ACHP 510 They Said It Wasn't Possible
Episode Summary
Episode 510 of A Cigar Hustler's Podcast is recorded entirely on the road, with Mike Palmer, Ben and Greg taping from the car as they drive from Orlando to the 2026 PCA Convention & Trade Show. The setup is chaotic by design — cameras overheat and die one by one, the car's collision alarm keeps going off, and the crew reads listener comments while dodging traffic. Before the news, they plug CH Pod merch at chpod.com and Patreon extras.
The general-news block covers an Ulta Beauty booth that caught fire at 3 a.m. inside the Orange County Convention Center ahead of a beauty show (prompting a comparison to the PCA trade show flood/fire incidents that hit AJ Fernandez and J.C. Newman's tower display), the class action lawsuit against Amazon over first- and second-generation Fire Sticks bricked by discontinued software support, and a California woman who won roughly $300,000 from Carnival Cruise Line after being served 14 shots of tequila in an eight-and-a-half hour span — which spins into a long tangent about cruise culture, drinking, and Disney's adults-only pool.
Cigar news is the meat of the episode. The hosts dig into the League of Fat Bastards fundraising round — a SAFE seeking $1.235 million at a $65 million valuation, with money earmarked for "The League" subscription community, expanding retail doors from 150 to 500 stores, inventory, and staffing, plus an 8.5% intermediary fee to Dealer Maker Securities. They question the brand's claim that 98% of email recipients wanted in, weigh it against Halfwheel's reporting of roughly $216,808 in revenue, a $1.12 million net loss and rising long-term debt, and ask how a company donates 40% of profits to men's mental health charities when it has no profits. They also cover Charles Gibb (ex-WhistlePig, ex-Fever-Tree) being named CEO of Tabacalera USA over Javier Estades, CFO Pablo Cole's departure, and the fallout from sanctions on investor Chen Zhi that forced Tabacalera to shift blend production out of the Tabacalera de Garcia and Flor de Copán factories toward AJ Fernandez, Plasencia and others. Finally, the new limited Emilio Suave Sumatra (Indonesian Sumatra wrapper, Ecuadorian Habano binder, Nicaraguan filler, Robusto 5x50 and Toro 6x50, 250 boxes each) debuting at PCA in New Orleans.
The show closes with the mobile edition of "What's the Score?", guessing Halfwheel's rating for the Undercrown Shady XV — a 5x50 box-pressed Belicoso with Mexican San Andrés wrapper and Connecticut Broadleaf binder from La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate — which scored 81, well under everyone's guesses. Greg wins.
In This Episode
- 01Recording on the Road to PCAThe crew tapes the whole episode driving from Orlando to the 2026 PCA Convention & Trade Show, complete with dying cameras and collision alarms.
- 02Listener CommentsPalmer reads listener comments, including a fan's "masterclass in ADD" review of the previous episode.
- 03Convention Center Booth FireAn Ulta Beauty booth burns at 3 a.m. inside the Orange County Convention Center, sparking talk of past trade show disasters for AJ Fernandez and J.C. Newman.
- 04Amazon Fire Stick Class ActionA lawsuit claims Amazon intentionally bricked first- and second-gen Fire Sticks by ending software support while still marketing instant streaming.
- 05Carnival Cruise Over-Serving VerdictA Miami federal judge awards a passenger about $300,000 after Carnival served her 14 shots of tequila in 8.5 hours.
- 06League of Fat Bastards $65 Million ValuationThe hosts pick apart the brand's SAFE round, its claimed 98% investor interest, real revenue and net loss figures, and its men's mental health donation math.
- 07Charles Gibb Named Tabacalera USA CEOThe former WhistlePig and Fever-Tree executive replaces Javier Estades as another spirits leader crosses into cigars, amid sanctions-driven factory shifts.
- 08Emilio Suave Sumatra AnnouncedA limited 250-box Sumatra-wrapped extension in Robusto and Toro debuting at PCA in New Orleans, distributed by Black Label / Oveja Negra.
- 09What's the Score? — Undercrown Shady XVThe gang guesses the Halfwheel score for Drew Estate's Detroit-area Undercrown Shady XV and all overshoot the 81.
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
- Okay, I think we're ready. - We're recording? - Yes. - Where's the, so all the sound goes to that one?
- Yeah. - All right. Welcome to, which one do I look at? - Welcome to Cigar Hustler Podcast Episode 5.
Mike Palmer: Okay, I think we're ready. Mike Palmer: We're recording? Mike Palmer: Yes. Mike Palmer: Where's the, so all the sound goes to that one?
Mike Palmer: Yeah. Mike Palmer: Alright, welcome to, which one do I look at? Mike Palmer: Welcome to Cigar Hustler Podcast Episode 510. Mike Palmer: I'm Mike Palmer, your host, and on today's show, we are taping an We're driving to the PCA from Orlando, Florida to New York.
It's hard to read and move around the car. You'll be fine. You'll be fine. From Orlando, Florida to New York.
Where did it go? Where are we going? Where are we going? Why is mine flashing?
It's still flashing. We're gonna die. We're probably gonna die. We're gonna die.
I have Greg. Don't talk to me. I'm in the backseat. Step on cabbage.
Oh, yeah. Hi, guys. They've got me sitting in the middle with no I need to wear a seatbelt so that I can be on camera. Safety first.
