ACHP Episode 405 Sunshine State Shenanigans

Episode Summary

Episode 405 of A Cigar Hustler's Podcast opens with hosts Mike Palmer, Mike Szczepankevich and engineer Boots running through Florida news — a state appeals court striking down Florida's nearly 40-year open carry ban, prompting a long back-and-forth on whether the guys would carry open or concealed, holster preferences, reciprocity with Georgia, and whether open carry is a deterrent or makes you a target. That's followed by a classic Florida headline about a woman arrested with a tote bag reading "definitely not a bag full of drugs" (it was full of drugs), which spirals into a debate about probable cause. A three-minute AI-written NFL Week 2 recap covers the Lions' blowout of the Bears, the Ravens and Bills bouncing back, the Chiefs' 0-2 start, Joe Burrow's toe injury and the Bengals' outlook, the Giants-Cowboys mess, and how long Mike McDaniel lasts in Miami.

The cigar news block is the meat of the episode. Warped Cigars is sending a limited 6.5 x 54 Toro Grande version of Isla del Crocodilio to non-U.S. markets — Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, dual Ecuador/Brazil binders, Nicaraguan filler plus Peruvian Pelo de Oro for sweetness, made at Tabacalera La Isla, 1,500 boxes, debuting at InterTabac in Dortmund. Apostate Cigars ships its "Eight Witnesses," a 4 1/4 x 44 petit corona of all eight core blends. The big one: Casa Fuente inside the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace closes October 20, 2025 after 20 years, with the Frey brothers declining to renew the lease amid landlord pressure over patio smoking — the guys reminisce about the shop, its BBMF and Opus X access, and speculate on whether a new Vegas location (Venetian, Wynn, Resorts World) could ever work.

Rounding out the news: Artesano del Tabaco's customer vote adds a Churchill and Lancero to the Viva la Vida Connecticut line for PCA 2026, sparking a good discussion of which vitolas actually sell (Toro, Robusto, Corona Gorda) and why Lanceros stay niche. Cayman Cigar Company overhauls its Manor, Monarch and Sovereign II lines and plans to make them in two countries — which the hosts flatly argue can't produce identical cigars. Texas SB 1313 restricts retailers from using cartoon characters, celebrity images (Guy Fieri, Ray Lewis, Mike Tyson) and food imagery in tobacco marketing, with $2,000 fines. And the PCA extends Joshua Habersky's contract through 2031 while he adds the CEO title, prompting a call for real checks and balances.

The show closes with "What's the Score," guessing Halfwheel ratings for the My Father Blue Toro Gordo (the Garcias' new Honduran factory) and the Toscano Italiano cheroot, plus giveaway winners and the Gordos & Goblins Halloween shirt drop.

In This Episode

1. 01
   Florida Open Carry Ban Struck Down
   A Florida appeals court rules the state's open carry ban unconstitutional, and the hosts debate open vs. concealed carry, holsters, and state reciprocity.
2. 02
   "Definitely Not a Bag Full of Drugs"
   A viral Florida arrest over a labeled tote bag turns into a discussion of probable cause and vague news reporting.
3. 03
   NFL Week 2 Recap
   Lions blow out the Bears, Chiefs fall to 0-2, Joe Burrow's toe injury clouds the Bengals, and the guys predict Mike McDaniel's firing.
4. 04
   Warped Isla del Crocodilio Goes International
   A 6.5 x 54 Toro Grande with added Peruvian Pelo de Oro heads to non-U.S. markets and InterTabac, and the hosts vent about brands that never answer emails.
5. 05
   Apostate Cigars Ships the Eight Witnesses
   All eight core blends get a 4 1/4 x 44 petit corona in a single display for side-by-side blend comparison.
6. 06
   Casa Fuente Closing October 20, 2025
   The iconic Caesars Palace Forum Shops store ends its 20-year run over lease and patio-smoking issues, and the crew speculates about a future Vegas home.
7. 07
   Viva la Vida Churchill & Lancero and Cayman's Two-Country Blends
   Customer voting adds vitolas to the Viva la Vida Connecticut for PCA 2026, while Cayman Cigar Company's plan to make the same blends in two countries draws skepticism.
8. 08
   Texas SB 1313 and the PCA's Habersky Extension
   A new Texas law bans cartoon, celebrity and food imagery in retail tobacco marketing, and the PCA locks in Joshua Habersky through 2031 as CEO.
9. 09
   What's the Score: My Father Blue & Toscano Italiano
   The hosts guess Halfwheel's ratings for the My Father Blue Toro Gordo from the Garcias' new Honduran factory and an Italian fire-cured cheroot.

Brands & Cigars Discussed

Linked items are in our shop. Mentions without a link aren’t currently stocked or couldn’t be matched with confidence.

Transcript

Here we go. Are we going? We're going. Welcome to the Cigar Hustler Podcast, Episode 405.

I'm Mike Palmer with my co-host, Mike Szczepankevich, and our engineer, Boots, keeping us in line. Grab a cigar, kickback, and let's get started. Get into it. Yeah, boots.

Yeah. This week, Florida becomes the Wild West once again. If the bag says no drugs in here, better check anyway. We have all the highlights from NFL Week 2, and in Cigars, a Crocodile Goes International, Apostate Bears Witness, Casa Fuentes closing its doors.

Oh, no. We have Viva La Vida Churchill, a new Texas law, and some news about my favorite, Joshua Burski. Then, the show wraps up with, what's the score? The best show ever.

But Mikey. Mikey. Mikey. Are you here?

Hello? I can't see with these lights. Mr. Palmer.

How do I get some of this CHPod swag, Michael? com and check out all of our CHPod swags. We are about to release, for the first time ever, our Halloween edition cigar t-shirt. com You buy one, you get the second one, 40% off Bam Gotta go to work Alright Then on September 23rd, I'll be at Treasure Coast Cigars Invero from 12 to 3 And then on the 26th, here at Hustler We have the end of the month-long Camacho event And the giveaway of the Halo 2B Gas Griddle.

Oh, that's a nice one. It's a nice griddle. It's a big griddle. And now, I believe, Mikey, you have some type of big announcement you would like to tell us?

I do. We are going to make a special announcement on this week's Patreon. So, if you are a Patreon member, listen and look forward to that. If you want to hear this announcement, make sure you check us out on our Patreon.

com, a Cigar Hustlers podcast. It's huge. Huge. So just to be clear, the big announcement is, you must listen to another show to hear the announcement.

I do, yeah, we have an announcement. Just making sure I'm following along. I have an announcement, and I'm not going to disclose it here. So there's an announcement, but we're not saying anything else.

That's correct. And it's huge. And it's huge. What are we smoking on the Patreon this week, Michael?

We are smoking, I just took it apart. The, uh... Would you like to use mine? The original Warhead...

Perfect. one. One of my Infinity Stones. The original?

Yeah, the Redux. Oh. 6 grams, by the way, and it is the first cigar for me for the day, so looking forward to it. Wow, that's going to be a powerful punch.

You think so? For the first cigar? I don't have, it doesn't, that doesn't affect me. No?

I don't have a powerful punch. I hate when people ask me, like, how strong is, like, I don't know. No, I just mean for like your first cigar of the day. Yeah, I know, it's kind of hard to answer anymore, right?

Yeah, I couldn't. Is it going to make me sick? Well, it didn't make me sick, but I don't like to tell you. Yeah.

Well, what is your first cigar of the day normally? What's the day normally? Posana, Connecticut, Toro, sometimes Posana, Connecticut, Corona Gordo. Right, so this is definitely heavier than that.

It is. I would say it's heavier, but it's not going to affect me. Okay. You can't affect me.

You have no effect on me. Okay. Okay. You guys done with Who's Stronger?

That was just me talking to everybody else. You have no effect on me. Okay, everybody, ready for this week's trendy news? Let's go.

Big news in Florida this week, the state nearly 40-year ban on open carry firearms just been struck down. The wild, wild west. A Florida Appeals Court ruled that the ban is unconstitutional, pointing to recent Supreme Court cases that say gun laws have to be in line with the country's historical traditions. So what does that mean in practice?

Up until now, Florida could carry a concealed gun if they had the right permit, but they couldn't wear it openly on their hip. The way that people can in most states. Most states, you can do that? Well, I didn't know it was going on in most states.

No, it happens in Texas. Uh, that's about to change. If the ruling stands, legal gun owners will be able to openly carry their firearms in public. So it's not done yet?

No. No, I guess they struck down the law that said you can't, but I don't know how that works if now somebody has to go, but you can. But wait, there's more. Supporters of the decision are calling it a win for the Second Amendment.

Groups like Florida Carey, say it restores a freedom that never should have been taken away. But there's another side. Critics, including some public safety officials, warn that open carry can make tense situations more dangerous, intimidate people in public spaces, and make it harder for law enforcement to respond to emergencies. How does it make it harder for law enforcement to respond?

I don't know. I've never heard that before. That's new. Tell me.

Tell us, Boots, who used to be a security guard in the Navy. Wow. Protecting the shore because you wouldn't get on a boat? How does it make it slower?

I guess it could be, you know, maybe you need to know who the actual threat is when you show up to the scene. Because they have a firearm? Because everybody has a firearm. Everybody's got a gun at that point?

No. We all have guns. Who's carrying? Yo.

You know. Okay. Alright, well, the state could appeal this to the Florida Supreme Court and lawmakers may try to set new rules around where and how guns can be carried. But for now, the decision marks one of the biggest changes to Florida gun laws in decades.

Bottom line, whether you see it as a victory of personal freedom or a step backwards for public safety, Open Carry in Florida is back on the table, and it's sure to spark a heated debate as we head into the next legislative session. I saw a commercial with, who's the judge in Polk County, Grady, Grady Judd, saying that this had happened, well, you can't carry guns in courthouses, or in schools, or any government buildings. Other than that, he wants you to shoot everybody. For whatever reason, you just kind of reminded me of the DNA guy on Jurassic Park.

Which one's the DNA? Yeah, do you remember originally the first Jurassic Park? The guy with the shaving cream can? No, no, he's talking about the guy on the video that they see when they go in to see the lab.

Oh, the old guy. Nope, not the old guy. It's like a little Helix thing. Oh, the cartoon of the DNA guy.

Oh, nice. You know. Okay, well, let's talk about this topic. This is a good topic.

That's a topic. This is a topic that's going to piss off at least 50% of you. At least, at least. Minimum.

