Cigar Hustlers Podcast **Episode 336: Mikey at the Beach, Social Media Crying, and Industry News**
Transcript
Everybody stand by.
Industry is in the house here he
is the controversial, the
legendary make way for the game.
Another Mike and Mike production
in 33322211100.
Zero.
So we can run this as a whole as
a regular episode, Episode 337.
Yeah, let's run it.
All right, welcome to episode
337 of Cigar Hustler Podcast.
Hi.
Mikey's at the beach.
Mikey's at the.
Beach.
I'm just here at the studio I.
Snuck away briefly to do this
podcast so it better be a good
one because.
Oh, it's not going to be.
It's going to be terrible.
Why you say it like that?
I think it would be fantastic.
Why is it going to?
How's it going to be fantastic?
OK.
There's always stuff to address
in the cigar industry and we
have stuff to talk about and we
can cover that.
Do you have a microphone?
We can't hear you very well.
I don't have a microphone.
I turned up the volume, maybe
that'll help.
OK.
We don't do zoom calls.
I have to hang up.
You want you want to hang up.
We don't do Zoom interviews.
No.
The room's a mess.
I've got that half set up for
the Smoking truth.
That's going to be on Friday.
They need four seats though.
This.
Well, we would have been done by
the day anyway because normally
we would have done this
yesterday.
Yeah.
OK.
So how was your week?
How was your weekend?
Rowdy got out last night, so
other than that the weekend was
fine.
He disappeared.
Luckily a neighbor picked him up
away on the other side of the
neighborhood.
OK, they had organized the
search party and we found him
thanks to some neighbors that we
have just met now.
That's good.
So when did you leave for the
beach Monday.
Yesterday, yeah.
Yesterday.
Because, as I say, we we almost
ran into the Baldwins on
Saturday night.
Oh yeah, where at?
They went downtown to Sanford
for Christy's birthday,
apparently.
Yeah.
Well, we were down there earlier
in the evening with some friends
of Adrian's, and Jimmy had told
them that we were just there, so
when they called us, we were
already halfway home at Celery
City Craft.
Well my for me the weekend has
just been just trying to arrange
get my house back in work still.
Oh, that's right.
How's that coming?
Almost there, I'm almost there.
Are they all working this week
while you're gone at your house?
I mean take advantage of you not
being there.
Yes, they are.
Oh, who's doing the dogs?
Greg is doing the dogs.
Greg is probably didn't get here
till almost 1:00 today then.
Yeah, and I got to tell you,
he's telling me that Bubbles is
not very bubbly.
He's not.
Bubbles is not like Greg.
Well, Bubbles is fine with Greg,
he just misses his people.
Oh yeah.
He's like, they're not here, why
aren't I with my people?
Why I'm with my people?
I should eat another room.
This next room.
I'll just go to the I'll get out
later when the Overlord of the
Underworld leaves, and then I'll
just eat A room.
Yeah.
So that's pretty much it for me,
buddy.
I can tell you like we can
address a couple things real
quick as far as things that I've
noticed on social media as of
late.
Sure, A.
Lot of, well, there's one,
there's one that I don't really
consider bitching, but then
everybody else there, there's
been a lot of comments and
bitching on on social media.
Like, I mean, there's this one
guy in the industry named Jack
Turrano.
Oh.
He called me yesterday.
Yeah, he was.
He's really shitty about his
flight being delayed.
Like why is fucking in the cigar
industry like, Oh, my flights
are like, yeah, no shit it
happens, you know, like.
Well, I think some of them it
happens too more than others.
Well, they some of them travel
more than.
That is true too.
I guess by percentage they would
get hit more.
Right.
So like, look, if you got a
problem with it then fucking
just fly private.
I don't I don't know what to
tell you.
Just hire.
Hire somebody.
Oh, an Espinoza jet he needs.
Yeah, get the Espinoza jet up
there.
And I don't like, I don't know,
I don't understand why social
media is a platform for you to
to bitch about about like
normal.
That's.
Just something to go ahead I
think.
