Cigar Recommendations

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Transcript

SPEAKER_05 0:13

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_06 0:35

Welcome, Cigar Rebels, to the podcast. I'm Mel. Whether you are lighting up on your back porch, sitting in your favorite lounge, driving home from work, or just uh sneaking away for a little peace and quiet, we're glad you're here.

SPEAKER_04 0:51

I'm Kevin, and tonight we're gonna answer one of the most common questions in a cigar shop.

SPEAKER_06 0:57

Yes.

SPEAKER_04 0:58

Um sorry, I've had some background noise. I think Mel was uh off guard.

SPEAKER_06 1:03

Yeah. Um, so sorry, I'm totally I am, I'm totally off my game. Why don't you uh go through go for the question for me?

SPEAKER_04 1:12

Yeah, absolutely. So the TVs in our cigar lounge, the volume was up, and Mel was hearing herself, and so she's all thrown off. So uh tonight we're answering one of the most common questions in a cigar shop, and that is, what should I smoke next? Or what should I smoke? If it's a newer cigar smoker, they often come in asking that question. And when we opened stories, there was a lot of cigar smokers who had been smoking for a while on their deck, and they were consistently always smoking the same cigar, they weren't really smoking a variety, and so as they begin to come in, they ask the same question over and over again what should I smoke?

SPEAKER_06 1:51

Right, and that question um has been responsible for a lot of unplanned humidor growth.

SPEAKER_04 1:57

Yeah, absolutely. Um, you're walking in wanting a recommendation, you leave with a recommendation of a few new cigars to try, and oftentimes you're still picking up the cigars you got there to smoke, right? You're picking up that brand that you love that you're loyal to, but you've also grabbed some of the new stuff, right?

SPEAKER_06 2:18

Uh so tonight's episode we're doing cigar recommendations, cigars for every level of smoker. Um, but we need to correct something immediately.

SPEAKER_04 2:29

And what's that? Go ahead and go on.

SPEAKER_06 2:31

So mild, medium, and full are not levels of achievement.

SPEAKER_04 2:36

Yeah, and that's a great comment, Mel, because they're really more lanes than they are levels of progression, right? Um, and we'll get more into that after we light a cigar here in a few moments.

SPEAKER_06 2:50

Right. So, rebels go ahead and cut, light, and settle in.

SPEAKER_04 2:54

And so, Mel, I'm really ready to light this cigar. So, why don't you go ahead and tell the rebels out there what we're smoking tonight?

SPEAKER_06 3:02

So, tonight we are smoking the McAuliffe white from the color series. This has a Ecuadorian Connecticut shade wrapper, Connecticut broadleaf binder, and Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers.

SPEAKER_04 3:14

All right, and what are you getting on the cold draw? Um, I get a real creaminess. What about you?

SPEAKER_06 3:20

So I I get some sweetness in there for me from the cold draw. Um, maybe like a sweet fruit, maybe, or a little bit of earthiness, but mainly just a it's a big sweetness for me right now, just on the cold draw.

SPEAKER_04 3:39

So and I'm curious if that's what I'm not getting a big sweetness. I I know some people will say that I'm really getting way more male of a creaminess. There's a little bit of a saltiness to the cold draw and a little bit of woodiness. Um, I would love to know any of you guys that might be smoking this if you're doing a cold draw, what you might be um tasting. Uh Dwayne said vanilla wafer. That's a fantastic. Maybe that's that sweetness. Um, Addison is she's getting a chocolate from the cold draw. Um, I could see that I've heard other people say that. I personally don't get that um from the cold draw. However, I do get that woodiness um that you could also kind of equate to like the shell of a nut or something like that. But it's really that creaminess and saltiness for me at this point, yeah, is really where I'm at. But let's go ahead and get this thing lit and get into tonight's episode. Tonight's lighting is brought to you by the elevated humidor.

SPEAKER_00 4:42

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SPEAKER_06 6:02

As always, thank you to our sponsors. Uh, now that we have this cigar lit, you're still working on yours a little bit, having some lighter issues uh during the break, but um I do really enjoy this McAuliffe White. I've had several and I I love it.

SPEAKER_04 6:21

Yeah, I have as well. Um, so on this first couple of draws, and I'm literally three draws in, an additional light. Um, there's a distinct creaminess, um, and there's a distinct nuttiness that I'm getting on these first couple of draws um from there. It looks like um Ashley said, can't wait for the pump to come back from the elevated humidor. I agree. I clicked on the wrong comment because it was the comment was the bottom one I went to click on, and then two more came in. But uh Dave says picked up mostly a nutty and some light leather with a little earthy notes. I definitely agree on these first couple of puffs. I'm still getting that, which doesn't happen all the time, Mel, when you're going from a cold draw to a cigar that's lit. Rarely do you get the same notes from both. But this is one of those few cigars that cold draw transitions really well to the first inch of the cigar. It begins to change a little bit for me after that, and we'll see how that changes today. But um, creaminess, nuttiness, a little bit of that woodiness, um, the saltiness is kind of gone from the cold draw. How about you?

