ACHP 606 Glady's Knight Has No More Pips!
Episode Summary
Episode 606 of A Cigar Hustler's Podcast is a roundtable show hosted by Keanu Respo, with returning co-host "Triple G" (Graham Stepankiewicz) and Palmer ("BDP") in the engineering chair. The crew opens with listener comments and some self-aware ribbing about how much of the intro is actually scripted, then moves into a news block: the death of voice actor Peter Cullen (Optimus Prime in Transformers, Eeyore in Winnie the Pooh) at 85, a discussion about Gladys Knight still touring at 82 amid reports of confusion and exhaustion onstage, and the broader question of when an entertainer's wish to keep performing should give way to protecting their health and legacy. A Virginia gastroenterologist who woke up with a bat in her mouth rounds out the news, leading to a tangent on rabies, bat houses in Florida, and tick-borne beef allergies.
The cigar news segment is the meat of the episode. First up is Escobar Cigars shipping its Nasty Esco line nationally after a summer soft launch — a 5x52 robusto with an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, Sumatra binder, and Nicaraguan and Dominican filler, made at PDR Cigars in the Dominican Republic, priced at $9 per cigar and $180 per 20-count box. Nasty Esco is the first release in the Light Years Collection, tied to rapper Nas (Nasir Jones), who became a co-owner and equity partner in Escobar parent company Puros Privados. Next, United Cigars adds two regular-production vitolas to its Independence line, made by Arnold André in the Dominican Republic and packaged in the 12-count metal tins that double as ashtrays — a follow-up to the popular Independence Firecracker.
The third story covers Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust's revamped Stillwell Star, Steve Saka's pipe-tobacco-infused cigar line made at Fábrica de Tabacos Joya de Nicaragua with pipe tobacco from Cornell & Diehl. For 2026 the line is streamlined from four blends to three, each offered in Toro and Petit Robusto: Aromatic Dulce Maduro, Aromatic Dulce Claro (a hybrid of previous blends), and English Dulce Maduro (a tweaked English No. 27).
The show closes with "What's the Score," the game where guests guess a halfwheel review score. The cigar is Patrick Lagreid's redux review of the West Tampa Tobacco Company Devil Crab (4 1/2 x 60, $12.99, made at Garmendia Cigar Company in Nicaragua), with tasting notes of cream, graham cracker, pepper, light earth and savory meaty broth — and a wrapper that split near the head at the end. Keanu takes the win by nailing the original 91-point score.
In This Episode
- 01Cold open and listener commentsThe hosts joke about how scripted the intro really is and read through YouTube and lounge comments from listeners.
- 02Remembering Peter CullenTribute to the voice of Optimus Prime and Eeyore, who died at 85, plus talk of other recent celebrity deaths.
- 03Gladys Knight still touring at 82Reports of confusion and exhaustion onstage spark a debate about when performing should stop for an aging legend's health.
- 04Virginia doctor wakes up with a bat in her mouthA viral news story leads into rabies prevention, Florida bat houses, and tick-borne meat allergies.
- 05Escobar Cigars ships Nasty EscoFull details on the 5x52 robusto, its blend, PDR Cigars production, pricing, and the Nas-inspired Light Years Collection.
- 06United Cigars Independence adds two vitolasThe Arnold André-made blend goes regular production in 12-count metal tins that flip over into ashtrays.
- 07Revamped Dunbarton Stillwell StarSteve Saka's pipe-tobacco cigar line is cut to three blends in two sizes with Cornell & Diehl pipe tobacco and new names.
- 08What's the Score: West Tampa Devil Crab reduxKeanu and Triple G guess halfwheel's redux score for the Devil Crab, with Keanu matching the original 91.
Brands & Cigars Discussed
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Transcript
All right, welcome to episode, I don't know, five hundred and six hundred and something. 606. Go! Episode 606.
Welcome to a Cigar Hustlers Podcast, Premium Cigars, Unfiltered Opinions, and Conversations. I am Keanu Respo. Conversations. You can't see what I'm seeing, conversations.
I am Keanu Respo, with a capital C, capital H, and yes, I've been on three shows and now I'm hosting. Joined by co-hosts, which means I am your boss for the next hour, by the way. Back by popular demand, Triple G. So I have to listen to you.
This time. And an engineering in the way room way in the back studio, Mr. BDP. Help me.
There he is. There he is. Bomber, he's six, so he's isolated. I'm with two prima donnas, they argued about the lights for the first 15 minutes.
From cigars, sports, and business to pop culture and the wildest headlines. And if it's worth discussing, we're talking about it. No scripts, except the intro, no safe spaces, just real perspectives. We had a complaint.
Big laughs. Because it is scripted. Oh, totally. Just the beginning is scripted.
You know, just the beginning, it counts, big laughs and chaos at any moment, including at the very beginning. So settle in and welcome to, wait, this is the camera, a Cigar Hustlers podcast. Dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun. Who complained?
Who complained about that it was scripted? I'm curious. T-Money, T-Money. Really?
T-Money. " A good portion of it is pretty scripted. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. On my show, that's what it says, today's Optimus Prime has rolled out for its last time.
Yeah, he died. Yeah, he's dead. Gladys Knight has no more pipes. Pips, Pips.
Gladys Knight to Pips. Pips. Oh my Lord. A Virginia doctor woke up with something strange in her mouth.