Half of you will be upset. Well, you don't even need a permit now in Florida to conceal carry. They passed that law where you don't have to. That's correct.

So here's a question I'm going to ask. Okay. Go. If you have...

Okay, so here's a question I'm going to ask. If you have the option to open carry or just concealed carry, which one would you choose and why? Boots. Concealed.

Why? I don't want anybody to see my boomstick. You don't want people to see the boomstick? No.

Okay, that's it? Yeah, I don't want to see what I'm carrying. Okay, you think that having it out in the open is actually puts you more at a disadvantage, to some degree? Yeah, I mean, also having it out in the open, you know, that does make people tense.

You think so? Yeah. Is it gonna make you tense if you see a guy carrying a gun and you can't get to yours real quick? It depends on what the guy looks like.

Oh. Like what ethnicity he is? No. Oh, okay.

Did not say that. I mean, I don't disagree with that statement because, like, in Texas it's open carry? Yeah. And I saw a guy who probably had a low IQ.

Right. You know what I mean? And he had a hand cannon on the side of his, and I'm like. Well, he probably thought it made him look cool.

And that's exactly what he did. I think you're right. Right, right. It could have been a toy gun.

And you look at him and you're like. Try me. Try me. Do he squint at you like Clint Eastwood?

Try me, partner. Go ahead, punk. If you look. And, you know, because I was traveling, I didn't bring my own, I didn't have my own on me.

That's the hardest part. No protection. If you're traveling, because like if you go to Georgia, you can't have it. You can't carry in Georgia?

No, we can't. Why not? Because we live in Florida. Just because in Florida you don't have to have a permit doesn't mean in Georgia you don't have a permit.

Yeah, but if you have a concealed license permit, you can carry in. Everybody's not reciprocal. From what I remember, Georgia was not. Georgia's not.

Yeah, so you don't get caught with it in Georgia. Yeah, there are certain states that do not allow you to go through state lines. Which is stupid. With same laws.

I mean, if Florida says I'm okay to carry one, why does Georgia say I'm not? And it's not that they say I'm not, they just don't have records of me? I don't know. Yeah, I don't know.

So are you for, would you, if you had the opportunity to either carry concealed or carry open, would you carry open or would you carry concealed? I think if we go to carry open, I might start carrying again. Okay, and if you did start carrying, would you carry it open or concealed? It would be where I didn't care if it showed or not.

So open. Does that make sense? No. So, like, I'm not going to purposely tuck in my shirt tail so that it'll stick out.

Right. But I'm not going to worry so much, like, if I bend over that it sticks out. Okay. Or, you know, if something happens.

So concealed, you would still carry concealed? Depends on the clothes you're wearing. I mean, like, the outfit I got on today, if I didn't have the jacket, you would see it. Okay, would you wear a holster so that it was always apparent on the outside of your hip?

Yes, that's the way it would set up. You would wear it on the outside? Yeah. Not tucked under a shirt?

No. You'd wear it out? Okay. Look, I'm not, I'm just...

No, no, but if I had like a t-shirt on like you have on? Yeah. That you don't tuck in? Right.

Then if it showed or not, I wouldn't care. But I mean, it could be covered, depends on how low the... It's an open. So, if it could, if it could cover...

I'm not going to purposely conceal it. Okay, so it would stay out, the shirt would go under the gun, the gun would be out. No, I would just wear the clothes normally. I'm not going to go to the trouble to make sure everybody can see it, but I'm not going to care if it shows.

This is a weird scenario. What Palmer is describing is he would open carry, but if he had to put on his jacket, he would conceal. In this type of outfit, it would be concealed. Is that what you're saying?

Yes, I wouldn't, like, tuck the jacket back behind you like I'm on, you know, on Main Street waiting for a shootout. Thank you for helping me get there. Yeah, no problem. But if I had your outfit on, you might not see it because your shirt hangs over your belt.

I'm not going to purposely tuck the shirt under the belt. Do you see that? Do you see how that confused me? That part is confusing, Paul, I'm not going to lie.

You know what I mean? No, I'm not going to tuck the shirt tail in. Because if you get dressed, right? Say Mikey got dressed, right?

Do you think he put his gun on before he put his shirt on? Hold on, wait a second. Let me back this up. Let me try one other thing.

There are holsters that go inside of the pants? Yeah, no. I've never had an inside the pants holster. I don't like them.

Okay. And there are holsters that go outside of the pants. Right. All my holsters, the three I have, are all outside the pants.

So you would be open carry. Okay. Okay. Right.

I mean... But when I carried now, I still use the same holster, though. Even though it wasn't open carry, just the shirt would cover it. You would have a jacket of some sort over it or something like that.

Well, normally, in this outfit, I wouldn't wear it because if I took the jacket off, you would see it. Right. Okay. It's very complicated over here.

I would definitely, if I had a blazer like that, I would definitely be the Mike Lowry holsters. Yeah. Mike Lowry. What about like, you know, like maybe Tomb Raider, the, you know, gun on the leg, like Desert Eagle strap.

Well, I didn't have the Desert Eagle, but I used to have the leg holster in the military. That's how I rolled. When he was a security guard. " Right, well, like, okay, you own a bar.

I do. Do I? Can you, well, yeah. I do.

Can, with this law, has there been any change to that? As far as guns at a bar? Yep. I don't think so.

Yeah, how does that work upstairs? Because technically, it's a bar. You can't. No guns.

Yeah, there's no guns in alcohol. Right. Yeah. Everybody would die.

It would be crazy. Especially that guy with the hand cannon. It's a joke. Yeah, you don't want that.

No. Okay, so nothing's changed with that. I don't know, man. For me, open carry, I just feel like normally if you're open carry, you run across people that feel like they got something to prove.

Now, you know, maybe that's, maybe I'm wrong, but the few situations that I've had, you could see that the guy is trying to prove something, right? You know, okay, let's, I don't, I don't care about the law, like, hey, let's, I'm not, I'm okay with it, it doesn't bother me either way, but me personally, I don't think I would carry open carry, unless, unless it got really heated in this kind of situation. I mean, an open carry does help with some deterrence in situations, but not most. Right.

It's a lower percentage. If anything, it makes you more, I feel that it makes you more of a target. Yeah. Yeah.

All right. Well, we'll see how this unfolds. You know, normally it gets walked back right before it happens. You know, like, oh, it's not, now it's not happening.

So we'll see. I know the governor's all in favor for it, so. Yeah, that's okay. I've seen governors in favor of it before and it did not happen.

This is a very touchy and hard subject for any state. We're just coming out of tax-free bullet season where any gun accessory or bullets you bought in the state of Florida were tax-free. What a great state. I love our state.

And now we're all going to be carrying guns. So it's not just sidearms. You can carry rifles over your shoulder. I mean, okay.

I got news for you. If you're walking down the street carrying a rifle, you're going to get stopped. Someone's going to have questions. Why?

Why? Because why are you carrying a rifle down the street? Because I can. Okay.

I'm going to follow you wherever you're going. All right, Fortnite. You're going to get it. Fortnite.

All right, folks. You can't make this stuff up. This one comes to us straight out of Florida. Oh.

And it's honestly too perfect. A woman was recently arrested for carrying a tote bag. Now, nothing unusual about that, except the bag had words printed on it. Big, bold letters.

And what did it say? I can't wait. Definitely not a bag full of drugs. Yes.

Did it really? Yes. Yes, you heard that right. A tote bag literally claiming it was not full of drugs.

Here's the kicker. The authorities opened it up and surprise, it was full of drugs. Oh my God, what kind of drugs? Let's read on and find out.

She was rolling the dice on this one. I mean, you have to admire the audacity or maybe just the terrible judgment. Either way, it's exactly the kind of headline that makes you chuckle and makes your head, makes you shake your head at the same time. Now, the story has been lighting up social media, and people have been having a field day.

Memes, jokes, captions. It's basically the gift that keeps on giving. Some folks are saying that it's the most honest lie ever, while others are just enjoying the irony. And you've got to picture a law enforcement opening the bag, seeing the words, probably raising an eyebrow and thinking, well, that's subtle.

The takeaway, maybe don't label your contraband for everyone to see. And also, Florida continues to give us headlines, It's cold, weird, wild, and totally viral, so they never actually said what it was. Hmm, it kind of puzzles me. " You're not going to believe what I just saw.

This guy, or gal. He's a woman. Yeah. Says no drugs.

Definitely no drugs in here. No drugs here. This is puzzling. Oh, she's fine.

It says no drugs. Just carry on. Yeah, just carry on. It's probably what she thought would happen.

Just move along, man. It's fine. It says no drugs. How'd they get the right to search the bank?

That's exactly what I was puzzled about. Reasonable, whatever, I mean, reasonable, whatever, I can't think of another right word. That's a hell of a term. Well, how can they search your car when they pull up?

There's a, there's a word for it. Reasonable, reasonable cause. What, what is that? Police, uh, police officer Melvin over there?

Melvin? Uh, I can't see anything. I don't know who, I can't even see Mikey from here. I feel like I'm being interrogated.

I think what you're referring to, to is reasonable doubt. No. No, no. Reasonable suspicion?

No. But what you're saying is... Right now people are yelling at the screen. By the way, Cigar Surgeon told me that it's called auditing a class two weeks after the show.

Cigar Surgeon? Cigar Surgeon. What was he talking about? We were talking about how you take a college class without actually taking the college class, when you're auditing the class.

so yeah you can't just you just can't go up and just search someone's purse because it says something that's not that's not a lot are you are you texting people are looking i'm trying to probable cause probable cause thank you it's not it's that's something you just can't do like she has to either jaywalk or she has to be doing something illegal for them to stop i can feel the That's the outrage of our listeners right now. Probable calls, dumbass! Right. For them to stop her in the search.

Yeah. Okay, so if she... Well, can't they... I mean, if they think you look suspicious, can't they search you?

Maybe she saw... Maybe somebody went as a transaction. You know what I mean? That news story is very vague.

Yeah. If there's a bolo out for a lady with a purse that says it is not drugs... Right. Then yeah, then they could search her.

Oh, they can name bolo. Yeah, what's Polo stand for? Be on the lookout. I understand.

Thank you very much, Palmer. I'm aware of that. I can't see. You don't know if you're trying to be ironic or not.

I'm aware of that. I was looking at him to see if he could answer. Like I said, I can't see you. You could have been looking at me.

