ACHP 552 Rock's Balls
Episode Summary
Episode 552 of A Cigar Hustler's Podcast has Mike Palmer joined by Triple G and Phil McGuffey for a wide-ranging round of news before diving into the cigar segments. The non-cigar half opens with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's health scare — a lump found in the shower that turned out to be epididymitis rather than testicular cancer — and the crew's takeaway that men should actually pay attention to warning signs and get checked early. From there they debate mandatory cruise-ship gratuities after Holland America moved to daily "crew appreciation" charges of $18–$20 per person, swap stories about where you can and can't smoke a cigar on a cruise ship, look at the newly launched war.gov site and the latest U.S.–Iran ceasefire terms, and react to McDonald's bringing back the fried apple pie (and the McRib) for America's 250th. A grim vacation story about a Brazilian rope-jump death rounds out the news block with a serious point about safety checks on adventure tourism.
The cigar news starts with East Hampton, Massachusetts passing a generational tobacco ban that prohibits anyone born after 2005 from buying tobacco or nicotine products beginning January 1, 2027 — joining Amherst, Brookline, Hopkinton, Newton, Northampton and Belchertown, with statewide bills also moving through the legislature. Next up is Holt's Cigar Company opening a new 11,000-square-foot store, bar and lounge in Northeast Philadelphia with a 2,000-square-foot humidor, 1,000+ unique selections and over 100,000 cigars in inventory, which prompts a useful retail-side conversation about how "unique cigars" versus individual SKUs are actually counted at a brick-and-mortar shop.
The release news is the return of the CAO Amazon Basin Daggers — a 4 3/8 short vitola using the rare Braganca tobacco, with an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and Brazilian, Colombian and Dominican filler, made at STG Estelí and priced at $24.99 for a five-pack. The guys recap the Amazon Basin line's history since 2014 (including the Extra Añejo and the European-market Rothschild) and have some fun estimating how many canoe trips that much tobacco would take.
The show closes with two rounds of "What's the Score," guessing halfwheel review ratings: Charlie Minato's review of the $5 mixed-filler McAuliffe Color Blend Bundle No. 2 (dry earth, spearmint, pistachio cream — but old-carpet metallic notes late) which landed at 86, and Patrick Lagreid's review of Overtime by Karen Berger, a 6x60 Ecuadorian Maduro Gordo from Estelí Cigars S.A. that scored 88.
In This Episode
- 01The Rock's Health ScareDwayne Johnson's lump turned out to be epididymitis, not testicular cancer, and the crew uses it to push early self-checks and evaluation.
- 02Mandatory Cruise TippingHolland America's new $18–$20 daily crew appreciation charge sparks a debate on automatic gratuities, plus where you can actually smoke a cigar onboard.
- 03War.gov and the U.S.–Iran DealA look at the new war.gov site and the announced ceasefire terms, including the Strait of Hormuz, a 60-day negotiation window and roughly $25 billion in frozen Iranian assets.
- 04McDonald's Brings Back the Fried Apple PieThe McRib and the long-gone fried apple pie return June 22 for America's 250th anniversary.
- 05Brazilian Rope-Jump TragedyA 21-year-old was thrown from a disused bridge without her rope attached, prompting a discussion of safety checks and redundant carabiners on adventure attractions.
- 06East Hampton, MA Generational Tobacco BanThe Board of Health approved a ban on tobacco and nicotine sales to anyone born after 2005, effective January 1, 2027, joining several other Massachusetts towns.
- 07Holt's Opens a New Northeast Philadelphia StoreAn 11,000-square-foot retail, bar and lounge space with a 2,000-square-foot humidor and over 100,000 cigars in inventory.
- 08CAO Amazon Basin Daggers ReturnThe short 4 3/8 vitola using rare Braganca tobacco returns at $24.99 for a five-pack, with a recap of the Amazon Basin line's releases since 2014.
- 09What's the ScoreGuessing halfwheel scores for the $5 McAuliffe Color Blend Bundle No. 2 (86) and Overtime by Karen Berger (88).
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
And three, two, one, action! Welcome to it, that is just so ridiculous. Welcome to a Cigar Hustler Podcast where cigars are just the starting point. Join me, Mike Palmer, with today Triple G and Phil McGuffey as we drive into the latest cigar industry news, sports, current events, business, and whatever crazy stories are making headlines.
Whether you're a seasoned cigar smoker or just looking for entertaining conversation, expect honest opinions, plenty of laughs, and a few unexpected detours along the way. " What? Exactly. Mandatory tipping, yay or nay.
" McDonald's brings it back. It's a vacation activity you don't want to do. This is for you, primarily. I've had a couple of those.
Yes. And then in cigars, "Generational Tobacco Ban," a new Holtz. It's super rare tobacco, and we're gonna double up on what's the score, but first, Phil, how do we get some of that CH pod swag? Oh, God.
So this is what you gotta do. Great, I have it here for you, but since you walked in right at the last minute. You never sent it to me. Well, you walked in right at the last minute, and no, I don't have it again.
You should say it, and he should mouth the words like you're speaking for him. - Oh, perfect. - Oh, perfect. - Oh, okay, let's do that.
- Yes, here we go. - That's what we should totally do. - And, before we get started, make sure you like and subscribe to the show so you'd never miss an episode. com, where right now you can take advantage of our buy one, get one 40% off promotion, plus enjoy free shipping and all orders over $100.
We've got some exciting things into work, so stay tuned because the next item is dropping soon. Palmer, let's hear those comments. I couldn't look at you 'cause I was looking at the thing, but apparently that was excellent. You know what?
That was awesome. There is no other show like us. That was amazing. All right.
Oh my God. Comments, comments. Who's got the comments? I'm sure T-Money, Ruckus, Hasselhoff.
Hey, now I can't find them. Where the hell are they? Where do you find the comments? Here.
Alright, let's see, let's go back, just the show that came out today, we've got from CW6383, a Kearney Disruptor, and that thumbnail for the show, freaking hilarious. David Hoffman4727, you called the dog Latte and thought I was going to be a hunting dog? Kearney's got rat problems, and he has a small chihuahua, a 30-pound chihuahua named Latte that won't hunt the rats. 30-pound chihuahua, not a small chihuahua.
Yeah, that seems like a fat chihuahua. Matter of fact, I would probably try to look into see what dog that really is, because it's not a chihuahua. He mentioned 17 different kinds, so I don't know why he went with chihuahua. And he bought the dog to kill the rats?
No, no, he happened to have it, and then apparently there was a rat problem in Winter Park. Ah. Were you aware of the rat problem? I was unaware of the rat problem.
You would think they would take care of that. It's not hard. You just set the traps. Yes, he puts out, I think he said six traps a week.
Wow. Puts poison out and then he has to restock them. A week? Yeah.
Wait, wait, is there rats in them or are they taking them? No, it's got poison in them and then they come and eat the poison and then run off and probably die in his walls. Oh yeah, the baited traps work differently than the snap traps. They eat the food and then they go off and they don't feel good and they separate themselves from the rest of the rats and then they die.
And then they die. Oh, they leave the other round? It's very sad. Oh.
Yeah. Hmm. All right. Another one from CW6383.
The cigar that Karne is referencing is the Battle Born, I believe. I'm not sure what that's about. Well, a lot from CW6383. Karne might take over Palmer's thirst trap moniker.
