Lounge Lizards - a Cigar and Lifestyle Podcast

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Recorded at Ten86 Cigars in Hawthorne, New Jersey, the Lizards pair Ramón Allones Specially Selected (TUA OCT 21) with Eminente Reserva Ron de Cuba. The guys revisit a legendary Cuban robusto, they debate if Cuban cigars are overhyped and they discuss what might’ve happened had Cuban cigar prices not gone insane.
PLUS: Replicating the Cuban Cigar Experience with Non-Cubans, U.K.'s Generational Tobacco Ban, Aguardiente Rum, ProCigar's Charity Work and New President, St. Louis/PCA Feedback, Cigars in Movies & More

Join the Lounge Lizards for a weekly discussion on all things cigars (both Cuban and non-Cuban), whiskey, food, travel, life and work. This is your formal invitation to join us in a relaxing discussion amongst friends and become a card-carrying Lounge Lizard yourself. This is not your typical cigar podcast. We’re a group of friends who love sharing cigars, whiskey and a good laugh.

website/merch/rating archive: loungelizardspod.com
email: hello@loungelizardspod.com to join the conversation and be featured on an upcoming episode!
instagram: @loungelizardspod
Gizmo HQ: LizardGizmo.com

What is Lounge Lizards - a Cigar and Lifestyle Podcast?

Released every Tuesday, the LOUNGE LIZARDS podcast helps listeners navigate the experience of finding and enjoying premium cigars (both Cuban and non-Cuban) and quality spirits. Episodes are normally around 90 minutes long and feature a variety of different topics including food, travel, life, sports and work.
​
The podcast features eight members: Rooster, Poobah, Gizmo, Senator, Pagoda, Chef Ricky, Grinder and Bam Bam.​

This is not your typical cigar podcast. We’re a group of friends who love sharing cigars, whiskey and a good laugh.
​
Join us and become a card-carrying lounge lizard yourself! Email us at hello@loungelizardspod.com to join the conversation and be featured on an upcoming episode!

Gizmo:

Welcome to the Lounge Lizards podcast presented by Fabrica Five. It's so good to have you here. It's a leisure and lifestyle podcast founded on our love of premium cigars as well as whiskey travel food work and whatever else we feel like getting into. My name is Gizmo. Tonight, I'm joined by Rooster, Senator, Pagoda, chef Ricky, and Bam Bam.

Gizmo:

And our plan is to smoke a cigar, drink some rum, talk about life, and, of course, have some laughs. So take this as your two hundred and thirty fifth official invitation to join us and become a card carrying lounge lizard. Plan to meet us here once a week. We're gonna smoke a Cuban cigar tonight, share our thoughts on it, and give you a formal lizard rating.

Gizmo:

revisit a legendary Cuban Robusto. We debate if Cuban cigars are overhyped, and we discuss what might have happened if Cuban cigar prices had not gone insane, all among a variety of other things for the next two hours. So sit back, get your favorite drink, light up a cigar, enjoy as we pair Eminente Reserva Rum with the Ramona Allones Specially Selected. A Cuban Robusto on the pod tonight, boys, and we are back to

Gizmo:

Ramon Allones. First time in almost a year, and tonight, we are doing a revisit of the Specially Selected, which is a 50 ring gauge cigar by four and seven eighths inches long.

Rooster:

Never had

Gizmo:

one. It's been almost a 100 episodes since we have done a Ramone.

Bam Bam:

Always a spectacular cigar. Always.

Gizmo:

I gotta say, I don't know the last time I had one

Senator:

of these. When's the last time you had Global Entry? Correct.

Chef Ricky:

That was fast.

Rooster:

That was

Chef Ricky:

quick. Were

Bam Bam:

so I mean

Rooster:

with it.

Gizmo:

Wow. You know what's funny?

Bam Bam:

This doesn't

Gizmo:

jog your memory. By the way, this is the cabinet. This is the exact cabinet that replaced the one that cost me my global entry. So Well These should be extra tasty tonight.

Bam Bam:

They look beautiful.

Gizmo:

They look great. Look really good.

Bam Bam:

Aroma's delicious.

Gizmo:

Let's cut this thing, boys.

Pagoda:

Well, least, Giz, you and I can always walk in together when we come from an international airport.

Rooster:

The cold draw and the wrapper here, boys. The wrapper smells so good.

Bam Bam:

Yeah. It's very sweet.

Gizmo:

My draw is just a slight bit resistant, which is nice. Same. Perfect draw. It's perfect. Cedar,

Bam Bam:

little salty, fruit. A sweet cream for me.

Gizmo:

I like that. Like a salty sweet cream.

Bam Bam:

Yep. Touch of biscuit of some kind, chef.

Chef Ricky:

Yeah. Yeah. A little bit of a cheese biscuit there, salted butter.

Bam Bam:

Wow. Gonna be a banger. I

Gizmo:

don't wanna wait, boys. Let's light this thing. The Ramon Ionis specially selected the Robusto out of Cuba. And, again, it's a 50 ring gauge cigar by four and seven eighths inches long. These cigars tonight are coming out of a 50 cab.

Gizmo:

Beautiful presentation of the 50 cabs. And the factory code, the box code on this is TuaOctober21. TuaOctober21.

Bam Bam:

Excellent code. Excellent year.

Gizmo:

So folks who are familiar with my box code document, you will know that that is the

Rooster:

Partagas fact. Our box code document. You spent a lot

Gizmo:

of time on it, didn't you?

Rooster:

Reading it.

Bam Bam:

This is so good. Wow. Oh, yeah. That's excellent. Fantastic.

Bam Bam:

It mimics the cold draw for me. Everyone's going to have to forgive me. I've got a frog in my throat. I sound like Darth Vader tonight.

Gizmo:

As long as your taste buds work, that's all we need. Oh, yeah.

Chef Ricky:

Nothing wrong with a little extra bean.

Bam Bam:

Luke, I am your father. Join me and we'll rule the universe like father and son.

Gizmo:

This is great on the light. Amazing.

Pagoda:

It's been such a long time since I've had this.

Gizmo:

Me too, man.

Pagoda:

Because the last two calves have been so like, they haven't really performed. Really? And I've been so disappointed. But, you know, I'm hoping that they've improved a bit. They've been sitting around my humidor for a couple of

Bam Bam:

years now. Were there performance issues? Yeah.

Pagoda:

Flavor Really? Yeah.

Bam Bam:

You know, in another chat, someone was talking about Ramona Allones, and they've never ever had a bad one. I kind of agree. Don't remember that. I've never had a bad one. Same.

Bam Bam:

Like, I don't think I've ever had a really bad Ramona Allones.

Gizmo:

I've had bad constructed,

Rooster:

but I haven't even had that. They've been By way,

Gizmo:

you have had a bad Ramon Ionis because when we go through the ratings later, you're gonna be recalling

Bam Bam:

On that front. Some bad Ramon Ionis. Yes. Are bad

Gizmo:

In that episode? And we've done six or seven of these now. There

Bam Bam:

Oh, no. No. No. Of course. Other vitolas.

Bam Bam:

But this Oh, you're specifically saying that? Especially Selected. Yeah. This particular vitola, I don't think I've ever had a bad one.

Pagoda:

Yeah. So what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna get a couple just for us to try just to see how different it is.

Rooster:

Bring it tomorrow.

Pagoda:

Yeah. No. I think even Leonard Henry wants to try. So we're just talking about that.

Gizmo:

So as I said in Pagoda, you said, I I don't remember the last time I had a RAS in my hand. It's been so long. Obviously, this is currently reminding me of how great these can be

Pagoda:

Mhmm.

Gizmo:

On the light anyway. Yep. When was the last time you guys reached for a RAS when you were looking for

Rooster:

I had one last

Bam Bam:

last week.

Gizmo:

Cuban Robusto.

Bam Bam:

Yeah? Fairly recently. Yeah. Maybe a month ago.

Rooster:

Okay.

Pagoda:

That's that's just seeing a photograph. I'm sorry.

Rooster:

I'll send it to you separately.

Pagoda:

Private. Oh my lord.

Chef Ricky:

Not since I first joined

Pagoda:

the For

Chef Ricky:

me, when I first joined the Lounge, it was one of the first cigars that Cuban cigars that I was exposed to, and I remember getting a 10 count box of a regional. I don't remember which one exactly it was.

Gizmo:

I'm assuming it's a superioris. Yes. Lcdh.

Bam Bam:

Nice cigar. You know, don't remember Senator or Gizmo smoking a Cuban in quite a long time. Honestly, I haven't seen either of you.

Rooster:

So that's not true. I've had

Senator:

it before within the last couple of Touch

Bam Bam:

your coveted collections.

Gizmo:

I honestly haven't. You're a 100% right for me. Yeah. I yeah. And for no other reason than I've just kind of been preferring other cigars.

Senator:

Yeah. I'm I'm gonna say, I mean, as much as I really enjoyed that d four I had within the last couple weeks, I don't miss Cuban cigars.

Gizmo:

You don't either.

Senator:

Even just when we passed this cab around to pick out a cigar, the fact that I was spending so much time looking at the foot of the cigar, feeling the cigar, just trying to make sure that I'm not gonna have a draw issue, I don't do that with any of my new worlds. And it's just aggravating to go back to having to do stuff like that and not being able to trust that there's going to be consistency and quality control every time. So I really don't miss them that much.

Bam Bam:

There is that.

Rooster:

Definitely not that often. But when you do have one

Bam Bam:

And it's a and good

Rooster:

performs well and it's awesome like this one, it's it's, you know

Bam Bam:

It's a

Rooster:

great brings you back the memories of the old Correct. You know, the couple of years ago, not that old.

Gizmo:

And, you know, when when prices were more reasonable, I think we were more tolerant to reaching for a cigar like you did, senator, and feeling it and it not feeling great and going, okay. I'm gonna do this anyway. It's not gonna knock my socks off, but I'm gonna smoke it because it was $10. Now you reach for a cigar that costs maybe 25. Right?

Gizmo:

Like this cigar does now, 28. That you're less tolerant for mediocrity on a $28 cigar, even though it's the same exact cigar.

Rooster:

Yeah. I mean, price is one factor. But the fact that you can't even get them into The States, you know, that makes it even more challenging. So it's like, you know, you want to hold on to what you have.

Gizmo:

Yeah. It's a tough scene out there right now for Cuban cigars. And I, you know, I was telling chef today when I came in, it's crazy how these our cadence now is every five weeks. And it's like even I kinda got caught off guard realizing that this week was two thirty five. I've been eyeing up doing this one for a while because we haven't done a Ramone.

Gizmo:

But it's just so crazy to me that we used to do a Cuban every other week. Yeah. Like I can't believe that that was our cadence and given now every five weeks and it's still like, what cigar are we gonna do and how are we gonna get them?

Bam Bam:

You You know, if we would have known, we probably would have spaced them out further. Yeah.

Gizmo:

What's everybody getting on the flavor right now? Any flavor notes that you're getting?

Bam Bam:

I'm still getting that sweet cream, a little biscuit, touch of salt.

Rooster:

Cream it is creamy but it's also nutty. It's earthy and nutty and definitely sweet cream comes through.

Chef Ricky:

Again, I agree with all of that. 100%.

Rooster:

And it's almost aromatic.

Bam Bam:

Oh, the aroma is fantastic. Yeah.

Chef Ricky:

When I was still seeing this, the aroma coming off the smoke was incredible.

Pagoda:

And a few of the puffs I've got you know, I always talk of this glucose y biscuit. I've got a little bit of the sweetness from there. It's really, really good.

Rooster:

You hungry?

Pagoda:

Yeah. I'm actually hungry. You know, I just ordered food. It's expected here in two minutes.

Bam Bam:

We'll take a break. A

Gizmo:

Pagoda dinner break. That'll be a first.

Pagoda:

Hey, this is how it works.

Senator:

So pagoda, what'd you order for dessert?

Pagoda:

No dessert. I've been really on a good routine.

Gizmo:

Look at that.

Bam Bam:

My

Pagoda:

last dessert I had was Sunday. You know what?

Gizmo:

I That was two days ago.

Bam Bam:

Two days ago. Does it just mean two days? Feels like I'm turning.

Pagoda:

I'd go the I'd go I'd go the Magnolia, the banana pudding.

Rooster:

Oh, the banana pudding.

Gizmo:

Love that. Man.

Senator:

Great routine.

Gizmo:

He only gets it twice a week.

Chef Ricky:

For the record, Pagoda did order cookies for my wife this week. By the way,

Pagoda:

I'm not in town, so, you know, you can just leave it in mine. Okay. Locker, please. Will do. Yeah.

Pagoda:

I'm excited about those cookies.

Senator:

Don't worry. One of the listeners can hold them for you, Pagoda. So

Gizmo:

right now, if you were standing at your tower and you wanted a Cuban Robusto, Out of all the Cuban Robustos you have in your tower, the Hoyo Epi two, the d four, of course, the Ras. J l one. The J L2.

Bam Bam:

Two is a Robusto. Yeah.

Gizmo:

J l two. Cohiba robusto, if you have any of those. Schwa is close. Schwa is

Bam Bam:

Close enough.

Gizmo:

Yeah. It's close enough. So if you're standing at your tower looking at over all of the robustos you have in your tower, what are you gonna reach for first?

Senator:

I wonder. Well, your d four.

Rooster:

I'm not almost not even asking I kinda I kinda reach for these as much as the d fours.

Bam Bam:

I kinda stay away from my d fours because I I don't have a lot, and I wanna preserve those as long as possible.

Senator:

Now for you, what is I don't have a lot in your

Gizmo:

head? That's a great question.

Bam Bam:

I actually don't know.

Senator:

Seven boxes. We've heard that before.

Bam Bam:

So I've got the tupperdora. I haven't gone through those in probably a year and a half.

Gizmo:

I thought you said you went through them recently.

Bam Bam:

I did not. I lied.

Gizmo:

I think you have an Excel Don't you

Rooster:

have an Excel sheet?

Bam Bam:

I haven't looked at it in two years. He hasn't updated it.

Gizmo:

No.

Bam Bam:

Because it's on the it's on the notes, and when I do it, you all see it.

Senator:

Very convenient. Correct.

Gizmo:

Didn't he say that like a couple weeks ago, went through his tower and his Tupper door?

Bam Bam:

I think I have two boxes of D Force, two.

Senator:

At a zero.

Bam Bam:

Yeah, no. But these are prominently displayed in the tower, a 50 cab of RAS. So they're pretty easy to inaccessible. I got a box of Schwa in there. Whatever's in the Tupper door, I tend not to go through because I'm really freaking lazy.

Bam Bam:

It's a lot of work.

Pagoda:

Yeah. It is.

Rooster:

To open that lid,

Bam Bam:

take the You boxes gotta take them off of each other. Like Tetris in there. It's insane.

Gizmo:

You need another tower to compliment the one

Pagoda:

you had. I can help them out. No to worry.

Bam Bam:

I am tired of the

Gizmo:

other boxes. Just store your cigars in Pagoda's Tower.

Pagoda:

Alright. Yeah. It's empty. Absolutely.

Rooster:

You stick the whole Tupper door right in there.

Pagoda:

Right right there. I think that's a great trade.

Bam Bam:

Yeah?

Pagoda:

I'll store the cigars for you, Remember and I'll charge you

Bam Bam:

we were talking about merchant about this? Correct.

Senator:

How many cigars a month in interest?

Pagoda:

Yeah, exactly. Well, depends how often he comes to audit.

Bam Bam:

You know? I got a ton of unbanded bullshit that you can have happily.

Gizmo:

So I think if I were to pick one of the Robustos, it'd probably be either the Cohiba Robusto or this and the d four kind of in that. But, like, right now, my brain is going to Cohiba Robusto with

Bam Bam:

this.

Rooster:

Yeah. You can smoke four of these as opposed to Cohiba Robusto.

Gizmo:

That's true. I mean, I'm smoking them so infrequently. It's not like

Bam Bam:

Also, because these come in a 50 cab, you know, and if you have a full box, they're it seems like you have a copious amount of them, so they're just easy. Let me just have one now.

Senator:

Yeah. I mean, oddly, I have, like, the least RAS of robustos in my tower, and my experience has been more pagodas. Mean

Gizmo:

Really?

Senator:

I used to love the RAS. Like, before all of us knew each other and I probably just knew, like, rooster and bam and, you know, we would have Cubans, I would have this is before I was buying 50 cabs because

Rooster:

I didn't have the big tower, so

Senator:

I was buying the 25 count dress boxes of those. But I used to smoke them all the time and love them. And then when we started stocking up on 50 cabs, I also had kind of a hit or miss experience where I would have, like, odd construction issues with some where the wrapper would burn very funny, and I just felt like I had better luck with consistency with d fours. So I started smoking a lot more of those even though that's my preference, but I used to kinda interchange these. So I probably now, no joke, have, like, maybe 10 or 15 of these left in a like, an almost empty 50 calorie.

Rooster:

Do you remember the box coat of the one that

Senator:

you I don't, but I'm pretty sure it's like a Tua or yeah. Like, it's a big I'm

Gizmo:

sure it's a Tua.