First of all, you can see me. I see a silhouette of the left side of your face. What I love right now is he's completely vulnerable because he can't see anything. Yeah.

All you can see is the teleprompter. Okay. So. What color am I on the screen?

I got a blue light and a yellow light. Am I green? Well, you're white. Okay.

You're green. Okay. Well, blue and yellow make green. I'm going to make you do the chesting with me from now on.

No. Yeah. Oh. And I won't record with you.

Okay. And this is the last episode of the podcast ever. We'll miss all of you. Okay.

Are we moving on? Are we done? You're either going to fully commit or you're not going to commit. I am fully committing.

I'm doing the show over here. No. I can sense the difference. No, you can't.

Yes, I can. No, you can't. - No. - Yeah?

- No. - Are we moving on? - Yeah, there's really not much to cover about the fact that the guy, the girls had no drugs and the drug, the drug... - No, she had drugs in there.

- She had drugs in there. - Yeah, she had drugs in the bag that said no drugs. - Right, definitely no drugs. - Yeah, perfect.

And it doesn't only happen in Florida. - No, but it did happen in Florida. - But it only happens in Florida, so please don't come to Florida. - All right, here's your three-minute chat, GPT, recapping NFL Week 2.

- Three minutes. - Okay. - Three-minute read. The standout moments, surprises, and what to watch heading into week three.

Big picture takeaways. Week two reinforced the no team is safe, yet we saw dominant performance, some gritty wins, key injuries, and offense and defense that still have questions. Okay. A new team made statements while others double-checked how much work they have ahead.

Let's break those down. Okay. Teams who made noise. Tell me.

Detroit Lions. After a rough week one loss, Detroit Lions came out blazing in Week 2, stoning the Chicago Bears 52-21. The Lions exploded through the air, Jared Goff, in a near-perfect day, throwing five touchdowns, including three to Amon Ray St. Brown.

Amon. Amon, thank you. Amon Ray St. Brown.

You guys want to talk about that? Amon Ray St. Brown. It's okay.

I forget them. Amon Raw St. Brown? I forget them.

Amon Raw. They put up a 511 yards and hammered home explosive plays, showing what they can do when everything clicked. Nothing makes me happier than you saying a name wrong. Okay, well, don't worry.

A lot of sports people here are probably going to get most of the names wrong. It's always a great, great clip for me. Baltimore Ravens, they bounce back in empathetic or emphatic fashion with a 41-17 win over the Browns. While their offense wasn't gaudy and yardage.

I can't see because of those lights. They're all three phases, execution, turnovers, special teams, red zone efficiencies told the story of a team that wants to be taken seriously. Because I can't deal with this grumpy ass. I'm not grumpy.

I'm just trying to see the screen. Okay. Buffalo's defense dominated, holding the Jets to just 10 points in a convincing 30 to 10 win. The Bills made life miserable for New York offensive, forcing turnovers and allowing a big plays.

How's that feel? If you can hit that one the same, it'd be great. That one's as low as possible. Yeah.

That one's already as low as possible. It doesn't even do anything for you. No, it helps with the shade, the light. No, I can see a shadow now, but whatever.

Teams that raise questions. Kansas City Chiefs, they lost in the Super Bowl, rematch with the Eagles 20-17. Kansas City's offense struggled to stretch the field. Some critics, and some critics late game errors included an interception.

Cost them defensively, Philadelphia didn't give up any home run plays. Chiefs need more consistency. Do you guys not want to talk about any of these as we go through them? Oh, we're waiting for a three-minute read.

Yeah, I'm giving a three-minute read. Oh, you want me to read all the way to the end? Sure, go ahead. I'm going to tap into the boots on a couple of things here.

New York Giants, mixed bag, strong second half, some explosive plays, but a ton of penalties and self-inflicted damage. They had leads, but sloppy execution, undetermined their chances. Quarterback health, one big story was Joe Burrow's toe injury against Jacksonville. He left early, Jaylene Chase continued to produce, but if Burroughs is out longer, that changes the Bengals outlook significantly.

That changes the Bengals outlook significantly. Okay. Is that everything? What was that person's name that then changed significantly?

Yeah, what guy? I'd have to go back, I don't know. Back it up. Uh, Joe Burroughs hurt his toe.

Jaylene Chase. Perfect. Is that not his name? One more time.

Jaylene, Jaylene, Jaylene, Jaylene, Jaylene, Jaylene. It's not even close. I love it. But it's, I mean, the first letter's right.

Yeah, you got that right. Maybe the second one, too. All right. Okay.

All right, so. Are we going to talk about Jamar Chase, or? No, Jaylene. Let's talk about Jaylene.

It's totally different. It's totally. It's J-A-Y-L-E-A-N on here. How does it spell it?

That's definitely not how, that's not who it is. That's not who that is. I don't think it was Jalen Chase on that too. That's the way they spell it on the internet.

Yeah, no, that's not how they spell it. Not like I'm making this stuff up, I just cut and paste. I had no idea, I honestly had no idea who he was talking about. I did.

Is the last name Chase? Yeah, I'm glad that you did the connection there. Because I mean, you know, I'm like, okay. Next week, no sports.

Okay, so a couple things to mainly cover. So, do you think the Bengals are screwed now? Yes. I mean, the guy that came in didn't do bad.

No, he didn't. But there's no way that he can consistently do that. You don't think so? No, because this guy, Burroughs is out for almost three months, they said.

Yeah. So you're going to ask this guy to basically play for the whole NFL season. Okay. Right?

I think that they need to go and get somebody else. I saw somebody very lonely on the sideline last night. Who was it? Kurt Cousins.

Was it Jaylene? He was super lonely. He was super lonely? Yeah.

You know what, dude? I don't know, man. And I think a second string quarterback can succeed with guys like Jamar Chase and Tee Higgins in the wide receiver slots. I mean, so probably what they'll do, right?

They're gonna go one more game with them and see how it rolls, right? And if it doesn't, I don't know who else is their backups behind him, but they'll probably go out and grab somebody. I don't think so. I think they ride it out with this guy.

No veteran? You don't think any veteran presence is coming? No, no. Uh, okay.

Uh, the Giants? Complete mess. That game was a complete mess. Okay.

Complete, utter train wreck. At least my boy Pickens finally got a tutty. Yeah, Dak was definitely supposed to lose that game. Right.

A couple times. Um, but it was just crazy how it ended with that field goal. I like George Pickens. He's my guy.

I don't think George Pickens is a bad receiver. I think when he, I think his problem is, is that when he's, when he starts catching the ball, he gets overconfident, I almost feel like, and then he makes stupid plays, but, I mean, when he's not overconfident, he's just on his game, I mean, that guy doesn't really make some great catches. Okay. Okay, and now, for the question of the week: How soon do you think Mike McDaniels gets fired?

Does he make it to week four? What do you think? I don't know. I don't know what the hell's going on.

Did you see his interview? No. " Like, that's what he's saying. Yeah.

" Oh, yeah, he's done. Yeah. He knows it's over. You definitely checked out.

You must have heard what happened in the players meeting. Nobody wants you there anymore. And Tua is in left fucking field by himself. Yeah.

I don't know what he's doing either. He's literally just throwing it to the other team. Yeah. It's not like, oh man, I accidentally threw it short to this guy.

No, it's like a beamer to the guy's fucking hands. Right. Who'd they play? The Patriots.

It's horrible. That's right. They play the Patriots. You don't even have Tom Brady anymore.

You're not supposed to be losing these guys anymore. Wow. Wow. Division loss.

Oh, it's going to be next week, too. Are you playing the Bills? Yeah, Thursday night. Here it comes.

You're good. All right, so the Dolphins are going 0-3. You know what's funny? I'm going to say this for the Hearth Boys.

Go ahead. What's really funny is even though the Dolphins look like absolute fucking dog shit, When they play the Bills, for some reason, whenever they play like those guys, or when they used to play Tom Brady, they come alive. Yeah, because they work on trying to beat them every season. It's retarded.

Except you played the Patriots this weekend, you did not come alive. Well, there's no Tom Brady. There is no Tom Brady. Now, who the Chiefs got this upcoming week?

Because nothing makes me happier, Mr. Palmer, than your beloved Chiefs being that one too. That's my wife's beloved Chiefs. No, you know, now you're distancing yourself.

I don't follow sports! Yeah, you were definitely all over last season. We have over 400 episodes of this show, and I guarantee you... Okay, talk about the Chiefs, but I don't know anybody on the team, but go ahead.

Every time we mentioned the Chiefs when they were winning, you were a Chiefs fan. Go Chiefs! Do you have a wife? Do you understand how you support your wife when they like things?

So if she does watch parts of the show, so I'm going to say, "Well, they suck," and then I got to deal with that when I get home. No, I don't think you can use that as an excuse. Well, okay, well, you can do whatever you want. I think you can say, hey, my wife's a Chiefs fan, so I'm going to support the Chiefs, but that's not what you said.

My wife's a Chiefs fan, so I support my wife. And if that involves supporting the Chiefs, then I support the Chiefs. But that's not what you said in the past. You said, "Go, Chiefs!

" How is it not supporting my wife or supporting the Chiefs? Because my wife likes the Chiefs. " You didn't explain that you supported the Chiefs. Because it was never such a big deal as it apparently is now.

" I couldn't tell you if they were winning or losing. You would because your wife would tell you. Okay. It's week two.

She watched the game in Brazil or wherever it was they played? Yeah. She watched that game. I couldn't tell you if they win or lost.

Well, at least you know it was in Brazil. See the type of anger you got right now? It has nothing to do with the "uh". Yes, it does.

It's because you're attacking me. I want the "uh". No, it doesn't. Yes.

See, look, you just did it a little bit there and you're already smiling. Because it hurt. It didn't hurt. Alright, so, uh, I guess that's, uh, so you didn't tell me when you think Mike McDaniels is going to...

Wait, that's it? We're not going to talk about the Chiefs now? They're 0-2. Was that all you wanted to get me to say?

You obviously, well, you just said you don't care, so how many... I don't, I don't, I don't know, I don't care, no, but... Yeah, so you're pretending, so now you can pretend that you don't care. Well, I thought there was more involved.

Okay, were you just going to tell me they were 0-2, and then that was it, whether I cared or not? How can I have a conversation with somebody about a team that they don't care about? You know I don't watch sports, I don't care about any team. It's been like you cared, and you acted like you were involved.