I'm not sure what that- When you rub your neck? No, no. I know what mine is. I just don't know what his is.
Oh, he posts a lot of things on Facebook. Ah, all right, and Data Catch 2004, I like when Carney's on the show, dumpster fire or not. All right, if you want to hear your comment read on the show, comment, we will try to get to it, if not, we're very sorry. But we read everything that Mikey finds humorous, and that it's not bad about him.
Yeah, it's usually about me and Palmer. Right, he only reads stuff bad about us. People say bad things? Or bad things about you, he likes to read those too.
Like what? What has been said that has been bad about me? You have a small wiener. There's like this pinky toe weird thing going on.
A real man wouldn't let his wife take his food. Yeah. All true things. Or not true things.
You only wear black shirts because your brother wears black shirts. Yeah, that was one. That's not true either. I'm trying to get him to change color to see if you do too.
It won't happen. Well, not now that I tipped you off. Yeah, you told him, yeah. I tipped you off now, but we wait a couple of days, you'll forget.
It was the one day that I did it, just the one. Oh. Oh. Hey, Phil, did you go to Greg's house this weekend for his party?
Uh, yeah. Yeah, I didn't get invited. Oh, wow. He said we're no longer friends.
It's employer-employee type relationship now. One hundred percent. There needs to be a separation. Wow.
Hurtful. But I love you. As an employee. I thought about inviting you.
Like you love Keanu. Because my wife's gone also. Oh, was she? Yeah, well, she is.
She doesn't come back until next weekend. Was she gone on Saturday, though? She left Friday. You know, had I had known that, I probably would have invited you.
I think I told you Friday. I don't think you did. Yeah, because I thought it might have been a little late, but it didn't matter because Steve was now running the shop on Friday. Steve was what?
Steve runs the shop now on Friday. Yes. Yeah. Is this because your wife's not home, Greg?
Yeah, so... Oh, you said dudes over, rubbing oil on each other and stuff? No oil. No oil.
That's what Charles told me. The group of wives basically went on a trip for one of the girls' birthdays. So all the remaining guys, I was like, well, we'll come over to the house and we'll eat really well and smoke cigars and play poker. Oh, you fed them too.
Look at that. I had a hot dog. Oh, and poker? Oh, then I don't want to tell you.
And poker? So we had Wagyu tartare covered in caviar. We had steak. We had oysters.
It was a hell of a fucking meal. Nice. You should have came actually. It was delicious.
You should have came. Very aphrodisiac menu there. Yeah, I'm still full. I don't know where to go with that joke.
After I mentioned aphrodisiacs, he stresses he's full. No, from going to the party. Well, yeah, it happened at the party, right? Yeah.
Did you shoot one of your new movies while you were there? No. You got a good title? You got one?
I will. You got one in the chamber? I will. I like that Greg actually listens to the show now.
Getting Stuffed at Greg's house. Getting Stuffed at Greg's house. Starring Phil McGuffey as the Stuffed. Wow.
It's just everybody eating, watching him getting stuffed. That explains the fancy food. Oh my gosh. All right, on with the news.
Unbelievable. All right, one of the toughest guys on the planet recently faced something that would shake just about any man. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson revealed that while showering, he discovered a painful lump on his left testicle. Oh, testicular cancer?
Let's read on. Please. After seeing a doctor, he was told it was most likely epididymis, an inflammation of the tube behind the testicle that stores and carries sperm, but doctors couldn't rule out something much more serious, testicular cancer. How does this make news?
Well, because "The Rock" is now not only the most muscular man in the world, But now, he has the biggest tube in his ball sack. What? I guess he's working out his ball sack, too. Right, it's going to have a dope movie with Phil McGuffey.
Phil McGuffey cleaning the tube. There. Rocks balls. Rocks balls.
Wow. The time he couldn't have been worse, Johnson had a full day of promotional appearance for the upcoming Jumanji movie. I just watched the second one, I guess, last night. It was terrible.
You didn't like it? No. Didn't like it at all. Turned it off.
I think I'm just going to stop watching movies. Everything I've seen as of late is not good. No, In the Grey was good. Who?
In the Grey. What's it about? The guys that wear gray suits? Ah.
No, it's about these two contractors and this lady, she's like a lawyer to get money back for insurance companies from big drug lords and stuff. The way he says it, I don't want to watch it. Right. I saw a different trailer where somebody got kidnapped and the two guys had to save her.
That's the lawyer. Oh. Yeah. All right, anyway, the upcoming Jumanji movie had to spend the next 24 hours waiting for an ultrasound.
How does The Rock wait 24 hours for an ultrasound? Yeah, I'm saying he travels with his own gym. He waits for nothing. He doesn't have an ultrasound machine.
He doesn't have, just go get the machine, bring it to the house. Right, just go get it. It's in the third drawer in the bathroom. Well, he's not used to not being perfect.
So more reason for he would have his own ultrasound machine. Yeah, but I mean, he's just not prepared. He's always been perfect. Oh, so you're saying he doesn't have one because he thinks he's perfect.
Yeah, so he'll probably have one now. Yeah, but still, he's got to wait 24 hours to find one? Yeah, it doesn't make sense. Like, if I'm The Rock, I walk in the ER, and I'm like, "Hey, I'm The Rock.
" I don't walk in the ER. Somebody makes a phone call. Right. Yeah, yeah.
One of those concier doctors. Right. Hey, The Rock's got a swollen ball, I'll be right there. Right.
I can't wait to see this. I can't wait to see this until TMZ. All while smiling for cameras and making speeches, The Rock admitted he didn't even tell his wife because he didn't want to worry her until he knew what he was dealing with. I don't know, this whole story just sounds...
" Right. Well, it's about The Rock. Yeah, all right, so maybe not. Alright, so maybe not.
Yeah, he wouldn't sit next door on The Rock. Yeah, well, or he wouldn't want to do it at all, he's just trying to rush it through. Thankfully, the ultrasound confirmed it was epididymis and not cancer. Hmm.
The biggest takeaway from this story is one that men often ignore: pay attention to your balls. I mean, so I don't, yeah, no, I pay attention to my balls. Phil, do you pay attention to your balls? Every day.
Would you like to check them right now on camera? Mmm, nope. Nope. Oh, good.
We probably have to pay for that. It's probably an appearance fee. You have to check a couple boxes, I'm sure. It's medical.
It's a medical procedure. We're providing a service. Oh, I wonder if I got checked for talking about this. Probably.
Probably not. We're not checking it. Early evaluation can make all the difference. As The Rock put it, he's fine now, but for those 24 hours of uncertainty, the People's Champion was reminded that no one is invincible.
Now he owns an ultrasound machine. Yeah, now he's got two. They make a handheld, I've seen it on TV. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Greg could probably make one. I probably could. Can't be that hard. Alright, come back in 15 minutes, we're gonna check.
2x4s. 2x4s. Uh, ba-dum-bum. Um, next story, tipping point, cruise lines are hiking automatic gratuity.
Greg, you're a big tipper. I am a big tipper. You're, you're a very generous tipper. I am a very generous tipper, I am.
Alright, passengers say out of control fees are adding pressure to already expensive vacation. Holland American Line in the latest cruise line to change its gratuity structure. You in your travel, you have not been on a cruise. No, no, probably won't either.