Bam Bam:

Yeah. Because we all bought at the same time.

Rooster:

Yeah.

Bam Bam:

Yeah.

Gizmo:

His food's here. Go get your food.

Pagoda:

I told Henry to pick it up. Oh. He hasn't responded.

Gizmo:

I think he's in. He's not standing there anymore. He's good.

Chef Ricky:

Oh, you were serious.

Bam Bam:

I mean

Gizmo:

The guy's standing there banging on the window at me. This is a new one.

Bam Bam:

I still

Pagoda:

This is new

Gizmo:

one. The

Rooster:

man the man is hungry.

Gizmo:

He hasn't been hungry. It's 09:00. That's one time Indian seed.

Chef Ricky:

This is the new routine.

Gizmo:

This is early. So I think I probably have so that you guys went through this is my cabinet. This two October 21, the 50 cab. Right now, after the six of us are smoking, there's maybe what? Eight or 10 left in there probably?

Gizmo:

Yeah. So I have this, and I think I have two more 50 cabs.

Bam Bam:

That's what I was thinking.

Gizmo:

And that's it.

Bam Bam:

Mhmm. So that's a good amount.

Gizmo:

Yeah. So I'm gonna sit on them because these are performing really nicely now.

Bam Bam:

I've got one and a half 50 cab, and that's all I've got.

Rooster:

What do you think you have, Rooster? Less than you.

Bam Bam:

Yeah. He's got a lot. That's two two fifty cabs. That's a good

Gizmo:

good amount.

Rooster:

You wanna sell one? Nope. Because this cigar is really shitty. It's smoking too.

Gizmo:

Here we go. Here we go.

Pagoda:

It doesn't

Rooster:

really taste good. The wrappers, issues. I don't know. There's something is off. Brown paper you guys?

Bam Bam:

Brown paper bag.

Pagoda:

Yes. 700 bed for the 50 cab.

Gizmo:

They're not for sale, boys. NFS. So, boys, these come, like we're talking about, in slide with boxes of 50 cigars that these came out of tonight. They also come in a dress box of 25 cigars. Cigars were originally released in 1975.

Gizmo:

Cool note here. Two cool notes actually from Cuban cigar website. Number one, there were no bans on the specially selected in the 50 cab before 2,005. If you got a 50 cab of Ras before 2005, there were no bands on the cigars, which was pretty common. Magnum 46 was also a cigar like that.

Gizmo:

The other thing I wanted to know too, that the technical name for this cigar is the Ramon Ionis Ionis specially selected.

Bam Bam:

Interesting.

Gizmo:

So it's kinda like the punch punch punch. They double up on Ionis. So I find that interesting. Of course, nobody refers to it as that. Everybody refers to it as the Ras or the Specially Selected, but a very famous cigar in the cigar catalog, of course, coming from a value brand, I guess it is.

Bam Bam:

Yeah. Definitely a staple.

Gizmo:

Right? So I was listening to the first time we did this cigar on episode nine, which came out in January '22, recorded it probably right before the holidays in '21 as we were very green. And we were talking about the cigar and different flavor notes and everybody was saying how it was one of their favorite Cuban Robustos. And that cigar at the time was out of a 50 cap from 2019. So we're smoking a cigar from '21 in '26.

Gizmo:

Then we smoked a cigar from '19 and '21. So kind of two interesting things to look at there. The difference between the '19 and the '21, of course, and then the difference in smoking them two years old versus coming up on five years old.

Senator:

I mean, I'll say this. My experience with the RAS, when they're good, when you get a good box, they don't need a ton of age. I mean, I'm remembering, probably the last RAS I had was, like, a year and a half ago when I was in Panama for Christmas. I remember they had them at the LCDH, and that box, I wanna say, had one or two years of age on it, and it was as good as what I'm smoking right now. Like, that's what I've always appreciated about the RAS.

Senator:

It's like they don't really need a tremendous amount of age to get to to get good and hit their stride and, like, not have any ammonia or that youth show up.

Gizmo:

Sure. How

Rooster:

much is a 50 cab of these going for now on Bond Roberts? What do you do? Take a wild guess.

Bam Bam:

That's about 1,300.

Gizmo:

I'm going say $12.50. Yeah. Yeah. For freshies. Not anything with significant age.

Bam Bam:

$12.50, $1,300.

Gizmo:

Yeah. I would say probably this cab, if I were to put this up.

Bam Bam:

Oh, that'll go higher.

Gizmo:

I would think $151,600. Oh yeah. Maybe more? Maybe. Because you know, there is a squeeze right now on availability as we were talking about.

Gizmo:

Like you can't get these cigars. So Bon Roberts is there's almost an additional kind of premium happening on Bon Roberts for boxes that are already in The US because you don't have a risk issue. You know? Getting them shipped inside The US, you're fine. You can insure them, etcetera.

Gizmo:

But coming from outside The US, the risk is on the on the buyer.

Rooster:

So how much would Bam would have gotten on the fundies if he waited a little longer?

Gizmo:

I think he did well. I would say $27.50 is pretty good.

Bam Bam:

That's ridiculous.

Gizmo:

Maybe in another year or two, maybe, you know, 3,000, 3,200.

Rooster:

And for the listener, by the way, that dinner was delicious.

Bam Bam:

Yeah. Had a

Pagoda:

one I was

Bam Bam:

waiting for that.

Gizmo:

So why haven't Yeah. We gone

Pagoda:

It must have been at a vegan restaurant.

Bam Bam:

Soy balls all around.

Rooster:

Plant based.

Pagoda:

Got it.

Bam Bam:

Chef, have you had a RAS?

Chef Ricky:

I have, but not like this. There is so much here. As you guys were talking, I caught myself almost chewing the smoke. Yes. Because it is so full.

Chef Ricky:

It is so creamy. It's it's like a salted almond with a touch of butter and vanilla. It is like

Bam Bam:

It's lights out dude.

Chef Ricky:

Yeah, it is incredible. Really, really incredible.

Bam Bam:

It's really hitting a perfect mark right now.

Chef Ricky:

As I said, I've had a few wrasses early on. I remember Pagoda kind of handing them out in the lounge pretty freely in the you know The big

Pagoda:

earlier years.

Bam Bam:

When they were not good.

Gizmo:

And $8.

Chef Ricky:

And I was

Rooster:

just No.

Pagoda:

No. No. No. No. You gotta you gotta know.

Pagoda:

Glass was one of my favorite You favorite got one. I mean,

Chef Ricky:

this guy

Bam Bam:

had a

Chef Ricky:

a cabinet under his arm everywhere he

Pagoda:

went I've in the had some really good cabs as well.

Chef Ricky:

And yeah, they were good, but they weren't like this. This is exceptional. This is incredible.

Rooster:

The aroma on the foot, it's absolutely it is so aromatic. It's like potpourri.

Bam Bam:

So for me, it's more cocoa. That's the only place I'm getting cocoa on the cigar is the aroma for me.

Chef Ricky:

I'm getting I'm getting

Rooster:

it's very floral.

Chef Ricky:

Getting a salted nut almost on

Bam Bam:

the aroma of the I'm getting either one of those, but it's exquisite.

Gizmo:

I'm loving it. Yeah. I actually am happy that the draw is not more open than it is. At times I have gotten RAS where it's a little bit of a wind tunnel, maybe underfilled or, you know, just not enough, you know, not tight enough of a roll. But this, just a little bit of resistance.

Gizmo:

It's like slowing me down. It's making me wait. You know, it's really an elegant experience.

Senator:

I just love the smoke output. It is so voluminous and velvety, it

Rooster:

just kind of lingers in your mouth

Senator:

For a Robusto, this thing is a chimney right now. I thought I took maybe a huge draw before, just I was shocked how much smoke, so I intentionally took a small puff and still, I mean, just billowing out. It's amazing.

Bam Bam:

Yeah. And the retrohell's outstanding.

Pagoda:

Yeah. You know? Everything has

Chef Ricky:

about this cigar is incredible.

Pagoda:

And it leaves such a pleasant flavor profile in your palate. It's like it's just like a flavor bomb.

Chef Ricky:

It's almost like a meal. Yeah. It feels soulful, so delicious. I've always felt like the wrap around raz's are a little Delicate.

Senator:

They're really thin.

Bam Bam:

Yeah. Yeah.

Gizmo:

Are. No question about that.

Rooster:

I think most Cuban cigars have a true especially.

Bam Bam:

All though. The Maduro number one is substantial.

Gizmo:

Sometimes you get a D4 that has a wrapper that's

Bam Bam:

D4 is what?

Senator:

Even the thinnest D4 wrapper is not as thin as most Swiss

Chef Ricky:

But it's it's like thin and like unpolished almost. Like it's very matte, almost like very rough looking when compared to other Cuban cigars.

Bam Bam:

Yeah. J the j l one's a little thin. Sure.

Senator:

That's all Ramon Ionis. Like even the small Club Corona, like, it it has, like, a rustic kind of wrapper. For some reason, that's just how they make them.

Gizmo:

Yep. Alright, boys. Let's go to a little news, and then we'll get to our pairing tonight. Very excited for our pairing. But we're gonna start with this one.

Gizmo:

This is not a good story, and, I'm kind of bummed about it. And it's not a good look for the future, outside of The UK, but The UK has formally banned anyone born after 2008 from ever buying tobacco products, and there is no cigar carve

Bam Bam:

out.

Gizmo:

So anyone born after 12/31/2007 will never be legally be able to purchase any sort of tobacco product of any kind in The United Kingdom. Lunacy.

Senator:

Unbelievable. Well, we have a playbook for the Brits if they want a revolution.

Bam Bam:

That's correct.

Gizmo:

Well said. I I'm honestly shocked Yeah. That the not that this band passed, but that given the rich history we've talked about, given that passionate speech we played on the air from one of the MPs over there

Bam Bam:

Which was incredible, by

Gizmo:

incredible speech. Given Winston Churchill, given the amazing institutions that sell tobacco over there, Hunters and Franco, JJ Fox, Davidoff, I mean, Souter. Okay? That they would not put a premium handmade cigar carve out into the bill is incomprehensible to me.

Senator:

I mean, I'll just say, you know, this really underscores how important advocacy is on behalf of this industry. I mean, if you think of what this market would look like in The US if it weren't for PCA and CAA and all these other organizations that have to spend millions of dollars advocating legal battles. I mean, the whole thing with the FDA, that took millions and millions and years of time to actually, you know, fight that successfully. So it's sad because to me that just signals like there had to be more that could have been done. I just like to list all those things, the the history and the cultural aspect and all the reasons tobacco has played a big role in the history of The UK for something this extreme to pass, like job poorly done from an advocacy standpoint in The UK?

Pagoda:

Hey. Don't worry. Next is it'll be alcohol.

Gizmo:

I think that's too big of a business. No.

Pagoda:

I'm just it's like, I don't know where we are headed.

Gizmo:

Well, what's amazing to me I see.

Senator:

What Pagoda is saying is not crazy. Really? Yeah. I mean, look, without getting overly specific, there's a lot of concern in the alcohol space globally with trends. I mean, you know, there are baseless studies that try to link even just casual moderate drinking to cancer and all these terrible things.

Senator:

And it's like and then you have a younger generation that is not consuming as much, and there's so many factors that, like, what Pagoda is saying may sound crazy, but without effective advocacy, like, I absolutely believe there could be a country that would pass a law that would prohibit anyone born before a certain year from ever purchasing alcohol. I mean, it's just sadly the way the world is going where, like, extreme policies that aren't effectively combated gain too much steam and traction

Bam Bam:

Mhmm.

Senator:

And it it's hard to reverse course after that.

Rooster:

I'm okay with that.

Pagoda:

You know what? The demographics are also changing. Like, you go to Europe and Northern Europe, the demographics are changing. So it's, you know, who knows where we're headed? It's just but I think, you know, you think about democracy and the countries where you should feel absolute freedom to do what you want, obviously, as long as you're not harming anybody else.

Pagoda:

We should be allowed to do, at least make some of the choices, you know, for our own personal self. And, you know, I just hope that somewhere down, you know, in time that they have an amendment and carve at least the cigars.

Gizmo:

I mean, that happened in New Zealand. There was a generational tobacco ban passed in New Zealand a few years ago. Then there was a change in leadership, I guess, you know, it was repealed. But, you know, just to see it happen again in another country without the carve out of any kind, which I think is just so obvious, you know, that an adult person should be able to even if you make the smoking age 25, okay? Wait till the frontal cortex is developed, late twenties, whatever it is.

Gizmo:

That as a 50 year old, a 60 year old, an 80 year old won't be able to buy a cigar and enjoy that relaxation and that improvement on mental health and lower heart rate and less stress. You're not inhaling. It doesn't alter your mind. It doesn't steal from your pocket like gambling does. You know, we're talking about something that is really overall, and I know we have an angle, but it's a good thing what we do.

Gizmo:

Of course. And we hear this from listeners all the time. We saw this at PCA. How like, I didn't have a bad moment at PCA with anybody. Like No.

Gizmo:

Everybody's cool.

Bam Bam:

Correct.

Gizmo:

But they're just happy to be

Rooster:

having a cigar. You know? And I can see Canada following that's what's wow.

Gizmo:

That is one of the best tee ups you've done, Brewster, because

Bam Bam:

only tee up you've done.

Gizmo:

Canada's health minister is considering a generational tobacco ban after seeing the success in The UK. So health minister Marjorie Michel told reporters that she is, quote, looking into it right now. End quote. So Canada has a federal minimum age to purchase of 18, though there are some areas provincially that have higher tobacco age limits. Some have 19, some have 21, but they are another one who is looking to potentially do a generational tobacco ban.

Gizmo:

And I talked to my friend John, Cigar Surgeon, and he said that he guarantees it's gonna get passed in Canada.

Rooster:

Wow. So what happens to all the cannabis shops?

Bam Bam:

Yeah, that's a good question.

Pagoda:

That's really good for your health, by the way. And you can drive.

Rooster:

So drink and smoke pot, they're okay with that.

Gizmo:

You're good. You

Rooster:

just can't smoke cigars. Mean, they're an issue. You mind how many

Senator:

people have been killed by cigars? How many people operate a vehicle after a cigar and accidents happen? Mean, it's

Gizmo:

Well, let's take Bogota out of that.

Bam Bam:

That's correct. That's all sober, by the way.

Gizmo:

Well, just he said smoking a cigar.

Bam Bam:

Allegedly.

Rooster:

And that's only in the reverse mode. Correct.

Chef Ricky:

Yeah.

Rooster:

Mean, keep issuing new licenses for cannabis shops. Every day, there's a new dispensary opening up. So what's going to happen

Gizmo:

to that?

Chef Ricky:

One of the

Senator:

largest cannabis companies in the entire world is based and headquartered in Canada.

Bam Bam:

Yeah. The tax revenue from the cannabis business is tremendous, I bet. And in comparison to what we're holding in our hands

Gizmo:

What's interesting is I think that the government You

Rooster:

can't differentiate. Right? I mean, tobacco is tobacco.

Bam Bam:

I don't know. Can you?

Gizmo:

Governmentally, it seems like they're happy about cannabis taking attention away from alcohol. I mean, it seems like that's what it is. There's a lot more revenue, I would guess, from percentage basis of a sale of marijuana than there is on the alcohol.

Bam Bam:

No doubt.

Gizmo:

I mean, there has to be. At least on the state level. Of course, there's no federal tax on marijuana. But I don't understand how it's possible. And then you look at what's really pervasive in The United States, which I think is probably one of the worst things that's happened, you know, in the last generation is the advent of and the Vaping.

Gizmo:

Celebration. No. Celebration of gambling and how pervasive gambling is and how many lives that's gotta be destroying. True. I mean, I don't know.

Gizmo:

It's just crazy.

Senator:

To Gizmo's point, there's legitimate serious research about how the single greatest harm for young men in the world right now is gambling. It has never been easier to just bet and waste away money, and it's decimating young men who bet at a much higher rate than women do, and just completely sets them up for financial failure for their lives. It's sad.

Bam Bam:

On their mobile device, from bed, from the living room, anywhere in the world. Instantly. Correct.

Rooster:

They made it so easy to gamble.

Gizmo:

It's too easy. And it's in your face at every sporting event, concert, every sort of anything they could do. You could bet right now on what the weather's gonna be in New York City tomorrow. You could put real money on that. I mean, and listen, again, adults, I really have no problem if that's what they're choosing to do.

Gizmo:

But again, for young people, which of course is what these generational tobacco bans are targeting, That is just amazing that that is actually being unregulated. But what we enjoy in these rolled up tobacco leaves is

Bam Bam:

Premium handmade products.

Gizmo:

It's crazy.

Pagoda:

So it's great. You can gamble. You can drink. You can get high. You can drive.

Pagoda:

Hey. But no cigars. No cigars.

Gizmo:

It's crazy. So we'll see what happens. We'll keep our eye on it. I feel bad for the folks in The UK. One more crazy note on The UK piece of this is because it's taken so long since the bill was written, some folks who've been able to buy tobacco will now instantly be not able to buy tobacco once this is formally done.