Now they're losing, and you're like, eh, I don't care. I couldn't tell you they're winning or losing. Until you just told me, I didn't even know. It must be nice.

I didn't even know if they played this week. Okay. They all play this week. No, if they played the week we just ended.

I understand. They all played this week. Okay. Everybody?

Yeah. I don't even know how many teams there are. I think the buys start in week five. Oh.

But they don't play next week? They play next week. You just said they don't play next week. Did I say that, Boots?

No? Okay. No. Yeah, so McDaniels, probably, I'd give it another two weeks, and then the guy that looks like The Rock on the sideline, he'll probably take over.

So you think come week four, week four could be the last week for Mike McDaniels? Well, it's going to be announced in that one, because week three is against the Patriots, so we know this is going to, or against the Bills, so we know this is going to be, everybody knows it's an ass-spanking. So they roll over three. We got a problem.

If it's a horrible ass-baking, he's gone. Do you think they let him back on the plane in Buffalo? Is it in Buffalo? Please tell me it's in Buffalo.

No, it's... Yeah, it is in Buffalo. Yeah, because it's not going to snow. Do they let him back on the plane?

I don't know. They just leave him there. I don't know what Tyreek's going to do. This is your home now?

I don't know. I don't know what Tyreek's going to do? Amazing. Okay.

All right, Angry Palmer, next article. The next article? And as for the Chiefs, so sorry they couldn't stop the Tush Bush. Yeah.

That's a hard, that's a hard thing to stop. Bucks can stop it. I've seen the Bucks stop it. I mean, Philadelphia played like shit.

Did they? That's what great teams do though. The great teams win when they play like shit. Yeah, I think Hertz only threw for like 111 yards.

I mean, Saquon, Saquon and one other running back had more total yards than Jalen did. Jalen did. I guess it should be that way, though. No?

That guy has a rushing and passing machine. He should be doing that. Doesn't matter, they won the game. I understand.

That's all that matters. Oh, was there any, there's no Bills talking this whole thing. What about him? First of all, another pussy ass week for the Bills.

Oh my God. They took all their players out after the second quarter. Why? Because they were winning, but I don't care.

Second quarter. You still have the third quarter. Play your guys. Let them get their stats.

How bad was the score? It was like 30 to 7 after the halftime. Oof. But then I did see Josh Allen broke his nose.

He broke his nose? Yeah, they popped it back into place. And it's all bruised out. Josh Allen's awesome.

Yeah, get the fucking stats. You're so angry. I get angry because I bet on this idiot. Ahhhh.

Cause I'm like, okay, he's definitely gonna get 200 yards passing. Right. Nope. I get it.

Maybe you shouldn't bet. I'm not betting on him no more. Okay. Alright, Angry Palmer, next story.

Warp sending Isla Del Crocodilio Toro Grande to international markets. Isla Del Crocodilio. S. markets this fall.

5x54 Toro Grande. It uses the same base blend as the original release, meaning an Ecuadoran Habano wrapper, the top two binders, one from Ecuador and the other from Brazil, with Niquiraguan tobacco used for the filler. But for the release, some Peruvian Pilo del Oro was added to the filler to contribute sweetness to the profile. - I have a question, Palmer.

- Yes. - While me and Mikey were going back and forth about the sports, - Yes. - How many times were you pronouncing Crocadillo in your head before you're reading the story? - None.

- None? - No. - It is made at Tablicalera La Isla in the Dominican Republic, with production limited to 1,500 boxes of 15 cigars. The release also gets updated packaging coming in a blue box instead of the green one used for the original release.

S. markets has been added. Release date has not been announced, but the company is planning to show the cigar at the entered back 2025 trade show fair being held in Dortmund, Germany next week. Warped announced the cigar via Cigar Aficionado.

An email sent to the company asking to confirm the accuracy of the article and requesting images of the cigar has not been returned. That's like the second or third time that I've heard that something was submitted to Warped and there was no response. Who owns Warped? Kyle something something.

I don't know. Yeah. It is Kyle. I remember the first name Kyle and the last name.

Maybe it's one of those email addresses that they don't check. Like it comes from info@warpcigars or something and when you respond it just it's a dead email account. " I don't know how big Warped is. How many people work there?

If I had to guess, one. If there's three people that work at Warped, do you think one of the three would be reading the article? We had that customer a couple of weeks ago who said the email is for information and we don't know where he emailed. He doesn't even remember where he sent it.

But he doesn't know where he sent it to. No, he doesn't remember anything. But he ended up, I mean, apparently he can read us through just about anything else but whatever that email was. So, yeah, but that, you know what, but that was my point.

" Right? Like, I want to fix that. Right. You know, instantly.

I don't want that to happen again and then happen again. Sure. It could be 75 companies out there going, you know, we asked for info. Well, we sent the email.

Well, fuck it. And we just send it. I guess they don't care. You know?

We're trying to buy 500 boxes from this guy. We care. We care. We care.

We care. Contact us with anything. Send us a smoke signal. You can text us.

You can Facebook message. You can TikTok. I got one customer. It deals only through Instagram Messenger.

LinkedIn. Hey. And there you go. So.

So. Not like I'm not on all these different things. And you got to cater to that customer. Sure.

That's what he wants. That's what he wants. Have you ever carry warped? No.

I have not. We came close once. Well, we emailed them and they don't answer. We had questions about something that he was doing and.

And they didn't answer. No. I don't. I've never had one of those before.

Warps. Okay. I think I've had the original of Crocodileo. From somebody.

Okay, we're going to talk a little bit about this on the Patreon. About that specific segment? No, about like this. Got it.

Warped in general. Is this the announcement? No. The announcement's big.

Is it? I'm excited about the announcement. I have no idea what it is. It's a great announcement.

Perfect. Oh, I'm sure. That's why it's called an announcement. It's a big deal.

Not like I just happened to tell you. Right. It's an announcement. So.

All right. Prostate Ships, The Eight Witnesses. A prostate? I didn't say a prostate, I said a prostate.

Oh. Well, would they witness? Earlier this year, apostate cigars announced that it was going to double the number of cigars it offered by introducing new four and... Uh oh.

Stroke? No, no, it's the way it's written it, but I think it's four and a quarter by 44, but it says it's four one over X by 44. So there's a letter missing. Uh, Vitola, to each of the company's eight regular production blends, which previously were offered in just One Batola.

Today, those new sites are collectively known as the Eight Witnesses are shipping. Like many of the names of the company's other cigars, the Eight Witnesses' names have roots in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The price for each release are, there's a Corona, there is a Petit Corona, oh, they're all Petit Coronas. Yeah, 4 and a quarter by 44.

Yeah, they have different names. The Feathered Serpent, the Sword of Laban, you probably said that wrong, Laban, Laban, Moroni's Trumpet, Moroni's Trumpet, The Endowment, Like from Gotham City, Moroni? I don't know Moroni from the Gotham City. Each cigar is packaged in 20 count bundles designed to fill a single display until holding all eight blends at once, while all the blends are now available in the same four and a half by 44 Vitola.

The original Vitola is mostly varied, only the initial and the endowment are the same Vitola, both 6x52 Toros. With the eight witnesses, we are giving smokers the opportunity to taste the core of each blend in a consistent format, said Kendrick Wollinstummel, co-founder, said that wrong, co-founder of Apostate Cigars and a press release. It's about stripping away the variables and focusing on the blend itself, whether you're revisiting a favorite or trying something new. The size delivers the essence of every cigar.

Okay. Did Mickey Peck go here? You know, I have heard good things about apostate cigars, I just haven't, I don't think I've had any. I just haven't carried them.

I've never heard of them before. Maybe get a 4 1/2 by 60, carry this little, 4 1/2 by 45, or whatever it was, just carry this little thing. It's not a bad size. Like Weaselitos.

Yeah. Eight witnesses. All right, moving on. On the Epstein Island.

Castafuente, one of the world's most recognizable cigar shops, is closing on October 20th, 2025. Yeah. Its closing is not abrupt. Since last year, Castafuente's owners have known that the store's lease comes to an end this fall and that they would not renew it, marking the end of the store's 20-year run in Las Vegas.

For those who are interested in stopping by, Castafuente's final day will be Monday, October 20th. Big blowout. Why? There's no reason for them to blow out.

They just bring it back to Fuente. Fuente owns it. Oh. Casta Fuente opened in the summer of 2005 and is located inside the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace.

It's operated by the Frey Brothers, who opened the store in partnership with Robert Levin, owner of Ashton & Holtz, as well as the Fuente family. The store is a tribute to all things the Tour of Fuente. The walls are decorated with logos and imagery found on Fuente's products, alongside pictures of the Fuentes. It stocks an incredible wide selection of Arturo Fuente branded merchandise from Prometheus Humidors to Guayaberas and his humidor almost exclusively carries cigars made by Arturo Fuente.

Exclusively. C. Newman, and Prometheus. Hmm.

Because of its status as a house of Arturo Fuente, Cas Fuente has long been known as a place to get hard to find Arturo Fuente products like Opicus X, And rare cigars, like Between the Lines, is one of the few stores in the country that can say it typically carries BBMFs. I don't know what that is. Big, bad, mother, mmm. It's an Opus.

Feathers. It's an Opus. It's one of the hardest, it's like one of the rarest, most sought after Opus. Opus Xs.

Until they started going crazy with all this other stuff. And oftentimes, next to the big bad mother ever is the even rare Fuente cigar. Okay. It doesn't say what the even rare Fuente cigar is.

It doesn't make sense. It doesn't, it doesn't. No. Since opening, Casta Fuente has its own line of cigars, and for a long time they...

What? Yeah. Oh, I thought you said something. They could more or less only be purchased at the store in Las Vegas.

There were limited exceptions to the exclusivity, most notably once per year when Holtz would host an annual event called, An event called Fuente Mania, during which it would sell a limited supply of Casa Fuente cigars in 2021, Toro Fuente began shipping limited quantities of Casa Fuente cigars to stores nationwide or tradition that continues today. Sure does. In a phone call, Michael Frey, one of the store's co-owners, said he had mixed emotions. He was sad to see it end, but was proud of what he and his partners were able to offer to the city of Las Vegas and many guests.

Okay. So, have you been to the Casa Fuente Cigars? Okay. So, have you been to the Casa Fuente?