It's still recording. All right. And as you can see, with all the road trade you'd expect, Mikey, get out of my way, Stevon Kevich. Driving, surprisingly.
You took the first shift. Well, because you're old. It's daytime. And he's a terrible driver.
No, we don't let him drive. Greg does not drive. I should be driving. All right.
No, no, you don't drive. On today's mobile show, we have a fire at the Orlando Convention Center. Fire Stick lawsuit. Carnival has over served a guest and they're gonna pay for it now.
Then in cigars, some fat guys need more money than a portal entry and someone else is releasing a Sumatra cigar. Then we have an on the road, what's the score? But before we get started, how do we get some of that CH Pod swag, Michael, that none of us are wearing in the car? com, check out our, all of our merch and swag.
What? Drive and talk. No, I'm good here. Well, first of all, first of all, you're not driving.
We're all dead. It's hard to drive and talk, you're not driving. Like and subscribe wherever you're viewing or listening to this show. And, um, I got some comments too.
Let me see if I can do that as well. Oh, we're gonna find. All right, hold on, where's, oh, hold on, hold on, take this. Let's, let's not do the comments today because we always, can we shift and show the comments?
Can we shift and show the car hauler going back to us that we're bouncing off? The comments are great. Hold on, wait, wait, wait, I'm not there yet. He's not there yet.
Comments are great. I love the microphone. Welcome to Cigar Hustler Podcast. Hold on, hold on.
Well, you're over there talking. Okay, let's see. Okay, he's looking them up. Okay, hold on.
Give him the mic, you idiot. Don't call me an idiot. At Epicure and Smoke says, I thought Hippo Hunter was the name of Bing Bong's dirty movie website. That's going to be next week.
T Money says, wow, Palmer is way happier when Greg is on the show. That's true. You are. I do.
I like when Greg's on the show. He's better than Phil? You think he's better than Phil? On certain things, yes.
I was thinking. Okay, okay. " That's probably correct. That guy was tired of her SH poop, right?
Yes, we have to keep our monetization in, so no bed words. Ben, even though you just totally destroyed it, you have to look at where you're putting the mic, 'cause you're like... I'm putting the rug, but you're not. Okay, well, don't worry about that.
We'll be fine. Greg, let us know if we're gonna hit anything. Okay. At Ben Roland says, "Oh boy, he's lucky he's not in the bag, especially after going into the house," and that's true, he's referencing the crazy guy, yeah.
Has made national news now. Yeah, that's true. Ooh, CW wrote a lot here, I'm gonna pick one. There was one that I saw yesterday, which I loved.
" You know, because you like to poop, yeah, yeah, yeah, oh, this one, uh, from RK Spieth, long-time listener, first-time commenter here, the episode was a literal masterclass in ADD, only the hustlers could pivot from the miracle of magic paint that never fades straight into the grim reality of the Plasencia price increase without breaking a sweat, it is an art form to treat a linear conversation like a mere suggestion you're actively trying to ignore. There is absolutely no way I could explain to my wife what I just spent the last hour of my life on, 10 out of 10 for the chaos. Thank you, brother. Yeah, we get it.
That is awesome. Absolutely. Thank you very much. Okay.
If you want to hear your comment on the show, just simply comment below and we may read it off. Maybe. Possible. Maybe.
Yes. Okay. All right. So, let's get on with the show.
Did we shut the AC off in order to film this? I did. Oh, good. Did you really?
No, it's running low. It's running low. All right. Very good.
All right. Now the news. Ultra Beauty Show Booth catches on fire ahead of the Orange County Convention Center event. So last night, they're getting ready to have a big beauty convention because Orlando is one of the options for a future PCA event.
Thank you. And somehow, the Ultra Booth caught on fire at three o'clock in the morning. They have not said why yet, but it did burn up the entire Ulta Beauty booth and maybe possibly one on the left and one on the right. We have no idea why it burned down?
They are not. They still have an investigation. Should have paid us more. I mean, at three o'clock in the morning, they had to have left something on, I'm guessing.
Like a curling iron or something? Bright light, curling iron. I don't know what all they offer in the beauty. Do you shop at Ulta?
My wife does. I have been there. I get yelled at for playing with the stuff. What stuff do you play with when you go to Ulta?
Yeah, just about everything. Smell all the perfumes, click the curling irons and things, you know. Yeah. Yeah.
And then my wife yells at me, or the lady tells me to stop touching things. It stops, well, you should probably stop touching things. Greg, what about you? Do you shop at Ulta?
I have no idea where that is. Does your wife shop at Ulta? I don't think that she does. I don't know what's going on here.
I don't know. Is that the alarm? Oh yeah, the car, the car is probably mad that I was veering or something. That's like, well, now the, the, the car.
The car? Or the camera? It was the camera. What camera?
I don't think it's the camera. It sounds like it's a car. The car knows that you're filming a podcast and it's alerting that this is dangerous. The car is concerned.
The car is concerned. This just in, the sprinkler system went off and put the fire out at 3 o'clock in the morning. So, can you imagine going to a convention and setting up a booth and then being ready to go for the next day and then coming in and being set on fire and like it's totally destroyed? You mean like at the PCA a couple of years ago?
Well, that's what I was leaning towards. Like, you know, uh, cause we're actually on our way to a convention, ironically enough here, and can you imagine if something like that happened to us, like if, cause that did happen to AJ Fernandez, right? Correct. Didn't it, uh, get the Watchtower wet or something too?
