shipping to retailers September 12th, while Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust plans to add a Gordo Vitolo to the Micarita. It's not new, the initial plan was for an even thicker cigar. Last year, the company discontinued the Micorita Gordo Grande, a 6x52 Toro, 54 Toro, Grande Vitola, that's Saka saying it would be replaced by a thicker 6x64 Vitola.
This is not big enough. I personally was content with either the 60 or 64, but since we already have 7x64, using the 6x60 Vitola introduced more diversity into the portfolio, so I opted for that, said Saka. That's crazy. In his 75-page Facebook posts.
Yes. Well, ask why the ring gauge had changed. The Mikurita brand debuted in 2016 with four different Vitolas, including the Muy Gordo Grande. Muy Gordo.
Muy Gordo. In the nine years since its first release, the line has grown to include more than 10 different sizes and has inspired a number of different blend variants, including the Mikurita Green, the Mikurita Black, the Mikurita Tricky Truck. Coming soon, Mikurita Cameroon. Right.
Do you think that... $84. Alright, so he wanted it to be a 6x64, but boom, the 6x60 pops up. How do you think that happens?
I think somebody fucked up at the factory. You think somebody fucked up? Wait, wait, you drew a 4? That guy, there was that guy before.
There's a guy... Remember, we had that guy at the other factory. He's now transferred to Knoxa. He's like, "Oh, no, no, much better.
It's a 660. He wanted 64. " No, no, it's much better. This is much better.
Tobacco go further, smaller sizes. Yeah, that's very good. It's still big. Still big.
Oh, no, we already did that. No, no, no. Are you sure that's not 64? Let me see it.
Let me see that. Put the little thing. Hey, this is a 60. It's close.
It's close. Hey, wait a second. It's very close. You're fine.
He don't come here that often. Then you won't know. Put your lips around. You'll like it.
So it makes sense to put like a 109 cap on it because if it's a bigger gauge, right? I understand that. Well, not as big, but yes. Yeah, but not as big as we wanted.
Supposed to be a Bellacoso. Yeah, we fucked that up too. It's okay. You just lose.
Yeah, why isn't this a Bellacoso? Oh no, it's 109. 109. It's Mejor.
Mejor. Mejor. Mejor, mejor, mejor. Look, it's much better.
Mejor, mejor, mejor. Look, much better. Oh, I can't wait for my text from Steve. Yo, you didn't see what he said?
You see the post I did the other day with picture to background? " Yeah, let him have his moment. Yeah, go ahead, enjoy that. Now there's three people mad at us.
Yeah, there's definitely more than three. We will find that number, Boots, we'll keep going. Appeals court strikes down Trump's state. Appeals court strikes down Trump's tariffs rates in effect until at least October 14th.
This is an update to a previous story, gentlemen, this is the news. Uh-oh. The justification used by the Trump administration to enact its sweeping tariff scheme has been ruled illegal. However, the tariffs will stay in effect until at least mid-October.
Now, this is the update from September 18th. The Supreme Court scheduled oral arguments for the appeals to be heard on November 5th. S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit Court ruled 7 to 4, With one judge not participating against the administration's use of International Economic Emergency Powers Act, or AIPA, to enact the tariffs on goods from nearly 100 countries.
However, the court will allow tariffs to stay in effect until October 14th, giving the Trump administration time to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court. This is the latest ruling against the White House and the novel approach that it used to enact the tariffs while bypassing Congress on the grounds of national security. The terrorists were announced. So he said he had to do it because of national security?
Yes. I don't know. What is the security problem? It's the deficit, something, something.
The terrorists were announced. The country is taking advantage of us. Whatever you want to say. Whatever you want to say.
Um, temporarily suspended some parts of the terrorists, many of which were reenacted, were reenacted in late July, days after the terrorists went into effect. In fact, five businesses sued the administration arguing it did not have the authority to unilaterally enact the tariffs the case was brought to court international trade specialized court handles trade matters less than two weeks later second lawsuit was filed in court this time by dozen states on May 28th a three-judge panel of the court of international trade granted both sets of plaintiffs request for summary judgment finding the White House lacked the authority to enact these tariffs with Congress which without Congress which has historically been required to enact tariffs however The Trump administration appealed and was granted a stay, allowing the tariffs to remain in effect while it appealed. Today's ruling is the first appeal, but presumably not the last. The appeals court affirmed the previous ruling that found that IEPA does not allow for most of tariffs that Trump administration enacted via executive orders.