Yes, all three of us have. Is that where the LFD thing was happening? That's where we had the birthday. Uh, no.

What birthday? Lito's birthday. It wasn't Lito's birthday. It was not a Casa Fuente.

Oh, then I don't think I've been there. Then, yeah. Okay. Well, I think it might be, it was in the same, um, mall.

No, remember, we tried to go with Skip, and then it was, it was like closed or something. So, for a private event or something, something like that. Oh, it was in the same mall as the other place? Then I did see it, but yeah, I didn't go in.

It's a cool place. It's a cool experience. I've been there before. You know, it sucks that it's going away.

However, do you think that it's gone for good in Vegas? Why would they not renew the lease? Because of cost? Would that be the only reason?

I think that, you know, smoke, bad. Like, people get pissed off when they're, you would, the way that you would smoke at Casa Fuente is you would sit out in the little patio that they had there, So you couldn't smoke inside the shop, you had to smoke in the mall. Yeah, you could smoke in the shop, but you could also smoke in the mall. So people would come down the escalator, and boom, you'd be hit with it instantly.

And, you know, people complain. The article goes on and it talks about their neighbors in the mall. So maybe the Lids or the Hello Kitty Cafe didn't like the smoke. Right.

Too smoky. Too smoky. Hello Kitty. So, you know, the question is, do you think that Casa Fuente will open up in another location somewhere in Vegas?

No. No. And why is that, sir? What's the point, then?

I mean, that was prime real estate. The point is to sell cigars. Yeah, but they're not looking to be a cigar shop. You know what they're looking to do?

No, I'm just saying, it's just, it was nice because it was in a prime location, right? It was a location, right? And it was prolific, right? For Fuente.

Right. You know, to be in that spot. Now, they would open it up somewhere else, like off the Strip or anything? No, I don't, I didn't say they'd be opening up off the Strip.

You think that they'd open up somewhere else on the Strip or in, in another hotel or something like that? I think the only good place would be, would be in a, in one of the casinos. Okay. But you don't think they're going to?

I don't think they, I think that'd probably be super expensive. I have a little more information. Keep going. Over the years, Caspa Fuente has been through numerous battles to keep smoking in the patio area.

Some involved fights in court, which it won, and others involved the physics of ventilating the smoke. Nearly a decade ago, the store underwent a significant remodel, which included upgraded ventilation. At the time, when on-patio seating was reduced, and last year, the mall's landlord told the store that the smoking in the patio needed to stop. Too many other tenants were complaining.

Okay. It says they lost so many seats that the revenue had gone down because people couldn't stay there and hang out. Oh, they lost chairs. Okay, so do you think that they're going to open up somewhere else?

Uh, it says the Freys will continue to sell cigars in Las Vegas, it just doesn't sound... Well, they have, I think they have other stores. They also own the Casa Monte Cristo store in Caesars Palace, and the Monte Cristo Cigar Bar in Paris, Las Vegas. In addition, they own Cigar Box, a store located just off the Strip.

As of now, there are no plans for another Casa Fuente. But the Frey Brothers did not rule it out. Okay, so do you think that they open up another Casa Fuente somewhere else? Uh, the last line says, uh, they have to be an amazing location.

So if the ideal spot came up, I think they would. Okay, so where's the ideal spot in Vegas that you think would be a good fit for the Casa Fuente store? Oh, I have, I have no idea. I've only seen stuff associated with the show.

I couldn't tell you. Okay, you have no idea? I mean, no, I mean... What about like, what do you think the top casinos or hotel casinos in Vegas are?

I would think it would be Caesars Palace still in it. I don't know. Caesars is kind of old. I don't know.

Okay, what about you, Boots? I mean, we get trouble when it was at any of the other two places walking through the casinos with cigars. Okay. Maybe like Aria or MGM.

MGM is older. Maybe one of those. What about the Wynn? Oh, yeah, maybe the Wynn.

They do a lot of stuff. What about the Venetian? I've been in the Venetian with you guys. Where did we stay last year?

That's where we stay. Oh. Was that the one we stayed at last year? Yeah.

That one seemed pretty friendly, actually, to us. Right. Oh, well, they already have that cigar shop in there, though. What cigar shop?

Or not a cigar shop, but it's a cigar lounge bar? Lounge bar? Yeah. The triple six or whatever?

The one they let us smoke in? Yeah. No, that's, that's not there. That's at, that's the other place we stayed.

That's at Resort World. Oh. Resort World, that's the one I was thinking of. Yeah.

They seem pretty friendly to us smoking everywhere. Yeah, but they have a cigar store there. Oh, do they? Yeah, and they already had, the Resort World is struggling with a bunch of things.

Oh. Yeah, yeah, maybe, yeah, like the Venetian Palazzo, is that what you're talking about? Yeah, I think that, you know, if I'm gonna, if I were to run Casa Fuente, I'd want it at the Venetian or the Palazzo. Well, that's the one they hated is smoking the most.

Yeah, well, I'd try and figure that out, if that was potential to happen, or my own stand-alone building on the Strip would be cool, you know, because then nobody could say anything to you. What's that nasty hotel? Maybe they just bulldozed that one and put it there. Circus?

Circus Circus? You don't like Circus Circus? I think they were getting rid of that anyways. There you go.

I just make that a, I think, it's a pretty big property. Well, they can put a cigar shop in it. In the new one? In the new one.

Okay. Maybe the Playboy one. Okay. What?

What did he whisper? We don't have headphones on. When you whisper, we can't hear. He said maybe the Playboy one.

Isn't there a Playboy hotel? Casino there? I have no idea. Trump likes cigars.

Maybe the Trump one. Oh, Trump has one, yeah. Is Circus Circus still open in Las Vegas? Yes, it is still open.

Ooh, it looks pretty bad. He looks pretty bad. As a family-friendly resort with a casino, theme park, and other attractions, despite ongoing rumors about its sale and potential demolitions... demolitions, sorry.

Still there. Maybe down in the Tesla tunnels. Ooh. I don't...

not a lot of foot traffic there. A lot of cars, though. Okay. All right.

Next. Viva La Vida, Connecticut, Churchill Lancero, debuting at the PCA 2026. Oh! Last month, the Artesno Del Tobacco, Artesno Del Taco people surveyed people on the email list about which Vitolas it would like to add to his relatively new Viva La Vida, Connecticut line.

Weren't these the guys that were so excited about the Santa Dres? That was the El Pupo guys. Oh, El Pupo, not Del Taco. That's right.

All right. The results are in, and the two Vitolas have been determined as the winners: the Churchill and the Lancero. Okay. The company says that it will begin working on making those Vitolas with a target launch date of 2026 PCA, Convention of Trade Show, which takes place April 18th to the 20th in New Orleans.

When they debut, or when they debut, the two new Vitolas will join the two existing Viva La Vida Connecticut cigars, a Robusto and a Toro. Artesinal Del Tobacco introduced the Viva La Vida Connecticut at this year's PCA Convention and Trade Show, which took place this past April in New Orleans, I thought he was going to give the date, the line uses an Ecuadorian Connecticut seed wrapper over a Niquiraguan binder and Niquiraguan fillers is made by AJ Fernandez in Niquiragua, the company says it received responses from nearly 700 people who voted in the following way, Churchill 43%, Lancero 21%, Corona Gorda, 9%. Really? Interesting.

Not real cigar people. Oh, Salamone, 8%. Almost as much as a Corona Gorda. A 6x60, 3%.

Okay. 5x54, just two guys. Okay. So, what do you think are the top three sizes for a cigar brand, Boots?

Toro, Robusto, and probably Churchill. Okay, what about you? Toro, Robusto, and Corona Gorda. Okay.

Here are the top three sizes that I think are important for a cigar brand. Toro, Robusto, and Corona Gorda. I totally agree with you. Saying are important, but I thought you asked what are the top three sizes of...

Okay. Here are the top three sizes that I think... Here are the top three sizes that I think are the best sellers for a cigar brand. Toro, Robusto, Corona Gorda.

I mean, I agree on the Corona Gorda. You should have that size. Well, but you want Churchill. Well, I was thinking you were meaning like, what are the top sellers in a cigar company?

I just said, these are the top sellers. Same thing. So you're, well, you don't have a Churchill. No.

Right. Not on these lines. Right. You know, because it's not the best seller.

Robuso Toro, Corona Gorda. I definitely think the Corona Gorda is way better than a Lancero, or a Churchill, or a Salamone. The problem with the Lancero is that's like a real geek size, and some people will buy it, but only a small portion of them will buy it. I know guys that won't buy it and smoke it because they feel like it's too thin.

Too girly-ish? Yeah, like it's effeminate, which is not true, but that's just how they think. Well, and I, and the, the Corona Gorda is the best flavor size. Uh, it's in most, in most blends, I would agree with you.

I enjoy the Corona Gorda's Gorda's the best. Okay. Anything else to add for that one, Mr. Angry Palmer?

Do you carry these guys, by the way? Aggressive, Michael. Do you carry these guys or no? La Vida?

No. Viva La Vida? No, I didn't get to vote. Well, you don't have, you usually have to be a customer, not a retail store.

No, I didn't, I didn't, I didn't vote. Oh, we have to determine our winner. Do you have that worked in or no? I was gonna do it at the end, but you can do it at the end.

Okay, you can do it at the end, that's fine. All right. Cayman Cigar Company launches overhauled core lines. Cayman Cigar Company has announced that it's shipping new versions of its three major core lines: Manor, Monarch, and Sovereign II.

As part of the change, the lines are getting new blends, all new Vitolas, packaging, and in some cases changing factories. So they're redoing everything. They're only keeping the name. All done.

And a rather interesting move. These three lines will be produced in two different countries. Perfect. The cigars that are shipped to America retailers will be made at Tabla Calera La Isla, the Dominican factory that already makes other blends for Cayman, while the cigars sold in the Cayman Islands and exported to the UK will be made in the Cayman Islands.

Anthony Cantilamo, COO of Cayman Cigar Company, told Half Wheel that the company is importing tobacco, so the blends are identical, regardless of where they are made. Does that happen? Would it, if you buy tobacco and ship it to the Dominican Republic, where you're making it there, and then buy the same tobacco and ship it to the Cayman Islands, won't it taste different because of the conditions that it's sitting in? Michael, you know, it is nice to see you grow and learn in this industry.

Thank you. You are 100% correct. The humidity is going to be different, the air is going to be different. Correct.

