Alcatraz Redux, Cinco de Smoke, and Cigar Price Hikes: What’s Trending Now?
Episode Summary
Episode 386 of A Cigar Hustler's Podcast opens with shop business — the crew teases a Patreon review of the Conor McGregor–backed Notorious cigar and previews an upcoming Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust event on May 30 — before diving into their usual mix of general news and cigar industry headlines. The non-cigar half covers Trump's floated plan to rebuild and reopen Alcatraz (and whether the island is better off as a $45–$50-a-ticket tourist destination drawing 1.2 million visitors a year), the real history of Cinco de Mayo and the Battle of Puebla, the May 7 REAL ID deadline and state compliance rates, plus Boots' trending topic on the NBA playoffs, Anthony Edwards' upset of the Lakers, the Thompson twins, and a Kentucky Derby bet on Toby Keith's horse.
The cigar news segment leads with import tariffs and the resulting price increases. The hosts run down the manufacturers who have publicly announced hikes — CLE (20¢ on up to 52 ring gauge, 30¢ on 54 and larger), JRE (15–30¢ per cigar), Perdomo (25¢ per cigar), RoMa Craft (5–10%, and the only company to publicly explain how it's absorbing part of the cost), and Southern Draw with a flat 10% — and discuss why there's no industry standard, whether margins are being absorbed, and why nobody will roll prices back if tariffs ever disappear.
From there: Aganorsa Leaf's Aniversario 25 Edición Limitada, a 6 1/4 x 52 Toro Extra of all-Nicaraguan Aganorsa tobacco at $29.99, limited to 1,000 boxes of 10 with a five-box cap per retailer, plus background on Eduardo Fernández, the Agrícola Ganadera Norteña S.A. name, and the factory's clients including Illusione, Viaje and Warped. The Gurkha vs. Davidoff "Year of the Dragon" lawsuit has been dismissed with prejudice in Florida federal court, with Gurkha calling it amicable — and the hosts note Gurkha has already filed for "Year of the Snake." Finally, Hooten Young debuted the RTBA (Right to Bear Arms), a 6x52 Ecuadorian Habano–wrapped Toro made at Tabacalera CM in Nicaragua, launched at the NRA Annual Meetings in Atlanta in five-count bags — which sparks a tangent on why five-pack ziplocs tend to go moldy on shelves. The episode wraps with shop talk about the Room 101 golden astronaut arriving damaged, a listener shout-out, and a rambling debate over what actually makes someone an asshole.
In This Episode
- 01Shop Business & Patreon PreviewThe crew teases a Patreon review of the Conor McGregor Notorious cigar and announces a Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust event on May 30.
- 02Trump Floats Reopening AlcatrazA debate over whether the crumbling island prison should return to service or stay a $45–$50 tourist attraction drawing 1.2 million visitors annually.
- 03Cinco de Mayo HistoryThe hosts explain the holiday actually commemorates Mexico's win over the French at the Battle of Puebla, not independence.
- 04REAL ID DeadlineWhat the star-marked REAL ID gets you, which states are behind on compliance, and whether it could become a voting requirement.
- 05Boots' Trending Topic: NBA Playoffs & the DerbyAnthony Edwards sending LeBron home, the Thompson twins' hairstyle rule, and betting on Toby Keith's horse at the Kentucky Derby.
- 06Tariffs Force Cigar Price IncreasesA rundown of announced hikes from CLE, JRE, Perdomo, RoMa Craft and Southern Draw, and why the increases aren't a uniform 10%.
- 07Aganorsa Leaf Aniversario 25 Edición LimitadaA $29.99 all-Nicaraguan 6 1/4 x 52 Toro Extra limited to 1,000 boxes celebrating Eduardo Fernández's 25 years.
- 08Gurkha vs. Davidoff Year of the Dragon SettlementThe trademark suit is dismissed with prejudice, and Gurkha has already filed for Year of the Snake.
- 09Hooten Young RTBA at the NRA ShowA 6x52 Ecuadorian Habano Toro made at Tabacalera CM, launched in five-count bags at the NRA Annual Meetings in Atlanta.
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
Welcome to episode 386 of the- this is bothering me, it's too low. Take 10. Oh, my God. Just let it go.
Just roll with it. Sure. Yours is up fine. You sound great.
Just let yours go. How do you know what you sound like? Because the microphone wasn't in front of my mouth. It's not like this is my first time.
Welcome to episode 386 of the Cigar Hustler Podcast. Take 10. What do we have going on this week, Michael? Well, we're going to review the Notorious Cigar on our Patreon this week.
The Conor McGregor Cigar? Conor McGregor Cigar? The legendary Conor McGregor Cigar. Do we have the alcohol to go with it?
We do not. I hear you have to do them both together. No, there'll be no alcohol. There'll be no alcohol.
I don't know. What else do we have? That's all I have. That's it.
There's no event this week. There's no events. The next event for us at the shop will be Dunbarton Tobacco. On May 30th.
May? May 30th? Yes. This month.
Double whammy. This is May. Well, April event got pushed back because we were at the show. I got it.
It's driving me crazy. This is fun. Yeah. All right, on the show today, Trump floats a reopening, Trump floats reopening Alcatraz as a symbol of law, order, and justice.
Oh. Mm-hmm. Hold on, this is not moving. Why is this not moving?
Oh, it went off. Oh, I think we have dead battery again. Oh, take 12. Just keep going.
Sego De Mayo, History Behind the Celebration, Real ID Deadline Looms, is your ID ready to travel, Michael? It's already done, that was done a long time ago. Some places it's not. In Florida it has been.
Yeah, but not everywhere. Okay. Cigar prices ride nationwide as import tariffs hit hard. Hard.
Arganosa Leaf launches a 25th Anniversary Limited Edition Cigar. Arganosa? Arganorsa? Whatever it's got, I don't know.
Arganosa. The Terrence Riley thing where they flex all the time and neither one have muscles. Does it have a rare leaf? No, this is the anniversary limited leaf.
This is the super rare limited un... I'm just happy they changed the box. Is it a different box? It's in a black box.
Okay. It's in a black box now. It's in the box. Super rare limited anniversary rare.
Yes. Super. Gurkha and Davidoff settle Year of the Dragon legal battle. Finally over.
Hooten Young unveils the RTBA Cigar at the NRA. A lot of letters there. A lot of letters there. And now, trending news.
Do you have anything for social media today? What I have on social media, I'm going to hold to the Patreon. So then, no. Other than the fact that Abe and Skip are going at each other on my last Anthony Mackie post.
I didn't see that. I saw your post, but I saw Skip said something. I've not seen that Abe said something. There's been some counterparts, but there's nothing really to address.
If you want to hear about the social media, get on the Patreon. Why can't we be friends? Trump wants to reopen one of America's most notorious prisons. President Donald Trump on Sunday said he would order the government to rebuild and reopen Alcatraz, a former prison on a small island on the same name off the coast of San Francisco, that once housed some of the most dangerous criminals in the country.
What the hell was that? He's got a bell. He's ringing bells. Yeah.
Church bells. It's dangerous. Including Al Capone, George Machine Gun Kelly, and James Whitey Bulger. Yeah.
Kind of like you, Whitey. Whitey. Yeah. Yeah, I come from a long line of Whiteys.
