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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!
Welcome to the Lounge Lizards podcast presented by Fabric of Five. It's so good to have you here. It's a leisure and lifestyle podcast founded on our love and 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, Pagoda, chef Ricky, and Bam Bam.
Gizmo:And I plan to smoke a cigar, drink some whiskey, talk about life, and, of course, have some laughs. So take this as your two hundred and forty sixth official invitation to join us and become a card carrying lounge lizard when we use you once a week. We're gonna smoke a Nicaraguan cigar tonight, share our thoughts on it, and give you a formal lizard rating. We discuss what might cause cigars to lose flavor when stored in tupper doors. We answer a listener email on finding work in the cigar industry, and we share the cigar accessories we can't live without, all among a variety of other things for the next two hours.
Gizmo:So sit back, get your favorite drink, light up a cigar, enjoy as we pair Madeira finished Penderyn single malt whiskey with the Dunbarton Tobacco and Trust, tenth Jubilee. A Corona Gorda on the pod tonight, boys, from Nicaragua. Mhmm. And we are back once again to Dunbarton Tobacco and Trust celebrating their tenth birthday with the tenth Jubilee tonight, and it's a 48 ring gauge cigar by five and five eighths inches long. And, boys,
Bam Bam:this cigar It's is dense and very attractive. Very good looking cigar.
Pagoda:A good
Gizmo:looking cigar. And we have to point, of course, to Rooster here. Rooster, there's a beautiful pigtail on this.
Rooster:It's a small pigtail.
Pagoda:It's a 10.
Gizmo:Correct. Yeah.
Rooster:That does get an extra point
Pagoda:from me.
Gizmo:No. Fair
Bam Bam:enough. No. It's a great looking suit.
Rooster:I love the bands on this.
Bam Bam:Love The
Rooster:gold most of his and navy blue.
Gizmo:Yeah. I think it's very classy.
Bam Bam:Most of his bands are beautiful.
Chef Ricky:Love that matte finish on it.
Bam Bam:Happy birthday, Steve.
Chef Ricky:Or satin.
Gizmo:It's a beautiful looking cigar. I'm curious how the draw is going be with this density, but let's cut this thing, boys. See what we're getting on the cold draw and the wrapper. Had these cigars for quite some time, so I'm excited tonight to to try them.
Bam Bam:How long?
Gizmo:Probably had them about three months, four months. Oh,
Bam Bam:wow. Oh, my draw is perfect. Yeah.
Rooster:My
Gizmo:Wow. That's good construction. Think about like, you feel how much tobacco's in there? Like, you can't even pinch it.
Bam Bam:Well, I'm getting a lot of what I'm you typically getting on his cigars. I'm getting a deep berry on a dry
Pagoda:Deep berry.
Bam Bam:Yes. Yeah. A touch of cocoa and cedar.
Gizmo:I'm getting a touch of mint.
Bam Bam:Not me. It's like chocolate mint. If you
Gizmo:pull it quite a few times in a row, it's definitely there. I was smelling the wrapper before. I didn't get much on the foot. No. Yeah.
Gizmo:Didn't get much on the wrapper, but the cold draw is fantastic. Yes. All right, boys. Let's light this thing. The Dunbarton Tobacco and Trust tenth Jubilee coming out of Nicaragua.
Gizmo:Again, it's a 48 ring gauge cigar by five and five eighths inches long. Coming in boxes of 13, the cigars MSRP is just under $19 or $250 a box. Okay. And we got them with our small batch code for just under $17 each shipped, which
Bam Bam:is great. Not a cheap cigar.
Gizmo:Not a cheap cigar. But you know, I got to tell you, I love this size. I love a Corona Gorda.
Rooster:Nice on the light. Nice start.
Bam Bam:A lot of flavor there. A touch peppery for me.
Gizmo:Just a touch. I'm not getting any unpleasantness with it. I like that there's a little bit of a bite there, but I don't it's it's great.
Bam Bam:You're getting any sweetness of any kind?
Gizmo:Yes.
Bam Bam:I am not.
Chef Ricky:I'm not getting a lot of sweetness at all. Getting very tannic notes, almost drying but not in the negative sense that we've used it in the past.
Gizmo:There's definitely a little sweetness there. I would argue that the sweetness is tying it all together.
Bam Bam:For me. You're not retro ing just yet because it would burn your nose hairs off. It's quite strong. Retro's a little bit more peppery. Yeah.
Bam Bam:It's gonna take time to settle in.
Gizmo:Let let that settle in, but I like the
Rooster:traditional draw. Cigar, what do
Gizmo:you think of it on the white?
Pagoda:I'm getting a little bit of the biscuit smell. You know, the Indian biscuit, the glucose, which I saw.
Bam Bam:I know those. Yeah, yeah. It feels a little bit
Pagoda:like baking spice, a bit sweet.
Chef Ricky:You know, with the mention of baking spice, this is where I'm going. The tannin quality of clove, right? To yeah. Pagoda's point of baking spice, there's some of that there, I'm getting some clove there with not much sweetness. That's what's
Pagoda:And you know the cloves could explain his mint, the coolness
Bam Bam:you get, you know a little
Pagoda:bit of the cool,
Gizmo:That's
Pagoda:a
Gizmo:great point, by the a good call out.
Bam Bam:Great point.
Gizmo:But I'm not getting the mint now. I got it on the
Bam Bam:cold draw. Yeah. I'm not sure if I'm liking this just yet. It's okay for me.
Gizmo:I'm definitely getting a little tea going back to
Bam Bam:Oh yeah, black tea.
Gizmo:A little bit of black tea, especially on the burn line through the nose.
Bam Bam:I am getting it on a traditional draw.
Rooster:Are we
Chef Ricky:sure this is an Iraqi Patel? So many Indian notes.
Bam Bam:It's made in India.
Pagoda:Could you imagine?
Bam Bam:Yeah. I think I'm I'm gonna need some time for this to settle in.
Gizmo:I'm very happy with it right now.
Bam Bam:Yeah. I'm enjoying
Gizmo:know what though? That happens sometimes with Steve's Saka cigars.
Bam Bam:I know.
Gizmo:It takes you on a journey. It takes a little bit to get into it, but it's a buildup. You know? What I like about his cigars, especially for a lot of his contemporaries or peers, a lot of folks that are making cigars in his realm want to punch you in the face on the open. We've talked about that before.
Gizmo:And what I like about Steve Cigars is he does take that Cuban cigar model of that old school model of taking you on a journey. Of course, there's a very good possibility this is gonna get pretty full.
Chef Ricky:Yeah.
Gizmo:But right now, I'd argue this is medium. You know? Yeah. A lot of flavor. Mhmm.
Gizmo:What do you think, Brewster?
Rooster:Right now, I actually love it.
Bam Bam:Do you?
Rooster:I like the cigar.
Bam Bam:Okay.
Rooster:I like the full flavors that you're getting right on the light. I'm also getting kind of like a coffee thing happening. I like the coffee note coming through. The spice, maybe it's on the retrohale, it's more dominant, but on a traditional draw, I don't get much spice. I get a little bit of spice, but it's on the smoke, on the smell.
Bam Bam:The aroma.
Rooster:The aroma on that, but not on the draw so far.
Bam Bam:I've only retrohaled twice because it's quite strong. For me, I'm getting a good deal of pepper on the traditional draw with now a bit of a sweetness developing now.
Chef Ricky:Was going say, I think you're going to start turning because mine
Rooster:got When I lit the cigar, this reminded me of a Padron ninetieth. Just on the light. And then that sweet note is coming through, which takes a while on the ninetieth to get to. Especially the Maduro.
Gizmo:If you believe it, boys, this is the seventh Dunbarton that we are doing on this podcast. I remember when
Bam Bam:Way too many.
Gizmo:We did the first one, and we thought it had taken us too long to get there, And we've enjoyed so many of them.
Bam Bam:I can't wait to hear the ratings.
Gizmo:That, you know, I when I saw this being reviewed well around, obviously this was a pretty highlighted release of PCA for him this year. Tenth anniversary. Yeah, it's only appropriate that we bring it in. And I love the 48 ring gauge cigar.
Bam Bam:I do too.
Rooster:Yeah, it's a great size. Yeah, think there's a little bit of earthiness on the cigar.
Bam Bam:No doubt.
Rooster:Yeah, leather earth.
Bam Bam:That's kind of what's throwing me off, think.
Chef Ricky:Leather spot on.
Bam Bam:I'm not looking for that, and I'm getting it.
Gizmo:But we'll see. So let's talk about the makeup of the cigar boys. The wrapper is Ecuadorian Sumatra seed. The binder is from Mexico, and the filler is all from Nicaragua, Condega, Esteli, Jalapa, and Ometepe. Again, coming in boxes of 13, these MSRP at $18.95.
Gizmo:They came out just before PCA, February 2026. So getting some info on the release from Half Wheel and Saka. This cigar is billed as the company's first national release with an Ecuadorian Sumatra seed wrapper. They did have another cigar with the wrapper, but it was only offered to stores in New Hampshire, the company's home state. So this is the first one that's been widely available to their entire dealer network.
Gizmo:So this is made at Nicaragua American Cigars SA, same factory that makes Micarita, which is another one of his lines, of course. We haven't done those. We should. Mhmm. So the binder from Mexico, four different fillers.
Gizmo:Saka said that he has not used any of these six specific tobaccos before. From him, he says, I decided the Corona Gorda is the ideal size Vitola to deliver this expression rather than a large figurado. This Liga just simply sings in this unassuming format, he says. And since I was in for a penny, I might as well be in for a pound, so I opted to present it in an understated, albeit beautiful box with simple rings and price it true to its costs, which made it not our least expensive, but a far cry less than some of our other existing Poros. And he previewed it at $20.25 PCA, and it came out right before $20.26 PCA.
Gizmo:So I will say to his note there, I am happy that you know you see so many cigars come out celebrating anniversaries, five years, ten years, fifteen, twenty years. I love that this is a cigar at his ten year anniversary that's under $20.
Bam Bam:I agree.
Gizmo:And he could charge more if he wanted to. He certainly has the the cult status, you know, and and people love his cigars.
Bam Bam:I'd like to what his sales look like. Do we have any info on that? No intel. It'd be I'd be curious. I know he's more of a cottage level, smaller boutique maker, but it'd be
Gizmo:And that's by choice.
Bam Bam:I know.
Gizmo:Because if he wanted to if he wanted to be at scale
Chef Ricky:Yeah. Yeah.
Gizmo:Yeah. Where he wasn't Jewish state, he could have done that, but he doesn't wanna do that. No. No.
Pagoda:He does have a lot of variety, though.
Gizmo:Yeah. There's a lot of lines.
Pagoda:Oh, yeah.
Bam Bam:And and he seems to be very thoughtful about the way he comes out with his cigars.
Gizmo:I think it's off to a nice start.
Bam Bam:It's getting better for me.
Rooster:It's very different than the creme brulee.
Bam Bam:Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah.
Pagoda:And mister lover lover, the meat lover.
Bam Bam:They finished that off they in a finished that creme brulee off in a spray booth.
Gizmo:Alright, boys. Let's go to some news now. We have some pretty interesting Cuba news to talk about tonight. Actually, a bunch of stories out of Cuba all coming around the same time. We're gonna start with this one.
Gizmo:The Festival Del Habano scheduled for 2026 was obviously postponed in February and now has been officially canceled. So it will not be coming up anywhere else.
Rooster:Did you expect anything different?
Gizmo:You know what I did expect? And I think we talked about this. I expected them to do it somewhere else in the world. I expected them to do it in London. I expected them to do it in Cyprus, Hong Kong.
Bam Bam:Dubai. Any of those. They could have done it there too.
Gizmo:So I'm surprised, given where the customer base is really located Spain. I'm surprised that they're not doing it, and I'm sure it's just out of respect either for what's going on in Cuba or the challenges the business is facing in production, or they just can't get the resources together to do it. Sure.
Rooster:Yeah. But Plus, they also
Gizmo:have the challenge with the Chengdu stuff
Bam Bam:That's cool.
Gizmo:Figuring all that ownership out around the world. Another year of
Rooster:that would be Habanos Festival in Cuba brings in a lot of people, a lot of money Yeah. Into Cuba.
Bam Bam:That's correct.
Rooster:So they would lose out on all of that.
Bam Bam:Restaurants, bars, etcetera, etcetera.
Gizmo:But I think I think there's a lot of pressure from The United States on folks going to Cuba. And what I mean by that is, you know, for a lot of countries out there who don't have like an automatic visa with reciprocity with us, you know, Australia is one. There's others, you know, many others. If you go to Cuba and they find out about it, they will not let you into The United States. So it's interesting.
Gizmo:The United States citizens through OFAC can go to Cuba and come back. Cuba, come back. If you are from somewhere else in the world and you go to Cuba, you can't come here.
Bam Bam:Ever.
Gizmo:Really? At least under the current administration. So I'll give you an example. Rabbi Allah hasn't been to Cuba in quite some time because he's running a business here in The States and wants to be able to come to The States. If he goes to Cuba, he will not be allowed entry into The United States.
Gizmo:So to your point, Rooster, I think that, you know, this is a big loss for them in so many ways, but I don't know even if they pushed forward if they would have been able to get the kind of business and volume in because there's just a lot of pressure, you know, geopolitically going on in Cuba. Their notes said, the organizing committee of the festival announces that after evaluating the current context and with the purpose of preserving the standards of excellence that distinguish this renowned international event, the twenty sixth Habanos Festival will not be held this year. The organizing committee will continue to monitor the evolution of the context with the aim of holding a future edition when conditions allow the festival to be offered with the excellent scope and quality that have made it an international benchmark. So that's pretty wild. So I have a question for you guys.
Gizmo:Do you think that there's ever gonna be a Habanos festival in Havana ever again? Of course, yes. You think so?
Pagoda:Absolutely.
Bam Bam:That's hard to know.
Gizmo:If I had to put money on it today, would say no.
Bam Bam:Yeah, it's really hard to know. I just think given this administration,
Pagoda:it's been extremely tough, especially when it's come to certain countries. Having said that,
Bam Bam:I think, you know, you go back to Obama days and, you know, things were a little more liberal.
Pagoda:You have a different administration with a slightly different view. It changes a lot of things.
Gizmo:But I do think that there is going to be a serious repair process that needs to happen, infrastructure, you know, fuel, tobacco. And like I said a couple weeks ago, if you have fields to plant, are you gonna put tobacco there or are gonna put food?
Bam Bam:This is not going to happen for a very long time, Giz.
Gizmo:I
Bam Bam:agree. You have to have a plan. You need financial deployment and a source of income. Where's that coming from? This is a cash crop for them.
Gizmo:But it's a tiny cash crop.
Bam Bam:It may take a generation to get Cuba up to the current global standards of what a nation looks like, how it operates. It could be a generation.
Rooster:I just wonder if the current administration in The US was different, would things in Cuba be different?
Bam Bam:It's hard to know.
Gizmo:It's hard to know.
Bam Bam:Would you, as the president of The United States, deploy funds required to rebuild that entire country? You have a responsibility to manage your own country. You need multiple nations involved here.
Gizmo:Isn't that trillions of dollars? Of course. It's effectively If it's a
Bam Bam:entire nation, you're talking trillions. If it's just Havana and the local surrounding
Pagoda:communities That can't
Gizmo:be the case. It has to be everywhere.
Bam Bam:Yeah. Or if you phase it, if you start with that area and then work your way out over twenty years, thirty, fifty years, you're gonna need that kind of time. This is not a small undertaking. Not a small undertaking. You're talking generations of time.
Rooster:Yeah, mean, I don't know. There's no easy fix for Cuba.
Bam Bam:It's been fixed it's been stuck in the fifties for how many years?
Gizmo:Seventy years? Yeah. Eighty years. This is the worst we have ever seen. There's no question about that.
Gizmo:And and by the way, we're not just positing that. Folks who have been there for the revolution period, for the special period in the early nineties after the Soviet Union fell. People that have been there for all of that say that this is easily the worst of all of them. Yeah. And by a lot.
Gizmo:So it's really unfortunate what's going on there. And of course, you know, for us, the context of the cigars is important to the program here. But as it relates to the people of Cuba, you know, it's it's an even more important discussion to have and I I'm glad we're able to talk about it.
Bam Bam:Would anyone here go back?
Gizmo:I would go back.
Bam Bam:Because I've had it in the back of my mind recently to wanna take a trip there.