That I think that it's OK to
bitch about specific things,
things that are, you know,
highly regular or someone who is
just being an indecent person.
I think that's perfectly
appropriate.
But to complain about an airfare
delay?
Air travel delay.
Yeah, on on social media.
It's just something to talk
about and it gets a lot of
response.
So just post a picture of you
in, in the fucking, I don't
know, airport lobby, having a
sink, a sandwich and fucking
whatever.
Like if you're lonely, watch we
got podcasts for you.
I don't know what to tell you,
man.
There's like.
This just seems ridiculous to
me.
Hey, I'm on a new podcast
starting this week.
Oh yeah?
What's that?
It's called now.
I can't remember what it's
called.
It's a Daily Show I do Tuesday
morning with the with the host.
It's a morning from 9:00 to
10:00.
I did the first one today.
Oh really?
Is it also free.com or
something?
Yeah, no, it doesn't pay you
there, but it it might
eventually, who knows?
I don't know.
I'm sitting there Tuesday
morning anyway, so from 9:00 to
10:00 I talked to this guy and
it's on a network.
Nice.
They've got 10,000 followers
they could turn into something
that's.
Got Hey, make sure you plug
Cigar Huskers podcasts you.
Know yes, I I can plug anything
I want.
I'm allowed to have guests on if
I want to have a guest.
If you want to come out as a
guest.
Nice.
I smoked a senzafino while I was
doing doing my my little hour.
Nice a show for.
You.
It's a live show.
I've never done a live show.
Yeah, it's like a morning show.
Who knows, pads the resume a
little bit more in this
industry, in this podcast world.
Yeah, I saw.
I saw another social media post.
I don't remember who it was
from.
Well, what was it?
Maybe I could help you out.
Let it be the Cavalier guy where
he's bitching about the fucking
hotel.
Like Oh no, digital check in.
No, this chicken sausage like
this is bullshit.
Oh, that's a bit much.
Super fucking angry.
Go to a different hotel.
It was a Hampton Inn.
I like when you aren't staying
at the Ritz.
I don't like.
Right.
What are you expecting?
Hampton's have never had digital
check in.
Yeah, you can use it now with
with your Hilton card or
whatever.
Well, Hilton, but not Hampton.
I understand they're owned by,
but that's that's like the next
level up, isn't it?
No, but you can do that.
You can totally use them, but
whatever, they working OK, Big
fucking deal.
Oh, it just wasn't working.
Oh, you poor thing, pick another
hotel.
No digital check in.
These Rd. warriors are getting a
little whiny.
I do want to talk about the one
thing that Skip was was brought
up about.
Which which one is that?
Because we have a we have a
story from them.
But what his the the guy who
slammed him?
Yeah.
All right, go ahead.
Unfamiliar.
So, well, I guess you should
paint a picture a little bit
here.
So So apparently Roman Craft had
a retailer.
Yes.
And the retailer did not like
what Skip's comments were on
Facebook in regards to Fox News
or some shit.
Correct.
Yeah, the end of last week.
So instead of the retailer
contacting Roma Craft saying hey
I'm upset with I don't know,
hey, my pussy hurts because the
fucking right.
You said something about Fox
News.
I love Fox News.
I no longer wish to do business
with you.
He dispute the charge on his
credit card.
Right after he's had the product
for six months.
Yeah, so, you know, personally
for me, like, I mean, that's
like a, that's one of the
tackiest things you can do,
especially like against a, a
tobacco license, right?
Require tobacco license merchant
services and you always want to
be in good standing.
So when you have a dispute like
that, it's a strike.
It doesn't matter what the
reason is, you've done nothing
wrong, but it's still a strike.
Right.
So.
So yeah, you know, it's complete
bullshit.
I can't believe that this guy
did that.
And I lost my train of thought
for a second here.
Like I don't think that that's
the reason why the guy did it,
to be perfectly honest.
Oh, you don't think so?
No, I think that the guy's
probably broke.
Oh.
And he uses that as an.
Out could be to get his it was
like 2600 dollars or something.