The prison, which closed 60 years ago due to its crumbling infrastructure and high maintenance costs, will serve as a symbol of law, order, and justice, Trump said in a post on Truth Social Sunday. Later telling reporters it was just an idea he had a federal judge They pushed to ensure deported migrants had due process. Now a major historical land... Does that mean he's wanting to put illegal aliens in there?
Maybe. Oh. Yeah, I think it was a... I think it was just a holding ground.
Technically, that way they are not on the continental United States? They're still on the continental United States. No, it's an island. My head's not chopped off if I just slipped up, right?
No, you're good. Okay. Now a major historical landmark and tourist destination, Alcatraz has won... Alcatraz was one of the most heavily fortified military sites on the West Coast before it transformed into a notorious federal penitentiary in 1934 as a maximum security prison surrounded by the Pacific's strong cold currents.
Alcatraz, so guys won't jump off because it's cold water? I think that in the past when people have tried, they've died. Well, there are, there is the movie Escape from Alcatraz. Yeah.
They never found those three guys' bodies, so they assume they're dead. Right. But I think there is confirmed one guy I heard on the radio this morning who got out and they caught him later or something. He escaped?
He escaped. He escopied? He escopied. He escopied.
Okay. Alcatraz had a reputation for being a last resort facility where the most dangerous and the most unruly in other prisons were sent. It was virtually impossible to escape despite numerous storied attempts. By the time Alcatraz prison closed, its buildings walls were corroded from the salty sea air.
The authorities estimated that it would cost between $3 and $5 million to restore and maintain the facility, excluding daily operational costs. Got it. Okay. What?
Are you still reading? Go ahead. Go ahead. You got more?
I think there's one more paragraph, but I've already skipped it. Go ahead. Okay. Boos, what do you think we should do with Alcatraz?
Ah, look at the... Well, I think it should still be a prison. You want it to be a prison cell? Yeah.
So they got to spend three to five million dollars to bring it up to code. Yeah. Prison code. Are we talking about government money or our money?
Government money. Yeah, that's nothing. That is our money. They get it from us.
No, they don't. They just print their own. Exactly. They just hit a button.
They don't get it from us. They take it away, they give it to us, and they take it back. Yeah, that's like one hour of money. They're printing for one hour.
For one hour, three to five dollars worth of money. Yeah. Oh. So you think it should just be a jail again?
Yeah, why make it anything else? They even have to take water out there by boat. Oh yeah? Yeah, I mean, there's no plumbing.
I mean, the plumbing flushes into the bay, I guess it is, or the ocean, whatever it is, but there's no drinking water on the island. Oh, okay. What do you think they should do? Keep it a tourist destination.
2 million visitors go there a year. Ah, that was your last paragraph, probably. That was the last line, the last paragraph. So, I mean, don't they charge?
They charge to go out there, I would imagine. Of course. So, it's making money instead of costing money. We still have Guantanamo Bay.
Is it full? Um, of course, Guantanamo Bay is always full. We'll just make that bigger. I don't think you can, I think they're all the way to the line, almost.
They're close. Well, let's cross the line. It's just Cuba. No, you can't do that.
Jerry, you can. No. Why not? What if they did this?
We'll give you 17 carburetors, you'll let us cross the line. 17 carburetors. They need other cars to run. What if we did this?
What if we picked up a homeless person and a homeless person pelted for drugs and we took them, we brought them to Alcatraz, we kept them there for two weeks, we made them detox, then we put them in a program where they can get clean and they can get their life back together? Because they'll be back in four weeks. Maybe, but maybe not. The majority of successful homeless processes starts with them getting sober somewhere.
I think it should just be a spot for the most violent criminals. I mean, that's what it's always been, and it's for a reason because you really don't want those guys to get out. What do we do with the most dangerous criminals now? We gotta be putting them somewhere else.
Yeah, where do we put them now? Oz? I don't know. We put them in Oz?
I'm probably guessing it would be... They have all the weird gay sexes. There's one in Arizona. It's usually a federal penitentiary where they can play tennis.
That's so nice. Yeah. Or maybe it was the one Adam Sandler was in. What was the name of that one?
Adam Sandler? Oh, you mean where he played football? The Longest Yard, yeah. That was in Texas somewhere.
There you go. So that's probably one of the most dangerous ones. They had a half a star and a five star. A five star.
I don't know. I think it could be put to use. I mean, if you want to keep it as a tourist attraction, that's fine, too. Yeah.
It's generating an income. And they don't have to do anything to it. How much does it cost to go visit Alcatraz? I don't know.
I've never been. If we only had somebody who could look that stuff up. Uh, sideways looking. It's on a tour.
Like, you buy like a whole tour of New York. Like the Statue of Liberty. yes yes oh so you go see the statue of liberty and am i wrong and then you go and then you go i don't know oh my god it's in san francisco this is why we need him oh yeah so that's like the other side of the country you go see the trolleys you go see sea world sea world marine land it's green land out there yeah wherever oh fantastic so you go eat the san San Francisco Treat, and then you go to Alcatraz. Oh, the Rice-A-Roni.
Rice-A-Roni. Yes. This show brought you by Rice-A-Roni. It costs $45 to $50 per adult for a standard day tour.
$45 to $50? Yes, but if you want to go Express Pass, you get $56 to $101. Night tours and behind-the-scenes tours are more expensive. Behind-the-scenes, wow.
Behind-the-scenes, wow. Behind-the-scenes? They let you escape. This is where the raping happened.
$50? And there's a speed pass? What's a speed pass for? No, the speed pass was a joke.
But the night tours are $56 to $101. There's no power. Imagine there's power. Imagine bringing the kids and playing tag.
It'd be great. Well, I don't think they just turn you loose. Tell that to my kids. Have you seen the movie The Rock?
They bring you in, they put you in the cells, and then somebody actually locks them, and then the retired military come and take over the island. Then Sean Connery comes and saves us. Except he's dead. Isn't he dead?
Yeah, he's dead. Yeah, he's dead. James Bond? Allegedly.
Allegedly dead. Ugh. All right. Moving on.
All right. Cinco de Mayo. Today is Cinco de Mayo. Today.
Do you know why we celebrate Cinco de Mayo? Because it's the 5th of May. And it's Taco Day. How about you, Boots?
Isn't it like Mexican Independence Day or something? Yeah, I think it's like Independence Day. Anybody want to keep going? Uh, it's a siesta day.
Mixed with fiesta. Oh, fiesta and siesta. Is it the day that we celebrate after we go to Statue of Liberty and then visit Alcatraz on the same day? Yes, then you have tacos, then we have tacos, from France, we have French tacos, French tacos, oh you're close with the French Cinco de Mayo celebrated annually Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican Army's victory over the second French Empire led by Napoleon III at the Battle of Puebla on May 5th, 1882, hence the name, the holiday is celebrated across the USA and parts of Mexico, Particularly in the city of Puebla, where the epic battle took place, because that kept the French from coming into America.
That's why we celebrate it. Oh. Two years later, though, they lost to the French. You think Napoleon would have came in?
Sure he would have. Why not? Because he messed it up over there on the other side. And he would have lost.
Too many battlefronts. Miserably. He's coming in through the south. He was.