Gizmo:I would really love to go back. The problem is is just the challenges that come around it. I know.
Bam Bam:You know?
Pagoda:Under different conditions, of course.
Gizmo:Yeah.
Bam Bam:Or maybe current conditions. You know, they might not even let me back in.
Gizmo:You might be in trouble.
Bam Bam:You're a marked man.
Rooster:You just don't wanna be stuck there.
Bam Bam:Just wear sunglasses, okay?
Gizmo:Let's move on now, boys. This one is actually in tandem with that previous story. Alongside that announcement, Habanos announced that the Talisman, which was a very very popular Addision Limitada from 2017 and then it was re released in 2019, is now going to be a regular production Cohiba cigar. So they say here the popular limited edition smoke released twice by Habanos SA won't be limited any longer. The cigar is being added to the brand's regular portfolio as part of the sixtieth anniversary celebration of the Cohiba brand.
Gizmo:So, of course, this is something that would have premiered at the Habanos Festival in February and March. This is credit to Cigar Aficionados. Thanks to those guys. The Talisman is a pigtailed smoke measuring 54 ring gauge by six and one eight inches long, debuted in November 2017 as an EL, and at the time, it was considerably expensive. $87 for a single cigar.
Bam Bam:Have you ever had it?
Gizmo:I have had one.
Bam Bam:I haven't even heard of it.
Gizmo:It's a very, very popular
Chef Ricky:Okay.
Gizmo:EL. How was it? It was excellent.
Bam Bam:Really?
Gizmo:Now, is it worth a $100? No. No. They brought it back again two years later because it was so popular, and now I think they've just been rolling with it in production and they're not stopping. So it is going to be regular production.
Gizmo:So they're saying that it's going to be premiered. I guess it kind of like a Habanos Festival Junior Festival in October in London celebrating sixty years of the Cohiba brand. So I think it's just gonna be a little bit of a scaled down celebration. Apparently, there's no word on pricing, but it's almost a certainty that the cigar will probably be, I would assume, 200 a cigar. That would be my thinking.
Gizmo:Just a touch under Behike. Yeah. No. Thank you.
Bam Bam:You know, it's like They can't help themselves.
Gizmo:To me, it's like this is like, you know, it's like Habanos is like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic with this. Because, I mean, are you really going to see any of these in in any sort of quantity coming out No. In a retail chain No. When they can't get D fours off the aisle?
Bam Bam:When they can't get eggs to fry for breakfast.
Gizmo:I I just don't understand it. Guess, you know, listen, they're eternal optimists. But, you know, I don't think we're going to see many of these coming in the foreseeable future. But there will be a party in October keeping the excitement going around Cohiba and we will see how it goes, boys. We will keep everybody updated.
Gizmo:How's the cigar for you right now?
Bam Bam:On another note. You in? Oh, this thing has gotten fucking delicious.
Chef Ricky:Fold you.
Bam Bam:So I'm getting in the background a little bit of molasses and raisin for me right now, And I'm still getting a beautiful balance of earthy minerality, touch of cedar, but that sweet kind of like a dry fruit raisiny thing and molasses is fantastic. This would be great with a cup of coffee.
Rooster:It's like a hint of licorice.
Chef Ricky:Yeah. It's going back to the cloves. Was just going to say, everything that Ben mentioned, I'm getting with some of that clove kind of weaving in and out. On the finish maybe. Yeah, and those tannic notes.
Rooster:Was gonna say like cardamom, but it's more like clove or
Pagoda:You gotta look
Bam Bam:chocolate how razor sharp the ashes. Yeah, that's fantastic.
Pagoda:It's an excellent burn. And not only that, I think in
Bam Bam:the flavor, so complex because it's not just coming up to with
Pagoda:one flavor. It's like
Bam Bam:multiple flavors across the palate. It's a very
Rooster:rich experience.
Bam Bam:It's a rich cigar. Yes. For $19 right now, it's a great value.
Chef Ricky:Well put, yeah. Right? Super rich, yeah. I knew Bam was enjoying it once the feet went up
Gizmo:on table. Yeah, so Bam, for the first time, I think in two forty six episodes, has put his feet up on the table.
Bam Bam:Yeah, I was on a bender last night.
Rooster:And for the listeners, he's got flip flops on.
Bam Bam:Okay. And his nails are overgrown. They are a touch actually. But I have body aches from last night. Like I woke up after having way too much, too many Manhattans, and I'm I'm pretty fucked up.
Bam Bam:Still not feeling great.
Pagoda:Hair or the dog, just get one drink. You'll be fine.
Bam Bam:Well, let's taste this this spirit soon.
Gizmo:We'll get there in a minute. I'm really enjoying this cigar. I think it's a very unique profile. I I don't think right now that I can point it tasting to like anything else I've smoked.
Bam Bam:Correct.
Gizmo:I think that's a compliment I at this think the smoke output is great. I just can't believe again for how dense it is, how much tobacco is in here, how great and perfect the draw is. Yeah. All around, I just think it's a wonderful smoke. The retrohale is still not my favorite.
Gizmo:No, prefer the regular draw, but I'm not going to penalize it for that. That's only that's only plus side. I don't take away for that.
Bam Bam:That's
Gizmo:true. But, you know, really nice so far. This is the best Saka cigar I've had. That's interesting. Really love better.
Gizmo:I really love cincompre miso.
Bam Bam:So that's cincompre For me,
Rooster:this is better. This is fuller. This is a richer experience.
Bam Bam:Yeah. It's a bit richer, Giz. He's right. Yeah. But the Cincompromiso has such a berry forward experience.
Bam Bam:It's almost like eating a fruitcake. It's incredible, that cigar. And I haven't had it in a very,
Gizmo:Red that we had, the last one we had That was very good.
Bam Bam:Yeah. That was good. I think
Chef Ricky:it comes down to just personal preference, Preferring
Bam Bam:This this does distinguish itself in richness. Yeah. And that is pretty massive for under $20.
Rooster:I just love everything about this cigar so far. Mhmm.
Gizmo:I love the size.
Rooster:I love the wrapper. I love the bands. I love the flavor.
Bam Bam:You know, it's so unique. It could go alongside an ExcoSivo in an evening and be very differentiated from everything you have. It'll complement the ExcoSivo. It'll complement, I think, a lot of the aging rooms that we have. It'll you know what?
Bam Bam:This will complement the Trinidad The Spirit of Camp. Absolutely. You have that trifecta of those of these three cigars together in one night, you are totally satisfied.
Gizmo:Yeah. But I liked what you said before that I think that if you wanted to have this on a Saturday morning with a cup of coffee
Bam Bam:Oh, yeah.
Gizmo:I think it's going to be great there.
Bam Bam:I agree.
Rooster:It's going to slot very much I in mean, as full as it is
Gizmo:It's smooth.
Rooster:You could have it in
Gizmo:the morning.
Bam Bam:Yeah. It's smooth.
Gizmo:It's so I think it's the smoothness
Bam Bam:of It's smooth.
Gizmo:I think this is a very accessible cigar. You know, I don't know if I would hand this to a beginner smoker, but someone who's got some reps and enjoys cigars. I think that this is a nice bit of a divergent flavor I think that clove thing that chef and Pagoda were pointing to, I think that's a really unique flavor call out here.
Pagoda:You know, like Senator would say, this is a very well balanced cigar.
Bam Bam:It is. You know, I was
Pagoda:just thinking about, I go back to Closes' comments in terms of when you experience a cigar. It's got the reasonable amount of acidity as well where it just kind of slightly wet your palate.
Bam Bam:That's correct.
Pagoda:It's really interesting how Is
Bam Bam:your mouth water?
Chef Ricky:Yep. A little bit.
Bam Bam:And not excessively. No, no, no. And it's not, it's just perfect.
Rooster:I can't just finish finish as long on this.
Bam Bam:Very long. And honestly your If if you can retrohale. For me now, it's I'm getting a nice nutty finish on the retro, the tail end of it. But it's gotta be very slight because if you take too much, yeah, it's tough.
Gizmo:It's still taking away more than
Bam Bam:it's adding right now for me, so
Gizmo:I'm gonna wait until, you know, we get into the middle of the cigar or something. I'll give it another shot.
Chef Ricky:I'm getting nuttiness and a touch of creaminess on the retro for me.
Bam Bam:That's exactly what I'm getting.
Chef Ricky:Yeah. I'm enjoying the retro.
Bam Bam:But you can't take a deep retro. It's gotta be a very shallow
Gizmo:Almost like in combo with the regular draw.
Bam Bam:Exactly.
Gizmo:A little bit of smoke through the nose, rest through the mouth kind of thing.
Bam Bam:So at the tail end of my traditional draw, then I'm rattroing right away. And I'm capturing a little cream and a little nutty.
Gizmo:Isn't it amazing how some cigars, even if they're super full, you can throw the whole thing through the nose no problem? Other cigars that could be, you know, super mild. Yep. Can't, tonight, you can't even get the whole thing through and It's it'd be amazing how that I
Bam Bam:think it adds a great facet to the experience if you can do it.
Gizmo:Yeah. Off to a nice start here. Yeah. Let's do one more Cuba story, boys. I found this.
Gizmo:This is another interesting one because we've spent a lot of time at some of these properties. The Spanish hotel chain, Melia, has ceased operation in Cuba under pressure from Washington.
Bam Bam:I wanna know how that works. How does Washington pressure
Gizmo:It's pressure on money transfers, pressure on banks not allowing transfers in and out. It's a it's a it's, you know, know, they might put pressure on them to not be able to operate in other United States territory. Know, are
Bam Bam:they operating in The US?
Gizmo:They operate all over the world.
Bam Bam:So if they're not operating in The US and not cash They're
Gizmo:Spanish, by the
Pagoda:way.
Bam Bam:So, yeah, so if they're not cash flowing here in The US, and they're deploying funds from, let's say, Europe, how does The United States have jurisdiction to close
Gizmo:The United States could say that American citizens can't stay on their properties
Bam Bam:because they're aiding Well, we can't anyway stay there.
Gizmo:In Cuba, but I'm saying
Bam Bam:Oh, elsewhere. Of course. Ah, I see. I see.
Gizmo:So the Spanish hotel chain is going to cease all operations in Cuba due to major difficulties, quote, unquote, in doing business on the island under growing pressure from Washington. The latest US sanctions make it, quote, impossible, de facto, and du jour to maintain even minimal operational stability, end quote. The Melia group explained in a statement to the Spanish stock market regulator. The company said it would strive to ensure a smooth transition to reduce the impact as much as possible on staff, suppliers, and clients. Last month, they announced that they'd cease operating 15 of their 34 hotels in Cuba, joining other foreign companies that have cut ties with the island's military conglomerate, Gaiesa, who we've talked to a lot.
Gizmo:That's effectively the the cabal that runs all business in Cuba under total pressure from Washington. Melia, one of the largest foreign hotel operators in Cuba with 14,000 rooms, did not refer in that statement to the other 19 hotels that operated in Cuba in partnership with the country's tourism ministry. Of course, now they're going to completely cease at all 34 properties. Melia was the first Spanish hotel group to establish a presence in Cuba after the Caribbean nation opened its tourism sector to foreigners in the nineteen nineties, hoping to ease, as we talked about a little earlier, the economic crisis triggered by the collapse of the Soviet Union. In addition to an economic embargo in place since 1962, Washington, they say here, has blocked all oil shipments to the island since January '26 with the exception of a single Russian ship.
Gizmo:So the 34 properties I pulled, the names of all of them, and I'm not gonna go through all 34, but there are quite a few in Veradero. There's some elsewhere on the island, Calla Largo, Calla Santa Maria, Cayo Coco, Cayo Guillermo, San Fuegos, and there's one in Santiago De Cuba. And in Havana, this is pretty interesting, the Melia Cohiba, the Melia Habana, and the Habana Libre. What
Bam Bam:a shame.
Gizmo:So the one that we've really spent a lot of time at is the first one on this list, the Melia Cohiba. One of our favorite LCDHs.
Bam Bam:I love that place.
Gizmo:To spend time at, we go back in, there's a back room, air conditioned with a beautiful view of the Malecon and the ocean. It's a real tragedy that these hotels, and by the way, I want to make note for the listeners. When we've been there, even when we were there three, four years ago, whenever you and I first went, we're coming up on four years by the
Chef Ricky:I know.
Gizmo:It's crazy.
Bam Bam:Still feels like a month ago.
Gizmo:It's crazy. The hotel was pretty empty. Yeah? Then. And It they were still operating.
Gizmo:The idea now that, you know, that they're gonna cease all operations, I mean, it's gotta be pretty bad. But it's sad, man. That's a great hotel for cigar smokers
Bam Bam:and lounge. That Humidor was fantastic.
Rooster:But don't you think under the current conditions, these hotels were already struggling? Yes. There's no tourism, so who's going there?
Gizmo:A great question.
Rooster:They probably would have closed on
Bam Bam:That's their an older property. Go further downtown, those are beautiful, brand new, beautifully designed hotels that are also empty. Imagine the $40.50, $80,000,000 that they've probably had to spend to build one building, probably more, gone to waste. It's completely languishing now. Those are also empty.
Bam Bam:Think about that. At least in Melia Cohiba, it's made its money over the generations, Over the years. These new properties are just a huge loss.
Chef Ricky:Let's not forget now it's that many more people without jobs in Cuba.
Pagoda:Correct. Yep. There's no energy there. Crazy. It's like
Gizmo:yeah. I mean, I don't know how anybody's doing it. I feel so bad for the Cuban people. I'll be honest, I've heard so little from our friends there. It's so hard to get in touch with them.
Gizmo:Mhmm. The WhatsApp messages don't deliver.
Bam Bam:You you you know that there's a power issue.
Gizmo:They're they're preserving their energy on their phones.
Rooster:It's they're choking the country.
Gizmo:Yeah. No cellular.
Bam Bam:The only ones that I hear from are the ones that have left the country. Yeah. But unless you're leaving the country, you're not communicating with anyone there, you know.
Gizmo:Alright, boys. It's time now to go into our pairing. We have a very unique one tonight. This one, it's called the Penderyn Single Malt Welsh Whisky, Madeira Finish.
Bam Bam:Who recommended this? Like, where did we find this? It's very unusual.
Gizmo:I think Senator found it.
Bam Bam:Did he have it?
Gizmo:I don't know. He's the one that told me to get it. I don't know if he heard it or saw it or something.
Bam Bam:Yeah. But cheers, boys. Cheers.
Gizmo:Cheers. Let's see how it does with Well,
Pagoda:been into Madera wine.
Gizmo:Yeah, that could be it.
Bam Bam:I'm kidding.
Chef Ricky:I'm loving the nose. It's very Sherry forward.
Gizmo:It's very And it's cherry forward. Right?
Bam Bam:It's a very light whiskey.
Gizmo:It's nice though.
Bam Bam:It's very well balanced. Actually drinks like a tequila in some ways.
Chef Ricky:Like this cigar, there's a ton of flavor here.
Gizmo:I don't know. I like that.
Chef Ricky:The finish is crazy.
Gizmo:I like that a lot. This is, by the way, 46 ABV.
Bam Bam:Okay.
Gizmo:46. Normally in a scotch, we're at forty, forty three. This one's 46 tonight.
Bam Bam:It's nice. It goes down very easily. It's smooth. It lacks a little flavor for me. I'm I'm not getting much yet just yet on the aroma or on the palate.
Bam Bam:But it
Pagoda:you know,
Bam Bam:it's very smooth.
Gizmo:I think there's a ton of flavor here. I think it's actually making the cigar pop.
Chef Ricky:I'm getting a ton of almond. I'm getting some cherry on the nose. Definitely cherry. Maybe
Bam Bam:a little pear. I'm getting an Yeah.
Chef Ricky:There's some apples.
Gizmo:A little fruitiness.
Chef Ricky:I'm even getting what I feel is like a little peat or oak from the barrel. I mean, this it's bright and dark at the same time like the cigar presents. Really I really, really like it.
Gizmo:Can I throw a crazy flavor note out? Pineapple. Oh, you're not wrong.
Bam Bam:Yeah.
Gizmo:You're not wrong. That's the one that's like I think Pagoda and I
Bam Bam:are desperate to get anything. The same here. You've got your nose in there. You're covering it, trying to get something. I'm trying to get something.
Pagoda:Freeze Pagoda. I really can't get anything.
Bam Bam:It's a very slightly It has a very slight profile, meaning Yeah.