Gizmo:

So young folks who have been born after 2008 have already been able to purchase tobacco in that country. Of

Bam Bam:

course, that's banned.

Gizmo:

Now a year or two into that experience, they're not gonna be allowed to anymore. So it's an odd situation. So we'll see what happens. Hopefully, either there's an amendment there for premium handmade cigars. Like the senator said, hopefully there's some successful advocacy that can kinda tack that onto this, or it's repealed at some point.

Gizmo:

We'll see. But certainly it does not look good.

Pagoda:

But there's one positive thing out of this. So hopefully the demand goes down for Cubans.

Bam Bam:

We still can't get them. We can't even That's get correct.

Gizmo:

I mean, even if they're sitting on the shelves, which they're not. You know? I mean, supply is down. They're certainly having a problem in Cuba making the cigars. You know, there's less going into the supply chain and the retail supply chain.

Gizmo:

That's a fact. So, I mean, it's all in all, it's a it's a it's a weird situation. So so speaking of alcohol boys, let's go to our pairing.

Bam Bam:

Correct.

Gizmo:

I'm very excited tonight. We have the Eminente Reserva rum from Cuba, Ronde Cuba.

Bam Bam:

Look at the color on that. Outstanding.

Rooster:

I mean, look talk about the stemware.

Gizmo:

Yeah. So we have officially come into some Glencairn glasses and are drinking neat, our rum out of tonight. We'll be bringing these moving forward. I have a case for them that we're gonna keep them in.

Bam Bam:

Very

Gizmo:

cool. And cheers, boys. Cheers. Cheers. Good to see you all.

Rooster:

Are these from Crate and Barrel?

Gizmo:

Amazon. Amazon.com. These are the official Glencairn ones. I was gonna get the Crate and Barrels, but the official Glencairns were actually cheaper. Senator Fountain.

Pagoda:

By the way, thank you. This is

Bam Bam:

really appreciated. You gotta love this rum tonight.

Rooster:

That is awesome. So much structure on this rum.

Chef Ricky:

Just like the cigar, it's delivering on so many levels. Nutty, butterscotchy, amazing. I I I don't know how like, I don't know anything about this rum, but I know it's delicious.

Bam Bam:

More specific. To hear more about it. For me, I'm getting apple and vanilla.

Chef Ricky:

Vanilla, yeah. Apple, not so much

Pagoda:

for Apple

Bam Bam:

on the nose and for me the touch of apple on the palate, like a pear type thing happening, vanilla and a little butterscotch.

Chef Ricky:

Yes, butterscotch and vanilla for then me

Bam Bam:

all finishes the beautifully long. I think it pairing beautifully with the rastonite.

Chef Ricky:

It's insane how these two were almost made for one another.

Senator:

I agree with that.

Bam Bam:

How much is that bottle?

Gizmo:

So that is a question I'm not really comfortable with my answer and I'll tell you why. Because I purchased this at a duty free in Warsaw, Poland flying home from Europe Awesome. About a month ago, and the price on this I think was $85 at that

Senator:

That's duty high.

Gizmo:

So that's why I'm saying it's definitely high and you could definitely get it less expensive. Yeah,

Senator:

I've seen this at a number of duty free's in other countries, and I would say you can find this between 50 and $60.

Bam Bam:

Fantastic.

Gizmo:

So before I get into a little more detail about Eminente, what other rum for Cuban rum drinkers that are listening right now, what other rum from Cuba or even not from Cuba would you compare Eminente to? Because to me, it does stand a little apart.

Bam Bam:

I agree with kids. It's a bit unique.

Rooster:

Pacto Navia?

Senator:

No. Different? No. Pacto Navia is a little bolder than this. Like

Bam Bam:

Funny can I?

Senator:

Go ahead.

Bam Bam:

Our friend from Nicaragua, it's it's kind of like the Flor de Cano. Just a touch like the Sevigneur that we drink. It's not like the Havana club. It's not like Abuelo. It's not like I don't think it's like it's unlike any other

Gizmo:

I don't think it's like Santiago.

Bam Bam:

I'm Definitely not. No. Definitely not. It could be a hybrid between the seven year floricano and Abuelo possibly.

Senator:

Or Cana. Cana.

Gizmo:

Yeah. Seven year Flor de Cana and maybe a combo with Don Pancho. Maybe those two. Yes.

Bam Bam:

That's also Yeah.

Gizmo:

I agree. Like a like a A hybrid. Like a hybrid of those two.

Chef Ricky:

Yeah. Flor de Cana is like drier from what I remember,

Bam Bam:

and El

Chef Ricky:

Pancho is a lot more round, and this is right in

Bam Bam:

the Abuelo middle of and the Flor De Cana, that also can work because this has a touch of sweetness that the other doesn't have. Just a thought.

Senator:

I just think there's something about the mouthfeel with this. Like, it it's kinda like we're describing this cigar has, like, a creaminess

Bam Bam:

Mhmm.

Senator:

To it. There's the way it sits on your palate, it's, like, almost buttery, and that's pretty unique for the rums that we drink. So, you know, I I do think this kinda stands on its own. And, I mean, Giz, do you have more information about Eminente? Because I feel like when this first came out, they had kind of designed it, like, for the European market from what I had remembered.

Rooster:

Isn't it fairly new?

Senator:

Oh, yeah. Within the last five years.

Pagoda:

Oh, really?

Bam Bam:

It also deserves to be taken in very slowly, and you gotta keep on your palate for me. I like to swirl it around before I take it down. It quite a bit disagree with that.

Senator:

It's a nice goal.

Rooster:

It's made for pounding.

Bam Bam:

Yeah. No. I'm not pounding. For me, I like

Gizmo:

to just keep that in there just a touch longer than usual. Would it dissipate? It's incredible. So to answer your question, senator, so this is a much more modern Cuban rum, and we're drinking, let's be clear, the Eminente Reserva. So when I brought this up to you, senator, you asked if we were having the ten year, which has a darker

Bam Bam:

Black.

Gizmo:

Label on it. Black almost. Correct. This one very clearly has a white label. Like, almost like a cream.

Bam Bam:

Same text, same logo. Exactly. Black or white.

Gizmo:

Yeah. And it actually comes with the kind of the

Bam Bam:

It's gorgeous.

Gizmo:

The stocking on it.

Bam Bam:

Honestly, I love the label. I love the bottle. I love

Pagoda:

the bottle.

Bam Bam:

Bottle, it's got this Tightness. Yeah. It's dimpled, right, from top to bottom, cylindrical design. The label's gorgeous. Beautifully presented.

Gizmo:

So this was originally launched in 2021 as a new premium rum brand backed by Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy in combination Interesting. With the Cuban government. Wow. So what's cool about this rum, senator, you and I were looking at this when we were talking about doing Eminente, what's interesting about the blend composition, it uses around 70% aguardiente.

Chef Ricky:

Aguardiente. Yeah.

Gizmo:

Which is a heavier, more flavorful

Chef Ricky:

Cuban That's cane where some of the funk that I'm experiencing here and the fullness and richness and body and structure, it has to be coming from that higher percentage

Rooster:

of aguardiente. A piece, isn't it? It's like sambuca type?

Chef Ricky:

No, arroyente is just it's basically almost unrefined cane distillate. So it's not heavily processed yet or cleaned.

Bam Bam:

It's like the pulp

Chef Ricky:

of sugar.

Rooster:

Is there a Colombian drink called aguardiente? Yeah. But that from what I remember it, that tastes more like anise flavored.

Chef Ricky:

Perhaps. But I don't think that's a necessary characteristic of aguardiente in general. Yeah.

Bam Bam:

I'm just impressed with your memory, by the way. Thank you. Oh, boy.

Gizmo:

So going back to the bottle.

Bam Bam:

Yes.

Gizmo:

Bam, the textured glass is designed to resemble crocodile skin, referring referencing Cuba's nickname, Crocodile Island.

Bam Bam:

Beautifully done.

Gizmo:

So, again, designed by Lounge Lizard Hennessy, LBMH.

Bam Bam:

Not surprised.

Gizmo:

And it is produced, and it's under the label of the Cuban Ronda Cuba.

Bam Bam:

Interesting.

Gizmo:

The government label for Cuban rum alongside all the others. But I think that this is a rum that you're seeing. Like, I was surprised to see this at duty free in Warsaw, Poland. You know? I didn't see it anywhere else, but I was shocked to see this.

Bam Bam:

I wouldn't be surprised if this is distributed throughout Europe.

Gizmo:

Totally. I think that's because of the Lvlnge course. But like when I went there, there wasn't any other Cupid rum. It was just Eminente.

Bam Bam:

Really?

Gizmo:

Yes. Interesting. So that was shocking. Yeah.

Chef Ricky:

It's a beautiful bottle, beautiful spirit, great color. It almost reminds me of a bottle you would see in like a Japanese whiskey.

Bam Bam:

That's right.

Gizmo:

It does. It kind looks like that. That's a good call.

Bam Bam:

Yeah, very good call.

Rooster:

So what do

Gizmo:

you guys think of the price on this? As Senator said, maybe between 50 and 60?

Chef Ricky:

Think I've

Rooster:

seen Even

Gizmo:

at 80.

Chef Ricky:

It's $58. It's a steal. $80, it's a treat.

Bam Bam:

Yeah. Between 50 and 60, you'd be buying this all day long. Yep. Stocking up.

Senator:

Sorry. So sorry. I I totally disagree with the commentary on the price. I mean, let's not forget what we pay for rum. This is all this is not scotch.

Senator:

This is not tequila. This is a different category. I mean, if you think of the rums we drink, Havana Seven Year, you can get for $20.25 bucks a bottle. Abuelo. Abuelo, $25 a bottle.

Senator:

Know. Fortacana, $25 a bottle.

Bam Bam:

Yeah, I

Chef Ricky:

know. Presents a lot more high end premium.

Bam Bam:

Feels the packaging. Different experience.

Senator:

Oh, the packaging, for sure.

Gizmo:

Think you guys are just excited that we're drinking a Cuban rum from that.

Bam Bam:

That's correct. I mean,

Senator:

there's that, and it's a beautiful bottle. There's no mistaking it. Like, they've done an outstanding job with the packaging, the branding, all of it. Yeah. But as far as the liquid inside the bottle, I mean, you know, it's not leaps and bounds better than anything that we're drinking from in the rum category.

Senator:

So I just think to have it be, like, three times the price is is aggressive.

Bam Bam:

It's unique to me. It does drink a little differently than some of the other rums that you guys have called out, which I also love. I love everything that we've discussed. I like the uniqueness of it. I'd spend a little bit money on this.

Bam Bam:

I would. And I'd and as chef said, it would be a great treat from time to time.

Gizmo:

So senator, with that in mind, what do you think the price, given the experience that you're having tonight with this, what would be the perfect price?

Senator:

Yeah. I think the perfect price is 35 to $40 a bottle.

Bam Bam:

I was saying $40.

Pagoda:

40? Yeah.

Gizmo:

Alright, boys. We're coming to the end of the first third now on the Ramona Ionis, specially selected from Cuba paired with this beautiful Eminente Rum Reserva. What are you guys thinking so far?

Bam Bam:

Loving the Cuban I love the

Chef Ricky:

look of the Glencairn glass in your hand.

Gizmo:

You like that? You look

Chef Ricky:

very sophisticated.

Bam Bam:

Very sophisticated.

Pagoda:

Finally,

Gizmo:

I glass feel up very into your sophisticated. Yeah. And my black t shirt was genius.

Bam Bam:

Not to say?

Gizmo:

You beat me. But you know what though, Bam? Keen listeners will know.

Bam Bam:

No graphic tee.

Gizmo:

It's a plain black tee. No graphics.

Bam Bam:

Thank the lord.

Gizmo:

This is a I know not to upset you.

Bam Bam:

Thank

Chef Ricky:

you. And this is a beautiful spirit to start, you know, to baptize the glass with.

Gizmo:

I agree. And, you know, I did hesitate, you know, should I bring the Glencairn? You know, should we just drink this out of rocks glass to save this for bourbon or whiskey? But I think moving forward on most, you know, brown liquor certainly and agave even, you know, mezcals and tequilas, I think we should be drinking out of these. The official Lizard Glencairns.

Gizmo:

Oh, yeah. So I do wanna shout out Lizard Rob who really pushed us on getting Glencairn. Lizard o, of course, pushed us on that. A bunch of listeners have told us, get Glencairn glasses and start drinking your spirits out of that. So what I wanna ask you guys now is do you notice a difference other than the feel in the hand of the experience you're having tonight?

Gizmo:

Is it doing anything for you?

Chef Ricky:

For me, I like the way it funnels the aroma on the nose directly to your nose, but with not so you know, it opens up at the bottom of the glass and allows for some narration, but then it just kinda concentrates the aroma at the tip there. I do like that. I like the, you know, sort of stubby stem at the bottom that allows you to hold it nicely, fits in your hands. I don't have big BAM hands. So, you know, it helps.

Gizmo:

Cheers. BAM, what do you think?

Bam Bam:

I like it. It's nice. If I didn't have a Glencarron glass, I'd enjoy the spirit just as much in a rocks glass or any other stemware, honestly. But it is a nice experience, I will say.

Rooster:

It's hard to put a big cube of ice in it. Well, this particular

Chef Ricky:

That's my favorite part.

Bam Bam:

Doesn't need ice.

Gizmo:

The father of frost.

Pagoda:

Yeah. Kind of disappointed about that. That's the only thing.

Bam Bam:

You're typically not going to drink something that requires ice in this type of glass. You're gonna So you wouldn't like scotch? I wouldn't put ice in scotch.

Gizmo:

If needed something in a Glencairn glass with scotch or whiskey, I would put a splash of water.

Bam Bam:

Yeah. You can I

Gizmo:

don't do think I'd drop an ice cube

Bam Bam:

in it? Yeah. And I wouldn't be drinking something like Black Label. Irish whiskey. That typically for me requires a cube from time to time.

Bam Bam:

I wouldn't put it in this class.

Pagoda:

Bourbons? Yeah. I need ice with bourbons.

Bam Bam:

Yeah. A chip or two in bourbon. This would not be a bourbon experience for me in this class either.

Rooster:

Most guys,

Gizmo:

this that's is the stemware. And that's the point. Honestly, the point of getting these is the bourbon thing. It's true. We're gonna try these with a bourbon soon with no ice, and we'll see what they Right.

Bam Bam:

And bourbon purists, that's how they'll operate out of something like this without a single chip. Tough for those that are not bourbon purists.

Gizmo:

Senator, has this affected your experience tonight at all?

Senator:

Not not really. No. I mean, I've used a Glencairn glass before. I have I have them at home. I think the thing with the nose, sure, it can concentrate the flavor.

Senator:

For me, the thing is sometimes with a hot spirit, like, it concentrates the alcohols, like, just going

Chef Ricky:

Yeah. Straight to your

Senator:

And like, it can be harsh where I actually prefer with like a larger glass, it's able to dissipate that alcohol a bit more, and so what I'm smelling is actually more of the flavor and not like the heat of the alcohol. So with a smooth spirit, it doesn't bother me, but when you have something that has got a little more intensity to it, I don't really love the Glencairn glass for that.

Bam Bam:

Roxglass would be great for that.

Senator:

They're nice looking, but I can't say like

Rooster:

it's It looks too elegant in your hand.

Chef Ricky:

I think one thing to keep in mind and you know especially when taking in the nose on high proof spirits or distillates you you're taught to do it with your mouth open for that reason cause it can really you know, if you take in that sort of ethanol.

Bam Bam:

So I've I've got a question for Rooster. So what's in your little thermostat? Bourbon. Come on. Is that coffee?

Bam Bam:

Yeah. Pour it in your Glencairn glass. I'd like to see you use it.

Gizmo:

We did give Rooster a Glencairn glass. But I mean,

Senator:

Rooster demanded it. I mean,

Gizmo:

I'm correct. Yes.

Bam Bam:

So we demand you use it.

Pagoda:

And by the way,

Rooster:

you use for coffee,

Pagoda:

but maybe something else. He also had the floricania, the Glencairn floricania sauce.

Rooster:

Hang on. Then I have

Senator:

to ask. If not for coffee, what would you put in that?

Bam Bam:

Soy milk? Soy milk. I don't know. Almond milk.

Rooster:

Can you put beer?

Senator:

Nonalcoholic beer? I mean, that's a tiny glass for beer. You need

Gizmo:

a refill,

Pagoda:

so I order of those, that'd be great.

Bam Bam:

Hot tea.

Rooster:

No. No tea. No coffee.

Senator:

What were you envisioning when you asked for the Glencara glass?

Pagoda:

Because, you know, we can take free tequila.

Bam Bam:

Yeah. Right.

Rooster:

Oh, chef knows. Chef chef has them at the restaurant.

Gizmo:

You know,

Chef Ricky:

it's not

Senator:

You can't drink that stuff by itself.

Bam Bam:

Chef, do me a favor. Take the glass away from him.

