Cigar Rebel

The Duel

• Cigar Rebel • Season 2 • Episode 10

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You are listening to the Cigar Rebel podcast. Join the conversation as we take the time to enjoy one of life’s luxuries on this quirky journey we call life.

TODAY'S CIGAR: Two Blinded Cigars (Under $13 & Over $28)

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SPEAKER_01

Welcome to the Cigar Rebel community, where indulgence meets authenticity. This is more than a podcast. It's a gathering place for those who savor life's luxuries with unapologetic passion. Here we celebrate the fine art of living through rich flavors, bold spirits, exquisite cigars, and unforgettable experiences.

SPEAKER_10

Welcome back, Rebels. Whether you are lighting up on your back porch, sitting in your favorite lounge, driving home from work, or sneaking away for a little peace and quiet with a cigar, we are glad that you are here with us tonight. I'm Mel.

SPEAKER_02

And I'm Kevin, and we're excited to be here tonight. And this is Cigar Rebel, the podcast where we celebrate great cigars, great conversation, and the culture that brings us all together. Today's episode is one that I've really wanted to do for a while. Um, it's called the duel. Um, because we're about to challenge one of the biggest assumptions in the cigar world.

SPEAKER_10

Yes, and that is that an expensive cigar automatically means that it's better.

SPEAKER_02

Exactly. And today we're conducting, as I said before, what we're calling the duel. We each have two cigars. We have two guests live with us here tonight. We'll introduce them here in a moment. And jumping on stage with us, we also have two people joining us here virtually, and we're all smoking the same two cigars. One costs less than $13, and the other one cost more than $28. In fact, the one that the six of us are smoking was $32.50 when I purchased it. So we have a $12.50 cigar and a $32.50 cigar.

SPEAKER_10

Yes, so both the cigars have had the band removed. So there is no labels, no brand names, no price tags, no assumptions. It's really just all tobacco. So um, really by the end of this episode, we're going to see whether we can identify that expensive cigar. And more importantly, we're going to talk about whether the price and the value are the same thing. So, Rebels, go ahead, cut light, and settle in.

SPEAKER_02

Absolutely. So, before we jump in too far, Mel, what are we smoking tonight?

SPEAKER_10

So, we are not doing that just yet. Uh I would give it all away.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, that's so true, so true. And so we're going to be smoking the cigar. And guys, I really tried to get her to give it away. Um, but tonight, as I said, we're not doing this alone. We have four panelists with us to join us on this adventure in tasting, scoring, and really seeing which cigar comes out on top in the door. And so, Mel, why don't you go ahead and introduce our guests tonight?

SPEAKER_10

Awesome. So, joining us virtually tonight, we have Leslie and Dwayne Horn. So, welcome back to the podcast, guys.

SPEAKER_08

Thanks for having us for having us.

SPEAKER_10

And then next live in studio, we have Chris Flinigan and we have Roper. So, thank you guys for doing that with us tonight. We're excited.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, thank you for the cigar. Yeah, welcome all to the podcast. Thank you again for being here tonight. And this is really a lot of a conversation tonight. Um, so Mel, why don't you walk us through what's happening tonight and how the duel is gonna work?

SPEAKER_10

Yes, so all six of us are smoking both cigars tonight. So the six panelists, and then some of you may have noticed, we did not do our normal cut and light uh to kick off our episode as we normally do, um, because we don't want to give any of our cigar details out until later. So um we did go ahead and we cut this first cigar about 30 minutes ago because to get both cigars in in one podcast, uh, we wanted to start the first one off a little bit early.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, absolutely. And so um in a few moments, each of our um panelists are gonna end up scoring the cigar and really documenting that. And then later in the show, we'll share a lot of that with you. Um, but all six of us, as Mel said, is smoking the cigar tonight. We did light about 30 minutes early so we could get through the first cigar and then get into the second cigar here in about 10-15 minutes from now as we go along tonight.

SPEAKER_10

Yes. Um so also in a few minutes, our panelists they have a Cigar Rebel Blind Cigar Rating Cigar card for cigar number one, and then they can fill that out before we go to move on to cigar number two. And we're gonna smoke them both cigars for the same amount of time, which is why we let this run a little bit early. And the rating includes the score, their perceived value or price, and the flavor notes uh or the smoking experience.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, absolutely. And so our goal is to end the episode tonight with a little bit of discussion on value, price, and which cigar they enjoyed, including why.

SPEAKER_10

Yes, because every cigar smoker eventually asks this question is a $30 cigar really three times better than the $10 cigar?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, absolutely. And that's really where things get interesting, hence the dual. And we're getting into some conversation with these guests tonight. It's not gonna be all Mel and I. Yeah, just kind of set the ground here, right?

SPEAKER_10

And if you've been following Cigar Rebel for very long, you might know a little bit about our panelists, but if not, we also want to help you guys all get to know them a little bit better.

SPEAKER_02

Absolutely. So Mel's gonna ask each of you guys Roper, Chris, Leslie, Dwayne, um, a handful of questions to really help us get to know you a little bit better.

SPEAKER_10

Right. So we're putting Roper in the hot seat first. Uh, first question how long have you been smoking cigars?

SPEAKER_12

Uh about 14 years, okay. Started on my high moon in 2012.

SPEAKER_10

Awesome. Uh how many cigars on average do you smoke a week?

SPEAKER_02

A week? A week. A week.

SPEAKER_10

And this is the average. So you can guess to me.

SPEAKER_12

15 to 20 a week, okay. And which that's it's probably more than that.

SPEAKER_10

I mean, that would be my guess.

SPEAKER_12

But what's that an average a day? Seven. Oh no, no, that's no, no, no. Hold on. It's it's it's like three. I work up here all day. I smoke four to five. Yeah. But when I'm at the house, it's maybe one or two.

SPEAKER_10

Okay. And if you could choose two cigars, which two cigars would you choose?

SPEAKER_12

Um that's a tough one. But right now I'd have to say the Liga Provada number nine and the M81 Blacken.

SPEAKER_10

All right. Okay. Feedback on there. Um, so now we're gonna go ahead and we'll hear from Leslie. So, Leslie, how long have you been smoking cigars? Um, I've been smoking for about 12 years. Okay. And how many cigars do you think you smoke a week?

SPEAKER_08

A week, probably 21.

SPEAKER_10

Okay.

SPEAKER_08

Roughly about three a day.

SPEAKER_10

Very exact. Right off the bat. You knew that that's awesome. And which two cigars would you choose?

SPEAKER_08

So I'm gonna go from one extreme to the next. So my my luxury what I spoil myself with is going to be the um JC Newman Diamond Crown, but I like the number five, the four and a half by 54.

SPEAKER_02

That is a fantastic cigar, and that's the perfect Vitola.

SPEAKER_08

I personally have it in my mission in my shop to single-handedly smoke the entire box, which is the same. Okay, that's awesome. Um, but then on the flip side of that, the other one that I just am so drawn to and just can't get enough of is the number two from McAuliffe.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, number two for McCaliph. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, yeah, that's a great choice. Awesome.