Then in cigars, we have a shipping notification, two new cigars, and a revamping of an old favorite. " Yay. He's got a lot of energy over there, I like this, this is nice. I'm overtired.
This is nice. But first Palmer. How come Mikey got a shirt and tie and I get your pajamas again? This is, you know.
Yeah, I did notice your attire on that one episode. You were dressed quite well, I appreciate that. Yeah, I was trying to get a tuxedo for this one, it was not going to arrive in time. Instead we got the shirt with the birds on it.
Yeah, you got the duck shirt with the pheasants. We get the pajamas. You know, I like really changing it up each time. If I'm coming back, we'll see what happens next time.
Clown, I want a clown. Yeah, I'll come dressed, yeah. Clown custom. But first, Palmer, after all that, how do we get some of that CHPod swag?
I can't do the thing. He does it, he really aggressively does it. com where we have all the swag up for the show. You might even want to get the, what's your name?
Superstar! Triple G, Superstar. Or BDP, or a Pressure is the Privilege, or we should be asking for something with the king on it. Definitely not scripted.
Definitely not scripted. Yeah, this is telltale side. Oh crap, I gotta read the things. Alright, make sure you like and subscribe, wherever it is you haven't been watching, do all the things that he says you're supposed to do, and then let's see what the comments are.
Uh, is that on here? No, no, that's me. I do, I do, I do, I do the comments. Very planned, very professional.
I don't usually do this part. Alright, the lounge. Alright, there's a contest going on, let's see, any comments here? Alright, we're just going right to YouTube.
I don't think it's working again. Well. Oh, the lounge is down. You want me to pull it up?
No, no. It's fine. Don't up my bit. Alright, let me hit this button.
That's three lights on you at once, man. That's a lot of lights. That's a lot of lights, though. You gotta make sure you're bright.
Alright, from S-O-L-I-D Solid NJ31: Y'all believe whatever media lies about SMH that really control the narrative with lies only in America? And y'all believe because you want black people to look at, ooh, wow, to look a certain way, that's why the PDF, why T men never get exposed. I don't know what any of that is. What is he talking about?
I have no idea. There's a picture of Keanu. What the heck? Oh, this is from a short.
Did he allegedly link to Tupac murder? Oh, that. Apparently Keanu said something racist. I did not say no.
Why was that man having a southern accent? He said y'all. So you automatically assume this is what the guy sounds like in my head? This is what he's going to sound like when I'm reading?
Probably. It's called Artistic Licensing. Oh. Artistic Licensing.
That's nice. 0. So, I follow you through town and take pictures of your car at specific intersections. Till you leave town, then that would be stalking.
You don't have an expectation of privacy in public. I agree, but you should be free to move about without being tracked. Oh, this is what I brought up. It's triggering people.
Yeah, this is a hot topic. I thought he was just creeping on you guys. Anybody reference the whole swing thing that I was talking about? How people will act differently if they know that they're being recorded?
I don't know. Let's read on. Please read on. Please read on.
I heart BDP. We all have Twinkies and Oreos. Profound words from the tool behind the mask. That's not me.
The tool behind the mask. Alright, and then from Captain Oblivious again, I agree with Phil. Cameras or not, people still do evil shit. Just don't put your child in that situation and you don't have to worry.
Okay. Let's see what else we got. We did those. Then this one.
Fully through town. Reading all the comments, apparently. Yes, reading all the comments that we haven't got to. I don't know why.
Picture the king. All right, I guess that's it. We're going to move on. Okay.
Moving on. On with the show, Mr. Keanu. Keanu did not say anything racist in that episode.
Okay, I'm going to put that out there again. Apparently it did. He's, you know, there's one part. Y'all, Y-T, whatever's.
We were referred to as a white T? Y. Y, the letter Y, T, man. I don't know what that means.
Y-T, man. Well, in news, I think. Peter Cullen, a voice actor who starred as Optimus Prime in Transformers. Have you heard about this?
Yeah. And as Eeyore in Winnie the Pooh has died at the age of 85. Yeah. Cullen died on Wednesday at his Los Angeles home.
His agent, Kevin Motley, confirmed at ABC News on Thursday. No cause of death was given. " Ooh, that's hardcore. Cullen had more than 200 acting credits over his decades-long career, sorry that's one word on here, in addition to his roles in several, in a several, Transformers, and Winnie the Pooh movies and shows, he also voiced characters in Knight Rider and Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers, and provided vocal effects for the 1987 film.
films. Did it say prefer for our first? I'm just reading exactly how you wrote it. You are not.
There's words that are jumbled together. Effects for the 1980s. It's not a script. It's something you look at and then you talk.
Oh, you never gave me any preface. Effects for the 1987 film Predator, according to IMDB. Yeah. So this is number three that we've lost, right?
We had Dolly. We had Dolly. Right. Then we had the guy from Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Right. What was his name? Ted Curry. Ted Curry.
Ted Curry. Yeah, I believe, right? Yeah, he also played Darkness in Legend, like really cool. Yeah, he had that quite.
Very, very talented. And now we lost Optimus. Yeah. I think somebody else just died today, too.
There's a fourth? Yeah, I forgot who it was. But I was like, wow, another one. I mean, at least their famousness, or whatever you want to call it, is slowly going down as there's more of them showing up.
Oh, wow. I mean, you know, Dolly's at the top of the pile. That's a very positive, negative way of looking at things. Yeah, you know, I mean, it's kind of like, it's less sad with each one.