Chef Ricky:

I I would like to touch on the Aguadiente note that Rooster mentioned earlier. The Colombian Agua Diente that you mentioned, that is anise flavored. Agua Diente in general from country to country differs, but the literal meaning of Agua Diente is fire water. Right? So it's usually just a sugar king distillate, But in Colombia, they actually take that distillate and flavor it with anise.

Chef Ricky:

So theirs is, like, entirely different. So in case there's any, like, Colombian Listeners. Listeners out there, I don't wanna piss anybody off. So is Agua Diente in Colombia is entirely different from Agua Diente, like general Agua Diente. So let

Gizmo:

me ask you this. Why would, you know, in a new venture, let's say a new joint venture, LVMH and the Cubans manufacturing this rum, why would they for the first time be introducing Aguardiente to the Cuban rum experience? Especially at 70%. Do you think the impetus was? To stand out?

Chef Ricky:

100%. I think it was a standout. I think it was to kind of bring that perfect hybrid, that perfect experience of the dryness of an additive free rum like a flor de cana and then take something that leans more Panamanian style. What we've experienced from Don Pancho and La Maria Lita, for instance. Right.

Chef Ricky:

But not to give you not to give you either extreme side of that spectrum or right smack in the middle. I feel that's what Eminente is doing, and I think that's why they did it.

Gizmo:

Alright, boys. Let's go to another news story now. This one I wanna highlight because we've been talking a lot about Pro Cigar. Pagoda and I were there. Pro Cigar has appointed Ciro Cassella as the president of Pro Cigar for the 2026 to 2028 term.

Gizmo:

So he's gonna lead the organization for the next three years. So, of course, the original founder and president was Henke Kellner, then Lido Gomez stepped in for a term, and now Ciro Casella from Arturo Fuente. So he is the CEO of Arturo Fuente, and he is now gonna be leading Pro Cigar. So Pro Cigar, as we've discussed, is led by a number of Dominican cigar companies. I think there's eight of them in in the membership, eight or 10.

Gizmo:

And they all, I guess, take turns leading the organization at some point. So now it is time for Cyril Cassella to to lead that. So congratulations to him, and I'm looking forward to returning to Pro Cigar in 2027. We had a good time this year.

Chef Ricky:

Hope to join you guys.

Bam Bam:

Correct.

Chef Ricky:

That time.

Pagoda:

Yeah. It was an excellent time. And I think we're gonna take a few extra days and hang up by the beach. No ATVs. No ATVs at all.

Chef Ricky:

Buy a bunch of fake Cubans.

Gizmo:

So the other thing I wanted to mention about Pro Cigar, because we didn't highlight this more specifically as it relates to the auction and how that money is. But we, of course, we talked about they give it to families, build some houses based on the humidor auctions at Pro Cigar. They do really, really great things. At the end of the day, Pro Cigar is a non for profit organization that donates all of the money that they earn to better causes. Of course, advocacy, there's governmental things, of course, that the organization does, but they also do a lot of charity work.

Gizmo:

So I wanted to share some of their social responsibility visions. So it's an initiative aimed at transforming the lives of young Dominicans through access to comprehensive education. So their program, which is called MAU, originated as as an initiative embraced by Prosegard after recognizing its profound human and social value. Inspired by the loving memory of a guy named Mauricio, a young man who was able who was about to begin his university journey, The program transforms a personal story into an opportunity for collective impact. So through this initiative, the legacy lives on by opening doors for young folks who aspire to higher education and to build a better future.

Gizmo:

So Lito Gomez, the president at the time, says that the alliance represents a meaningful step forward in strengthening The Dominican Republic's human capital and future competitiveness. By investing in education, we are contributing to a more prepared and globally competitive nation. So Pro Cigar is not just about events and parties and fireworks and cigars. You know? They're actually doing good work.

Gizmo:

So the money that you spend at the Pro Cigar Festival or donate if you so choose, a lot of Dominican cigar folks love to do that, the money's going to a good place. So I think that's a pretty cool thing to highlight that they are an organization doing very good things in the Dominican Republic, which is nice to hear.

Rooster:

So how many people were at Pro Cigar who were not from The Dominican Republic? They came from outside, whether it be The US or from Europe or

Chef Ricky:

The UK.

Gizmo:

UK. I would think a pretty significant portion of the attendees were not from The Dominican Republic. Of course, lot of the folks that were there were manufacturers, and manufacturers' employees, and stakeholders, etcetera. But I would think most of the folks were coming from outside the Doctor. Would you agree

Pagoda:

with that? A of Europeans. A lot of Europeans. I was surprised. You know, there was huge Swedish kind of what do you call it?

Pagoda:

Like, it was a huge group. Like, a consortium delegation. And and, yeah, they would they would all dress up.

Rooster:

But how many like, what would you say number wise? Like a thousand?

Gizmo:

I would say at the at the dinners, I would say probably two to 3,000

Rooster:

maybe.

Gizmo:

Somewhere Is in

Rooster:

that much? I would think so.

Bam Bam:

Are you serious?

Gizmo:

There's a lot of folks there. Yeah.

Pagoda:

Dude, was a lot of folks.

Gizmo:

Yeah. There were a lot of people, especially that final night, man. Yeah. It was it was kind of in like an like a a large theater where we talked about Michael Herklotz doing the auction and all that, all the food. It was a full theater,

Rooster:

And each person is paying what? About $2,000 be For

Gizmo:

the entire week.

Rooster:

Entire week.

Gizmo:

Yeah. So if you split that up between all three or four of the dinners, all of the tours, the buses, all the experiences you get at the factories, it kind of splits it all. That doesn't include your hotel. That does not. It might include your hotel.

Gizmo:

I'm not sure about that. But the hotel prices are very reasonable. Yeah. You can get a hotel pretty pretty reasonably, especially as you compare it to Europe or The US, for sure.

Rooster:

And how was Santiago?

Gizmo:

I love Santiago. I I was honestly very impressed with it.

Pagoda:

Yeah. We we were like, I'd go back. The weather's nice.

Rooster:

I Just to visit.

Pagoda:

Yeah, meaning, you know, the people were so warm and welcoming. The restaurant, we were going and smoking cigars. Can you imagine, we went to that nice restaurant with Lid And Elvis, that, what a wonderful time. We sat in a very fancy restaurant in the middle, and we lit up cigars.

Bam Bam:

It was great.

Gizmo:

We lit up cigars before we even ate.

Bam Bam:

That's amazing.

Gizmo:

Everywhere we sat down, and I don't, it didn't have anything to do with the festival or that there were a bunch of tobacco folks in town. Every single place we sat down, the first thing that happened was an ashtray appeared.

Rooster:

Yeah. I mean, Santiago is not the first town that comes to mind when you think about Dominican Republic. You go to, you know, the beach areas like Punta Cana. Guaru Beach, Cap Cana.

Pagoda:

But they do have a large airport. So if you don't get flights to Porta Plata, you know, a lot of people will fly to Santiago and just drive about an hour, hour and a half.

Rooster:

That's all it is? About an hour and

Gizmo:

a half? Yeah, it's not that far.

Rooster:

Yeah. Okay.

Gizmo:

So I and and certainly for folks who love tobacco, that is where most of the Dominican tobacco headquarters and factories are. A lot of a lot of them are there. So I would recommend if you're wanting to travel to the Doctor, the beach is not that far away. Certainly, there's a lot of great manufacturers. You can set up tours if you'd like.

Gizmo:

Contact them in advance, of course. Try to get an appointment. But, I mean, it's really a tobacco smokers haven.

Pagoda:

Yeah. Paradise. Paradise. So all all the Brits won't be able to smoke.

Gizmo:

Yeah. Go to Santiago. That's correct.

Pagoda:

Santiago. Yeah.

Gizmo:

So, boys, this episode's coming out right around Memorial Day, which in The United States here is the official start of summer. Unofficial start of summer, let's call it. Official start, of course, is June 20 or something like that. So I was thinking about you know, we haven't talked about rotations. We haven't talked about cigars that we're smoking.

Gizmo:

It's been a while. So I wanted to ask you guys as as we're coming into outdoor smoking. Of course, we've been spending quite a bit of time as senators' backyard lounge, and patio as the weather's starting, you know, starting to get a little better. What what cigars are you looking forward to smoking this year? What cigars have entered or are surprises into cigars you're looking forward to smoking in the summer?

Gizmo:

Warmer weather outside, of course. What kind of entrants have come in? What cigars have left? What what's your rotation looking like? I'm curious what that looks like.

Senator:

So I'm happy to start because I my tower, despite you all thinking it used to be organized, it got incredibly disorganized. That's having a child. Correct. And I finally at least the you know, I have like three shelves of trays with all loose stuff that I smoke most often, so I can just quickly grab and go, and then everything below that are shelves with boxes. So when I reorganize now, and a lot of this, like, is perfect for, like, easy pulling for the summer, The top shelf is, like, Cuban cigars and some of the most Cubanesque New World cigars, so, like, Fabrica five, Aladino, Classic Elegante Lancero.

Senator:

So, like, for summer, like, definitely a Trinity Robusto, an Aladino classic Elagante, some Cuban smokes, like, absolutely fit the bill. Beneath that, the second tray has, like, medium bodied smokes, and a lot of these are cigars I really love for the summer. So, like, that Perdomo

Gizmo:

Oh, the legacy.

Senator:

That we found Yep. That's a great, I think, summer cigar. The aging rooms? The Aging Rooms Sonata, I think, is a great summer cigar. The Concerto also.

Senator:

Yeah. The Monte Cristo Diamante that we had at the Altadis event that we went to.

Gizmo:

Yeah. Dission Diamante in Toro.

Senator:

Yeah. Brilliant. Yeah. Great medium bodied, I think, summer cigar. By the I

Gizmo:

can't believe we're saying that about a Monte Cristo.

Bam Bam:

Yeah. It's true.

Gizmo:

A true world Monte Cristo. On a Cuban episode, we're saying that we have a a Monte Cristo from Altadis, non Cuban, that has actually entered the rotation.

Senator:

Actually a

Rooster:

couple that I have enjoyed lately. One was just recently at Sandra's house, the escuro, the Monte Espada Espada Escuro. Delicious.

Gizmo:

Very good.

Pagoda:

Yeah.

Gizmo:

They're doing their stuff over there,

Bam Bam:

That's crazy.

Rooster:

Yeah, even though it was a little fresh, but the flavor was spot on. You could just tell in like maybe a month or so, it would be a delicious smoke.

Senator:

Oh, yeah.

Rooster:

That, the Valiente. I see Espada Valiente, I believe, right? Monte Cristo. Let's see a spot of line.

Bam Bam:

Yeah. You know, a lot of what you're saying from the point of view of rotation, I don't know if there's much of a change per se from

Gizmo:

the I think for you there is, Senator, right?

Bam Bam:

Yeah. We're smoking all those year round mean, I think

Senator:

right now I'm mostly reaching for my second tray of medium bodied smokes and my third tray of fuller bodied cigars.

Gizmo:

And what's in the third tray?

Senator:

So the third tray is like Padron, the Exclusivo, the Trinidad Espiritu that we loved, the aging room Quattro Maestro. So you're

Gizmo:

back to the By the way, you're back to the Orange Band. Let's talk about that for a second.

Senator:

Yeah, so I'm back to the Orange Band in a big way, and I now realize the tragic mistake, and I feel horrible because we love Rafael Nadal so much, and you know, years ago when that orange band won Cigar of the Year, it took me thinking about, well how did I try that cigar? I walked in North Korea, our former lounge, I bought from the Shout out

Gizmo:

to Kim Jong Un, friend of the program.

Senator:

I bought from their humidor that cigar, and there's no doubt it was wet, and I smoked it, and I found it to be harsh. And I know that's the case because when I've had those orange bands throughout the proper RH, they are as smooth as can be with such tremendous flavor like you would get in a Padron. And when I ordered some more, and some of them arrived wet, and I intentionally smoked one very wet, and it was harsh, just like I remember the first one I had. And so it was a product of it not being at the right RH, not anything with the blend. So I've now fallen in love with that cigar.

Senator:

I mean, I've done multiple nights now where I'll do the whole aging room line. I'll start with the Sonata, then the Concerto, and then the Maestro, and

Gizmo:

The Quattro, the orange band.

Senator:

I mean, they're all Quattro. Yeah. That's Concerto, the Quattro Sonata, and Quattro Maestro. So excellent cigar, but I think for the summer, you know, where right now I'm on the the second shelf of my medium bodied smokes and the third with the medium full to full cigars, I think for summer, I'll be more at the top in the middle.

Gizmo:

One and two.

Chef Ricky:

Yeah. So I traded my mashers at the wrong time.

Gizmo:

Could it be?

Chef Ricky:

Just traded them with Lizard Obey.

Gizmo:

Yeah. So shout out to Lizard Obey, by

Bam Bam:

the way.

Senator:

So I feel guilty and responsible for this because he actually I should have warned you. I thought he was kidding, actually. I told him that I've now fallen in love

Rooster:

with that cigar, and he's always loved it, but he felt guilty because we didn't love that cigar. So he thought maybe,

Senator:

you know, for some reason he had this nostalgia with that cigar. And once I told him how

Rooster:

much I love that cigar,

Senator:

he mentioned he's like, Chef told me that he got some, and he He wasn't really

Rooster:

heard it on the pod because a few weeks ago I

Bam Bam:

had mentioned how I had

Senator:

That's what it was. And he's like, I'm gonna try to trade and get some of those.

Rooster:

And I thought he

Senator:

was kidding, but I should've warned you, you should've kept those.

Chef Ricky:

No, I'm happy with the Sonatas.

Bam Bam:

But they're easy to find.

Chef Ricky:

And they're easy to find.

Bam Bam:

Very easy

Chef Ricky:

to find. Ones that were also

Pagoda:

so cheap. Like you can get a lot of them for like $5.

Gizmo:

All of them. There are lot of great deals out there.

Bam Bam:

That's correct.

Rooster:

Mean, ideally anything that Rafael Nadal

Bam Bam:

touches

Rooster:

or blends with A. J. Fernandez or without is absolutely delicious.

Senator:

That's correct.

Rooster:

In all the aging rooms, you know, he's the blender with A. J. Fernandez on the Monte Cristo line. So those are the cigars we're smoking a lot. And then we are also smoking I mean, I smoke the Trinidad Esperitu, which is also the number three, which is also like, was involved in that.

Rooster:

So every time you do something on the pod that really hits your palate, you right away go and buy those boxes of those. And it's a great replacement for some of these Cuban cigars that we really can't get. And the ones you have, you don't want to smoke that often, if it's the price or the scarcity of trying to get them. So it's a good mix. But for me, the Padrons are still so much so in the rotation.

Rooster:

It's like every other day there's an Exclusivo that I'm smoking.

Bam Bam:

Yeah, I need to have an Exclusivo almost daily. Daily? Regardless, if I'm smoking, I do grab one. Grab one for tonight. When it's warm out, I'll have that.

Bam Bam:

When it's chilly out, I'll have that.

Gizmo:

And it also performs so well outdoors.

Senator:

It does.

Gizmo:

In any wind condition. If there's a wind condition, that's what I'm reaching for when

Bam Bam:

I'm Correct.

Senator:

Last night was a great example. I was out on my patio, and early in the night, there was not that much wind. And I had lighted up actually an EGM cigar that we got at PCA, which was interesting. It's like meant to be Cubanesque. There's maybe some small elements of that.

Senator:

It was very cedary. That was the problem I had with the cigar, but it was fine to smoke at that time because there wasn't much wind. As soon as the wind kicked up, what was my second smoke I reached for? A Padron nineteen sixty four. What's the Lonsdale kind of shape?

Bam Bam:

Oh, Monarcha. Monarcha.

Senator:

Yeah. And that was perfect. I mean, didn't matter how much wind there was, that thing performed brilliantly.

Bam Bam:

Oh, yeah.

Senator:

The thing I will say, I have never in my life had more variety in my rotation than I do right now at this moment.

Gizmo:

And that's why I wanted to bring this up, because I think that

Rooster:

is the case for most of us. Of course.

Gizmo:

But I think that

Senator:

I mean, even within the last thirty days. It's like finding that Monte Cristo Diamante, the Espada Oscura. Like, there's so many things finding that, wow, the orange band aging room I've now fallen back in love with. Like, in the last thirty days, there have been so many things that I never would have thought would have been in my rotation that now are. It it's so much more fun, honestly.

Senator:

Like, you know, I've we've told this story before. It's like when Bam first met me, he's like, do you only smoke Padron? Because, like, I used to smoke multiple of them even a day.

Bam Bam:

Oh yeah, we know. And you

Senator:

smoked eighties

Gizmo:

in a day. Four, four eighties. Oh, excuse

Bam Bam:

me, four. But every time I'm

Senator:

not an animal giz.

Bam Bam:

So, well, that's debatable. But, you know, early on, I'd see you at at North Korea Lounge, and you have you had an exquisite in your hand almost consistently.

Senator:

Yeah. And it was because at that time, like, you know, for premium cigars, what I had found was like, Padron was as good as it gets, and then Davidoff, I started to really enjoy, and I hadn't found that much. And then Cubans, I'll just put in another category because I was smoking that, but of New World stuff, I hadn't really found that much else. And it's like now to think how much variety. It's like that Trinidad is Spiritu.

