ACHP Episode 399 Denim Conspiracy and Cigar Mysteries?

Transcript

Welcome to episode. 399 of a

cigar Hustler podcast.

Hello, Michael.

Mr. Palmer, how are you?

I'm fine.

How are you?

You're very tan.

I am.

I was in the sun for the

weekend.

Don't want to elaborate any

further.

That's all.

That's all you're getting from.

Me all right, boots.

Hello over there.

But have we got to say a little

boost?

Hello.

Just walked in.

Bang Bang bong I.

Saw a post this week that

someone said Phil was better

than Boots, just for the record.

Well, Phil's gone.

Phil's gone.

What is this presidency you're

running for too?

He's on the the vote, which

we'll have to get into here in a

minute.

For the best Co host, he put

hashtag boots for Prez.

Oh, he just slid that in.

Just slid that in.

Yeah.

What are you running for

president of?

I don't know, I just thought it

was a a cool thing to put in

there.

Oh.

I do like that the the voting

took place and sure.

We can go ahead and get into

that, I guess Mr. Carney went

and rallied for votes, so then

Jack decided to do the same.

Yeah, so Jack hit the button

too.

So Jack hit the button and Jack

came out on top, did he?

Yeah.

I'm not sure how that happened.

I didn't get an angry phone call

Saturday morning from Jack

telling me he had won.

Oh, he'll let you know.

Very early, just so you know,

buddy, just so you know, I won.

I won.

Fine, Jack, you won.

We're still doing Hashtag.

Palmer's dead to me, so you

know.

He hung up abruptly.

Well, who's doing hashtag that?

Jack.

I'm dead to Jack.

Well, you know.

Because I supported Carney.

Well, we went a little just

that's more Patreon stuff.

That is something that we talked

about on the Patreon.

If you want to check it out, go

go sign up on our Patreon.

We review cigars and check it

out Patreon cigar Hustler's

podcast.

But one of the topics was Jack

Tranio or John Carney who's the

better Co host.

So there you go.

Alright, now this week's

episode.

We dive into chaos with a punch

of flavor, from death of an 80s

icon Lonnie Anderson to Sydney

Sweeney's jeans somehow sparking

conspiracy theories.

We talk about land being

auctioned off the DRC, China's

stepping up in the cigar world,

and Rocky Patel's mystery

bundles that have us asking

what's in the box.

Oh, no, don't do that, OK.

But first, Mikey, how do I get

some of that chapter pod swag?

What you want to do is you want

to go to chapterpod.com and

check out our newest T-shirts.

We have one that's not dropped

yet, but it will be coming out

next week.

And it's the first one that

we've ever done that's Postonia

cigar based or Postonia based,

so Postonia related.

So looking forward to that.

You helped me work on that.

Yes, we designed that this past

Friday.

Yes.

So I'm looking forward to that.

But go out, go onto chapter

pod.com.

We still have the Cappuccino

Sassanino available and the BDP

shirt.

And if you buy one at that same

time, get the 2nd 140% off.

Oh, 40.

Percent off yeah, we just re

upped on our shirts too, so.

Plenty of sizes back in stock.

Check it out chapter.

Pod.com.

I wouldn't say it at the same

time, it sounded good last week.

Ready. 1/2.

Threechapterpod.com All right,

events coming up On August 13th

from 11:00 to 3:00, I'm doing a

cut and light the Claremont

location of Old Time Cigars.

Then on August 14th, I'll be on

the Nice Ash podcast at 8:30 PM

Eastern Standard Time.

Also on August 14th, we have

Ziggy's Beer tasting upstairs at

Cigar Hustler.

The 19th I'll be on the Smoking

Sounds podcast.

August 29th we have an LFD event

upstairs at the Cigar Lounge.

Details are still coming.

Greg said today that he's going

to find out what that is.

Look at you man, you got a bunch

of podcasts.

And finally, on August 30th from

6 to 10:00 PM, I'll be doing an

event over at Cigar Life in

Lakeland.

Wow.

Very busy month, apparently

August.

Is you got a biggie?

Biggie.

You got a busy August.

August August is very busy.

Excellent.

All right, now on to trending

news.

Let's go.

Nothing has switched yet.

Because he's he's.

Opening a candy bar and sounds

like OK.

No, no, no.

It's been switching.

He shows up late.

What do you guys see?

The one where you guys go

chapter pod.com.

Oh, American Eagles says Sydney

Sweeney's ad is and always was,

about the jeans.

OK, JEANS.

So this is the most updated talk

of it 'cause there's been like 3

different things that have gone.

Yes, this is as of yesterday.

American Eagle Outfitters

responded to backlash over its

recent ads featuring actor

Sydney Sweeney saying the

campaign is and always was about

the jeans.

JEANS, not GENES.

The retailer generated

widespread scrutiny this week

after launching its denim

focused fall campaign that

featured Sweeney, the tagline

read.

Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.

Great JE.

AJEANS many online accused

American Eagle of promoting

white supremacy and Nazi

propaganda, with the campaign

implying that the company was

also promoting the jeans J, or

GENES of a white blonde woman.

It's play on words.

Jeans are passed down from

parents to offspring, often

determining traits like hair

color, personality and even eye

color.

Sweeney says in one of the video

clips before the camera pans up

to her blue eyes.

My jeans are blue.

But American Eagle rejected that

notion Friday and it's statement

posted to social media.

Her jeans, JEANS.

Her story, the post read.

We'll continue to celebrate how

everyone wears the American

Eagle jeans with confidence

their way.

Great jeans look good on

everyone.

OK, do you think that do you

think that all of this is just

BS built up by American Eagle or

is this actually legit people

are actually upset?

That's that's a good question

because what better way to get,

I mean, nobody's going to talk

about her just wearing jeans

unless they make something out

of it, right?

Well, I don't know, man.

I, I think this is, I think what

we're seeing, yes, is the

generation of people who don't

know what the fuck they're doing

for their job.

So I think when they did this

marketing thing with her and

they came up with this script,

it was completely something that

should have never have been done

because they should have really

put it through PR, you know,

something like that before

screened it and said, hey, do

you think this is a good idea?

Let's say something about my

jeans and then pan up to my blue

eyes.

Well, she has on blue jeans, a

blue, a denim shirt.

Why did they show the blue

jeans?

Well, they did.

They panned up and stopped on

her eyes.

So, but like, I don't think in

today's world, you can, you can

think of all the possible ways

somebody's going to take

something, right?

I, I think they, this happened

legitimately.

Somebody said, oh, they're white

supremacists, and they went.

OK, so we're upset about

genetics now.

I guess I don't know.

I mean, I'm, I'm just saying, I,

I, I find a lot of people in the

profession nowadays, especially

the younger generation, that

they have no clue what the hell

is going on.

I mean something so simple as

like, I mean, we can always go

back to McDonald's, but let's

just say Subway for somebody

different.

Right.

I was, I mean, that's, I mean,

you're going right into.

You know the guy with a

pedophile went to jail.

Here, I'll give you I'll give

you 2 instances Subway.

I went to subway right?

And at subway, the girl was

like, hey, what would you like?

I told her I would like the the

Philly sub right and.

Then she said you can't say

Philly.

No, no.

Then she's like.

Can't say sub.

No, she's like, OK, She's like,

well, what would you like?

I said, well, I'd like it how

it's made, how you guys make it.

She goes, oh, OK.

And so she gets out the bread

and everything and she starts to

make it.

She goes, well, what's on the

Philly?

I'm like, I started reading the

menu and she turned around and

started reading it with me.

She goes, oh, I didn't know

that's what was on it.

I'm only thinking in my head,

I'm like, your job is to know 12

Subs in this whole place.

OK, that's it.

You can't figure that out.

Like it's just 12 Subs.

I like the fact that we were

talking about jeans and somehow

he made a conversation.

About no, no, no, what I'm

talking about is people that

don't know their job.

But I don't know if this is the

thing where they don't know how

to do their job.

I don't know where that

transfers to this.

I think when the marketing

people were coming up with this

ad, I think that they should

have steered away of anything

that could have been some type

of.

But you could say you could say

anything and somebody could take

it the wrong way.

Yeah.

And I mean, they would just have

to have pictures and no words.

And even even then, somebody

would just talk about the

pictures.

And not to mention, now we're

all talking about it, so it

sounds like they did their job.

Yeah, that PR guy should get a

raise, the marketing guy,

whoever it is.

Probably be fired.

He wouldn't be fired.

Because the follow up ad was a

non white lady doing a similar

ad and they're like also.

Has good jeans, that's what.

They.

You know what I mean?

I like my jeans too.

Also great jeans.

That's insane.

I mean, there are a lot of

people that are genetically

blessed.

Doesn't matter where they come

from.

Yeah, you know.

I mean, yeah, if she would have

been Mexican, would we be?

Would it be something else?

Something completely Hispanic

lady like?

Salma Hayek, genetically

blessed.

Right, yeah, she said.

I like my jeans and she's got

dark hair, dark eyes and you.

Know, I mean, I'm I'm

genetically short.

I wish I was genetically taller.

You think you're short.

I think your arms are just

longer than they should be.

You think so?

Yeah, I don't think it's that

you're short.

You think I have long arms?

I.

Think you have longer arms?

Longer arms?

Yeah, that's very sweet of you

to say.

My wife says I have T Rex arms.

Wow.

Oh, there, that's small.

Yeah, well, she's got a bit

mean.

She's got, she's got, she's got

long arms, she's got.

It seems a bit bit American

Eagle ish.

You ever see Anderson Silva?

Do you guys know who Anderson

Silva is?

Yeah, I don't know.

He's a UFC fighter.

He's got super long arms.

Yeah, I call her Anderson.

Silva.

Yeah.

She's your wife.

Does that long?

Yeah.

She can reach out and grab

anything.

I guess she could be sitting.

Inspector Gadget.

Go go, gadget arms.

Yeah.

So, well OK, American jeans.

I don't.

This is the dumbest.

I feel like people are just

bored and they're outraged about

something.

That's it.

Shit people are.

There's got to be something.

Every once in a while they go.

We haven't been mad in a while.

What can we come up with?

We should be pissed.

Look at this pretty girl wearing

jeans.

She looks like a Nazi.

Let's go attack.

Her allegedly.

Allegedly.

Well, no, they're saying.

I mean, the blonde hair, blue

eyes, that's the, you know, the

Aryan Nation, that was the the

person they were trying to make.

But I feel like what happens is

you get so much.

Pushes Swedish.

Are you going to cut me off all

the time, Palmer over there or

what, 'cause you'd be like 4 for

four so far.

OK, now I don't even know what I

was going to say.

Something about Sweeney?

Something about what?

Something about Sweeney?

Something about swinging

Sweeney.

Sweeney, Sydney Sweeney is the

girl we're talking about.

I.

Don't know anymore.

No, we were talking about how

people were getting out have to

get outraged over something.

We were.

All right, I guess we'll move on

to another blonde haired, blue

eyed lady.

Lonnie Anderson passed away on

August 3rd, 2025 at the age of

79, the actor's family said in a

statement.