Supposedly, there is a great-great-nephew that still lives in Mexico City who has a Twitter account who declares himself the emperor, I call himself the emperor of Mexico on Twitter all the time. Oh, really? Yes. Notorious.
Notorious. And what does he get for being this? Well, it's self-proclaimed. He gets likes.
It shares. It's not officially acknowledged. I am the emperor of Mexico. My great-great-uncle took over the country.
" He probably doesn't know either. Via Cinco de Mayo. Probably doesn't. You're welcome.
Golf of Mexico stays. Right? There you go. Would have been called the Gulf of France if it wasn't for us, buddy.
Yeah, pal. Are you celebrating Cinco de Mayo? You doing anything? Today?
Yeah. Today is Cinco de Mayo. No. We're doing anything.
Well, we're having Mexican food for dinner, but that's about it. Oh, that's nice. That's the way it just happened to work out that way. Boots, what are you doing for Cinco de Mayo?
I'll probably get tacos. You'll have tacos? Yeah. Well, is that...
Tacos while you're in the New York Harbor looking for the... I already did that joke. So the sombrero... It's called callback, Michael.
So the sombrero you're wearing, that has nothing to do with Cinco de Mayo? No. That's his everyday sombrero. That's a standard day.
This is my smoking sombrero. That's a smoking sombrero. It's blue with the fuzzy lapel. Yeah, it goes well.
The fuzzy label. Arriba! All right, the real ID deadline is approaching. Oh, yeah?
Missouri doesn't happen yet. That's a big show, okay, because Missouri is so on the cusp of... Well, how are we on the cusp of... We're Florida, baby.
We want people to have IDs, and we want them to be real. The real ID deadline is rapidly approaching. Americans will be required to switch to the enhanced form of identification by Wednesday, May 7th, if they want to travel by plane domestically. If you still need to update your ID, you're not alone.
CBS data shows that dozens of states are behind on compliance. There you go. Dozens. Dozens.
An analyst conducted an analysis. Well, an analyst conducted the analysis. An analyst conducted the analysis? Yes.
Of the location of... Never mind. From April 7th to the 18th, found that 30 states are less than 70% compliant. Out of all the states, New Jersey had the lowest compliance rate in the nation at 17%.
Yeah. Only 17% of the people in New Jersey have the Real ID. Wow. Jersey, get your act together, Jersey.
Here's what you need to know to make sure you're ready for May 7th Real ID deadline. The Real ID is a state-issued driver's license or identification card that meets specific federal security standards, making it acceptable for boarding domestic flights and accessing certain federal facilities starting May 7th, 2025. 2025. Real ID compliant cards are marked with a star in the upper right hand corner.
Have you checked yours? I have it. Key features and requirements. Security standards.
Real ID compliant cards have enhanced security features and require more stringent documentation than non-compliant state issued IDs. They just gave me one. Yeah, like a water bill. Yeah, it's just like a couple extra forms.
Different forms, right? I don't remember doing anything different, like when I renewed my license and knew it had a star. You may have provided an additional form and not even realized it. Yeah.
I think I would have known if I handed them something. A water bill? Yes. You think that you didn't hand them anything?
I don't think so. We have to change our address still. Right. But because of this, there's very long lines at the DMV.
Oh, really? Yes. Which one do you go to? I haven't been to one yet.
I was told there was long lines. I was told there was a long line. Oh, you're just. Oh.
Oh, it's a rumor. Go to Lake Mary. There's no lines. There's no lines at Lake Mary.
Oh, that nice one? Yeah. Yeah, there was a nice one at Lake Mary. It's real fast.
Do you have a real ID? The one in Daytona is fast, too. You have a real ID? Yeah, I have a gold star, but I have to change my address.
Do you have a real ID? Yeah. What do you think the purpose of the real ID? Well, it's acceptable for federal purposes.
Those IDs are acceptable for boarding domestic flights and accessing federal facilities. So if I have an ID with a star, I can go into a federal facility? Correct. Yes, without it you can't, because it can't guarantee who you are.
Now you can use a passport instead of this if you have a passport. Right. That is still good too. Are we deeming federal facilities like the White House?
No, Courthouse, White House. How about like VA Hospital? VA Hospital. Yeah, but you need more identification than that.
Your real ID would work? I imagine you have to have some type of military ID. Yeah, you have to have more than just that. I mean, I can't go in there and get my tonsils taken out.
You can't? I'm not milked there. You can't even get through the gate. You have to have a VA ID.
I bet I can get through the gate. Mm, we should try. What do you think would happen? What would happen if he tried to get into a VA hospital?
If you go to the gate and they say no access, turn around, and you don't turn around. You floor it. They have these walls that are in the ground, and as soon as they hit this button, they fly up. Oh, the little pylons and things in the ground?
No, they're not pylons, they're brick walls. Brick walls? They move up fast? Oh, yeah.
Really? Yep. So, I have a short car. I've seen them twice.
You've seen them twice and you didn't have your ID? No, no, no. I used to do it. I used to work.
I used to do that stuff. Oh, I remember, he was in the Navy and never went on a boat. Right. So, he was in charge of the wall.
Yeah. From the Navy. Everybody that does any type of security work on the base has to be trained on the systems. The wall button.
Yeah. Handle yourself on the wall button. Get your finger ready. Push it.
Oh, look, it went up. Choo, boop. Some states have a variation of the star. Yeah.
California has a star with a gold bear. Oh. Maine and Michigan have a gold state map. Oh, that looks like a ham.
Yeah, it looks like a ham. Non-compliant cards will clearly state they are not valid for federal purposes but are still usable for driving or local identification. So everybody's not gonna have it. You don't have to unless you want to travel apparently.
Do you think that they eventually use a real ID to require as a requirement for voting rights? Like you can't vote without a real ID? Yes, people are saying that is a story that has come out too. You think that that's a thing?
I did see that headline. There is a senator or a state representative somewhere who's trying to get it extended because they can't vote without the real ID. Oh, it's a requirement in a specific state. It's already a requirement now.
I mean, yeah, but again, I mean, you still get a fake ID. How else are they going to check it? Oh, you have a gold star, you're right. Well, I'm sure it scans.
The gold star? The real ID. I have no idea. Yeah, I'm sure it's.
There is that, that weird looking strip on the back. They do have a strip on the back? Yeah. Yeah, maybe.
At the airport, they hit it with a black light. Do you have a problem with them using a real ID for a voting card? You know, with the voting stuff, no. No, because regardless, if all the dead people want to vote, they're going to vote.
There's a, yeah, there's a big push, dead people voting, right? Yeah, yes, they've been outraged, they've been outraged for years, they've been ignored. They're not going to be in Korea. Do you have an issue with the real ID being used for voting?
No, I don't know. What difference does it make? What about you, Mikey? No, I feel the same way.
Yeah, I just don't think it matters. I don't care. I don't mind having an ID to vote. Here comes Hardy.
What if we like go back to like the old ways of voting? Like everybody like goes to a certain location and they go, okay, everybody for this guy, raise your hand. Right. Everybody for this guy, raise your hand.
Just a simple raising of their hands. We all have to clown in at one time. Everybody just crowds in to stand there. Or maybe the nays have it.
What's up, Artie? You're good, bro. All opposed? Nay.
Yeah, yee-yee or something, you know? It ensures that TSA and other federal agencies can verify the identity of individuals before boarding flights or accessing federal facilities. They're really on this flight and federal facility thing. Right.