Senator:

There are times when I think about pulling for an ex Luciva, and I'm like, you know what? That Trinidad is gonna be almost dissatisfying. I'm gonna pull for that Trinidad. That's dumb. That's wild to think.

Bam Bam:

Yeah. It's thankful we have the pod Yeah. For this.

Pagoda:

Listen. Our palates are becoming new world. Alright?

Bam Bam:

Well, you know, we have to go through marker after marker after marker, and it's given us an opportunity to expand.

Senator:

Well, there's our palates, but I I also think that these manufacturers have done a much better job in recent years blending for our palates.

Bam Bam:

Well, they're stepping up

Senator:

for sure. Look at the rise of Honduran tobacco. I mean, the fact that now we're routinely smoking fabric of five and Aladino and other Hondurans that the none of us mentioned the My Father Yep. Yeah. There's another one.

Senator:

Like Yep. Those didn't exist back when we were when we first met at that lounge.

Gizmo:

So Didn't exist three or four years ago.

Bam Bam:

That's correct.

Rooster:

You know, and there's also that know that when you pick up the cigar, you're not going to have a construction issue.

Gizmo:

Yeah, there's no perfect draw. You don't need to pack the perfect draw. Don't even know where it is. Talking about. You don't to bring it.

Gizmo:

Can't remember the last

Chef Ricky:

time I pulled my note.

Rooster:

Yeah. And the flavor is spot on. Every single cigar tastes identical to the other one that you had. So it's like, it's a home run. And then the price, I mean, the price is phenomenal on these.

Rooster:

You can get bundles for, like, under $10 for each cigar.

Bam Bam:

Yeah. I love the price and value proposition.

Gizmo:

Pagoda, what's your summer rotation look like?

Pagoda:

Oh my lord. It hasn't changed that much, but there's so many new cigars, all of them. You know, the eighty fifth Reserve, the Cameroon and the Aladinos, My Father Blue, they're all a part of my rotation now. Sonatas, Concertos. I love the Davidoff Bellicoso, which is, you know, it's a Yeah, great summer

Gizmo:

that's a quick, nice quick outdoor smoke, yeah.

Pagoda:

And it's just been fantastic. Meaning the variety that's entered in our rotation, it's definitely increased. So I'm looking forward to this summer, you know, and hopefully keep discovering new cigars as time goes on.

Gizmo:

So I think for me right now, the highlight cigars that have really kinda blown me away recently, certainly the Concerto from Aging Room in Toro, actually. I've actually really been enjoying that in Toro. Senator, I think you've been in loving that in Toro as well. Right? The Concerto?

Senator:

Oh, yeah.

Bam Bam:

It's pretty good. How's the Gordo in that?

Gizmo:

Next That's the Gordo. No.

Pagoda:

Next would be the double Toro, please. Correct. Correct.

Gizmo:

Been loving that. I've been loving the Aladino stuff. Of course, the Fabric of Five stuff. I had a Trinity Robusto yesterday.

Bam Bam:

Oh, yeah.

Gizmo:

Oh my gosh.

Bam Bam:

Had one two days ago.

Gizmo:

I think they were rested maybe three months, four months. I mean, lights out.

Senator:

And I'm waiting for some of that new fabric of five stuff.

Gizmo:

Yeah. The dahlias. They will be here tomorrow.

Bam Bam:

The phenomenos.

Gizmo:

So I've been smoking the dahlias, and I didn't wanna say it.

Bam Bam:

Excuse me?

Gizmo:

I have been.

Bam Bam:

Fucking holding up.

Rooster:

And that ask you for one thing. Guy's holding out. Have any.

Gizmo:

I didn't have any when you asked. They were gone already.

Rooster:

It was this afternoon.

Senator:

He smoked them all.

Rooster:

No. I didn't

Gizmo:

I don't have the new ones yet. I smoked them all.

Rooster:

I asked you for one last week.

Gizmo:

They were gone three weeks ago, Rooster. Could somebody get this guy a calendar, please?

Rooster:

I don't know. Accountability, I would.

Bam Bam:

I'm upset with you.

Gizmo:

So what? So the 50 cabs of dahlias Have are

Rooster:

you guys had the dahlias? Yes.

Senator:

Not since we were with Robin Hamlet.

Bam Bam:

I find your lack of faith disturbing.

Gizmo:

So the 50 cabs that we that I ordered will be here very soon, and that is gonna be a major summer smoke. The Bon Roberts Dahlias for me is going to be a very regular rotation. And honestly, for me, that's kind of slotting where I was reaching for Cohiba Sigloviv. That Lonsdale, that dahlia type of size, it's it's very close to identical to that. That is where I'm putting that.

Gizmo:

Of course, Padron is a no brainer, the Aladino stuff. As far as Cuban cigars go, I think and I wanted to ask you guys this, and I think this is an interesting conversation to be having on a Cuban cigar episode because there are a lot of Cuban cigar listeners, avid Cuban cigar smokers who are listening right now who probably think that we're crazy given the way we have talked in the past about standing in front of that tower, having a multitude of options in the Cuban catalog to choose from, which we still do, and today we're not choosing Cuban cigars given those choices and the New World choices.

Bam Bam:

I can replicate my experience with the Aladino line, with the Trinity Robusto and the Fabrica line, some of the

Pagoda:

Excellent news.

Bam Bam:

And the Concerto, that chocolatey cocoa experience. You can design your sit for that night.

Senator:

It's actually almost Monty two like that. It is. Concerto, the milk chocolate.

Bam Bam:

It is. You can design your night if you really want to have a Cuban experience without having a Cuban cigar through the new worlds that we've discovered. You just have to sit and think about and calculate and put them together.

Gizmo:

So I

Senator:

mean, to your point, like, the three trays that I told you that I have before, the top two trays were all Cuban cigars.

Gizmo:

Cuban.

Senator:

Yeah. And then the third tray was New World. And the fact that now half of the top tray is Cuban and everything else is New World is just wild.

Gizmo:

Yeah. It's crazy. It is. It's almost like most of my stuff, most of my Cuban stuff is in the Tupperador, most of my tower now, like Senator's saying, is moving into new world territory and not for any other reason, then that's just what I'm preferring palette wise. So here's what I want to do.

Chef Ricky:

Are you at all worried of your Cuban stock passing its peak? No.

Senator:

Now No. The really old stuff, yes.

Gizmo:

Yeah, that's the Vegas Romanian classicos or the Sir Winston's that I have.

Senator:

Or half of Rooster's Tower, yes.

Gizmo:

Half of Rooster's Tower,

Bam Bam:

of course. But just to answer that question though, I think Cuban cigars over time come in waves. That profile comes and goes. As long as your environment is set and your humidity is right where it should be and they're not too hot, you can have them into perpetuity. Am I wrong?

Gizmo:

No, you're 100%

Senator:

You are wrong, I'm sorry. Not in

Gizmo:

No, but not in perpetuity. That's fine.

Senator:

Think you have a pretty Every cigar peaks like

Gizmo:

Ten years I would think is

Bam Bam:

Yeah, probably I'm not talking forty, fifty years.

Senator:

No, I know, but let's just use the Vegas Romanian Classico as an example. That's a 2011 box of cigars. Yeah. Right? So they're over ten years old, they're looking at fifteen years right now.

Gizmo:

Mhmm. They are fifteen years next month.

Senator:

Pooba graciously had brought some maybe late last year to the lounge, and they were still very good, but I would argue that they have hit their peak, they are now slowly declining.

Rooster:

Yep.

Senator:

Wow. So like, I think if we were to sit around for another five years and think that those cigars are gonna smoke any differently, like, are gonna smoke the same, I think that's crazy. That's gonna be 20 years of age at that point.

Bam Bam:

I have a box of 20 tens of that cigar. I had one several months ago. I think I sent you guys a photograph of it. It's still exquisite.

Senator:

It's still very good.

Bam Bam:

It's excellent.

Senator:

I just mean it's not at like it's

Gizmo:

Yeah. Was at a god level, that cigar.

Bam Bam:

Yeah. That's debatable. I mean, think it depends on

Senator:

No. I'm just saying, you wouldn't disagree with, you wait in their 20 aged, They're they're not I mean, cigars peak just like wine, just like anything.

Bam Bam:

Well, let's ask Brewster. I don't

Rooster:

know. My 2000 I think it's one.

Bam Bam:

You do?

Rooster:

February, is it? They were never as good as the twenty elevens.

Bam Bam:

Mhmm.

Rooster:

But they're delicious.

Bam Bam:

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Gizmo:

Yeah. What I want to ask you guys, to the Cuban cigar aficionado, passionate Cuban cigar smoker who's listening right now to this Ramon Iones episode, What would you tell them to minimize their thoughts that we have gone absolutely insane saying that we can replicate our experience like Bam just said. And I understand exactly what you mean by that.

Bam Bam:

I know you do.

Gizmo:

But I think the idea is that our palettes have changed a little bit. Our preferences have changed. And I think we have found great cigars in the New World space that are giving us as much of a pleasurable experience as we would have expected in the past from a lot of Cuban cigars.

Rooster:

So I don't Can we not

Senator:

say our palates have changed? Because I don't believe that that's the case.

Bam Bam:

I also agree.

Gizmo:

I would say our

Senator:

preferences changed. But even preferences. Like, we're our palates changed when we were smoking, like, very full New Worlds, and then we're going to milder Cubans. That's when our palates started to change. But our palates at this point are the same as they were when we started doing that.

Senator:

I just think that now new world manufacturers have started to blend things that satisfy that Cuban esque palate we're looking for. That's correct.

Gizmo:

That's a fair way to put it.

Bam Bam:

Yeah. Yeah.

Gizmo:

So, boys, let's get back to this in one second. We're well into the last third here on the Bramona Iona specially selected from Cuba, the Robusto and the Eminente Reserva rum, also from Cuba. What's everybody thinking of the pairing right now? How's the cigar for you?

Senator:

Does Taco Bell are they the ones that say live mas? Live mas. That's what I want. I need more rum, and I wish this cigar were longer.

Bam Bam:

Yes. The emperor has foreseen it.

Gizmo:

How's yours, Bam?

Bam Bam:

It's excellent. Honestly, everything here where it's the the the spirit, the cigar The ratings for me are going to be extraordinary Everything is checked. The boxes are checked. We've had many of these cigars, so the notes are repetitive, but now I'm still getting biscuit, I'm still getting a creamy, a sweet cream, but it's richer now. It's a touch earthier.

Bam Bam:

I'm getting more of that nutty note that some of you got early on, I'm getting it now. Touch of walnut, touch of almond. It's just extraordinary. It's an extraordinary cigar.

Chef Ricky:

It is. Yeah, Bam, you're spot on. Think for me it's gotten a little bit more savory and just a touch drier, but everything is still there, everything's delicious. It's well balanced.

Rooster:

It's a bit fuller now.

Bam Bam:

Yeah. It's still well balanced. It's ramped

Rooster:

up a

Gizmo:

bit. Yeah.

Bam Bam:

And the rum is it's off the charts. Off the charts. Just wish it was a touch less expensive. I agree with

Gizmo:

you on that.

Bam Bam:

Just a touch.

Chef Ricky:

No. I wish it was a lot more accessible. Wish we could get This this

Pagoda:

has been great. Meaning, loving the Cuban flow as Lizard Jay would put it. You know? Love the Cuban flow. You know, it's so reminiscent.

Chef Ricky:

Lizard J.

Senator:

Lizard J getting a shout out.

Bam Bam:

There you go. Finally. Right.

Gizmo:

He's had plenty.

Pagoda:

Yeah, no, but you know, it's a wonderful night. And you know, when you smoke something which, like for me, it was one of my favorite cigars. Obviously, it's out of my rotation now. It's, you know, it just brings about really good memories and I'm really enjoying it. You know, right before I entered the last third, in the front of my palate, like into the lips, I was getting the flavors that really, really highlighted and brought so many memories because I used to love the flavor profile of a leaf in the front.

Gizmo:

Like a little bit of a tingle

Rooster:

type Yeah. Of

Pagoda:

And, but also, I think he'd mentioned floral on the aroma, but like for me, I'd call it like the floral salty, saltiness, which is, it's just phenomenal. Like, I don't know how to really describe it, but yeah, I think it's making me smile.

Bam Bam:

I'm getting it.

Gizmo:

I love the journey that this cigar has taken us on tonight. The first third, second third, certainly kind of very consistent in the nuttiness, the saltiness, the creaminess you were discussing, Bam. But I like in the last third here how it kinda picked up just a little bit.

Pagoda:

Yeah, sure.

Gizmo:

It didn't heat up for me, but it picked

Bam Bam:

up. Correct.

Gizmo:

And I think what it did was it all of the flavors were kinda like in full. Yep. Like full blast.

Bam Bam:

Yep.

Gizmo:

But still very well rounded and very elegant. And I think that is a mark of a really, really excellent blend. Agreed.

Rooster:

I think the notes are very similar at this point, but every single note is more amped up. Just elevated. It's nuttier. It's earthier. It's more aromatic.

Rooster:

It's more floral. It's more like everything. It's maybe a little less creamier, but everything else is more amped up. I just wanted to go back to the point where we're talking about Cuban cigar prices. What if the Cuban cigar prices had not gone where they are and we could still get Cuban cigars?

Rooster:

Would that how would that have changed our smoking habits?

Bam Bam:

I probably would be bankrupt right now.

Senator:

I mean I mean, nobody has

Rooster:

a crystal ball, but, you know, it's like if if things were exactly we

Bam Bam:

Because of what we're doing here in this podcast, I just think it's it would have been inevitable for us to continue to explore the New World Catalog.

Gizmo:

It might have taken longer.

Bam Bam:

It would have taken longer.

Senator:

That's the thing.

Bam Bam:

Yeah. And I think we would have discovered these incredible New World cigars regardless of how accessible the Cuban

Rooster:

cigars But maybe the New World cigar makers would not have come out with newer blends and make those adjustments.

Gizmo:

I don't think there wasn't a market at I think they're going into Honduras because there's a question about Nicaraguan embargo, everything else. There's a there's a nervousness around Nicaragua as a country. So I think that's why they're hedging into Dominique. Like, Drew's been Drew Estate's building a massive Dominican presence. You know, some of the manufacturers are going to Honduras as we've talked about.

Gizmo:

I don't think that's a reaction to anything other than an economic hedge. Like, if Nicaragua gets shut out, that's gonna be a major problem for a lot of these guys. So I think that think that's gonna be

Rooster:

happening. Huge blow. I mean,

Gizmo:

what happens to Padron? It'll be an interesting question. Yeah. But to answer that, I think it I don't think that they're reacting to Cuba. I think they're just doing a better job blending.

Pagoda:

I think the competition's really high. I think for me, pardon me, I really think about this often. I think you you remember that episode was stoic. I think it was a turning point for definitely me. You know, we had just smoked a Honduran right before that, maybe the Aladinos.

Pagoda:

Yeah. And they were eye opening. They were so flavorful, and they were so good. So I think, like, if we were to put a timeline on this, I think since the last PCA, not this one, but the previous one, I think we got exposed to a lot more. And I think the competition's been really healthy.

Pagoda:

As you know, that even this time we saw so many smaller booths and so many people trying out new. I I just think everything's just moved up in terms of overall flavor profile, and and they're targeting different areas of the market. So they've really widened, you know, the product lines, I would think.

Senator:

So I'll just say to what Rooster and Giz were saying, I do think it's both in the sense that, sure, there's the reaction to some of the political instability with Nicaragua, but I also do think that what Rooster is saying, there is some reaction to Cuba. And the reason I say that, when I mentioned last night, I had that EGM cigar. It's called the EGM Escudo. That cigar so I looked it up, and it's so funny because I I didn't notice when we were handed them. It has a pigtail, and I'm looking at the size and the shape, and

Gizmo:

I'm like, this looks

Senator:

exactly like a Behike 54.

Bam Bam:

That's right.

Senator:

Then I search it, and guess what they call the size? The Ligito number five? Is that the Behike? Believe you're correct. Yes.

Senator:

And literally, they call it the Ligito the Vitola. It's the Ligito number five.

Gizmo:

It's a good

Bam Bam:

market.

Senator:

And so I'm just sitting there, and they talk about how the blend is supposed to be very Cuban esque. That has to be a reaction to what's going on with the Cuban market for cigars. So I do think it's a bit of both, but I think the nice part of it is we've been the beneficiaries of it.

Rooster:

Yeah. So EGM is not selling any Cuban cigars.

Gizmo:

They're selling Cuban cigars, but they're not sending them to The United States. Just like I Havana's and a lot of other retailers, if you have a United States IP address, the website So that's how you would even see those. Yeah. If you put your VPN on and and set that you're in Italy, you'll see everything. Yeah.