Yeah, because if you weren't
happy with something like you
didn't have to deal with Skip
direct, he could have just flat
out said, hey, I'm not happy
with him.
Like all right, fine, no
problem.
We'll just credit you back and
you have a credit towards the
business for other can use, but
that doesn't give him cash back.
Right.
So the only way that the I think
the reason why he did it is
because he's probably needs the
money that back.
You think after six months the
product he bought would have
been gone anyway if he was any
good at it?
Yeah, I mean, I don't know who
the guy is, you know?
I don't know.
The the yeah with somebody we do
business with, like I had asked
you.
But I could tell you this
retail's really hard, and if
you're not in control of your
cash flow, you're going to have
a problem Big.
Time so right.
Probably had a problem.
What are you doing?
Looking at my neck look, it's
looking messed up there for a
second.
Right here, it looks, it looks
fine.
It looks fine, Michael.
So, yeah, I mean, I think that
that was complete horseshit.
And I think that the lot it was,
it wasn't because he was.
I think that he used that as an
as an excuse, but he probably
just doesn't have the money to
need the cash.
Could be, I guess we will never
know.
So it's like, who can I piss off
and get away with?
Well, if it was OK, maybe he was
figuring, well, who can I?
Who is the easiest one that I
can hit that can't really not
really big enough to do a whole
lot of damage to me?
Yeah, like I can't shit on
Fuente or.
Right.
Can't shit on Fuente, can't shit
on JC Newman, can't go after
STG.
You know I I just got $2600
worth of stuff from Roman Craft.
Let's get that one.
Yeah, so that's complete
horseshit, dude.
Funny thing would be to to find
out and there's really no way
too to find out if he's done it
to other people.
You know 20 you would think
$2600 is not going to make or
break a business.
I.
Don't know how long he's been a
retailer.
Yeah, I don't know anything.
But you know, word travels fast.
I mean, if you do shitty things
like, why would anybody?
Sure, right.
Why would anybody else spray?
Because I mean like I can't, I
can't or I can't take your
order.
Yeah, that's worse than not
paying.
Yeah.
What if you paid and then took
it back?
I mean.
Six months from now, you might
you might deny it again.
Yeah, I mean, like, do you go
after him for theft?
I mean, I guess you could,
because that is theft.
I guess, yeah, I mean, he's
because he's not returning the
product.
Yeah.
So, you know, is it worth taking
him to court for $2600?
You're going to spend more than
that to get your 2600.
Yeah, maybe he couldn't return
the product because he stole it.
You already sold it.
Sold it, right?
That's what I mean.
I mean, yeah, after six months,
you would think it would be
gone.
At least a part of it would be
I'll.
Just dispute this charge,
that'll be easier.
Yeah, I'll just dispute it and
then I'll get my $3000.25
hundred, whatever.
It was and then I saw one other
guy on on social media.
It was one of these other
podcasts and they were talking
about Nick Melillo and the the
way Wednesday turning into the
Wise Man and like they gave this
whole fucking fluff piece.
Oh really?
We weren't recorded.
Why they did it?
Yeah, I'm just like, this is
not, that's not even close to
accurate.
Right, Coop's got Scott Pierce
on tonight.
Oh, that's nice.
Yes.
Well, we already covered that.
We already talked to him several
weeks ago in old news.
Maybe another two weeks.
You'll have Joshua Haverski.
Yeah.
Yeah, well, that's pretty much
all I got for.
Well, I have.
I have a little bit of news.
News was really light this week.
Yeah.
I think that what you're really,
I don't know if this is covered
any portion of the news, but I
think you're going to start
seeing layoffs here in this
industry.
We had talked about that on the
Patreon last week.
Yeah, I think that's going to
happen, man.
I thought you're going to start
seeing job cuts, people being
replaced for people that'll do
it for less.
You're going to see a major
shift in a lot of these jobs
real quick.
Yeah.
Yeah, I think within the
upcoming six months, the big
ones, the the ones, the ones
that suck the most are probably
going to be the end of.
The year, Oh, not till the end
of December, The new Christmas
layoffs.