Whatever you're sitting on on the floor is going to be different. You can take the same blend and bring it into a different factory and it's in the same country, it's going to taste different. Right. Because of the tables, the putting the tobacco on the table, there could be something on the table.

It's a combination of things. I don't know. These are things that grow and stuff. It's not like, you know, they're moving cardboard.

Yeah. I mean, they couldn't even make the same food in both places and have a taste the same. Yeah, right. Yeah, but that goes for everything.

I mean, like, let's say, you know, you make skillet chicken, I make skillet chicken. That's what I said. Yeah, it's all the same. The water at his house is different than the water at my house.

Your butter is different than my butter. Yeah, different brand of butter, different type of seasoning. I use McCormick. He uses something he found on the floor.

That's why I make the best French toast on Sunday. They made the French toast on Sunday. I thought your wife made the French toast. No, I make it.

Oh. I like to make it. Oh. She has made it in the past.

Ah. Yeah, so, I don't think that that's accurate. Not at all. Well.

You know, the hardest-- That's their plan, though. Maybe they're gonna redo everything again once they see they don't taste the same. Hey, why is this one different? Well, we made that in the Cayman Islands, sir.

I don't know. Damn it. You know, that's the hardest-- Can you put it on the Dominican palate? The Cayman Pallet?

Yes sir, but it had changed, I'll tell you. What about the Cayman Pallet? We don't have Cayman Pallets. We don't know how to make those here.

You know, the real question is, did this guy believe that? Was he told that, so he believed it? Or is he just trying to, you know... Ah, did someone tell him?

Yeah, or is he just trying to... Oh, I think somebody told him. Or is he just flim flamming? I think you're right.

I don't know the guy at all. Yeah, no. This just in, Luciano makes partnership with Cayman. Jesus, God, off the roof.

Alleged, alleged that it didn't happen. Oh, my goodness. That would be hilarious if we got that out there. You know, the hardest part...

Look at my eyes. Okay. The hardest part, I think, is people give information and it's normally incorrect in this industry. And what happens is that person then goes and repeats it, you know, and then that person repeats it.

Right. And it's fact. Right. And then it just spins out of control.

So the reality is it's not going to taste the same, at least in our opinion. And I think that we're right. Yes. We've been doing this long enough where, you know, if it looks like a duck, it just looks like a duck.

Just be common sense. Yeah. I mean, the guy's trying to protect his brand. I understand that.

But, you know, it's almost better to just say. Yeah. This is the Cayman Island version. This is the Dominican version.

Right. See which one you like best, then you have to buy both of them. That actually would have been a better marketing scheme. That's right, just market it to sell separately.

And that was a free consulting from Cigar Housers Podcast. There you go. Complimentary. All you brand owners that listen to the show and don't tell us.

Yeah. Oh, they tell us. We know who you are. They tell us because they...

Well, when they correct us what we said wrong. They're very mean. They're very mean. They're not nice at all.

Meanies. And they delay our shipments. Oh. The new Texas law goes after tobacco sales using cartoons, celebrities, and food images.

Last week, a new law went into effect in Texas that may restrict how retailers in the state advertise certain products and events. The SB 1313 was passed in June during the legislature's regular session and went into effect on September 1st. The relatively short law creates new restrictions for retailers in the state. selling tobacco and vaping products.

The legislature passed two other bills that specifically target e-cigarettes, but SB 1313 is broader and applied to the sale of cigars. It creates five new restrictions. Would you like to know where they are? I would.

A retailer commits a defense a retailer uses any manner related to the retailer's marketing, advertising, or sale of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, or tobacco products. A sign, logo, or other design marked that one. Depicts a cartoon-like fictional character primarily aimed at entertaining minors, two, imitates or mimics the trademark or visual appearance of products primarily marketed to minors, or three, includes a symbol primarily used to market products to minors, four, includes an image of a celebrity, five, includes an image resembling a food product such as candy or juice. Notably, the law only applies to retailers, not manufacturers or distributors.

So we can make whatever we want. Okay. They just can't sell it. Yeah.

Well, I mean, you know. How do you enforce a brand that's sold throughout the entire nation, right? You can't. Well, then the people in Texas won't carry it.

Right, you can only control the factor of Texas. Right. There's only two things I can think of that have these things that can't sell in Texas. That would be anything from, was that Brindeson?

Yeah, Bravada. Bravada. And then the Ray Lewis cigar. Okay, how about the Mike Tyson cigar?

Is his face on there? It's not. No. His name is though.

No, you said face. Does it just say face? He said celebrity picture. Yeah.

Oh. Well then Guy Fieri's okay too then. Right. Is his face sitting on the stuff?

Correct. Hmm. And you know, it didn't say that you couldn't do cartoons. You just can't do a cartoon that's based for...

Yeah, you can't do Yogi the Bear, you can't do... Like Elmo or Cookie Monster. Elmo, yeah, Cookie Monster, let Brian Descended, you can't do any of those. I mean, you know, you don't really want to do those things anyways.

No, no. Yeah, there was a big controversy with that, wasn't there? Somebody made the cigar yellow cake, you can't call anything yellow cake. You can't call it yellow cake?

No, because it's a food product. Oh. Hmm. Uh, didn't they just do something with pork, pork rinds, or pork something?

Pork tenderloin. Pork tenderloin. Yep. Can I do that?

Oh, that's a good one. You know, what's kind of crazy to me is that the number of cigar smokers is so low in the entire US, and yet you're still trying to force regulations. I don't know why you're trying to force these regulations. What does it do?

You're not, you know, you're not impacting anything other than you're hurting small retailers, you're hurting your own people. Tax paying. Yeah. Things.

Yeah, tax-paying things. Texas wanted to be the second no-tobacco state. Well, isn't that kind of funny, though, that a lot of people leave California to go to Texas for these freedoms, and now all of a sudden we're starting to see freedoms being taken away. I'm really surprised to hear the name Texas.

Yeah, that's what I'm saying. Well, they left the one state with completely obnoxious regulations, and they're moving to Texas, And now, all of a sudden, we're seeing regulations in Texas. It says you can't even advertise a cigar dinner that has food in the promotional material. That's insanity.

Don't come to Florida. I don't want you to screw it up for us. You guys just stay on that side of the states. Yeah.

Please. I love God. There's no water over here. There's no food.

Don't come. We should build a wall. Big wall. Now wait, it says prohibited, they're likely prohibited from using pictures of celebrities like Guy Fieri, Ray Lewis, Mike Tyson, or others who have their own celebrity endorsed cigars.

They name them. They just did, yeah. Well, this is the article, this is likely you can't. So who enforces this?

ATM? They talk about a penalty, it's $2,000 an infraction. Wow. That's fucking crazy.

But it's very vague. Yeah, and it says the law does not define what a celebrity is. - Right. Well, how do you, I mean, if Mike Tyson's coming to town for a cigar thing...

- Does Knuckles Sandwich, does it say Guy Fieri on it? - I don't think so. - I think it's somewhere it does, doesn't it? - Maybe.

- On the box or something? - No, that was one box of the three different ones that had those little... - But like, I just don't... - Well, they say that skull from the Knuckles Sandwich is his skull.

- Why do you care so much about this? Why do you care so much about controlling this substance? - I could see the stuff as far as it relates to kids. - Okay.

But why celebrities? But a lot of people aren't promoting kids' stuff anyways. No, that's what I mean. Why do the stuff like Guy Fieri or Mike Tyson?

Because the five-year-old's gonna go, "Ooh, he's on diners, drive-ins, and whatever. " I mean, the cigar industry does a pretty good job of self-regulating. Oh, dude, that was distasteful. You shouldn't do that.

And usually, it dissipates and goes away. There isn't a thing that looks like it could be confused as kid-related that has sustained. Name one that has sustained and is continuing to come out every single year that you're like, Okay, why is this continuing to happen? Because if it's released, it doesn't sustain, it doesn't last long.

I didn't see anybody, you know, okay, you're trying to regulate cigars because of children. That's what this whole thing sounds like, right? Right. Or tobacco products.

Well, kids aren't smoking cigars. Right, but I don't, okay, but even whatever. Okay, take that out. I don't see regulating any TV channels regulating the word Nickelodeon, right?

Right? They've had a lot of issues in the past with kids, right? Oh, okay. What's the problem with Nickelodeon and the kids?

There was a whole thing about it. There was a whole thing, that's true, but I mean, you're not going to regulate that. How do you regulate that? Yeah, okay.

The word Nickelodeon? You could put in there, uh, you're not allowed to put the word Nickelodeon on any clothing or anything inside these stores. Well, you'd hope that those things have been addressed. I'm just saying.

You know, those people got arrested. You're not allowed to sell Blue's Clues, uh, clothing. This says pork tenderloin, that cigar would technically be okay because there's no image of the pork tenderloin on the package. So maybe it has to be an image.

But there's no image. They say you can't put an image of a food. Oh, okay. Not a word.

But it doesn't say image of celebrity. So I could make a cigar and call it food and it'd be fine? You can make a cigar and call it cupcakes as long as you don't put a cupcake on it. Got it.

Is the yellow cake just the word yellow cake? Yellow cake has cupcakes on the package. Does it? Yeah.

It's such a vague... That's a problem. law. Look, it's just over-regulation.

It's dumb. It's ridiculous. For an industry that's so small. Right.

Okay. All right. Well, good luck, Texas. It seems that most of the cigar products that use cartoon images as part of their packaging would remain legal because the state would need to determine what the cartoons are.

Primarily aimed at entertaining minors, retailers caught violating the law will be subject to a Class B misdemeanor, which could include a fine up to $2,000 And/or 180 days in jail. This is just so dumb. You know what it did is it just opened a door for things and it's unfortunate and it's ridiculous. But advertisement for children on energy drinks is okay.

Perfectly fine. Yeah, it may kill you because there's a warning on here. But Four Loko got in trouble because it looked like an energy drink that had alcohol in it. Yeah.

They got in trouble, that came off the market. They literally put a video game on Energy Drinks. They do. That's true.

Crash Bandicoot was on there. Oh, that's right. Oh, that's on the one upstairs, too. Yeah.

All right. PCA extends Joshua Burski's contract through 2031. Premium Cigar Association has announced that it has extended the contract for Joshua Burski for five years, meaning his contract now runs through 2031. Burski serves as the group's executive director, the top management role among the paid staff.