Gizmo:

So the question that I have, and this is the, I guess, the acceleration, you know, going back to your question about Cuban cigar prices, because I've really thought about this as well. You know, going back to that, do you think that we would be as exposed to as many new non Cuban cigars as we've had and also really fallen in love with that have entered the rotations we've talked about tonight? Do you think that we would be as far along into that totally divergent journey if we were still doing a Cuban cigar every other week? Probably not because you would be smoking a Cuban every other week, so there'll be less opportunities to

Rooster:

smoke a lot of the new world cigars that we we are now.

Senator:

Yeah. I think it would be years later that we're discovering as many great new worlds as we have.

Gizmo:

And I think that for us forget the price thing. I think that this exercise kind of accidentally well, Habanos and you know, the embargo have forced our hand not being able to get the stuff and the prices, but I honestly think we're better for it. It's kind

Rooster:

of a blessing in disguise.

Gizmo:

Exactly right.

Rooster:

It

Gizmo:

is. Because we've been forced honestly, you talk about you were we were talking about Monte Cristo. Like, in the past, we've not loved those blends. Obviously, Rafael Nadal was not as integrated into the blending, you know, situation with Altadis and Monte Cristo or Romeo and Julieta, etcetera. But I think that's an example of something that probably we would not have even considered entering that every other week cadence that we were in in the past.

Gizmo:

But now it's like we need New World cigars, so we're trying a lot more stuff. So I think we're better for it.

Senator:

Really, I think we're way better for it. And the reason I say that is because if all things were equal, and we're talking about Cuban cigar prices are the same as they were in the glory days when we were buying a ton of them, If they're the exact same price as New World cigars, what I appreciate with New World cigars is how effortless they are. The consensus don't enjoy having to go through a box of Cuban cigars and look at the foot, feel the head, hope and pray that it's gonna be how it should and deliver. I love with New World cigars just being able to grab one and go and light it and not look at or think about the construction, be able to trust that it's always gonna be great. So if the price point is identical now given that we have found so many great new worlds, it's just far easier and more enjoyable for me to not have to do all that thinking and deal with the inevitable frustration and disappointment sometimes with the construction of some of those cigars, to know that every single time it's going to

Rooster:

be Having what I said that, all the fresh boxes of Cuban cigars that we have done lately within the last year

Bam Bam:

Have been great.

Rooster:

Have been great. There have been less construction issues with them.

Senator:

Yeah, but still there's no way it's 100%.

Rooster:

No, it's not like the new world, but they have gotten better.

Gizmo:

But I think that's also a Habanos reaction or a Tavakuba reaction to the reality that at the price it's at, there's less tolerance for mediocrity, as we said earlier

Rooster:

in the what price it's at, you should act your your cigars should not have construction issues.

Pagoda:

Mhmm.

Rooster:

You know, it just shouldn't exist.

Bam Bam:

But going back to your question, I would continue buying Cuban cigars. And as we discover new world cigars, I'd be buying new world cigars as well. I wouldn't have stopped buying Cubans if they were available and the price didn't increase and didn't happen.

Gizmo:

Yeah. Alright, boys. Let's go into some listener email now. This one is from Lizard Anonymous.

Bam Bam:

I don't like

Gizmo:

that. And he says, hey, Lizards. I'm a previous Lizard of the Week winner, and I've lived in St. Louis my entire life. I'd like to remain anonymous for this email, but I want to second everything Lizard Patrick said about St.

Gizmo:

Louis, which remember a couple weeks ago, were talking about PCA potentially going to St. Louis, and and Lizard Patrick wrote in about living in St. Louis and the situation there and how great it would be for PCA. He says here, from what I found, his lounge has actually been around since 1876. It closed during the Great Depression in the 1930s, and then it reopened in 2011.

Gizmo:

So Lizard Anonymous here is talking about Lizard Patrick, and I promise you they are two very different people.

Bam Bam:

Rooster was there. Oh, boy. Correct.

Gizmo:

I've been there a few times. It's consistently a great experience. So just to touch on crime, the the statistics can be pretty misleading. The city and country are not separated, and a lot of public data people reference, and I'd argue that many areas in Saint Louis County are actually some of the safest suburban communities in the country. Saint Louis also has a phenomenal cigar culture with regular events across multiple lounges.

Gizmo:

My main lounge, l I t or lit cigar lounge in Chesterfield, Missouri, which is a suburb of Saint Louis County, he says, is one of the nicest and most well put together lounges in the country in my opinion. The Ritz Carlton in Clayton also has one of the only remaining cigar clubs inside a Ritz, senator.

Bam Bam:

Dude, that is very cool. Pretty wild.

Gizmo:

Wow. I believe hotel guests can purchase a day pass if they're staying there. I've had the pleasure of smoking there once, but it feels more social focused than cigar focused. Bar pricing is also likely comparable to New York, though I haven't been there yet. As for food, St.

Gizmo:

Louis doesn't participate in the Michelin guide, but that doesn't mean we lack award winning restaurants. We have several James Beard recognized chefs, and my personal favorite is a Japanese restaurant called Sado created by chef Nick Bogner. The best meals I've had in my entire life have been there. When PCA comes to Saint Louis in 2030 or if any of you lizards are in town, I'd love to personally give you a tour of the city hitting the essential lounges, restaurants, and local attractions. They'll probably not barbecue.

Gizmo:

I'm not sure where BAM got that or if it's widely known. It's not a barbecue city, BAM, he's saying.

Bam Bam:

Well, not not according to your football coach, buddy.

Gizmo:

Nick Sirianni? No. Which one?

Bam Bam:

Kansas City Chiefs.

Gizmo:

That's not my oh, his. Oh, yeah. Andy

Bam Bam:

Reid. That's correct.

Gizmo:

It would truly be an honor to meet you all. I've listened to every single episode, and I can continue to keep up weekly since I found the pod in 2022. I love hearing that. So if any of you are ever in town, please don't hesitate to shoot me an email or text, and we'll make it happen. Keep smoking.

Gizmo:

Lizard Anonymous.

Rooster:

It's awesome.

Pagoda:

How are you gonna do that if he's anonymous?

Gizmo:

Well, I know who

Pagoda:

he is.

Rooster:

Oh,

Pagoda:

you you know

Bam Bam:

For the record, Kansas City. Yeah.

Gizmo:

Kansas City is not St.

Senator:

Louis. Kansas City is known for barbecue, not St.

Bam Bam:

Louis. Okay. Well, we'll see you in four years.

Gizmo:

Alright. Let's go to another one now. This one is from Lizard Enrique. Our friend Lizard Enrique.

Chef Ricky:

He's back. Gotta love that guy.

Gizmo:

He's back. And he says, hello, Lizards. There could be no doubt that karma is alive and well in lizard land.

Bam Bam:

Here we go.

Gizmo:

Need proof? One does not need to look any further than October. On a recent episode, millions of listeners listened with bated breath to Pagoda's swashbuckling exploits where he was hurled from his ATV traveling at a high rate of speed. The stakes could not have been higher. Launched airborne like a corpulent cannonball.

Gizmo:

Our very own lizard stared death in the eyeball and lived to tell the tale.

Bam Bam:

And smiled the entire way.

Gizmo:

So why did our rotund rider receive only minor

Bam Bam:

injuries? Rutund.

Gizmo:

When thousands of incidents go wrong for other ATV thrill seekers. Clearly, from photographic evidence by the way, I'm sorry to say I did post it on Instagram. Our portly projectile has a low center of gravity, which should make him more prone to injury. I can only think of one clear and undeniable reason fate saved Saddlebag Mary, karma. The thousands and thousands of dollars worth of priceless Cuban cigars and countless soda cases sacrificed on the altar of the New Jersey public transit system have finally paid off.

Pagoda:

That's hilarious. It

Gizmo:

was a good karma. It was the good karma racked up from your recklessness and irresponsibility. God bless Pagoda. You are an example to us all. Now that we can agree is ten ten wins.

Gizmo:

Cheers, Lizard Enrique. And he says, PS, buckle up bam.

Bam Bam:

Alright. Excuse

Gizmo:

me. What do think, Pagoda?

Pagoda:

That's an excellent excellent email. But what's up with the rotund? I think, you know, it's a keg. Well, according to

Bam Bam:

his AI image, he's very svelte.

Gizmo:

He is very svelte in the AI.

Bam Bam:

Correct. And I am not an AI. You

Gizmo:

are well, you are

Bam Bam:

I'm rotund in AI.

Gizmo:

You are pretty rotund in AI.

Bam Bam:

That's correct.

Rooster:

Very sensitive. By the way, the

Bam Bam:

Well, I'm just making a statement that's

Pagoda:

I'm very athletic.

Bam Bam:

Oh, yeah. Are.

Pagoda:

So I was able to go

Bam Bam:

take

Pagoda:

couple of somersaults and just, you know, protect myself. Though I was reasonably hurt. I actually got my whole stomach was black and blue, and my left shoulder was off for about a week, week and a half. But, yeah, meaning no real severe injuries. Thank God.

Pagoda:

But, yeah, I got out of it. I was smiling, and I was back on the ATV right after racing again.

Gizmo:

You're so resilient. My man. So I did post the photo on Instagram.

Bam Bam:

Oh, that's so bad.

Gizmo:

I swapped your face with Pagoda from the Royal Tenenbaum.

Bam Bam:

That's really

Gizmo:

I told ChatuchipT to make it twenty five years younger.

Pagoda:

Oh, really? Oh, wow.

Gizmo:

So, you know, that was a a a a compliment to you. So I wanna read some of the comments. So Lizard Enrique

Bam Bam:

Yeah.

Gizmo:

That we just read from wrote mother of god. Lizard t x I s boy twenty three said, listening now, and it's just what I imagined. I don't know why, but seeing this, all I can hear is Ricky Martin song and lyrics. I can be your hero, baby. And Leaves and Lions on Instagram wrote, oh my lord.

Gizmo:

Oh my

Bam Bam:

lord. Yeah.

Gizmo:

There's a couple other comments of emojis and whatnot, but, yeah, that was hilarious, man.

Pagoda:

Wow. Yeah.

Gizmo:

So we're glad you made it through as we discussed. So you're feeling better now?

Pagoda:

Way better. Way better. Yeah.

Gizmo:

So Lizard Benrique wrote

Senator:

Are you collecting disability now, Pagoda?

Pagoda:

No. Not yet.

Rooster:

Permanent disability.

Gizmo:

Where are you going on vacation?

Pagoda:

With a disability text.

Rooster:

So Lizard Enrique wrote something about buckle

Gizmo:

up bam. I don't know what that means. It says p s buckle up bam. I don't know what that means. So it says like

Senator:

Sounds like something's coming.

Gizmo:

Some it sounds like something's coming or it's a reference to the karma component to the email.

Bam Bam:

Yeah, I'm waiting for a hammer

Chef Ricky:

to drop. I think Bam is next.

Gizmo:

I don't know. I

Rooster:

hope so. I really hope

Bam Bam:

so. Conspiring powers in this room right now are working.

Gizmo:

You flatter yourself. I promise you.

Bam Bam:

Mean, I

Rooster:

I absolutely implore Lizard Emerica to Implore. Implore. Write something.

Gizmo:

Alright, boys. It's time now to go into our lizard of the week presented by our friends at Bon Roberts. Of course, our lizard of the week is gonna win a 10 count box of cigars from Bon Roberts. And our lizard of the week this week is Lizards Cigar, who's been writing us for so very long, always sends in an email. We really appreciate him.

Gizmo:

And he's gonna win a 10 count box of cigars from Bon Roberts. And boys, very excited. The Dahlias and the Phenomenos Coming out available for sale, and they come in 10 count boxes, both of them. So you can get 50 cabs, 25 counts, 10 counts. I think the Phenomenos is 50 or 10, but they are launched.

Gizmo:

They are selling like hotcakes. So definitely run out and buy them. I promise you, you're not gonna be disappointed. They are fantastic cigars. So let's go to Lizards Cigar's email.

Gizmo:

Giz, I meant to send this to you guys after your last Cuban cigar episode. Are Cuban cigars overrated? Is it because we can't get them? Or after listening to hundreds of your episodes, you never know what you're gonna get. With so many great new worlds, why would anyone even take a chance on Cuban cigars, especially when they are so expensive?

Gizmo:

Now I know we just talked about this, but I think this is an interesting angle here. I've got to the point to leave a note page open on my phone to take notes on new episodes. Being now about two hours long, I have to jot down notes as I think of them to comment, which I love. Mhmm. He's taking notes as as as he listens to us.

Gizmo:

I'm getting ready to listen to today's drop as I drive Meals on Wheels, or I might wait to get home and enjoy a stick as I listen. PS. I really enjoyed the recent talk about movies. Is there any movie you enjoy where a cigar was a prop in the film? As always, I love the New Orleans stories, and I can't wait to hear more from PCA, Lizard Cigar.

Gizmo:

So great email from him.

Bam Bam:

Very

Gizmo:

good. And thanks, of course, to him. Always writing us, and congratulations to him for winning our lizard of the week. So let's start with the first question here, boys. Going back to our earlier conversation about Cubans, non Cubans, etcetera, are Cuban cigars overrated?

Gizmo:

At the current Cuban cigar prices,

Rooster:

when they're you know, when you could get a D4 for around $10 $8 even, and now you can't even touch them. They're upwards of $30 And with some age, even so much more. I mean, it's a bit overrated because you can get we have named so many new world cigars that satisfy you as much at a fraction of the price. So I mean, I'm not looking to more. I mean, we have enough.

Rooster:

Yeah. So I mean, not that we can get them, but, you know, at that price, I mean, I'm not I'm not a buyer.

Senator:

So I I would say this. I wouldn't say they're overrated. I just think they're overhyped. I agree with you. And I say they're not overrated because, you know, when you travel outside of The US and you go into an LCDH and you buy a Cuban cigar and you light it, it's the flavor profile is differentiated.

Senator:

It's a different experience, and most of the time what you're gonna have is gonna be really great. I do think it's overhyped in the sense that, you know, you'll hear from people who say things like, you know, there's nothing better than Cuban cigars, and everything else is inferior. And that's the part that I think is silly. Like, to Rooster's point, you can find so many other great new world cigars that are going to be as satisfying. So I think they're excellent cigars, and that's why I don't necessarily wanna say they're overrated.

Senator:

I don't think they make bad cigars. I think they're overwhelmingly good. But I just think there's this unfair level of hype as though that's the only show in town for, like, a truly spectacular smoke when I think that's silly. There's so many great options at

Gizmo:

all.

Rooster:

Say they're overpriced? For sure.

Senator:

Of course. And to Rooster's point about the value of it, I mean, you don't need to spend $30 for a robusto to have an outstanding robusto. That that's just silly.

Bam Bam:

Yeah. I couldn't agree more. Honestly, I'll take out a d four. I'll take out a Ramon Allones Specially Select. I'll take the Aladino eighty fifth.

Bam Bam:

I'll take a My Father Honduran and the Trinity Robusto. Smoke those all in one day, and I'm getting just of an incredible experience in my New World cigars that I would get in the two Cubans that I noted. So overhype, overrated, it's kinda the same thing. They're just they're definitely overpriced. There's no longer that differentiation that you had at one time maybe ten years ago

Gizmo:

Or even five years ago when we started

Bam Bam:

Cuba and the New World. Yeah. Now, and as we've discussed many times, the blending around the world has just gotten so incredible and very impressive, and it's they're delicious and really flavorful. You know, if you have Cubans, you're fortunate. If you don't, you're still in great shape.

Bam Bam:

Yeah. Honestly. I think

Chef Ricky:

before I met you guys, I I never tried a Cuban. So at that time, I felt like, you know, they're they're one they're overrated. They're overhyped. Everyone wants them because they can't have them. Right?

Chef Ricky:

And then I had my first Cuban and I had a holy shit experience. And then I had, you know, that H. Upman, Sir Winston, and I had another holy shit experience. And if there's anything that Cubans did for me, it made me okay with veering off of the path of looking for a cigar that was always full flavored, full bodied, like super strong and something that was milder, more balanced, rounder in its presentation. And I think now with the Honduran cigars, you know, that Ben mentioned and the the fabric of five cigars and everything that we've smoked in the past year, I've come to a point where I'm happy in that space.

Chef Ricky:

I'm happy in that area. And I thank Cubans for that because if not, I'd probably still be searching for what's the strongest or or fullest flavor cigar that I could get my hands on because in my head at that time, especially early in my journey, that was the only way to have that, you know, a cigar experience. So, you know, I think if if if you haven't had it, don't give up on it because it's going to introduce something new, you know, especially if you haven't really dove into the lighter stuff that we're smoking. It's going to introduce something new, and it's worth it.

Rooster:

We lucky enough to have the Cuban cigars at a fair price. Now that price is not fair. So I feel bad for a new cigar smoker who's coming in and wants to try a Cuban cigar. Price doesn't equate to you're not going to get that level of satisfaction on a $40 cigar that's going to be so much better compared to, let's an aging room concerto.

Gizmo:

So that's the difference. So I want to specify one thing to the idea that it's overrated. Every week on this podcast and certainly every episode we've done a Cuban cigar, we rate the cigar. And I would argue that our ratings over the last four and a half years have been very, very accurate. So as it comes to using that term specifically as overrated, I don't think Cuban cigars are overrated because I think the experiences we've each individually and as a collective have had in this room, I think are very accurate.