SPEAKER_02

Um, yeah, so both of those are great choices. I mean, and you're right, it is the extremes. You go from JC Newman's Diamond Crown, which is a luxury line, to this value bundle, newer release. So it's legacy that's been here forever, and something that's been around for weeks, really, at this point. But both excellent choices.

SPEAKER_08

I don't know how the number two is doing in your shop, but we are struggling to keep it in with ours, the number two and the 660.

SPEAKER_02

In our shop, it really had a little bit of a weird start because when we did Cigar Fest, everybody who bought the Connoisseur Plus pack got a full bundle free with the ticket. Oh, and so we went we went through two or about 150 bundles in one day. Yeah, wow. Uh so it just was gone, and so now we've just brought them back if in, they just actually arrived today. So we've been out, and so because of that initial launch for us, but people are asking for it, which means they're enjoying it. Yeah, yes.

SPEAKER_08

So I'll I'll ask you again next month how you're doing with it.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, so before we uh move forward, want to go ahead and check in on the cigar we're currently smoking.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, absolutely. So, what are you guys thinking about this cigar so far?

SPEAKER_11

It started out super light. The cold draw and just the smell of the cigar before light. I was thinking like a light wood. Kind of made me think like a mat, like a match, but not the the bad part of the match, but just the wood, that light wood. I don't know why it made me think there versus just uh typical hay, but I don't know. And then uh once draw like lit it, um yeah, it was just a mellow, kind of a sweetness there, just sweetness on the creamy side, you know, like a sweet hay, but just light, yes. Um, and then it kind of picked up from there.

SPEAKER_02

Dwayne Leslie, what are your thoughts?

SPEAKER_04

I'm getting green tea, raisin. It's very creamy. Um those fruit notes are coming through, but they're fading away as I enter the last third. But uh it is a mild cigar, uh, but I am enjoying it.

SPEAKER_08

Yeah, so I'm getting I get the creamy, um, I get a little subtle white pepper on the retro. Um I'm getting more plum, which Dwayne got a little bit of raisin. I got more of the plum, juicy, sweeter notes off of it. Um and then also as I go towards the middle, I'm getting some very, very subtle cedar.

SPEAKER_02

So I love that commentary. Uh Rosper, what are you doing? What are you thinking?

SPEAKER_12

So mine started with a little bit of that woodiness, a little bit of that, I got a little bit of that sweet raisin note right at the beginning. Um now I smoke real fast, I'm nearly done. And uh I will say that for me the pepper built the entire time. Yeah, yeah. Like now this back end is just a pepper bomb, and I love it. Like, I don't want to put it down.

SPEAKER_11

Yeah, and like I thought the first, not maybe not even third, but just the first little bit of a quick finish, and then that pepper, white pepper started kind of lingering, yeah, and then it kind of intensified. And then I think once I broke over to that last third, um, I think it's more in my middle of the tongue, more of a red pepper, and it kind of just finishes long in a little bit long. So that's kind of cool to have it, yeah, you know, shift like that. What do you think, Mel?

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, I mean, I would agree with that. The pepper I was gonna say this last third, it is all over my lips and on the tip of my tongue, like just that, it's just lingering there, which is so for our live audience for you guys watching today that is watching live.

SPEAKER_02

Um, we'd love for you to go ahead and drop in the notes what you're smoking or maybe pairing tonight, so we can kind of follow along and we'll share it in the notes. But we also have a small live audience with us here in studio tonight. Um, and a lot of them, maybe all of them, are smoking the cigar with this. What are y'all thinking? Good so far? Right. Everybody says great, it's really good. Easy draw, yeah, nice clean burn. Chris has got a great ash going. Yeah, you're brave, yeah.

SPEAKER_11

It'll fall on me. Yeah, it'll fall on me.

SPEAKER_10

I keep having to be careful because I'm moving my cigar around and I want to accidentally like absolutely.

SPEAKER_02

So, this is great having a lot of people on. I love this. So, Mel, let's go ahead and go into the conversation and kind of talk to our next other panelists.

SPEAKER_10

So, we're gonna go back to getting to know our panelists a little bit more, and we're gonna go ahead and go with the Duane now. So, how many cigars would you say on average you are smoking a week?

SPEAKER_04

14.

SPEAKER_10

Two a day. Okay, and how long have you been smoking cigars?

SPEAKER_04

Just shy of 40 years.

SPEAKER_10

Okay, and uh, which two cigars would you choose?

SPEAKER_04

Uh, that's that is a tough question. Why did you go? So, what I love the Perdomo 12th anniversary. That is probably my favorite Perdomo. Um, I also like the Garonfalo La Familia Maduro, but if I could throw one more in there, it would be the M81.

SPEAKER_09

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, love that cigar.

SPEAKER_02

Uh you would be right there with Roper and Mel, who both love the M81.

SPEAKER_10

We vary on our size choices, but Mel thinks it smokes best in the Corona.

SPEAKER_02

Roper wants the Tora. Yes, usually the Robusta.

SPEAKER_12

However, the last several times I think I've enjoyed it more in the Corona. So I won't complain about it. I won't complain about the grown-up size.

SPEAKER_10

All right, so lastly, we're going to move on to Chris. Chris, how long have you been smoking cigars?

SPEAKER_11

Um, hold on, I had the math in my head. Yeah, almost like 19 years. Okay. And then I would say I do remember going to my first cigar lounge. Oh no, I mean a cigar store, and not a tobacco kind of bar and place in 2010. And that's when my cigar game got you know kicked up a notch. Um, and so that that definitely intensified the journey there, smoking more and and more enjoyable cigars from there.

SPEAKER_03

Awesome.

SPEAKER_11

Oh, you're gonna ask me the top two. I think for that, it would be more about two types, right? Because if I had to pick two, I'd love to have a creamy option, you know, like a Bentley. Um, you know, that it still has some strength in there, but it's kind of got that creaminess. I love that in the morning to start. And then I love finishing with a dark, you know, a heavy Maduro, some pepper. So like um that LFD, like double double harrow with the chisel shade. Like, that's just one I really always enjoy. It's long, so it's a good long smoke. Um, and and so I like that the stories composition, yeah. And the story, honestly, both of them are hard to pick. But I could also land on like a story's composition if I had to pick one because that one would satisfy a lot of the day. Yeah, uh, can enjoy it, it's interesting.

SPEAKER_10

Which, for those of you rebels, watching the composition is the elevated humidor um Maduro, and then you said the Odyssey. There's another one, right? That's the Sumatra Royale. Sumatra Royale, yep.

SPEAKER_11

Had one last night. Um, so those are so those are really good ones that I just because people are gonna be asking where you get that one.

SPEAKER_03

You get the Odyssey and the composition at stores.