We are heartbroken to announce

the passing of our dear wife,

mother, and grandmother.

She took her last breath at a

Los Angeles hospital following a

prolonged illness and is

survived by her husband and two

children.

Lonnie Anderson, best known for

a role is Jennifer Marlowe on

the 1978 sitcom WKRP in

Cincinnati, was indeed a notable

figure and cultural icon of the

1980s.

Her portrayal of the sharp

witted and glamorous

receptionist made her a

household name and solidified

her status as A6 symbol during

that era of WKRP in Cincinnati

concluded in 1982.

Her popularity continued

throughout the 80s, fueled by

magazine coverage, public

appearances and her marriage to

actor Burt Reynolds.

That's that's where I I don't

know her from you.

You don't know her from.

Barry, I don't know this lady.

No, she was on a soap opera or

something.

Debbie Carr Pete in Cincinnati

was a sitcom back in the 70s and

80s.

OK, so who was Lonnie Anderson

to you, buddy?

She was the lady from the

sitcom, yeah.

Well, he was.

He was definitely watching these

shows when he was younger.

Did you find her attractive?

For that era, yeah.

Big hair, you know, a lot of

makeup, blonde hair.

Yeah, did you have a poster of

her?

No, I did not have a poster of

her, but they were out there.

Yeah, yeah.

Did you just not find one?

No, that wasn't the poster I

had.

Who was your go to?

Come on, it was the blonde that

was in Fall Guy.

I don't remember her name.

Does she have blue eyes?

We're going to unplug his mic in

two seconds.

I don't know what he did at home

today, but he's all.

Gassed, you said what he was

doing on the way here.

He just all worked.

Out.

Yeah, Ginger was kind of walking

funny walking in.

Wow.

So what are you going to say

now?

Are you going to keep?

Is there more story?

No, it was just a bunch of

nothing exciting.

Nothing exciting.

Her marriage to Burt Reynolds

Her relationship and subsequent

marriage to Burt Reynolds, a

major Hollywood star at the

time, kept her in the spotlight

and further submitted her status

as an 80s icon.

OK, well if you want me to make

a short clip about this, you

better talk about how important

this girl is 'cause I have no

idea who she is.

Did you?

You're.

Not familiar with the show WKRP

either.

No.

Oh, you should go back and watch

that.

It was funny.

Les Nessman, the guy who threw

the turkeys out of the

helicopter at Thanksgiving

'cause he swore they could fly?

Nope.

Wow, you I was born in.

Ricky knows what I'm talking

about.

Yeah, OK, but I was born in

1984, bro.

It's still on TV now, right?

We were born in the 80s, never

watched.

Every Thanksgiving, the story

about the turkeys out of the

helicopter is on social media.

Never seen it I.

Think the only piece that he

described her as was Burt

Reynolds, and that's maybe where

we could go.

Oh yeah, this.

Is the only show I never run but

she did shows like cannonball

run and that type of stuff

afterwards the movie.

Yeah, I saw those.

She was in those.

What Car was she in?

I couldn't tell you.

Oh God, couldn't tell you.

So he because Burt Reynolds,

because Burt Reynolds was in it

and he was her husband at the

time, right.

So she probably had some bit

part that you know, a couple

lines or something.

So here you are talking about an

icon.

You don't even know anything

about the icon.

Well, I know who she is.

Well, he didn't have the poster.

You didn't say no.

I didn't have her poster.

Yeah, you didn't say anything

like, you know, greatest

wrestler of all time.

She wasn't the greatest wrestler

of all time.

I don't believe she ever

wrestled at all.

Maybe in private she might as.

Well, probably.

Definitely wrestled in.

Private.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, right, I would

assume.

And he has headphones I don't

understand.

He always has headphones.

Yeah.

Oh, I mean, he can hear that

we're talking.

Yeah.

Yeah, I know.

Yeah.

He's trying to be pretty.

He's trying to be president.

He's trying to get more airtime.

What was the other?

What was the other post that I

talked about?

Ozzy.

Ozzy.

Yeah, she wasn't Ozzy Status.

She wasn't, what's his name?

Hulk.

Hulk Hogan status.

So but.

Back in the 80s she would have

been, but after she got older,

no, obviously not.

Was she still on a show?

Still on the show?

What?

The show got cancelled in the

80s.

OK, so she's not doing anything

currently?

Well, she's in a coffin at the

moment.

She wasn't strapped to a chair

performing her last Torah, no.

No.

No, Maybe.

Oh, maybe she could have been

after she wrestled.

Maybe she liked being strapped

in a chair.

I have no idea about her

personal life.

She wasn't focusing on some

Greco Roman New sport that she

was going to bring to light.

No.

No beer, no nothing.

Her hairstyle and makeup was a

status in the 80s.

People wanted to look like her.

Well, hey, RIP Lorraine.

I guess I.

No, Lonnie, not.

Lorraine, Lonnie, RIP.

Lonnie.

Lorraine Anderson, that's her

sister.

I think she's still alive.

She's OK.

I think she's still OK.

Yeah.

I.

Think so?

Survived by her sister.

Yeah, very sad.

She's very sad.

OK.

All right.

This next story, Michael, I

pulled for you.

Oh good.

Not the last one.

No, not the Lonnie Anderson.

Apparently he hates Lonnie

Anderson, and he's not surprised

she's dead.

Right, she's out.

Of pull the story for you

Michael.

Gorilla habitats and pristine

for us at the risk as DRC opens

half of the country to oil and

gas drilling.

OK.

We need to talk about the

problems of your people,

Michael.

The lowland gorillas are being

squeezed.

Generalized.

That's frustrating.

The Democratic Republic of the

Congo is opening crucial gorilla

habitat and pristine forest to

bids for oil and gas drilling,

with plans to carve up more than

half the country into fossil

fuel blocks.

The blocks open for auction

cover 124 hectares, 306 acres of

land in inland waters described

by expert as the world's most

the world's worst place to

prospect for oil because they

hold vast amounts of carbon in

our home to some of the planet's

most precious wildlife habitats,

including endangered lowland

gorillas.

Oh, OK.

Is there a question after that?

Are you those?

Are diamonds there?

What Diamonds.

Yeah.

No, the Tarzan's Tarzan saved

all those.

You saw that movie, apparently.

OK.

This year, the government has

launched a licensing around for

52 oil blocks.

These are in addition to three

blocks previously awarded one of

the areas that 64% is intact

tropical forest, according to

the spatial mapping and analysts

in a new report by Earth

Insight.

Expansion of oil and gas

developments is at odds with Dr.

CS commitment to protect

biodiversity and climate

protection, experts warn.

So of course with your

permission Michael, we would

like to start a GoFundMe and buy

some of the land during the

auction to save your people.

I.

Have to save my people.

Save your people, yes.

OK, we can do that.

I'm happy to do that for you.

OK.

How much are the hectares?

You green lighted this.

It's an auction.

He doesn't green light these

stories anymore.

But.

He just did.

There's an auction.

Oh, he green lighted the

GoFundMe.

Yeah, it's an auction.

I don't, we don't know how much

they are.

I mean, we could get a deal,

maybe get a a rocky area or

something with not many trees,

but I don't I don't know how

your people feel.

About that, we just put the

gorilla.

That would be up to you.

I would prefer if you like,

picked out a hectare you wanted

that you thought would be nice

for your people.

So why do you think we're

drilling in the Congo?

Because there's oil there, and

the Cantonese people want money,

apparently more than they want

gorillas.

The Congonese.

That's what they're.

Called.

Yeah, they want.

The people from the Congo are

called the Congonese people.

Have you never seen a Tarzan

movie?

That's how they refer to them,

no.

Yes.

The Congonese.

Why do you think they're

drilling over in Africa?

Congos.

I think there's, I think there's

blood diamonds.

I don't think there's oil.

Yeah.

Blood.

He wants the diamonds.

Yeah.

Yeah, Leonardo DiCaprio and I

don't remember the other guy's

name.

Oh, it's a different movie.

I thought you meant the diamonds

they were paying paying to get

the armies to come in.

Well.

I can tell you one thing about

the gorillas, they have good

jeans, but.

They don't have blue eyes.

They don't have blue eyes.

They might.

They are.

They are the occasional white

albino gorillas.

We should reach out to American

Eagle and have them put jeans on

all the.

Gorillas on the gorillas, yeah.

This show's not going.

To go that way, they could raise

money and they could buy their

own land.

What's that?

That way they could raise money

and buy their own land.

Yeah.

A great idea.

You ever see Planet of the Apes?

Of course, that's where it

starts.

Is that where it starts in the

jeans?

Yeah, American Eagles supports

the jeans.

Then they buy their own hectares

where you know, and then they

start.

How big?

How big is a hectare?

Like 2 acres.

I'll probably be corrected on

that.

I don't.

Think he said it with

confidence.

Though he did, I believed him.

I thought it was real.

I just, I just winged it.

Nice.

He's like 2.7.

You forget to start the timer by

the way.

Yeah, sure did.

That's my responsibility now.

Oh you, you start the timer now.

He starts the timer now all.

Right, we're at 20 minutes.

That's OK.

Well, there's nothing.

I mean, you know, whatever.

All right, the Powerball jackpot

is growing again after no

winning ticket matched all six

numbers in Saturday night's

drawing.

The winning numbers in the

August 2nd drawing were, if you

hadn't seen it before,

6183430536 and Powerball 2.

Put Powerball numbers up.

Must have been no news this this

week.

Look, we did gorillas and are

going Powerball.

Well, nobody hit the big jackpot

of winning.

A $1 million ticket was sold in

Georgia according to the

Powerball's website.

That means a ticket matched the

five white balls, but not the

Powerball.

The next drawing is Monday,

August 4th, which is tonight.

As we record this, The estimated

jackpot is now worth

$426,000,000 with a cash value

of 193.5 million.

OK, so what's the first thing

you would do if you won the

Powerball?

Do you know what the odds of

winning are?

No, I don't care.

It's not.

It's very low.

One in 292,201,330.

Eight.

I said no, so the chances are

pretty good.

So you're saying there's a?

Sand nagging maybe?

So what's the first thing you do

if you won the Powerball?

Pay off all my bills, Yeah, and

pay off my wife's student loans.

That's the most boring thing

I've ever.

After that, what would you do?

Well, after that, because after

that, see if I have, let's say I

do the cash, I'd have $193.5

million, OK, So after I do all

that, I still have 193,000,000

point, still have a lot of the

money left.

I don't know, buy a nice house

somewhere.

Yeah, yeah.

Get a Jeep.

Get a nice Jeep.

A Jeep.

I I've had Jeep.

I've had four Jeeps in my life.

I like Jeeps, but they're not

practical.

You like driving 35 miles an

hour and everything's shaking?

I love Jeep.

That didn't happen 35 miles an

hour.

It doesn't happen.

What does that have?

A 40?

No, more like 5560.

Oh, a 5560.

That's one of those sounds.

But I want like a 1970s Jeep

that I know is not gonna have

any problems that would.

Breakdown continue.

No, I'm the one that's been

rebuilt that doesn't have any

problem you.

Think a 19.