Chef Ricky:

If anything, they're probably more harshly rated on this pot

Senator:

They've as a result of the price point and the been great, they've scored really well. Rich was talking about a lot of the newer releases out of Cuba, like we've scored very very highly, so I I don't think we can say, you know, they're overrated. They they have been delivering. The value's not there. There's no question about that.

Senator:

And I just think like the hype is not warranted to suggest that like, Cuban cigars are the holy grail and nothing else can touch them. I just think that's been debunked. Correct.

Gizmo:

I will say, though, I I do stand firm in believing that overall, Cuban tobacco has provided the most amount of special and magical moments for us as cigar smokers. And that's not saying that, you know, that doesn't happen every time you smoke a Cuban cigar. But those holy shit moments, those eye opening moments as chef just discussed, as we've discussed so many times in this podcast, have come from Cuban pearls.

Bam Bam:

I would argue Wrong.

Senator:

I'm sorry. Wrong.

Bam Bam:

Hold on. I would argue I'm not gonna argue against that.

Senator:

No. Please do.

Bam Bam:

Well, what I'm gonna say I would have that same epiphany. We've had that same epiphany with all the new worlds that have provided that experience and more, honestly. I think I'm assuming you're wrong, but I think you're getting both.

Gizmo:

I think there's a recency bias in your commentary

Bam Bam:

I don't

Gizmo:

know about calculating in Listen.

Rooster:

Padron Padron sixtieth. You give me that over any bajique any bajique that's in the market.

Bam Bam:

Correct. Quarter of the price.

Rooster:

Any price. Quarter?

Bam Bam:

Yeah.

Senator:

Yeah. So I'm sorry. That's exactly where I was gonna go. Like, that Padron sixtieth, Giz and I, we both smoked that for the first time.

Gizmo:

It was a great day, man.

Senator:

We had a mind blowing experience.

Gizmo:

We did.

Senator:

And that's a high price point cigar that we were sitting there with tremendous skepticism.

Gizmo:

Totally.

Senator:

And left that session saying, wow. We're gonna buy more. I mean, I ordered a box after that. Like, those were spectacular. If you think of even the Padron eightieth that we've all had many of, the ones that I tucked away and aged for an extra four years and gave out when my son was born, we were blown away

Bam Bam:

Correct. Sure.

Senator:

How spectacular that cigar was.

Bam Bam:

But the interesting thing

Senator:

similar to, like, a box of Cubans that you tuck away for a while, you and sit there and you say, oh my goodness. This is something special.

Bam Bam:

Yeah.

Senator:

Yeah. We've been able to do that even with Padron. So I do think that there are many new worlds that

Rooster:

you I

Bam Bam:

have just But regarding that eightieth, I don't

Gizmo:

need to age it for four years. No. Of course not.

Bam Bam:

It's still incredible kind of radical. And

Senator:

sorry. Like, some of the aging room stuff, and there are other examples of this. Like, no joke, you know, I there was a reason that, like, you know, Partagas for me was at, like, so many kinda major milestones in my life because I, at the time, couldn't find anything else that really blew my mind in the way that certain Partagas cigars did. There are aging room cigars now that I'm so in love with, like, for a momentous occasion. A cigar that's $10.12 dollars.

Senator:

I there's no question. I mean, I don't know if I should say that I'm lighting one now, but I I mean, I finished my wrasse, and I'm lighting an aging room right now.

Bam Bam:

Yeah.

Senator:

And this is spectacular Yeah. What I'm experiencing right now. And so I do think that on both sides of that coin, there are mind blowing. But The the Trini Robusto from Fabrica five, you remember our reaction when we first smoked that?

Gizmo:

Of course.

Senator:

100%.

Gizmo:

Brilliant blends,

Bam Bam:

ham and semi made.

Gizmo:

Of course it is. I will listen. I I had one yesterday. It blew my mind.

Bam Bam:

But in support of what you're saying, there is something very nostalgic for us in this room, having been to Cuba so many times

Gizmo:

Oh, for sure.

Bam Bam:

When you have an incredible like, in your backyard, senator, they would I I don't remember. This was maybe two weeks ago, three weeks ago. I had two Cuban cigars. I don't remember what they were. I think it was a Schwa's Supreme and this Ramona Allones that we had tonight.

Bam Bam:

Maybe. They were incredibly delicious off the charts, and then I followed that up with the Sonata, I think. There is something nostalgic about having that Cuban cigar and when it's performing perfectly.

Senator:

And just the last example on

Bam Bam:

You ignore I'm sorry. You can't ignore that.

Gizmo:

Of course you can.

Bam Bam:

Right? So we gravitate toward that. It's on DNA now. The last example I'll

Senator:

use to rooster's point, my birthday at the end of last year in August, I lit up a bunch of Cuban cigars and then some New World cigars. So, like, I had everything from an LGC to a d four, all these cigars. And I said when we recorded shortly after my trip to Doctor when I smoked these, the single best cigar I lit that whole day on my birthday was the Padron sixtieth.

Gizmo:

Sure.

Senator:

And that, like, would have been unthinkable years ago, but, like, that's the reality, I feel like, of just how spectacular

Rooster:

some of

Senator:

these New World blends are now.

Gizmo:

I think on an average basis overall, Cuban tobacco from a Piero standpoint is the tobacco that has provided us the most magical moments overall. I don't think if you were to compare the moments we've had of brilliance with Nicaraguan cigars and compare that to the total amount of Nicaraguan cigars we've smoked, I don't think it even pale It pales in comparison to how many Cuban cigars we've smoked and how many times we've just said, holy shit. This cigar is unbelievable, on podcast or not.

Senator:

I mean, I guess what's fair about what you're saying is probably by percentage, yeah, you probably are right there.

Gizmo:

Yeah. That is what I'm saying.

Senator:

Now But I just don't want it to sound like there are so many fewer, like, spectacular options. I think there are many in the New World.

Gizmo:

Well, I think we've damn well made a case tonight that we don't really miss smoking the amount of Cuban cigars we've missed from the price standpoint, quality, no perfect draws, everything else. Right?

Bam Bam:

Well

Rooster:

But on a level of satisfaction This is see, is Padron sixtieth.

Bam Bam:

You're on a fence now, and you can teeter one way or the other.

Gizmo:

Sorry again.

Rooster:

No. No. I'm I'm just saying, like, okay. So give me a Padron sixtieth over any Bahia that's there. Okay.

Rooster:

I would rather smoke. That's fine.

Bam Bam:

It's easy to argue against the Bahia. It's very easy to do that because it's so goddamn expensive, and they're very iffy. But you've got tons of other Cuban markets.

Rooster:

I'm sorry.

Senator:

I just wanna be clear.

Rooster:

But this And I don't

Senator:

know if Rooster's saying this, but I hope you are. Take price out of the equation. If a bahique is the

Rooster:

same that satisfies you at every level. Yeah.

Gizmo:

It does.

Senator:

It completely does. Gonna tell me a complete same that you would take a bahique over a Padron's sixtieth?

Bam Bam:

Not a bahique.

Gizmo:

Here's here's how I'm gonna end this argument because we need to move on and get to our ratings tonight. Why?

Rooster:

We're still on this.

Gizmo:

When we've done milestone episodes, New Year's eaves, all the milestone episodes, what do we do every time?

Bam Bam:

We're doing a Cuban.

Gizmo:

And we're doing some sort of aged Cuban. Was in the past, not anymore. No. It is it is that. That's the case.

Gizmo:

We did it. We do it every New Year's.

Senator:

Yeah. And it's Wait till the Padron hundredth comes out.

Rooster:

Yeah. Yeah. When it's $500

Gizmo:

like a bajigar. Yeah.

Bam Bam:

Well,

Rooster:

that's Which, by the way, you joked with George Padronimas. I did. I said, look at that humidor. I said, I can only imagine what

Senator:

the cigars are gonna cost. Correct.

Rooster:

It's an LA Blue humidor that thing is gonna come out Yeah.

Bam Bam:

I'm in support of what you're saying.

Gizmo:

All I'm saying is is is I think there's a recency bias based on what we've talked about tonight. I think if you were to sit back and look through the ratings guide and I you were to think about those moments, that's why we go to Cubans on special milestone episodes. That's why we fall in love with Cubans. Obviously, we backed off them. We found some amazing stuff as we detailed tonight.

Gizmo:

But I think overall, to my point earlier, I think Cubans Cuban tobacco is the most special of the tobacco.

Senator:

The last things I'm just gonna say here, I'm sorry. You know, when you say we go to Cuban cigars for these special moments, we do that because in a special moment, it's okay for us to review a cigar that may be a bit inaccessible and really difficult to find. Mhmm. And the reality with New World cigars is they're very accessible. Mhmm.

Senator:

So, like, there's not the same pressure to pick one of those for a New Year's episode. That's fair. We're we're not gonna light, you know, a 150 sir Winston for, like, a regular episode. And the only reason that that cigar is at that ridiculous price is just because of this bullshit pricing scheme with Habanos and the lack of supply right now that they've skyrocketed like that. So I think that is very much a driving factor, not just, oh my goodness.

Senator:

The experience is so amazing. And on the recency bias thing, we've only recently discovered these amazing new worlds. So, like, if you go back in the catalog, sure, for most of the time we've had this podcast, we didn't know and have this many great options. So that's why we reached for those, and that's why I think to Rooster's point when he says, not anymore, or at least not necessarily anymore. Now we have so many other options.

Senator:

I mean, we just got at that Altadis event a 150 Monte Cristo cigar that years ago I would have laughed at, and now after what we smoked at that event, I can't wait to light that

Bam Bam:

cigar for a big occasion. Yeah. There's a lot of respect for what they're doing now, But getting back to the Cuban conversation, for me, it's the nostalgia component where I'll always gravitate toward a Cuban.

Gizmo:

I think that's fair. Yeah. But I will say to just, you know, put a button on his question, I don't think Cuban cigars are overrated. I think right now they are under you know, they're overvalued. The price is wrong, and, of course, the scarcity is an issue as well.

Gizmo:

And one more question he asked. I just wanna answer this quickly. Any movies do you remember cigars being a prop or involved in the movie? I remember one specifically that I think is hilarious, which was young Frankenstein. Gene Hackman throws up his hands with two cigars.

Gizmo:

He says cigar. You know, that's that's one. And of course, James Bond. There's been James Bond movies.

Bam Bam:

Of course, Scarface.

Gizmo:

Scarface, Always of has a cigar in his mouth.

Bam Bam:

That's correct. Yeah. Every

Pagoda:

Who put this thing together? Me. That's who?

Rooster:

Every Soprano episode. Tony Soprano,

Bam Bam:

of course. That's a

Gizmo:

great one.

Bam Bam:

That's a great

Senator:

Just every single intro for the Sopranos, the theme song when that plays and you see just the smoke billowing in the car when Tony's driving, I mean, that's awesome.

Bam Bam:

Correct.

Gizmo:

Are there any others? I'm trying to think of other movies.

Rooster:

Think was a Harvey Keitel movie, but he was smoking a cigar. So I just don't remember the movie.

Pagoda:

All the new Bollywood movies have cigars now.

Gizmo:

Really?

Pagoda:

Cigars are making it You're through there right.

Chef Ricky:

So many westerns, tombstone. Pizza. Alright,

Gizmo:

boys. We're coming to the end of our evening now. Get your phones out and send me your text of your ratings. But it's time to move into the ratings portion of our program on the Eminente Reserva, Ronde Cuba, and the Ramon Iones specially selected the Robusto from Cuba. Alright, boys.

Gizmo:

Let's move into the formal liquor rating now on the Eminente Reserva, Ronde Cuba. Bam. Bam. You're up.

Bam Bam:

Yeah. So, you know, I mentioned if this were just a touch less expensive, it'd be an incredible experience and so on and so forth. But I'm giving this a 10. I like how unique this is. There's a touch of uniqueness that I don't get in any of the other realms that we've had.

Bam Bam:

It's a little different. I think it's very elegant. I love the it's got legs. I think it's beautifully balanced. There's some sweetness there.

Bam Bam:

There's a touch of minerality that I'm getting. I get pear and apple, butterscotch, and vanilla on this. You give me a bottle of this. I'll drink this all day long. I'll finish that entire bottle in one sip, but I won't ever leave the lounge and I'll need to Uber home.

Bam Bam:

It's that good. I really, really do enjoy this. I think it's an exquisite realm, so I'm at a very, very strong 10.

Gizmo:

All right, chef.

Chef Ricky:

I'm right there with you, Ben. I'm out of 10. I love what they're doing here. I love that they made me think about what exactly it is that they're doing and how they did it with the percentage of our audience and even diving a little bit deeper into what that means for them. I'm definitely going to kind of pay attention to that moving forward when I'm looking for rums and seeing what that percentage is.

Chef Ricky:

And, you know, coming from my love of agave distillates, I love that funk and that that depth and that body, that structure that this room has that some others could just kind of fall flat on or lean in one direction. This one for me just rides that balance, that balance being perfectly between some dry, some sweetness and just complexity. I think it was the perfect rum. Price points a little high. It's you know, it's hard to get.

Chef Ricky:

We can't have it technically. Yeah. I'm sure that has everything to do with it. But, you know, the packaging is gorgeous. It's well worth it in my opinion.

Chef Ricky:

The experience is awesome.

Gizmo:

Alright, Pergado.

Pagoda:

I'm at a nine. I I'll tell you, I was really working very hard to go to 10. It's and I wanted to really say ten ten went. I'm already giving the score for my cigar. But what I really so what I really enjoyed about the rum was, yeah, I think it felt somewhere it wasn't as sweet as a nabella, and at the same time, it wasn't like a flodecarne.

Pagoda:

It was somewhere in between. I really enjoyed it, even though the feel, the texture, the viscosity was just right. So there are really a lot of positives in this. The two things I really, really enjoyed about this was, yeah, I think people had, you know, were mentioning a lot of the butterscotch, which when I left it on my palate for a while and let it warm up, became like sweet toffee. You know?

Pagoda:

It was very, very delicious, I must say. I just think the price point is very high for me. You know? Not only that, you know, I always think when I'm rating a 10, it has to be so far that good when you're comparing with the price that I can completely go and defend it just on the flavor. I think it's a extremely elegant rum.

Pagoda:

You know, it especially in these glasses, you're smoking a Cuban cigar. It felt very nice and it tasted very nice. And, you know, it does feel like if you wanna invite a special guest over and hand them a rum, this could be a really good one for like, even a like a dinner party. You you may not wanna give a floor to Kanye. So I think it fills a lot of gaps.

Pagoda:

But I think paying $85, how how often am I gonna do it? You know, that's the thought process, which kind of really knots the rating a bit down, but overall, an excellent experience.

Gizmo:

So for me, it's also a nine. I honestly, I'm kinda at a lower nine, and I'll tell you why. Number one, I think I was standing at that duty free store debating if I even wanted to buy it at that price for the podcast. That's number one. I was really hesitant to that 85.

Gizmo:

I would say I agree with you, and and I think the price even at 60 is a little too high for this experience. Given the other rums we drink, given specific if we wanna compare apples to apples, every other Cuban rum we've had at the price or lower, I think, is a better performing rum than this. So I was actually teetering a little bit even on the 9.

Bam Bam:

Solely based on price and

Gizmo:

price? No. I don't think that this Specifically as good as Havana Club. What can you

Bam Bam:

give me specific notes that you didn't like in this?

Gizmo:

Yeah. I think it's a little thinner. I think it I prefer the sweetness of a Havana club. I think that actually works better for me. Yeah.

Gizmo:

I think this rum would not perform as well with a Dominican or Nicaraguan cigar as most of those other rums that we just named.

Bam Bam:

I completely disagree.

Gizmo:

And that's fine.

Bam Bam:

No. No. I'm just saying, I think the balance in this is what makes it special.

Gizmo:

I think the balance is interesting, but I don't

Bam Bam:

It's not think too sweet. And there's that little bit touch of dryness that I think that I'm really attracted to.

Gizmo:

Listen. I I like the rum a lot. A nine is not a bad score. Okay?

Bam Bam:

Great score.

Gizmo:

It's not a perfect rum for me.

Bam Bam:

Yeah. Yeah. Okay.

Gizmo:

Not even close. Alright. I think a nine is very fair given the price, given how I think it compares to other Cuban rums. I thought it was very good tonight. I'm glad we did it.

Gizmo:

Is this a special rum for me? No. Am I gonna run out and buy this? No. But I think it's very good.

Bam Bam:

Or you're not gonna find it.

Gizmo:

Well, I could if I wanted to.

Pagoda:

No. But I mean,

Senator:

you can honestly in tons of airports you'll find it.

Pagoda:

To add to this, I was in Costa Rica, bought a Havana seven for $19

Gizmo:

There you go.

Pagoda:

And is it that much better where I would rate it? No. And that's the thought process I was going through.

Gizmo:

But I'm also It like

Pagoda:

is definitely really good. It's up there. You know, I think the price is like four times the price.