The? C. Newman. The Newman Tower?
Yeah. I'm not sure, I don't, you know, I can't, I'm not 100% positive on that, but, uh, yeah, I mean, that's gotta suck. You take all that time and that energy and you build something, you set it up, you're ready for sales, And then, it burns down. Right.
I mean, it starts today. Yeah. The show's still going to happen today that says no delays are expected and everything's going to go as scheduled. Except the Alta people won't be there.
What about you, Greg? How would you feel if you built a booth? You built the hour booth and then you go ahead and you build the Roma booth because, you know, Roma wants you to build their booth and you wind up building the booth because there's nobody else left to build the booth. so you build these booths so you build these booths so you build these booths thank you uh that one was close no it wasn't that was that was not close yeah but don't worry it's going to add to the show when the camera falls forward and i do slam on and i'm the one that's forced not to wear a seatbelt right now yeah you're fine i'm looking at i'm looking to double my shares in the In all companies, what's going on there.
Very fast, very fast. So, let's say that that happens, let's say that scenario plays out, right? You build everything, like we're going there today, tomorrow we build everything, and the event starts on Friday, and you go in Friday morning, and your booth burned down. What do you do?
I feel like you still sell, right? You push through, collect the insurance policy, and how's that? You think there's an insurance policy on something like that? I know that they force us to carry insurance with the PCA.
I wonder what the payout is on something like that. Do we just stand next to the pile of rubble? Yeah, I would. Why not?
Just pile of rubble it up and just... You could call it a fire sale. No samples. No samples.
All the samples went up in smoke. They were delicious. They burned up. There were samples, but now there are no longer samples.
Yes. Okay. Okay, well, alright, so, also fire, got it. Next.
Put that, there you go, thank you. Amazon Fire Stick has a class action suit against him. com, Inc. com services.
Because he had a third-party, or a third-generation Fire Stick that no longer updated, and when it no longer updates, it slows down or stops working completely. Okay, so he filed a lawsuit on that? Class action, he's got other people involved. There's probably a lot of people with those fire sticks.
" Got it. The software is supposed to keep updating, but at a point, it can't handle the new software. Yeah, I mean, the technology evolves to a point where... Now what it says are the instructions.
" Yes. Fire stick devices that were unlawfully disabled through software updates. The class action lawsuit was filed in California State Court. Amazon effacing the class action lawsuit alleged it intentionally rendered older Fire Stick devices unusable by discontinuing software support while continuing to market the products as offering instant streaming capabilities.
According to the complaint, Amazon promoted its first and second generation Fire Stick devices as providing instant access to hundreds and thousands of movies and television shows. Okay, so, let me ask you this. Do you think that this is actually a valid case for someone to sue? It sounds like someone just pissed off and thought of an easy way to make some money, maybe.
Yeah? I mean, they're what, 10 bucks now? Yeah, they're pretty cheap. They're pretty cheap.
Go buy a new one. Yeah, I mean, Amazon could just say our bad and send another one. Right. Send them a free one.
Oh, I'm sorry, our mistake. Here's a complimentary unit. Because they're selling for 10 bucks? Well, they cost a dollar?
Probably less than that. Right. I mean, listen, at this point, you can practically return anything on Amazon, you know, within a specific amount of time. Well, but if he has a Gen 1 or Gen 2, I think they're up to Gen 4, I imagine that has expired.
" Right, and he's already bought a new one. He's pissed off if the old ones don't work. So you think that this is just kind of a money grab? He's just determining where...?
I don't know. Maybe he thinks he's trying to prove a point or something because he says instant access. But that's why they have to put "don't drink the shampoo" on a shampoo bottle. Right.
I mean, no one was really harmed in this scenario. Correct. But this guy went ahead and put together this whole lawsuit. Right.
He wasn't able to watch any of his shows. I can feel my deltoid getting a good workout right now. From the flip back and forth? Yeah.
It's important? Yeah. Oh, excellent, just do it the entire time. I will.
What about you, Greg? Amazon Fire Stick? Do you have a Gen 1 Amazon Fire Stick? We come across them all the time.
They're lying around the store, they're at the house, they're all over the place. Yeah. So, yeah, we just don't use them anymore. Okay, so then what do you do with them?
I suppose we should probably throw them away. You don't keep, you keep them, you probably keep them. Well, we just found one at the store, remember? Yeah.
We solved the problem with the TV. And it worked? And it worked. It works fine.
We put it in the bathroom. Mm-hmm. okay so but you think that's probably not a gen one it's got to be old as shit though yeah very dirty very dirty it's very dirty but it went in the bathroom so who cares so it goes it goes in the dirty bathroom so it's not a problem the bathroom's clean but it's dirty so it's not like it's going by any food or any cigars or anything got it okay they're in there to do dirty stuff there people do dirty stuff in the bathroom well it's i don't know are you clean pooper what goes What's on in your bathroom? That's very dirty.
I poop. That's it? Pretty much. Sounds like you were talking about other things, though.
Just because that's what you do doesn't mean everybody else does. Greg, do you do dirty things in the bathroom? Yeah. End of conversation.
Right there. Okay, perfect. All right. Next story.
All right. Oh, you got a microphone. California woman is suing Carnival Cruise Line because they gave her four 13 shots in a 24-hour period. Ooh.