Christmas layoffs, baby.
Let's go.
Right.
If things don't turn around,
probably so you know.
What they say, Jack, Fuel the
growth, baby.
Let's go, DJ.
Those are Jack Torontoing
people.
Yeah, at the Christian parties.
You got toranoed.
Got I got Toranoed.
Speaking of Toranoed, Espinoza
just put out a press release.
Espinoza Premium Cigars is a
proud to announce that they will
be entering the Canadian market
with Brigham Estates as a
distributor, said Eric Espinoza.
This is the first step in our
goal of becoming an
international cigar company and
I truly believe that we have
chosen the right company to
showcase growth, showcase and
grow our brand through Canada.
We are extremely excited to add
Espinoza cigars to our
portfolio.
The Espinoza blends are
unparalleled, providing unique
and innovative blending to the
market.
That should be interesting, man,
because realistically, a lot of
the, I don't know anything about
that distributor.
More often than not, you know, a
lot of these distributors are
full of shit.
You know, they get in, they
don't really move a lot of
products.
I mean, you know, you, you hope
to have that demand inside of
another country that who knows
what that looks like and who
knows if the distributor will
facilitate it.
So I wish him the best.
I hope it works out.
But more often than not, that
shit's kind of complicated.
So like, how do you facilitate
demand for a, you know, a
national product?
It's not an international, I
mean, is it getting there?
Like we're talking about a
country that you can't look at
bans on cigars.
You can't look at all these, you
know, the, the the cigar store
has to be called tobacco shops.
Some shit like they had to take
the.
Signs there are different rules
up there and stuff.
They're sending the Espinoza
Crema, Espinoza Bano Laranja,
Escaro, Laranja Oswello and the
Espinoza slash Guy Fieri
collaboration Knuckle Sandwich
Hibano.
I mean, I guess that makes sense
if Guy Fieri's more
international.
Right.
Yeah, put his name, tag his name
on it with it.
OK.
He did a workout video on TikTok
last week.
Guy Fieri did.
Was he with Eric?
No, no, he's by himself.
Is Eric Facetimed me after our
argument?
Yeah, you told me.
I'm at the gym.
Well, it wasn't an argument
after our.
Dude, look my lift.
Look at my jacket lift, bro.
All right, CRO Mag Clovis is
finally heading to stores.
The new version of the CRO Mag
Black Irish is shipping Roman
craft tobaccos.
Begin shipping the CRO Mag
Clovis, a 5 by 56 cigar that
uses a Barber pole wrapper
designed with Pennsylvania
broadleaf as the primary visible
wrapper in Ecuadorian candela
tobacco as the accent.
The internal blend is the same
as the updated CRO Mag blend, a
Sumatra hybrid binder with
fillers from Dominican Republic
and Nicaragua.
The cigar is the same size the
EMH A5 by 56 Robusto Gordo, but
differs because the Candela
Tobacco.
Previously, Roma Crepes sold as
a similar cigar, but it was
called Black Irish and used a
different blend.
I'm already receiving emails
from people about trying to
pre-order that product.
Yeah.
Some of these people don't do
business with Cigar Hustler at
all.
Oh what the fuck?
Thank you.
No, thank you.
You don't.
You're not a recurring customer,
you know.
Right, like go.
Ahead.
How's that supposed to work?
I'm just supposed to step over
everybody else that.
Right, all the people that have
been with us for a while and
we'll just send to you instead.
We we've cultivated
relationships with and that we
know they appreciate our
customer service and, and you
know, all our hard work and
like, I'm just supposed to trump
them because, you know, you
can't get it from somebody else,
the guy that you've been
purchasing stuff from, like.
Well, everyone figures we're
going to get it because we're
tight with Roman craft.
We are not only that, but like
it's not a big difference in the
flavor profiles like APAEMHI
don't know actually the CRO Mac
P/E MH it's funny that we have
people go crazy about stuff like
that, you know, so that's.
What it is, it's the the the PA
version of the Black Irish.
Yeah, obvious gotcha.