Tim Curry, you know, not really Dolly, but still famous. Yeah, big deal. Tim Curry or Ted Curry? It was Tim Curry.
Tim Curry, sorry, I was saying Ted Curry. And then Optimus Prime, a voice actor, still famous, but if you saw him until he spoke, you might not know who he was. " Right, yeah, that guy, yeah. You know, he was actually impersonating his brother with Optimus Prime?
He's what? The Optimus Prime voice. Yeah. He was impersonating how his brother talks.
Oh, wow. So then they can just have the brother fill his shoes. He might already be dead. I don't know.
Wow. I think it was his older brother. He was a Marine, some big tough Marine guy or something. Some really exciting news.
I'm very happy. You're very happy. Almost as good as the one I was on where it started off with the girl that was missing for eight days and then ended up dead. That was a very cheerful episode to start off with.
Yeah, big time sad news though. So we're losing a lot of legends. I'm looking to see who the other one was, I'm looking this up. Who the other one was.
Yeah, so Optimus Prime, Dolly Parton, Tim Curry, and then whoever happened today. And now, a fourth one. Right, fourth one. Are you checking on that?
Should I continue? Yeah, go ahead. Okay. Yeah, but sort of pause and let us comment as you're reading type of thing, you know?
Sorry, sorry, I'm with you. A little bit of a back and forth, you know, it is your show today, I understand. Yeah, you know, just, you know, respect how I do my job here. Gladys Knight, shameful, she's touring while days confused.
Gladys Knight is 82 years old and has been performing professionally for roughly 75 years. Her current tour has been running for several months, since at least April 2026, with dates scheduled through mid-November. Do-do-do-do-do-do. That's just in.
Hayden Pantera died before Dolly. Who? The actress from Heroes and from Nashville. Oh, yeah.
I saw that. No idea who that is. If you saw her picture, you would. Probably.
She was in also some of the Scream movies. Right. She was in a couple things. No idea.
And there's a couple of rappers, but I don't know who they are. All right. Please continue. Yeah.
Who is this? Gladys Knight? That sounds familiar. Do you not know who Gladys Knight is?
That sounds familiar. Gladys Knight and the Pips? Pips? Pips, P-I-P-S, these three black guys that dance behind the black woman.
Was it Pips or Pimps? Pips. Are you sure? Yes, it was the Pips.
They weren't Pimps, they were Pips. I feel like they were Pimps. Didn't she sing Respect, R-E-S-B-E-S? Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know.
Oh, that's her? Oh, she's, wait, oh, she's still touring. I thought this was that. She died again.
Apparently, she's been performing since she was seven. Wow. If I did the math right well. Since seven?
That is very possible. Yeah, 80-something years old, right? Yeah. She's been doing it for 75 years.
If she's 82 or 83, that's either seven or eight years old. That's math. Yeah, that's math right there. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Wow. Apparently the gist of the story is that she is still performing, and sometimes when she gets done, she don't know where she is. Oh, cool, I was just about to probably read that. Yeah, well, she's old.
Yeah, she'll lose herself like in the middle of the act and start just... B. " Like at the end of the performance, he puts the guitar down and he just gets off the stage. Because he was old.
Well, thank you for spoiling the story, Palmer. I didn't like the way you were handling Ms. Gladys. I was like three sentences in.
Recent performances have raised concerns because she reportedly appeared confused, exhausted, and increasingly dependent on her backup singers. I don't know where I am. Her husband and manager says, oh, he's the manager, too. Oh, I like this.
I like this. Now, this is getting good. Her husband and manager says she has good days and bad. Wow.
Wow. Get back off the stage, woman! You're right, Tina. That's it.
But insists that continuing to sing is what Gladys wants. She has not been diagnosed... She's fine. Get back up there.
You're doing good. Let me go sing. A lot of southern accents today. She has not been diagnosed with dementia, but her husband says...
But she won't take her to the doctor, probably. Not on the budget, honey. I'm sorry. Two more songs.
Two more songs. Two more songs. But her husband says she will be medically evaluated. Okay, her September 5th performance could determine whether the remaining tour dates are canceled.
Bigger discussion: at what point does respecting an entertainer's desire to perform become less important than protecting her health and legacy? Also, where are the pips? Where are the pips? And just in, where are the pips?
The pips have gone to Pipville there. No more pips. Honey, here's your new doctor. He's good.
He did Michael Jackson's work. Oh, did he? Oh, yes, he'd be fine. What?
There's that other, uh, older, uh, singer, what's, uh, Frankie something something? Frankie Avalon? Is that the guy who's still, like, going? He's, like, 80-something, he looks like he's, like, half-dead on stage?
It could be Frankie Avalon. Like, it's, what is his name? He's actually gonna be performing in Orlando, uh, driving by the, uh, Kia Center, and it's like, um, what the hell is his name? What did you say?
Frankie Valli? Frankie Valli. Frankie Valli, yeah, it was. I actually said Avalon, but we can go with that.
Yeah, Frankie Valli, I think, is what it is. And he's, like, performing. I don't like performing, but have you ever seen his recent performances? No.
" This guy's in his 90s, like, you know? Right, the manager's tweeting for him. Somebody had done good tweeted for him. Yeah, the manager's tweeting for him.
Yeah, well, I mean, I don't know, how do you feel about that, Palmer? Touring and, you know? Let her rest. Let her rest.
Let her rest. You gotta keep the golden goose producing the golden egg. She's 83 years old. She's 83 years old.