SPEAKER_02

But the really great thing that that's out there that's fun is the Maduro cigar just got rated fairly highly, um, low 90s from two different review panels, which was great. Yeah, um Smatch Royale um has not been reviewed um officially, but a couple of guys that do groups reviewed it and was an 89 with one group and a 92 in the other, and so definitely a great um grouping on that. And they smoked it blind, they didn't know what it was, and so uh we'll take that, and uh it's been one of those things that's pretty fun uh to really work through that, and so it's good to see guys on the tonight. A call out to Richard, I see. Um Cartershaw, um, amazing views of the beach, absolutely. Thanks for being on tonight, Douglas. It's good to see you. And I saw that you got a new motorcycle, my friend. Uh, loving that. He's smoking the paladin by Hooton Young. He said he got it earlier today at Story. So uh love that. Thank you for supporting the lounge and the podcast, but also uh always great to see you. We met Douglas at the first ever cigar event that we did uh five and a half years ago, where we met Krista and Mark. Yeah um Douglas was also there, and so that's been a great relationship. We've really been as a part of, and then of course, Leslie's thrown out a great uh says they're great. Kevin and Mel own their own cigar brand called the Elevated Cumidor. Um Mel rose them. We need to get them in our shop. Absolutely agree. We would love that. We would love to come to uh South North Carolina and visit you guys in the shop and hang out. I gotta get back to the social. Uh I loved going there as well, but I'd love to drop into y'all's shop.

SPEAKER_08

So so Kevin, I'm gonna pop in and um interrupt you. Cardick, who's in the chat tonight, he owns the cigar shop that I work at. Oh, awesome! So we actually he actually owns two shops, one in Spartanburg, one on west side of Spartanburg and one in Boiling Springs. And so he is the owner of our shop. So I had sent him the link to the podcast tonight, so he popped in and said hello. Perfect. Great job. Thank you for for hopping on and joining us tonight. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So what's the name of the shop in Spartanburg?

SPEAKER_08

So the one that I work at is Sir Tom's, and the one in Bowling Springs is Bowling Springs Cigar and Wine.

SPEAKER_02

How long has Sir Tom's been there?

SPEAKER_08

Since 1996.

SPEAKER_02

Okay, we smoked there one night, uh, because it's open a little later, right?

SPEAKER_08

Um, we're open until 6, so typically not.

SPEAKER_02

So we went one day, we went somewhere, we smoked at a shop until about 5 30 and they were closing. And so we moved, then we moved to another shop back in Greenville. And so that's awesome.

SPEAKER_08

That is wonderful.

SPEAKER_02

Uh, just because we want to keep the episode going and keep moving, uh, it's time for you guys to rate the first cigar. So if more panelists would take a few minutes, fill out if you haven't count up, get your score, don't share it with us. We're gonna do that at the end. Um, while you guys take a few moments to do that, Mel and I are going to talk about value versus price. So, Mel, if you want to jump right in there, right?

SPEAKER_10

So um the first one is going to be what you think the price should be for that cigar.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, absolutely. So for this cigar, sorry, for this, if you want to write down what you also you think the price of the cigars. Remember, we're smoking one over 13 and one over 32, really. We're not asking you to rate which one this one is, we're saying for the value of the smoke you had, what would you pay for the cigar? If that's $12, if it's $18, if it's six dollars, whatever it is, what you think that is. So talking about price and value is an interesting conversation when it comes to cigars.

SPEAKER_10

Right. And I think it's a question really that we all should be asking, really for most things, but especially when it comes to cigars. And the reason for that is that price and value are not the same thing, and really, even over the last year, not even close. Yeah, as stuff that's been coming out.

SPEAKER_02

Price is what you pay, value is what you receive.

SPEAKER_10

So let's say you're going to spend $30 on a cigar. Uh, if that cigar gives you 90 minutes of enjoyment, perfect. The construction, amazing flavor, and a memorable experience, you're probably gonna feel pretty good about it.

SPEAKER_02

Absolutely. But if you spend $30 and you get a plug cigar that burns sideways, that just tastes average.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, suddenly that price point is gonna feel really painful.

SPEAKER_02

And I agree 100%. But if we flip the script, suppose you pay $12 for a cigar, it's a great draw, it's a great flavor, fantastic construction. You're probably calling your buddies or shooting them a text before you're finished.

SPEAKER_10

Right. And I think that is because that value is it creates excitement, the price creates expectations.

SPEAKER_02

Absolutely. And so that's the difference between price and value. So let's go ahead and grab the second cigar and let's get this going. Let's do a couple of cold draws on it. Um, Leslie and Duane have the second cigar. Roper is passing out our second cigars now. As you can see, both of the cigars that we're smoking are a Connecticut. And so we're doing you guys want to take a couple of cold draws and see what you think. On the cold draw of this. I'm really getting just very smooth, soft, and almost a soft wood. Anybody else getting anything else in the cold drop? Soft wood, maybe a little bit a little bit like the hay field. Yeah, absolutely. It's not hay as much rope, as it's like if you're walking by the hay field, you can kind of smell it and get that flavor. Didn't you ever experience that?

SPEAKER_11

Yeah, I'm with you on that. Like wood, wood's wood is strong.

SPEAKER_04

I mean, yeah. Getting fresh cut grass.

SPEAKER_02

Okay. I could agree with that. And again, to me, Dwayne, it's more of the smell of fresh cut grass, right? Like what you're yes, like somebody just mowed a big patch of grass. We're at a university on Friday and they just mowed and you're walking across it, and it's like, God just smells good. Yes. It also makes you want to sneeze. All right. Anyone have any other thoughts? If not, we're gonna go ahead and cut this cigar. And or we've already cut it. We're gonna go ahead and light this cigar, and the lighting is brought to you tonight by the elevated humidor.

SPEAKER_05

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SPEAKER_10

Alright, as always, thank you to our sponsors. Now that we have this one lit, uh are you guys getting any flavor off of there? How is your treat in here?

SPEAKER_02

Just on the first couple of draws, that creaminess and butteriness really comes from the cold draw through to the first couple of draws. Leslie, Dwayne, do y'all agree? Roper?

SPEAKER_11

What do you guys think? I agree.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. There's some there's some white pepper in there already. There is some pepper in this one already. So, Mel, let's go ahead and talk about upcoming shows real quick before we get back into it. So, next week we have a great episode for you, Rebels, on June 22nd, Monday night, 7 p.m. Central. Coffee and cigars, the perfect pairing. And we're going to be smoking Arts and Craft by the Elevated Fumidor.

SPEAKER_10

On June 29th, it is America 250 celebrations of cigars and more. And we will be smoking. I love the firecracker on that one.

SPEAKER_02

Yep. And then on July 6th, we have Cigar School 101. We're how to cut and light a cigar the right way. And we're going to be smoking the Paladin Connecticut by Hootin Young.

SPEAKER_10

And June 13th is Industry Conversation. And uh we are still deciding that is to be determined.

SPEAKER_02

Yep. And so we're finalizing one of two guests, and we're going to be smoking their cigars. We just don't know who's going to be on this one and who's going to be on in August. And so we're just trying to figure out that. However, cigar packs for the Rebel Pack, which this is a great uh little throw to the Rebel Pack, is going to be shipping out here in just a handful of days. Today's what, the 15th? So in about five or six days. And so we will definitely have it decided by then so the cigar can go out to everybody. Um, really excited about those opportunities and definitely wanting to make sure that we get that out to everybody. Um, as Mel said, thank you so much for all of our sponsors, and you'll hear from a few more of them here in a little bit. But Mel, let's jump right back into the topic.