Even if it's rebuilt, a 1970

Jeep is gonna run Perfect.

It's gonna be got.

A brand new motor in it.

Like a 1970 motor or a brand

new.

Like a brand new motor.

So it's been redone, but it

looks like the older.

I like the older style there.

So you want a 1970 frame with

modern technology?

Inside of it OK.

It'll still shake like crap

though.

I know it shakes.

Like I said, I've had four of

them, so I understand.

Where would you take this Jeep?

Making my everyday drive.

Really.

Well, where are you going to

drive?

You got 193,000,000.

You can still.

Come depends on where my house

is.

You ain't coming here anymore.

No.

Not $193 million.

No, I'm done.

I'm not coming here anymore.

We never see.

You I will.

I will buy online cigars from

you.

How's that I'll?

I'll, I'll.

Put your face on.

I'll be one of the white glove

concierge that Steve reaches out

to, OK?

And I'll still go.

That sounds really expensive,

Steve.

I'm like, I don't.

Know about that?

How about those new bundles you

have?

Can you just send me some of?

Those a little steep.

A little steep.

What would you do?

Dominican tobacco I don't.

Like it?

OK, we're moving on.

So what are we?

What are you?

What would you do if you own the

Powerball?

Oh man, pay off my wife shooting

loans.

No first thing.

Yep.

I'd buy a fully restored so I

don't have to do anything to it.

68 Camaro.

OK.

First name.

Original motor or?

No, it doesn't have to be

original.

OK, that's what you want.

Yeah, that'd be the first time.

68, Yeah, I could picture you in

a 68 Camaro.

Doesn't look pleasant.

You getting in and out of it?

No, no, it's a little bit of a

struggle bust.

You got a truck for a reason,

dude.

It's easy to climb in, slide

right out.

It is, but I like the car.

OK, what?

Would be the first thing you do.

Going to buy a gym.

I would torch this building,

which would be the first thing I

would do.

I'd set a flamethrower to this

place.

What would I do?

I don't know.

I'd probably I'd probably buy a

house, I guess a bigger house

with a helicopter pad.

So Matt Booth can land his gold

helicopter.

So that meant when Matt Booth

comes by, he can just land

there, right there.

Nice.

Yeah, that's, that's what I'm

I'm just thinking about Matt.

You know Powerball hits

instantly, goes to booth.

Obviously.

Yes, yeah, without question.

OK, so 400 million's on the

table.

Yes, I just want to know if I

win I won't be here.

Tomorrow you're not coming here

anymore either.

You won't see me.

No, I'll give you $1,000,000 if

I win.

I'd probably still come in.

Why would you still come in?

Burn the plate.

Make sure everybody's out before

you burn it.

Down I've been building this

thing for 1516 years.

Oh, but now when Greg says you

can't do that, it's too

expensive, you'll go fuck you, I

can't too.

I wouldn't invest my own money

at that point.

Not.

No, he's got to figure it out.

He's.

Still going to work.

Sorry, Greg, none of this is

yours.

Yeah.

All right, Boots.

Trending News is next.

I just sent you your story,

Boots.

I've been looking, just send it

to me.

I've been looking forward to

this one.

Yes, yeah, I forgot.

I just sent it to you.

It's been a very busy morning

upstairs.

Let's go.

What are you laughing about?

Don't.

Worry Hello Peoples Germany's

oldest and biggest gay nightclub

declares bankruptcy.

What?

What?

Declares bankruptcy.

What did shoots?

What was it?

A 50 year old dance hotspot

falls victim to inflation.

Inflation and rising rents,

threatening Berlin's club scene.

Germany's oldest and biggest gay

dance club has declared itself

bankrupt after nearly half a

century in business.

Falling victim to inflation and

involving party culture,

threatening Berlin's nightlife

management troubles and dating

apps were among the factors

putting Schwartz on the ropes

last year.

Wait, what?

And what's it called?

In May, the Club Shore and its

opening hours laid off staff and

asked regulars for help to plug

a growing shortfall to little.

Eval, eval, eval, whatever.

On Thursday, the management team

posted on Instagram.

Schwitz has filed for

insolvency.

Schwitz.

But we don't want to give up.

The Post noted Schwitz integral

role in Berlin's LGBTQ plus

scene since it was founded in

Kreuzberg in 1977, helping two

years later to launch

Christopher St.

Day Parade and queer magazine

Sliglasao What?

Was.

It what was that which is short

for swollen's interim or gay

center moved to a much larger

space with capacity for 1000

revellers in fashionable Nuquan

in 2013, which may have been the

beginning of the end.

This year's club has had a

deficit each month of 30,000 EUR

60,000 EUR 26,000 to 52,000 a

lot.

Of numbers it's.

Getting cooked.

With income on a downward slide,

the public broadcaster RBB

reported the club has now staged

a last ditch bid for supporters

to rally behind it for future

queer generations who need a

place that uplifts, empowers and

makes them visible.

Oh my goodness, so where?

Are you going to go now when you

go to Europe?

Yeah.

How do you feel about that?

You know, Hippelhauser is

German.

I figured this would be

something, you know, your

family's culture and stuff.

Yeah.

When you go to Germany, what's

going to happen?

Are you going to go there or no?

Support the peoples.

Like a.

Memorial.

I'm not engaging with you too.

What?

Do you mean you're not engaging

with us?

You just read the whole story?

You're totally engaging with us.

You're recorded for all of

prosperity.

Are you just?

Are you just drawn about this?

Maybe that's why you're talking

about.

He's upset.

What He's upset.

Maybe that's why he can't talk

to.

You.

Yeah.

He can't, yeah.

He said he didn't know.

Now he doesn't know what to.

Do he had no idea what was going

down.

You maybe should renew your

membership.

Yeah, maybe they need the

income.

Yeah, you should go back.

Get the locker and the whole the

whole shebang.

They got there.

There's nothing, there's nothing

better than making a homophobe

saying stuff about gay news.

With big German words.

You OK?

I'm.

Perfectly fine.

I'm shutting down I'm.

Shutting down.

I'm not talking.

This is me shutting down.

All right, Well, hey, listen,

our thoughts and prayers are

with the.

LGBTQ community, German

community, Yeah.

And Boots's favorite nightclub?

And boots and the rest.

Of the Hippo and the Hippo

Hauser family.

Yeah.

All right, Mikey, Social media

minute.

I didn't understand this until I

heard you talking upstairs about

15 minutes ago.

Yeah, So I saw a post last week

about underground cigars in

Texas and they've been having

some struggles with construction

in their town, I guess.

So now there's been issues with

flow of traffic and they're they

haven't had a lot of people

coming into the store.

So because of that, it's

impacted them huge and they

don't, I know they've done

business with us in the past.

I don't know if they still care

about.

Not currently, no.

But if you're a cigar fan and

you want to support a retailer,

reach out to them and they're

doing all kinds of things.

I can't say the website here,

obviously, but you know, check

out Underground Cigars and and

do what you can to support them

because Don Wiggins a good dude.

And I would like to see them

survive.

And I think it's good for the

industry if they do survive.

So that's my sad social media

post for the week.

Let me tell you what I thought

it was about.

Sure.

I thought the SBC had gone to

the underground market and there

was construction and because of

all the construction issues

there was a problem.

Resolving.

Oh yeah, Well, this is a

segundo.

Oh, and it's burning perfectly.

Oh, of course it is.

So maybe Charlie got the only

bad box.

Well, the five pack haven't

anybody buy a box I.

Don't know, maybe just a 5 pack.

I haven't had any other

complaints.

I haven't had a no, I haven't

had a complaint from anybody.

Now people are hashtagging it

the the best underrated cigar

I've ever smoked.

Oh really?

Yes, that's lovely, right?

I smoked like 4 I haven't had an

issue.

Yeah.

Hey, you know what I like

somebody posted, hey, that's

good then then they'll be more

available for the longer period

of time.

That's good point.

So.

All right, now on the cigar

news, Trump announces 18% tariff

rate for Nicaragua.

There it is.

On Thursday night, the Trump

administration released dozens

of new tariff rates ahead of the

White House self-imposed August

1st deadline.

Among them is Nicaragua, the

country that exports roughly

half of all premium cigars sold

in the US.

Effective next week, Nicaragua's

tariff rate will increase from

10% to 18%. 18% is not new, the

rate that is the rate that the

White House announced in April

during President Donald Trump's

Liberation Day event, though at

the time it was unclear if the

rate was 18 or 19%.

A week later, Trump announced

that he would be suspending

those announced rates and

instead many countries would pay

lower rates for the next 90

days, dropping Nicaragua's rate

from 18 to 19 to 10%.

That temporary change was

supposed to expire early July,

but it was extended to August

1st.

Nicaragua was the only major

cigar producing country affected

by the temporary changes.

The new 18% rate won't go into

effect until Thursday, August

7th.

Furthermore, all goods loaded by

August 7th that arrive in the US

before October 5th.

We'll get the pre August 7th

rates.

Nice little perk there.

What did it?

I'm sorry if you have your stuff

loaded by August 7th and it

doesn't, and as long as it

arrives before October 5th, you

still get the lower rate.

Earlier on Thursday, multiple

judges of the US Court of

Appeals for the Federal Circuit

showed skepticism at the White

House's justification for

enacting the tariffs without

congressional approval.

The 11 judge panel was conveyed

as part of a multiple multiple

lawsuits that are challenging

the Trump administration's

emergency justification for the

tariffs.

Regardless of how the appeals

court rules, the matter is

widely expected to end up in the

Supreme Court.

OK.

OK.

So do you think that a lawsuit

is the right way to go fighting

these tariffs?

If he's not supposed if, if he's

not supposed to be allowed to do

it right, then I mean, I don't

see a problem challenging him.

OK, what about you boots?

I think everything should be

challenged.

Everything should be challenged.

Yeah, I'm always.

Yeah, why not?

OK, like the bankruptcy of your

favorite club?

Challenge that.

They're challenging it.

Yeah, it should be challenged.

He's got his finger on the pulse

of the.

Well, I mean, it's definitely

interesting that this is the the

main country that's it's

affecting is Nicaragua.

Right.

Well, there's a long list of

countries, but out of cigars.

As far as the Cigarians.

Yes, yes, it is odd that it's

Nicaragua and also not Dominican

or Honduras.

Well, I don't think that's odd

because you know, there ties

there with.

Well, I'm sure everybody's got a

special circumstance.

With countries that.

I mean, it could be worse.

We could be 148% like China.

Is China back up to?

The last I heard is what it was,

I haven't checked on it lately.

It probably isn't that, I would

guess.

There was a list in halfway, I

just didn't read through it.

Oh, it was a list on Halfway.

Yeah, yeah.

You know, it sucks because it's

going to hurt all the boutique.

I mean, we've been saying this

for months now.

At this point, it's going to

hurt a lot of the boutique

blends, you know, brands that

don't own factories are going to

be affected the most.

You think you think they'll be

affected so much that they'll

you won't see them again.

I think a lot of them will will

close up shop.

Yeah, just like your favorite

bar in Germany.

Yeah, they're going to pack it

in it.