Seems to be the two main reasons that we have this in voting, I guess. I just think that at this current point you're starting to see more restrictions happen in policies for travel and all those other things. Like that's the going issue. It reduces the risk of identity fraud, terrorism, and setting higher security standards for identification.
Right. How long until we get a tattoo with a scanner code? Yeah, I mean, I think the fingerprint is easily a tattoo. I don't even think you need all that anymore, guys.
I gotta be honest. Facial recognition is so easy at this point. Or, yeah. I mean, your phone can do it.
Is there a slight difference in twins where facial recognition doesn't identify one and not the other? I'm sure that there's a way that, hey, these people are twins, you have to take them through a different process. Well, facial recognition is not just, I mean, it goes by eyes and everything. There's two people there.
There's two people there. The twin line. What are you saying, Boots? Facial recognition is everything, like eye shape, like everything.
Well, that's what I was asking. How close are twins actually? There's usually like a 10% difference, I'm sure. It can't be completely 100%.
I mean, I could say right now, when I travel to Universal, I no longer do my passes. As soon as you walk up, they face ID you, you walk right in. Oh, really? Yeah.
It's awesome. Yeah. That way you never forget it. And then you needed permission for the kids to be a part of it, I'm like, yeah, that's fine.
Oh, they're underage, Mike, okay. Do you have to update it every year? Because you would think they would change. I think that when you renew, they'd probably just redo the picture.
Ah, I gotcha. Oh, because it's only good for a year. Yeah. Makes sense.
Yeah. I didn't know that. That's interesting. It's fantastic.
It really is. You don't have to worry about where it is, or keep it, or anything. No more scanning. Just boop, boop, boop.
Or stand in line, because that was a big problem. Yeah. You still have stand in line, don't you? Yeah.
Well, it probably just goes quicker. It's a little quicker. Oh. If it scans somebody and they're not who they say they are, does it, like, bam, bam, bam, and then...
Warning, warning. A wall comes up, somebody hits a button. Yeah, a wall comes up. Yes.
A brick wall? Yeah. I hear that's very big. Yeah.
All right, it's time for Boots' Trending Topic. Here, Boots, talk about sports or something. Oh, perfect. Hello, peoples.
So, there were a couple of basketball games last night. Yeah. Yeah, the playoffs are coming to an end of the first round. Palmer's allergic to sports.
Yeah, well. What was first round of what? The first round of the playoffs is ended. Yeah.
Oh, they're doing playoffs. Yeah. Anthony Edwards, Minnesota. Oh, I loved him on ER.
Did you? Anthony Edwards? Yeah. The bald guy with the glasses.
It's Michael Jordan's alleged illegitimate son. Oh. They look exactly like facial features. They do look very similar.
And their game is horrifically the same. Very similar. Yeah. Well, you said alleged there was a big ditty thing that came out in the news today, too.
Oh, really? I know it has nothing to do with sports, but they have detailed now everything that has happened. It's pretty horrific. Really?
Yeah. Speaking of sports? From 1993 to 2025. Oh, wow.
So you got almost 30 years or over 30 years. Yeah. I mean, the whole, all of them. Animals.
Animals. Imaginary people. I mean, it's terrible. Stuffed animals.
It's not anybody that he hasn't, you know, given it to. Allegedly. Allegedly. Okay, so Anthony Edwards crushed the Lakers.
Yeah, he sent LeBron packing. Yeah. Which was amazing. Made me very happy.
Yeah. And what I like about Anthony Edwards is the confidence level of this guy. Yeah. And it's only, what, his second year?
He's young. Third year? I think it's the third year. Maybe third year?
Yeah. Yeah, this guy's a, he's just like Jordan, man. He's got that killer instinct. Yeah.
They're quietly rooting for them in the playoffs. What's crazy is, really, it's only Anthony Edwards. There's nobody else, really, on that team. Who do you think's gonna win it all, go do all of it?
I think we already asked this to you. Yeah, I mean, Denver is... You still think Denver? Yeah, they're just hard to beat, man.
Boston's gonna win it. I still think Boston. Maybe. There's, apparently there are twins, one of them's on the Houston Rockets.
Thompson Twins. Dude. Yeah. So he popped his calf.
Did you see that? No. All right. So I watched him come down and they showed a slow-mo.
I go, oh, he's done. And he kept playing. It rolled. Yeah.
He snapped the top part of it. It's just like a torn, whatever. I'm not a doctor, but that's what I think happened. He kept playing and he was holding his own.
Then eventually the pain caught up to him. And once he pulled him out, that's how the gunshot wounds, the GSWs won. I call him gunshot. Yeah, because man, Houston's defense is off the charts.
Same thing with his brother, the other team, his brother, his other brother's on his- Detroit? Detroit, yeah. So there was a funny thing about the two of them, because they are identical twins. Yeah.
Well not anymore, one's got a hole in his calf. Oh. Well, not really anymore, because what ended up happening is the NBA told them that one of them had to have a different type of hairstyle. Really?
Yeah, because they were afraid that what was happening... They would play at different games? Yeah, the teams were letting them trade spots. That's ridiculous.
Is one of them better than the other? I think they're equally the same, actually. I'll tell you what, the kid on Houston... So what advantage is that?
I don't know. I don't know. What if you're tired or whatever? I was going to say, one of them, yeah, he played the day before, too, or something?
No. I'm going to go out and party tonight, you come over to my team and play for me. The kid on Houston's amazing. Yeah.
His shot, his defense. Yeah, he's incredible. Agility, all of it. Yeah.
So that was all that played last night, right? The GSWs? Yeah, that was the only game that was on last night. Why are you calling the GSWs?
Golden State Warriors. Oh, not the GSWs. Because that's what it says on the score, sometimes on specific, I'm like, oh, whenever I see that, I say to Jackson, oh, the gunshot wounds. That's what I was thinking, gunshot wounds.
What do you mean? I'm like, GSW. So now he says, oh, you mean the gunshot wounds? I want to root for the gunshot wounds, but I can't because Jimmy Butler did my Miami Heat dirty.
I'm not okay with that. I'm not okay with it. But then I still root for Steph when he takes a shot. I'm like, what am I doing?
What is going on here? So who's Golden State playing? Are they playing the cat? No.
I don't know. That's a good question. Oh, you have no idea. All right.
No, I haven't seen the bracket yet. He hasn't seen the bracket. How do you feel about NBA? The National Boxers Association?
Yeah. Are you rooting for anybody in particular today? I don't follow basketball at all. At all?
At all. No? Nope. Zero?
Zero. 0 coverage? Yes. How do you feel about soccer?
I don't follow any soccer. I hate that worse than basketball. You hate it worse than basketball. What about hockey?
Hockey's going on right now. Is hockey on right now? Yeah. Yeah, the playoffs.
It's too cold. Two Florida teams are in it? No, not anymore. Their one's gone?
Oh, then I'm done. Tampa and the Panthers both played each other. Yes. I was so torn.
I didn't know who to root for. I didn't know who to root for. I was so torn. Both teams are playing.
You were so torn? I didn't know what to do. So I just got frustrated and stopped watching altogether. You just shut it down.