SPEAKER_10

Yes, so I've got a question for our panelists, and that is going to be how would you define value when it comes to cigars? Because we're talking a lot about value in cigars. What do you guys think? And anyone can jump in anytime.

SPEAKER_02

They're all thinking. I can talk because I'm opinionated.

SPEAKER_08

Yeah. So I'm gonna pop in here. So to me, when Duane and I smoke a cigar, we typically nine times out of ten, we smoke the same cigar at the same time. And we will take a picture of the band if it's something we haven't smoked before. And but our our telltale is is it box worthy? After we've smoked it, is it box worthy? That doesn't mean that we're going to rush out the next day and buy a box. It just means is it worth investing in a box of the cigars? Just like with restaurants and cocktails or food or whatever, we will give something three chances. And we want to smoke it for me. If it's something I haven't smoked before, I'm gonna smoke it, I'm going to pair it with a white wine because the white wine does not alter the flavor notes. The next time that I smoke it, I'm going to smoke it with a Pinot Noir or a Cabernet Sauvignon because that deep red wine is just going to enhance the flavors of the cigar and pull out those strong notes that I want to get from the cigar. And then the third time, it's either going to be it's not going to be a third time, or it's box worthy, and I'm just going to sit back and enjoy it and try not to rate it.

SPEAKER_11

Yeah, I'll I like that because when I first at first it was always I'd get a cigar, like it's a new cigar I haven't smoked before, I'd get one, I want to try it. And then I quickly learned I needed to get two or three so that way I could have a few, you know, attempts at it that then really decide, hey, I'd buy this again, or you know, maybe you know, someone gave it to me cool, you know, like kind of have it ready there. But uh, I like that box where that's that's that's smart.

SPEAKER_04

That was for me, is it something I would be willing to share with somebody else? Yeah, and recommend because if I'm not willing to recommend it, I don't need to purchase it again.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, absolutely. And we talked earlier before the show, and again, I'm not gonna share the cigar that I bought two very expensive cigars for Mel and I to smoke, and it'd been a long week, and we finally got time to sit on the deck, and uh, we were watching the finale of Top Chef, uh stupid Jeff show on TV that Mel and I like to watch. And so we lit it up, it was the finale, we're smoking it, and I was like, I have these on order for the shop, but I probably would not buy another one. Yeah, but other people love the cigar, and you know, that's the really difficult thing when you talk about value, is what some person loves, other people may not, and vice versa, um, which makes that extremely difficult.

SPEAKER_10

Yep, and I would say normally if you and I are smoking the same thing and trying it out, we don't talk a lot because he might really like it or I might really like it. But that cigar in particular, we had very similar opinions on. And I remember I looked at you when it was almost done. I was like, I don't know about this one, and you were like, Me either. So neither of us were blown away.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, absolutely. So, Roper, what about you? Do you have any thoughts on value? What you would think when it comes to what's the value of a cigar, how do you define it?

SPEAKER_12

Well, I think Leslie pretty well hit it on the head. It's you know, I want to try two or three of them. I'm not gonna just smoke at the one time. And because you know, cigar cigar flavor can change based on just whether you had a good or a bad day, you know. And uh I like this in box working. I think that's that hits the nail right on the head.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, absolutely. It's a very good comparison and kind of guideline, right? Yeah, is that worth it?

SPEAKER_11

So, well, and I like when we have the opportunity to smoke things blind like this, just because you take price out of the equation sometimes because when you're trying something, you know, okay, this cigar was 15 bucks, and you're already kind of thinking, is the value there where I'd want to buy this again, or is it box worthy? And I love it when it's blind and you really don't even know the price for sure because then you're really just focused on the cigar, I'd want to have this again, and then you can kind of learn the price later. Yeah, it's always a cool opportunity.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, absolutely. So, what do you guys think about Mel's comment from earlier that value creates excitement while price creates expectation? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_11

I think that all hinges it because yeah, when you know the price, there's already the expectation, and you're already going into it thinking, is this worth the $18? Does it hold up to some of the other cigars around that same price? Or man, should I have reached for a MacAuliph instead? So that expectation is hard to overcome. Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, and so without naming the cigar, have you guys ever purchased an expensive cigar that really left you disappointed or really questioning why did I spend that much on this cigar?

SPEAKER_11

Yes. Well, and I mean, and and do you think it's even more times is it a disappointment than a surprise? Because I feel like whenever it's a splurge, it's very rare is it like that was well worth it. It seems a little more often of like, you know, okay, it was good, but I don't know if I'd want to buy that continually at that price because I could get this other one for 12 that I love.

SPEAKER_10

And what I think is interesting is I'm pretty sure everyone in our live audience, all of us, have all said yes to that question. You have bought a cigar that you did not think was worth what you paid for it.

SPEAKER_04

For me, if I spend a lot of money on a cigar expecting the best and get a an inferior product, I won't buy that brand again until somebody sells me on the concept again. And even at that, I'm probably not gonna go back.

SPEAKER_02

So I'm gonna I'm gonna name a cigar because it's the opposite. I um bought the Gottifier um KDM KDP. Um they were $79 for a toro grande, so it's a six and a quarter by 56. I bought it, we were watching the Super Bowl, and I bought it for a few people, so I bought five of them and gave them out, and we all smoked them together, and it outperformed the expectation that I had for it. Now, I will tell you some of that came with I bought it for other people that would never buy more than a $12 or $13 cigar for themselves, and I bought them a $70-something dollar cigar, and it was fun just to smoke with them. So, was the experience what made it worth it, or was the cigar worth it? And that's a really difficult conversation or concept, but I enjoyed it and I've smoked some since then and really enjoy that cigar. But to me, that's the exception. There's another cigar very similar to that. Mel and I were in Indiana, and I just had a pretty big business opportunity. Really great thing happened that I've been working about 20 months on. Um, I needed a vote from a large group of people for the project to move forward. So, to give you an example, there were 220 people in the audience when I presented. I needed 209 of them to vote yes to move this project forward, and we got 211. Wow. So Mel and I went to the blend bar in Indiana that night. Um, I bought an $80 pour of bourbon that I would never normally buy. Um, and then I spent $100 even on a cigar, and I'd never seen it, I'd heard about it, it's very rare, and I'm like, this is worth it tonight. And I smoked it and it was good, but it was not great. The next cigar I smoked was the Blends Bars um uh house brand that's made by Henry Kellner, $11.20, and that cigar was fantastic. And I told Mel, I was like, I should have just bought 11 of these for the same price, right? I mean, and again, there's nothing wrong for that rare occasion to do something special, but man, it's hard to live up to the dollar amount.

SPEAKER_08

Yep. So, Kevin, to make you feel better, the God of Fire, we sell those left and right in both of our shops back home. That is one of our as far as our high-end cigars, yeah, that's one of our best sellers. I haven't had it yet. I'll say yet. Um that's just one of those special occasions we'll get there one day.