They've already won. The lawsuit's over. She won. She won?
Yes. Serving at least 14 shots of tequila in an eight-and-a-half-hour period and liable for subsequent injuries, she suffered while inebriated. A Miami Federal Court judge ruled in past year's favor April 10th and awarded her... You guys want to guess?
Oh, my God. I saw the number, so I can't guess, and I'm angry. Uh, half a million dollars. $300,000 in damages, according to a court document that entered the doc center, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, that exceeds the $250,000 that she asked for.
She got more than she wanted. Wow. The woman's attorney, Spencer Arnfeld, said in an interview with the Miami Herald, he gave all the information away. Okay, so, how is this not the responsibility of the individual?
Well, you guys have both worked in bars. Don't you get in trouble if you don't cut off a customer? The argument is, as they're consuming alcohol, they're no longer capable of making good decisions, so... Okay, but like, you know, this isn't in one particular bar, she's on a cruise, so was she still sitting at that one bar this entire time and they just kept pelting her for shots and shots and shots?
I don't know how that works with multiple bars on a cruise ship. Is the cruise ship itself considered one giant bar, or does the guy at the, you know, Blue Parrot have to make sure he counts cigars and tells the guy, He counts cigars and tells the guy over the Red Weasel how many drinks you got. Counts the drinks, not cigars, because you said cigars. We were cigar people.
But your point is valid. It's an impossible task. Right. Yeah, I mean, you know, you can't judge a person as soon as they come up.
I mean, you can to some degree. There's probably, you know, like, if the person can't hold themselves up, you obviously know. Yeah, I think he's sitting on the chair. Right, right.
How about just don't be a drunk fuck that hurts yourself? It's a cruise. That's sort of what you do. Yeah, that's the whole point.
Oh, wow. That's the whole point of the cruise ship. I think a lot of people go on cruises to get tanked. Especially with the unlimited alcohol, you feel like it's a mission, like, you know, I pay $25 a day for alcohol, I'm going to go $27.
Right. Right, that makes sense. Got to get my money. Yeah, but I'm a drunk, and that just doesn't sound like a good idea.
It doesn't sound like fun, to be honest. No. You know, it all depends on what you do, because, like, the first, one of the first cruises we went on, we, I mean, we were drunk for three days, but, and then at the end, they have, like, the photo booth where they take the candid photos all through the cruise, and you go up and you can buy your photos. You go up and you can buy your photos, it was like the end of that movie, we're walking through going, "Who are those people we took a picture with?
When were we on an island? " It's the movie The Hangover. Yeah, it's like The Hangover. Wow.
That was a fun cruise. But you never went back and did it again to that level? No, you kind of do it once. I mean, my wife tries, but it's not even fun if you both aren't doing it.
So she gets tanked and you just kind of... Yeah, I was like, you can't pass out on the edge of the pool. They have rules. You'll end up down in sick bay and then they're going to get to the pool.
And then they're going to charge us money. They charge you money when you go to sickbay? Well, that's not included in the cost of the cruise. Sickbay is not included?
No, no, not included. Wow. She got sun poisoning one time, we got a bill. No kidding?
Yeah. I don't remember what it was, it was a huge amount, but it was like an on-call charge type thing. That's insane. Okay, so, Greg, would you ever see yourself, now that you know what a cruise is about, or at least what Palmer thinks a cruise is about, could you see yourself going on a cruise?
Are you going on a cruise? No, but I never thought that I would want to go on a cruise. I can't. It's hard to...
He would go on his boots. No, he has a pair of flip-flops. He has flip-flops. I've seen it.
I do have a pair of flip-flops. Okay. If your wife wanted to go on a cruise, would you go on a cruise? I don't think that she's a cruise person either.
We've discussed it. Most likely, we'll probably try it once just to confirm our perspective that we're not cruise people. Okay. I mean, I would totally go on a cruise.
I don't think I would get... But you're not a drinker, and I wouldn't do it at this point, I'm not a big drinker anymore either. Right, okay. Your wife won't go on a cruise with you, Michael.
Yes, she will. She won't, she's afraid you'll throw her off. I'm not gonna throw her off. But it gets to a point where there's, I mean, what else are you gonna do except...
Except throw your wife off the boat? No, no, have a drink. Oh, I guess. Yeah, like what else do you do on the boat?
Right, after three to five days, you know, like if you're on a week-long cruise, you're kinda out of stuff to do. You eat. You eat. You eat and you drink.
That's really all you do. Sit by the pool, sit by the pool. They've got shows, I heard, that are okay. I like the shows.
Oh, apparently, they're good. All right. Well, it all depends. Like, we did the Jimmy Buffett Cruise.
Not a good show. It was just people singing Jimmy Buffett songs. I don't know. I would turn off my phone.
You have to. There's no signal. Well, because you could buy the Wi-Fi. Very expensive.
And then I would just kind of float for five days. Well, as the boat? Like in the chair? In the pool.
In the pool? the pool. No, there's too many people in the pool. Too many people.
Your ass is to elbows in the pool. In all the pools? All the pools. All the pools.
Are that busy? Yep, and you got kids jumping on you in the pool. So you go to the adult pool, but the kids can't come in. That van is stopping.
Really? The van is stopping. Right. Oh.
All right. The best pool is on the Disney cruise ship. You go to the adults only pool. Yeah.