Pagoda:It's not like it's not that aromatic
Bam Bam:because they're making it sound. It's pleasant though.
Gizmo:No. Think there's a lot here and I think you're gonna adjust. I think you're gonna adjust to come around like you did on the cigar.
Bam Bam:How much is that?
Gizmo:So this was $63. And this is the first Welsh whiskey we've done on the pod. So this is not a scotch. This is a single malt whiskey
Bam Bam:It's a whiskey. Yeah.
Rooster:From Wales. It doesn't from the glasses I'm looking at, it doesn't look very viscous.
Bam Bam:No. It's
Chef Ricky:not. Not. But it still offers a lot of flavor.
Gizmo:So do you think that's why they proof it up? Yeah. Because it is Yeah. Inner spirit?
Chef Ricky:I I would definitely encourage you guys to let it run down the sides of your tongue if
Bam Bam:you
Chef Ricky:haven't yet. That really opens it up. I I think for I was shocked. Like, was ready for the finish to end, it kinda kept going, and it caught me by surprise.
Gizmo:And I also think after you take a sip and you hit your cigar, you take a draw of your cigar, it's making the cigar do some cool things, I think.
Bam Bam:Oh, that's a very nice pairing actually.
Gizmo:It's a nice pop on the cigar. It's different.
Chef Ricky:Yeah? It's a very unique spirit.
Bam Bam:Do think the pineapple is pretty accurate.
Gizmo:I think it's all pineapple for me. That's the number one note.
Bam Bam:For me, it's pineapple, pear, apple, and I'm not getting any almonds.
Chef Ricky:No almonds.
Gizmo:Maybe a little apricot. Apricot?
Chef Ricky:Yeah. Almond in the way of marzipan. Like the paste? Yeah. How you find in baked goods especially
Bam Bam:in town.
Rooster:Isn't that odd to get so much fruit on a whiskey?
Bam Bam:It is. It happens. No.
Gizmo:It happens at times. Especially, this is a Madeira this is a wine Yeah. Finished whiskey tonight. Yeah. It's interesting.
Gizmo:It's interesting. So let's talk about it, boys. The Penderyn Madeira finish is the flagship expression from Penderyn, the distillery that helped revive commercial whiskey production in Wales after a century long absence. It's a Welsh single malt, like I said, bottled at 46 ABV with no age statement. It's primarily matured in ex bourbon barrels than finished in casks that previously held Madeira wine.
Gizmo:Obviously, that finishing stage is the defining feature. Madeira casks tend to contribute ripe fruit, honeyed sweetness, nuttiness. There you go, chef. And a lightly wine like richness rather than the darker raisin and molasses profile you might get from a heavy sherry cask. The spirit is also unusually light and clean.
Gizmo:Its original distillation system used a pot still connected to a tall rectifying column, creating a very high strength new make spirit. The result is a generally more delicate and fruit forward than a dense, oily Highland or Campbellton malt.
Bam Bam:So that's very accurate. I agree with you. It's light, it's the opposite of a dense, high viscosity type I of a think it'll grow on us tonight. Yeah, doesn't feel like a whiskey though. No.
Bam Bam:It drinks like
Gizmo:a What do think? Wine What's it like, a cognac? What is it like for you?
Bam Bam:For me, like a tequila. A tequila? Yeah. I mean, I can see
Gizmo:See, the tequila thing doesn't work for me because it's absence of the earthiness and kind of
Rooster:Yeah. The That's
Gizmo:totally absent.
Bam Bam:I know.
Gizmo:Even the brininess of tequila is so common.
Bam Bam:I'm not talking about from the point of view of the flavor. I'm just talking From the body? From the point of view of how it goes down, the feeling I'm getting, and kind of that mouthfeel that I'm getting from it, similar to some repos that I've had. And it I've got a oak finish on this thing that I'm getting. Is it in any way aged in oak barrels?
Bam Bam:Bourbon. Bourbon.
Gizmo:Bourbon, and then it goes into the
Chef Ricky:Into the Madera casks.
Gizmo:Yeah, Madera casks.
Chef Ricky:I have to say, that is probably one of the best company written statements that describe flavor.
Bam Bam:Pretty accurate.
Chef Ricky:Yeah, because it was spot on.
Pagoda:Don't you have like a recording for that?
Gizmo:No, I don't have a
Pagoda:recording
Bam Bam:So for it, the packaging is unusual.
Gizmo:So let's talk about the packaging.
Bam Bam:Yeah, it fell on the floor, but I remember it. And that's okay.
Gizmo:Chef's gonna grab it for you.
Bam Bam:It's kind
Gizmo:of You think it's a little gaudy or a
Bam Bam:little unnecessary? It's unnecessary. It's hard to get out of this packaging.
Gizmo:How would you describe it? It's almost unlike a stage.
Bam Bam:Yeah, it's a very narrow cardboard enclosure for the back of the bottle, and it's got this silver lining on the inside.
Chef Ricky:Feels cheap.
Pagoda:Yeah, it's open.
Bam Bam:It's open, it's like a half. Correct. And it's open on the face. It's black. It's got the Penderyn on the top and white and some gold lettering.
Bam Bam:The bottle and this together, it's kind of like post 1920s design aesthetic. Kinda got Art deco. Art deco type of mystique.
Gizmo:Does this play into that, Bam? So on the side of the bottle, it's almost like a
Chef Ricky:Yeah.
Gizmo:Those are Like, that's cut into the glass here.
Bam Bam:Those are ribs, yeah.
Pagoda:Liquor ribs.
Gizmo:Yeah. On both sides.
Bam Bam:Yeah, it's cool.
Gizmo:And the bottle, I guess, how would you describe this? Cylindrical and it's a flat
Bam Bam:Flat top.
Gizmo:Top that doesn't really taper
Bam Bam:That's correct. To the mouth of the bottle. Well done, because
Chef Ricky:I Hey, like
Gizmo:two forty six steps. I've been paying
Bam Bam:attention You are to on the money.
Gizmo:Those classes I've been taking.
Chef Ricky:Like true art deco, it looks like something you'll see on Bruce Wayne's bar, back bar.
Bam Bam:Yeah, correct.
Gizmo:But like sixties Bruce Wayne.
Bam Bam:That's
Rooster:right. But it looks more like a tequila bottle than a whiskey bottle. That's not true.
Chef Ricky:It does look a little bit like that Sierto bottle without the the super long neck. But yeah, it's really good.
Gizmo:I like it.
Chef Ricky:I like it. It's bright. It almost what it did to my palate was kind of one of the first it reminded me of when I had the stoic for the first time. Right? Or any calendar blended cigar that things just kind of danced around on your palate in a really unique way.
Chef Ricky:I wasn't expecting like
Gizmo:that both entrants tonight are unique.
Chef Ricky:They are.
Gizmo:They they stand very much on their own from anything else I think we've had. I don't really think this drinks and I know you've made other comparisons, Ben, but I have one
Bam Bam:another one to make.
Gizmo:This doesn't drink like any other whiskey we've had.
Bam Bam:I was about to ask you, does it remind you of anything? Anything you've had in the whiskey category, scotch Maybe
Gizmo:one of those. Was it a Glenmorangie that was a little fruity?
Bam Bam:So for me, it's very Dalwhinnie like.
Gizmo:Maybe it was a Dalwhinnie. Definitely a You have better recall than
Bam Bam:I do. Very similar to that. It's also very light, very light viscosity, almost identical color. It's a shorter bottle.
Pagoda:You have the Dalwhinnie 15. Right?
Chef Ricky:Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Bam Bam:Which doesn't leave a lasting memory. And for me, I don't think this is gonna leave a lasting memory.
Gizmo:I'm liking it, man. I think you're being too harsh can't on
Bam Bam:say it's bad. You're being too harsh on it. No, no. I'm just saying it's good. I enjoy it, but it's not leaving that memorable experience for me.
Chef Ricky:I I'm loving this.
Gizmo:I really think it's good. Yeah. Okay. Alright, boys. We'll go to the Penderyn history in a second because it's really interesting to me, but we've come to the end of the first third here on the Dunbarton Tobacco and Trust tenth Jubilee paired
Bam Bam:with the Penderyn that we've
Gizmo:been talking about. What's everybody thinking about the cigar right now? I think it's
Rooster:a great smoke. I'm really enjoying it.
Gizmo:What is it doing for you that is making you you're kind of lit up.
Rooster:So it's giving me a the cigar is is like a medium full, but the flavor is just medium. So that's what makes it so versatile that you can have this anytime of
Chef Ricky:the day.
Bam Bam:Body of the cigar is medium full?
Gizmo:Yeah. Really? I would say, well, more like Firmly medium. I would say medium.
Rooster:Yeah, medium.
Bam Bam:Your flavor profile is good.
Rooster:But the flavor is so rich that
Gizmo:there's a lot there man.
Rooster:There's so much to the cigar. It's so complex. But yet it's very balanced also.
Pagoda:And
Rooster:there's the sweetness that's coming through that kind of just balances everything
Bam Bam:What do think that is? What are you getting? For me it's specific but
Rooster:The sweet note you mean? It's hard for me to pinpoint what the sweetness is
Bam Bam:but It's still very much molasses and raisin for me.
Rooster:Yeah. I was gonna say like a bitter, dark chocolate kind of thing.
Pagoda:I did get that in the palate initially. Yeah. But I think since I've had the drink, it's become slightly nuttier and saltier for
Bam Bam:me. Interesting.
Pagoda:Very slight. Like, it's not like
Bam Bam:It's not a bad thing.
Pagoda:Yeah. It's really good. It's really pleasant, and it's
Gizmo:like I do like how they're working together.
Bam Bam:Yeah, it's working well. Yeah. Are you retroing it?
Gizmo:Not yet. I did like half one, and I wasn't loving it. I just actually I'm loving the draw so much that I'm just not even thinking about it.
Bam Bam:I've been retroing pretty consistently. It's pretty good for me.
Chef Ricky:For me, the retro's becoming a little bit yeasty, almost like a a yeast doughnut or or a brioche.
Bam Bam:I like it.
Chef Ricky:I'm enjoying it. It's becoming a little yeasty and bready. I'm really liking it.
Rooster:I'm getting earthiness, this leather, this deep chocolate, like a dark fruit, some kind of dark fruit, like a dark plum note that's coming through.
Bam Bam:I think that's what distinguishes the cigar from anything we've had, that fruit undertone.
Rooster:Yeah, like a dark fruit.
Gizmo:We've definitely never had fruit on the podcast ever.
Bam Bam:Wow. In this manner. A When dark this is presented. Yeah. Fucking bastard.
Gizmo:All right. Let's go back to Penderyn for a second. Let's talk about their history. They are the distillery that brought commercial whiskey production back to Wales after an absence of more than a century. As I said, The Welsh Whisky Company was founded in the late nineteen nineties.
Gizmo:Distillation began in September 2000, and the first Penderyn whiskey was released on 03/01/2004. The original distillery is in a small village of Penderyn near the southern edge of Banow. I can't pronounce this. Forgive me, Wales residence. Brykenhogg, formerly called Brecken Beacons National Park.
Gizmo:The location supplied both the brand name and much of its Welsh identity. Penderyn now operates three Welsh distilleries. So the one we've been talking about, the original operation, they have another one called Lawn Dudno opened in 2021 in a restored former school, which is cool. And they have another one called Swan Say Copper Works opened in 2023 in a historic copper works complex. So they've moved from being a small national revival project into a serious multisite whiskey producer sending whiskey all over the world.
Gizmo:And, you know, what I find interesting about this story is you can find this pretty much in any Total Wine.
Bam Bam:Really?
Gizmo:They don't have a lot of quantity, but it's available.
Bam Bam:Do they have other lines?
Gizmo:So they do have some other stuff, but I think this is their core
Chef Ricky:Okay.
Gizmo:Offering. And this is the only one that Total Wine had. So I don't see anything else that's readily available anyway. You know, I'm sure it'd be more pricey than this. The most interesting part of Penderyn is its original Faraday still designed by doctor David Faraday.
Gizmo:It's a hybrid system, a copper pot combined with a tall rectifying column, as I said before. Instead of the roughly 65 to 75% spirit commonly produced through traditional Scotch style pot distillation, the Faraday can still produce a spirit at approximately 92 ABV that removes more heavy congeners and produces a very clean, delicate, and fruit driven new make. So that's why they can make lighter and more floral spirits than many scotch malts, strong on pear, apple, citrus, and tropical fruit, less oily, cereal heavily, or muscular, and it's particularly receptive to wine cask finishing, which is why they reach for those Madeira casks. They've since added conventional copper pot stills as well, so not every release that they have necessarily represents the original ultralight Faraday style. The Swan Sea site, for example, contains both Faraday stills and traditional pot stills.
Gizmo:So pretty cool story there that these guys are pretty much single handedly responsible for bringing whiskey production back to
Bam Bam:Wales. Very cool.
Gizmo:So good for them. I'm sure they employ a ton of people. And I like not only that we're highlighting a cool story like that with a spirit, certainly I don't think any of us have ever heard of. I've never had another spirit from Wales. I think that's cool.
Gizmo:And the best part is that I think it's really Yeah. Agreed. So I'm very, very happy
Bam Bam:about that. It's improving for me as the cigar has improved. It's getting better and better.
Gizmo:I can't believe the combustion on the cigar. I know. It's really
Bam Bam:good. All of Saka's cigars, you know,
Pagoda:they're reasonably constructed well and they
Bam Bam:They burn well. They smoke up.
Gizmo:Like you just have to kiss it and you get a plume of smoke. It's fantastic. Yeah. Alright, boys. Let's go now to something that I've been thinking about and I wanted to share with you guys.
Gizmo:So I'm trying to get into photography for a multitude of reasons. And I was snapping photos of like some close ups, right? And trying to figure out aperture and depth
Bam Bam:and you have an actual camera? Yes. And equipment? Yes. You do?
Bam Bam:I do. I bought some really nice stuff. Recently purchased? Yeah. Look at you.
Gizmo:A couple months ago. Canon or Nikon? I'm a Sony guy. Okay. Sony Alpha seven four.
Bam Bam:And you have your lenses?
Gizmo:I have four lenses. Wow. I went hard.
Bam Bam:Look at you.
Gizmo:Yeah. You went all in. I'm doing it up. Yeah. I love it.
Gizmo:So I'm really kinda into it. That's a gorgeous photograph. So I took a photo that you can see here of a Trinity Robusto Yep. On my Gizmo stand with the focus on the Gizmo stand, trying to understand depth and aperture and all that stuff, like how the the depth of field. Anyway, I'm not gonna nerd out on that with you right now.
Gizmo:But as I was taking this photo, I kinda had this moment thinking like, as I was looking at it, I'm zooming in and I'm seeing how much imperfection has been caused on my Stand. Stainless steel stand from just the use over the years since Rooster got those for us. And it made me think like, number one, how many cigars that I've smoked over the years have sat on this stand?
Rooster:No. It just tells you how many
Gizmo:times you have dropped it. And also and also the fact that if I lost this, how bummed out I would be.
Bam Bam:Yeah. It's time to get a new one, I think.
Gizmo:No. I'm I'm just ask Pagoda. Yeah. Pagoda, where's yours, Pagoda?
Bam Bam:Yeah. It's on a train someplace in Canada. I was I was going back and forth. He's been traveling. Like 10,000 miles.
Gizmo:Mine has seen a lot of cigars. Yours has seen a lot of cities.
Rooster:Some European who was attending the FIFA World Cup match has That's correct. In Belgium. So
Gizmo:I put a thread up on FOH, and I'm gonna share some listener comments next week and and hopefully some comments on you know, from emails, etcetera, from the lizards out there. But I'm wondering, from my thinking on this, what is one object in your smoking setup that if you lost it, you would be really bummed out, and you would feel the need to immediately replace it? So is it a lighter, a cutter, ashtray? Cigar scissors. A chair, scissors, mug, speaker, Kindle, you know, TV, the rover, Like, what is it that in your you only have one thing that's a constant.
Gizmo:What would that thing be that is crucial to your smoking experience?
Bam Bam:Well, my case and my tools.
Gizmo:But you can only have one.
Bam Bam:It's impossible. I can't answer that question because I need I need everything in
Rooster:my Well, you lose your case, you're gonna lose all of it. You're gonna lose your cigars. You're gonna lose the case and all the accessories.