I just shut it off. You guys are Missouri fans, right? I did watch the Kentucky Derby. Oh, yeah?
With the horses running? Yeah. How'd that go? With the horses running?
Sovereign. The owner was a guy that was banned in the past, allegedly, for doping up. Yes. I bet on Toby Key's horse.
Yeah. Didn't even place. You actually did bet. We went to a party that somebody something threw, and we bet there.
Somebody something threw? Yeah. Was it a cigar thing or no? No, no.
No, no. It was, I can't think of what it's called. One of those organizations for businesses and stuff. Like a charity or something.
Yeah, a charity thing. Our landlord bought a table and invited us a loan. Oh, nice. Oh.
Rotary. Sort of like Rotary, but they called it something else. Wow. And why did you pick Toby Keith's horse?
We heard about it on the radio. So you figured you'd go Toby Keith. Yeah, I mean, he always wanted his horse to run in the race. Yeah.
This is the first time it's ever ran. And he's obviously an experienced horse guy. Well, he's dead. He died of cancer.
So how did he even run it? Did they run it? Toby? Toby didn't run.
He didn't ride the horse. They had a guy that rode the horse horse. His family owned the horse. Yes.
But they still consider Toby Key's horse? Yes. Even though he was dead. Well, that's why they got him into it, because Toby always wanted the horse to run the race.
Great. What a great accomplishment after he died. Well, they did it for Toby, Michael. They did it for Toby.
And they took your money for Toby. $10. And it went to the Rotary or whatever it's called. Or whatever it's called.
I'm sure there's a lot more. It was some special rotary for 40 and under or something. I don't know what. So what were you doing there?
I told you my landlord bought a table. Yeah, that's why I kept asking my wife. She goes, this is for under 40 and under rotary people. And I'm like, that guy's like 85 years old, honey.
What's going on? I have no idea what's going on. Well, he's a plus one. All right.
Well, let's get into cigar news. Yeah. I hear that's very big. Yeah.
It's called the recall. Oh. All right. How import tariffs are forcing cigar companies to raise prices as the smoke clears from recent changes in the trade policy, premium cigar companies across the country are bracing for impact.
A wave of new import tariffs targeting tobacco products from key producing countries has sent ripples through the industry, forcing many boutique and established brands alike to make a difficult choice, absorb the rising costs, or pass them on to the consumers. Now, as cigar lovers light up, they may find their favorite sticks carrying a higher price tag and cigar makers caught between loyalty to the customers and the hard reality of international economics. Ooh. Here are the companies who have issued increases due to the tariffs.
Okay. These are just the ones that have issued a press release. I'm sure there's others I've heard. Yeah.
So, CLE. Yep. But what's interesting is there's not a standard. It's not a standard.
Not like everybody just did 10%. What do you mean? Well, like the tariff is 10%. Yeah.
Okay. A lot of places have not done a standard flat 10% across the board. Why do you think that is? I don't know.
That's what you're here for. Oh. Why do you think that is, Boots? Well, business-wise, I mean, obviously it sounds like they're trying to regain some lost money somewhere, maybe?
Is it higher than 10% or is it lower than 10%? Both. Oh, really? 20.
Okay. 30. Okay, but is that 10% of the cost? Yes, but they're not saying they're doing it at cents.
So you would have to go back and figure out the price of every single one. Gotcha. Well, and you also have to figure out what they get each cigar made for. What they what?
I can't hear you very well. You also have to figure out what they get each cigar made for as well. So if a 52 is less money than, you know, the others. I mean, I would imagine the 54 has a higher cost, so maybe it is 10%, but they're not saying it's 10%.
It's possible. It is. I think that it's also possible that maybe they're looking at the overall cost for the manufacturing and their percentage of margin and saying, well, we can absorb this and decrease our margin a little bit in this particular cigar. Now, there's only one company that has explained it that way.
Okay. And that is? We will get to it in a moment. Oh, no.
JRE, 15 to 30 cents per cigar. Perdomo, 25 cents a cigar. Roma Craft, which is the one that has explained how they're doing it, is 5 to 10 percent. So there are some where they're able to absorb some of the tariff costs.
Yeah, where they're looking at it, right. He put up that nice message on social media where he explained how they were doing it, some they can absorb, some they can't. Right, so he's looking to just kind of keep the cost down, right? Right.
And, you know, he's reducing his revenue. Right. Yeah. He is the only one that did say that if it comes back down, though, they're not taking the prices back down.
Well, how would you do that? It's not like you can. Yeah. Well, no, I understand, but I'm just saying he is the only one that had to explain.
I think Romo Craft explained it better than most companies. Okay. Well, I'm glad that you understand, but maybe our listeners don't. Oh.
Right? Okay. So if it was 50 cents, and I raised it up 50 cents, and all of a sudden the price came back down, like the tariffs were gone, if I reduced that price, the people that I sold it to now paid it at a higher price than what I had given it to. So you'd have to work out some type of scenario if you did that, where there would be, okay, here's going to offset that additional cost that you paid if the tariffs went away.
I don't think the tariffs go away, personally. I think that 10% is here to stay. Yeah, that process would be super complicated, the one you're explaining. Yeah, and so walking it back, I don't think, I could never see that happening.
No, it'd be too difficult. And I don't think that anybody would walk it back, even if they said that they'd walk it back, I don't think they're gonna walk it back. It would just take a place of like a price hike, I mean, 'cause there's gonna be a price hike every year anyways. Right.
Yeah, just next time, they wouldn't have to. Right, oh, we're keeping the prices the same. Right. Right.
So, yeah, in general, I don't, no one's reducing their prices. Unless they're not selling their cigars. If you're not selling your cigars, then you're lowering your prices. Right.
Because, hey, I haven't sold any at this rate, so might as well lower it. Right? Well, United did announce a couple of weeks ago they were lowering their prices. And what's his name did, too.
What's his name? I can't think of his name. Oh, God. What's his name?
Huge. Oh, Saint. Huge? All Saints?
Yeah, All Saints. All-Saints. Where the hell did he go? Mickey.
Mickey Pegg. I'm not sure where Mickey went. I mean, he's on the road. He's with the crew.
I miss Mickey Pegg. And then Southern Draw did a flat 10% increase. Southern Draw, why are you laughing? It just went right past the hole.
They don't want to engage. No, no, we can talk about Mickey Pegg all you want. This is the last line of the story. I just want to close out the story.
I just want to get that out. Yeah. Southern Draw had a 10% increase. Flat 10% across the board.
I mean, that makes sense. Sure. Hey, it's 10% more. Right.
Tariffs are going up 10%, I have to go up 10%. It's a question of when did he receive the product? Did he receive the product beforehand and he's up in 10%? I don't know.
I mean, you know, that's also a good strategy to do, too, to help cover your costs for the next 10%. I did hear Southern Draw was the one affected the most by the fire at AJ's. Oh yeah? Oh.
Was it Jacob's Ladder? 10% plus 20% increase. Because of the fire? Yeah.
crazy crazy okay all right agonorsa leaf anniversario 25 edition limitada it's not organorsa anymore no now it's agonorsa it's a different company oh okay it's a sister company their sister company that's right not made by aj's factory the cigar that celebrates the 25th anniversary of eduardo fernandez cigar operation is heading to stores the organosa leaf anniversary 25, see, I'm going to go back and forth. 25 by 52 Toro Extra that is made entirely from Nicaraguan tobacco from Aganorsa. 99. And production is limited to 1,000 boxes of 10 cigars.