It's kind of inevitable.

You know, the strong ones will

figure out how to navigate

through it and the ones that

weren't prepared for it or, you

know, I mean, I don't know how

you could see, I guess you could

see this coming to some degree.

But the reality is it's tough,

man.

If you can't compete in the

market, you're going to get shut

out.

Do you think it's stays or they

cut some deal?

Oh, I think it stays without

question.

I don't.

Is there I mean, because you

just cut a deal with Japan last

week and but it's.

Still there at 14, but they're

more allies.

Well, that's just it.

I mean, there's got to be

something that we supply them.

There's got to be some trade

off, right?

I don't know what Nicaragua gets

from us, if anything.

Right.

Or on a massive amount, right?

Right.

Yeah, I mean, they have, they

have stuff other than cigars

though.

They have rum.

Well, it's 14% on anything

coming out there. 18, sorry, 18%

on anything coming out there.

Coffee.

Yeah.

Yeah, Kathy posted something

about his coffee prices are

going to have to go up or

something.

I'm I'm sure there will

definitely be a a deal struck,

I'm sure.

I don't think there's.

Going to be depends on the

government and why the

government doesn't care.

Yeah, I don't think there's

going to be a deal.

You don't think so?

No, not at all.

So, OK, so now going off of that

as well, I mean obviously Mikey

you're affected of this.

I am the most out of all of us,

right?

I mean we're all affected, but

you're affected the most.

So with your own brand, how do

you do you, do you feel that

that's going to affect you a lot

in your own brand or do you feel

that you are already in have

things in place to counter that?

No, we just received our an

inventory, right.

So we have a, we're going to, we

have a decent amount for the

time being and we're going to

kind of navigate through it and

see how things go.

Realistically, it's just a

question of what the market can

sustain and then what we can do

in order to survive.

So if we have to raise our

prices, we're going to, you

know, if we don't, we won't.

But I'm going to tell you right

now, we already operate on a

shorter margin.

So if it stays, and I think that

it will, you'll probably see a

price hike from us.

Well, there's always a price

hike every year.

Do you think that would be a

separate price hike?

Yeah.

Well, your price hike on average

is 3 or 4%, right?

This you're talking about

anywhere between 10 to 15%,

something like that, you know,

who knows, but it'll be more

than your average if it's

sustainable.

What if it's not sustainable?

Do you think these go away if

when there's a new president

elected or do you think they

stay?

I still don't think these things

go away.

No.

Here's the thing about the

government is they like money,

right?

Even though it makes no sense to

me whatsoever, the reality is

that economy works in a cycle,

right?

You have your boom, then you

have your pullback, you have

your recession, right?

You have this inflation.

How do you fight inflation?

The only way you can fight

inflation is by taking money off

the table so that there's less

of it.

How do you do that?

Through taxation.

Whether you admit the tariffs

are taxation or not, they are.

They were 100%.

Taxation, yeah.

So, you know, you can either tax

the people directly, you can tax

them indirectly, but it's

taxation.

It's it's always been trivial to

me how people argue which

taxation is good, which that

taxation is bad for me

personally, I don't think any of

it's good.

You know, that's the I, I don't,

I'm not a fan of, of taxes

period.

But you know, I'll always do my

part.

I'll, I'll pay my taxes like a,

like a good citizen should and

keep it moving and figure it

out.

Is it gloom and doom in the end

of the world?

No.

And it it never really is.

You have to figure it out.

Now that's now.

Now the tax is based off of

goods coming from Nicaragua

straight to the US.

Is there a loophole to where

they can ship to somewhere else

to ship to the US to get around

that?

I honestly don't know.

You have to do something to it

at the at let's say the second

stop.

China tried that with steel,

tried it with aluminum.

It's got to be some type of

process done to it.

Now I would I guess they could

send the tobacco and have it

rolled somewhere else and maybe

get around the loophole that way

rolled in package in a different

country.

Look, I I think.

Once they find out you're doing

it, they find out a way to stop

you from doing it so.

I think the reality is that

there will always be people to

test loopholes, so always they

will always try and work around

the rules and regulations.

Some of them will be successful,

some of them won't be successful

and.

That that stop also adds prices

though too.

Yeah, additional transportation

price.

Transportation prices, Maybe

Labor's higher in that country

than it was in Nicaragua,

something.

Do you see cigar factories

moving from Nicaragua to other

places with such a big hike or

just the change in price?

I don't think 18% is enough to

make somebody pack up and and

move their entire operation.

I think the political

uncertainty is enough for people

to try and pack up and hedge

their bets in other countries.

We've seen that.

We've seen that already.

Just for an example, would Roma

Craft all of a sudden be a

Dominican made cigar?

They just use Dominican tobacco?

Or would they move Nicaraguan

tobacco to the Dominican

Republic?

Well, you got to remember that a

lot of stuff that they source,

they don't, it's not just

entirely Nicaraguan, right,

Right.

You know they get Mexican San

Andreas.

I guess you're right.

Cameroon from Cameroon, you know

it's.

I mean from the Cantonese

people.

From the Cantonese, save the

gorillas.

Hashtag save the gorillas.

But I think it would be

extremely difficult to move a

smaller production company,

sure, that's producing a few

million sticks.

Take forever.

I mean, you'd have to re.

I mean, that's a whole thing.

Yeah, there will be.

Such a long period where you're

not producing.

Right.

So it's unlikely, but look, it's

just like anything else.

You're going to see who will

survive and you'll see who won't

and is what it is.

We're not big enough to control

any of that, right?

We're a industry that's on

average you have 3,000,000

consumers of cigars in in, in

the US, right of that I would

say over a third of them are are

bundles, right?

And then maybe a third of them

are your mid range boutique

smokers.

So we're talking about maybe 2

million people.

So you could say we're elite.

Not even 2.

I'm sorry 1,000,000 people, so

do you think?

So rise up your 1,000,000

people.

So you think the you think, you

think politicians care about

what a million people are going

to think?

No, there's There's not enough

votes there to sway.

How many of your low lane

gorillas are there?

Maybe we can move them all here

and get them to smoke.

Cigars, if we get all the

hectoras or whatever you call

them, the hectares and we got

them to vote yes and maybe,

maybe we.

Gorillas can vote.

We have to #gorillas should

vote.

We have to make them cigar

smokers, so.

They look like they would be.

You think so we can get them not

to eat them?

The one in, They're like leaves.

George of the Jungle smoke

cigars.

Did he?

Oh, there you go.

It has to be all of them then.

It has to be all sure.

All right, STG is raising prices

for 2025.

Oh, go figure.

And they're discontinuing 34

items.

Yes.

Fueling the growth.

Effective today, October 4th,

Scandinavian tobacco group STG

is increasing the price of the

cigars that it sells in America.

Did you say effective today,

October 4th?

August 4th.

Did I say October?

Yeah, August.

Sorry, but unlike most of the

price increases that have been

announced recently months, the

company says that this increase

is unrelated to the Trump

administration's recent tariffs.

So there's another increase

coming.

Yeah, that's right.

So there's another one.

Just a coincidence.

They both have it on the same

day, right?

Instead, this serves as the

annual price adjustment for two

of its American sales divisions,

General Cigar Company and Justin

Andrews Cigar Fund.

Oh, and Ford Cigar Company SCG

was one of the few companies

that opted for a tariff

surcharge instead of a full

price list revision in in its

case, a 5% charge is added on to

every order to account for the

tariffs.

Previously, the company said

that if the tariffs were

reversed, it would remove the

tariff surcharge immediately, a

position reiterated in letters

to retailers last week.

So I guess they're going to do

something different now.

Well.

What do you do now?

Yeah, 12%.

So it's got to be at least 10%.

SCG has three different

wholesale cigar operations.

General Cigar Company sells Cao

Don Thomas, Machanudo Odyssey

and the non Cuban version of

Cohiba, Hoya de Monterey Punch

and Sancho Panza.

Don Thomas, that's.

What it says?

I don't.

I've never heard of that one.

Not Tomas.

That's Tomas.

Maybe that's Tomas.

Yeah, I haven't heard of that

one either.

The Ford Cigar Company sells

Alec and Bradley Chillin Mousse

Diesel, Los Statos, Room 101 and

the non Cuban version of the

Bolivar, El Rey, Demundo, La

Gloria, Cubana and Partigus

Myron.

Myron Dutch sells 5 Vegas Ave.

Maria, Manawar, Nika Libre and

various Buffalo Trace brand

cigars.

And just to the price increase,

the company has announced that

has discontinued 34 skews across

the General and Forge portfolio,

most of which are from Alec and

Bradley brand.

STG acquired Alec and Bradley in

2023.

They're out of here.

They're out of here.

All right, I'm not going to read

the entire list, but Alec and

Bradley, they are discontinuing

22 different.

Yeah, they're pretty much almost

all of them.

All of the Alec and the Bradleys

isn't.

That interesting they they

acquire these brands and then

they shrink the brands they.

Kill them.

Well, yeah, they acquired the

brand.

This is going to go great.

Look, we got the two guys

working for us.

The dad's going to step out and

they're like, well, they

shouldn't sell it.

You think that's what's going

on?

I don't know.

We got to get Alec on the phone.

Right.

Yeah, we should call Alec.

Justin always heckles me when I

say something positively about

Nico Sueno.

Whatever.

I saw that.

It's the same thing.

It's the same thing.

It's the.

Same comment, right?

Oh, you, you know, like.

Oh, how do you get your lips off

of Skip's ass long enough to

post something that's a double S

verbatim?

You think you could reinvent

something new?

Justin, he's got the writers

that do it for him, and they're

just, you know, not paying so.

I guess the SDG motto is just

rebrand and not come up with

anything original.

There you go.

So.

Three different Cao flavored

cigars of medicine discontinued

and then a FLVR line.

Have you?

Are you familiar with flavor?

But it's FLVR, I'm sure it

stands for flavoring.

Oh well, they're discontinued

with the space Ranger, the ski

chalet, the space Ranger, the

space Ranger.

No.

The ski chalet.

The yacht Rock.

Yacht Rock.

Wow, so if they discontinue a

cigar, can you use the name?

No, no, they register the name.

They sell the trademarks.

But they do sell the names

sometimes because back when we

had all the FDA problems, you

know, when you could pre

whatever thing you could buy a

name that had been up before.

It's time out for one second

here.

Terano came on the show and he

talked about you would sit in a

room and in order something to

get approved, it was like 16

other guys.

You're going to tell me that 16

dudes said yes to Yacht Rock?

Yes.

Yeah.

So we're going to have that one.

I don't know what it tastes

like, but yes, we're doing the

yacht rock.

Yacht Rock and what was the

other one?

Space Ranger.

Space Ranger.

Space Ranger.

Space Ranger that Maybe that was

when Toy Story.

Came out well, they just get

off.

They just watched Buzz

Lightyear.

And they Buzz Lightyear space.

Ranger was obviously 3000 was

it?

Ricky's dying over here in the

corner.

That's.

OK, Ricky, we can't hear you.

Cough, cough away, dude.

You're fine.

Oh, no space.

Goes you don't have to muffle

it, ski.