Bam Bam:I cannot live without that
Gizmo:Do you ever travel to
Bam Bam:smoke anywhere without your case? No. I have to have that case.
Gizmo:Like for me If
Bam Bam:I'm leaving the house you know, there was a moment where a few moments where I left the house without my case. Pagoda busts in my balls, this is years ago. And since then, I don't ever leave my house without my case and at least three cigars in it and my lighter fluid fully filled up. Because, you know yeah.
Gizmo:Except for that, like, eight week gap, but we'll
Bam Bam:still give that That's true. But you never know where you're gonna end up. In my travels, I go from site to site to site between New York, New Jersey, Connecticut. Some Pennsylvania sites, I find a spot to smoke, and I need my case.
Gizmo:By the way, I think out of everybody, you have smoked at more places Probably. Than people I know because you're at two, three times a week, you're at a new place.
Bam Bam:That's correct. Probably. And I enjoy it. It's a great way for me to wind my night down if I'm far away. I'll drive home.
Rooster:What about you, Rooster? I would I would have to say a lighter.
Gizmo:Your SD DuPont? If I
Rooster:if I lose one of those nice lighters, I would be devastated. Of course.
Bam Bam:At $250 plus.
Gizmo:But also the At least. I mean, you
Bam Bam:love the lighters. I mean, you
Gizmo:love you love that.
Rooster:I like collecting lighters. So yeah, I mean, I lost an SD DuPont or any of the lighters, I mean, would be hard.
Bam Bam:Of course.
Chef Ricky:I'm gonna take this in a slightly different direction. You know, had that Estee DuPont lighter that BAM gifted me a long time ago. I've replaced a couple of times. Now I haven't lost it, but I need to get it repaired. But something that I consider a cigar accessory, it makes my evening smoking cigars on my deck much happier.
Chef Ricky:It's my thermo cell. Like if I leave that thing out and it rains and it gets drenched and stops working or it gets, you know, it breaks or it gets lost, I need to replace it immediately because my evening smoking out on the deck are very different if I don't have it versus having it.
Gizmo:And tell everybody what the thermocell is.
Chef Ricky:So it's an insect repellent. What it does is it comes with small butane cartridges, I've since gone on YouTube and figured out how to hack them.
Bam Bam:I don't have
Chef Ricky:to purchase new ones.
Gizmo:So what do you put the
Chef Ricky:your butane in it? Exactly.
Gizmo:Oh,
Chef Ricky:wow. So using a needle nose pliers, you could remove that tip, which is a check valve that only goes in one direction. And by removing that check valve, you could then refill them yourself. Wow. I have a
Rooster:solution for that smoke in your living room.
Chef Ricky:I'm not there yet. Rooster,
Gizmo:You're the only one that can do that, man. That's some old school shit, man. Myself. That is some old school stuff.
Bam Bam:I don't know anyone.
Gizmo:He's the only guy.
Bam Bam:Anywhere that does that, you
Gizmo:And and not not just on a holiday or Christmas, but, like, you do it, and your wife doesn't smoke. So if there's listeners out there that a husband and wife duo, you know, your spouse smokes, that's different. But your partner, your kids don't smoke.
Bam Bam:I could give Mrs. Bam Bam anything she wanted, I and still wouldn't be able to smoke.
Chef Ricky:My house invited me to do it, I just can't. I'm not ready to do it.
Rooster:We also have a ranch style home, which is very open. Know, there's big sliding doors. Your fireplace is It's a huge a fireplace, Jubilee.
Bam Bam:It's a
Rooster:huge fireplace. I do it mostly in the wintertime, not so much in the summer. The wintertime, I can smoke right by the fireplace. The smoke just goes up. And most of the time I'm smoking in the garage.
Bam Bam:So he has an advantage. His fireplace is elevated. So if you've got your
Gizmo:chair He's right there.
Bam Bam:Yes. Well, it's elevated at least 18 inches above the floor.
Gizmo:That's one.
Bam Bam:And if your chair is up against that wall, your hand is perfectly placed into the opening of the fireplace, one. That's actually two. And three, the opening is massive.
Rooster:Right. And it's dual sided.
Bam Bam:Yes. It's open from both sides. So it'll bellow right up. Very nice.
Gizmo:So, Pagoda, out of all the things you've lost
Bam Bam:All of them, he needs.
Gizmo:What is the one thing you really wish you didn't?
Bam Bam:Actually, that's that's what that means, he needs nothing. Exactly.
Gizmo:That's a good point.
Pagoda:You are
Gizmo:a you're
Bam Bam:a minimalist. He's nothing. That's correct.
Rooster:His Tesla. His Tesla. No.
Pagoda:It's like Dalai Lama says,
Bam Bam:don't be attached to anything. He's not attached.
Pagoda:I'm not. I cannot afford
Bam Bam:to be attached to anything. Bush away, financially, spiritually. I'd be depressed.
Gizmo:Is there anything, out of everything you've lost, for real, what is the one thing that you really were like, man, I'm bummed out that I lost that? You know, I know you're a minimalist, but is there anything you've lost, a lighter, a cutter, a stand?
Bam Bam:Cases. Cases. Yeah, the first Satella with all the Cubans. Yeah.
Pagoda:That had everything.
Bam Bam:I think that had my
Gizmo:That had cutter way around
Pagoda:cutter as well, everything. That was that was a big loss.
Bam Bam:So wait. You had a DuPont cutter and a DuPont lighter in there?
Pagoda:No. It was a different lighter, but
Bam Bam:So that cutter's $250. The case was at least a The big one. 100 Oh, so that was what, $400? Yeah. The cigars?
Gizmo:Cigars. At
Rooster:the current price? Were 10
Bam Bam:of them.
Pagoda:There were 10 of them, man.
Bam Bam:Oh, 10? Yeah.
Rooster:I mean, 10 bajikas, You're talking like
Bam Bam:I four tell you. Wow. That's a bummer, man.
Pagoda:Yeah. Not attached. It's alright. Always get another one.
Gizmo:I mean, this is all
Rooster:you know, we can replace these things. Right?
Bam Bam:Kind of. I can't replace
Gizmo:Here's this my thing. If I lost this stand, I I know the person you know the person who did it. I don't. But you got them for us. But I don't know if you made that phone call that you could just get me another one of these on a whim.
Gizmo:Mean Yeah. Does he even make them anymore? No.
Rooster:He doesn't. It's only like once a year.
Gizmo:Yeah. So it's like If I lost this
Bam Bam:Yeah.
Gizmo:It's gone.
Bam Bam:Correct.
Gizmo:I love this thing.
Bam Bam:I do too.
Gizmo:You know, the other thing I was thinking about too, you think about where we were a few years ago, being heavily into Cuban cigars. I think my answer probably would have been my perfect draw because that saved me
Bam Bam:That's true.
Gizmo:So many times sitting at this lounge smoking Cubans. I don't even carry one anymore. I keep one in the truck if I need it, but I haven't pulled a perfect draw out because I'm just not smoking as many Cuban cigars as
Bam Bam:we have.
Pagoda:I lost that as well.
Gizmo:I know you did. But you know what I mean? Like when was the last time we It's called it a long time.
Rooster:That's true. I came across an article today in some magazine about this guy who had a massive collection of cigars, Cuban cigars, New World cigars, but aged stuff, a lot of old stuff. He had a fire in his house. Had a beautiful lounge. Imagine losing all of that collection and having to replace that at the current market price.
Gizmo:It's And
Rooster:you can't even replicate that. No,
Gizmo:no. Even if you were a billionaire, if you're a billionaire and have any of the collections that any of us have, with all the money in the world, it would be very challenging to replace every single cigar in there.
Bam Bam:Well, if I had a couple of billion, I could make it happen.
Gizmo:No, but I'm saying from an availability standpoint, they're not just readily available. Well, I'd Where traveling would you find a box of Vegas Rubbernge Classico's,
Rooster:2011? You want me?
Bam Bam:Yeah. I'd call you. But you that you cannot get. So the unique, rare, old stuff, that's just gone forever.
Gizmo:Like, have a box of o two Sir Winston's. I have a box of discontinued o two Ramon Ionis eight ninety eight's that I've not even tasted one yet. Yeah. He has crazy La Gloria Cuban MDO's. He has these What's the double corona that you love that's discontinued?
Gizmo:Is it Saint Louis Ray? Saint Louis Oh, the SLR. The SLR, yeah. Saint Louis Oh, Ray seven. Seven.
Gizmo:50 cab. 50 cab. That's not coming up on bomb
Pagoda:So what can we learn from this?
Gizmo:Don't want your house burned down.
Rooster:Ensure your cigars. Ensure
Gizmo:your cigars are No, the current smoke
Bam Bam:and enjoy. That's also true.
Pagoda:One life to live.
Rooster:You do. You do, but you can't smoke those every day.
Pagoda:Listen, We all are getting older. What are you gonna smoke when you have no taste buds
Bam Bam:left? So what I'm
Gizmo:gonna do is I'm gonna share some comments from listeners in, you know, a week or two, let's say, depending on when this comes out, when everybody hears this, Some FOH comments that are really, really good. I really loved some of the responses there. And so feel free to chime in there or shoot us an email. But tell us what is that one item in your smoking experience that you cannot smoke without? We would love to hear it.
Gizmo:And speaking of getting older, we have to talk about this. Oh, yeah. Because I love to talk about this topic because I think it's very serious and very important, especially for the people, most of the people who listen to this podcast, which are men 50. Our age or close to that. Your age.
Gizmo:I'm getting close, though. But our friend chef Ricky, who turned 45. 45. I think we celebrated last week.
Chef Ricky:Right? Yeah. Yeah.
Gizmo:Went and very intelligently and responsibly, for the sake of his family, tell us what you did yesterday.
Chef Ricky:I got my first colonoscopy. Alright.
Gizmo:Chef went and got a colonoscopy. I'm very proud of you because there's someone to your left Yes. That refuses to.
Bam Bam:Had one done.
Gizmo:Need to get another one.
Bam Bam:So six years ago, had one done. So I'm due. I'm gonna wait a bit. Listen, you know, this time why didn't you ask him to knock you out? It was a little tough the first time.
Bam Bam:It was paid for.
Rooster:Well, he had it standing up.
Bam Bam:That's correct. While on my laptop. A little bit of anesthesia Do would do you
Rooster:you mind if I light a cigar?
Chef Ricky:Listen, it's a preventative procedure. It's something needed. And other than prepping for this for for it, it was rather Which is not fun, right? It's not. It's not.
Chef Ricky:It's not fun at all.
Bam Bam:I honestly Don't
Gizmo:make it weird.
Bam Bam:No. So I'm not going to make it weird, but I love the idea of Cleansing. Letting it all out, cleansing, and you feel lighter by the end of the evening. It was great. I mean, clear.
Bam Bam:I My mind was clear. I think it's good practice to do that once in a while.
Rooster:Even without the colonoscopy?
Bam Bam:Yeah. Just stay home and clean yourself out. What's wrong with that? Know.
Gizmo:By the way, this is coming off him on a bender last night. How many Manhattan's did you have?
Bam Bam:I've seven.
Gizmo:So you to listen to this episode and give yourself enough It's
Bam Bam:true, but I had What's that liquid called? Calcium, magnesium, whatever it's called? I've got a bottle of that at home, and every time I'm in the bathroom and I'm shaving in the morning, cleaning up, I open it and look at that bottle, so I tell myself I gotta get that done. I'll stay home one night.
Chef Ricky:So you didn't even finish the prep? Because it's a two step
Bam Bam:No. At the time How how do you So my doctor told he gave me the the prescription
Rooster:for the refills.
Bam Bam:Yeah. Oh, no.
Gizmo:You could
Bam Bam:buy you could buy that over the counter.
Pagoda:Liked the other He liked
Gizmo:it so much, he he asked him to call in
Pagoda:another I
Bam Bam:think the doctor was knocked down.
Gizmo:No. No. No.
Bam Bam:I He took the anesthesia the himself.
Rooster:Did you did you go to an urgent care?
Bam Bam:No. No. I had it done in the back of the seven Eleven.
Gizmo:Did they take insurance? Correct.
Bam Bam:No, so of course I finished the prep years ago, but I did purchase another bottle a few months ago and I just kept it. You can buy those over the counter now so you can get Okay. And I may do it one day. I
Chef Ricky:don't know. They prescribed me Climbic. I was shocked at the price. It was $125 There was a manufacturer coupon that brought it down to 60, which is great. Wow.
Gizmo:I love how they don't offer that. You were telling us the story until
Bam Bam:you went and
Chef Ricky:The pushed for pharmacist was all she was great in that she found, you know, she knew of the coupon and told me about it, but I was like, is that really the price? And that's when she brought up going on to the website and grabbing manufacturer's coupon, which wasn't easy to find.
Rooster:Why didn't you go to Bam's house?
Bam Bam:He's got an extra bottle.
Gizmo:He's got
Bam Bam:a free one. Correct. It wasn't that though. This isn't precision.
Gizmo:It's a different one.
Pagoda:You've been sipping for the last six years.
Gizmo:It's like six He just takes a shot every morning.
Bam Bam:Oh no, you have to take the whole bottle.
Chef Ricky:Yeah. No. This stuff works fast. Ten minutes and and it's working for a couple It's doing its thing.
Bam Bam:But I got a question for the two old boys over here. Pagoda and Rooster, when have you had yours done?
Rooster:I had I had one five years ago.
Bam Bam:Me too.
Gizmo:So I'm kinda due for
Pagoda:I had one about three years ago.
Bam Bam:Oh, you're good for the two years.
Pagoda:No, no.
Bam Bam:I have to go back because they
Pagoda:found a polyp, although it was not cancerous, but still. Oh. Yeah.
Gizmo:Okay. So you gotta go more regularly because they
Pagoda:Yeah. I gotta go a little.
Bam Bam:Yeah. Interesting.
Gizmo:Listen, it's very important. And why we're talking about this is not because we like to talk about it, but we're talking about this because it's really important for the people who listen to this podcast, our peers, our colleagues out there in Lizard Nation who are the same age, of the same kind of thinking, busy professionals.
Bam Bam:Men or women?
Gizmo:Yeah, absolutely. Both. And you know, who have families and have a lot going on. It's really, really important. This is such an easy preventative thing to do to eliminate a lot of suffering for yourself in the future.
Gizmo:So go get it done if you're at that age. Talk to your doctor, get it done. I think it's really important for podcasts and people like us to talk about this because if one listener out there, if you're that listener that's gonna take this seriously and schedule that colonoscopy today, you know, who knows who can be saved from just going out and helping themselves to do this.
Chef Ricky:Just don't use Bam's doctor. If you don't use Bam's doctor, it'll be painless.
Bam Bam:It was the guy on the counter. Bought a coffee, went in back.
Gizmo:And a swisher sweet.
Bam Bam:Correct. Afterwards.
Pagoda:We do hope that he put the camera on.
Bam Bam:I put duct tape He just cast it.
Chef Ricky:No, in all seriousness, it took eighteen minutes. Obviously, you get there a couple hours ahead of time, and it's in
Rooster:and out. A couple of hours?
Chef Ricky:Well, yeah. For prep and all that? For the prep and anesthesia? Yeah. Well, not a couple.
Chef Ricky:I'm sorry. My appointment was at 6AM, but the surgery was scheduled for 07:20AM. That's early. So yeah. Well, the good thing is you don't have to fast.
Chef Ricky:I didn't have to fast very long.
Bam Bam:This is early, yeah.
Chef Ricky:Yeah. That's true. For me it was a thirty six hour fast. Nice. You know, so you're allowed clear liquids.
Chef Ricky:Get some bone broth so you can get your protein in.
Bam Bam:Can you drink a Blanco tequila? Alcohol.
Chef Ricky:Yeah, I strongly encourage everyone to get it done. Once you turn 45, insurance covers it.
Gizmo:Talk to your doctor, get it done. There's no excuse not to. Especially smoke a cigar. Everything that we do, it's just drinking alcohol if you do. Even if you don't, just go out and get it done.
Chef Ricky:Yeah, just get it done.
Gizmo:We would appreciate it. Your wizard friends
Bam Bam:would appreciate I'll be doing mocktails from now on for quite
Rooster:a while.
Bam Bam:Yeah, okay.
Chef Ricky:I am. It's about time.
Gizmo:By the way, we're going to New Orleans in two days.
Bam Bam:I ain't drinking. Yeah. Okay. Oh.