So is there unpaid staff that's higher than him? Probably. As of last month, he also began using the title of CEO. The man.

He just decided he's going to be the CEO now. I will, from this point forth, you will acknowledge me as CEO of PCA. All hail Habersky. All hail.

A two million dollar man. The group said that he would serve in both roles, one of the head of the organization and the other as the head of the entity that owns the organization. Oh, perfect. He makes all the rules.

He takes all the rules. I am in charge. Oh, wait, they own assets, which includes a multi-million dollar investment portfolio. Really?

Oh, shit. C. headquarters. Wow.

Board of Directors and staff have been rolling out new programs, and we experienced our largest increase in membership and revenue in the last decade, said Todd, president of the PCA board and owner of ZT Cigars. No last name. I can't pronounce it. You familiar with ZT Cigars?

No. In Oklahoma. It's in Oklahoma. I don't think anybody is.

Oklahoma. This is a team effort, and we are pleased that Joshua's leadership and managing his team, said CEO and President of PCA Habersky, joined the association in 2019, first serving as the head of its federal lobbying. Last year, he was promoted to the top staff role after Scott Pierce, his former executive director, departed for the Cigar Association. The Washington America trade show organization to make more money allegedly.

I am very fortunate to work at the epicenter of the premium cigar industry at the PCA with a phenomenal group of people on staff and on the board, said Joshua Habersky from his tailor shop near the new home. I'm grateful for the confidence of our team to lead the organization. We innovate with a watchful eye towards history and tradition. In addition to Habersky's extension, the PCA has promoted Antoine Reed to Senior Director of Marketing and Communications.

Reid's previous title was content director, and as announced on our show a couple weeks ago, he's getting a legit podcast studio and real cameras and even a microphone. He's getting a camera. Well, yeah. Did you hear the portfolio these guys have?

Multi-million. Multi-million dollar investments, apparently. C. The PCA is a cigar retailer's group best known for its annual trade show and convention.

It says the membership consists of more than 3,000 retail storefronts around the country. Okay. So, do you think that Joshua Habersky should have gotten a six-year contract extension? Boots.

Didn't he just get there? He got a, originally it was a three-year deal and apparently it's coming up. Okay. I think, I think next year it expired.

That sounds about right. Oh, well then yeah. I thought he just got hired, but yeah. If it's coming up, then yeah, of course he'd have to renegotiate a new contract.

Okay. So who makes the decision? Was he part of the group that gets to make the decision? Well, he's the CEO and the top board guy.

But there is a guy on the board. I mean, they, you know, the guy from ZT Cigars made a press release that he was happy about it. That's my question. Right.

But non-paid staff is not allowed to have a vote. Well, I imagine the board decided. I don't know who was on the board. Didn't, like, Angela Yu just get put on the board?

So there's like six or eight of them, they all sit around and vote? Well, I mean, wouldn't you want that guy, wouldn't you want to take care of that guy so that guy could take care of you? So aren't you kind of incentivized to give him? Yes, you would think, or do you want to be, you know, like, okay, you had your turn, now it's my time.

And it doesn't affect you? Good luck with that. From what I can see, it looks like Joshua Huberski is working his ass off. I mean, there's an image of him.

There's an image of him. Yeah, there's a picture. He looked homeless. Yeah, I mean, he looks very busy.

Oh, this is that guy. A lot of pictures. I think he's over in Europe or something right now. I saw a picture in France or something.

He should be in Texas. And he can take our dry humor very well. Yes, yes. So, he is a favorite of the show, so.

So, there's a lot of positives, I think, with him. Yes. However, I don't necessarily agree with the six-year contract. Think six is too long?

Yeah. I think that it should be, if you want to do a six-year deal, that's fine. But I want, every two years, I want to analyze. Right, revisit.

Well, we don't know the conditions of the agreement, maybe. Right. Yeah, I think six is rather, I mean, the president only gets four. Yeah, I think that there should be some types of checks and balances.

Checks and balances. And not from people that could benefit from the checks and balances. Thank you. That's correct.

This guy's making almost as much as the president, isn't he? I think he makes more. Yeah, he makes more than the president. He makes more than the president.

And then is there an increase, you know, through the six years? I'm sure there is. I'm sure there is. Right, it's got to be some sort of deal here.

Right. Yeah. I'm in charge of multi-million dollars. I just want to see checks and balances.

I still don't know what the Ricardo guy does. Oh, the Ricardo guy? Yeah. Still don't know.

Well, right now, Josh knew he was going over to Europe, so he had to have somebody take him around. Yeah, he needed Ricardo. You know what, let's hire this guy. Right.

" Is it the Priceline guy? Yeah. Yeah, I don't understand his post. He was at some place he didn't even know where he was.

He's like, at the end of it, he's like, where am I? What's the closest street or something like that? Oh, they're a very busy man. You should know, Mr.

Kayak. Mr. Kayak. Okay.

So, is that it? Yes, now we're in time for What's the Score, the number one cigar game. I still don't announce my winner. Oh, you want to do it now?

No, you have it set up. At the very end. Okay. All right, here's the first cigar.

The best part of this podcast. September 30th, 2025. Charlie Minato. Oh, God.

The cigar is Honduran. Oh, boy. It's from My Father, Inc. It's a My Father, Blue Toro Gordo.

This is a good score. Have you had it? No. This is good.

Okay. Is it time for the meeting? Because Keanu just pulled up. Would you like to go first, sir?

It is. Sure. I'll go first. I think this thing should rank with Charlie, probably 86.

That was the number I was going to pick, 88. Alright, My Father, Blue Toro Gordo from Honduras, My Father Cigars Honduras, The Rappers, USA, Connecticut, Broadleaf, Binders, Honduran, Fillers, Honduran, it's a 6x60, it's box pressed, MSRP is $13, it was released in July 2025, number of cigars smoked for review, 3. What do you got? Still 86?

Excuse me, 86? Jesus, that thing hit me. Holy crap. He's dying over there.

I'm gonna, you know, I'm gonna come down with you at 86. Alright, while the darker umber color is fairly consistent, there's a lot of visible texture that muddles up the appearance. It's most plentiful with the various veins, which sometimes produce some black lines, but perhaps most notable at the foot of the two cigars, Where the texture of the leaf is noticeably gnarlier than at the other parts of the cigars. The foot is gnarlier.

He doesn't like the way it looks. Correct. It looks gnarly. 85.

86. The first cigar's flavor in the mouth is somewhat bland, earthy, with some white pepper and leather, but it's very spicy on the lips. The second cigar has milk chocolate, orange rings, and earth, more detailed than the first cigar, but only medium plus in intensity. The third cigar is the most developed of the bunch, sweet fruit punch flavors, leather, white pepper, and freshly, freshly rained on grass around medium full.

So, so, Charlie has Ian freshly rained on grass. He's eating orange rings. I don't know what's an orange ring. Yeah, he's a consumer.

Is that like a Funyun? Yeah, it's like a Funyun. I mean, it sounds like it likes it, so let's go to 87. I'm going to stick to 86.

While that my father, Blue Toro Gordo, presents a calmer profile during his final third, the other two are going in the other direction. I find both cigars to be much sharper with the some type of spice, and pepper flavors dominating flavors. There's a city and some more pedestrian earthiness. I'm still getting 87.

86. It's pretty rare for a cigar company so established in one country to enter a second country and having two do it. Logado Toro Fuente in the span of a year makes an incredible interesting time for the industry. It would be foolish to make any broad statements about the Garcia's Honduran operation after just three cigars.

However, there are a few, if any, new for 2025 cigars. I've been as interested in smoking as my father blew. What I found was a cigar that showed lots of hallmarks of my father, but also a base that is decidedly different. While my father has made earthy cigars before, this one was less aggressive than a release like La Bijou, which is a blend I would consider more earth forward.

I'm curious to see what comes next, especially if Ashton and Tatuaje and major clients of my father Nicaraguan factories start to get their own Honduran blends. Regardless, this is a good cigar, it's a good start for a new factory. 87. Okay.

So, do I think it's higher than an 87 is the question, and I think no, I'm gonna go 86. 90, holy shit. Booty wins. Hey, one for the boot guy.

I'm losing respect for Charlie by the minute. All right, next cigar. What? Oh, yeah, you already did the number.

Yep. Yeah, you won. You won. I won.

You won. A legit win for you. A legit. You're supposed to go, oh!

Oh! Oh! But nobody can see me on the camera. Oh, that's okay, they can feel it.

July 8, this next cigar from July 18, 2024 by Brooks Whittington. Oh great, Mike isn't gonna get it cause he knows Brooks. It is an Italian cigar. Oh great!

The Toscano, Toscano Italia. What? Alright, there's two Polacks and an Italian cigar. It's an Italiano.

Italiano cigar. I don't even know. Score, somebody. Oh, he's first.

This is how the game's played, it's not like it's your first time. I went first last time. Oh, you want me to go first? Yep.

You lost. You lost. You have to go first. I usually go first second round.

Wait, say that one more time? You said an 88. I usually win all the time. Oh.

Okay. I'm going to go Italian Cigar? Italian Cigar. 86.

Oh, that's okay. 86, 88, correct? Yeah. All right.

Cigar Review, Toscano Italiana. From Italy. The factory is manufactured, Cigaro Toscana SPA, wrapper is Italy, binder is Italy, filler is Italy, it's from Italy, okay. Six and a third by no ring gauge, it's a charrut.

Vitola, it is an Italian cigar. It's a charruti. Release date 2024, number of cigars released, just the regular production, you know, yeah, everybody knows. The Bowser.

Number of cigars smoked for review? Three. I am a plumber. I am a plumber.

It's me, Mario. I was hoping there was a Fuente quote in the cast of Fuente closing. I was going to do Mario's voice. Were you?

He looks like he would talk like Mario. It is me, Fuente. Yippee! Yippee!

The Toscano Yoshi edition. Okay, let's go. All right, three cigars. Score.

Okay, is Chirrut? No, Italian. It's a fucking Chirrut. It's Italian.

Don't mislead, Boots. You might not know what a Chirrut is either. I smoke Chirrut. See, it's not a Chirrut.

Now he's confused. Chirrut, there it is. Chirrut is what... Scores, gentlemen, we need scores.

87. That's what Clint Eastwood smoked, right? Yes. Except this is not straight.

And Brooks. And Brooks. 86. 86.