Why won't you? We're not cruise people. Me either, Greg. Me either.
Why aren't you cruise people? We like to kind of do our own thing and have a lot of freedom and you're just tied to the boat for the majority of it until you go to port. You go to a different port every day. Yeah, but then you're paying a lot of freedom for the boat.
They're paying a lot of money for excursions because it's a tourist trap. Well, but you could go out on your own. You don't have to pay for the excursions. Yeah, I don't think that we're cruise people.
Hmm. Anyway, they do a mandatory tip every day. Yep. It's included in the price of the cruise.
Yep. On top of the cost. Well, it's all figured in. I mean, when they say $147 a day, whatever, that's including the tip.
Okay, but they're basing the tip off of a percentage basis. No, it's a flat fee. It's a flat fee. It's a flat fee.
And it's like mine, when I went, it was like $67 a day. Per head. 67? No, not per head.
It was just a flat fee. Per room. Yeah. Yeah.
And they don't tell you this. So then you're still tipping everybody. Yeah, so you're tipping on top. Well, they tell you.
I've always known. Oh, I didn't know. But they don't discourage you to tip additionally. Well, I'm pretty confident that the employees aren't receiving that full $65 either.
I don't know. 65? What cruise line were you on? Uh, MSE.
So, as of June 1st, Holland-American ships will pay daily crew appreciation charges, not a tip, of $18 per day for non-suites staterooms, cabins, and $20 a day for suites. So, on this cruise, it's significantly less. Not only that, it's just them subsidizing their cost basis of employees. That's all it is.
Right, and you still gotta throw money to get better service. Always. You know, you always tip that bartender as soon as you get there big and then you get better service. Same with your room guy.
Yeah, then $67. $67? Yeah. A day.
A day. What kind of suite did you have there, Phil McGuffey? I just had a regular balcony, a balcony, I guess. Were you able to smoke on your balcony?
No, you're not allowed to. No, but I really wanted to. There's cameras everywhere. Yeah.
So what happens if you do smoke on the balcony? They charge you a cleaning fee for your room. 50. Okay, I got it.
So it's not against the rules. The rules, it's just it's a fine which means legal for a dollar amount correct well I'm sure next morning somebody knocks on your door sir you are not allowed to smoke on the pad I bet I am you just charge me 500 I'm gonna do it again tonight that's another 500 there's spoken places on the boat yeah yeah yeah yeah very few have smoking lounges but there's always a place you can smoke on the boat like outdoors yeah like the whole almost the whole left side of the boat but there's always a place you can smoke on the boat on the boat like outdoors yeah like the whole almost the whole left side of the boat. Yeah, it varies. I was on one where it was back on the fantail next to the bar.
The whole left side. That's interesting. Yeah, there was like a little portion where there was like a kid's jacuzzi, which didn't make any sense because it was like in the middle that you couldn't smoke. But then after, then you could still, you could keep smoking all the way until the front of the boat, then the front you couldn't smoke.
You could smoke in the front because normally it's in the back because that way the smoke doesn't blow across the people's. Yeah. Hmm. Yeah, this back had like an infinity pool going off of a back.
Oh. Hmm. "Crew appreciation is a meaningful way to guests to recognize the exceptional service and hard work our crew provide every day," a Holland American spokesman said. So, what do you think about mandatory tipping, Greg?
Yeah, I don't believe in mandatory tipping. I mean, you would tip more than that anyway. Yeah, as a matter of fact, we went out to dinner a week ago, and because there was two, four, six, eight, no, because there were 10 of us, they just put the line item, gratuity, 18%. That was foolish.
They left money on the table, because I paid. Oh, didn't get invited to that either, Phil. Nope. 10 people.
What 10 people do you know, Greg? It's friends of his wife. Oh. He's just cut half of his friends off.
Oh, yeah, I see what's going on now. Greg is having to trade friends. Right, yeah, he's outdoorsy and has new friends now. Yeah, he's part of the book club now.
The book club? Do you guys sit around and talk about books? No. Wine tasting parties?
No. No, I don't think Alex, she drinks bourbon. Or scotch. She does drink whiskey, yes.
Okay, whiskey tasting. Plenty of it. There was a lot of whiskey at the dinner on Saturday. No, just like a tasting, where you bring in a special bottle or somebody brings a bottle?
Everybody just sort of shows up at the bottle, and you just drink the whiskey. Like when I took you to China as my friend. Ah, yes. Okay, just curious.
All right, the war is over again. Again. Wait till Friday, wait till Friday. gov.
Have you guys seen this? gov? Yeah, have you guys seen this? No, wait, what is it?
It's a website that Trump created. So, I saw it last night when they were doing the UFC fight at the White House. They advertised it. It's just information on the war?
All the wars? Are there like more than one way involved in? Ways to promote the war? We're warring over here, we're warring over there.
You know what's funny is I actually didn't check the website. I saw it. I was like... Greg's going to do it right now.
Right now. He's going to buy all his friends a shirt. I won't give him my size because it doesn't matter. gov so like a list and like a oh yeah is there like a ticker that goes across like we're at war with this guy we have just killed 17 more of his people so basically it the highlights are what's going on in the world of military naval research medal of honor monday for army private joe oh that's gondra um Nothing about the actual war, though.
Nothing that I see. I gotcha. Yeah. Just social media type information.
Yeah. Oh, nice. But there is a spotlight on the Warrior Games. What is that?
Yeah, the annual military adaptive sports competition that celebrates the Valor. It looks like a bunch of dudes playing basketball or dodgeball. I don't know. It could be either one of the two.
Yeah, no. They're sitting down. I think they're playing... Oh, Duck, Duck, Goose?
I think they're playing knee dodgeball. Ow. Maybe they're handicapped, Greg. Yeah.
Well, maybe. Maybe it's a veteran thing. Are they all in chairs, Greg, with wheels? I don't have my glasses on, so they very well could be in wheelchairs.
Those may not even be people. They're dogs. Look at their dogs. All right.
S. and Iran, again, with President Donald Trump saying, "Iran will abandon its pursuit of nuclear weapons, Good-bye. So here are the things that they agreed to: a permanent ceasefire, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a 60-day negotiation period. So in 60 days, this could all be permanent ceasefire.
As soon as they agreed to it, somebody launched a minimum. Right? Right, yeah. Open the strait.
Still locked down. Israel launched the missile right after that. Right afterwards. Push the button.
Push the button. Supposedly Trump called and went, "What the fuck are you guys doing? I just signed this. " Nuclear program restrictions, potential sanctions relief, a release of frozen Iranian assets.
Anybody know how much money we have frozen of theirs? I don't know why they had it in US banks, but apparently they did. It's gotta be billions. S.
officials have not publicly confirmed that amount. Could be that much, we don't know. Maybe you only get back five. Maybe you only get back five.
Sorry, there's a fee. That's gotta be only, yeah, they have to have more money than that, but maybe only here. Yeah, why would they put their money in an American bank? Maybe they got a better rate on it.
I mean, it makes no sense. You know, we might go to war with this country. Put the money in that bank. They got a good deal.
We get free checking. We get free checking. No overdraft fee. No overdraft fee.
On $25 billion! Yeah. Regional de-escalation efforts. However, there are still disagreements over issues involving groups as Hezbollah.