SPEAKER_02

But no, absolutely. You know, if I'm gonna buy an expensive cigar, I'm typically gonna grab an Atabay or a Byron 1850 or a Bandolero Premium. That tends to be what I lean toward, even over an opus, over um a God of Fire, over high in placentia. But again, all that's preference.

SPEAKER_11

Well, and they have a track record of being really worth it. Yeah, you all those that you mentioned are ones that we smoked, and at the end of it, it was like, wow, this was worth a nice scourge, or this was a great celebratory.

SPEAKER_02

So when we go to New England for the expo for Leslie and Duane and those rebels watching that know what that is, when we go to that, um, we have a tradition on Saturday night to set around a fire and smoke a mire in 1850. Uh, we did it for Chris's birthday the first year we went, that's why we did it, and it just has become an annual thing. Um, the expo is typically pretty close to Chris's birthday, and so we celebrate with a good stick, and and that might be what made it so good.

SPEAKER_11

But uh it it it was a wonderful, enjoyable cigar, and it's worth it. So bought the cigar that first year, so that probably also led to how good it was.

SPEAKER_08

Yeah, so a little bit off topic, and I apologize, but do you carry the opus there at Stories?

SPEAKER_02

Um, we do sell Opus when we can get it.

SPEAKER_08

Okay, so how does your Opus do in comparison to your Atabase and your Byrons?

SPEAKER_02

So the the problem with it, Leslie, is Opus sells extremely quickly when we get it. We typically have it in for a couple of days, although last time we had that box of Opus for about a month, which was surprised to me.

SPEAKER_11

Well, but it depends what else is in the humidor at the time.

SPEAKER_02

It yeah, did y'all hear what Chris said? Yes, yeah, and so the rarity and how rare you can get them creates the demand quicker. Okay, but in a comparison, I believe our shop and odd live audience with us can thumbs up or thumbs down. Uh, the feedback has been they enjoy the atabays and the byrns better.

SPEAKER_11

Okay, but that's been so a couple of thumbs up, a couple no, just uh but so what do y'all think about? And it might just be me, but there's a pressure whenever so I I got the god of fire, and then there was another opus that we had, and I picked it up two of them, one for me and my wife, and they're still in the humidor, and it's been months because it's that waiting for that right opportunity of like palettes right, you know, it's a good maybe a celebratory you know opportunity, and so still waiting on that, and so because of the price and then the expectation, I'm kind of like, well, I need a good enough opportunity to enjoy it, and so I'm pretty bad about doing that versus I can pick up some others, like I already had several of those, I know it's good. Yeah, you know, I'll have this one tonight instead, and maybe we'll save that for another time, or absolutely, and so that kind of weighs on me from enjoying some of the special ones.

SPEAKER_02

You need y'all struggle with that when you get a special cigar, they just gotta wait for the right time.

SPEAKER_11

Yes, yes, because I've heard of others with the opposite, they're like, Oh, heck no, I bought it and smoked it right there. You know, I'm like, No, I gotta wait on that.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, yeah, yeah. One of our live audiences is like, yep. And he, David, you and I are like, I bought it today and smoke them today. Uh I I smoked the Opus X as we were packing the humidor with it. I mean, it was like this is the the right time.

SPEAKER_11

Yeah, I gotta wear it, gotta put a suit jacket on.

SPEAKER_02

So let's flip the the question a little bit. Have you ever bought a cigar at or around $10 that absolutely blew you away in this one? Feel free to share the brand.

SPEAKER_03

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_08

Oh, yeah. Yeah, all right.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_08

I'm gonna I'm gonna pop up and say hands down it's McAuliffe all day.

SPEAKER_02

Leslie said McAuliffe all day, all day. Uh, in our live audience, two people said the McAuliffe silver, I think, or McAuliffe as a whole. Yeah, it really is. I mean, why do you think that is? Why do you think the $10 cigar just blew you away where the $50 to $100 cigar is just waiting? Because there's no expectation. Yeah, yeah, value is gonna be there, yeah. Low pressure. I agree. Yeah, what do you think, Dwayne?

SPEAKER_04

What do you think in in this economy? Every $10 cigar that's excellent, I can stretch my dollars and enjoy twice as many cigars as I can spend for an expensive cigar that I may or may not enjoy. So I like I like a $10 cigar because that seems to be the sweet spot now. You can't really find many below ten dollars that are consistently available on the shelf because they go pretty quick.

SPEAKER_11

Yeah, absolutely. But volume does come into play there when you know, like I'm smoking 20 or more cigars in a week, so knowing that you know I can load up on these and enjoy them a little freely and not worry about having two, you know, back to back or whatever, that it helps. Yep, absolutely.

SPEAKER_08

Yeah, it's the McAuliffe effect, right, guys?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, it's the McAuliffe effect, and Mel talked about last week. There's also the luxury effect, right? The luxury effect builds a level of expectation that quite honestly is probably very hard to overcome because you've built it up in your mind. Like Chris, you said, the perfect place, right?

SPEAKER_11

Yeah, and it doesn't even mean that we're getting a ten dollar cigar that has a you know a poor band, and you know, like we're still getting the same experiences of a nice fancy band, the races uh line. They have they're beautiful, boxes are nice, the cigars are great, the price is good, you know.

SPEAKER_02

So Roper, you bought a new house just recently after a little bit of a tragedy, and so y'all sit down and you shared a uh a picture with us. First cigar on the new deck. What were you smoking and were drinking that night?

SPEAKER_12

I don't know. What was I smoking? I don't remember.

SPEAKER_02

You don't remember?

SPEAKER_12

No. Um, you were smoking uh yeah, I remember you sharing the picture.

SPEAKER_02

I think you were smoking one of the Opus X's.

SPEAKER_12

It was, it was uh Toy Maker. The Toy Maker. I had uh and I had a bottle of uh Antique 107 that I cracked open that night, and uh really enjoyed it sitting on my my new deck out there and having a good smoke.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, but that's that kind of experience, right? In that experience, you mentioned it was fantastic, right? Was in that scenario, the Toy Maker Opus X is worth the value, right? And so that's really, really difficult.

SPEAKER_10

Right. I think when you have that eight to ten dollar cigar and it's just okay, it has met the expectation, even if it was just a cigar.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, absolutely. And that really is the psychology of premium cigars. Because here's something that nobody's talking about. Sometimes we taste the band. You mentioned that earlier, Chris, right? And not the cigar.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, 100%. I think that is accurate across the board.

SPEAKER_02

If you hand someone a cigar and tell them it's $35, instantly they're going to start looking for all of the complexity, all of the yeah, and even if it's not there, they start convincing themselves that they're finding all of this complexity, these unique flavor notes. And you know, really the question is what do you guys think? And Chris, you mentioned earlier, Leslie, Dwayne, Roper, love to hear from you. What do you think of that the statement that sometimes you simply smoke the band?

SPEAKER_12

Well, I agree 100%.

SPEAKER_04

There may be some truth to that.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So why do you think that is, Dwayne? Marketing.