She don't know where she is. Elvis was so doped up at the end just to keep him going so that everybody could get a paycheck. He didn't take a dump for like two months. That's what killed him ultimately.
It was one poop. One poop killed him. We're all just one poop away from death. One poop away.
One poop away from death. One poop. Next story. Of course, if Keanu goes in there, it's three days, so, you know.
There have been times that I thought he was dead, actually. He did message me after I was in there for an hour. There's a TV in there. It was an hour.
There's a TV in there. And the only reason that I knew it is because the camera's down here, right? I heard the power go off. Well, all the power went off, right?
So I'm like, oh, he must have left. And then all of a sudden when he came out, the power came back on because of the motion centers. I'm like, bro, that's like a 30 minute cycle. How long were you in there?
It was like an hour. Yeah, yeah, it's just amazing. Your legs got to go numb, bro. After a little while, yeah.
Then you kind of got to, you know, stand up, get the blood flowing again. Mid poop, you're standing there. No, I mean, you know, I make sure I'm ready to go, just in case, and then I sit back down. But mid-poop, like, there's been, like, two, three turds, you get up, do a little exercises, a couple jumping jacks, and you go back on the toilet.
Right, it's a blood flowing. It's a few minutes apart, you know, that I'm like, okay, I finished my poop, and then I'm like, nah, I'm not done. Not done. Not done.
Got to wait here a little bit longer. I know it's coming, it takes its time, I can feel it crowning, you know. What do you eat? Whatever's near.
Oh, God. Somebody help me. We just did 20 minutes on Keanu's poop. A Virginia doctor woke up to a nightmare.
It wasn't the poop in her mouth. A Virginia doctor woke up to a nightmare. She initially thought it was a dream. A bat was inside her mouth.
Apparently, she was Ozzy Osbourne. Dr. Krista Ozzy Osbourne Edelman. No, that's not what it says.
m. believing she was dreaming about something crawling in her mouth or a mouse crawling in her mouth. When she reached up and felt something soft, hairy, and cool, then realized a bat was attempting to burrow between her lips. She pulled it out and threw it across the bedroom.
Edelman and her husband captured the bat using a net and a beach bucket. Alright, stop. Stop. Let's talk about this and then you can finish the story.
How is this news? I don't understand. I was going to just finish that sentence and then pause. It was national news.
It was on Google Trends. It's a big thing. This is national news? Yes.
Yes, you want to test it for rabies. Bat mouth? A kid last week, same thing happened to him, but it bit him and had rabies, a kid died. Oh.
Bit by a bat? Yeah, a knight in the face. Oh, no, that's possums that can't get rabies. I don't know, bats, I guess they can.
Bats always get rabies. Yeah. It's like part of their credo. That's horrible.
How old was the child? I think he said it was 10 or 11. He died? Very sad, yeah.
Yeah, rabies is serious. Damn. So you know it's right there at the brain yeah and I guess like child I feel like is more apt to not really tell you that something's going on they're just like I'm feeling a little weird isn't rabies also that disease where you wind up having a fear of drinking water when you have it no uh I don't think so I know there's that sorry go that's not alcoholism that's what you know I drink a lot of water yeah I have my water right here is anybody smelled his water and see if it's vodka or gin there is that one tick That if it bites you, it causes you to be, like, allergic to beef or something, like, it'll, like, you will go into, like, a state of shock if you eat certain types of meat. You've been watching House.
This is bad. That's a true thing. No, there's, and that's a tick that's in Florida. I had a teacher that that happened with, 'cause we were talking about our love for In-N-Out Burger all the time, 'cause he was from California also, right?
And then, you know, one summer came back, and we were talking about it. " He's like, I was in a field, he was a biologist, he was like, I was doing the field thing or whatever, and I got bit by a tick, and now I can't, I will go into a state of shock or seizure by eating beef. You're from California? Yeah, we've known each other for six years.
No idea. I didn't know each other. Oh my god. Yeah, I moved here when I was like 11.
Oh, alright. So Cal. Were you run out of town? Peace, brother.
Were you run out of town, or did you guys leave on your own? You know, for whatever reason. Family came home one day, we have to move. You can't move.
Kind of, actually. Oh, God. Why, Mommy? Why?
Don't ask questions. Don't ask questions. I'll tell you when you're old enough. Get in the car.
So, there's a little bit more on here. Yeah, sure. Let's see. Although she couldn't find a bite, so why would she...
She just knew she was... Whatever. She was a bite. The best wit in her mouth.
So she goes to the mirror. Let me look. See if it bit me anywhere. No bites.
She's a doctor, for God's sakes. I get that, but I still want to get checked up. He had checked out, and she was like, yeah, no bite, but, uh, she was advised to begin preventative rabies treatment because bat teeth are so small, okay, this makes sense, uh, that they can bite so easily and go unnoticed. Uh, the bat, the bat eventually tested negative for rabies, but Edelman, they kept the bat, they kept the bat as a pet and named him Dr.
Edelman, the bat. It's dead! Uh, but Edelman, you know, you know how they check an animal for rabies, right? They have to kill it.
They have to cut their head off and check the brain. Aw, that's sad. Poor bat. It's a bat!
No, he's clean. He's dead, but he's clean. Not like it's a bunny rabbit. He just got confused.
He thought the mouth was a cave. He wanted to go to sleep. Nice and warm. Maybe she should close her mouth when she sleeps.