They must really like it. It's really good. Individual stores were limited to purchasing no more than five bucks. You get five.
You get five. We only made 1,000. You get five. A.
Norteño. Or Agonorsa. I thought you went to sleep. That translated into Agonorsa.
A. into Agonorsa. Oh, yeah, he took Agonorsa. Yes.
Agonorsa. Which today is the leader in Nicaraguan tobacco and pork. Really? Yes, that's true.
Is that what it says? Yes. Huh. They make pork.
Bacon. A handful of years later, he bought tropical tobacco from Pedro Martin, which expanded his business. Today, Agronorsa is one of the largest growers of tobacco in Nicaragua, selling tobacco to factories all over the world. It also has its factory, which uses the same name and includes clients such as Ellusion, Viaje, and Warped.
Was Ellusion at the PCA? No. They weren't. They were not there.
I didn't see them. That's weird. Why weren't they at the show? Was there a logo on Argonosa?
Because what? Was there a logo on Argonosa? I don't think so. They had a small booth.
Agonorsa? They had a decent sized booth. Oh, it looked very cramped. You think so?
Well, it was just busy. What's his name so tall? Well, they had like towers in each corner and one table in the middle. So, I mean, everybody was sort of crammed in there.
I thought it looked good. They had good production, too, as far as the videos and stuff. I don't know who they hired. Yeah, they've hired somebody.
Yeah. Yeah, they've, they've. Terrence ain't doing that shit. No.
No. Oh, on the Drew Estate website? Yeah. Because we just had the Drew Estate event?
They have, uh, now I can't think of his name. Pedro? Tire Mike. Nope.
DJ? It's like a game now. The guy who works with Terrence. John the Drew?
No, they used to work. Fabian Ziegler. Fabian, Fabian. Yes, Fabian.
Fabian is still in the intro videos on the Drew Estate website. Yes. Oh, that's, uh, yeah. I mean, that goes way back.
Wow. Might be time to update Drew Estate. You might want to change your website a little bit. Well, it's, you know, freestyle.
That guy was out of the game for a couple years. Right, running around in pajamas, smoking hookahs. Yes, did this whole hookah thing. Right.
And then he went into Aganorsa. So right now, Drew Estate's promoting Aganorsa. Right. All right, Gurkha, Davidoff, Settle, Year of the Dragon lawsuit.
Oh, knife fight? Steak knife fight. What knife fight? Steak knife fight.
Ooh, steak knife fight. The legal fight over the Year of the Dragon name has been settled. Last week, attorneys representing the two sides in Gurkha Cigar Group, Inc. vs.
Davidoff of Geneva, USA, Inc. sent a letter to the court asking for the case to be dismissed. What? Yes.
Okay. Judge William P. S. District Court of the Southern District of Florida approved the request and ordered the case dismissed with prejudice.
What does that mean? Never bring it back up again. That means dismissed, but I'm mad? You can never bring that back up again.
With prejudice. Little is known about the settlement. The joint stipulation for dismissal said that each party would pay its own court costs. Half Wheel requested comments from both sides.
Davidoff did not reply, while Bianca Lopez, As Director of Marketing for Gurkha wrote, "It was an amicable agreement that was reached. " Oh, perfect. " Right, exactly. , presumably named after Gurkha's owner, Kaizad Hanzakotia, owns a variety of Dragon-related dreadlocks, Trademarks including Dragon, Dragonfire, Dragonlord, Dragon Slayer, Imperial Dragon, Red Dragon, Royal Dragon.
Double Dragon. Also added was Grand Dragon, Grand Wizard, and the unofficial Grand Wizard Dragon. What? Grand Wizard Dragon.
The company also filed for a trademark on Year of the Dragon, which Davidoff has opposed. It's unclear what impact the settlement will have on the trademark process, which was suspended due to the lawsuit. Day of the Dragon. Which Gurkha filed in late 2023.
The Gurkha Cigar Group, Inc. has arranged to license the trademarks from Kaizad's company. Week of the Dragon. Week of the Dragon.
Davidoff of Geneva Dragon. Gurkha has already filed a trademark for Year of the Snake, which is next year's. Year of the Snake? They've already filed a trademark for Year of the Snake.
Oh yeah, Gurkha's ahead of the curve. They're ahead of the curve. What's the next one? Year of the Snake.
Yeah, what's after the snake? I don't know. Let's go for that one. The Ram?
Maybe it's a Ram. Year of the Ram. Got it. We're filing.
We're filing for Year of the Ram. Whatever the next one is after the snake. Two years from now. Wooten Young announces...
Wait, wait, wait, let's talk about the fucking dragon. I thought we were done making jokes about the dragon already. You were yelling out dragon name. No, man, you gotta talk a little bit about this sort of thing.
Those last three were KKK titles. Yeah, this has been going on for like four years or something. What would you say? The Imperial Dragon, the Lord of the Dragon, whatever, the last four or five were allegedly KKK.
Oh, they're all racist? Yeah. Great. Allegedly.
Oh, my God. Why did they only sue Davidoff? I mean, 17 different companies made Dragon cigars. Well, probably the only company that had some type of money.
No, there's other companies that had money on the list. I thought that the lawsuit had everybody in it. No, they only sued Davidoff. They only sued Davidoff.
Only sued Davidoff. Nobody else. How many people does that have to be to be a class action? I don't know.
Well, Gurkha can't sue a class action. They sued for, in case a class of action can't be an infringement of a copyright. Yeah, it wasn't the other suing them, it was them suing the other. With the right.
We have the right to the dragon. We have the right. Well, that's what it is. You can't, like, you can't register Christmas.
Right. It's basically the same thing. Right. You're the dragon is a Asian...
If that was the case, then why wasn't it just dismissed? Yeah. Because everybody agreed on it before it got dismissed. If it went to court, it probably would not have gone through, but it would have been a lot more legal fees.
There's a lot more legal fees, though. Yeah. How much do you think the settlement is? A couple of coffee mugs, steak knives, and a backpack.
That was it? Nah, I think it was a couple of them. I don't think they settled for money. You think they paid them money?
I don't know. I think Davidoff paid off. They paid off guys' credit card bill. Maybe, yeah.
Or, yeah, maybe there was something where they said, hey, we'll make sure you don't get any tobacco in this area or something. Could have been one of those type of... Did Davidoff grow their own tobacco? I guess, yeah.
I would assume so. I assume so. You assuming so because he said so or you assuming so because you've heard that they do? Let me see.
He's got believable eyes. He's still looking for, you know, the prison in New York. In New York, Alcatrazian prison. Alcatraz, New York.
Yeah. I don't know, man. Look, at the end of the day, it's just kind of funny that it went that far. Right.
And maybe it was all just a, do you think it was just a marketing stint for content? Maybe in the beginning. I don't know, I mean, there were lawyers, but what, did you figure that into the cost of marketing? Well, what's the lawyer?
You know, you send a letter, you send a letter, what are we talking about, 500,000 bucks? I'm sure they already have lawyers on retainer for the company anyway. Okay, so I send a letter to you saying I'm going to sue you. Retainer.