SPEAKER_04

Um, peer pressure. Uh you know, when you go into cigar shops, there's a lot of peer pressure because you want to keep up with the guy that's across from you. If he's got a band that you know might have cost him a little extra money, you want to not look like you're just being cheap. Um so yeah, I think in some respects that band does speak, but I still want to smoke what I like and what I'm gonna walk away having pleasure from. But again, that pressure is on, especially in a lounge setting. Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_11

Yeah, especially if it was recommended. I mean, if Roper tells me about a new cigar, like, oh, you haven't had this one yet, it's it's great, you know, you're gonna love it. I'm already excited about it. I'm kind of already starting at a uh that that cigar's got a higher success rate of me enjoying it just because he had a good recommendation going into it, expecting it to be great, uh, versus just having it have it proof itself. So the band could definitely help with that as far as the the brand that it's coming from and then the look of it. Yeah, I could be thinking, all right, this is gonna be a good one because it's so fancy and nice.

SPEAKER_10

And what about so if you tell them it is an eight dollar cigar, what do you guys think happens as you are talking about that?

SPEAKER_12

I think you just they come into it with a lot less expectation, it's a lot more like, well, an eight dollar cigar, maybe it's good, maybe it's not, and if it is, maybe I'll buy a lot. Yeah, you know, it's a lot less lower risk, yeah. You know, you you pick up uh Davidoff or Placencia, there's a certain level of expectation there because the price and the band and the name. But if you know, like elevated humidor, you know, a little bit up and coming here, but I mean a lot of their cigars are as good or better than a lot of the ones from the big brands. It's yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So when you tell someone it's an eight dollar cigar, a lot of what they do is they start looking for the flaws. Um, studies have shown repeatedly that people rate identical products differently solely based on the tag that's on it. From purses to clothes to bourbon, and the most unique study that's been done is Gray Goose was put up against Costco's um vodka. They tested 5,000 people. Great goose outperformed Costco nine to one in this study. At the very end of the study, with all the people, they had them all in an auditorium and they announced how both of these vodkas are made. Same line. Six bottles get gray goose, the next six bottles get Costco. Six bottles get gray goose, the next six bottles get Costco. It's the same juice, same liquid, same manufacturing company, same assembly line, same bottle, different label. Wow, but yet 4, like 700 people said that the great goose was exceptional and the Costco was okay.

SPEAKER_08

That's very interesting.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, and I think cigar smokers are not immune to that type of situation or scenario as well. I mean, everyone's human, uh, we all carry our own biases, really. Uh, we want to talk about what's happening in the cigar industry right now, and value really is a huge conversation.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, as Dwayne said, with the economy, with inflation. Yep. Um, two of our cigar um panelists tonight are in cigar shops every week working. Um, what are you seeing around the value conversation? We're start with Roper and then jump to you, Leslie. Of what do you see about people walking and off the street or members coming in? What's the value conversation happening?

SPEAKER_12

Well, with the value cigars, if I can find a cigar between $10 to say $15, I could sell. It's gonna move. That's what people are coming in looking for. You know, you kind of get above that 15, then it's like uh maybe, but if any between 10 and 15 bucks, doesn't matter what it is, what the band on it is, people will try.

unknown

Okay.

SPEAKER_02

What about you, Leslie?

SPEAKER_08

So for me, we've had a lot of a big influx um of new cigar smokers. We are in a very large um college town, and so we get a lot of I get a lot of people that are coming in wanting to learn about cigars. And so for me, it's easiest for me to turn them on to McAuliffe because I've got two rows of all the McAuliffe blends, and I can say, all right, well, let's start here. You're gonna remember this color, and then when you come back, you can tell me, is this you know, was it too mild? Was it too strong? Was it this? And then I know can I go to this direction or that direction with you? But then as far as the number two goes, you know, they look at that and they say, Oh, that's a five or six star smoke, that's a cheap, you know, all of a sudden their light goes on and they're thinking gas station cigar. And I said, No. What they've done is they've taken all the trimmings from the color series and given it a second life and blended it into a cigar to bring you all of the flavors at once, and so you know, all of a sudden they're walking out with two or three of those. I would rather have somebody come in and buy two or three six dollar smokes than one twelve dollar smoke.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_10

So yeah, I think the industry really is shifting for sure, and we mentioned it last week that 20 years ago, cigar enthusiasts they just smoked cigars. Uh, today it really is sometimes an event that involves pictures, social media posts, conversations, uh, all those things. Uh, what do you guys think that this is impacting cigar smokers' ex uh expectations and how they are exploring the cigar world today?

SPEAKER_12

I just think there's more knowledge in general.

SPEAKER_10

Do you think it's helpful? Do you think it hurts somewhere in the middle?

SPEAKER_12

I think it's kind of in the middle. I think it's helpful that a customer has a better idea of what's coming and a little more of what to expect if they follow, you know, reviewers who aren't just making it up. Um, but I also think it hurts in that like it might create too much expectation for a cigar that's that's pretty good, but not phenomenal, you know what I mean? Yeah, absolutely. Anybody else have thoughts on that? That's a good point.

SPEAKER_02

I mean, because they're reading reviews, they're watching YouTube, they're listening to podcasts, they're researching before they're buying. Um, I think there's great podcasts out there. I hope we're one of them that's helping people explore new cigars and not trying to tell them what's good or not because palettes are different. Um, and then you have reviewers are out there that are trying to influence what to buy, and I don't necessarily love those.

SPEAKER_09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Um, like I said, I want to promote positives when we talk about cigars, I don't want to be negative.

SPEAKER_09

Right.

SPEAKER_11

Yeah, 100%. It'd be hard to overcome that negative. If you're like, yeah, I didn't really love the cigar, there's a 99% chance I'm not gonna give that a shot. Yeah.

SPEAKER_10

Um, so I think we've talked about in other podcasts. If you're going off of someone's opinion, you know, where how did they get that cigar? Did they pay for it? Did they get it for free? Are they maybe being paid to smoke it? Like all of those things are going to impact whoever is sharing that cigar. It's gonna impact probably their overall opinion of how they enjoy it.

SPEAKER_08

Yeah, so I want to also also I'm sorry, Kevin. Also, Mel, you know, one thing that I will ask is what were you pairing the cigar with when you smoked it? You know, if your buddy was the one that told you about it, what were they pairing with it? That one little question can skew the whole flavor of the whole cigar.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, it's true. Absolutely. To move us along a little bit, I'm gonna ask one question, and we're gonna rate the cigar here in just a moment. Um, but here's something to ponder. Um, what makes a cigar expensive? And a question for our panelists: why do some cigars cost $30?

SPEAKER_04

Legacy, possibly.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, okay. Legacy, it's a great one. Anybody else?

SPEAKER_12

Rarity, how hard it is to get. So, who controls rarity? Well, the manufacturers do sometimes. Oh, well, we only have a limited amount of this tobacco. Sometimes it's oh, we're only gonna release 200 boxes of this.

SPEAKER_11

Yeah, well, and even in the humidor, I mean, we're not gonna stock up so many boxes deep of uh inexpensive cigar. We're probably gonna bring it in in a smaller batch, so there's even a limited you know, access there.