Gizmo:By the way, mark those words. I will report back. I am not Next week, I'm gonna
Bam Bam:report back. I'm gonna
Chef Ricky:try not to have I can't I can't wait for the first pick of Bandwidth of Spirit.
Gizmo:By the way, we land at 02:45PM. I think he'll have one by 02:47.
Bam Bam:Think he's gonna start at the Chase Sapphire lounge at the airport. Correct. Yeah. I can vouch that. It's gonna be a martini.
Bam Bam:I love that lounge, man.
Gizmo:So, Bam, you, senator, and I Yeah. And a friend of ours in the lounge
Bam Bam:Lizard J.
Gizmo:Lizard J are going to New Orleans just for a couple days. Yeah. Wanna get out of Dodge.
Bam Bam:Little culinary Have some Expedition. Cigars. So
Gizmo:Unfortunately, senator couldn't be here tonight, but he set up some great reservations for us, I'm Me really looking forward to too. Haven't been out of town since Italy. Yeah. You know, haven't been out with you guys since PCA, but that was kind of a work thing. I'm kind of a work mode, so I'm really looking forward to
Bam Bam:Me too.
Gizmo:To doing that. So we'll report back on what happens in New Orleans.
Bam Bam:Looking forward to the meals. I know.
Gizmo:The food there is Le
Bam Bam:petite grocery. Yes. Petite grocery. Unbelievable. Then getting back onto Bourbon Street and walking up to our spot.
Bam Bam:Just having some cigars. Oh, yeah. And just relax in the humidity.
Rooster:Nice. Have a great time, guys.
Gizmo:Thanks, man. Alright, boys. It's time now to go into some listener email. We're gonna start with one from Lizards Scott. He says, good afternoon, gentlemen.
Gizmo:I'm a new listener here. Started a couple months ago since I'm looking to get into the cigar industry. I'm working my way through past episodes as well. My main question is, if you were just starting to get your feet wet, where would you start, and who would you reach out to as far as getting involved in the cigar industry?
Bam Bam:As a business?
Gizmo:Business, maybe an employee, Okay. It is an open ended question, you know? So I I certainly have some thoughts on that. He says, what books are you reading related on the subject, and what books, website routines, and or practices are you honing your knowledge, skills, etcetera? An example, half wheel and whatnot.
Gizmo:Thanks for your time, Lizard Scott. So great question. I mean, number one, you have to figure out what you wanna do. You know, do you want to manufacture cigars? Do you want to work for a cigar manufacturer?
Gizmo:Do you want to be in media? Do you want to sell cigars? Do you want to be a retailer? Do you want to operate a lounge? Do you want to, you know, be a guy on the road or manufacturer's representative?
Gizmo:Do you want to be a producer of product like boxes or bands or
Bam Bam:do want to advocate for it?
Gizmo:Yeah, do want to work in government? Brand ambassador.
Bam Bam:Do you want to
Rooster:produce a podcast?
Gizmo:We're hiring.
Bam Bam:Correct.
Gizmo:No, but you know, it's such an open ended question. I'm not quite sure how to answer it without that kind of specificity, right?
Bam Bam:Where in the food chain you wanna be.
Gizmo:And I think the thing that I'll say about the cigar industry that I've learned is it's such a small world that, you know, you really need to dial down into what you want to do and make sure you really want to do it. Like us here in the room, like, we didn't set out to be in the cigar industry. We didn't set out to go to trade shows or anything else. We literally just sat down and put mics up and did what
Bam Bam:we did, You know, that we were doing without the mics and that
Gizmo:we do together on Senator's patio or here in the lounge without mics. Do it's the same thing. Yep. With the mics or without. So there was really no intention here other than excellence and trying to be good and improve and just be consistent.
Gizmo:So for us, I think that was our MO. Mhmm. And for him, I would say consistency, diligence, you know, making sure that what you're doing is something you love. I mean, if you're in this to make money, it's kind of like the music business. I think most folks who come into this to make money, you know, it's like you
Bam Bam:need to be a billionaire to become a millionaire kind of thing.
Gizmo:Know, it's not often a winning proposition, kind of like restaurants, or music, or those other kind of sexy businesses. Yeah. So my advice would be if you're just a passionate cigar smoker, and you're not sure what you want to do or how you want to do it, I wouldn't venture into polluting what you love as a hobby with something you're trying to force as an opportunity to make money as a career.
Bam Bam:I'd also like to know how long he's been smoking cigars. Does he have brands that he's attracted to? What's your experience with smoking? Do you visit lounges frequently? Where do you live?
Rooster:We're not sure what he wants.
Gizmo:I don't know if he is.
Bam Bam:Is he just getting into smoking while simultaneously wanting to get into the business? That's gonna be tough. Because you don't know enough.
Gizmo:But I also think it is one of those businesses that's kinda, you know, it's like, in theory, it's a fun business to be a part of. Right, you're smoking cigars, you're having fun, it's a casual thing.
Bam Bam:Very social.
Gizmo:Very social, it's relaxing, it's kinda cool. You know, it's very diverse in all the different kind of products you can buy and the origins of those products. But I think that you really need to dial down into what you want to do if you're going to try to do something financially or career wise here. It's not something you could just throw your hat in the ring and cross I your mean, we all have quote unquote real jobs or professional lives. I mean, we do this every week because we love to do it.
Gizmo:And thankfully, we've been very successful. We have a wonderful listener base that we've been developing over the last five years. But that wasn't our intention. Our intention is not to make this our job. You know, we have fun with this.
Gizmo:So I don't know. I think that that would be my answer to anyone, and I've been asked this before. And it's really something that unless you're absolutely certain 1000%, there's no other option for you than doing some aspect of what the cigar industry can offer you, I wouldn't do it.
Bam Bam:So there's a kid that I know, Lizard Hollis. You know, he's been he's quite an experienced cigar smoker for a junior in college. I think he started smoking cigars early in high school. His dad taught him a lot. He's studying economics wherever he's going.
Bam Bam:He's got an incredible internship at Placencia. They created a position for him. He proved to them his passion and his knowledge of not just the cigar business, but of the cigars, and he's got a great palette and knows what he's talking about. He was able to carve out something pretty unique for himself, and he has the potential to have a long career with them. It's unique, but it's all based on the years of smoking.
Gizmo:And also the wanting to figure it out
Bam Bam:and make He's it want it, but his passion for It's truly his passion, but he's been smoking for a very long time. And I think if you haven't smoked in long enough, it's gonna be tough for you to get into the business because you really don't know You need to speak the language.
Gizmo:When we're at a show, we're talking to other people, there is kind of you know, a lingo. Lingo. You know, shorthand, let's call it.
Bam Bam:Correct.
Gizmo:That comes along with this, that if you're not familiar with that, it's almost like, you know, for someone that's in the industry, it's like, okay, this person's not that experienced. If you're trying to get a job, you know, as a peer that might be excusable, but if you're trying to get a job, it's not gonna work.
Bam Bam:It's also interesting what age he would be at. I think right now the entire industry is finding or trying to find ways to market to the younger generation. It's a must, even with all the laws that are being passed. They need to find younger blood to come into their companies and help promote their cigars and their brands. That matters.
Gizmo:And my advice would be don't try to be an influencer. I think cigar social media, cigar Instagram is borderline unbearable to me. Like every time I'm scrolling, I don't know about you, chef. I know you're on there. I don't know about you guys, but every time I'm on there, it's like, it's so cringey I can't wait to get off.
Gizmo:Yeah. Because it's just, it's like, it's so Kardashian level
Chef Ricky:It's not informative. It's all staged.
Gizmo:It's put on. Yeah, That's yeah. Why I'm so proud of what we do is that we're not in that world. Like, the listeners defined us like we're just being ourselves and you hear everything. We just talked about colonoscopies.
Gizmo:You're not going to see that on Cigar's social media.
Bam Bam:They're not going to be talking about flip flops.
Chef Ricky:I have pictures. I have pictures, but I won't put them on
Gizmo:my social media. Yeah. We're not doing that. No. So to answer his other question, what books are you reading?
Gizmo:We've gotten asked this question a couple times over the last few weeks. I think El Habano Moderna, if you're into Cuban cigars, Cigars by Aaron Sigmund is a great book. He has another one about Fuente. It's like an expensive coffee table book. Minranese book, of course, from 2003, expensive, but you might be able to find it Around the World in 80 Cigars.
Gizmo:There's other books out there, but I think the biggest resources are YouTube, finding anybody who, you know, is a legitimate you know, if you find Ken and Rob from FOH,
Bam Bam:you find the guys from Holtz, think, are very good.
Gizmo:Half Wheel's great. You know, Half Wheel, of course, is the best, but they also have a site. You should be visiting Half Wheel every day. If you're trying to be in this industry, you need to be on Half Wheel every day. I go to Half Wheel every single day.
Gizmo:I think FOH.
Bam Bam:I love that site. FOH's site
Gizmo:is FOH is, used to be very Cuban focused, but obviously has pivoted away from that as things have changed in the industry as we're talking, but I think that is, you need to be on there. If you wanna be serious, I think you need to be on FOH because it's just the best place for community. I'm not even talking as a homer. I love being there, but it's just so informative. It's so diverse.
Gizmo:It's so interesting. It's well curated. There's no assholes on there. Rob does a very good job in his moderation team. They do a very good job keeping that keeping that place in order and and and really offering a lot of value.
Gizmo:And the best part is it's free. Yeah. Like, we're talking about stuff that doesn't cost you any money.
Bam Bam:Correct.
Gizmo:You know? But I I think diving down, you know, he asked about practices, about honing your knowledge. I think the number one thing that I would recommend is when you sit down to smoke, you should not be watching TV, distracted by something else, you know, a sports game, whatever. If you want to really, really dive into the cigar, I think that what we've done and what we've developed over the last five years has come as a product of sitting and focusing on the cigar. And conversations.
Gizmo:And conversations with other like minded people. If you can have it.
Bam Bam:This podcast was born out of all of our early conversations together, okay? And the idea just sprung up among a few of us, and that's how I think you're gonna learn. And I've learned the most from talking to y'all.
Gizmo:In this room.
Bam Bam:In this room.
Gizmo:Not when we're watching a baseball game.
Bam Bam:No. Exactly. At the club, at the lounge, I think that's ideal. It's a must.
Gizmo:I think if you could find your own way, you don't have to do the lizard way per se. Find your own way to put a microscope on what we do, and what cigar smoking is, the flavor notes, and the experience, and the ups and downs of it, because it's a handmade, organic product, so it's imperfect.
Bam Bam:So I know, Rooster, you do a lot of research. Where do you go online?
Rooster:Not books. Usually YouTube and videos. And I think if you're a YouTube watcher, YouTube Premium is fantastic.
Gizmo:That's one of my favorite subscriptions I have. Really?
Rooster:No ads. That's one content that I'm watching the most. More than Netflix, more than Amazon Prime, more than anything else. I'm just
Bam Bam:I'm talking cigar specific
Rooster:Yeah, that's fair to talk
Gizmo:to YouTube.
Rooster:Yeah, YouTube has a ton of content.
Bam Bam:Nice. Tons of content.
Gizmo:And you know what? I've curated my YouTube. I don't know if you've done this, but when that kind of AI slop or the content slop pops up, you can kind of filter that channel out or So say you're not
Rooster:the
Gizmo:stuff I get on YouTube, the AI push and the slop and the junk that's coming over from TikTok and Instagram into those feeds, it's hard to filter it all out. But, you know, if you do a little work, you can find the good stuff. Like, there's old documentaries on cigars. I mean, even the Cigar Aficionado interview with Michael Jordan. Mean, it's a great watch.
Gizmo:You know, it's free on YouTube. You know, Puba used to mention Doctor. Joe. Doctor. Joe is great.
Gizmo:Saw a curmudgeon.
Rooster:So I had not seen Doctor. Joe. Like, I had no idea who he is. Mhmm. So in my mind, I'm thinking this is a 60 year old guy, No, retired he's
Gizmo:in his 30s.
Rooster:He's a young dude. Wealth of knowledge. Wealth of knowledge on cigars. On Cuban cigars. On Cuban cigars.
Rooster:I just saw a couple of episodes. And one episode, it was about how to store cigars, how to age cigars, what is the proper way, what is the maturation process of a cigar, what it does, how the ammonia thing happens, how long should you keep It was mind blowing.
Bam Bam:Yeah. It's invaluable.
Rooster:Mind blowing. Mean, we've been recording this podcast for years now, but the stuff that you learn from each other every single day. And we're still learning.
Bam Bam:That's right.
Gizmo:So a great question from Lizard Scott. We really, really appreciate him writing in. And, you know, if there's anybody out there who has similar questions or advice for him or ideas about, you know, processes or habits that you've developed over the years smoking, please let us know. We'll share it because I think the nice thing that we do here and we appreciate from guys like Ernesto and guys like Klaus Kellner and guys like George Padron and guys like Rabbi Alla, it's the willingness to share information. And I think that once it's gatekept, that's where my interest stops.
Gizmo:You know, once somebody kinda wants to be the Wizard of Oz, kinda hide the
Bam Bam:And not disclosing their blends, you know, that kind of tactic is unattractive.
Rooster:I think 90% of the people in the cigar industry are very open.
Chef Ricky:They
Rooster:want to share and embark the knowledge and the whole process and their life journeys.
Bam Bam:So really, answer his question, I think that's a great place to start. Just understand how manufacturers are making their cigars, understand the personalities.
Rooster:The process.
Bam Bam:The process, how they grow, where they're growing, and start smoking those And
Gizmo:just stay away from influencers. If someone is doing what they do to get a click out of you, avoid it. Correct. Alright, boys. Let's go to another one now.
Gizmo:This one's coming from YouTube user, unknown majesty sixty two fifty seven. This one is from a couple months ago. I missed it, so forgive me, but it's a good question. Hey, Lizards. I'm asking what tower you guys are speaking of.
Gizmo:I think we were talking about when chef Ricky got his tower. I think we were following up on it recently. He he says, I'm having an experience currently with cigars coming out of my Tupperware, and many are tasting off or flat, like they're muted. I, however, purchased a 100 count four drawer cedar Humidor. I'm currently seasoning, hoping it could wake many of my cigars back up.
Gizmo:Last question. Should I use a Boveda or a distilled water device or gel beads in this new Humidor? So a very simple question. What is your tower called? Do you remember, chef?
Chef Ricky:It's the My Elegant Bar. What's the website?
Gizmo:Your Elegant Bar is what it's called.
Bam Bam:That's right.
Chef Ricky:Is it your
Gizmo:yourelegantbar.com, I believe it
Bam Bam:is. Great website.
Chef Ricky:Yeah. Okay. I thought it was My Elegant Bar.
Pagoda:No, that'd be his. Sorry,
Rooster:Chef. I didn't mean
Gizmo:to take that away from you.
Chef Ricky:No, I'm good.
Bam Bam:You just killed his dream.
Chef Ricky:Sorry about that. It was years ago. I don't remember the model or anything like that, but it's up there.
Bam Bam:Yeah, I'm trying to
Gizmo:It's a single door Yeah, single door tower. Has Yep.
Chef Ricky:About 1,200 cigars.
Bam Bam:It's a beautiful, beautiful tower. They
Chef Ricky:have an espresso finish.
Bam Bam:And it comes with the lights built in.
Chef Ricky:Lights built in.
Gizmo:Fans has
Chef Ricky:an outlet for Cigar Oasis fans or A fan, And it's been doing great. It's been going now a couple of years at this point. Yeah. And it's doing good by me.
Gizmo:Very stable. I mean, the best humidors out there are the ones that don't try to solve for temperature. We talked about this, I think, a week or two ago. If you're buying a thermoelectric humidor, which I'm assuming is what this listener is saying, he purchased a 100 count four drawer cedar humidor. I'm assuming that's a thermoelectric one.
Gizmo:My recommendation is just to keep the power off. Don't let it fight with itself. Temperature and humidity, we talked about this. But my recommendation would either be to go with Boveda, or if you have a lot of cigars in there and you can afford it, get a Cigar Oasis to stabilize your situation. Make sure it's appropriately sized.
Gizmo:The great thing is you can call Cigar Oasis. They're based out of Long Island, New York. When you
Bam Bam:call them, two rings, a human being picks up in Long Island, New York. Yep. And you can ask them the questions you need to.
Gizmo:They'll point you in the right direction. They're fantastic. So my recommendation is Boveda or a distilled water device like the Cigar Oasis. Stay away from the gel beads. Stay away from the device doing its own thing with I
Rooster:think his question is about cigars tasting muted
Gizmo:Well, that's where I was going next.