SPEAKER_06 7:31

Yeah, I would say uh the sweetness that I was picking up on the cold draw is mostly gone. Um, it definitely has I'm picking up some of that salt, but I'm also picking up on the finish a lot of uh white pepper. Like there's just a little bit of um spice there on this initial light for me.

SPEAKER_04 7:56

Yeah, and so question for you, and again, we're talking a lot about this cigar because tonight's topic is cigar recommendations, right? So, are you picking up, and I know this is a finite small separation, but I'd love comments from you guys watching live. Is this spice or is it pepper? And I know that sounds silly because you said that I came to this pepperness and this spice to me, and I don't have as developed palate as other people, but I pick up spice as that tingle on my lips and sometimes across my tongue, and I pick up pepper on the inside of my lips and back of my throat.

SPEAKER_06 8:34

So what so for me it's a white pepper, okay. Um, but just on the finish of it, really.

SPEAKER_04 8:41

No, that's great. My lips are definitely tingling, it's there. Um, I just thought it was curious to see what you were getting um versus those that are out there um smoking. Krista said she's getting some chili-like um jalapeno spice on that, which is great. Um, definitely love that. And then Leslie's made a throwback or a wraparound to last week uh that she tried the Rojas Plaque morning and she really enjoyed it. Um, Addy said that she's getting that pepper that you're getting. But let's jump right on the topic tonight because before lighting, you made a great comment about the fact that smoking mild, medium, and full-bodied cigars are not levels of achievement.

SPEAKER_06 9:22

Yeah, correct. I mean, a full strength cigar is not automatically going to be more sophisticated than a mild cigar. And a mild cigar is not always training tobacco, as some people have called it. Um, an experienced cigar smoker does not have to graduate into stronger cigars.

SPEAKER_04 9:44

Yeah, and that's a real truth to that because some enthusiasts and long-term cigar smokers truly prefer mild cigars. And some snoop, some newer smokers actually prefer medium to full-bodied cigars or bolder flavor cigars. Right. It's a real misstep to kind of stereotype the cigar to where they're at in their cigar journey.

SPEAKER_06 10:10

Right. And I see that we talk about, you know, women smokers. I see that a lot when I'm talking with female smokers, is they're like, well, I graduated from the mild or I graduated from the infused. And I think it is great for your palate palate to develop, but it is a hill I will die on that, you know, if you've been smoking for 40 years and you still just enjoy milds, that you know, you don't you you haven't graduated. Like, I don't know that there is graduating when it comes to cigars.

SPEAKER_04 10:38

Yeah, the goal isn't to get you from strength to strength or flavor to flavor, the goal truly is to smoke what you enjoy, right? And enjoy those cigars with where you are, or maybe where you prefer them based on the time of day.

SPEAKER_06 10:56

Right. And the experience level and the strength preference are two different things. Um, so tonight we're going to build recommendations really into four lanes, and that's going to be the cigars for the first time or the newer smoker. That's going to be cigars for someone who prefers the mild profiles, uh, cigars for people who are exploring maybe medium-bodied profiles, and then cigars for someone who enjoys that full strength and full flavored cigar.

SPEAKER_04 11:28

Yeah, and for each lane, before we end today, we're going to give you some solid advice on some cigars within each one of those lanes.

SPEAKER_06 11:36

Right. A useful recommendation connects a person to the experience.

SPEAKER_04 11:42

And if your favorite cigar does not make the list tonight, just take a deep breath.

SPEAKER_06 11:48

Right. This is not ranking every cigar in the industry.

SPEAKER_04 11:53

We know your cigar is wonderful.

SPEAKER_06 11:55

Yes.

SPEAKER_04 11:56

We know it is your go-to recommendation, regardless if it's going to make them sick and lose their lunch over the deck, or it's going to be so sweet, Charlie could make chocolate with it.

SPEAKER_06 12:10

Yeah. Right.

SPEAKER_04 12:11

That's not what we're doing tonight. We're simply giving you some good recommendations that you can have in your humidor that fit the palate.

SPEAKER_06 12:21

Right. It's not about finding uh that universally that best cigar, because really there is no such thing. It's really just about helping people find that right cigar.