My lawyer has to look at it and send a letter back. Bring it on, bitch. It sends it back. Right.
All right, so we're at, what, 400 a clip right now? Right, 800 bucks. I don't know how much letters at that level cost. Right.
I don't think they're that expensive. They're still not that expensive. No. And then, you know, this carries on, a court date is set, and then they say, "You're ready to dismiss?
I'm ready to dismiss. " It's a Chinese holiday. You're the dragon, done. I just want to know, I'm getting the snake though.
You know, everybody has already released their cigars. Yeah. So, I mean, they've canceled the lawsuit after the cigars. So, I mean, the damage has been done.
Or maybe there was terrorists involved. Everybody has sold the cigars, and now the money's been made, where are they gonna, you have to get all those back. Reparations? I don't know.
Right. Royalty? Damages? We didn't sell enough, because you sold some too?
Yeah. Maybe. Maybe. Maybe.
Interesting. Very interesting. Alright, next. Well, let's sue somebody, see what happens.
Can I sue? Who do you want to sue? I don't know. Who should we sue?
Who is at our level that we could sue in... Who? Dojo? Coop?
Dojo? Are you talking about, like, podcast-wise? No, no, I'm talking about Cigar Company. Oh, Cigar Company?
Oh, you want to do, oh, if you want to do podcast-wise? That might be safer to see the podcast-wise, because the podcast has nothing. Right. There's nothing to lose.
Dojo Bill, are you serious? We got to get Dojo and Coop together. No, we can't talk about Coop. I told you.
I didn't say anything bad. I'm just talking about Coop. No, no, no, silence. Silence and Coop.
We have been silenced. We have been silenced. We have been hush money. Can you go after, like, a cigar aficionado?
That's a magazine. We can't afford them. They would crush us. They're bigger.
How about that weird Boveda guy that came up and got a free cigar from you at the show? We sue him. I think Boveda's got some decent coin too. What about Luciano?
He's got a nice set up at the show. Yeah. Oh wait, he doesn't have a podcast. You know what's funny is...
Ooh, Cigar TV! No, Sean's a nice guy. Oh, you know what's funny about Boveda is now I'm seeing Boveda ads on Facebook about how to protect my cigars. Oh, really?
Yeah. It's totally legit, it's fine. A lot of people don't understand Boveda, that smoke cigars. It's his pouch.
Pouch with fluid. Hey, how do you pronounce Altadis? Probably exactly how he does it. Fred Rui did.
Altadis? Yeah, Altadis. Altadis. He showed up as a suggested reel on my Facebook the other day.
Oh, yeah? I'm like, son of a bitch, that's Fred Rui. Normally it's people you don't know. I know Fred.
I know, Fred. All right. He's on a cruise. Go ahead and move on to the next one.
Hooten Young announces RTBA. Last week, Hooten Young debuted a Second Amendment themed cigar at the NRA's annual conference. The Hooten Young RTBA, which stands for? Anybody?
Anybody? Hewler? Righteous. Running Tobacco.
They're at the NRA, gentlemen. What? They're at the NRA, National Rifle Association. Rights of Tobacco.
Tobacco. What's it called? Right to Bear Arms. RTBA.
Oh, RTBA. They said RTDA. Wasn't it a cigar, Right to Bear Arms? Yeah, I believe it is.
That's why I pulled the story. Yeah. I think that somebody's already done one about this. Right.
It's a 6x52 Toro made up of Ecuadorian Habano wrapper covering a Nicaraguan binder and fillers. The cigar debuted during the 154th NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits, which took place from April 24th to the 27th in Atlanta. Eight cigars and MSRP of? Oh, wow.
$17. Is this who and young, you said? Yeah. Yes.
99. No, that's too high. $12. Oh, that's a good price.
That's a good price. And 5,000 cigars are being released in five-count bags. The cigars are being made at the Tablicalera CM Factory in Nicaragua, and at Cordoba Morales. Probably.
He wanted to create a cigar that honors our shared values and the American tradition of enjoying a fine smoke and good company, said Norman Hooten, or Norman Hoot Hooten, President and co-founder of Hooten Young at a press release, launching the RTBA at the NRA annual meeting is especially meaningful. This event brings together Americans who, like us, cherish freedom, tradition, and camaraderie. And guns. And guns.
America, fuck yeah! In an email, John Carney told Halfwheel that five pack bags of the RTBA are scheduled to begin shipping to retailers next week. So they're in five packs? Yeah, it's a five pack.
In a plastic bag. Yeah, it's a fresh pack, one of those five pack Ziploc bags. Yeah, you get in a Ziploc. He's a bag.
Shops have been telling me those, not particularly the RTBA ones, but if you don't sell those fast enough, the cigars start to mold because that bag stays wet. Oh, because it's moist inside? Right. Right.
Moist. Moist. You know, what's really kind of funny is if you wait around long enough in this industry, you see people that launch the five-pack Ziploc bags, and they eventually say, you know what, we're going to stop making that. Right.
And then they go away, and then somebody else says, we're going to do five-pack Ziploc bags. Right. It's just this weird rotation thing. And if you really wait long enough as a retailer, eventually they give you a deal on those five-pack bags.
We're going to give you a good discount. So, in six months, we'll have them here at Cigar Hustlers, what he's trying to say. We'll have discounts on these five-pack packs. Yeah, but they'll be super moist and mildewy.
Super moist. Moist. How many times can we say moist? Cardi leads Bentley Tobacco USA, which has a service agreement to manage Hooten Young's premium cigar operation.
Yeah. Hooten Young says it has signed a three-year agreement to sell cigars and whiskey at the NRA events, which is how the cigar debuted. The cigar shop of Cummings, Georgia, was the retailer that sold the cigars to an NRA meeting attendees. So there's another middle man Yes Apparently There's always a middle man There's always someone else Well he's not really in the middle He's like far right middle And Mike Wilson works for Hooten right?
Yes Not Ben Yeah Well Who cares? No suit Mike Wilson? No suit Mike Wilson He had a suit on somewhere Yeah when he came here for the dinner Oh that's what it was Yeah So he owns the one suit He has the one For funerals. The occasional wedding.
And courthouse. The court. Like Greg, the one suit for court. Yes, the court suit.
Court and funerals. All right, that's all the news this week. That's it? Yes.
Oh. Oh, wow. You got a shop of the week, Michael? No.
How about a listener of the week? Nope. Not a thing. You have all these things.
I had everything else. You have all these things. I like the fact that the tariffs are going into effect and affecting people. He's affecting people.
Tariffs are going to affect what? Tariffs are going to affect, they're affecting- Oh, affecting people, yes. Yeah, but that one guy said that, you know, he was capped to free, so- Right, so they're not really, these people just don't know what they're doing. He was what?
Yeah, everybody else doesn't know what they're doing. He's what, capped to? Yeah, it's like free trade zone. He says it doesn't make a difference.
I'm officially blocked by him, by the way. Welcome to the club. Yeah. It's fun to be blocked by people.
I don't understand why somebody would- I still can't see George. I don't understand why people would block me. It just makes no sense. Why do people block me?
Because you're a troll. Well, you were trolling him. No, I wasn't. I was asking legitimate questions.
Yes, but he considered that trolling because he didn't have the answers. Well, he had made up answers, allegedly. Allegedly, yeah. I don't know.