Yeah, but hey, you know what
dude?
I would take 1000 boxes of them
if if they.
Made.
We take them off their lettuce.
Yeah.
All right.
Dunbart and Tobacco and Trust is
shipping the Sin copper miso #4.
Dunbart and Tobacco and Trust
newest Sin Copper Miso vitola is
on the way to retailers.
The Sin copper miso #4 is a 5 by
54 robusto extra that is made
with Mexican San Andreas Negro
cultivo Tonto.
I hadn't said that right.
Cultivo, CULTIVO, and then Tonto
Tonto.
That's the rapper.
That's the name of the.
Rapper.
That's the rapper.
We're Mexican San Andreas Negro
Cultivo Tanto.
Like you think that the random
ass names and the and the shapes
are fucking one thing now we're.
Now we're making up names.
What are we doing?
Hey, no, no.
This is the cultivo tanto.
Oh oh.
I.
Don't.
Know it tastes more like Tonto
to me.
Ecuador and Habando seed binder
and filler tobacco's grown
Nicaragua and e-mail.
Steve Sacca, founder of Dunbar
and Tobacco and Trust, said that
this specific Ventola required
the Liga to be tweaked
specifically for this format.
This is guards are rolled at
Fabrica de Tobacco Hoya de
Nicaragua SA.
Each cigar is MSRP of 1795.
For Robusto.
The is the same case as the rest
of the same compromise line.
The number four of a tall is
packaged in boxes of 13.
So so Steve did a podcast
recently.
Yeah, some no name podcast,
supposedly.
The master of your hash guys.
I recently did those podcast
with those guys.
Oh, that's just what somebody
said.
I'm not saying they are, but
they.
You just said and that's not
true.
They're not no name.
Guys, he would.
Well, that's what I read
somewhere.
That's what Abe said.
Oh, is it Abe?
Yeah.
Today's Monday name six year
anniversary, so I'm going to
side with eight today.
Congratulations.
We've been friends for six
years.
Well, you shouldn't side with
Abe at all because there was a
misspelling and they call him
Dumbarton Tobacco instead of
Dunbar and Tobacco.
Oh, I did see that.
I'm, you know, I'm big.
I'm misspellings, though.
I'm, I'm, I'm spelling.
Spelling.
Yeah, so I mean, they made a
misspelling.
Like it happens.
Like, yeah, if, if you, if you
have ever witness or viewed any
of our emails or podcasts or
YouTube pages or anything.
Things happen sometimes.
Spellings.
There's no spell check on any of
those things.
So yeah, yeah, man.
So like, come on, give the guys
a break.
This shit ain't easy.
When did you do that show?
I think it was right after PCA.
Oh, didn't even know.
Before, Yeah, you watched some
of it.
Oh, did I?
Yeah.
Oh wait, was that the one with
the four guys?
And oh, not many of them talk.
That's correct.
Yeah, the one scary looking guy
in the middle looked like a
Samoan Street Fighter or
something.
That's it.
That's the.
One Ah, I got you right, El Pupo
the Fry is shipping next month.
El Pupo.
El Pupo.
This is how bad the news was
this week.
On June 14th, Artesnio del
Tobacco will release the newest
size of its El Pupo line, Pupo,
the El Pupo the Fries, a four by
48 parejo size with a pigtail.
It uses the same blend as the
original Pupo, a Mexican San
Andreas wrapper over Nicaraguan
binder and Nicaraguan fillers
from Tonto and The Lone Ranger.
I'm very excited.
On Pupo Pupo, a different
fermentation process we used for
the wrapper like the rest of the
line, is made in Tablacalera AJ
Fernandez cigars.
Each cigar is in MSRP of 1240
and the cigars are sold in
cardboard boxes of five.
All right.
That's it for the news.
PCA did announce, they did
guarantee or whatever that the
the date April 14th, 2025, the
PCA will go on in New Orleans.
So they did verify that and they
put up their new website.
Yeah.
I mean, that was kind of a
given.
You figured that that was going
to.
Happen.