Mmm. They're the religious branch, right? Like, the really extreme... The terrorists.
Yeah. Yeah, they're not gonna greet anything. Well, they want the government to stop supporting them, is what it is. Yeah.
What are you going to do with the $25 billion we're going to give them back? Oh, they're only getting back five. Here's five. Here's five.
Go figure it out. Yeah. Yeah. There is a retainer.
Retainer. Retainer. All right. What is not clear yet is whether Iran must give up all enriched uranium, whether Iran must end support for regional proxy groups, the exact scope of sanctioned release, the verification and enforcement of mechanisms for nuclear restrictions.
So you can't build bombs, but here's all your uranium back. Hmm. That makes no sense either. But don't build a bomb.
But don't build a bomb. Ba-da-ba-da-ba-da-ba-da. So really, nothing's changed? Nothing's changed.
And wait till Friday. Well, you have 60 days. Within the 60 days, there'll be, you know, war, no war, war, no war. Yeah, back in September, we'll be talking about this again.
They decided we had 30 billion, we disagreed, so we're back to war. Greg, you have a brother, so this is kind of like when you used to sit in the backseat with your brother, Right? And then your dad was up front, your mom was up front in the car driving, and you guys did something bad or whatever, and your mom and dad turned around and said, "Hey, you guys don't hit each other. " And as soon as they turned around, like, you smacked your brother.
Yeah. This is Iran. This is us with Iran. I was wondering where he was going with this.
Yeah, I wasn't sure either. Yeah. I thought you just want to talk about your parents. No.
We talk enough about Greg's mom on the show. Well, Father's day is coming up. Maybe you want to talk about his dad. No, I never bring up his father.
Yeah, I know. So is mine. How about you, Phil? No comment.
Anyway, you and your brother are Iran and America. Yeah, I guess so. Dad, he's not touching me. Stop touching me.
No touching. Stay on your side. This line right here. This is my side.
He's poked me. I'm not touching you. I'm not touching you. I'm not touching you.
He touched me. Yeah, because what happened after he came out with this news, right? He said, "Oh, we made this big deal with Iran. It's over.
" An hour later, Iran went and shot a missile at somebody, and then we were like, why did you do that? I thought Israel shot a missile at Iran. No, Iran, Iran, it wasn't even Israel that they shot the missile at, it was like somebody else. Oh, well, they weren't on the list, we're very sorry.
I just like watching him analyze geopolitical warfare with that mask on. That is amazing. I thought you were talking about Trump there for a second. No, I'm talking about my good friend Phil.
Right. Phil McGuffey. I appreciate that, Grant. Stuff in the Phil.
Stuff in the Phil. All right. On June 22nd, the Golden Arches will bring back something. What are they bringing back, gentlemen?
The McRib. Don't they bring it back, like, every three years or something like that? No, this is a wrong time. This is to celebrate the- Wrong time.
He knows. It's too early in the year. You gotta wait. Be patient.
It's not seasoned for that yet. This is to celebrate the 250th anniversary of America. The Big & Tasty, but they call it the Huge & Tasty. They're going to change the name of French Fries to Freedom Fries.
Oh, that would be great. They're bringing back the Fried Apple Pie. Oh, yeah, boy. So what is more American than Fried Apple Pie?
Two for one. A beloved menu item served on the fast food behemoth for over 30 years, 30 years ago, according to content creator Snack-O-Later. So they don't have an apple pie right now? Is that right now?
It's a baked apple pie, it's not fried, because baking apple pies are much healthier with all that sugar and stuff. Oh, I'm sure. Everything coming out of McDonald's is very healthy. Right.
, including Hawaii. Are they frying it in the same oil they're frying the nuggets and fries in? Of course. You bet they are.
Oh, that's gonna be great. Beef tallow. They're frying it up in a beef tallow. That's beautiful.
McDonald's Locales and a Retro Store in Downey, California, per the takeout. It will now be on menus nationwide for two weeks. Phil, we need apple pies next week when Mikey's back on Wednesday. All right, we're in it.
All right, the Tasty Treat Du Jour, which was first served, when did they start serving the fried apple pie? Tasty Treat Du Jour. 1981. That's the word they used?
It's been off the menu for 30 years. So just, you know. Oh, it's been off the menu? Been off the menu for 30.
We've been eating healthy at McDonald's for 30 years. 1971. And what did you say? 1996.
1968. Yes! Been off the menu for 30 years. Yeah.
That's when they started cooking it, not when they stopped making them. Oh, you said it's been off the menu for 30 years. It has, because he said like 2017 or something. No, I said '81, and then I went down to '71.
Well, temporarily replaced McDonald's regular apple pies on the menu, which are baked instead of fried. So they're throwing them baked crap out and they're frying stuff up. Yeah, baby. I mean, I don't get it at all.
Why don't you get it? Well, they pivoted to a baked apple pie for a reason. It's healthier. And now they're going to pivot back to a fried apple pie.
Well, the thing is, they found a bunch of them in the freezer in McDonald's headquarters. But aren't they're not the same thing, just prepared differently? Well, probably. They're the same thing, but they're going to fry them.
It is possible that it is the same. So maybe like the ice cream machines, maybe all the ovens broke. All the ovens broke. So now they're having to fry everything.
Maybe it's just a heat check. Try to see how America will accept this. Maybe it's cheaper. I can't see how.
They already have the grease. Yeah, but you're going to go through it faster. Go through the grease faster? Oh, you think they changed their grease?
Yeah, I was going to say, you think they changed their grease on a regular basis? I would imagine they probably have a pretty strict checklist for that. Have you worked at a McDonald's? Greg, they can't even remember my order.
What do you mean they can't even remember your order? At this point, you put it in, so they can't mess it up. Yeah, when you put it in, they look at the screen to put everything in the bag, because they have to put it in the bag. You get your bag, you're always missing something.
Tell me I'm wrong. I don't know. It's been a while since I've been to McDonald's. I don't leave without checking the bag.
Yeah, but you always have to tell them there's something missing, correct? No, no, I usually don't have that problem at McDonald's. Is it potentially because of an increase of overall use? Like, are you going to McDonald's like five times a week, You go five times a week, therefore you have a one in five chance of getting the wrong meal?
No, but I do go a couple times, not for my, I don't, I don't get anything. Kids, kids. Yeah, my, my daughter Ava loves, loves McDonald's. Right, yeah.
You get nothing when you go. No, nothing. No, I don't. You don't eat one of her nuggets or some of her fries.
He eats the bag fries. No. Bag fries. Bag fries.
Bag fries. No, I'd rather, I'd rather not get anything at McDonald's and try to Burger King. Oh, really? Yeah.
Well, there's never a line at Burger King because nobody goes. Perfect for me. Hmm. I love burger.
The only place I have a problem is when I door dash Taco Bell. Always something missing. God. What?
What are you about to say? The Taco Bell. Prison. Every once in a while you crave prison food.
Yeah, too. Front door. You know, every once in a while. And me and Adrian both order a couple of things and then hers is always there and I'm always missing something.
The meat comes in a large bag that's marked edible, just in case there was a question, by looking at the bag. Well, what fast food do you like? And I will tell you what's bad about it. It's also from Mexico, Greg.