That's ridiculous. I didn't say anything on George's page. I said stuff he said on other people's pages. George?
George. Yeah, he wants something to do with it. Who invented cigar aficionado. See?
This is why people block you. See? There you go. Oh, got it?
See that? Oh. Oh, shoot. It's just natural for them.
Yeah, I just can't help myself. I was having a good debate with a friend. I'm gonna ask you this question. All right.
Okay? Yes. What do you consider an asshole? Oh.
What does it take to be an asshole, by term of definition? We put the camera on Palmer right here. What are you putting it on me for? Well, I want to hear your answer.
Yeah. I don't know. So I sort of use it as a joking name. " Which is accurate, actually, so I mean, you know.
Do you think that that-- I accept that. Yeah, so how does it define you as being an asshole? I'm argumentative. So an argumentative person is an asshole?
Bit of a smart mouth. Smart ass is an asshole? I think I know everything. A know-it-all is an asshole?
Sure, well you roll all those in together. Somebody that's relatively irritable to a person? Oh, yeah, irritating. Irritating.
I would call it, yeah, an asshole is someone who irritates you. So if you're irritating a person. Then they go, wow, you're an asshole. Right.
Sure. Even if you're right, to irritate them. Let's say that they're- Oh, yeah, even if everything I said was right, it still irritates you. Right.
Right, sure. My wife calls me an asshole all the time. Okay. What about you, Boots?
What does it take to be an asshole? A cromudgety. A cromudgety. So you have to be old.
Yeah, a fucking cromudgety, just doesn't give a fuck about anyone's feelings. Yeah. Oh. His assholes are meaner than mine.
Yeah. And really just don't have... It's all misinformation. He's got a...
Misinformation makes your assholes? Oh, and wrong. Well, I'm saying, like, when they go, "Well, I know that, and you know what? " Well, I'd probably call it a dick, but...
Well, that's a dick. That's not an asshole. I don't really use the word asshole, I don't think. I can still like you, and you can be an asshole.
Yeah. Sure. Me too. Right.
You're an asshole. Oh, yeah, yeah. Sometimes you are. And I am.
And I still love you. I still love you too. I love the fact that you're an asshole sometimes. Right, it's fun.
This is a great therapy session. It's a bigger back and forth thing. However, Boots over here, he loves the dick. No.
He uses the dick. He uses the dick, not the asshole. Don't use the asshole, you use the dick. I don't think those two words should be used in the same sentence.
As with anatomy, an asshole gives you shit. So a person who's an asshole gives you shit. Gives you shit. Right.
That makes sense. Do you do that with all the words? I mean, are we going to go over to the dick word? What was the word?
Dick. Dick? Someone that pees on you, gives you pee? No, I don't know how that would work.
Someone that screws you? Could be. That could be accurate. That could be a dick.
That could be a dick. Interesting. Very interesting. All right.
Next week's Dr. Phil. So you don't have a Shop of the Week? No, I started looking one up three times and got into something else, and then the giant gold astronaut showed up, and there was a forklift hole in the box, and it became an inspection thing we all had, it took three of us to get them out of the box.
We did receive... The golden astronaut. The Room 101 golden astronaut. " This is the astronaut.
It has arrived. Yes, it is upstairs. Nice. Where are we going to put this thing?
Actually, Greg already put it. I already put it somewhere. Yeah. Oh, you did it.
I put it there. Greg left it in the middle of the thing. Just left it. Yeah.
Once he got him out and found out there was no real damage because of the forklift. Right. And then he just sort of went on to whatever else he's doing next. What about Smoke Ring 72?
Shop of the Week? Yeah. That was the one I was going to go with, but I think I've done them before. So was.
There's a lot of episodes. I'm sure you're going to do a lot of the same ones. Who's the listener of the week? Yeah?
I don't think Lou listens. You think that Shirtless Mike, she's a- Shirtless Mike listens all the time. He's a devout listener? Yes, and he shows his tattoo off all the time, he said.
Oh, okay. Did you see what he's doing now? He told me he was going to start doing this. Karaoke?
No, no, not karaoke. He found out there is a local animal shelter there near him where they will let you take a dog out for the day. Yeah. So he did that last week on Friday, I guess it was.
Right. He went and picked up a dog, you know, they tell you which dog, and he takes the dog out for the dog's best day. He features pictures of him and videos of him playing with the dog and stuff to try to help get the dog adopted. Oh.
That was very nice of it. And then he sends the dog back. Yeah, and then at the end of the day, you take the dog back to prison. I don't know if I could do that.
See, that's why I can't do that sort of thing. Yeah. Because I'd be like, fuck, alright, you're just coming home. Yeah, you're just coming home.
Yeah, that's fine. That'll be $45. No, no, I'm taking him. I'm going to keep him at my house.
Yeah, like the kennel knows what they're doing. Like, here, you want to take him for the day? Exactly. It's such a scheme.
It's like where they test drive the car. Just take it for a spin. Take it for a spin. No, no, no, really good.
I don't want one. No, no. How's it driving? How's it feel?
It feels good. Do you see how fast it goes? The guy always sits in the back and goes, gun it. Why don't we go in my office?
Turn the radio up and gun it. Let's go. Let's talk about the paperwork going on this car. These corners and things.
Oh, there's a Whataburger, let's pull in there. There's a Whataburger, let's pull in. I'm kind of hungry. I'll buy you a burger.
All right. I guess that's it that we got for today. I guess that's it this week. I don't know how long this show will.
All right, so we're going to cover the Notorious CGR. Is that... Oh. Notorious.
Notorious Seaguar. Seaguar. Connor. Connor McGregor.
Connor McGregor on the Patreon. Are we going to speak Irish? Why are you smoking? Of course.
Oh, perfect. Actually, when you light it, you instantly start to speak Irish again. Oh, excellent. And we're going to drink the whiskey.
Yeah, and then we're going to do the dancing. What's the dancing? River dance. Yes, the river dance.
Is it clogging? I think it's clogging. Clogging. Clogging.
Is that Irish? I believe it is. Maybe. I don't even know.
We don't fact check anything here. But we are pissing off more people as of late. So that means that thank you very much for watching and listening. And for being pissed off.
And welcome to the asshole club. Yeah. And yes. Don't be a dick.
We're happy to. We're sorry that we upset you, but we appreciate that you're watching. We're not really sorry. You're not really sorry?
We're not really sorry. He's not really sorry. I'm sorry. I'm an asshole.
He's an asshole. All right, thanks. We'll talk to you next week. All right, bye.
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Show Notes
Episode 386 Description (Hustler Style):
This week on the Cigar Hustlers Podcast, Episode 386, the boys dive into the wild world of trending headlines: Trump wants to bring back Alcatraz—yes, that Alcatraz—sparking a debate hotter than a box of fresh Lanceros. We toast Cinco de Mayo with a nod to history and tequila, while the Real ID deadline looms and travelers panic. Then it’s back to what we love—cigar news. Tariffs are lighting up the industry with price hikes from CLE, JRE, Perdomo, and more. We cover the AGANORSA Aniversario drop, the spicy legal drama between Gurkha and Davidoff, and Hooten Young’s new RTBA cigar launch at the NRA event. Light up and settle in—this one’s packed tighter than a 60-ring gauge!