Yeah, because all those adults want to just be quiet and they just want to sit there in the water. See, there you go. That'd be the one I'd do. You would do the Disney cruise.
Correct. Yeah, Yeah, that's the best kids program too. There you go. You give them your kids when you get on the boat, you could not see them by the end, you know, for three or four.
Oh, it sounds sad. They give you a beeper. They used to be a beeper. I don't know why they give you that.
I don't know if I'd want to do that. You don't have to. I will tell you this, I think that what would happen for me though, is like, I would shut off my electronics for the five day cruise or whatever, and I would come back and it would be something like COVID hit or something. You know, like, you remember Jared Leto?
Yeah. Yes. He did the Hiawaska thing, and then when he came out, the entire world shut down. Oh, that's terrible.
Yeah, that would probably be the same scenario for me. Like, I would shut everything off for Cigar Hustler, Cigar Hustler podcast, Post Anya, all of it. And then I'd come back and something would have burned down. Well, there's still TVs on the ship and, you know, CNN and that type of stuff.
I wouldn't be watching those. Well, they're on everywhere you go. I only get my news from you. I'll call you.
If something bad happens, oh, you can't. I told you my phone's off. I can get ahold of the captain. You can get ahold of the captain?
They would make an announcement over the intercom. Excuse me, everyone. The world has ended. We can't go back.
This is it. Drinks are free. We are the last form of civilization, us and two other cruises that are out currently in the ocean. So we request that you all mate immediately.
Okay. Wow. You gotta make people. That's where your head goes.
You gotta make people. Honey, honey, I got to start banging everybody, I got to go. Well, you're not drinking, what else are you going to do? I'm floating in the pools.
Oh, you don't know what those people are doing, and you're going to start noticing, like, that guy's never got out of the pool, he's been drinking all afternoon. Yeah, yeah. So, then you, you know, then you get out of the pool. He's just peeing there.
He's just peeing in the pool. Okay. All right, next story. Cigar News!
Oh, wait, do you have a video? I definitely don't have a video. Oh my God. All right, fine, we'll move on.
Thank you. Did you see this elaborate setup? I am this elaborate setup. This is not going to work at all.
We're going to have three videos and no audio. Yes, we'll have audio. All right, League of Fat Bastards announces a fundraising round, and they are worth $65 million. League of Fat Bastards, a cigar company focused on raising money for men's mental health.
a lot of money, has opened a fund, opened a fund round that values the company at 65 million dollars. What? Oh yeah. Yeah.
Oh yeah, it's true. Earlier this month, the company teased the fundraising round by sending out an email asking if people were interested. We talked about this email on our Patreon, which went off, what is today, Wednesday? Uh, today's Wednesday, yeah.
It goes up tomorrow. It's already set up. Okay. Okay.
If you're interested in owning a piece of the company, it has now opened, it's safe. Everybody's calling us. I'm keeping this in. All right, safe front runs around, which takes place through April 7th, 2027, so they're going to raise funds for the next year.
235 million at a $65 million valuation. The company says it will spend the money in the following ways. Here's how they're spending the money. Okay.
$400,000 towards funding The League, a newly launched subscription service that includes an online community, events, and personalized growth plans for members. Okay. Like a lot of money. Okay.
$335,000 towards growing its retail network from 150 to 500 stores. They have freestanding stores? No. Cigar Retails.
They're talking about the retailers that carry League of Fat Bastards. $300,000 for inventory, $200,000 for staffing and preparation for a future Series A round. 5% of all money raised. So is that, Greg, explain that.
Yeah, Greg, explain that to us. Dealer Maker Securities LLC, what is it? 5%. I'm going to potentially anger people.
It sounds to me like it's a non-profit that is going to pay fees to another company that is probably owned by the same people. Yeah. I don't even understand what it is that they're doing. Right.
I don't understand how they came up with that evaluation. I don't understand what the words mean that they're going to put the pieces of money towards. Call up for the first one. I want to just, what was the first one?
Uh, first one, first one. $400,000 towards funding the league. Funding the league. A newly launched, let me read it.
A newly launched subscription service that includes an online community, events, and personalized growth plans. So it sounds like that's their, uh, we're helping men with mental problems. What is that? For men's mental health.
Men's mental health. For helping the mental health. They give a portion of their money to men's mental health. Oh!
Yeah. It's worth $65 million. It's a $65 million valuation. Yes, very valuable.
Yeah. Is that American dollars? I mean, he's from Australia. Do we know these people?
Uh, yeah. Yeah, we know them. Would you like to talk to them at the show? I'm sure they'll be at the show.
Uh, they're gonna go to, they're gonna take the bowl like a church to every booth. Uh, yeah, so we gotta, uh... Would you like to put some money in your pot? So, um...
Okay, well, he's not, he's not English. He's not, no. Sorry. He's Australian.
- Very close. - Good day, mate. - Barbee, under Barbee, what is your book? - Bloody.
- The Australian guy? - Yeah, yeah. - Yeah, we met him last year. - Yeah, I met him a few years ago, yeah.
- Did you give him any money? - No. - How much did you give him? 50 bucks?
Hundo? - So he has his own cigar? - Yes. - He has a whole lot.
- Wait a second, you're, okay, so hold on, hold on, hold on. So wait, so you're a retailer, you're in the retail industry. I think that you have a, you run a fairly successful, a moderately successful retail shop. Almost successful, I would call it almost successful.