Yeah, yeah, they already
announced the date, but they put
up the new website yesterday
with all the information for the
new location.
It's going to be New Orleans
twice, yes.
Where are we?
The map is up but they don't
have anything labeled.
They just have open and like
saved spaces.
I was trying to figure out where
we were but they're not labeled
we're.
Kind of in the middle.
OK, thanks.
Like, how do you want me?
How the fuck do you want me to
explain it to you as far as the
convention's concerned?
Maybe you knew the number of the
booth.
Off the top of my head now, and
even if I did that wouldn't help
me decipher shit.
Well, no, they're numbered.
They're all numbered.
OK.
If you knew the number I could
find it. 7592.
That's not it.
That's it.
No, it's not.
Yeah, Ted, you don't know what
it is.
I'll go ask Greg.
Hold on.
Sending.
It's the number, Greg.
'S running around like the whole
place is on fire.
He doesn't know what to do.
Yeah, Greg doesn't.
No, he has no idea.
He's meeting with some guy in a
suit up there a little while
ago.
Oh, that sounds important.
The guy didn't really look
important.
They did have a suit on them.
Never trust the guy in a suit.
Never trust the guy in a suit.
How long have we been talking?
1520 minutes I.
Don't think.
I think it's been longer.
Than that Are we doing a Patreon
this week?
If not Jack wants $2.50.
I would send it to him in
product give.
Your credit.
We will give you a credit.
I don't think I'm able to run a
Patreon.
If you want to run a Patreon,
you can.
I'll see if I can find somebody
to do one with.
I'm like, my people are limited
now, my optional people.
You're running out of friends.
I'm running out of.
Friends.
Well, I'll get Greg to do it
with him.
Oh, that's no, don't do that.
I'm not Greg.
Terrible.
I'll do something so I don't
send Jack $202.50.
Yeah, we don't want to.
He's not getting his money back.
Not getting any money?
No, no, he was mad we didn't ask
Joshua Habersky about about our
friends.
Yeah, he was.
Oh, did he call you too?
Yeah.
Oh, he called me saying he
wasn't calling you.
I didn't even think about that.
I didn't either, didn't even
cross my mind.
You know we.
Would have been better off
asking Pierce, who just stepped
out of PCA, the questions that
Jack wanted to know.
Yeah, You know, like, I don't
sit in the heart like on that
guy.
I mean, it's funny to me and
comical to me when he pops up in
the news and then like, you
know, if, if I can find an
opportunity to cut a joke, we're
going to.
But other than that, I mean his
his boy didn't try and sucker
punch me and then and then get
fired.
Get fired.
Yeah, 6.
Minutes later.
So thank God I didn't take a
bullet for him.
He wouldn't even meet the six
months.
Take the charcuterie board.
I got to go.
Thanks for your time.
Thank you for your time, Sir.
Here's your your parting gift.
All right, It's been episode
330.
Oh, we've been doing it 40
minutes.
I think that's what that means.
I'm not sure.
Almost an hour.
All right, enjoy your trip,
Michael.
Thank you, Michael.
When do you come back?
Friday keep everything safe.
Everything is safe I.
Need you to keep everything on
lock down there.
Everything's on fire.
Everything's on fire here.
All right, all right.
Talk to you later.
Bye.
Goodbye.
Goodbye everybody.
Thank you.
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It is not our intention to
libel, insight, or hurt anyone's
feelings.
We invite you to write the
show's host, Mike Stefan Kevich,
with any feedback or suggestions
that you have.
For their shows.
These broadcasts are presented
and made public as entertainment
in the hope that they will be
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Show Notes
In this lively episode of the Cigar Hustlers Podcast, join Mikey as he takes us on a breezy adventure to the beach, sharing his coastal escapades and cigar experiences. The conversation then shifts to the latest buzz on social media, where Mikey and Palmer dive into the world of online drama and crying. Finally, they bring you the freshest industry news, discussing the latest happenings in the cigar world. Don't miss out on this fun-filled episode packed with stories, laughs, and updates for all cigar enthusiasts!