I suppose, yeah, no matter what, I guess it's all going to be bad. It's all that way. Panera bread? The soup comes frozen in a bag.
No, Greg doesn't eat there. Greg, over at Krisner's, the steak comes in a bag. It's not really beef. It's not really beef.
Actually, I think last week I had Culver's. That's fast food, isn't it? The colors? Yeah.
What, did you just get the custard? No, I had the burger. Because that comes not frozen. I had the burger, and I think I had the pretzel bites, it was pretty good.
Oh, pretzel bites are probably good. Pretzel bites? Like Arby's, the meat comes in a log. A log.
And they massage it to make it get hard. Also, the name of the next movie for Phil, Meat Log. Meat Log. With Phil McGuffey.
We're just trying to get them all out. Arby's, the meat log. Patent pending because we're waiting on approval from Arby's. That's what we did at the party last night, Palmer.
The meat log? Yeah, the meat log? Is that what you stuffed? No, we just talked about, you know, my new movies of the whole time.
Oh, wow, that was great, yeah. My favorite thing to do. Yeah. Charles was there, I heard.
He was. Yes. I'm so upset over there. So Charles was working on a project that my brother dumped on me on Friday that I think I'll be able to get executed.
That I came up with on the show? Perhaps, I don't know. " I'm like, "Bring it to the house. Let's take a look at it.
Let's make a decision. There are some people here. " That's pretty much how that happened. Come on over.
I'm gonna eat. It'll be good. To discuss work. To discuss work.
And then it turned into an all-night affair. Oh, nice. Charles was there. Yeah.
Charles was there, yeah. Until I found out. Because my friend, Charles, I was talking to. We don't do any work together.
Well, we have, but still, we don't blur the line. I mean, you know, we're friends first, and then the work is just an extra. He's not an employee. You do work with him.
Yeah. He's a vendor. He's a... more of like a creative partner.
He's a vendor. You pay him to do things. That's true. Right.
That's true. You sure that's not a massage therapist? No, that's somebody, they were probably there too. I did get a massage earlier that day.
A little Asian guy was there. The old rub and duck. Everybody, who next? I rub you next.
Who's here? Alright, a bungee jumper had a horrific problem on her vacation. Did you guys hear about this? Oh yeah, it broke.
No, no, worse. I have a video, but I'm not sure we should show it, type of video. Oh no, it was a graphic? Did they use the wrong length of the cord?
the cord no no of course worse no cord exactly she just jumped without a cord no no she didn't jump someone pushed her no more like a throw a bungee jumper horrifically plunged to her death after she was thrown off a bridge without a bungee cord husband now in jail and the entire thing was captured in a shocking video wow you guys want to see the video wow no it was everywhere i don't think we're gonna put the video up i'll look it up afterwards yeah but these uh these three guys are holding her up over her head. She's got her arms out. Sacrifice. And then you can see the carabiner hang down.
There's nothing hooked to it. And right as they go like this, the crowd yells, rope! No rope! And the guys go, phwik!
And fling her off the bridge. There's no way this is real. No, no. It's real.
Maria Eduardo Rodriguez, 21, fell 130 feet to her death during Saturday's sickening incident in Lemuria, San San Paolo, reported Brazilian outlet Globo. Young, 21. In Brazil? In Brazil, right.
And she makes a joke about, "Oh, this is how I die," before they threw her off, or something like that. Sure it should. You sure this wasn't like someone putting murder on, like, children? No, her fiancé was there, but he wasn't involved.
Sickening video posted on social media shows the young lady being carried towards the edge of the disused skeleton bridge and thrown off by staff after she fell. A witness filming is heard pointing to the rope left behind on the ground and shouting, Guys, the rope! A police helicopter was called, but she died at the scene. Yeah, I would say so.
Yeah, her fiancé was watching on as she plummeted to her death, according to police. The young lady, a physical education and sports management student, posted a message on her Instagram story shortly before she jumped. Oh, this is what she said. Who was the crazy person who let me jump off a bridge?
" Six people have been arrested following the incident, including three people at the scene of the jump. Two of the suspects tried to flee the scene and had to be tracked down by a helicopter in the wooded area below the bridge, according to the military police. Wow. It wasn't actually a bungee, that's a misquote, it was a rope jump where you swing, They don't snap, so they throw you, you go out, and then you swing under the bridge, it's a big arch bridge, you swing under the bridge, and then you swing back, and then eventually you stop, and they unhook you.
But the rope is key. Yeah, I would imagine the rope is a very important part of the operation. Yeah. They blur the video right before the impact.
So they show the guys, and then they cut to a side shot where you see her, and then it blurs. Wow. Yeah. But you hear it.
I recorded it with no sound. I wasn't listening for it. Have you ever bungee jumped? I have not bungee jumped.
Is it on your list of things to do? It is not. Thank God. There once was a time when it was, but I'm past that.
No, I don't. And definitely past it after hearing that they don't connect the rope. Yes. Sometimes they don't connect the rope.
I'm checking the rope. You would think you would see when you step into the harness that it's not connected to something. All right, here, we're going to pick you up. All right, let's tug on the rope.
Let's see if it's secured. Right. Is that not part of it? Will they give it a little yank?
Being that after the accident, the guys that were in charge ran, I don't think that there's like a checklist for this operation. They're not highly trained individuals. Yeah, these are not highly trained individuals. Don't forget the money, Timmy.
Get the tips. I mean, you did the zip line thing over the gorge. Was there not several safety? Several.
Right. Several. There's actually like there's two separate carabiners that are used for transferring you from different line to different line. So you are in constant contact with something that has got you secured.
So, yeah, that they obviously they don't have that type of. So the only thing that was saving your life was a little piece of metal carabiner. Yeah. Well, I wouldn't call it little.
It's probably rated for like 500 pounds. Who told you that? I don't know. If you want, I can Google it real fast.
The tip guy? Well, you don't know what carabiner they had. No, but I know the carabiners that I have at the house, and I know they're rated for 250 a piece, and they were smaller. Well, they just say 250.
Yeah, you don't know. What do you even just say? Yeah, remember, they're made in China. I have a carabiner keychain.
I don't think it's rated for five pounds. I'm sure that's not. That's very small. Remember, they're made in China, Greg.
Chinese, sometimes they get confused with English. It confused me. Did we say 500? We meant 50.
Too many zeros on stamp. Oh, no. Send anyway. Who knows?
They never find us. Little zig zag. Don't do that again. Little zig zag.
Oh, zig zag. Poor zig zag. Poor zig zag. I was getting in trouble that guy.
Yeah, it's not worse than that he's already in a sweatshop making carabiners. He's putting the wrong numbers on them. Putting the wrong numbers. That's the wrong one!
We told you. How many did you make? All of them. Oh, God.
Oh, no. What do we do now? Don't send that one to Greg. It's like when they had that toy with the lead paint on it.
And they said, we inspected the paint every month. The guy shows up. They go, get the paint. Get the one can without the lead in it.
Get the one can without the lead. The guy's here again. Okay, I get it for you, boss. Jeez.
This is exact. All right, cigar news. We're not going to show the video. East Hampton Mass passes a generational tobacco ban.
They passed it. And East Hampton Mass. Yeah. Yeah.