Listen, he's gonna win. He's gonna win. They're not lost round two. Yeah, it does now.
Okay. Now it's gonna go. It's going up the ladder, right? Right.
It's going up to the Supreme Court now. Yeah. Okay. And then it eventually gets kicked.
I just don't see him... Well, the Supreme Court is as far as it can go, right? I mean, if they say... " Yeah.
Is that good or bad for our country? I don't know, kind of to be determined. I think that checks and balances are kind of important if we have the Congress and, you know, they should probably work on going through the proper channels, but at the end of the day, it doesn't matter. executive orders shouldn't be as common as they are.
I mean, the last... Right, I mean, you could do, I mean, they just write these all day long. Yeah, the last guy, he wasn't even writing them, they were automated signatures. Oh, right, the automatic pen.
Yeah, and nobody cared about that. I mean, like, it's just, it's all obnoxious. It's all obnoxious. Right, Boots?
Yes. Give me another Boulder joke, come on, something. Boulder joke. But do you think that Trump is confronted with the boulder in the sky at some sort?
No. I mean, he's up there. He is up there. Yeah.
As we've already discussed, there's really no way for the industry to take them back off anyway. I mean, if the tariff goes away, nobody's lowering the prices, so... Right. I mean, at this point, we're sort of stuck with what we've got anyway.
And you're gonna be, you're gonna see things, you're gonna see companies come under fire. Right. Yeah. You did this.
You dirty rat. Right. Especially the ones that said, oh, we had to increase prices because of tariffs, but they increased it by, like, 20-some percent. Yeah.
Was that really a thing? Well, you carry the one, and then, you know, you account for this. Some people were raised by 20 percent? Well, no, there was a couple that did, like, four.
Four percent? No, they did, like, four different price increases. Oh. So, okay.
Every time there was a new one, like, oh, we gotta go back up. Yeah. Oh, back up. Oh, up again.
Well, I mean, I think some... Here comes a boulder. Well, look, man, some of those prices have been justifiable, those price increases. I'm not saying that's not the case.
Right. It's very possible. But if this gets taken away, I mean, yeah, it's going to be really bad. Look, you're screwed either way if you're a brand owner or manufacturer.
Mm-hmm. You know, you either take it on the chin and do your best not to raise prices, or you raise prices and then all of a sudden it looks like you're a bad guy. So, we'll see. All right.
All right, everybody ready? It's time for your favorite game show. I am ready. What's the score?
Okay. You ready, Boots? Yes. Who's going first?
I think Mikey went first last time. Whatever you want to do, buddy. It's your world. I'll go first.
Okay. All right, here's the first cigar. September 21, 2025, Patrick Lagreid. It's a Dominican Republic flavored infused Miami Cigar & Company review of the Outcast Toro.
Outcast? Outkast? The one with the cat, the yellow band with the black cat on it. Oh, okay.
I didn't know it was flavored, but apparently it is. Okay. 56. 56?
Oh, they got a lot of ad space on Half Wheel. Oh, yeah, they do. That's where I've seen it a lot lately. I'm gonna go 90 to start.
Oh, wow. 'Cause they pay money? Yeah, that's how it works. Oh, that's bullshit.
Maybe. You're really going 56? Yeah, sure why not. Oh, okay.
Okay. At this point, it doesn't matter what the number is in the beginning. He can fix it. Good point.
All right. Cigar Reviewed, the Outkast Toro. It's a Dominican Republic cigar factory. Undisclosed.
Oh, Lord. Rapper is Brazil. Binder, Ecuador, Sumatra Seed. Filler, Dominican Republic, and Undisclosed.
It's a five and a half by 54 round. 50. Came out June 2025. And they smoked three cigars for the review.