Borderline successful. Almost successful. 17 years or 18 years in, you know, a few more years you might make it. Have you heard of the League of Fat Bazzards?
No. You haven't. L-O-F-B? But you met him.
Yeah, I apparently met the guy. When you said that he was Ozzy, I remembered him. Did you get an email from him? Am I any chance?
Not that I recall. Okay. How did he not get one? I don't know.
Well, maybe he's not a supporter, because it said, I understand you were all supporters, that's like how the email went, right? Clearly, he's not a supporter. He doesn't know who he is. He doesn't know who he is.
So, okay, so, there was an email that went out and said, hey, we're looking for investors. And we covered a lot of that on the Patreon, so we're not going to reiterate that here. However, an email came out yesterday stating that 98% of the people that the email went to responded with, yes, they want to be an investor. So, how many people do you think got that email?
Oh, I don't know. There's gotta be thousands. Well, wait. If it's from the PCA list, there's 1,255 people in there.
Okay, so there's 1,200 people on there? Yes. Truck. 98% Greg, of 1,255.
That's a lot of bones, man. " Right. Yeah, it's over 1,000 people. Okay, so let me ask you this.
Let me ask you this, Palmer. You're an experienced marketer now for email blasts. Certainly. What's the average open rate for an email that you send out?
68%, I think. That's high. " Yeah, that's high. Okay.
So 68%, over half of the people open the email. Not every time, but yeah, that's probably the highest one we've ever hit, 68%. I got to be honest, I think you're getting that number wrong, but I'm going to go with 68%. I think you are too.
It's the other way around. I think it's like 32% of people open it. It's probably average 32%. He was looking at it as a fraction, is what it is.
He had it reversed. Normally, you get an email blast that says 68% of people have not opened this email. Okay. Okay.
So, this email is stating that there's a 98% success rate as far as investors. That means that everybody opened the email? Do you think that everybody opened the email? No.
No, there's no way. No? Well, did you... I mean, we both did.
You opened it. Did you... Are you investing? No.
I figured out what the 2% that's not. You're part of the 2%? Part of the 2%. Me and three other people.
Well, that makes... I opened the email, too. Yeah. And I don't have any money to invest, so...
Maybe he's not... Do you think Eric got the email? If he's on the PCA list, he is. Bro, I don't know what the email is, bro.
Uh-oh, something's shutting down. You know, cameras, cameras said something and said goodbye. Yours is done. Yep, cooked.
Battery's not dead. It probably got hot. Yeah, most likely hot. Camera's hot.
Oh, yeah. Oh, wow. Yeah. Oh, it's sitting on the...
Take it out of the sun. Take it out of the sun. Okay, so it's safe to say that now we're down to two. This will be a lot easier anyways.
This is the 12. That was the 10. Okay, so it's safe to say that we don't think that the statements have been accurate, That have been disclosed on the LOFB emails? Maybe he's taking a little leeway there with the numbers to make it sound more successful.
Slightly generous? Possibly? Possibly. 98% Greg, what do you think?
98% of people want to invest? Did you get the email? I did not get the email. And like I said, if I did, I don't recall it.
Okay. All right, so... I have debt figures. Oh, tell me, tell me, tell me.
Okay, first, the minimum investment is $500. Okay, that's reasonable. Yeah, yeah, that's not bad. Yeah.
Alright, according to... Do me a favor, take 26 million divided by 500 real quick. 26 million divided by... The company's gonna be evaluated at 26 million.
It's evaluated at 65 million dollars. Oh, I'm sorry, 65 million, excuse me. I can't do those kind of numbers, that's really big numbers. 01 million at the end of 2025.
12 million, up from $824,000 in 2024. Those sounds like they might be real numbers. That does sound legit. I mean, it sounds like it's losing money.
Yeah, they're losing money. Yeah. Okay. 2 million.
And it's grossed in $200,000 a year. Sure. Okay, yeah, that makes sense. They also have their non-alcoholic beer, which has a truck, revenue by 10% this year, and then again by 5%, reaching $300 million by the end of the decade.
$300 million in non-alcoholic beer. You're reading that wrong, just so you know. The revenue by 10 times this year, not 10%. Did I say percent?
Yeah, 10x. Oh, yeah, sorry, I missed the point. Numbers. Right, and then another 5x, reaching $300 million by the end of the decade.
So $300 million in non-alcoholic beers you expect to sell in the next five years. I mean, that's a pretty impressive number. Well, he's worth $85 trillion or whatever it is. He's worth $85 trillion?
Whatever it is, I don't remember what that is. $65 million. Oh. Okay.
This is you just going through... 25 that's Scandinavian... Oh, they're worth more money than Scandinavian tobacco. Which makes sense.
No, that's not what it says. 5, that's getting into tobacco, paid for Alec Bradley. Dude, read your own words. For the love of God, scroll down.
I didn't get that part. Yeah. Well, you said, oh, SDG's worth 75 million. No, SDG's worth far more than 75 million dollars.
They bought Alec Bradley for around that price. Okay, and then, how about you read instead of just scrolling? What the hell are you doing? You get mad when I read.
Yeah, but you're just flipping through it at this point, truck. Just f*** to get this over with. Okay, let's find the next one. You do not need to be wealthy or know the right people.