SPEAKER_02

So it could be yeah, and the reality is there's several reasons, right, Mel? Uh, I mean, there's age tobacco, there's limited production. Road for you mentioned it, rare wrappers, scarcity.

SPEAKER_10

Yep.

SPEAKER_02

What are some other ones, Mel?

SPEAKER_10

There's regulations and customs. Um, there's that limited production you guys were talking about. There's the brand positioning, and especially also we talk about packaging, how that affects the cigar as well. Um, yeah, lots of things.

SPEAKER_02

Um Cardick said nowadays with brands available, many like myself start comparing the cigar with similar ones in a pair and contrast. Yeah. Um, absolutely agree. Um, Jace said aging, which is another great one. Um, and I truly believe that some manufacturers intentionally make fewer cigars to drive demand. Um, that creates price hikes, it creates the hunt um that still occurs today. Right. Um, and I think that's all true, right?

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, and I think really to be clear, you know, we talk about scarcity, rarity. Uh, I think the price that doesn't mean that the cigar actually tastes three times better. I think it just means that there are market forces and other issues that are involved in the price.

SPEAKER_02

Absolutely. So we're gonna take a few moments and we're gonna score cigar to our panelists. And so again, score it on there. Make sure you write down what you think the score is. I'm going to write down what you think the strength is, your final score, some flavor notes. Um, on the strength portion of the scoring, it's not necessarily what the strength is, it's how does it balance in the cigar? Um, and you know, so if you scored the first one, you said this is a strength of four and you rate it a four, the four may not be the appropriate number on the scoring. That portion of the scoring is the balance. Is the strength appropriate for the rest of the cigar? Um, to make sure that we get a right score there. Because if you score it low, it drop pulls the score down that's unfair to this um cigar as a whole. Um, but it really is this scenario as you guys are rating it, and on that strength, it's a one to ten. There's a lot to think about and to talk about these two cigars. How how do y'all feel about scoring? Is everything coming along pretty well for you guys? Yeah, it has been beautiful to watch the background change for you guys, Leslie and Duane. It has been amazing. Um, it makes me want to take a trip up there tomorrow to join y'all because it is beautiful.

SPEAKER_08

Come on, we've got plenty of room. That's right. Fly into Manchester. We'll meet you at two guys.

SPEAKER_13

That would be great.

SPEAKER_10

Kevin, I think these two cigars are very similar.

SPEAKER_13

We're gonna go ahead and say what'd you say, Dwayne? I think these two cigars are very similar. Very similar. Yeah, I I would agree they're similar.

SPEAKER_10

So I was just gonna I was just gonna say we're gonna take a quick break while you guys are wrapping up scores stored scores, and then we will be right back.

SPEAKER_00

We fell in love with cigars not because of the flavors or smoking experience or perceived status, but because it allows barriers to fall between other humans and build deeper connections. For that reason, we've been super intentional to curate a space where people can find community and enjoyment with others, and cigars just happen to be the way we're doing it. For that reason, we are thrilled to be the one and only cigar retail store and lounge in downtown Lovkin. A good story is one of the most powerful tools used to connect with another human. Sharing stories fades out differences and highlights similarities found in the details or with the storyteller. Over the years, we have seen some of the best stories told over cigars and thus, new friendships are made, passion shared, encouragement given, and so much more. The impact storytelling has on the human connection is why we've decided to name our store and lounge good stories. Because behind every good cigar in conversation is an even better story.

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SPEAKER_10

As always, thank you to our sponsors. Uh, make sure you go ahead and click that subscribe button below and follow us on social media to make sure you don't miss an episode or to catch up on any that you might have missed. And now we are going back to the duel and we are going to get to the big reveal.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, and so this is the moment of truth. Which cigar do you guys think is the expensive one? The first or the second? And we'll start with Leslie and Dwayne.

SPEAKER_08

I'm gonna go with the second one.

SPEAKER_02

I agree. The second one's the expensive cigar, yes, yes, okay. What about our audience here?

SPEAKER_11

I hope not.

SPEAKER_12

I'm gonna say I rated the first cigar higher, okay. But I also think I might know what it is.

SPEAKER_11

Okay, I rated the first cigar higher and I did enjoy it more. Um, for the second cigar, it stayed. And tell me if y'all were picking something else because maybe it's just me, but I was kind of getting the same pepper, it did intensify, but it just kind of not a lot of complexity. Yeah, it was kind of the same throughout. Uh, I had a little bit tighter draw in the first half, it did chill out, and now it's drawing, I'd say, pretty perfect now. Um, so I mean, I mean, I'm still enjoying it, but I just naturally enjoyed the first one better. Uh, I thought it had a lot more things going on and changing, and then this one stayed pretty so Dwayne, you were gonna say something.

SPEAKER_04

Well, I was gonna say just because I think the second was more expensive doesn't mean I like it any better. I think the first one smoked excellent.

SPEAKER_02

Yes. All right, so we're gonna get to that, but I want to hear for a second, why do you think the second one was the expensive one? What is your thought on that?

SPEAKER_04

The cigar was actually tighter packed. Um, it held together better than the first one, in my opinion.

SPEAKER_02

No, it's perfect. All right, Mel, you had a question.

SPEAKER_10

All right, so for cigar number one, I want to know from each of you the score, what you scored it, the strength number, and the price redemption. And just to keep it easy, we'll go Chris, Leslie, Dwayne, Roper. We'll just go kind of how I have the lineup. So, Chris, we'll start with you.

SPEAKER_11

All right, so 88 was my score on the first one. Um, I thought the strength level was like four to five. If we're not just true, strength. And then um second cigar is first cigar. Yeah, yeah. So what do you think the price? What would you price it? What would you pay for? Well, I'm always optimistic on the value, so I was hoping for $15. All right, I could pay more.

SPEAKER_02

All right, $15. All right, Leslie, you're up.

SPEAKER_08

All right, so for me, I gave it an overall of an $87. To me, it was more of a mild to medium, a three to four. Um, and then as far as price goes, I would love to see it at around twelve dollars, twelve to fourteen, somewhere in there.

SPEAKER_04

I gave it a four, uh overall was an 85, and I think it's a $12.99 cigar.

SPEAKER_12

Okay, all right. I gave it an 88 uh strength that was kind of like Chris, four to five. Um I would pay $16 to $18 for it.

SPEAKER_02

Dang, ball. All right. So you four reviewers are pretty hard, which is great. Yeah. Uh, our live audience, a couple people said 90-92. Um, I scored this cigar separately. I don't know, Mel, you and I have scored it. I went back and looked. Our score was low 90s on it. Um, and so that makes sense. So let's talk about cigar number two. Let's go opposite. Roper, Dwayne, Leslie, Chris. So, cigar two, tell us your rating, your strength, overall thoughts.

SPEAKER_12

So, I gave it an 84 overall. I had a little bit of a construction issue with it. Um, strength. I thought it was milder. I thought it was about a three, maybe a four. Um based on how much I enjoyed it, I paid 10-12 bucks.

unknown

Okay. Okay.