Maybe she's a mouth breather. But Edelman shared the story to warn people that merely waking up in a room with a bat is enough reason to contact a doctor or health department immediately. Okay, now I have a bat outside my car. Yeah.
We're gonna show everybody by using Keanu what it looked like. Wait, what? I have a live bat out in my car. Do you?
You have a bat? We're going to bring it in and shove it in his mouth, and then he's going to demonstrate. So, this is not part of my farm at my home, but we actually have bats. Sure you do, everybody has bats.
Right, so these bats live in like the corner of the house, right? Oh, wow. But on the exterior, not the interior, it's in the garage. There was one Halloween, and they always come out like right at dusk, because that's when they start eating all the bugs.
It was one Halloween, we're sitting out front, smoking cigars, giving out candy, right? this parent that was obviously inebriated because you know trick-or-treating with the kids we're gonna have a sippy cup of vodka he comes up to me as these bats are sort of circling us as we're giving out candy and he's like how'd you get the real bats like we did it for halloween right well actually you can order them on amazon and you can train them right the uh how do you know that also whether you can't order bats that was a joke i was fucking with the guy that was drunk What's the gym up there on Enterprise? Crunch? No, Crunch is that one back over that way.
Planet Fitness? Planet Fitness. They have bats that live in that tower thing on the front of the thing. Yeah.
Wow. Yeah, I've been up there early in the morning, you see the bats all going around. Yeah, they're good, they get rid of bugs and stuff. Yeah, they have skiers and things.
Yeah, that's why, like, in Florida there's a lot of bat houses. Yeah. I built a couple of those, actually. Oh, yeah, really?
Yeah, put 'em up high. Gotta go high. Huh? Gotta go up high with 'em.
Yeah, did I build you one? Nope. I built somebody one. You don't do things for me like that.
I thought I made your house for parties. Stop it. Stop it. I brought you to Nicaragua.
Yeah, but you got me sick. It happens. Wash your hands, guys. Let's see.
Rabies are preventative and treated early, but it's almost always fatal after symptoms appear. Oh, wow. So it's preventative, but it's almost always fatal. Why is your neck oblotchy?
Your neck's oblotchy now. Me? Yeah. From scratching.
- Are you scratching right there in the front? - Oh yeah, I was just scratching just now. - Yeah, yeah, yeah, very, very scratching. - Thanks for pointing out my faults.
- Talking about the bats made of Mitch. - A bat bit you. - So yeah, don't get rabies. - Take your cigar and you should dab it down there.
- Yeah, there we go, that'll cure it. It's like a cologne. - Attaboy. - So yeah, don't get rabies, it's almost always fatal.
- Rabies bad. - Rabies are bad. - Gotcha, right. Don't let them in your mouth.
- Yeah, so. Well, next thing is up is the Cigar News. Yeah, Cigar News. There we go.
We're only nine minutes ahead of schedule. Yeah, totally. We're making great time. Speak slowly.
Okay. Oh, we're really going that fast? Yes. Oh, wow, we're 22 minutes.
Speak slowly and with an Optimus Prime accent. August 27th, 2026. A little louder, though. Patrick Legreed, News.
Escobar Cigars. Ships Nasty Esco. Nasty Esco? - Yeah, it's a Nasty Esco.
- That's legit the name of the cigar? - That is the name of the cigar, it's an amazing looking box. Very pretty box. - Nice box, Nasty Esco.
- Is the box shaped like an ass? - No, it's not ass, it's E-S-C-O. - Esco, Esco. - Oh, not Nasty Asco.
- Not Nasty Asco, yeah, it's not Nasty Asco. - E-S-C-O, Esco. - 'Cause that's what I heard. - Is that short for something?
We'll find out. - Why don't we read us? - Why don't we read us, slowly. - After giving its new Nasty Esco line A soft launch, I thought we were making good banter, too, I don't know, I guess we're not, just reading too fast, new Nasty Esco line, a soft launch earlier this summer, Escobar, oh Escobar, Nasty Escobar, that makes sense, Escobar Cigars has begun shipping the cigars to retailers across the country, the cigar is a 5x52 Robusto with a blend that uses an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, a Sumatra binder, and fillers from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic.
It is made at PDR Cigars in the Dominican Republic. Pricing is set at $9 per cigar and $180 for a box of $20. Sounds like a decent cigar. Are you going to get those, Greg?
Probably not, but it sounds good. Nasty Esco joins the company's portfolio as a regular production line. Nasty Esco is the first cigar in what the company is calling the Light Years Collection, Which is being developed to mirror the album path of Nasir, Nas Jones, quote-unquote Nas, the Grammy award-winning rapper, entrepreneur, and producer. Nas?
Nas, ah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Don't worry, I said Nas the last time I read it too. Listen, I know I'm youth, but I'm uncultured. You are youth.
Yeah, I'm in my youth, kind of. What gen are you? Zee. Zee?
Zee. That's peace symbols. I know, yeah, peace, brother. Listen, I'm uncultured.
I don't know what we do. - I'm uncultured. That shirt screams culture, if you ask me. - Thank you, it's a banging shirt, right?
- It really is. - It's a nice shirt. - I like the shirt. - It's very nice.
- I'm a fan of the shirt. - I love this shirt. - I love this shirt. - The way Greg's shirt's photo looks like he has it on a shoulder holster.