Boots? 65. 65. I honestly don't think that the review, that the ad space changes how they feel about reviews, honestly, at least when it comes to Half Wheel.
I'm going to go 88, that's my number. First clue, at first glance, the Outkast Toro looks like a pretty standard cigar, it feels a bit shorter than what qualifies as a Toro, So that's noticeable. Beyond that, the wrappers are a consistent dark brown. The wraparound, the second cigar is rather unique as it's largely dry, but I can feel a little remnant of whatever oil it once had.
Come on, he's got to get on the road. Let's go. 76, 76, uh, shorter cigar, a Sumatra binder. I don't know, 87.
Second clue, the Outkast Toro definitely starts with a unique profile, not as sweet as my cold draw might suggest, but a flavor that reminds me of a hearty spread of strawberry jam on a piece of sourdough toast. Strawberry jam. On sourdough. On sourdough.
Pretty specific. Yes, very specific. Hit me. What you got?
Oh, that was it? That was it. Oh, um... He must like strawberry.
81. 81. 81. I'm going to stick 87.
The final third of the OutKast Toro gets drier and loses much of the flavor and vibrance from its first third. It's still hitting my taste buds with a decent pinch of pepper while earthiness forms the base note, yet the supporting note feels fewer and farther between. Boots? So there's no more strawberry.
Strawberry gone. Yeah. I mentioned the strawberry once and then it's gone. That's it.
I'm going to stick 81. 81. 81. I think it sounds like a turd rocket.
I feel like Charlie didn't do this one because he didn't want to hammer it. That's what I gave it to Patrick. 87. It's been a while since I've been as surprised by a cigar as I was with the Outkast Toro.
This is Final Thoughts. It's Final Thoughts. I'd written a good number of the stories about the cigar, and I was pretty sure that I didn't write about having a sweet tip or using pipe tobacco, And certainly not that it had a profile that would lead me to think it was a flavored cigar. To be clear, it is not flavored, but also not a traditional cigar in the strict sense and seems to live on the line between the two.
What the hell? The sweetened cap can't be overlooked and if you take a whiff of the foot of the cigar before you light it, the pipe tobacco will set a distinct tone. First third is the most lively as both of those components are in play and helping drive the experience. The remaining two-thirds are a bit less defined, and I struggle to come up with a specific term to describe with the defining characteristics of the profile.
It doesn't lean in any one particular direction, but instead dabbles in some familiar flavors that do a decent job of stimulating the senses. Combustion issues in two of the cigars didn't help the experience or the score, which is unfortunate because I'm inclined to say the Outcastoro has been a better profile than I was able to get from it. I'm almost always in favor of giving a new cigar a try, and the Outguest Toro is no exception. Just be prepared to get some things you weren't likely expecting.
Damn. 76. Oh, thank you so much. You made my life easy.
I'm going to go, I feel like because it had some combustion issues that hurt it. I'm going to go 85. 81. You win by one point.
Wow. I was on 81, too. Wow. You went 76, so that's five.
Yep. And you went 85. 85, that's four, so you win by a point. Wow.
Snuck that in. And a W. I can't believe this turd rocket fucking still was in the 80s. Well, a low score to them is in the low 70s, so, I mean, it's down there.
You've got to think about a couple things here. For one, if Charlie reviewed that cigar, it's bad. It's a bad, it's a really low number. You know.
In the beginning, this was a flavored cigar, and then it turned into a non-flavored. And when I say it's flavored, I mean it's not flavored. It tastes like strawberry jam, just the one time in the one cigar. Early on, it tasted delicious.
And then the last, then the second and third, third, second, third, and third, third of the cigar, I don't know what it tasted like. So the first third was complete utter bullshit. And it's shorter than actual Toro, and... It's actually not a Toro.
It was supposed to be a 64, but it's a 60. It's a Robusto Gordo. Alright, next cigar from 2015, a Charlie Monado, Davidoff, Dominican Republic, Limited Edition Redux, the Avo 88. Okay, hold on.