Chalet somebody just go back

from a ski vacation?

I mean what like.

Ski Chalet.

That's actually pretty creative.

What?

What does it sound great to?

You how do?

Who's the market for that?

People that.

Trust me, I've seen some people

come into some stores before.

It looks like there's a lot.

And they want the ski, yadda

yadda.

Hey, you got that ski chalet?

You got that ski chalet?

What's it taste like?

Taste like hot chocolate and

rum?

That's the most.

Space Ranger.

Taste like ass but you don't

care because it's got a cool

name.

Right Ski Chalet's not really a

cool name.

Ski Chalet is not a cool name

whatsoever.

Space Ranger?

OK man, that's still terrible.

No no, I like space Ranger.

Dude got rock.

The guys that are on yachts.

Someone's like, yes, I love it.

OK, Other 15 people, do you

approve of of Ski Chalet?

Fuck yeah.

Let's get that going today.

OK, who buys Yacht Rock guys

with the mullets?

Guys that are around.

The yacht.

The guys with the mullets.

Guys that have yachts.

No, nobody with a yacht.

I like, I like that, he said.

Guys with a mullets and the camo

hat.

And then I saw him look at

Ginger.

I don't think Ginger's buying

Yacht rock bro.

He doesn't have a mullet

anymore.

Yeah, this.

Seems more like a space Ranger

skisha like guy to be honest.

Yeah, there was a time in his

life we may may have gone yacht

rock, but he's past that now.

He, yeah, he is past that.

Yeah, that's true.

Approved by SDG.

So they cut those.

They realized that that wasn't

going to.

Work.

Those don't sell.

Hey, I don't know who Greenland

this, but this is these are all.

Completely stupid.

This isn't working this.

Is a terrible idea man, we

should Patreon ski chalets.

Well, they get rid of all those.

They get rid of all those

cigars.

Justin Andrews should be free on

Monday, right?

Oh, there's a meeting.

There's going to be a meeting

about the meeting still on

Mondays.

They've got to do that diesel

Mama soup thing or whatever the

diesel Mama soup that they keep

putting out every year.

They've kind of stopped that.

Oh, the.

Oh, did they stop the soup

stuff?

I figured we stopped carrying

it.

I.

Haven't heard anything about it

I.

Mean we got the first seven, you

couldn't tell them apart.

So that was it.

That was.

Was it soup?

No, it was like sauce or

something.

And it came with like.

Some type of spaghetti sauce or

something?

Came with like 1/2 a pot that

you could.

Yeah, yeah, that's how you

displayed them in the pot.

Do we still have that somewhere?

We got to have that somewhere.

We got to have it somewhere.

It's got to be was it?

I might have thrown it away by

now, probably.

I might have checked it

probably.

They're also discontinuing the

Hoya la Amistad Black

Rothschild.

Oh no.

Wasn't Amistad a movie about a

black slave ship?

No.

Isn't it Amistad?

I don't think so.

I'll have to look that up later.

Thought it was.

Let's just not even cross that

water.

All right, Rocky Patel, extras

arrive at stars.

Oh, I thought they were

discontinuing.

Nope, different company.

Earlier this year, Rocky Patel

Rocky Patel decided it's time to

clean out the ageing humidor at

the company's table, La Calera

Villa Cuba SA factory at.

The factory develops blends,

test cigars get made and

overtime factories accumulate a

lot of these cigars.

Now you can buy the cigars that

were cleaned out.

The company has begun selling

those cigars under the Patel

Extras brand, a presumably

limited edition series.

The company took the cigars out

of the aging room and divided

them out of the pylon room.

The pylon room.

Yeah, and divided them into four

categories by length, Patel

extras extra small, Patel Extras

small.

OK.

Patel extra medium.

Patel extra large.

Sometimes I feel like you're

reading these for the first

time.

I can't read the first time, I

don't pre read these and it's

funny.

He.

Reads the 1st 5 words of a of.

A5 seems a little generous.

OK, 2.

Only just mostly just the Rocky.

Patel Oh, I'm pulling that.

Just the title, all the cigars

are long filler in age for at

least two years, though some of

the cigars will be much older

because we really don't know how

long they've been in here.

Age 75.

Years.

Each five pack contain the same

5 cigars, though the individual

5 packs aren't guaranteed to be

the same blend or vitola We.

Can't guarantee anything, they

are cigars.

Some of the cigars will be

commercial blends, others might

be blends that never came to

market.

Nish Patel, EVPEVP executive

vice president.

I guess.

Sounds good.

Avraki Patel gave the example to

Half Wheel that some cigars

might be round versions of the

company's 60, which is normally

sold as a box press cigar or

Salamone vitola or blend that

doesn't have one.

Regardless of the cigars don't

have brands, bands, so you won't

know what you're smoking.

Perfect.

The Patel Extra bundles have

begun arriving in the stores.

No price.

Nope, no price mentioned.

But it's going to be low.

Yeah, it's going to be low

because we found these and we

need the space.

Well, you think that's what it

is and they just need the space?

I think so.

No, you don't know what it is.

It's like a mystery pack.

I don't think they need the

space.

I think that they're looking to

get.

Generate revenue from things

that are just sitting around.

Yeah.

Sure, absolutely.

Something new because they need

it.

Well, look, you're gonna see a

transition of your cigar guys.

You're gonna have guys that were

smoking in that 12 to $14.00

range are now gonna dip down to

that 6 to $8 range.

So as a company that's as big as

Rocket Patel, I would assume

that you would need something in

that price range that's easily

accessible, right?

So hey, I'm a Rocket Patel guy.

I love my decades.

I can't afford my decades and I

don't like to buy from CI for

$4.00 or something like that.

And, and you know, like, what

are your other options, right?

So.

You think they can reproduce

this though?

I mean, do they even know what

they are at some point?

I think they have just a ton of

this stuff and they don't care.

Yeah, these are basically

segundos.

Probably.

Well, yeah, but you get a guy

hooked on these.

A guy loves these.

He gets his five pack.

He doesn't know what's in it.

They don't know what's in it

that they sent him.

He goes, oh, this third one here

is really good.

I want to buy more of those.

Sorry, boss.

Or the guy from provided club

stopped buying all of them so

now they go do their own thing

do.

You think it's hard for them to

just produce this again and

again?

Again, they can continue to

produce this.

What if they don't know what it

is though?

Well, that's exactly.

It's been in there so long,

maybe you know the the tag on it

is smeared.

They can't read it and go, I

don't know, this says Abrano.

Abano something.

Something news for you, They

probably know what it is.

OK.

Well, that was the question,

yeah.

Hey, these are the Space

Rangers.

They're discontinued.

We'll take the band off.

Take the band off these space

Rangers, we'll sell them as ski.

Chalets, listen.

We've seen organizations totally

shift from a wrapper to a

totally different wrapper and

not tell the consumer.

Oh sure, right.

So the reality is that the

person that's smoking that cigar

probably doesn't know or care,

right?

And they probably wouldn't know

the difference.

The Yacht Rock guy?

Yeah.

He's going to miss the yacht.

Rock, right?

It doesn't taste like a yacht

Rock.

It's a Space Rangers.

It's the ski.

What'd you call it?

Ski?

Yacht.

Ski Chalet.

I don't know.

I haven't been in the snow since

I was 4 so.

Yeah, that's no we when we went

to Vegas, it snowed.

It was a brief.

Oh yeah, it did it, but it was a

flurry.

Right.

I wouldn't call that snow

though.

We're from Florida.

It's snow.

It's snow.

It was a Blizzard, for God's

sakes.

Yeah, we were barely wearing

sweatshirts too.

You had to buy a jacket?

Yeah, I'm like.

What is going on here?

All right, Great Wall expanding

international distribution.

Great Wall.

Great Wall Chinese Cigar China

Tobacco Szechuan Industrial

Company Limited, the parent

company of the Chinese made

Great Wall brand, says that it

will be expanding international

distribution thanks to a new

deal with China Tobacco

International.

Both entities are part of the

larger China National Tobacco

Corp, the state-run tobacco

monopoly that is also the

largest tobacco company in the

world.

I hope there's a quote and I

hope you do a Chinese.

Well, you said they're they're

expanding their Internet.

Aren't they already

international?

No, they only sell in China and

they're terrible cigars.

I've had.

Are they?

I've had them.

They're terrible.

You don't like them?

They're terrible.

You're not a fact.

How can we have three of these

things?

Because I have not been to China

by Chinese cigars listed on the

Hong Kong Stock Exchange and

handles many of China Tobacco's

international business.

Last year, CTIHK expanded

distribution in Cambodia, Hong

Kong and Macau.

Now it's planning to expand it.

That's where Jonathan Drew was.

Macau.

Yeah, he was in Macau.

It's a small island.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Now it's planning to expand the

Great Wall brand to more

markets.

Notably, the deal with will not

affect distribution in mainland

China, where the brand claims to

have 70% of the premium handmade

market.

No quote, sorry.

Super expensive.

No quotes.

That's the end of the story.

So why do you think the Chinese

market is company is expanding

into these other places?

Make more money.

You think so?

Doesn't sound like you think

that.

Those are promising cigar.

Well, these are like $2.00

cigars.

They're not.

I mean, the ones I had or they

weren't very expensive.

I bought them at a grocery

store.

They were in a box.

But anyway, I don't know.

I mean, there's got to be

somebody in Cambodia, maybe it's

like here, you know, they say I

have international distribution

in Sweden.

It's just means somebody bought

a box of cigars and took them to

Sweden.

I mean, you know, if they have

70% of the premium handmade

market in China.

I think they have 70%.

They claim too they're.

They're communist.

They make.

Sure, they can do whatever they

want.

They can.

Yeah.

We have well the state owned

tobacco companies are saying

they own 70% of the market in

China that they own so.

Right.

We possess 100% of the sales,

right?

OK, we are elite.

Right, everyone smokes great

dwells just.

Like that Kim Jong Un guy

doesn't poop, right?

You know, right?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Neither.

Neither one of you did a Chinese

accent that whole.

Time.

No, there wasn't a quote.

Wasn't a quote.

No, but you guys were talking

about Chinese stuff right there.

You should have done it, Palmer.

That was.

That was the.

Interesting.

Well, you want me to do one for

the entire story?

Yes, I wanted a German accent

when you wrote the news about

the gay thing, but.

You now OK, Palmer, your turn.

Ching Chong, Ching Chong, Ching

Chong.

There you go.

Oh man, we're getting cancelled.

Mine was just as good as yours.

Oh my God, he said.

It sounded more French.

It did, didn't it?

Maybe he likes the French guy

whose wife I.

Didn't want to spit all over the

the microphone.

Here.

Oh, you already did.

Don't worry, you had to wipe

that off.

OK.

All right, Patina Viso

Verdigris.

How do you say the name of the

guy?

Wow.

Heads to swords this week, the

collaboration between Patina

Cigars and Viso Horny Shipping

to stores.

It's called Patino Viso

Verdigris A5 by 52 Robusto that

uses an Ecuadorian Abano wrapper

over an Ecuadorian Sumatra seed

binder and fillers from

Nicaragua.