- Shoulder holster? - It does, actually, like right there, doesn't it? - Yeah, it does. It looks like it has a shoulder holster.
- All right, let's see. - All right, turkey, turkey boy, or whatever that is on your shirt. - Yeah, yeah. - Nass began his career under the name...
- Nass. Go with Nass. - Nass? - Nass.
- Nass. - Okay, I've already committed. Nass! Nass!
That's right, if I learned anything after eight years, you say something wrong, you just keep going with it. Fuck 'em, let 'em figure it out. Nass began his career under the name Nasty Nass. There you go.
Nasty Nass, and adopted the Escobar persona during the mid-1990s. Oh wow, he's that, it's that long, wow. Uh, Jones joined the Escobar Cigars parents company, Puros Pravados, uh, as a cigar, uh, as a co-owner and equity partner in August 2021. In December 2025, NAS and DJ Premier released Light Years, a studio album that has begun in the works since 2006.
Wow. It took a while with that one. It took a while, it sure did. Well, they had to agree to what it was worth and who had more money.
Like yours, man. How does that discussion go? Are they speaking like English or are they speaking slang? I'm not understanding what your question is.
They negotiated for six years on how to define it. Was it six? I think it was longer than six years. I thought you guys said six.
I wasn't really paying attention. No, it was 2006 that they started it. Oh, so 20 years. Yeah, a long time.
20 years to negotiate who gets what from this album. Interesting. Yeah. They're like, okay, we're going to argue about this another time, put this on the back burner.
Right. I think my portfolio would better be suited for 7%. Songs aren't ready. Studio.
All right, move on. Nobody wants to talk. Go ahead. " And that's the end of that.
Well, uh, yeah. So how do you feel about, uh, Nas here? I like his songs. I couldn't tell you anything about him.
No, I couldn't. Oh my gosh. Nasty Nas. I couldn't tell you anything he's saying.
I, I thought, honestly, I thought that was a very new rapper. So when I saw that it said 1990s, I was like, oh, wow. Yeah, I know. He's, he's, this is a Lil Nas or Lil Nas or whatever.
That's what he's saying. That's a newer rapper. Is it? That's from your generation?
Yeah, Lil Nas X. I think that's a newer one. I was like, oh, it's this guy. Is that his son?
Now I'm wondering if it is. I thought it was the same person up until next time. Is he the baby daddy? Is that the way he is?
Yeah, granddad. What ethnic background is Lil Nas X? I don't know. I think he's the one that ratted out all his compadres.
Palmer, can we back-check that? You obviously did not understand that question. No, I'm trying to think if that's the guy I'm thinking of. He is Puerto Rican?
He's trying to make you say something racist. I think he's Puerto Rican. I think so. Yeah, exactly.
I'm trying to paint him into it. Yes, I think he's Puerto Rican. Don't fall for it. Palmer, can we fact check that, buddy?
Yeah, it says right here that he's half Puerto Rican, half Somalian. I was close. I was half right. Did you not notice that he looked nothing up?
No, did you really not? I can't see him. He's just ad-libbing. I can't see him at all.
I did, too. I looked it up. It's fine. Half Somalian, half Puerto Rican.
Somali? Somalian. Somalian. That's, wow, that's quite a distance, man.
I watched the movie last night. What movie did you watch last night? You're kidding me. I've gone from here to home to sleep.
Black Hawk Down? Did you watch Black Hawk Down? No. Oh, that would have been a good one.
That takes place in Somalia, right? I was smoking my Hooten Young cigars watching Black Hawk Down. Marca. Marca.
Marca. Black Hawk Down. Drinking my Hooten Young whiskey. Here's my Optimus Prom.
Much like Keanu's shirt, Marca. Merca. Merca. Got my ducks, my geese.
Go hunting. We hunt. August 27, 2026. Charlie Minuta Minato, News.
Two new independent cigars shipping next week, gentlemen. On Tuesday, September 1st, United Cigars will release the two new Vitolas of its independence line. The blend, which is made by Arnold Andre in the Dominican Republic, debuted earlier this year in the Independence Firecracker, A limited edition release as part of United's long-running firecracker series of cigars. They just released one, didn't they?
Yeah, we just got the bandoleros upstairs. The new ones come in the metal box, too. You like those boxes. I like the box.
You flip it over, it's an ashtray. You say it every time. You can flip it over and it's ashtray? Yeah.
You flip it over and it's an ashtray. Nice. Yep. Very functional, very functional box.
Because it's got like a hollow bottom. Well, okay, anything could be an ashtray then with a hollow, I can get a bowl. Anything with a hollow bottom is automatically an ashtray. Okay.
The bottom of this ashtray is an ashtray. You could make that ashtray an ashtray by flipping it upside down. Yeah, there is a hollow bottom on the bottom of this ashtray right there. Or you could also take the chair that you're in.
I'm not flipping it over. Cut to me. There's an ashtray right there at the bottom of this ashtray. I wouldn't flip it.
Nobody's cleaned down here in two weeks. If anything's an ashtray, if you're determined. At the time, the company didn't notice, didn't announce that they were new. Did they not announce or didn't notice?
They didn't announce. I didn't notice there were two new Vitolas. They didn't announce that there were two new Vitolas coming. Announced.
See, now you got me messed up. However, last month it said that Independence would be a regular production line offered in two standard Vitolas. Like with the Firecracker version, the two new cigars ship in 12-count metal tins that can also be used as an ashtray. Did you plan that?