SPEAKER_04

Uh, I gave it an 86. I think it was a five. And I put it at $22. Okay.

SPEAKER_08

So for me, I would I scored it low. I'm sorry, I scored it an $85. It was more of a four to five on the strength for me. Um, and for price, I was putting it around $18.

SPEAKER_11

All right, Chris? Well, okay, I had a lower score of $78. Draw was tighter on the first half. Um, I did think the construction and and all that was really great. Um, I'm glad to hear y'all's strength was a little higher because I thought this one was more of a five uh on the street level. And I'm shooting for a $12 value on the $12, $12.

SPEAKER_02

All right. So we rated this one. I again I rated a little higher. I rated a 90 on it, but um, so if we want to know cigar number one, the combined rating of y'all four, because I added y'all's fours up, we're at an 87 for cigar number one. Cigar number two came in at an 84. So 87 and 84 was the final result if you take an average y'all's out.

SPEAKER_10

So um so with that, if you chose the expensive one as like the one that you liked better as the expensive one, do you think that it was worth two to three times more than the other cigar that you smoked?

SPEAKER_02

Yes, absolutely. So you think the second one was worth twice the cost of the first one?

SPEAKER_08

No, no, no, no, no, no. Yeah, so if you sorry, I misunderstood.

SPEAKER_02

No, yeah, so let's just say this. Which cigar did you like best? One or two, Chris. One, one, Leslie. One, one, one, one, one, one. Okay. So if it turned out that one is the expensive cigar, is it worth twice the cost of the number two?

SPEAKER_08

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02

Okay, I would think so. So everybody's a yes. Okay, so now let's reveal what was cigar number one's

SPEAKER_10

Cigar number one was under $13.

SPEAKER_02

Okay. Cigar number one was under $13.

SPEAKER_10

And everyone in the audience is very excited about that.

SPEAKER_02

Because they all smoked cigar one. Um so Mel, why don't you go ahead and tell us what we smoked tonight?

SPEAKER_10

All right. So cigar number one was the new cigar coming out by the elevated humidor Velvet Gold.

SPEAKER_02

Oh, okay. So cigar number two was the expensive cigar. It was over $28. Um, as I said, I paid $32.50 for the cigar for us six to smoke it. And that cigar, y'all ready for what it is? Any guesses? Yes. It was the David Off Grand Crue Connecticut. Wow.

SPEAKER_04

So they're very similar. I would go for number one all day.

SPEAKER_09

Yes.

SPEAKER_04

I mean, you did a great job picking these because flavor profile, they're very similar.

SPEAKER_08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

Very similar.

SPEAKER_08

So back to my earlier comment, was it boxworthy? Number one cigar. Absolutely, that is boxworthy.

SPEAKER_02

I love that. So yes. Yeah, and so today's winner really wasn't a cigar, it was perspective.

SPEAKER_03

Right?

SPEAKER_09

I think the price matters, the quality matters, crafting ship matters, and the value matters.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, the best cigar isn't always the most expensive cigar, right, guys? I mean, it's the cigar that some friends like each of you. We can sit down and enjoy together. It's the cigar that delivers the experience that you're looking for. That's the best cigar.

SPEAKER_10

Right. Some days that is the $30 luxury smoke, and some days that's the $10 workhorse that overdelivers. And so the beauty of the hobby is that there is room for both.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, absolutely. So um, I truly was hoping that the panel would choose cigar one.

SPEAKER_10

I was hoping to however um I had my gracious loser face ready.

SPEAKER_04

Okay, but so when is it coming out?

SPEAKER_02

So um it will come out probably in the next four to six weeks.

SPEAKER_08

Okay, so that gives me time to get back home and it and tell Kardick that he's got to order me a box of them.

SPEAKER_02

Awesome. We can take care of it. Uh so Chris's team just finished designing the bands, and that's really we have the cigars here, they're ready. Um, and we have more in production already because we felt like this was going to be a big cigar for us, and so we've got production rolling. Um, we've got some here, some aging, and then new production starting. Um, we're just getting bands, and I think we finally got our bands figured out, Chris, and kind of situated. Chris did a lot of work on it. Um, his team did a fantastic job. And so um, to our panelists tonight, um, what are your final thoughts on the dual concept and the cigars that we smoked tonight?

SPEAKER_11

Yeah, it was great. And like it was said, I mean, that was a great pickout. That way we had two cigars that were very similar um to kind of go up against each other versus having two very contrasting ones, which that's fun too, but this is great.

SPEAKER_04

It goes to show, I'm sorry, Chris, it goes to show you don't have to spend a lot of money to have a great smoke, and the value is well worth the cost.

SPEAKER_11

And if we were at the blend bar and we all had that same Davidoff, and we'd have enjoyed it and it'd have been still great. We just would have paid a little bit more for that same experience, yes.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, absolutely. Rope, or any final thoughts from you?

SPEAKER_12

Uh well, uh I'm proud that uh I I did guess what the first cigar was, which is why I abstained. Um it's a great smoke. I'm looking forward to it, and uh, it's it was a good perspective. I enjoyed tonight. That's what I did.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, absolutely. I appreciate all four of you guys being on here with us tonight. Um, the concept was designed, and when we designed the concept, we didn't know which two cigars we're gonna do. And we were trying to pursue and figure out which cigars we're gonna do, and we finally decided hey, you know what? Let's put up a Connecticut that we blended in a way to really compete in the Connecticut market as a flavorful, medium-bodied cigar. And I think you guys all kind of hit that in that four-ish, five-ish notes uh strength that y'all said. Um, and thought, you know what, even if David Off won today, the conversation of what is the value worth it? Um, we thought we would still stand tall at the end of the day. So thank you guys. And Samel, why don't you take us out here for a second?

SPEAKER_10

Yes, thank you guys. Our panelists, also our live audience that has was with us through this whole episode tonight. We could not have done it without you. If you liked this episode, please leave us a review, share with your cigar friends, and hit us up with any topics you would love for us to dive into future episodes.

SPEAKER_02

If you're watching or listening on the replay, um, go ahead and do hashtag replay fam and let us know what you are smoking, what you thought of the duel, and what you think about cigar value. Um, you can do that on YouTube, Facebook, or anywhere you get your streaming podcast on Spotify, Apple, Amazon, and you can always follow us along on social media at Cigar Rebel. Um, go ahead and click that subscribe button if it's your first time tonight. Also on YouTube, you can click notify and it'll let you know a few days ahead of time and earlier on Mondays that we're going live. We do go live every Monday night at 7 p.m. Central. And so we're excited to have you along for the journey. For those who put in a lot of comments tonight, we're sorry we did not get to all the comments tonight. It was hard to manage uh all the microphones as well as we don't have a producer, I produce as we go. Um, but thank you all for being here tonight.

SPEAKER_10

Yes, thank you guys all for tuning in. And don't forget, as Kevin said, to subscribe and leave us a review. Um until next Monday at 7 p.m. Central Time. Keep your cigar lit, your ash long, and your palate curious.

SPEAKER_02

Good night, Rebels.