Wow. They passed it. This week, the East Hampton Mass Board of Health, they have their own Board of Health in East Hampton, approved a generational tobacco ban that will ban anyone born after 2005 from buying tobacco and nicotine products in hopes it will reduce the city's smoking rates. This is really big.
I don't think there is currently anywhere in the United States that has it. Oh, there is a couple others. Yeah, there's one or two. Like a county?
Yeah, like counties, but there's like whole countries that are doing it now. I'm talking about the United States. Yeah, I understand. I'm just referencing other things.
They can do whatever they want over there. It's what happens here in our home that I care about. Oh. East Hampton ban goes into effect on January 1st, 2027.
And when it does, the city will join Amherst, Brookline, Hopkinton, Newton, Northampton, and Belchertown as cities in Massachusetts that have passed generational tobacco bans. Also, there have been many of these. Man, Massachusetts is going smoke-free. Man, oh man.
Yeah, all nine miles of it. Right. Northampton's ban is set to go into effect on July 1st after being approved in mid-April. Bills have also been introduced to the state legislature.
Oh, the whole state. Hall State. Hall State. Hall State.
Though they are still moving through the legislative process, East Hampton is home to approximately 16,000 people. As much that goes to one of our magic games. What? That's the capacity of the Kia Center.
Oh, is it really? Yeah. So everybody in that city could fit into the Kia Center? Yeah.
Oh. Are you sure about that number? Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's 16,000. That's not a lot of peoples.
How many of those people do you think smoke, Greg? 3%? Yes, we're talking, what, 300? No, you're right, 18 to 20,000.
Yeah. So, still a fair amount. Google how many people in East Hampton smoke cigarettes? I don't know if they're going to have that data.
They had to, somebody had to produce it to do the ban. How about crack? It's still legal there. There's no ban on it.
It's not a tobacco product, it's fine. Hey man, you guys got cigars here? No, we got even this crack. We got some crack.
We got some meth over here. Yeah, it was like that. 6 percent of the adult population in East Hampton smoke. So it's not a huge problem.
There's only 16,000 people here. It's never a problem. I mean, how is it a problem if you want to go smoke a cigar or smoke a cigarette, as long as you're not doing it in somebody else's living room, And without asking, can I do this first? Have you seen the number of cigar butts we got to pick up out front on a Friday morning?
No, that's what I have you for. Not cigar butts, cigarette butts. Brett, your employee. This was the conversation at the party, you should have been there.
Good thing Palmer's not here, can't have employees running around here watching his stuff fill. That's all I figured happened. That's all we're talking about. We're having the meeting today, right?
We are. Oh, great. We're gonna talk about that. Anybody else get invited to Greg's house on Saturday?
If any of the employees were invited, you're so good. I'll tell Steve not to say anything. Oh, I can understand what you say. I'd invite Steve to everything I had, too.
Holtz opens new location in Northeast Philadelphia. You ever been to a Holtz? Mm-mm. I haven't either.
They look nice. I've seen the website. Yeah. Holt Cigar Company has opened its newest location in northeast Philadelphia, moving its previous retail space across the street into a larger building.
Oh, there you go. The list was up. oh, that's probably right. Located at 2990 South Hampton Road, this space features 11,000 total square feet of retail, bar, and lounge space.
Holy hell, that's big. How big is the CI? I don't know. I mean, to put it in perspective, this entire building upstairs and downstairs is 9,000 square feet.
Yeah, I would think of... Of everything? Of everything. I would think of a CI is probably like somewhere around 60,000 square foot.
Really? Yeah, 40 to 60, probably. Not the new one. The new one's an existing building when they buy, when they build their own buildings.
Yeah, they're pretty big. So one of the ones in Tampa. Yeah, but the humidor, okay, the humidor measures 2,000 square feet. So, the new location of CI is, again, this is AI, so 7,000 to 12,000 square feet, so that's still very big.
They went into an existing building, though, so they didn't build that. It's different than their regular location. Yeah. Well, you could probably check the one in Tampa, because that's a standalone.
This is the new one for Jacksonville. Oh, that's a build. That's a build-up. Only 12,000 square feet, really.
So, about the same size. Humidor measures 2,000 square feet according to a press release and offers over 1,000 unique cigar selections and over 100,000 cigars in inventory. How many different cigars do we have? Different facings.
For just the B&M, it's about 750 to 800, depending. Oh, so not a much bigger selection than we have. I mean, no, that's a lot bigger. Well, it's 1,000 unique cigars if we have 750 to 800.
yeah but that's so the number that i'm talking about is individual skews they're probably talking about like brands right so like they're they're one let's say under crown counts as five for us if we've got five different skews of that one blend oh so it so essentially five to eight times yeah and they probably double the blend because they probably got all the ones that nobody buys That's a lot. To enjoy these cigars, the store offers a full service bar, a 7,000 square foot lounge, and outdoor patio seating. Nice. There are also private rooms available that includes large flat screen TVs that can be used for meetings and celebrations.
Like parties without employees. Parties without employees. Right. The store opened this past Wednesday and is open seven days a week.
It sits approximately 25 minutes from Philadelphia City Center and 90 minutes from Manhattan. All right, CAO Amazon Basin Daggers return. Oh! Is that the little one?
That's the little one. The little one? After debuting last year, the CAO Amazon Basin Daggers is back for an encore performance. The details remain the same, which means super rare tobacco takes three years to grow, then has to be taken out of the Amazon in canoes and then switched to a paddle boat on a long trek down the Amazon, Then shipped to wherever they make these cigars, and then they make them into four and three-eighths Vatolas and a blend that uses an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, a Nicaraguan binder, and filler that contains Brazilian Braganaca, Colombian and Dominican tobacco.
99 for a pack of five. We found more tobacco. Which makes these over-traveled, super rare cigars only $5 each. Very small.
Very small. Amazon Basin fans are some of the most passionate in the cigar world, and we know how fast the large size disappears, said Corey Burnsley, brand manager or CAO in a press release. Daggers are back for the people who missed the original drop, for those who want the "Barananaka" profile but don't have an hour and a half to commit to a Toro. It's the same blend and the same intensity, just built to fit a shorter smoking window.
Brana Kanaka. Brana Kanaka. People do go crazy for that cigar. They do, it's so weird.
They do go crazy for that cigar. I think, do they go crazier for the Dagger than the original? No. It's the original.
No. I like the Dagger better than I like the original. You like the Dagger better? Yeah.
Smaller, easier for the stuffing. You guys had them here, right? I think we might still have some up there, yeah. There were 1,300, 1,037,500 released for the first batch.
They began shipping to stores on June 1st. The CEO Amazon Basin debuted in 2014 in a 6x52 Toro Vitola and has been re-released in 16, 22, 24, 25. In January 2023, the CEO Amazon-Basin Extra Anejo was released, so there's three cigars made from this super rare tobacco, a cigar that received two years of rest in Spanish cedar, lined aging rooms at SDG Esteli. Additionally, the CEO Amazon-Basin Rothschild, four cigars made out of this rare tobacco, four and a half by 50 Vitola, was released for the European market in '23.
The cigars are limited to 2,750 boxes of 50. 50 cigars. Mmm. So, at 137,500 individual cigars, that's 14 canoe trips.
Yeah. From the Amazon. Right. Well, double that.
Which isn't that bad, actually. Double that, because it's back and forth. All right, so 28 up and back. Yeah.