Rooster:I feel like when the cigars are in a Tupperware I don't know what size Tupperware, but if they're like boxes and boxes Yeah, you're stuffed in. There's no air There's no air movement. So you want to take those boxes out.
Gizmo:The other thing I think of, too, is that he may have hygrometers that are not accurate, and he's got either too low of humidity in there and it's reading wrong or it's too high. I mean, gonna do a good job. They run a little hot in tight air situations like rubber sealed gasket tupper doors. So make sure that your hygrometers are calibrated. That's crucial.
Gizmo:Know, get a hygrometer kit from Boveda, follow the instructions perfectly, don't rush it.
Bam Bam:You can also buy calibrated.
Gizmo:I don't trust any of
Bam Bam:them. You don't?
Gizmo:No. So definitely calibrate your hygrometers, for sure. I'm assuming that's what it is, and like you said, I think air movement is good. So if you can afford some sort of setup, even if it's a Humidor from Amazon, don't power it on unless you need the light. Let, you know, the Cigar Oasis move air.
Gizmo:Let the Bova to do its thing.
Bam Bam:You Let some air don't know if it's one of those units.
Gizmo:I'm assuming it is because he's saying it's a 100 count, four drawer cedar thing. It's not wood.
Bam Bam:I've seen a wood Humidor with drawers in them, and I am not a fan. I wouldn't put my cigars in a drawer and then push it into a mini tower or whatever it may be because there's just not enough air movement in that drawer, unfortunately. Open shelves.
Gizmo:Yeah. Well, I hope this listener lets us know what it is.
Bam Bam:And, you
Gizmo:know, we appreciate him writing in, so thanks for that. All right, boys, we've come to the end of the second third now on the Dunbarton Tobacco and Trust tenth Jubilee and the Penderyn Madeira finished Welsh whiskey. What are you guys thinking of the pairing tonight? I can't believe we're having a Welsh whiskey, and I'm loving it. It's fantastic.
Pagoda:I'll tell you, it's definitely, it's grown on me over a period of time.
Bam Bam:You know, it's funny because I keep telling chefs
Pagoda:that there's certain tequilas which start off different. But, know, when you let them become a little warmer or just let them linger on your palate for a while and it feels warm, you get a lot more flavor out
Bam Bam:of it. And I think that's what
Pagoda:I've been doing, but it's bringing a lot of the sweetness out towards the back, right towards the end of
Bam Bam:the thing. And
Pagoda:then it's a pretty long finish, I must say.
Chef Ricky:Very long finish.
Pagoda:Yeah. This is like
Bam Bam:It's quite delicious, actually.
Pagoda:It is actually very delicious. A lot more than how it started for me.
Bam Bam:Oh, I totally agree with that. I didn't like it initially. I didn't hate it, but like the cigar, it has grown and have adjusted beautifully. Brewster, what are you getting on a cigar? Curious.
Bam Bam:You loved it.
Rooster:Are you still loving it? I do. Yeah. Awesome. I do love it.
Rooster:I don't think it has changed quite that much. I'm still getting the notes of chocolate, leather, earthiness, and that sweetness is just coming through. And it hasn't really changed much, but the complexity of the cigar with the balance, with the sweetness, it's just completely it's a very pleasurable experience.
Chef Ricky:So I find that mine has changed quite a bit, Where now I'm kind of getting this earthy cinnamon note.
Gizmo:I'm not getting the cinnamon, I'm getting the earth.
Bam Bam:Me
Chef Ricky:too. I'm getting an earthy cinnamon note right now. No sweetness? A touch of sweetness, but most of the sweetness isn't it's gone, but it's I don't I don't miss it because I feel like the cigars evolved in a good way. And you know what I do appreciate usually where I am at in this cigar, things start to get muddled and this it's not the
Rooster:case It's with this
Chef Ricky:not muddled at all. It's still delivering really well, really balanced, but now it's delivering something slightly different and I appreciate that. Okay.
Bam Bam:Giz?
Gizmo:So for me it's earthy. I think the sweetness has left for me, and I wish it didn't. I disagree with you on that. I wish it was still there. To me, mine has kind of taken a little bit of dip my interest in it.
Bam Bam:Thank you. Same here.
Gizmo:It's given me an hour and a half You of a great know, it's hard for me to knock it at this point where, you know, it's not a bad cigar right now. It's taken a little bit of a change, but I've been so, you know, it's been so great for almost ninety minutes already that
Bam Bam:don't know. Whether it's a good change or a bad change,
Pagoda:I'm still trying to figure it out. And that's why I got a re pour of the drink because I think at the pairing, it's working really well. So it's bringing about a lot of the sweetness is coming from the drink now.
Bam Bam:Yeah. I'm not gonna be so positive right now. I don't hate it, but I can't rely on the drink to evaluate the cigar right now because it's earthy, and it's a little chalky for me. Just a touch of chalkiness, and it's a little dry.
Gizmo:When you say chalkiness, how is that presenting? Is it a lip smacking? Is it a dryness?
Bam Bam:It's dryness on the palate. I like the way you
Pagoda:said dry because I think that's what I was seeking something to
Bam Bam:drink with so I had water. And it should Then it became a little dry for
Pagoda:I agree with you.
Bam Bam:Unfortunately, that shouldn't be the case. It should not It should stand on its own if it can.
Rooster:Yeah, see, I'm not getting that.
Bam Bam:It's not bad. I'm going to knock it a little bit for that, but it's still smoking beautifully. I actually like now the retrohale better than a traditional draw.
Gizmo:The retrohale has gotten better. I still don't love it as much as the regular draw.
Bam Bam:It's carrying me.
Gizmo:Okay. Yeah. It makes sense.
Chef Ricky:Yeah. Did anyone else get so throughout the beginning of the second, third, and towards the end there, I was also getting a smoky note, like a barbecue smoky note. Like a jar?
Rooster:Like a jar?
Chef Ricky:Yeah, like a
Bam Bam:smoked wood, no one else got that.
Gizmo:I could kind of get that on the front of my tongue maybe
Rooster:a little Tobacco.
Chef Ricky:Yeah. Why I was hesitant in mentioning it because I knew BAM was gonna
Gizmo:break Premium up the hand rolled tobacco.
Rooster:It's a little smoky.
Bam Bam:Speaking of eight year old jokes. Oh, correct.
Rooster:Look, at least it's not a paper bag note.
Gizmo:That's correct.
Chef Ricky:Or tomato.
Rooster:Brown paper bag.
Bam Bam:Correct.
Chef Ricky:Dried fruit is okay. Tomato and brown paper bag, though.
Gizmo:I don't know. At this point, it's different, but I'm still enjoying it. Like, I I'm could right now, I could put it down. I've got about what, an inch left. I could put it down, reach for something else, finish out the episode, rate it, whatever.
Gizmo:But I'm not wanting to do that. I do wanna take this down a little further and see how it finishes for me.
Bam Bam:I love that molasses I was getting in the second third. Yeah, I'm
Rooster:still getting that. Wow. Know, none of us had to relight the cigar. No, The it's construction is fantastic.
Bam Bam:That's true.
Gizmo:Even as I was talking and reading, I'd had my cigar in my wrist. Yeah. Picked it up, Didn't have to relight it all.
Bam Bam:Beautifully made cigar.
Gizmo:I haven't clicked my lighter since we lit it.
Pagoda:And to be very fair,
Bam Bam:that if I was smoking this
Pagoda:in the lounge, I wouldn't have noticed that much of a change. Meaning it did get a
Bam Bam:bit drier, but you you would just continue smoking it and just, you know, drop it
Pagoda:at some point.
Chef Ricky:Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah.
Gizmo:Alright, boys. Let's go back to some listener email. Got a couple more for you tonight. This one is from our friend Lizard James. He says, hello, Lizards.
Gizmo:I hope all is well. I recently bought a box of the aging room concerto in Maestro, and I'm very excited to smoke these upon the score you guys gave it. I was just wondering what is the protocol on how to get the best out of this cigar? I know there's a resting period. I just wanna get this exactly right to hopefully have as close to the same experience that you guys had.
Gizmo:Thanks for the great podcast. I listen to you guys every day. Much love, Lizard James.
Bam Bam:It's a great song.
Gizmo:By the I love that.
Chef Ricky:Yeah?
Gizmo:I love that he listens every day.
Bam Bam:Correct.
Gizmo:I really appreciate that. So thank you to Lizard James.
Pagoda:Just smoke it, bud. Just smoke it.
Gizmo:I disagree with you on that, Pagoda.
Bam Bam:So you answer first.
Gizmo:For me, when I get a box of of really any Nicaraguan, you know, or or aging room, call it, I'm looking at probably thirty to sixty days down resting at a 65, 64 ish humidity. If I'm trying to rush that, I might dry box it, you know, in the fifties for, you know, a couple days or a week just to, you know, really give it its best shot. I know you guys disagree with me on this. Senator, who's not here, certainly disagrees with me on this.
Bam Bam:Disagrees with letting
Gizmo:it Sometimes I'll cut the head of it. Oh, yeah.
Bam Bam:And let
Gizmo:the acclamation happen from both ends.
Chef Ricky:Wow.
Gizmo:You know, I think that helps a lot. Know that's controversial. Do you guys like your ritual? Sorry to disrupt it, but it actually works for me and I really appreciate it sometimes when I'm trying to rush into trying something. But for me, thirty to sixty days minimum.
Gizmo:I think what you do is dry box it or put it at a lower humidity. Try one at thirty days. It's not really that high priced of a cigar. See how it is. If it's great, great.
Gizmo:If it's not, give it another thirty, try another one. If it's not great, give it another thirty. At 90 days, you're gonna be well set up to enjoy the box.
Bam Bam:So I probably do something that no one here does. I like to take a cigar out of the box Out of the box, moment I get it. Yeah. Just to see what it's like. And I'll be honest with you.
Gizmo:Off the truck.
Pagoda:All the aging rooms work.
Bam Bam:Yeah. Like, I haven't ever had a bad aging room or a bad Aladino out of the box. It's always been pleasurable. Now Except the
Gizmo:Aladino That's correct. Or a bad Padron. No. Those are the four. Dude, except
Pagoda:for the Aladino eighty eighty fifth. Think that definitely needs
Gizmo:Aladino eighty fifth. Know what the That's thing with that is correct. You know what the thing is with that eighty fifth? It's that the draw on those is tight. And if there's more moisture in there, I think it really tightens up that airflow.
Gizmo:Like, wish they'd make them just a little bit looser.
Bam Bam:Looser. Mhmm. But So I have one, and I haven't ever had an issue. I just want to I want to see what it's like right off the truck. Then it goes in a tower for a month, like you said, and then see and I have another one, and then do another month.
Bam Bam:And then once they're settled in, then they're a weekly smoke.
Rooster:Yeah, I think a good test also is if you get a new box, it's in cellophane, you take it out and you feel the head of the cigar. Feel it. Is there a give? Is it spongy? If it feels too spongy, it's Don't touch it.
Rooster:Don't touch it.
Bam Bam:Correct.
Rooster:I would leave it for a while. But sometimes you get these cigars from reputable sources, and they're ready to smoke in a week or two. You don't sometimes not have to wait that long. They might be ready to go. Think You just feel the cigar.
Gizmo:I do think Nicaraguans are generally more forgiving.
Pagoda:Mhmm. They're very forgiving.
Gizmo:Think they're
Rooster:Honduras. Honduras
Gizmo:not allowed,
Rooster:though, so that that kind of helps.
Gizmo:Like the Honduras, of course. I think Aladino, Hondurans, I like to give them a little more time because they're a little closer to Cubans in my acclamation thinking. Nicaraguans are cigars that I can kind of go into a Humidor. Pick one up, know it's imperfect, and still get 90% of the experience I'm expecting.
Bam Bam:Yeah. Know? Can't disagree.
Gizmo:But so that would be that's our recommendation on that, and I would apply that to most cigars. If you can be patient, get thirty to sixty days out of it, I think that's the way to go. Alright, boys. Let's go to another one now. This one's from our friend Lizard John from Boise.
Gizmo:He says, hi, Giz. It just so happens that I was giving up on an h up and half corona that was impossibly plugged when you asked for feedback on New World cigars that have replaced Cubans in our smoking rotations. Now I'd never say they are exact replicas, but I've smoked three cigars this year that I found totally unique to traditional New World blends that I'd suggest our fellow lizards try out. The h 99 version of the true estate Papa's Fritos, the warped Isla De Cocodrio, especially the recently released Toro Grande limited edition, and the Elucion Aperne. Each are excellent New World cigars that I'd argue don't taste like every other New World cigar.
Gizmo:Cheers, boys. Lizard John from Boise.
Bam Bam:I think we should try those.
Gizmo:Two of those you like. Right?
Pagoda:Yeah. The Aperne and the Papas Fritos.
Gizmo:Have you had the H 99 Papas Fritos, or No, just no. The So I've heard some different things about the H 99 version of that, but I have enough Papas Fritos that I don't really seek it out. I actually don't even reach for the Papa's Fritas that much.
Bam Bam:You should. I love that cigar.
Gizmo:You still smoking it?
Bam Bam:It's a really
Pagoda:good I
Bam Bam:have a bunch, but I haven't dipped into them. Whenever I do, I ask myself, Why am I not smoking these more? They're delicious, and they get better over time.
Gizmo:Alright, boys. Let's go to another one. This one's from Lizard Daniel. He says, hello all. My name is Dan, and I found your podcast not that long ago through the FOH Forum.
Gizmo:I am a shift worker, and I listen to the podcast in my commute and also while enjoying some lovely cigars. I'm a bit of an amateur. I've mainly focused on New World cigars so far with my faves being Flores, Rodriguez, Tamboril, Podomo lot 23, etcetera. But I'm switching it up, I've decided to learn all about Cuban cigars. I've recently purchased a bunch of h Upman magnum 40 sixes, good choice, and love the flavor profile.
Gizmo:I feel that a few of them should be stored for a while and enjoy one of those each year to see how they age. About the show, you guys are great to listen to, entertaining, and informative. I especially enjoy listening to you all describe what you are tasting, the subtle flavors, and how the opinions stack up. I won't waste much of your time, by the way, never wasting our
Bam Bam:time. Correct.
Gizmo:We're sitting here smoking cigars together. It's never a waste of our time. I won't waste much of your time other than to ask, what advice would you give to help develop my palate when it comes to discerning subtleties in flavors? Thanks for your time, guys, and don't shoot the lock off the wallet too much in your Costco adventures. Warm regards, wizard Daniel.
Bam Bam:I think that's a very easy question to answer. I'm not gonna answer it though. I wanna hear what you guys have to say.
Rooster:I think it just comes down to experience and smoking as many cigars as you can.
Gizmo:It's reps.
Chef Ricky:That's it. Not just that.
Gizmo:Get in get in the lab and do your reps.
Bam Bam:Gotta get the reps in. It has to
Chef Ricky:be focused reps.
Gizmo:Well, the microscope, I think, is the great analogy
Bam Bam:Oh, yeah.
Gizmo:That we always go to. Of course. You cannot be sitting watching a Super Bowl or the World Cup
Chef Ricky:With 12 other guys yelling and clapping and you're just not yeah.
Rooster:You have
Chef Ricky:to be focused. Yeah.
Bam Bam:That's correct. But that doesn't also require you to be in a closet.
Chef Ricky:No. No. No. No. We're focused here and, you know, there's
Rooster:five of
Bam Bam:But even if there's a game on, your head can be in the cigar, and just among other guys doing Sure, other yeah. I would just say just smoke a cigar
Pagoda:and listen to the episode, and then see whether, you know
Gizmo:Whether it aligns
Pagoda:Whether or it aligns with whose flavor profile, and
Bam Bam:I would wait on that. You'll get an idea with that. Initially I wouldn't do that. I think what Rooster said is spot on. Getting reps and smoking, just start smoking and just taking note of what you're getting.
Bam Bam:I would give myself a year of doing that, And go through all the different markers. And then I will
Gizmo:say though
Pagoda:No, gargle before every episode.
Gizmo:I will say though, here's where I disagree with you on that, is I think there's moments that we have. Especially I think that UBAM like and Chef, I think have, and to some degree Senator, have a little bit more of a discerning palate when it comes to really unique flavors. And I put you guys certainly above Yeah, but that
Bam Bam:comes from practice.