SPEAKER_04 12:35

Yeah, and we want to take a step back and talk about why most cigar recommendations fail. Right. And I would like to say they sometimes fail, they don't always fail, but we've heard it in shops. We've talked with um shop owners. I was in a shop just literally an hour and a half ago where this conversation came up just for a brief time. But cigar recommendations are one of those things that are tricky.

SPEAKER_06 13:00

Right.

SPEAKER_04 13:01

So let's take a step back and talk about the problems.

SPEAKER_06 13:03

Yeah, so we're gonna start with the problem, and that's many cigar recommendations. They start with the cigar and not the cigar smoker.

SPEAKER_04 13:14

Yeah, absolutely. And sometimes the right question is what should I smoke? Someone walks in, you're sitting around a deck of a fire, you're at your local cigar shop, and they ask, What should I moat? What should I smoke? And the answer is far too often my favorite cigar.

SPEAKER_06 13:36

Right. But your favorite cigar could be completely wrong for that person. So a useful recommendation often begins with questions.

SPEAKER_04 13:50

So if it begins with questions, what should a tobacconist or what should you be asking your buddy when they ask you, what should I smoke? Right.

SPEAKER_06 13:58

So at a minimum, you can ask them what do you normally smoke? Uh, do you have flavors or wrappers that you normally enjoy? Um, do you like mild, medium, or full strength? Sometimes people don't know those factors. And if all else fails, you can always ask them how they take their coffee. Uh, do you enjoy the natural sweetness or do you enjoy the more savory profiles?

SPEAKER_04 14:24

Yeah, absolutely. And there's a few other questions that can kind of add or supplement those is how much time do you have? Are you going to be pairing it with anything? Are you looking to smoke it now or later this evening after dinner?

SPEAKER_06 14:39

Right.

SPEAKER_04 14:40

Because those begin to help formulate a palate.

SPEAKER_06 14:43

Right. And that can sound like a lot of things to take into account when you're asking, but it all can happen naturally in the conversation.

SPEAKER_04 14:51

Yeah, absolutely. So this is uh Leslie said, I have a gentleman that comes in and only buys the Jacobs ladder. When he was in on Friday, our McAlifrep was there and sold them on the Herencia. And that's a great thing. Like you can expand their palate in asking some different questions. Right. This is true if you're a tobacconist working in a shop or you're simply grabbing a cigar out of your humidor for a friend, right? Is simply asking those questions can help understand what the recommendation should be and not just always be what you enjoy.

SPEAKER_06 15:28

Right. Knowing if it is their first cigar or if they are early in their journey, uh, versus an avid person who enjoys cigars, you know, do knowing if they drink coffee or bourbon or beer, uh, do they want something maybe creamy or spicy, sweet? Do they want something rich, maybe something earthy?

SPEAKER_04 15:51

Yeah, and those questions really turn a wall of cigars or a humidor full of cigars into a more finite set of choices.

SPEAKER_06 16:03

Right. And it really prevents a common mistake, which is assuming the cigar with the highest score is the best recommendation.

SPEAKER_04 16:13

Yeah, and that's great commentary, right? Because a 95-point full strength cigar may be excellent. It may also be a terrible cigar for a first-time cigar smoker. It may also be a terrible cigar for someone who hasn't had dinner yet.

SPEAKER_06 16:31

Right, right. The quality does mean that it fits the situation.

SPEAKER_08 16:37

Right.

SPEAKER_06 16:38

The best recommendation, it's not always the highest-rated cigar. It's the cigar that is most likely to create that enjoyable experience for the person in the setting and at the at the time.

SPEAKER_04 16:52

Absolutely. And I think that's an important thing as we start looking at that and asking those questions as far as what do we smoke, what do we do? Um, because as you do that, you begin to understand what they might be enjoying that.

SPEAKER_06 17:06

Right. Yep. And I think before we name some cigars, we need to clean up some language.

SPEAKER_04 17:14

Yeah, so let's talk strength, body, flavor. People use those words interchangeably and oftentimes incorrectly. Right.

SPEAKER_06 17:26

Yes, and they describe different parts of the experience. So the strength refers primarily to the cigar's nicotine impact and how physically strong the cigar feels.

SPEAKER_04 17:39

Yeah, absolutely. Light-headedness is not complexity, right? Right?

SPEAKER_06 17:45

Yep. Body describes the weight and the texture of the smoke. A cigar can feel light and medium or heavy on the palate.

SPEAKER_04 17:55

Yeah, and it's really kind of like the difference between skim milk, whole milk, and cream. They're all milk, but they're very different textures to your palate.