MO founder Patina and Tyler

founder Visa Horny blended the

cigar together while visiting

the Nicaraguan American Cigars.

I didn't think that Tyler

blended it.

I didn't think so either, but

I'm just reading the story.

OK, This is the press release.

Each cigar will have an MSRP of

$13 in productions, limited to

300 bundles of 10 cigars.

Only 10 stores are carrying the

cigar.

Yeah, you don't know.

What they are, I know that Mardo

still has some.

Go to Mardo.

I like Mardo.

Cassa de Monte Cristo Cigar

Spots, Hairy Smoke Shop, Lake

Country, Mardo Michael's

Tobacco, Ramsey Smoke Shop,

Small Batch, The Cigar Farm.

Oh, small batch too.

I like small batch.

Tobacco land.

OK, I like tobacco land too.

Right.

They both have roots in the

Midwest and then that's why

they're the two pictures and

yada yada.

Yada, Lake Country.

I like Lake Country.

We like Ramsey's.

Too.

Lake Country had it.

Yeah.

Gramsi had it too.

Yeah.

Wow.

Well according to this it's just

been released.

Were they?

Have they been out for a while?

A couple weeks I think.

All right, two guys smoke shop

releases, but I'd like to have

three of them to do on the

Patreon.

Did we already smoke it of the

patina?

Yeah, just curious.

I don't want to go down that

rabbit hole because if we don't

like it and it blows up, then

he's going to get angry and all

this other stuff and I don't

want to deal with that.

I was assuming it would be good.

He's super sensible, but what if

it's not?

It should be good, but what if

it's not?

Where is that possibility right?

And then he gets like, it's

already enough, you know, he's

supposed to call me and and he

hasn't called me so.

Two Guys Smoke Shop Releases

Pedrone Ruby Red Exclusive

Edition Two Guys Smoke Shop has

released a pair of exclusive

cigars from Padrone to celebrate

the New Hampshire based

retailer's 40th anniversary in

business.

The Padrone.

Yes, the Padrone Ruby Red

Exclusive Edition is A5 and

three quarters 56 vitola made

with a blend of undisclosed

tobaccos.

Not telling you what's in it

all.

Well, right, Padrone just made

it for him.

He he didn't get any say in it.

Well, you think they would have

told him?

They're padrone, bro.

Yeah, they don't care like

they're.

There is a natural on Maduro.

Yeah, they're the Mecca, you

know what I mean?

Like.

You know what's in it?

Ruby red.

Buy it.

It's good.

However, unlike the majority of

Padrone cigars, both versions of

the Ruby Red Exclusive Edition

are round instead of box press.

Both blends are packaged in

individually numbered boxes that

were designed by Nelson Alfonso,

the owner of Selected Tobacco SA

brand who has worked on designs

for some of Havano SA's most

sought after cigars including

the Cohiba, BHK, Bhique, various

Grand Reservists and other

special packaging like 2 bows in

jars.

Yep.

Only 200 individual numbered

boxes which retailer described

as humidors and we should say

all our boxes are humidors.

Well, how many cigars are in it?

8 or 10. 150 Padrone Ruby Red

Maduro boxes and 50 Padrone Ruby

Red Natural boxes.

Each box contains 40 cigars.

Really.

Oh.

Wow and comes with MSRP of. 40

cigars. 40 cigars carry the 1-2

grams, $4000.

For a box.

Yes, that's what you said.

I just didn't hear you.

Yeah, that's.

Probably like 100 bucks a stick

I'm.

Going 2G, $101,600.

Oh, they're they're less.

Than $40 a.

Cigar 40 a stick. 40 a stick

it's.

Pretty good for an exclusive and

it's super exclusive.

What do you what do you say?

200 boxes with bundles and boxes

total.

Yes.

Wow.

OK.

All right, now we're what's the

score?

We have a you got to find your

headphones.

We have a special guest player

this week.

A special guest player.

Oh, we're, oh, we're calling

someone.

How are we going to do this?

He's going to be the third

person to.

Give a vote.

We've never had three people do

this before.

Oh well.

Really well.

OK.

So just before we call him,

well, I guess we can discuss the

rules when we call him.

He knows the rules were it's the

same rules.

And just for the record, it's we

had like two more weeks, OK?

But.

I.

Didn't know you were talking,

sorry.

I already hit the button.

I heard, yeah, you were gonna

say we had two more weeks to

keep score.

Yeah, we were supposed to

continue with our score, right,

However.

Well, it's gonna be special.

Yeah, it's gonna be special this

week and next.

Week.

Well, it's it's already it's

over.

I'm just gonna say that I won

and I'm gonna have.

Your No, we're not, no.

Yeah, you lost.

You lost boots and.

Now you're being like Trump.

You're just making up your own

rules here.

It's good to be the king.

Good to be the king.

OK, Mystery caller.

Are you there, mystery player?

It's got to be Jack.

What's going on, gentlemen?

How are you?

You can do.

It well.

It's John Mctavish from Canada,

from developing Pallets Coop

Coalition and whatever else he's

attached to.

OK.

Hi, John, we've been meeting.

Hello.

He was complaining that he

didn't want to have a guest.

Now he knows who the guest is,

like, oh this is fine.

We've been meaning to call you,

so this works out well.

Oh, the Canadians are OK.

We're going to charge them 25%

more for this call and it'll be

fun.

Yeah, exactly there.

You go?

Yeah.

You know, you could just merge,

You can just become our 51st

state.

We'll be you know, we welcome

you with.

Open arms with open arms.

Bring your mooses.

Bring.

Your you know, I appreciate the

offer, but I'm going to counter

with no can.

It Oh, that's so.

It's not even a vote.

Socialist countries do not judge

at all.

Yeah, you don't.

You don't.

Get No, that's right.

Yeah, yeah.

So your no means nothing.

I move against your name.

That's right.

We're just going to consume you

as part.

We're just going to, we're going

to cut all those trees down on

that imaginary line and just

make it it's.

OK, don't, don't mess with tree

law, Palmer.

That's I mean, if you go to tree

law on Reddit, you'll find out

that cutting down trees is a

very expensive proposition.

It's.

A No, no, we need the lumber.

American.

Maple syrup, right?

All right, everybody ready,

John?

You know how we play this.

Why don't you walk us through

the rules?

No, I'm just kidding.

Of course I'm not a player.

All right, everybody wants to

play.

John's our guess.

All right, here's our first

cigar, gentleman.

Everybody pay attention.

This is from April 22nd, 2015.

Mr. Brooks was.

Oh, so you're doing the old one

first now?

Yes, because originally you were

doing the old one second.

Well, that's how I'm going.

To I found a good one.

So it's just the way it worked

this way all.

Right.

So what you're saying is your

rules are not really rules.

Correct.

More like guidelines.

Like more like a.

Government that you're just kind

of.

Strong, strong suggestions.

Okay.

All right, this is a limited

edition Nicaraguan Viaje Senor

Andres Chicharones.

The originals. 2015 by Brooks.

Yes, OK.

The original.

Chicharones.

OK, OK.

John, you are a guest.

You can go first.

You know, Brooks and Viaje 2015.

I'm I'm going to start out with

a strong 92.

Yeah.

That's that's a good one.

It's a good choice, yeah.

Boots.

Oh, I'm second.

Yeah, OK, I'll go.

Last reigning champion.

He's going 92.

I'm taking some LS.

I'll go 90.

Yeah, of course you are.

Because of what?

So you're just going to mimic

whatever John does?

There's nothing really to go off

chicharrones.

What'd he do?

Yahe OK.

Well, these these just came out.

So this is the original ones

that came out in 2015. 2015 I

mean, Brooks is always around

like 88 to 94.

OK, that's AI mean that's a.

Pretty broad, pretty wide range.

Yeah, yeah.

That's which is always between 1

and 100.

Something a lot.

More.

It is something between 70 and

97.

OK, well I guess I'll just split

the baby then and do 91.

Bam.

All right, this is a Nicaraguan

factory is.

God work on that word.

I can say it, Yeah.

That's that's pronunciate one

more time.

Pronunciation is.

Yeah, it's terrible.

Making my eye twitch.

Yeah.

It's from Nika.

Nicaragua.

Nicaragua.

Tabaco Villarrawa Halapa It's

the factory.

Nika Carrojo binders.

Nikken fillers.

Nikken size is a 4 1/2 inch ring

gauge is 48.

Vitola's petite robusto sales

for $7.51.

Back then a box of 90 was

$675.90.

Number Cigar smoked 3.

OK, so and it was just one, one

blend.

We're just doing the one blend.

Yes, he didn't do all three

blends.

OK.

And which one did he do?

He didn't say in the beginning.

Mile, medium or bold, he.

Didn't say in the beginning.

Nothing.

Nope.

All.

Right, but it's a petite review

still.

It was the picture was the

original.

OK.

OK.

All right.

John, does that change anything

to you?

It does because I feel like

Brooks and then I'm just pulling

this out of thin air, but I feel

like Brooks likes larger cigars.

I think this if if this was

Charlie, you know, the petite

robust, though, I'd be going up,

but it's Brooks in a in a

smaller cigar.

I'm actually going to go down to

90.

OK.

Oh, OK.

Can I do that?

But.

We can pick the same number,

yes.

OK.

I'm going to stick at 90, OK.

I'm going to stay 91.

All right, first clue.

The draw continues to impress

and the Burn has evened up

nicely, not needing a touch up

for the entire second third.

He loves it.

Second, third.

OK, so that's your first clue.

So you skipped a bunch of stuff.

Yeah, it's.

Like 2 1/2 paragraphs of it

tastes like.

OK, that's fine.

Which doesn't help you guys.

Well, OK.

John.

I'm going to stick it 90 because

it's not helpful.

OK.

I'm gonna go to 92.

OK, He's going to shoot up.

OK.

I think that it is helpful in

the fact that if he's talking

about it, correcting itself and

fixing it means the first third,

it was little cattywampus so.

That's where we're going.

Yeah.

So I'm going to where did you

go?

Where are you at, John?

He's at 90, I'm at 90.

He's still at 90.

Boost is at 92.

Yeah.

Boost is.

This is randomly throwing

numbers out there. 700,

somewhere between 88 and 97.

It's going to be dead on.

Like how the guests are giving

him our time.

I'm going.

To stick 91.

All right, next clue.

Both the burn and the draw are

excellent until the end of the

cigar.

Uh oh.

OK, John.

Well, see, this is tricky

because sometimes the

construction is garbage, and

then somehow the score ends up

in the low 90s, and then

sometimes the construction's

excellent and the score is in

the high 80s.

Oh gosh.

Well, I can tell you that if the

cigar is excellent and the

construction is shoddy, it rains

low for Charlie.

Because that's exactly.

Yeah, Yeah, yeah.

That's.

With SBC so.

Yeah, 100%.

I'm actually going to drop down.

I'm going to take the bait.

I'm going to take the the

obvious Palmer bait.

I'm going to drop down to 89,

OK?

The obvious Palmer bait, Yeah.

Yeah, obvious Palmer bait

because it's going to be like a

93.