Gizmo:

But also, let's look at like the Santiago rums from Cuba. Even if you're looking at the 11 and the 12, forget the 20. Just talk 11 or twelve. I'll take both of those any day over this. I'm sorry.

Chef Ricky:

This is a a seven?

Bam Bam:

I think we're splitting hairs.

Gizmo:

It's nothing. There's no way to say no way

Pagoda:

to say Definitely.

Bam Bam:

Definitely. I do I I think we're splitting hairs for sure.

Gizmo:

That's what we do here.

Bam Bam:

Yeah.

Gizmo:

So for me, it's a nine.

Bam Bam:

Senator. Go split some hairs.

Senator:

No. I think we're more than splitting hairs on this rum at least. I'm in lockstep with Pagoda and Gizmo with a nine. I think it's a great rum. It's really well balanced.

Senator:

The mouthfeel is excellent. Like, it just dances on your palate. There's nothing heavy about it. It's, like, buttery. It's got some sweetness, but it's not too sweet.

Senator:

It's got some dryness, but it's not too dry. I think they've done an excellent job with this rum. I I don't have, you know, major complaints with it. Now is it much better or even better than Abuelo that I love? I don't think so.

Senator:

Or even the standard Havana Club. Like, I think you get a great bottle of Havana seven, and I'm just as satisfied, if not more, as I am with this. The only complaint I have is for some reason, like, on the nose and even on the palate, I get a little bit more like ethanol with this rum than I do Havana seven or Abuelo. Like, it's there. Now I'm not saying it's hot.

Bam Bam:

You too?

Pagoda:

Yeah. Yeah. But the feeling

Bam Bam:

of the front of

Pagoda:

the tongue. There's a little

Gizmo:

more heat.

Pagoda:

Yeah. Completely agree.

Senator:

Taste alcohol. Like, thing that shocks me when you have, like, Havana club meat sometimes and definitely abuelo, you don't get any ethanol or alcohol at all. You're just getting pure rum flavor. And on this, I do get a bit of that, which I don't love. Wow.

Senator:

So that's my one complaint. Like, you know, Bam, you were asking Giz, like, you know, what was Sure. What's your thoughts on the flavor? That's my only complaint.

Bam Bam:

I didn't experience any of that.

Senator:

And and again, it's it's just a bit. It's not in any way that it makes it offensive. Interesting. When you compare it to those others that like, you know, I would jokingly say you could almost give a to a child or even Havana Club to a child. Like, that's how crazy smooth those rums can be.

Senator:

There's just again, it's not harsh because there's no this has gotta be 40%. There's no, like So it's it's not.

Chef Ricky:

You're not wrong. It's 41.3%. Interesting.

Rooster:

Way off. You

Senator:

just splitting hairs.

Gizmo:

That's what

Chef Ricky:

we do here. That's what we

Gizmo:

That's what we

Senator:

do. You just get this little bit more of like an ethanol alcohol nose and a little bit on your palate. And at this price point, I don't expect that to be present at all. And the price point, I absolutely have to factor in because I'm sitting there saying to myself, like, again, when I've seen this in airports, you can find it like $50.60 bucks, at most 65. And can I sit here and say that this provides double or triple the enjoyment that Havana seven or Abuelo provides?

Senator:

There's no way. I don't think anyone would possibly make the argument that this provides two or three times the enjoyment or satisfaction. And so for that reason, I have to be at a nine. Would I drink this again? No question.

Senator:

Do I think they've done an excellent job? I do. But the value's not there to command that price point where I would go out or even recommend someone spend their hard earned money and pay that much of a premium. I mean, you can buy an eighteen year florida cana or several other even types of rums at the same price point or less. They're $25.

Senator:

And they make a ten year aid statement, so we know this is obviously under ten years what's in here that I hope we'll review at some point on the pod, but I just think they're asking too much for what this delivers. It's a really, really excellent rum, but it's not deserving in my estimation of a 10, so I'm at a strong nine. Low nine? Or No. A firm nine.

Bam Bam:

Nine plus?

Senator:

Forgives a nine minus.

Gizmo:

So, boys, the former look rating tonight on the Eminente Reserva, Ron DeCuba is a 9.4.

Bam Bam:

That's a good score. That's a

Gizmo:

great score. Arguing and ended up at the perfect score.

Bam Bam:

I'm glad four. I'm glad chef and I gave it a 10. I mean, I think a nine is still a respectable score if that was the overall score. I think it deserves just a touch above that. I agree.

Pagoda:

This 9.4 is

Bam Bam:

not Yeah. Eight And where we landed I think is great.

Chef Ricky:

Yeah.

Bam Bam:

I tend not to

Gizmo:

Was it worth it? That's all I'm saying.

Bam Bam:

Yeah. I don't know. I don't factor in price when I love something. I just want it.

Senator:

That is also false. No. That's not true. Mean, the guy needs be

Chef Ricky:

$4 for

Rooster:

a However guy who loves

Senator:

much dollar spirit, I mean, I would I can't even believe the price of this.

Bam Bam:

I don't think I've ever said that.

Gizmo:

Let's play grocery games again.

Bam Bam:

Oh, I

Senator:

can't wait

Bam Bam:

for this. Alright, boys. For milk.

Gizmo:

It's time for the formal lizard ring tonight on the Ramon Ionis specially selected. Rooster, you're up. I'm at a 10 plus.

Bam Bam:

Oh.

Rooster:

I mean, this wrasse was absolutely delicious, absolutely delicious. I mean, even before you pick out the cigar, you cut the cigar, the cold draw on the cigar was delicious, The aroma on the wrapper was absolutely fantastic. Then you like the cigar. It's aromatic. It's floral.

Rooster:

It's creamy. It's earthy. There was a nuttiness throughout the cigar. And the cigar actually picked up a little bit in strength. All of those flavor notes were amped up towards the end.

Rooster:

It absolutely it became even more delicious towards the end. And I smoked it to the very, very end. This is one of the staples. I mean, it's the D4. It's the Ras and a couple of other ones that we named.

Rooster:

And this cigar is still I would say it's fairly it hasn't really gone up in price that much. Guess I you can still find Is

Gizmo:

it them around

Rooster:

Well, I mean, can still find it around like 20 comparing to

Bam Bam:

That's $25

Rooster:

like Cohibas and Baekes and stuff like that, like KOROS. So at $25 it's not that outrageous. And to get a 50 cab of these and we all have these in our towers. And when you reach for these, this cigar absolutely satisfies your palate. And for that reason, I'm

Gizmo:

at an

Rooster:

absolute 10. Delicious smoke. Alright, senator.

Senator:

So I'm at a nine.

Gizmo:

What? That's surprising.

Senator:

I I'll start by saying, I mean, I love the RAS. That's no secret for me. The RAS has always been my second favorite Cuban Robusto period. D four and then Ras right behind it. I love this cigar.

Senator:

I think the the blend provides a lot of complexity. All the flavor notes that Rooster mentioned, I think, are are present. The construction, thankfully, for everyone in the room was great. The smoke output, I mentioned this. I mean, a total chimney for this little Robusto.

Senator:

The the smoke had body. It was voluminous. It

Gizmo:

was

Senator:

a luxurious experience. For me, the the thing that precluded it from a 10 and, again, you know, a 10 is this is one of the absolute greatest cigars I've ever had. And for me in the final quarter, I don't think that it smoked as refined as the prior three quarters. I think, like, the flavor got a little bit muddled. It just wasn't as elegant and refined as the rest of the cigar was, and that is a 10.

Senator:

And I smoked this all the way down to the nub. I mean, the flavor was still good. I was enjoying what I was getting. But can I sit there and say that, like, that final, you know, inch or inch and a half was, like, if I'm having a Sir Winston or some of the best d fours I've ever had or some of those types of cigars, I can't? And so, you know, again, at 20 something dollars a stick, I expect it to be perfect all the way through.

Senator:

That's not a cheap cigar. All that's to say, spectacular. I will always love the RAS. I'm glad that this performed well, but it's a really strong nine. I think if anyone hasn't had a RAS, it'd be malpractice if you can get your hands on one not to experience this cigar.

Senator:

It's that good. But am I gonna sit here and say that this is one of the absolute greatest cigars I've ever smoked in my life? I can't go that far, so that's the only reason that I haven't gotten for the 10.

Gizmo:

So for me, it was a 10, and it was one of the best wraths I've ever had. I'm so glad that I sat on this cabinet for as long as I did. I've not reached into this cabinet for so long. I smoked the cigar down to about a half an inch, which I normally do not do. It was amazing throughout the entire cigar, including into the last third, which I think, you know, Rooster and I were talking about the elevation or the emphasis on all of those flavors while it still remained, you know, complete and balanced and and and, you know, full it it full in flavor.

Gizmo:

It was a brilliant Cuban cigar experience tonight. I was so happy with it. Honestly, I came in a little hesitant, you know, given our conversation, expecting someone or two of us in the room to have a problem with construction or something else.

Bam Bam:

A single person touched up their cigar.

Gizmo:

Thank God that that was the case because it was a really great night tonight. I'm so glad that it performed as well as it did, and I'm so glad that I still have quite a few of these cigars to to continue to smoke over the next few years. Brilliant, brilliant experience. It was an excellent world class Cuban Robusto experience tonight. So for me, it's a 10 Pagoda.

Pagoda:

It's a 10 for me. It was so, you know, the last couple of cabs I've got have not really performed very well. I think I've discussed this in the lounge and, you know, with a lot of the people out here. So for me, this was so remarkably different. Well, you're giving them

Gizmo:

out.

Pagoda:

And it was so much better. I really, really enjoyed it. And I think, you know, it's one of those things with cigars, sometimes when you start smoking them, you kind of start reminiscing in the past or at least I do. And it brought me to Rooster's Deck when I had the Ras for the first time. And it was such a wonderful experience.

Pagoda:

And, you know, having a Cuban rum. And I also think that I haven't had a Cuban cigar for quite some time, so it would just you know, the way Cuban cigars envelope your palate, the flavor profile is fantastic. And, you know, I I try and describe this as like a floral salty kind of thing, which was right in the front of my palate into the lips, and I I really enjoyed it. For me, the Ras is one of the best cigars, Cuban cigars, which I've always, you know, obviously the D4 is right up there and, you know, these are the two cigars I've always reached out for and always bought a lot of them. So I've always had some cigars.

Pagoda:

This was just a fantastic experience and I'm really glad I was able to really enjoy the rest after a while, and it's a 10 for me.

Gizmo:

Alright. Chef Ricky.

Chef Ricky:

Yeah. For me, this was an awesome privilege to revisit this cigar with you guys on the pod because I've had it back when it was the wing beneath Pagoda's wings. We know he can fly.

Gizmo:

We know he can fly.

Rooster:

Very true. Very true.

Chef Ricky:

But being able to revisit it on this pod with this rum, it it was a great experience. And for me, Pagoda, I'll say it for you. It was ten ten wins. Yeah. You know, I I I do agree with Senator in that the final third, they get a little muddled.

Chef Ricky:

But I think on my cut, I went a little too deep and it started to unravel for me. But I noticed I was the only one having that issue, so I'll chalk that up as user error. So I didn't knock the score for that because aside from that, everything else for me was phenomenal. And even that final third where I was struggling a bit with the unraveling of my wrapper, I was still getting great flavor. But, yes, it did you know, Ben mentioned a little bit more walnut.

Chef Ricky:

Right? And usually that's a jarring note that we call out in cigars. And sometimes we enjoy it, sometimes we don't. In this case, it was a welcome addition to the flavor that I was getting because prior to that, the first two thirds were nutty or sweeter almond with some salt, with some cream. But man, the smoke here was creamy at points.

Chef Ricky:

Was chewing the smoke just because of the experience it was offering. I really enjoyed the cigar. I loved the pairing. And it was it was just awesome to revisit it so many years later and alongside you guys. So thank you.

Bam Bam:

Alright, Bam. Yeah. I'm at a firm 10. I didn't have any issue from beginning to end. It was a special night.

Bam Bam:

You know? Honestly, I miss smoking this cigar. I wish I could continue smoking it over and over week after week, but that's difficult today. But I thought it was exquisite. A little dry fruit, a lot of sweet cream.

Rooster:

Dry fruit is back, baby.

Bam Bam:

Yeah. You know, it's just this is one of the cigars when you have it's so nostalgic, but the flavor profile is incredible. There's a robustness to this that you don't get in many other Cubans. You can have this. It's versatile with almost any spirit.

Bam Bam:

It can hold its own with a lot of drinks that we like. I just love the cigar. Not a single muddled edge for me. No rough edges right down to the bloody end. So I'm at a very, very strong 10, and thank you for bringing these in.

Bam Bam:

They were great.

Chef Ricky:

And you know what I love about a great Cuban cigar? It makes every cigar you smoke after taste even better.

Gizmo:

Yeah. It elevates.

Chef Ricky:

And that's what I'm experiencing now with the Sonata that Pagoda so graciously gave me. Yeah. It's it's made this cigar even that much better because that Back

Bam Bam:

in the day, most of us would begin our sit with the Cuban. Yeah. And then roll into the new world categories. Right? Those days are over.

Bam Bam:

Then of. Zone often. Yeah.

Gizmo:

Yeah. Alright, boys. The former lizard rating tonight on the Ramon Iona specially selected is a 9.8.

Bam Bam:

Fantastic.

Gizmo:

Great score. Let's compare that to the other Ramon we've done on the podcast on episode 54. We did the Superioris LCDH scored a 5.7. The small club corona on episode 55, actually, the following week. I think that's the first and only time we did a cigar back to back.

Gizmo:

That was, of course, on the short smoke special. The small club corona scored a nine point zero. The number two, the Odysseo and Limitada from 2019 on episode 76, the famous green box 10 count, perfect 10. On episode 109, the number three scored an 8.6. On episode 143, the Gigantes, the big boy scored a 7.1.

Gizmo:

And finally, the first Ras we did on this podcast, the first Ramon we did on this podcast was on episode nine, if you can believe it. Oh, wow. A very, very long time

Bam Bam:

ago. Garage days.

Gizmo:

Scored a nine point zero. So tonight was eight tenths of a point higher than the original RAS we did. And I'm glad that we went back to it. Of course, that was a 2019. Tonight was a twenty twenty one.

Gizmo:

So I'm glad we did it. And I think age really benefited this cigar tonight. Think I think it really, really did and it rounded everything out, man. What a great night tonight. Yeah.

Gizmo:

And by the way, before we wrap up, I wanna say rest in peace to that poor handkerchief that you've been abusing all night tonight.

Bam Bam:

That's correct.

Gizmo:

I'm gonna I'm gonna edit all of that out so that the listeners don't have to hear it, but tonight was one for the ages here in the room.

Senator:

That's gonna need to go through his washing machine at least three times.

Bam Bam:

Oh, yeah. These hankers are powerful.

Chef Ricky:

Just burn that baby.

Rooster:

Yeah. Just burn.

Gizmo:

Just let it let it let it die a slow death.

Bam Bam:

You don't know the power of the dark side. Oh my lord.

Gizmo:

Alright, boys. We have to congratulate again Lizards Cigar with his awesome email that prompted our discussion again about Cupid cigars being overrated. He was our lizard of the week. Thanks to Bon Roberts for presenting our lizard of the week segment and sending all of our lizards of the week a 10 count box of cigars. Of course, we have to thank Small Batch Cigar Boys, the official retailer of the Lounge Lizards Podcast.

Gizmo:

They're fantastic. I just ordered some stuff from them last week for the pod. A bunch of stuff coming up. Came in two days from California to New Jersey. Unreal.

Gizmo:

I I don't even know how that's possible. Yeah. It's like they hand delivered it, but it was amazing. And, of course, we have to thank our presenting sponsor, Fabric of Five Boys. We've mentioned them quite a few times tonight as we've been discussing a rotation, summer smokes, replacing Cuban cigars rotation.

Gizmo:

I mean, it's really been working in the room. Presenting sponsored or not, I mean, those cigars are just brilliant.

Bam Bam:

Correct.

Senator:

Get the new releases.

Bam Bam:

Get the new releases.

Gizmo:

The Bon Roberts, Dahlias because Gizmo's not gonna share

Senator:

them with us.

Gizmo:

So That is correct.

Bam Bam:

Goddamn right.

Rooster:

That is correct.

Gizmo:

And, boys, one more time tonight on the pod, the Eminente Reserva, Rhonda Cuba, scored a 9.4, and the Ramon Allones Specially Selected was a 9.8.

Bam Bam:

Delicious evening.

Gizmo:

What an awesome evening. We'll be back to a Cupid Cigar in about five weeks on episode 240. And until then, we'll see everybody next week. Hope you enjoyed this episode. Thanks for joining us.

Gizmo:

You could find our merch store and ratings archive at our brand new website, loungelizardspod.com. That's lounge lizards p o d dot com. Don't forget to leave us a rating and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. If you have any comments, questions, if you wanna reach out, say hello, tell us what you're smoking, email us. Hello at loungelizardspod.com.

Gizmo:

You can also find us on Instagram at Lounge Lizards Pod. We really appreciate your time, and we'll, we'll see you next week.