Do you understand that? They are used as an ashtray. That's part of the design. That's part of the design.
That's part of the design. Why mess with success? Said Oliver and Devon, Director of Operations for United Cigars in a press release last month. The Independence Firecracker exceeded every expectation.
Rather than retire a blend people fell in love with, they were making Independence a permanent part of the Arnold Andre portfolio. United is also the American distributor for Arnold Andre, otherwise known as the maker of that one we were just talking about. Very good, very good. New cigar, Andre Andre.
Andre Andre. Arnold Andre. With 16 new ashtrays, a part of it. Revamped Stillwell.
Pom, are you good over there? All right, we switched seats. I'm going to do the last story, and then I don't know where to look. I really don't know where to look.
I'm going to do the last story, and then we've got to watch the score. So, revamp Stilwell Starline on the way to retailers. He's making his fancy cigar different. Earlier this year, Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust announced major changes to the Stilwell Starline.
More Vitolas, new blends, and new packaging. I wonder what the new packaging is. This week, those new cigars are shipping to stores. We have these coming, right?
We should, I believe. Introduced five years ago, Stilwell Star, Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust brand that combines pipe tobacco That's how it went to a handmade cigar. Since its debut, the line was offered in four regular production blends. Excuse me.
Ooh, coughing. Sick. He didn't invent this because the other people do this. Deadwood.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Right. I don't care what he claims. Deadwood did it, okay.
A limited edition holiday blend, all made in a 6x52 Toro. For 2026, the number of blends has been streamlined to three. Or in other words, two didn't sell. Aha.
So each is offered in the Toro Vitola as well as the Petit Robusto. The new lines are still made of Fabrica de Tobacco, Hoya de Nicaragua, we saw that one. Hoya. And the pipe tobacco comes from, Keanu, you're a pipe maker, or pipe smoker?
Yeah, yeah. Where do you think it came from? Uh, Virginia? Cornell & Deal.
Oh, you're talking about brand, yeah, that's a good brand, that's a good brand. Is it a good brand? That is, yeah, yeah, they make a lot of good stuff. One of America's largest pipe tobacco companies.
Well, two of the new versions were made by combining previous Stillwell Star blends, so they took the two that didn't sell, they mixed them together and make a new one. That's pretty good, I like that. Pretty smart, huh? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
The third cigar is one of the original Stillwell Star releases with a new name. Mmm, what's a name? You guys have to guess. Something along the Saka line.
Stillwell number six? Somalia. Somalia. Is this a- It's a callback, that's good.
Black Hawk Down? Stilwell Star Aromatic Dulce Maduro. Dulce. The same blend as the existing aromatic number one, Stilwell Star Aromatic Dulce Claro, a brand new blend from a hybrid previous Stilwell Star Cigars.
Stilwell Star English Dulce Maduro, a tweaked version of the English number 27 blend. Two other changes, if we didn't have time to kill, I wouldn't read all this. Two other changes for 2026, it's like he's sitting here talking. Excuse me.
All right, I have to fast forward, this is getting ridiculous. Oh, and at the end I have some quote from Steve Sakka, I didn't feel like reading it, it was very long. Oh, my. Thank God.
Very nice. This is going so smooth today. He's not a fan, he doesn't listen. All right, now it's time for the industry's favorite game.
What's the score? Palmer is dying. It's all the talking. Oh, I've been texting all day.
Oh my. Alright, what's the score? You just hush over there. You're not in charge anymore.
Can you predict a cigar score from a half-wheel review before it's revealed? We'll give you clues. You make your guess. As the review unfolds, the answers get closer.
Or does it? The closest guess wins. Let's play what's the score. Two contestants today, we have Mr.
Keanu Respo, apparently from Southern California, and Graham Stepankiewicz from Boston, by way of Poland. By way of birth. Not by way of Poland. Today's first cigar, July 20th, 2026, Mr.
Patrick LaGreed is the reviewer, it is a redux of a previous reviewed cigar, it is the West Tampa Tobacco Company, Devil Crab. Ricky stuff. Yes, one of my friend Ricky Rodriguez's. Yes, yes, you guys are close.
His flight from Miami to Nicaragua got canceled. They ended up a day late going over. Oh, that's not good. Why was it canceled?
A woman threw up all over herself? Oh, maybe from Panama, she made it to Miami. Yeah. Alright, Kluge, Keno, you know how this goes?
You've played before? Yeah. Okay, we would like you to go first, please, seeing you are apparently from Southern California. Wow.
That explains... Oh, that's the only, that's the first hand. That explains the tan. I always wonder why you were so tan.
Quite pale, I feel. And the long hair. I'm going to guess 85. Gregory?
88. Cigar Reviews, the West Tampa Tobacco Company Devil Crab. It is from Nicaragua. Factory, Garmin Dia Cigar Company.
Wrapper, uh-uh, we're not saying. Binder, uh-uh, we're not saying. Filler, uh-uh, still not saying. Length, we're going to tell you that.
99. It came out in April of 2025, this is a redux, so it only smoked one. Guiano? I guess it'll stay at 85.
Four and a half by 60. It's a little fat guy. Yeah. Like a crab.
Yeah, I'm gonna go a little lower. I'm gonna go 86. I think you like that 85, you want that spot. Clue number one.
The devil crab develops nicely once it reaches the thicker portion, A thicker portion, producing more smoke and richer flavors of cream, graham cracker, pepper, light earth, and a savory meaty broth note. Broth. Broth. Broth.