86? 87? Yeah. Alright.

If I smoke it, I can spit the fireball. This clue is for boots. Prominent veins are everywhere. He loves the prominent veins.

And each of the three cigars is noticeably bent in the middle, so that both ends bend inward. Aromas from the wrappers are very similar, with strong campfire and mesquite woodiness, easily overtaking any other scent that might be present. It's definitely a cheroot. It's Italian.

It's Italian. It's very vascular. Scores, gentlemen. Um, fuck.

87. 86. No change. Compared to the aroma coming from the wrappers and feet, the cold draws are almost shockingly tame.

The combination of campfire and mesquite is still the dominant combination, but it's not nearly as strong as I expected. And there are other flavors easily recognizable, including: mint leaves, leather, charred meat, cinnamon, a generic sweetness, and coffee beans. I'm going to go 85. Is there no flavor he didn't taste?

That's a lot of flavors. So many flavors. Just to make it taste like a campfire. I don't know, 86, it can't change.

Alright, I moved to 85. Alright, this is a bonus note. From Charlie Monado on Brooke Winnington's Radio. Right, I hate everybody, Charlie says.

This review is based on smoking the full cigar and not cutting the cigar in the middle and smoking it as halves, which may do with Italian cigars. More on that in the final notes. Signed, Charlie Monado. I hate everybody.

He swooped in. It's still 85 for me. He didn't reach his word limit for his review, so he had to add it. By the way, 86.

That's what you said before. Yeah, he won 85, I won 86. Oh, did you say 85? I didn't hear his.

Yep. All right, two of the three cigars run into enough burn issues that they each need a couple of corrections with my lighter to prevent large problems. But other than that, all other aspects of the constructions are great. It's 84 for me.

84. I'm going to stick an 86. Do you feel like, when you have to correct a cigar, that would be bad? They do.

Yeah, it's not supposed to happen, but I just don't care. Yeah, I don't care either. I mean, I may be talking. Right.

Maybe the wind's blowing from one side or the other. Yeah. I mean, I have to correct every cigar that I smoke in my car. Right.

Yeah. Right, that's not a construction issue, right? No. It's not the cigar's fault.

And I'm a man. I smoke a lot of cigars. You know? Correct.

So, be a man. You know, like dude, some of the things, some of the shit that you see is just fucking crazy. I saw a guy light a cigar, and he did this whole thing after he lit it, and he was like, whew, whew. Oh, Kiano does that upstairs.

To like aerate it, or I don't know what he, I don't know what this is, I don't know what's going on here. I'm like, are you okay? Are you just thrashing that around? Did you have a seizure?

Like if, you know, if it's a lighter wrapper cigar, you're gonna break it. Do you know why Kiano does that? Tell me. I'll tell you what he told me.

Okay. He told me that after you toast it and you do that, it cools the cigar down enough in order to light it. I don't know what that means, but... All right, so...

He told me similarly, but he said it needs air to go through it, and if it's your cigar, I can't put it in my mouth, so I fling it up and down in the air to get the... Okay, well, all right, well, I'll give him that. Yeah. I'll give him that, I guess.

Yes. But I saw the guy with his own cigar doing that. Right. Okay.

" Theatrical. Oh, wow. What's he singing? Pretty much.

Wow, that's great. Yeah. Great voice. Perfect.

I still see that guy that very first year that told me how to light a cigar. The bald guy. Yeah. I see him every year at PCI.

Do you? Yep. Every year. I have no idea who that guy is.

I don't know who he is either. Yeah. But he walked up that first year and told me, and then I see him every year after that. There was a lot going on.

Whoa. A lot of stuff. So did he. All right.

If I were to base a cigar's profile purely on the aromas emanating from the wrapper and the foot, or in this case, the ends, then I would walk away from Toscano Italiano thinking it was nothing more than another fire-cured tobacco blend dominated by signature campfire and overwoodiness that are so prevalent in blends that utilize this type of tobacco. However, at least when it comes to this cigar, I would be very, very wrong. Instead of that aforementioned overwhelming combination, the actual profile is full of meatiness, mesquite, and salted popcorn, along with some floral sweetness on the retrohale, and a surprisingly mint note that shows up on the finish at various points during the two-hour smoke time. In the end...

Two hours? Please don't interrupt. In the end, the Toscano Italiana is surprisingly balanced and approachable and could easily be a change of pace cigar for anyone looking to add something different to their lineup. That was the final thoughts.

Oh my God. How does he smoke that tiny little thing for two hours? That's what I was saying. I think maybe he meant all three cigars.

No, I think it's just one at a time. So he spent six hours smoking these. Oh my Lord. Wow.

How does the mint come out over the campfire and the mesquite? Shit. What do I do here? Let alone the salted popcorn.

This is a tough one. Just by the way, Palmer, there is absolutely probably none of those fucking flavors. I don't know how people get it. I mean, I could get the campfire and the mesquite, but that's all I'd get out of that thing.

87. Oh, man. He took a jump quick. He did.

I'm sticking 86. So disappointed in you, Boots. Oh! 87.

Yes! Woo! Won that one. See?

That's what you do when you win, Boots. Yeah. And I have won the day, as I have nailed the number, and you did not. So he got a half, you got a full.

Champions again. All right, Mike, who is the winner? Great, that's a great question. What did we give away?

Was it a lighter, a t-shirt? Yeah, we gave away a lighter this week. A lighter. Gave away a lighter.

An 87 on that fucking cigar. Sorry, that was just really geeking at me. He loved it. It's amazing.

It's the best cigar ever he ever had. It's the fucking Chirrut. He smokes it after dinner because it has the mint and it cleans his palate. Jesus.

And the popcorn when he goes to the movies. Have you ever smoked a Tiscano? Yes. There's no way it's an 87.

All right, let's see. Is it, is it, Mikey, do you feel it's a 87? It doesn't matter what he feels. He didn't score it.

It doesn't matter. It means nothing to me. Do you not have, are you not prepared, Mike? David Morris also says if Boots wins, he takes Mikey's spot on the podcast for one episode while Mikey runs the cameras in a gorilla outfit.

If Mikey wins, Boots has to do a whole show on camera in a tutu and a crop top, and Mikey gets to control the cameras. So, this was the Dolphins going 500. You said they'd easily go over 500. How do you feel about that now going into week three?

Well, I would be fine with it, but are you going to be able to control the cameras? Yeah, you've never done that before. It's not going to matter. You're going to be wearing the tutu.

But either way, Boots gets a week on the camera. Right. So, it's a win-win for me. It's a win-win for Boots.

Better than wearing the mask you had to wear for 300 episodes. The baby pig, the alien. I'm always going to take a picture of you on the tutu. Whatever.

Yes. I get on camera. Whatever. I get to be on camera.

All right. Done. All right. So let me see here.

We had more comments today, this week. Nice. And what are we going to give away this upcoming week? Next week?

Yeah. I don't know. Something? We haven't planned anything.

Is it post on your base? So there's something we can give away that's in with your announcement? Yes. Ooh.

Let's give away a Gordos & Goblins shirt. Oh, okay. Oh, there you go. We're gonna give away a Gordos & Goblins shirt this week.

All you have to do is like, subscribe, and comment below to episode 402, right, which is our most recent episode, 402. No, this is 405. This is 405. Wow.

Let me start that over again. We're gonna give away a Gordos & Goblins shirt. All you gotta do is like, comment, and subscribe, and comment on episode 405 of this week's podcast. Bang, bang.

Okay, let's see who the winner is. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 11, 11 this week. Oh. Pick a number 1 through 11.

He can't because last time he said it take forever. Ryan Boots. 72. Yeah.

Six. Six. Ooh, let's see. Oh, I lost the comments.

Try to go in the middle. One, two, three. Good luck, everyone. Four, five, six.

Okay, I got this. @Datacash2004. We are going to message you. Congratulations.

Oh, I know who that is. It's Paul Carlson. Oh! Congratulations, Paul.

You have won a Posanya Leiter. The Lighter. Did Gretchen send you a photo this weekend? Oh, yes.

Yes, they came to my event. They say it almost the entire time. That's awesome. I love it.

Thank you so much. I love it when people come out and support us and come and hang and, you know, that's fantastic. I got to go to his house. It's a lovely home.

It is a lovely home. Lovely home. Okay. What else you got?

Listener of the week. Who you got? Bryce Field. You made a lovely comment on our Patreon about what a great show it is.

What a great show it is, and we used him for a slight little small marketing thing. Yeah, we did post it. Thank you very much, Price. We appreciate your support.

And you're right, the Patreon is the better of the two shows. Oh, yeah, I shared that. All right, Shop of the Week. What'd you got?

Treasure Coast Cigars in Viral Beach, Florida. Well, I'll be on September 23rd, day before my birthday. Boom! From 12 till 3, I believe the event is.

Excellent. Treasure Coast Cigars. Treasure Coast Cigars. All right, anybody got anything else?

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Show Notes

Welcome to Episode 405 of the Cigar Hustlers Podcast!

I’m Mike Palmer, joined by my co-host Mike Szczepankiewcz and our engineer Boots keeping us on track. Grab a cigar, kick back, and let’s get into it!

This week Florida turns into the Wild West as open carry laws get flipped on their head, and in true Sunshine State fashion, someone gets busted with a tote bag that literally said “Definitely Not A Bag Full of Drugs.” We’ve got all the highlights from NFL Week 2—including big wins, ugly losses, and injuries that could shake up the season.

In cigar news:

Warped sends the crocodile international with Isla del Cocodrilo Toro Grande

Apostate expands with The Eight Witnesses

Casa Fuente says farewell after 20 years in Las Vegas

Viva La Vida Connecticut announces new Churchill & Lancero sizes

Cayman Cigar Co. refreshes its core lines

A new Texas law cracks down on cigar marketing

And the PCA locks in Joshua Habursky through 2031

Plus, we review the My Father Blue Toro Gordo, shout out our Listener of the Week Bryce Field, spotlight Treasure Coast Cigars in Vero Beach, and wrap things up with another round of What’s the Score?

Don’t forget—on Sept. 23 I’ll be at Treasure Coast Cigars in Vero from 12–3, and on Sept. 26 we wrap up the month-long Camacho event at Hustler with the giveaway of the Halo 2B Gas Griddle!

Light up, tune in, and let’s roll with Ep. 405 of the Cigar Hustlers Podcast!