Gizmo:No, but I think there's also an element of just, you have somehow your brain is really tied into your palette. You can call out these things that are different. I'm not putting myself or anyone else down, but I think that you guys do I have these moments sometimes where you guys call something out and I go, oh yeah, that's exactly what I'm tasting. Or we completely disagree. But it does happen where I think that listening to the podcast and hearing some of these notes called out might actually be a little bit of a cheat sheet into training your brain to understand what your palate is tasting.
Gizmo:I think that There's we kind of like a roadmap there.
Pagoda:Yeah. I I totally agree with that.
Bam Bam:But there's some cross influence that you'll you'll be
Rooster:But they're not
Bam Bam:rating someone's But they're not rating. I know that. I know. But you I think you wanna create your own your own opinions about the cigars you're smoking, and then begin to listen to others. Then you can formulate your own because palates differ from person to person.
Chef Ricky:I think it's hard to develop your own opinion if you've never paid attention to your palate.
Bam Bam:Oh, you've got to smoke,
Chef Ricky:Not just smoke, but when you eat, when you drink, right? So your palate is Of course. It's all of those things. Yes. That's correct.
Chef Ricky:I think if I weren't a chef and I had no use of my prior use or experience of my palate, I'd say, Okay, they tasted cinnamon. Let me go in my cabinet and grab a cinnamon stick and smell That's a good point. And then taste it. Oh, they taste dried fruit. Do I have any dried fruit here?
Chef Ricky:What's that feel like? What's that taste like? Oh, I get it now. Right?
Bam Bam:Oh, they tasted tomato. No.
Gizmo:Let me get the Heinz.
Chef Ricky:Pagoda with the damn glucose biscuit. I'd be on Amazon looking for a glucose biscuit
Rooster:so So that bring you it some taste next time.
Chef Ricky:So that I
Pagoda:could actually bring it. I you know, I've been talking about it for a while. I need to bring it.
Gizmo:I wanna try it.
Bam Bam:I do too.
Rooster:I wanna try the brown paper bag. But I
Chef Ricky:but to your point, you're getting into photography. You bought lenses. You bought a camera. Dude, you know I'm doing?
Gizmo:Know what I'm doing? This is a little nerdy. I'm gonna regret saying it. I'm in a three part class. I've taken two classes already, six total hours, two hours each to just give myself a head start So I don't have to make mistakes that others have made.
Gizmo:So it's like, I'm almost doing what I'm suggesting here. I went out and paid for a class with other people where I go and I'm, you know
Bam Bam:It's a little different though.
Gizmo:No, but it's not because you have a roadmap into success.
Bam Bam:But you're learning a technical skill. A palette is very No. It's a technical
Chef Ricky:skill, but it's very reliant on the individual's artist's dream.
Gizmo:Dude, the best photographers in the world take very different photographs.
Bam Bam:Yeah, that's true.
Gizmo:And use the camera very differently. I know. So I don't think it's that different. While ours is a little more subjective, I do think that being able to I'll give you an example. Listening to Doctor.
Gizmo:Joe. Okay? He did this ten, fifteen years ago. He disappeared off the face of the earth like ten years ago. But he did this then.
Gizmo:A lot of information there. Listening to Rabbi Allah and Ken on the FOH videos ten years ago sitting on the deck, It's the same thing. It's very helpful to smoke a lungs in is. The is. Reading the Min Ron Ne book.
Chef Ricky:Yeah, yeah.
Gizmo:Reading Cube Cigar website, it all helps.
Bam Bam:I'll tell you, if you
Pagoda:have a memory, it really helps.
Bam Bam:Yeah. Well, I don't It does help. It does help. You know one thing it will do? I'll give this its merit and its due.
Bam Bam:If you're getting something on your cigar and you're hearing this recording and you're not getting with what any of us are getting, it does help you to kinda cut the fat and say, okay. I'm not getting this from this cigar, but I'm getting this, and I'm gonna note that. It does help you to discern. So I I I'll acquiesce. I agree.
Rooster:I mean, take you should take
Pagoda:That was a really big word, toilet paper work.
Bam Bam:Where'd you get that from? From the toilet paper.
Rooster:You know, I think it's also a good start if you look at our ratings on our pod. And you're a newbie starting out smoking cigars, you could look at the ratings and smoke a lot of those eights, Absolutely. Nines, and That's also for
Bam Bam:And that
Rooster:are in your price range. You don't
Bam Bam:have
Gizmo:to So go
Bam Bam:I was gonna go there. That for me is a financial tool. Yeah.
Gizmo:It saves money. And spends, but it saves money.
Bam Bam:Exactly right. It saves the
Gizmo:listener It's
Rooster:a great way to start to get into this hobby.
Bam Bam:That's correct.
Gizmo:Good question. Great question. Great email. Mhmm. And now, boys, it's time to go to our lizard of the week presented by our friends at Bond Roberts.
Gizmo:And our lizard of the week this week is Lizard Glacier.
Bam Bam:He writes time I've heard that.
Gizmo:Hello from Switzerland. Cool. Hello, guys. I started my cigar journey recently. I'm from Switzerland, and I don't have many friends that share my new passion.
Gizmo:As most countries in Europe, there are close to no cigar lounges available in my area, which means I'm enjoying my smokes most of the time alone in my garden. I tried to educate myself actually, this is apropos because I didn't even tee this up to the conversation we just had. I tried to educate myself online and purchase cigars from some, quote, top 20 cigar lists from YouTube, Rooster, or some famous cigar magazines, I did not really enjoy most of them, and I could hardly taste any notes. I discovered your podcast a few months ago, and your reviews have helped me a lot. I've never been disappointed by any of the cigars for which you gave a good rating.
Gizmo:I got my first ever real coffee and chocolate notes from a Fabrica five cigar.
Rooster:Yeah. There you go.
Bam Bam:That's correct.
Gizmo:The Lancero, if I remember well. I'm actually impressed by how much flavor and consistency they have for this price point. By the way
Bam Bam:Can't beat them.
Gizmo:I mean, come on. They're the best. I'm so proud that they are our presenting sponsor. Your web page with all the ratings is really awesome. I'm now trying to order all the 9.5 plus ratings if they're available in Switzerland and in my budget as as Bam was just saying.
Bam Bam:Yeah. Just managed to put
Gizmo:my hand on a 25 count box of h upman majestics, Bam. Wow. I'm looking forward to trying them. That one, by the way, I would
Bam Bam:give it some time.
Gizmo:That's not a thirty, sixty day.
Bam Bam:Oh, yeah.
Gizmo:I mean, you had them for how long?
Bam Bam:Years. A year and a
Chef Ricky:half.
Gizmo:Yeah. Quite some time. Yeah. Would it be possible to add some more filters on the Lizard rating page? I would love to be able to filter on the price per stick, for example, or the smoking time.
Gizmo:That's a great
Bam Bam:That's cool.
Gizmo:Recommendation. Yeah. Smoking time, though, is a little different. That's harder than
Bam Bam:Very subjective.
Gizmo:Price because Rooster, if he wanted, could take three hours on a Robusto.
Bam Bam:That's correct.
Pagoda:I think he won the competition.
Bam Bam:He won the smoke.
Gizmo:The world cigar smoking competitions.
Bam Bam:Yeah. While while he's in bed.
Gizmo:Thanks again to you guys, and please keep it up. This has now become my ritual every week to listen to your podcast while enjoying my cigar in my garden. Best regards, Lizard Glacier. And he says, PS, just a thought. I discovered Fabrica five cigars.
Gizmo:Thanks to your podcast, and I suppose a lot of other lizards have as well. And this is important. I get this a lot from listeners, but I'm gonna address it They often have promo codes for 20% or more in the email, so I'm not really using the Lizard Pod promo code, unfortunately. Maybe they could add a field. Like, how did you discover FabricA five where we could mention you guys?
Gizmo:I guess this would increase your stats by
Rooster:a lot.
Bam Bam:That's smart.
Gizmo:No. But let me just say I
Bam Bam:like that.
Gizmo:Let me just say, though, if you go to fabrica005.com, use our code, Lizard Pod, they know that you heard of FabricA5 or were inspired to try them from us. Even if you go back and use other codes that they offer in emails and they're trying to get you to try a different cigar, whatever it is, they're doing a great job over there with the marketing that we complain about with everybody else. They're actually doing a brilliant job with it, and I really appreciate it because it's value add there. They're doing a great job with that. But if you're using the other codes, don't worry about us because they know where you came from.
Gizmo:That's cool. And they are all about repeat buyers, and I heard from Rob the other day that 87% of people who have ordered Fabrica five have reordered Fabrica five.
Bam Bam:Are you serious?
Gizmo:87%.
Rooster:That's incredible.
Gizmo:An unbelievable number. Pagoda, you would know. But, you know, they're appreciative of your business. We're appreciative that you have. You trust our word to go try them.
Gizmo:And then, of course, loving them to the point that, you know, you like us are going back and and reordering. Yeah, we really appreciate that. They appreciate it. And of course, you you have some great smoke. So that's a great question and a great email from Lizard Glacier.
Gizmo:I'm so glad that we have become part of your, you know, ritual in your garden each week listening to us. Like so many other lizards out there choosing to put the pot on when you have
Rooster:a straw. To hear that he can access Fabrica five stars
Bam Bam:in Switzerland. Yeah. Right?
Gizmo:Yeah. It's fantastic.
Rooster:I guess he's getting them through COH. I would think he's getting them
Gizmo:for Fabrica five because he's talking about these codes. That's great. So check out Fabrica five wherever you are in the world. Use our code, you'll get in the program, and then you get some emails going. You only get those emails once you're a customer you'll be in and they offer some great stuff.
Gizmo:I mean, it's really a fantastic consumer, you know, retailer, manufacturer relationship with those guys. Know, I forget the podcast or gizmo. I do it as me. You know, I'm constantly buying their stuff because I'm constantly smoking it. They're great deals.
Gizmo:So be sure to do that. But again, thanks to Lizard Glacier from Switzerland for sharing that email with us. And boys, we have come to the end of our evening with the Dunbarton Tobacco and Trust tenth Jubilee and the Penderyn Welsh Single Malt Whisky. Any final thoughts before we get to our ratings? And don't forget, please Yeah.
Gizmo:To send your ratings over to me.
Bam Bam:I think overall a delicious night, honestly. Right?
Chef Ricky:Surprisingly delicious.
Gizmo:Yeah. I am I'm honestly I'm not shocked by the Dunbarton.
Chef Ricky:100%.
Gizmo:I am shocked by that. Yes. By the Penderyn.
Chef Ricky:By the Welsh
Gizmo:Whisky. Yeah.
Chef Ricky:That was unique.
Gizmo:All right, boys. Let's go to the former liquor rating tonight on the Penderyn single malt Welsh whiskey. Madera finish. Bam Bam, you're up.
Bam Bam:What an unusual spirit. Initially, I didn't like it. You know? It just for me, it didn't have enough flavor. But toward the end of the evening, as I took one sip after another, it was actually quite unique.
Bam Bam:Very, very good. I got a lot of pear, a lot of apple. I don't like that it's a little light in viscosity. This is probably something I won't pursue, but I wouldn't ever say no if someone in the lounge opened it and had it. I I would definitely take some of it, but I'm at a firm nine because of how delicious it was.
Bam Bam:I was teetering on a 10, but because of all of the other issues I had early on, it's just not a memorable drink for me.
Pagoda:Yeah. It doesn't feel like a whiskey either way. Yeah. Although it does have the versatility for like
Bam Bam:A summertime
Pagoda:drink? Summertime on
Bam Bam:Yeah. The absolutely. I think overall a nine is a fair It's a very
Pagoda:fair score, yeah.
Bam Bam:The price is fantastic. And I think, again, it's such a unique spirit. You can't place your thumb on what it performs like. To me, it's a little tequila like. It's unusual.
Bam Bam:It's interesting. I'm at a nine. Alright. Chef?
Chef Ricky:Man, I want to give it a 10. I can't because I gave it a nine. But now with BAM's nine, I feel like my nine isn't good enough because BAM's nine sounded more like an eight. Deserves a nine. But this whiskey, I really, really enjoyed it.
Chef Ricky:I do think it drinks like a whiskey in that. Here's where it differs Pagoda. It's bright. It's
Bam Bam:very bright.
Chef Ricky:It's very bright, right? Like it it delivered bright, fruity notes. You know, Giz mentioned pineapple. There was cherry there.
Pagoda:Yes, like fruity bright.
Chef Ricky:I got some marzipan. I got some other tropical notes that were just I mean, way it got at 46%, the way that it delivered on the palate was unusually bright and and all over the place. Listen, this whiskey is super unique. It delivered well with the cigar. I appreciated the bright flavor profile because the cigar was on the earthier side at times.
Chef Ricky:So for me, it's a nine. I would absolutely pursue this bottle at 60,
Gizmo:I guess. 64, let's call it.
Chef Ricky:Yeah. I think that's a bargain for its uniqueness and what it delivered. I really, really enjoyed it.
Gizmo:So for me, it's a 10. I'm actually surprised on the first 10 here. Wow. I thought this was an excellent spirit. It shocked me, honestly.
Gizmo:I thought this was gimmicky. I saw Welsh whiskey. What the hell is that? We've never even heard that Wales makes any sort of whiskey. Is this something that some guy that has some dirt on the guy, a total wine buyer, know, that he somehow convinced them to buy it?
Gizmo:But that's not the case. This is excellent. And I think that for the unique flavors that we called out, how different it is from anything we've ever had, and here's why I gave it the 10. This is an ABV, you know, 46%, 92 proof spirit that is very light. And I think for those two things, I think it works with almost any cigar
Bam Bam:Of course.
Gizmo:That we would bring into this room.
Bam Bam:Cuban and New World.
Gizmo:Cuban and New World. Sure. Because it's light, it's thin, but it also has that little bit higher proofing that I think it would stand up to the Padron Exclusivo or some of those more full Nicaraguan cigars. You're wincing at me as I say that.
Bam Bam:What's interesting is
Gizmo:because we a we had a Nicaraguan cigar tonight, man.
Bam Bam:Because of where it is regarding its alcohol content, it should have a bit more body and a touch more Bite. Yeah, which I actually do like.
Gizmo:I think it's very well balanced.
Chef Ricky:I think it delivers this bite and flavor.
Bam Bam:But here's the
Gizmo:thing. I agree.
Bam Bam:Regardless of how versatile it is regarding the seasons, can you see yourself a late evening here at the club opening that bottle and wanting a rich experience?
Chef Ricky:No. No. Rich in flavor, yes.
Gizmo:Think if you're talking about viscosity, who cares? That's not important
Bam Bam:to I'm pursuing, there are times in the evenings here, when we all sit down and have a long sit, you want a rich experience that's gonna carry you.
Gizmo:I'm sorry, florida cana is not quote unquote rich experience.
Bam Bam:It's a
Gizmo:pretty thin rum.
Bam Bam:No, no, I've begged
Pagoda:to flavor. That's it's rich.
Gizmo:It's richer. I think this is rich flavor wise.
Chef Ricky:It's super rich in flavor,
Gizmo:but I'll tell you, disagree with
Bam Bam:But it doesn't carry you through the evening. This is a great starter drink.
Gizmo:Oh, you guys are nuts.
Bam Bam:It's great. Look, I gave it a nine. But there's something about it. It does, I don't think it's as versatile as you may think it is.
Gizmo:I think it's very versatile, and I'm gonna try it tonight.
Bam Bam:It's versatile. I can have it with any cigar, sure, but is it gonna carry me through an entire evening? I'm gonna evolve and probably pour myself a rum or a scotch after this.
Gizmo:The way I think about ratings is not the length of which I'm gonna drink it. It's how it pairs with cigars. Paired great with
Bam Bam:This one
Gizmo:And I think the versatility on this Okay. Okay. Is fantastic. I hear you.
Bam Bam:The only one comment I
Pagoda:would say to that is if you were to drink a whiskey or rum while they're reasonably sweet, you don't feel the sweetness linger for so long in your palate.
Bam Bam:And I don't know whether it's
Pagoda:a demerit or a merit.
Gizmo:That's a merit
Bam Bam:It's very, very sweet for me.
Pagoda:Like my mouth, then my whole palate's
Gizmo:just I don't know, we drink a lot of rum, dude. Yeah. It lingers on the sweetness. Chef, am I wrong?