And much longer to get back. You think they use smaller canoes for the little daggers? Hmm. Well, I just...
Yes. Yes, they definitely do use smaller canoes. Smaller canoes, smaller cigars, so now it's actually twice the amount of trips. It's not really a canoe.
It's balanced out by the amount of cigars. I did some AI digging, and I figured out how much tobacco fits into a canoe. Oh, did you? Yes.
Is that how you came up with that number? Yes, and then how many cigars can be made from that amount of tobacco, and it's 14 canoe trips. That's really, it's not bad. There's no way 135,000 cigars worth of tobacco can fit into 14 canoes.
Well, uh, the average canoe can hold half a ton of tobacco, 500 pounds, but a canoe? Well, you have to specify what type of canoe. Apparently there's several different kinds of canoe. There is a freight canoe, which is much larger, so they could have cut this in half.
Well, these are the... I don't think they're using a freight canoe. Well, I went for a handmade dugout. Yeah, there you go.
There's no way you're putting 500 pounds of tobacco in a handmade dugout. Well, it depends on the guy running the canoe. Like a Sacagawea canoe. I think that AI is smoking crack.
That's what it said. It asked specific canoe questions. It was so much fun to do. Palmer definitely had a lot of time on his hands this weekend.
No, I did this today. It was like a five-minute AI thing. I mean, they had specific questions. " Is that with body or no body?
That is with one man paddling the canoe. He's a strong guy. Well, they didn't say how long it took. I mean, if you go in, there's up and downstream.
So the time downstream was hopefully the tobacco travels downstream and he goes back upstream without anything in the canoe. It's actually, he puts his mouth in the water and blows bubbles. Yeah. Like a, like a bogey.
Okay. It is very possible. Oh, God. Five dollars.
Five dollars. So they're selling these in boxes now, not packs. No, no. Oh, well, the, the Toro comes in boxes.
The daggers are still in packs. Oh, okay. But they do have a wood display that the packs go in. Made out of canoe.
Made out of the canoes that didn't make it. Right. Right. Canoe kayak.
And they use the rope that they use to tie down the tobacco in the canoe as the band. Not to be confused with the same rope for bungee swinging. No bungee. Right.
Which that one's available. They've outlawed that. Apparently they didn't have any rope for the bungee swinging, so. We put it on all the cigars.
We don't know what to tell you. We're very sorry. You think they signed a release at this skeleton bridge? No.
No. No. Swinging on the rope game there? If somebody said we're going to the skeleton bridge, they'd do anything.
I mean, it's a bridge that used to be a real bridge, but now it's dilapidated. Yeah, I'm not going. We're going to tie you to it and throw you off. Hey man, we got this great idea.
They're all sitting around, we'll be rich, we'll do this. They'll do this. Yeah, we're gonna put it all on TikTok. Apparently you can only do it once and then you don't make any more money.
Right. They'll put it on TikTok. This poor girl. God.
Alright, it's time for the industry's favorite game. What's the score? Players hear clues from a Half Wheel Cigar review and try to predict the score before it's revealed. As more details are shared, the challenge gets easier, or does it?
The closest guess to the actual score wins the round. Can you read between the lines and predict the score? Let's start. What's the score?
Hold on, somebody text me. June 13th. What? Push the on button.
I pushed the on button earlier. Does that matter? Yes, because it probably cycled off. Push the on button.
This one's sound is on. Okay, if it's on, then it's on. Is yours sound on? You both have one.
We both have one? You both have one. So they're both just going to go off no matter who wins? But the camera will be on who wins.
Oh, I see. Oh, I see. Okay, we'll figure it out. It doesn't matter.
All right, first cigar, June 13, 2026, Charlie Minato is the reviewer. It's the McAuliffe Nicaraguan McAuliffe Color Blend Bundle #2. Do I have to clean it? No, not every time.
Okay. You want to go first there, Phil? Sure, 85. 86.
Okay, clue number one, oh no, this is the information, Cigar Reviews, the McAuliffe Color Blend Bundle, number two, Country of Origin, Nicaragua, Factory, McAuliffe Cigars, SA, Wrapper, Undisclosed, but then it says Sumatra next to it in parentheses, so, Binder, Nicaraguan Filler, varies, length 6x52, it's a $5 cigar, and they smoke three. Phil? $5 cigar, huh? $5 cigar.
And it's not an Amazon Basin dagger. Did not touch the canoe. Yeah, has never been in a canoe. $80.
Ooh, that's where I was going to go. $79. Clue number one. One of the standout aspects of the McAuliffe Color Blend number two was just how different it tasted compared to many cigars on the market today.
The profile explored some unusual territory, combining dry earth and aged tobacco with an accent of spearmint, creaminess, sugar sweetness, nuts, pretzels, pistachio, cream, and even vanilla frosting. While not every flavor note landed perfectly, the retrohale in particular consistently provided complexity and intrigue, offering a smoking experience that felt distinctive and memorable. Mmm, that was extremely positive, but I'm gonna stay, oh no, I'm sorry, Phil you go first. 80.
I'm gonna stay at 79. Clue number two, the construction was excellent throughout the entire smoking experience. Despite being a mixed filler cigar, burn performance drawn overall craftsmanship left very little to criticize. Even as the flavor profile evolved, the cigar maintained its structure integrity with a reliable combustion and no significant construction concerns.
For a cigar positioned in a value-oriented segment, that level of consistency is certainly commendable. Wow. Still? Just remember, two good thing, one bad thing.
Um... 80. 79. Clue number three.
The biggest drawback of the color blend number two was the increasingly dry and metallic nature of the profile, especially in the second half of the cigar, flavors described as dusty tobacco, old carpet, dry earth, lingering metallic notes became more prominent as the smoke progressed, overshadowing many of the more enjoyable nuances found earlier in the experience. Combined with an unpleasant aftertaste that lingered after the cigar was finished, these characteristics ultimately prevented the cigar from delivering a truly satisfying finish. Yeah, the 17 good flavors have just been overpowered by metallic old carpet. Old carpet, old carpet, old carpet, old carpet.
Baskin Robbins, um... We got that old carpet ice cream flavor today. Yeah, 70. Wow!
How do you know what old carpet tastes like? I don't know. I've never, you know, I have a picture. Maybe you once dated an older woman.
Wow. Wow. That was, that was Triple G, Charlie, just so you know. Yeah.
Sometimes I like picture these guys, like when they say like what these things taste like, like they're gnawing on it. The bad flavors? Yeah, I had like a picture of Charlie with a piece of carpet in his mouth. Like they have this pile of stuff in their office, they're trying to match the flavor.
Oh, that's nice. Nope, nope, not cardboard. No, not new carpet. Bring me the old carpet.
Yeah, old carpet, the plaid. Quickly. The typically plaid. Quickly.
Quickly. Quickly. You went seven. Patrick.
Patrick. Quickly, Patrick. Time is money. Money is time.
I can't believe you're totally saying that. That's funny. Sorry. Sorry, Charlie.
Sorry. I know we're friends now. I'm sorry. Yeah, you got a hug.
All right. And a photo. 69. - Next clue, or is it Final Thought?