Yeah, I'm sticking a 92.

You're.

Going to stick 90.

Two.

Yeah, because I, you know, this

guy has said that, you know,

things that you would think

like, oh, it'd be, you know, a

worse cigar or something.

And he's like, oh, it's 94.

It's like what?

OK, I'm going to stick 91.

After listening to both of you,

I was going to move down but I'm

going to stick to 91.

All right, next clue.

Strength wise, the Chicharone's

original struggles to hit the

medium mark but almost makes it

before the start of the final

third.

She was interesting about that

is that Brooks tends to not like

fuller bodies to go.

I mean, I think Charlie is the

worst for fullest body cigars.

I think Patrick is the best and

Brooks is somewhere in the

middle.

So I guess it's a curious

comment because I don't know

that that necessarily impacts

anything.

I think it was medium full.

I feel like the score would go

down.

So I guess in a way the score

should go up.

What was our last?

What was our last?

So Michael's at 91 and Boots is

still in 92, is that right?

Correct, correct.

I'm going to, I'm going to go up

to 90 against my better

judgement.

Boots.

Boots is on his phone.

He's probably looked it up.

No, I'm going to.

I'm going to stick it on.

Your phone.

Turn your phone to me right now.

What is it?

Well, let me see.

I can't see it.

It's covered by your hand.

I was posting the.

Bear on the GoFundMe for the.

For the gorillas.

No, no for the club in in

Germany.

No, I'm not on the club.

It's on their website.

Yeah, smokes the cigars.

Yeah, you're smoking the cigars.

It's a Germany club.

Yeah.

It's way better than your

accent.

He forgot that it's a gay, it's

a gay club that's closing and

he's very upset.

Yeah, he's very distraught.

Oh yeah.

Oh yeah, yeah.

OK.

The biggest gay club in Germany?

So I'm sticking 92.

I think this guy still rates

this thing high.

Unmoving.

Well, he jumped.

He jumped 89 to 92 and you're at

Boots.

I went from 90 to 90.

Two.

OK and John is at 91.

What?

909090. 90.

I'm in a pickle here.

You're in a pickle.

You've really wedged me into

this position.

I'm going to stick that's.

What we like to call the cigar

pincher move.

This it really is.

I'm going to stick 91.

Pincher.

All right, final thoughts.

I'm not going to lie, the first

one of the senior Andres

Chicharone's originals I smoked

had me thinking that this was

this was going to be just

another middle of the road

cigar.

Thankfully the last two samples

were considerably better with a

pervasive and distinct nutmeg

sweetness and more creamy finish

and a slight mint note that came

and went throughout the last

half of the smoking experience.

The profile is quite balanced

overall and while not the most

complex, is easily interesting

enough to keep my attention.

While the forgettable first

cigar definitely brings down the

final score, I really enjoyed

the last two samples I smoked

and make this a very easy cigar

to recommend.

Oh.

That is.

Exactly.

Talk about could go either way,

you know I'm.

Just going to hate it.

These two are good.

So I'm going to raise the score.

That was really low, but now

it's going to be amazing.

But one was terrible.

That's right, of course.

The final statement actually

almost certainly has nothing to

do with the score because you

know, that could describe a

cigarettes 87 and it could also

describe a cigar.

It's 93.

I'm going to I'm going to stick

it 90, which I know is not the

not the correct strategy, but

I'm going to stick it 90.

It's definitely in the 90s

somewhere.

This thing is definitely not in

the 80s, so I'm going to stick a

92.

I bet you it's got to be

somewhere around 9394 though.

So I'm just like a 92 though.

Isn't isn't isn't 94?

Like, isn't there only like a

handful of cigars that have ever

reached 94?

Correct.

Like 2 weeks ago that we did two

or three weeks ago where we

thought it was going to be.

I heard that in the. 80s and it

was definitely like a high 90.

I I lost the entire time.

The blahdy blah.

Yeah, I think I'm going to.

Move the night.

Night, the night shift.

Yeah, yeah.

Which Night Stalker?

Palmer, I think I'm going to

move.

OK, go ahead and move.

I don't know what you're

talking.

About I'm going to come down to

89.

You think it's in the 80s?

Oh, he's $1.00 in me.

He's $1.00 in me.

I'm.

Going to he's going to get half

a point.

I had to get out of that wedge,

but I could.

I could regret that in a second

here.

We'll see.

I don't.

Think it's amazing?

All right, what are the final

scores?

It's either the best move ever

or the worst move ever, one of

those two.

Boots.

Is that a solid 92?

92 He's been 92 for the entire.

Game.

Yep.

Well, he started at Lower.

I started at 90.

John is at 90, right?

And I am at 89.

Score for this one.

Yeah, 83.

Oh my boom see, that's the

that's that's the crazy thing

about these guys, man, when they

rate these cigars I.

I like that we don't know how

they figure out the score.

He's a little harder.

Well, the score came down a

little bit, came down a little

bit from the one cigar, but

other than that.

Brooks, 83, is a brutal number.

Right.

That is actually a brutal

number.

Yeah.

I feel like, I feel like, yeah,

I should have gotten an apology

call for an 83 from Brooks.

Yeah, that's just.

Yeah, you would think when it

gets in that low 80s, you should

call somebody.

From Brooks, yeah.

It definitely sounded like he

loved this cigar at the end of

it.

I knew it.

Well, I mean, The funny thing

is.

Two of them raised raised the

score.

So what was it before 79?

Yeah.

Yeah, yeah, it's probably in the

70s, I guess.

I mean, what was the

construction the first one if it

was that low, I mean it must

have just been a complete dog

rocket.

Yeah, what's interesting is that

like there was a review where

the cigar cracked and it's still

ranked like a 91.

We're.

Still good?

Like we don't have a number, we

don't have anything to

distinguish it cracking.

So OK.

Now that now that said CC has

said that they when they write

their summary they annoying.

Wow.

Oh well, that was weird.

You cut in and out.

That's sad.

Yeah, that was weird.

The government's have you.

So you.

Am I, Am I being shut down by

the tobacco lobbyist?

What's going on right now,

exactly?

Oh, you know what that was?

That was a lightning strike.

Bang, bang.

Oh, wow, that was exciting.

God's intervening.

Perfect.

Yeah, I guess so.

He's like, you will not smoke

cigars.

I don't know what his voice

sounds like.

Charlie has said before that

they write their yeah Charlie

says they write their summary

without knowing what the final

score is.

So it's interesting to see like

I would definitely view that as

being a substantial disconnected

Boots is right that to me like

that summary statement says, I

really enjoyed this cigar and it

should be in the 90s and then 83

says this was terrible you.

See that boot?

Someone said.

You're right.

I appreciate that, John.

You're welcome.

People like you.

He's Canadian.

I bust balls, but it it's 'cause

I love you.

It's out of love, I.

Appreciate it.

And he's in another country, so

you can't, you can't reach him.

All right, next cigar.

This is from July 30th, 2025.

This is Brooks again.

Oh oh.

Lord.

This is the La Florida

Dominicana 30 year anniversary

cigar.

Oh.

So this was a, this was a good.

I love this, Yeah.

This is something we've all

smoked recently, so that's why I

grabbed this one.

Interesting.

Man, this thing doesn't score in

the 90s.

I'm going to be so surprised.

Yeah.

OK, John.

Plus there's no Nicaragua in the

description at all.

Oh my, I'm just, I just come out

of the gate right with the

score.

I'm going to go 87.

He's giving himself room to work

low.

Number.

Yeah.

No, I'm I'm going to start at at

90.

I was.

Going to start at 90, yeah?

What are you going to start at,

92?

Yeah.

We're going to pick the same

number. 90 also I'm.

Going to go 91.

I think it's a great cigar.

I'm going to go 91.

Yeah.

All right, let's see.

So Country of origin Dominican

Republic factory Tablo Calera la

flora SA rapper Ecuadorian

Sumatra seed binder Dominican

Republic Cotui Cotui.

Did I say that right?

I don't know.

OK.

Filler Dominican Republic La

Canela says 6 1/2 by 58 Pressed

$30 Humidor Sixty $1800 Number

of cigars smoked 3.

OK.

All right.

John, does that change anything

for?

You.

Yeah, I think, I mean, I think I

knew a lot because I've reviewed

it.

So it doesn't.

It doesn't help me, yeah.

So yeah, I think we've all

smoked it.

I'm going to stick it at 87

until I hear his comments that

have no help to me whatsoever,

OK?

Yeah, I'm sticking at 90.

Shit.

Plenty of time to change so,

Michael.

Tons of time.

OK, so John's playing the long

game.

He went low so he can work up.

So here's the.

Thing that's right.

This is one of those rare cigars

that I actually brought home

with me.

From the show to.

Sell it?

No, like within the course of

the last week for my birthday.

Oh yeah.

Wow.

Congratulations.

Have a good cigar.

Yeah.

And I will tell you.

Wait, is it your birthday?

Did I not?

Did I not wish you happy

birthday?

I don't know.

July 29th was a few days ago, so

so I'm sure you did.

First of all, I ought to put

that on my phone because I don't

think I have that.

That's embarrassing anyways.

That's all right, and I will

tell you this.

The show cigar was perfect.

There was no issues with it,

which is odd because that

normally doesn't happen, but I

did have a few relights on this

round.

Now that doesn't normally affect

me.

I don't care if I have to

relight.

It somewhere.

However.

Long it doesn't affect their

flavour.

Right.

However, I know how these guys

kind of react to some of this

after after the abuse that I

just received.

They know like.

But it's this thing 72 times.

But it's still Brooks and I

don't know how.

Well, apparently you can get

cranky Brooks.

You can eviscerate your cigar if

you're not careful.

I don't.

Right, but it is a bigger cigar.

That's true.

Those like bigger cigars and

you're not listen to my own

voice.

I'm.

At 90.

OK, I'm a Go 89.

So 899087. 87.

All right, there's also very

little oil to be had, and while

I noticed a few veins, none of

them protrude to the point where

they would be annoying.

OK, interesting facts.

Yeah, John.

Yeah, I'm not sure that the

appearance of veins of cigars

ever impacted my smoking

process, but I know during the

pre light that's something they

they take into account.

I don't think their pre light

affects the score though.

I think about it.

I don't think that factors in.

So you know what, Palmer?

I think that's a red herring.

I think you're throwing a red

herring at me, Sir.

And I will not bite 87. 87.

Booty.

I don't think this thing scores

in the 80s.

OK, I'm sticking 90.

OK, yeah, there's that's not

enough Intel to do anything

different.

I'm going to stick 89 just

because, you know, OK, no veins,

not very orally.

Got it.

It's just not usually mentioned,

right.

In terms of construction, there

are no issues whatsoever as the

burn lines, smoke production and

draws are all working in harmony

across the three cigars.

Perfect smoke.

Good, good old perfect

construction.

OK, yeah, but remember the last

cigar that he talked about?

He scored an 83.

Are you trying to help me?

Or are you trying to, you know,

just saying.

He's thinking out loud.

OK, well, John's got to go

first.

Well, what I'm not hearing is

flavor descriptors, and of

course that's the Palmer

Special.