If you believe in what we are doing, you are in the League of Fat Bastards. It says it donates 40% of the company's profits to charities that focus on men's mental health programs. So, since there were no profits, do they not donate any money? That's a good question.
Yeah, if you lose money, how do you donate any money? Yeah, if you lose money, how do you donate 40% of your loss? Okay, yeah, that's a good point. I don't know.
Maybe Adam can explain it. Tom can explain it. We'll see him, so maybe he can explain it. Would you like to come on the show and explain your...
How do you make money? How do you make money? How does it work? Alright, we're moving on, now we're done.
Well, I have a question. Where did we gather this information from? Half Wheel. So, Half Wheel wrote that?
Half Wheel covered it, yeah. Yeah, Half Wheel covered it. But they're basically just repeating what the guy said? Correct.
Well, all the losses and all that kind of stuff, it was not in the email. They did a little deep dive and found information. Uh huh. Yeah, I mean, Charlie's like an actual media guy.
And he's an actual media guy. You know what I mean? He's a journalist. Yeah.
Yeah. So he found all that because it's a non-profit organization. I'm sure it's easy to find. Sure.
Right, yeah. They have papers they have to file and stuff. And I guess if they're selling all that beer, I mean... Well, they're planning on selling all that beer.
Oh, eventually. Yes. To make that much money. Yes.
He's planning on the beer to be highly successful. I mean, you think beer is easier to sell than cigars? Not non-alcoholic beer. Is that yours?
Yep, yep. Now we lost that one. Now we're down to one camera. Take it down, give it to me, I'm cooling this one with the AC.
We're down to one camera. And we're at 32 minutes? Yep. Alright, Charles Gibb has been named CEO of Tabla Calera USA.
Tabla Calera USA is named Charles Gibb as its new CEO, replacing Javier Estedes-Séez, who has served in the role since 2015. Of note, Estedes started in a very similar role in early 2011. Gibb takes over as the head of one of the largest cigar companies, one that includes Altidus USA, Cassidy, Montecristo, JR Cigars, and Santa Clara, Inc. This morning, the company held a town hall with its employees to announce the change.
Gibb most recently served as the CEO of Whistle Pig, the Vermont-based distillery from June 2025 through February. So, he's a liquor guy. They're bringing in another liquor guy to run a cigar company. We're starting to see a few more of this is becoming common.
This is the trend now. If you used to run a liquor company, you can obviously run the cigar business. I guess the argument is that the correlation... I'm sorry, it's a big nose.
So we're obviously seeing some correlation between liquor and cigars. People believe that if you're part of the liquor industry, then you have the ability to sell cigars? Yes, and you also spent eight years at Fevertree USA, a company that makes club soda, And now they're mixers, so he went from mixers, to liquor, to cigars. Do you think it goes the other way around?
I don't know how, if you know how to run a medium-sized liquor company, you can run one of the largest cigar companies. Well, the thing is that they share the same customers. The problem is, what is it, like 40% of the populace consume alcohol, but 3% consume cigars. " Right.
Where are all the people? Right. That's kind of like what the FDA did. " There's no money.
Where's the money? There's no money. Alright, Pablo Cole, who has served as CFO since August 2015, decided that he did not like this, he left the company. He left?
Disgruntled? Well... Possibly. Allegedly.
Possibly, more than likely, sort of, maybe? He wanted the job. Well, yeah, he was doing the job, and now this guy came in. Or maybe he thought he was getting the job.
They bring this guy in from Whistle Pig and I'm out. He took his ball and went home? Right. He left.
He's been there since 2005. He thought he had it. 20 years of dedication. 21 years.
21 years. 21 years. They're gonna make me the boss. Here we go.
Introducing the new boss! Not you! I'm out! I'm leaving!
That's kind of rough. Okay. Last year, Tumor Capital Middle Eastern private equity firm acquired a controlling interest in Tabakalari USA from a group of East Asian investors. Simultaneously, Chen Xi, the lead investor of the group, was placed under sanctions.
No way. Yes. Placed under sanctions by the American government over an accusation that he was running a large-scale criminal enterprise out of Cambodia. It's where you run all large-scale criminal enterprises.
While Tabacalera USA is not a target of the investigation, Chenzi's various companies have been placed under sanctions, including the company that owns the Tabacalera, De Garcia, and Flora de Copan factories. Tabacalera USA was the largest client for both factories, but is enabled to purchase cigars from either. J. Fernandez, Placencia, and others.
J. and Placencia? It's only aging. More aging than Plasencia.
Only aging. Well, Plasencia has changed the logo. They can't find the factory. I don't know where it is.
That's not the sign. Keep going. That's not the sign. That's the wrong leaf up there on that sign.
It's a totally different leaf. Totally different leaf. I got one of these working. I just don't know how to start recording.
That's all right at this point. It's okay. Yeah, it's okay. All right.
Emilio Suave is getting a limited edition Sumatra cigar. He's coming after us. Emilio Suave's brand will be getting a new wrapper option though the release will be quite limited. Very small.
Only a little bit? Just a little bit. The Emilio Suave Sumatra. Oh I thought he laid down.
The Emilio Suave Sumatra uses a wrapper from Indonesia and Ecuadorian Hapano binder and fillers from Nicaragua. On debut will be offered in two vitals. The Emilio Suave Sumatra Robusto a 5x50 and Emilio Suave Sumatra Toro a 6x50. Again.