- Final Thought. - Here we go. - I don't believe that you get what you pay for is actually all that true for the world of cigars. I've been told pretty consistently that the costs of producing an unbanded cigar are pretty fixed, and that the cigars that have an MSRP of $50 aren't four times more expensive to make than a cigar with an MSRP of $12.
However, after smoking three McAuliffe Color Blend #2s, I don't think anyone is going to be confusing... Oop, it's jumpy. The cigar with a long filler cigar the company sells. The difference was that good parts of the experience, smoothness, consistency, construction came with a flavor profile that I don't think many would aspire to.
That dry metallic tobacco flavor is a huge turn-off for me, and while the cigar performed well on a technical basis, I'd bite the bullet and spend a bit more on your cigars. Yowza. Yowza. Yowza.
What do you think, Phil? 65. 65. Wow.
Have you smoked this cigar? I have not. I didn't even know they made a budget friendly cigar. I'm gonna go 66.
You went the right way. 86. I'm not pushing a button. 86.
Are you kidding me? 86 after the fucking old carpet. 86. And the whole carpet, 86.
Because, you know, it was, you know, not bad, it's $5. Don't buy it because you don't get what you pay, I mean, come on, man, there was all, Charlie. Unbelievable. All right, second cigar, June 6, 2026, Patrick LaGreed is the reviewer.
The Karen Berger reviews Overtime by Karen Berger. You met her, Greg? You want me to go first? Yeah, you're first, Mr.
SBC. Have you met her? Karen, she's very nice. She seems very nice.
She's very nice. She always says hi as I want. Hi. Yeah.
I actually had to call her one time. We had a customer that I heard a rumor about, and I asked her, do you have a moment? And she said, sure. Yes.
And she starts with, please forgive me, my English is not very good. Please forgive me, my English is not very good. I'm like, that's not what she sounds like. It is today.
Please, continue the story. So I asked her about this particular customer, and she confirmed what it is that I heard, and we wound up asking the gentleman to leave, good lord. Almost like you're having a conversation with her again, huh, Greg? Oh my god, it's like I'm right there, back on the phone.
Yes, Greg, I've heard of you. May I call you Triple G? I will not take your food off your plate. What I love is that the camera's been on Greg the whole time, and it sounds like Karen's talking to him.
Can I buy you a cup? Can I have a mug, baby? Alright, did you... You're killing Phil.
Phil's dying over there. Oh, man. Oh, my God. I'll overlay her face on the screen.
Oh, it's beautiful. That's beautiful. Right next to Greg's. Right next to Greg, yeah, split screen.
Right next to him. Did you guys vote? I don't know what's going on. No one's voted yet.
Greg's first. I'm gonna say 75. 75 for my cigar, thank you. Phil?
Everybody gives this lady the good scores and stuff, so I'm gonna stick like 85. Yes, good score, thank you. Cigar Reviewed Overtime by Karen Berger, the cigar is from Nicaragua, Factory, Esteli Cigars SA, Wrapper, Ecuadorian Maduro, Binder, Indonesian Sumatra, Filler, Nicaraguan, length 6x60, it's round, and they smoked three cigars. I found an app that said about cigars near you or something like that, I don't know what it's called, they still list that shop over there that she had.
Really? Yeah. We were number two on the list. Who's number one?
The one that's not there. As what ranking? I mean, like what? No, no, like, I forget what it was.
Something that said what cigars are in the area, what cigar shops are in the area. And that one came up before us. They've been closed for like 10 years. Yeah, I know.
So evidently it's not a good app. I wouldn't use it. Wow. Whoever's app that is, you need to reach out to them and say, come on, get with it.
I don't even remember what it was, no. Could have been a website. I have no idea. So anyway, go ahead.
82. 82. 82 for Greg. 85.
85 for the big boy. Wow. The Overtime by Karen Berger offered an engaging, that was clue number one, offered an engaging flavor profile that became increasingly enjoyable as the cigar progressed. The second third in particular introduced a vibrant sweetness that recalled the fruit and floral nuances found in the pre-light experience, evolving into a richer, almost candy-like character Without becoming overwhelming.
Combined with creamy notes reminiscent of cappuccino foam, baked Alaska, and the cigar delivered moments of genuine complexity and refinement. I don't even know what baked Alaska tastes like either. It's just insane. I know you do.
I understand. Because you're rich. You've had that in Alaska. That's not what I'm saying.
That's the way we're taking it though. 86. Just so that you stop talking. 85.
Clue number two! Construction was a major strength throughout the smoking experience. All three samples burned evenly, produced an abundance of smoke, and featured dependable draws with no significant issues. The cigar consistently formed solid chunks of ash, maintained an attractive burn line, and demonstrated a level of craftsmanship that allowed the smoker to focus entirely on the flavor journey, rather than any performance concerns.
89. Yes, Phil? 81. Thank you.
Clue number three. While the cigar showed promise through much of the experience, the final third struggled to maintain the balance established earlier. The departure of the creamy notes left behind a profile dominated by dry pepper, funkier earthiness, and fluctuating spice levels that distracted from the cigar's previous cohesion. Adhesion, added heat toward the finished, further diminished the overall enjoyment, causing one had been well-structured experience to unravel in its closing stages.
Hmm. That's not the final thought. Nope. That was the third clue.
Now we have a final thought. 86. 81. The Overtime by Karen Berger is one of those cigars that I'm going to have positive memories of, though if you were to ask me in a month or so, I don't know if I'd be able to tell you exactly why.
The cigar gets off to a really enjoyable start, and the first half is very enjoyable, if not particularly distinctive. The flavor is smooth and balanced before opening up during the second third, adding aroma, punching up the retro hails, and giving the individual components a bit more room to express their unique contributions. The final third can leave a bit to be desired in its rougher points, but it's not a bad experience for any means. For an easy to enjoy Gordo, the Overtime by Karen Berger checks a lot of the right boxes and a price isn't unreasonable.
For a more into Gordo's, I could see having a couple of these in my go-to humidor. Here's hoping the company entertains the idea of doing this blend in a mid 40s or a 50 ring gauge as I think there could be another size or two that really shows off more of the blend has to offer. 87. Eighty-eight.
Ding, ding, ding on the nose, you got an eighty-eight. Wow. I was going to say, put the camera on you, it was on me. Ow, ow, ow.
Why is it so hot? There's supposed to be cold sparks, Greg. You still haven't paid for them. You just got burned in the air over there.
Yeah, and they don't work all the time. I work all the time. I only pay in half. User error.
Well, Mikey was supposed to talk to you about that. Right. He's supposed to talk to you about us not paying. Sort of like the rent we used to not pay.
All right. It's been episode 552, I believe, Cigaroser Podcast. It's Triple G. Thanks for sitting in again today.
Yep. Tomorrow's episode, we've got Mr. John Carney back. Ooh, it's a steak episode.
Steak. He's not bringing no steak. Oh, I thought we were going to do that. No.
You should tell them to bring steak though. Don't forget to like and subscribe on wherever you listen to us at. Thank you guys very much. We gotta go.
Goodbye. Bye.
Show Notes
On Todays Show The Rock has Swollen Balls, Mandatory Tipping Yeah or Na? Time To Play Lets Make A Deal! McDonalds brings it back! It’s a Vacation Activity you don’t want to do, in cigars Generational Tobacco Ban, a New Holts, Super Rare Tobacco, and a double up what’s The score!