So that either means it's scored

quite high or it means it's

scored quite low.

One of those two things 87.

Firm 87.

Firm 87.

OK.

I'm sticking 90.

Michael.

I'm going to go 91.

So you went up some.

He has entered.

My yeah I don't want to go 90.

All right, he doesn't want to be

the same.

I'm just announcing that for the

viewers and if I'm.

Smoking the cigar, I would

believe that it would rank in a

91.

I thought that maybe the draw

would could have an issue with

it because I had some issue with

it this weekend, but it wasn't.

A side question though, side

question, go ahead.

Do you, do you find yourself

looking at Brooks's reviews and

often finding that they aligned

in terms of the score with what

you would assign the score sort

of in your head?

I guess not.

No, Yeah, no, no.

Normally it's it would be higher

in in many scenarios, but I've

never seen I I've, you know

what?

I haven't seen a Brooks LFD.

I've seen like a Brooks.

That's why I've seen a Brooks

Dunbarton, and those things

usually do very well.

So.

Yeah, they didn't give it to

Charlie because Charlie would

have died of nicotine poisoning.

So exactly.

All right, so I'm at 91.

All right, next clue.

Is the final clue.

This is the final clue, but then

we have the final thoughts.

Oh, OK.

All right, the mineral.

Second final clue.

Yes, the mineral saltiness that

I noted in the first third is

now present on all three cigars,

but it is not very strong.

Does he like mineral saltiness?

So this is.

About I hate that Minerality 0.

Our friend John Mctavish that I

knew was.

Going to be on the show.

Oh no OK, interesting.

So the I mean the way that he

wrote that is that it's a it's

it's it's not a positive, but it

shouldn't would detract from the

score.

So whatever the score is,

whatever that note that he noted

the mineral salpiness doesn't

add anything.

It doesn't subtract anything.

So once again, not helpful 87.

He didn't think emotional.

OK.

Man, I got a I'm staying 90, OK?

Ankle.

I can't move.

It was just that these guys are

at steady scores all through it,

Michael.

Yeah, well, in honor of our

minerality friend being on the

phone, I believe that it it

does, it does have a negative

impact on the cigar.

Oh.

Wow, wow.

I believe the universe is

telling me something here.

Oh.

I'm gonna this just.

Recalculate.

I'm gonna.

Recalculate.

I'm gonna come out of the 91

range and go back into the 80s.

Now do I go?

Oh my goodness.

Do I go 88 or do I go 89?

What would Marty McFly do?

He would do, he would do, he

would do 88.

He would do 88 all.

Right.

I'm going to do 88.

All right.

Over the years, I have found

that LFD cigars tend to

gravitate towards the stronger

end of the spectrum.

So I was interested to see where

the La Florida made a kind of

30th anniversary ended up.

It turns out I had no need to

worry because the blend is a

study and balance.

The main flavors of creamy

cedar, charred meat, sourdough

bread and pecans are distinct

but never cloying.

The spice and pepper, I don't

know what that means.

The spice and pepper are obvious

but never over overly aggressive

and the medium full strength is

noticeable but never

overwhelming.

In fact, other than a metallic

bitterness, it showed up in the

second third of the second

cigar, which I consider it to be

an aberration.

The La Florida Dominicana 30th

Anniversary is an extremely

approachable and enjoyable

blend, and while it is

absolutely ready to smoke now,

I'm also looking forward to

seeing how it changes after it

has some age on it.

Oh.

Boy, but don't forget the

minerality.

A lot of minerality in this

cigar.

I am going to move up to 89 not.

Even to the 90s.

Huh.

No, no, I don't I I mean it's

tough right, because that final

statement I don't think

necessarily tells you anything

obviously based on the last

cigar, but also I don't I in my

head, I just don't think I don't

think the LFD is really Brooks

his profile.

You know, if this is talk, YA,

I'd be like, yeah, 93, but I

don't, I don't think that's his

profile.

I'm going to go 89.

John Mctavish is at 89.

Mr. Booty.

I'm going to go 91.

Oh, he finally changed his

score.

Mr. Booty is at 91.

Michael 8991 to you, Sir.

I think that he's right.

I don't think it goes 90.

I guess I have no choice.

I'm going to have to join them

at 89.

I should have stuck at 89.

Nice.

But yeah, I think I don't.

I don't think that in my

opinion, this is a 91 cigar.

I don't think they're from what

you're telling me.

I don't think Brooks put it in

that 90 or above scenario.

So.

I don't think so, but we're

going to find out.

I'm going to go 89.

We forgot to do the names.

We did.

We forgot to do the names so

check this out.

Ready.

You going to do all three?

Yep, Andrew McCreary, Craig

Gilpin, Eddie Martel.

Guys, when you hear your name

you have to message me.

Message Mike Palmer.

Mike Palmer.

All right, you guys ready?

Yep.

Final score 89.

How do you feel about?

That I feel about that, Mister.

91 over there, not you didn't

just lose the one person on that

one, you lost the 2.

I feel as an utter bullshit

scorer.

He's distraught because of the

German club, Michael.

He's not his in his right mind.

Today the Germans have made me

so sad, you know, with the with

the club closing it, you know,

it's a very sad situation.

You know, I'd like to know what

Brooks would rate like a Pedrone

50th.

I will look and see if we have a

pedrone on the list.

I'm sure there has to be

somewhere.

That'd be fun.

So I think part of the

disconnect and I don't know, I

don't know if you do this either

the Michaels Mike's, but I often

times look at other reviewers

after I've done reviewing a

cigar, just if I whether I have

a good experience, bad

experience or neutral, just to

see if I'm insane because

sometimes I'll not really like a

cigar and I'll be like is, you

know, is my apologist Jack.

And then I'll look up to see if

they love it or hate it or

whatever.

And it's very difficult for me

to find another reviewer that

aligns.

So like, I'm not surprised that,

you know, this particular LFD.

You guys love that Brooks is

just kind of, you know, like, I

don't know if an 89 anymore is

OK or it's an insult to the

mother.

Like, where do we land now with

an 89?

Is it defensive?

It depends on the reviewer.

A C89 is stellar.

A Brooks 89 is just OK.

Yeah, I think that's crazy that

they all have their own grading

scale.

I thought half will as a whole

would have a grading scale based

off of.

OK, well.

It's it's the same format, but

everybody's taste is different,

so it's going to be swayed by

whoever's doing it.

That's correct based on the

individual's experience.

Charlie might smoke this and

give it a 95 or something, who

knows?

Yeah, or he might give it a

signal too.

But it should be close.

But it but they will say Charlie

in general, Charlie definitely

is is more in the sort of I

think if you're to look at an

average, he probably averages an

87 1/2 to 88.

Yeah.

Now, now I will ask you this,

John, because you did say

something.

You said that you reviewed this

cigar in the past.

Yeah, yeah, that's correct.

And that you do like to compare

your review to other reviewers.

So did you see this review?

No, no, this is not one of the

SO.

He's Canadian.

They.

Don't.

Yeah.

So one of the interesting

things, one of the interesting

things about the LFD is that

and, and the weird thing is I've

smoked a lot LFD, it's usually

if I go into something and

there's hype and I didn't, and

maybe I'm off my rocker, but I

didn't feel there's a lot of

hype on the LFD 30th, right?

Like LFD, everyone goes, you

know, LFD puts out good scars,

yadda, yadda, yadda.

I don't, I didn't feel like

there's a lot of hype.

So I, I didn't have in my head,

you know, this is supposed to be

the greatest cigar to ever be

released in the history of the

cigar industry.

I think it was hyped, it just

took long to come.

Out.

I was gonna say, I think that's

what the problem was.

They hyped it at the show and

then it disappeared.

Yeah.

And then it disappeared and then

it came back out and everybody's

like, I don't care anymore.

Right.

Well, and the hype man kind of

wasn't there.

Oh, and sure, they did change

sales management.

And awkward.

Awkward, right?

Awkward, No.

So this is not one of the ones

that I looked up it.

It would only be if some, you

know, this like if people the

show were like, oh, you got to

check on the cigar from so and

so.

It's amazing.

And then I smoke it and I go,

it's OK.

That's when I start to question

like, am I insane or is just

people buying in the light?

So yeah.

Well, this should be damage.

We appreciate you being on.

Sir, would you like to plug your

podcast?

Do do I have a pocket?

Oh I do.

I do have a podcast.

One of the 17 that you do every

week.

One of the 17 that I do every

week because I like to be a

guest guest guest thing is, is

caring developingpallets.com on

your favorite podcast catcher

website.

Whatever you like to consume,

please consume it.

Thank you very much for having

me on, gentlemen.

Thank you, John.

We appreciate you being on

buddy.

I'll talk to you soon.

Always a pleasure all.

Right.

Love you all.

Right.

Love you.

Love you more.

All right.

Bye.

Bye.

All right, there you go.

Hey, Mr. John Mctavish from

Developing Palates.

Are we going to end the show?

Oh, he's taking off the headset

because we don't need it

anymore.

Oh, yeah.

I thought you were just going to

get up and walk away.

No.

All right.

Listen to the week, Michael.

I don't have one do.

You John Mctavish, Wow.

He just said he's he's a big

listener to the show because he

usually comments to me several

days after we've done an episode

and I don't know what he's.

Talking.

Sometimes he's behind though,

like.

Oh, he is behind a couple

episodes, yes.

I like to check periodically and

find out where he's at.

Shaab of the Week, What do you

got underground Imperium in the

Bahamas.

Oh, very nice.

Our international account.

Very nice, excellent all.

Right, all right, next week is

episode 400.

Are you excited?

I have another guest lined up.

Do you want to just talk to the

guest or should he play what I

think he should play?

What's the score?

Yeah.

If they're here.

It's going to be on the phone.

It's.

Going to be on the phone it's.

Going to be a phone thing.

Yeah, we're.

Going to play.

What's the score?

That's fine, all right.

That's what we'll do.

And I'll have your prize for

losing the What's the score next

week as well.

Perfect.

I will also have your birthday

presents being delivered today

did not make it in time for

today's.

Tape, Paul.

It's too bad.

Yes, I was very disappointed.

I just figured you didn't get me

anything and I was OK with that.

Nope.

So.

Is being delivered today.

Nice all.

Right, everybody's been episode

399 cigars or podcast.

Thank you very much.

We didn't say what's on the

Patreon because we don't know

yet.

That's right.

All right.

So we'll see you later.

Bye bye.

Welcome to the Cigar Hustler

podcast.

The show brought to you

Commercial Freeze.

But a massive shout out to our

amazing patrons on the Patreon.

Thanks to your unwavering

support, we're able to the

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Our listeners, cheers to you.

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Show Notes

Cigar Hustlers Podcast – Episode 399 🔥

On this week’s episode, we dive into chaos with a punch of flavor — from Death if an 80’s Icon Loni Anderson to Sydney Sweeney’s jeans somehow sparking conspiracy theories. We talk  land being auctioned off in the DRC, China stepping up in the cigar world, and Rocky Patel’s mystery bundles that have us asking, “what’s in the box?”