So, Monado, Monado, Davidoff, Davidoff, Limited Production, Limited Edition. Okay. An AVO 88. Oh, it's an AVO.
Yes. Got it. It's a redo. It's a redux.
Okay. All right. You want me to go first? Yep.
88. 91. All right. Cigar Review, the AVO Limited Edition 2014-88.
Country of Origin, Dominican Republic. Factory. Okay cigars? Yeah.
Rapper, Dominican Republic. It's where the cigars come out and they're just okay. Just okay. Binder, Dominican Orlo Crilolo, Dominican Republic Filler, Piloto Viso, Piloto Lajero, San Vincent Lajero, and Corojo Orlo Crilolo.
That was amazing. Size, 6x52, it's a Bellicoso, they actually put the point in the whole thing. $16 cigar, it is, oh, number of cigars released, 8,888 boxes of 16. So, 1,400 to 142,208 cigars.
Extremely limited. Extremely limited, right. Number of cigars smoked for this review? We could only get the one.
Just the one? There wasn't enough out there. There wasn't enough out there, we couldn't find anything but the one. I'll go 89.
91. 91? A grumpy 91. All right.
First clue. Upon lighting, I get walnut shells, leather meatiness, and cranberry. I don't believe that I would peg this as a Dominican Puro after the first few puffs. After a few puffs, things get going.
There's a citrus leather, crushed peanuts with meatiness in the back. It reminds me of burnt hot dog skin at the midway point. Oh my god. The nuttiness picks up alongside a salty sunflower seed note.
He's got a micro dose, you know what I mean? Yeah. He's got a micro dose. There's something wrong with it.
There's no way. Hot dog skin? I had hot dogs last night, I couldn't tell you what that tasted like. That's incredible.
All I heard was pegging and hot dog skin, and I was out. I knew he would pick out the pegging. He lost you at pegging. He lost you at pegging.
He's picturing Charlie and pegging. Not smoking this cigar. Apparently it comes with something extra. I'm gonna go 90.
I'm sticking 91. Okay. Alright, second clue. I honestly forgot these cigars were packaged in cellophane, Monticellofane, which fortunately provides a more intense aroma after a year of sitting in a box surrounded by lots of Viajes.
Some of the notes are so personally specific. 92. What does that mean to us? 92.
91. So if you have this, don't put it with the Viajes. By the final third of the Avo 88, the harshness is picked up dramatically enough so that it becomes a prominent flavor. Oh, 89, 91.
This review was only three paragraphs long, it was very hard to specifically pull things out. Final thoughts? Final thoughts. When I first smoked the Avo 88, I loved the balance between the strength, body, and flavor.
It was a full-bodied and stronger take on Avo, but there was one thing that irked me: the harshness. I thought that some time could calm down the harshness, but there was a concern about letting the cigar rest. I think the cigar rests. It could lose some of the strength, and that made the balance so wonderfully.
Both happened for me. I'm not as impressed with the cigar. Then when it was fresh, it still got a great array of flavors, good construction, and an interesting balance. But I'll trade a bit of harshness for a bit of strength.
88. 89. Oh, you went the wrong way, Boots. 87.
and 87 87 i was so close the original review was 89 was it yeah well i was at 88 too well but he said 89 yeah all right listen to the week fred ruey who will be guest hosting next week on episode 407 can't wait for that we love fred ruey we love fred ruey even though he doesn't love us and You'll find out next week why. Oh. Was he the one that complained? No.
Oh. All right, Shop of the Week, Treasure Coast Cigars, where I'll be in about two and a half hours, so we got to go. Bong. All right, guys, thank you very much, we appreciate you listening.
Listen of the Week? Fred Rui. Got it. Sorry.
No wonder he doesn't like it, so you forgot about him already. All right, guys, we got to go, bye. All right, bye. Welcome to the Cigar Hustler Podcast, the show brought to you commercial-free.
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Show Notes
In today’s episode, we’ll start with the tragic news out of Oklahoma involving a fatal tiger attack. From there, we’ll cover an on-set injury that paused Spider-Man filming, break down Week 3 of the NFL season, and wrap up with the latest cigar industry updates.