People are just calling them names and doing whatever sizes they want. Which is what we want to do with the cigar industry. That's right. Both Vitolas are limited to 250 boxes.
Emilio's brand is owned by LJ Zucca, but James and Angela Brown, a black label Oveja Negra handle. Oveja Negra. Oveja Negra, is what he said. That is not what you said.
It's close enough. Not even remotely close. Branding and distribution of the brand. The new Suave Sumatra will be shown off the retailers this week at the 2026 PCA convention and trade show in New Orleans.
A press release says that they will ship later this year. Wow, that's where we're going! We're gonna be there. We're gonna be there.
We're not near them this year, I don't think. Greg, are you excited about the Emilio Suave Sumatra? You think it's gonna be better than the Sumatra, you mean? 250 boxes of each Vitola?
Yeah. Super small. Yeah, it's a small run? Yeah.
Are you gonna smoke it? No. No? You don't really smoke cigars.
He's very particular. He smokes the same cigars every day at times. It's pretty accurate. 11 o'clock, time for this one.
Yeah, that's pretty accurate. 10:00 AM, time for this one. Right. " There used to be a time where I like to try different cigars, but that doesn't happen so often now.
That part of his life is over. Why do you think that is? He's very outdoorsy. You just keep the microphone to yourself, that'd be fine.
And we're gonna die, here it is! Oh, God! We're fine. Ooh.
Ooh, that was close. That was a close one. He got so scared he moved out in front of us. We're fine.
What are they doing? An iPod or whatever? An iPod? What are they doing?
An iPod? They're doing a podcast over there? Alvajah factory? Shut up.
I have to pee. Yeah, no kidding. It's been three hours. That's a long time!
That's what I'm saying. Alright, now it's time for the industry's favorite mobile game: What's the score? You can't look at it, Greg. No cheating.
You know I would, too. Yeah. All right. You got to face the other way.
Shit. Go ahead. I got you. I got you.
February 10th, 2015. Patrick Legreed Cigars at Drew Estate. Keep it that way. I am.
I'm not looking. I'm not looking. Let's look at the roof of your mirror now. I'm not looking.
Limited edition, Nicaragua reviews, Undercrown Shady 15, Shady 15, Okay, Undercrown Shady 15, Patrick Le Greed, 85, G-G-G, 86, Alright, it's the Undercrown Shady 15, Country of Origins, Nicaragua, Factory, La Gran Fabrica, Drew Estate, is now called Sans Estate? No, it's a utility operation. Yeah, it's a different company. I thought maybe the name wasn't really Drew of the factory too, maybe.
No, you're saying that they upgraded it? Like, hey, by the way? Hey, by the way, Sans Factory, Rappers, Mexican San Andreas, Negro, Binder, Connecticut, River Valley, Stock, Cut & Cured, Sun Grown. Ooh, Habano, oh, nice.
99, and they smoke three. 85. Sticking with 86. Oh, is he in handcuffs?
I don't know, he might have been in handcuffs. I think he was in handcuffs. Alright, uh, clue number one, the Undercrown Shady 15. Sounds like it really delivers on the flavor early, especially with that rich mix of earth, pepper, barnyard, and smokehouse-style notes.
Comes across as a bold, layered cigar with a lot of character, and the aroma profile sounds especially impressive. - 88. - Mmmmm. - 86.
- One of the standout strengths seems to be how visually unique and memorable this cigar is. Between the dark wrapper's sharp color scheme and that notably flat pressed shape, it sounds like a cigar that immediately grabs attention and offers a different experience from the start. - 89. - Sticking with 86.
The biggest downside appears to be the consistency in performance and progression, while the first third sounds strong, the cigar seems to lose some of its complexity later on, and the multiple relights plus waviness in the burn take away from what otherwise sounds like a very flavorful smoke. Mmm. 88. Sticking with 86.
Final thought. Lower Lake City. As soon as I lit up the Undercrown Shady 15, I had really high... No cheating.
I had really high hopes for it. I'm outloging. I knew I liked the blend from previous experiences with the regular Undercrown line as well as the Corona Viva. And while the first third was an incredible tour of what the cigar had to offer, it feels like it put its best offerings too early.
The second and final thirds were very enjoyable but didn't offer nearly the complexity or change that I found in the first third, leaving it to be one of those cigars that would enjoy but not necessarily savor or crave. It's a hard for me to say these are particularly better than the other Vitolas in the underground line and as such seem regulated to being a treat for those in the Detroit area or who want to put in the effort to get some for themselves. Okay, Steve Galassi. Eighty-eight.
Eighty-seven. Eighty-one! Greg wins! Aw, that's bullshit.
Sparklers, sparklers, sparklers, sparklers, sparklers. Okay, you have anything else to add? Nope. Okay.
We didn't die. Okay, we didn't die. Two cameras did, but like and subscribe if you're listening, and thanks so much for your support. I hope we gave you some edutainment today.
It was fun for everybody. We'll see you at the PCA. See you at PCA. Bye.
Show Notes
Only We Have Done This Now!!
Completely Different Kind Of Show Sho in a Mobile Studio Going down i75 in AN SUV
On today’s mobile show…. We have a fire at the Orlando convention center, fire stick lawsuit , carnival over served a guest and now they have to pay…..then in cigars some Fat Guys Need More Money then a portal entry and someone else is releasing a Sumatra cigars then a on the road what’s the score
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