Bam Bam:Different. No, it's not.
Gizmo:Mean, come on. You're
Chef Ricky:not wrong. And it's a different kind of
Pagoda:It's a different.
Chef Ricky:It is It's a woody, oaky sweet. Yeah. It's coming from the aging process.
Pagoda:This is fruity.
Bam Bam:Fair
Chef Ricky:enough. The sweetness here is coming from, in part it's high proof and whatever the blend is here, but
Gizmo:All
Bam Bam:right, whose turn is it?
Gizmo:It's still mine.
Bam Bam:Okay. Fuck you, Ben.
Gizmo:Listen, it's excellent. There's two things I don't love about it. I don't love the no age statement. I understand why they do it. They're probably trying to keep the profile consistent.
Gizmo:And I think the price is just a touch higher than I'd like it to be, but it's fair for the experience we had. So I'm not gonna knock it for that. For me, it was a very, very good whiskey tonight. I'm very happy with this. I think it's unique, and cheers to them for doing it.
Gizmo:Wow. It's an excellent pairing cigar whiskey. So for me, it's a 10. Pagoda.
Bam Bam:You know, for me, it's a nine. I didn't know Wales would have any other product. The only thing I
Pagoda:know from Wales is probably Gareth Bale, the excellent soccer player.
Gizmo:And Diana.
Pagoda:And maybe sheep.
Bam Bam:Sheep. But I'll leave it at that. I'm kidding.
Rooster:But a
Gizmo:sheep guy. Big sheep guy.
Bam Bam:No. No. But, you know, it's it's been a pleasure drinking this. You know, it's it did not start off well. For me, it's I don't even think it's a whiskey.
Bam Bam:Like, for me, I'm having a difficult time really correlating it to Yeah. My experience with the whiskey. When I think
Pagoda:about a whiskey, it doesn't feel like it.
Bam Bam:And maybe because it's fruity and sweet. Like, it's like See, my worry about this is not worry. Like, my demerit about this is sometimes it becomes the fruity sweetness can feel a little syrupy, maybe. Really? Which I don't get that here.
Bam Bam:Don't know. It's for me
Chef Ricky:can't complain that the spirit lacks body and then see it's syrupy.
Bam Bam:Yeah, so I don't see, that part of the comment that you just made, Pagoda, I don't agree with it. I don't think it's overly sweet at all.
Pagoda:For me, it's just leaving a very sweet flavor.
Gizmo:Yeah, you were saying before that he doesn't know if it's merit or demerit.
Chef Ricky:Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah.
Gizmo:And obviously it's knocked it a little bit for him,
Rooster:so be it.
Pagoda:But having said that, it's very light in terms of its viscosity, of course. But I do think that this could really drink well on a summer afternoon on a deck.
Gizmo:Yeah. I don't
Bam Bam:That's what I'm saying.
Pagoda:With a fabric of five, like a Trinity Rubisto.
Gizmo:You're telling no. Hold on. You're telling me on a summer night on the deck.
Pagoda:On the summer afternoon more so, but
Gizmo:Summer afternoon. Another night.
Bam Bam:Even another night.
Gizmo:You can't go into the evening. Bam already knocked that out.
Bam Bam:That's right.
Gizmo:You're not gonna have this with an exquisite?
Bam Bam:I could. I could. That's why that's I don't disagree with the versatility of cigars that you smell this way. Yeah. So I do think it's versatile in its own right.
Bam Bam:But does
Pagoda:it feel like a whiskey? No. Will I buy it? Maybe not. Maybe I'll have one, but it's not something I'm gonna really pursue.
Pagoda:But having said that, it did grow on me after a while.
Bam Bam:Like, initially, I thought it was Same.
Pagoda:Very, very different. I, like, I wasn't mentally prepared for a whiskey to taste the way it did. But when you let it linger on your, you know, palate for a while and it warms up, it does really, really it's delicious. The other thing what I really liked about it is in terms of the pairing of the
Bam Bam:cigar, I think for me, the last third of
Pagoda:the cigar became slightly drier, and it kind of really helped me, you know, continue or push through the cigar in a way. No, definitely. I think nine's a solid score.
Bam Bam:I think it's on the score. I think
Chef Ricky:it's Yeah.
Pagoda:Yeah. It's definitely worth a try, and I think it's going to be I feel it's gonna be more binary in terms of people's selection for, you know, a spirit to pair with a cigar.
Gizmo:Alright, boys. The formal liquor rating tonight on the Penderyn Madera finished single malt whiskey from Wales is a 9.3.
Bam Bam:That's a great score.
Gizmo:Dude, it's a perfect rating for
Bam Bam:this experience tonight.
Pagoda:It is a perfect rating.
Gizmo:Excellent. And and I wanna note for listeners, BAM moving forward is gonna have to dictate after nine or 10:00
Bam Bam:What you're drinking.
Gizmo:If the spirit doesn't work, it loses a point.
Bam Bam:Correct.
Gizmo:It's gonna lose a point moving forward. Let's put that on the ledger. Alright. Alright, boys. It's time now to move into
Bam Bam:from the ledger?
Gizmo:The formal lizard rating on the Dunbarton Tobacco and Trust. Tenth Jubilee. Roostie, you're up.
Rooster:Kudos to Steve Saka on this blend. It is fantastic. It's one of the best for me, one of his best blends, one of his best cigars that he has made. For my palate, this cigar is absolutely perfect. The cigar, to me, I think it's medium bodied but full flavored.
Rooster:From the beginning to the end, and actually even before that, the cigar is beautiful to look at. The size is perfect. It feels perfect in your hand. The bands are subdued but beautiful. Well done.
Rooster:The aroma on the cigar is fantastic. The cold draw was awesome. When you light the cigar from the very first light, I liked it. Know right away whether you're going to like a cigar or not like a cigar. And about the first third in, you already know the cigar just it just kept going.
Rooster:It just kept building upon flavors. The cigar was earthy. It was leathery, earthy. I got chocolate, cocoa note, coffee. There was a little bit of a minty flavor, like maybe a clove or some kind of a baking spice that was coming through.
Rooster:Maybe it was clove for me. It was more like a licorice note. And cigar didn't really change a lot throughout. It kept those notes coming through, which is not a bad thing for me. When you have a very complex, very balanced cigar, it just works.
Rooster:And on this cigar, particularly, the notes were very distinct. They weren't muddled. You could pick out what those notes are. And sometimes it doesn't work, but on this cigar, this blend is beautiful. It just works.
Rooster:And it's a great cigar. And the tobaccos actually felt like they felt aged. It didn't taste like a fresh cigar. It felt like it had a lot of age on it. And I just absolutely enjoyed it.
Rooster:I would definitely buy a box of this cigar.
Bam Bam:And your rating is?
Rooster:My rating is 10.
Bam Bam:All right.
Gizmo:All right, Pagoda.
Pagoda:My rating's a nine. I really, really enjoyed the cigar you know, from the light. I did not get the pepper, I think, which some little I people have got here in the did not get that pepper at all.
Rooster:They were getting it more on the retrohale in the beginning.
Bam Bam:Traditional draw for me, but
Gizmo:Both of them were getting it on the, it was like three versus two on it.
Bam Bam:That's correct.
Chef Ricky:Yeah.
Bam Bam:So I did not get any
Pagoda:of the pepper. It was it did have a little bit of the sweetness come through. I, like, I think once I started having, you know, the pairing, I got a little bit of the nutty saltiness as well. Very slight, but it kind of really coated my top of my palate, which I really, really enjoy. There were a lot of merits to the cigar.
Pagoda:Smokes really well, good smoke out, obviously really good in the, you know, when you're holding the cigar and you're smoking it, just feels good. I I think Saka's done a wonderful job with the cigar. For me, the only reason why I brought it down to a nine is I think the last third for me became a little drier. And I I felt that, you know, for me, the pairing I think I had a sip of water and I needed the pairing. You know, the last serve wasn't as pleasant as the rest of the cigar.
Pagoda:But having said that, I, you know, I think I mentioned it during the poll that if I was smoking in a lounge, you know, it would be an absolute, like I would smoke it through and I wouldn't have noticed it. It's just that, you know, we tend to focus a lot in the way when we're smoking throughout. But it's a very, very strong nine for me.
Gizmo:So for me, it's a 10.
Chef Ricky:Okay. I
Gizmo:really enjoyed this cigar. Let's start from the top. The construction made me nervous when I felt how densely packed it was. Even before we came in here, was like, uh-oh. You cut the cigar and you draw it, and you're realizing how much tobacco is in here and how well it's put together, you still have that perfectly, just slightly resistant draw.
Gizmo:I think that is a brilliant, a mark of a brilliant constructor and great quality control.
Bam Bam:I think it's a great value.
Gizmo:Exactly. You're getting a
Bam Bam:lot of tobacco.
Gizmo:It's a great value. It's a weighty corona gourd in Yeah, your
Bam Bam:that's correct.
Gizmo:So let's start there. Construction, fantastic. We didn't have to touch it up. Great smoke output through and through. I don't think anybody had to relight or even touch it up.
Gizmo:Mean, it's just brilliant from that standpoint. I think the price. I think coming in under $20 for this ten year anniversary celebration, I think, is excellent. So many folks. I mean, we had I don't know if it was the warped tenth anniversary.
Gizmo:It was I mean, we have had so many cigars that are anniversary cigars that come in at higher prices and smoke half as good. This is a brilliant cigar from Steve, and I'm I'm very, very happy about it. I think the slotting versatility where we talked about it could work on a Saturday morning with a cup of coffee or an espresso. It could work after a steak dinner. It could really work anywhere in your rotation.
Gizmo:I think that versatility, I think the uniqueness of this flavor, I think is a real merit in this cigar. I think right now, this is my favorite Dunbarton that I've had.
Bam Bam:If I may, noting earlier the versatility, how it slots in between some of our very favorite cigars. Yes. It differentiates itself, and there's some parity there with some of the aging rooms that I've noted, and of course, the Exquisivo and the Trinidad Espiritu. That is a wonderful lineup. Yeah.
Bam Bam:Wonderful.
Gizmo:And I want to say on that point, the last cigar we did from Steve Saka, Dunbarton was the Salida Red. Mhmm. And I remember commenting, and I don't remember if anybody else agreed or not. I don't remember this. But I do remember saying that for how much I enjoyed this cigar, I couldn't figure out where it was gonna slot.
Gizmo:I probably wasn't gonna run out and buy a box, maybe a couple cigars, and I didn't know where it was gonna fit. This is not that case. I think this is a cigar. I could find a real place for this. I am gonna buy a box of this.
Gizmo:I really enjoyed it. It really blew me away. It's worthy. This is a cigar worthy of a tenth anniversary celebration. I had that weird two or five minutes, you know, when we went to that conversation about how the cigar is doing.
Gizmo:At the end there, I had a weird two to five minutes, but it actually recovered. And I got down to about, you know, a third of an inch before I actually put the cigar down. So ton of value here. We're over two hours in. I'm really, really happy with the cigar.
Gizmo:So for me tonight on this tenth Jubilee, it's a 10. Chef?
Chef Ricky:So I'm at a nine, And I think it's really because the cigar just wasn't in my wheelhouse a 100%. I think it was a it leaned a little bit earthier and darker in flavor tones, although balanced. You know, I really love the balance of the cigar. I love how it started with some molasses, with some nuttiness, and then it just kind of continued throughout. At the end, it got just a little dry, more tannic than the first two thirds for me.
Chef Ricky:But then, like you guys, at the very end, I was getting more of those bread notes back and it just kind of picked up and got right back to where it needed to get. I enjoyed the cigar a whole lot. The packaging was beautiful. The wrapper was great. The aroma on the wrapper wasn't as pronounced as some other cigars we've had in the past, but I really enjoyed it.
Chef Ricky:So for that, I gave it a nine.
Gizmo:Alright, Pam.
Bam Bam:So I love the first two thirds. Putting aside the pepper experience that I had initially, that dissipated quickly, but that last third bothered me. So I'm gonna be a little hard on the cigar. As good as it was, the dryness, and for me in particular, that chalky experience that I got as I entered that last final third of the cigar. I'm not going say it was off putting because I'm down to under a half inch and it's still quite nice, but I would love to have given this a 10, but I'm in a firm nine.
Bam Bam:I think buying a box of these, letting them sit for a few months, I think may, I hope, would help for my particular experience that final third. If it can even out, if it can bring some of that two third experience down into that final end of the cigar, maybe. But it's definitely worth buying a cigar. So I'm in a very strong nine.
Rooster:I think those seven Manhattans are coming into play,
Gizmo:messing with his brain.
Bam Bam:I wouldn't doubt it.
Gizmo:Alright, boys. The formal lizard rating tonight on the Dunbarton Tobacco and Trust tenth Jubilee is a 9.4. Great score. Let's compare that to the other six Dunbarton cigars we've done on episode 110. We did the Muestro de Saka, The Bewitched scored an 8.7.
Gizmo:On episode 128, we did the Sin Compromiso. Solexio number four, the Robusto, scored a 9.4, same as this.
Bam Bam:Delicious cigar.
Gizmo:The Dunbarton Sobremesa, Cervantes Fino, on episode 140 scored a 7.8. The Umbugog Bronzeback, on episode 179 scored a 9.3, one point shy of this. The Dunbarton Sobremesa Brule in Robusto scored an 8.2 on episode 195. And finally, on episode 224, the Soleda Red scored the same as this, a 9.4.
Bam Bam:It's the Cigars.
Gizmo:So this is on the same page at a 9.4 as the Sinclopramisa, Solexio number four, and the Salida Red.
Pagoda:Yeah. So what's really interesting is a lot of them are over nine. Yeah?
Gizmo:Yeah. He has great ratings on this pod. That's true. Aside from two, the Sobremesa Cervantes Fino, which is a cigar he canceled, and the Sobremesa Brule in Robusto, which for obvious reasons, we didn't love the sweetness on that. Alright, boys.
Gizmo:What a great night. Again, we have to congratulate our friend Lizard Glacier for winning lizard of the week and the 10 count box of cigars from our friends at Bond Roberts. Of course, we have to thank all of the lizards who contribute to our show each week. I got so many emails and voice memos I didn't even get to tonight that we're gonna catch up on next week and the week after that. So please keep them coming.
Gizmo:I will get to them. You know, your contributions are really important to our show. It's a lifeblood of our show. I say that every week now. It's really, really important.
Gizmo:So please keep them coming. I love getting those emails. We really appreciate it. And, of course, we have to thank Bond Roberts for sponsoring our lizard of the week segment each week. They're great cigars.
Gizmo:Of course, we love all of them. The latest release, Phenomenos and the Dahlias and the upcoming Robusto from Bon Roberts. See how that compares to the mofo Robusto Trinity from Fabrica five, of course, our favorite. Great cigars from those guys. You could find them at fabrica005.com.
Gizmo:And boys, small batch cigar, their preferred retail partner of the Lounge Lizards Podcast. Use our code like we did on this cigar tonight. I purchased these cigars from small batch cigar using our code lizard 15 and got 15% off our entire order plus 5% back in rewards and free shipping. Smallbatchcigar.com. You can find the tenth Jubilee there right now.
Gizmo:So run out and buy either a four pack or buy a box, whatever you choose. It's a great cigar. You will enjoy it. And finally, boys, our presenting sponsor, Fabrica five. How many times did we mention them tonight?
Gizmo:How many times did listeners mention them tonight?
Rooster:Yeah. Never enough. I feel very lucky
Gizmo:to have them as our presenting sponsor just like I do. Small Batch Cigars, our retail partner. I mean, we have great partners here, and it continues each week to be reaffirmed how great these partners are for not only us, but more importantly, for Lizard Nations. So be sure to support all of them, and we really, really appreciate it. And one more time, boys, the Penderyn Welsh single malt whiskey, the Madeira finished, scored a 9.3, and the Dunbarton Tobacco and Trust tenth Jubilee was a 9.4.
Bam Bam:Great night.
Gizmo:What a great night, boys. Yeah. Come on now.
Chef Ricky:Oh, yeah.
Gizmo:Awesome. I'm looking forward to, the next one, and we'll see everybody next week. Hope you enjoyed this episode. Thanks for joining us. You could find our merch store and ratings archive at our brand new website, loungelizardspod.com.
Gizmo:That's loungelizardspod.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. You can also find us on Instagram at Lounge Lizards Pod.
Gizmo:We really appreciate your time, and we'll, we'll see you next week.