Broth. Like soup. Broth. Like soup.
Soup. Broth. Sopa. Sopa.
Mmm. Uh. Switch to you. 85.
I'll stick there. Or no. 85. Greg?
There we go. He's at 81. Why did you say? I'm gonna stay at 86.
86. Alright, clue number two: for most of the 90-minute smoke, the construction performs very well with an easy draw, strong smoke production, steady combustion, and a clean burn line. Oh, very positive, very positive. Um, nothing bad so far.
I might go to, uh, 88. Oh, he takes my 88. I'm gonna, I'm gonna push the envelope, I'm gonna go 90. Clue number three, the cigar falls apart.
Oh no, it doesn't, it doesn't say that. Yeah, the cigar falls apart late in the experience. The profile becomes dry, hot, and a shallow, while the wrapper splits around the head eventually, compromising the draw and forcing an early finish. Oh boy.
Pooey. Oh. Way down. Way down.
Way down. And he only spoke into one, so... Very low. Is this the last one or no?
No, there's a final thought. Yeah, there's one more. That was all the clues. 83.
I'm going to go 82. Oh. Final thought. After a year of rest, this West Tampa Tobacco Company Devil Crab showed me a couple of things.
First, the blend is still quite good. Second, while it's quite good, it's a touch less dynamic than I remember it being in the cigars I spoke for the original review. Three, between the two, I prefer the younger version as it has both more dynamics and nuances. That said...
Excuse me. Sorry, Mike. Are we boring you? Yeah, sorry.
I haven't slept by the last three nights. That said, the year-old version is also solid. It's smoother and rarely makes a misstep. If anything, I would have loved for the wrapper to be more durable, as that ended up becoming a bit of an issue.
But only at the very end. And if you still got these, or if you find them on a store shelf, It seems about as good a time as any to light them up. Cigar falls apart, great cigar. What am I missing here?
I'm sorry it fell apart. What am I missing here? That's the last one, huh? That was it, now, uh, my glasses over there.
I don't know where you're playing. No, no, that's okay, don't worry about it. We'll check for a number over there, Keanu. Oh, man.
Show is almost over. I think I'm going... Can you put the camera on you? Yeah.
I'm yawning again. I'm yawning again. Ba-ba-ba-ba. 87.
Oh, wow. Where was he at before? He was lower than that before. Yeah, I can't remember.
Don't ask me. Gotcha. I'm going to go 86. You went the wrong way.
Oh! 91! Oh! Cigar falls apart.
91. All right. Now is a chance to tie for the day, Gregory. The original score.
The original score. Keanu, you don't get to play because you won the original round. Okay. What?
No, no, no, no. Okay, no, but Greg goes first. Greg goes first, and then you could possibly win both. Yeah, alright, 92.
Alright, Keanu, you? I have no idea what's going on. What? Okay, this is a redo.
It's a redux, so they've done it before. Oh, the original. So now you're guessing the original score that he gave the cigar. Gotcha, okay.
He said 92. Switching the cameras like crazy. Yeah. Okay.
Did they say it was better than before? I can't remember. What in this current score was that? I'm going to say 91.
Ding, ding, ding, he wins! Woo! Same score. Same score.
Wow. 24, or 25, 26. Wow. Keanu's big winner of the day.
Keanu, you've got to do this thing like Boots does. Nothing up your sleeve, nothing up my sleeve? I think so. All right, Keanu, you want to plug where you're going to be?
Any personal appearances, parties you're going to, private things, women you're taking on dates, anything? Nope, got nothing going on. Wow. Greg, where are you going to be this weekend?
Oh, wait, this comes out Monday. Has this lounge been cleaned in the past seven days? No, it's today, actually. That's what I'm doing today after this.
Oh, okay. Today's Friday. You don't clean on Fridays. That makes a lot of sense.
I don't think anybody cleaned last week where we were going. I did clean last week. Did you clean last week? No, you didn't.
I don't think you did. Mop bucket filled with mud? Mop bucket filled with mud. Alright, thank you everybody.
You guys have the gunpowder that you guys shoot off every day almost. Yeah, there is gunpowder all over the floor. There is gunpowder all over the floor. There is all over the floor.
Alright, thank you very much everybody. We hope you enjoyed your edumetainment for the day. Everybody should be back tomorrow, I hope, I think, I'm not sure. Short episode.
How long is it? 43 minutes. That's good enough. As long as we get to 45, we're good.
I'll put a little song in the front and the back, boom, we're at 45. Anything you've got going on, mister, you know? Well, this comes out on Monday, so tonight you can watch me on Smokin' Oak Podcast, I'm not sure what time it comes out, it might already come out by now, I don't know. But it is coming out Monday at some time.
I taped it over in Tampa, over in E-Board, the day before yesterday. Nice. All right, guys, thank you very much, we'll see you later, bye! Boop!
Show Notes
On this episode of the Cigar Hustlers Podcast, the crew reviews and discusses the latest from United Cigars, Independence, and Dunbarton.A full cigar-industry news discussion — reviews, interviews, and commentary, plus the week's wildest headlines.In episode 606 of the Cigar Hustlers Podcast, host Cheanno runs from the news desk to the humidor — reacting to the week's headlines before digging into cigar news and reviews featuring United Cigars, Independence, and Dunbarton. Honest conversation and industry commentary, new episodes every weekday.