SPEAKER_06 18:06

Yes, absolutely. So that's that's a really useful comparison. And flavor intensities describe how pronounced those flavors are. So, you know, we talk about it when we light the cigar: pepper, cedar, cocoa, coffee, there's fruit, earth, uh, earthiness, nuttiness, leather. There's that sweetness in there.

SPEAKER_04 18:29

Yeah, and here at Cigar Rebel, Mel and I value balance and consistency over specific category above alone. Uh really a cigar can be mild in strength but full of flavor. And a cigar can be extremely strong and have almost no flavor, right?

SPEAKER_06 18:50

And it can be strong and not necessarily be especially complex either.

SPEAKER_04 18:57

Right. A loud cigar doesn't always mean interesting.

SPEAKER_06 19:01

Yeah, that's very true. We also can't determine the strength by wrapper or by color alone. This is a huge myth. People think the darker the wrapper, the stronger the cigar. It's just not true. A dark Maduro wrapper does not guarantee that that is going to be a strong cigar. A pale Connecticut wrapper doesn't mean that the filler uh and the blend is going to be mild.

SPEAKER_04 19:26

Absolutely. And we're talking about this on next week's episode, Misunderstood Cigars. And we're going to talk a little bit about dark cigars and a little bit about Connecticut cigars. Um, so that entire episode is very interesting because the rapper can sometimes give clues, but never the final answer.

SPEAKER_06 19:48

Right. And that's why you ask the tobacconists or you research that complete blend.

SPEAKER_04 19:55

Yeah. And so, Mel, let's take a few moments, let's return to the phrase every level of smoker. How should the rebels out there be thinking about that?

SPEAKER_06 20:05

So I would say thinking about it as lanes, not necessarily a ladder. So the first time lane is going to be based on experience and that nicotine tolerance, and the mild and the medium, and those full lanes describe the preference.

SPEAKER_04 20:23

Yeah, and you can move between lanes depending on the day, and sometimes even the time of day, as people have mentioned in the comments.

SPEAKER_06 20:33

Right. An experienced full strength smoker may choose a mild cigar with a morning coffee, or a mild smoker may select a richer, medium-bodied cigar after dinner.

SPEAKER_04 20:47

So true.

SPEAKER_06 20:47

I mean, a newer smoker may enjoy that bold flavor, but they're still going to be moderate on the nicotine.

SPEAKER_04 20:54

Yeah, your recommendations, I said before, can truly change based on time of day, food, weather, your pairing, your mood can impact what you're going to enjoy. And sometimes it's even your available time. If I'm going to smoke a stronger cigar, I want more time to enjoy that cigar. If I only have 30 or 40 minutes, I might want something milder because I might unintentionally smoke a little faster, and I don't want to be overwhelmed by the strength.

SPEAKER_07 21:25

Right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 21:26

But if I have two hours, I might gravitate to something more full-bodied because I can take my time, take a little bit fewer draws, and really enjoy the nuance of that complexity.

SPEAKER_06 21:37

Right. And the goal's not to keep climbing toward full bodied. The goal is really to understand your palate well enough to choose intentionally.

SPEAKER_04 21:48

And that's truly what experience provides to you, Mel. Not higher tolerance, but better knowledge in selecting the right cigar for you. And then in turn, that becomes The opportunity to select and make better recommendations.

SPEAKER_06 22:03

Right. That's so true. Um, and so real quick, I just want to take a moment and kind of discuss what makes a good first cigar.

SPEAKER_04 22:15

Well, first off, we're smoking one right now. The McAuliffe Y is a fantastic first cigar.

SPEAKER_06 22:22

Yeah, I think a true first cigar, we're looking for several things. Uh, first, we're gonna be looking for mild to that moderate nicotine.

SPEAKER_04 22:33

Yeah, no one needs to introduce the cigar in a way that's gonna cause issues. So no one needs their first introduction to cigars in a place that's gonna end with cold sweats and a little bit of that nicotine sickness, right?

SPEAKER_06 22:54

Right, yep. Second, you want to make sure that it has that reliable construction. So a new smoker is already learning how to cut, how to light, how to ash, how to pace their cigar. Um, they don't need to fight that difficult draw. And I think, especially if that is your introduction to cigars and the draw is not great, you're gonna think that's all cigars.

SPEAKER_04 23:17

Yeah, and the third thing there is you really need that approachable flavor.

SPEAKER_06 23:20

Yes, right?

SPEAKER_04 23:21

So, what are some of those flavors that we should be introducing to a first-time cigar smoker?

SPEAKER_06 23:25

You want to do cream, cedar, nuts, toast, maybe coffee. You can do some soft spice in there, maybe some of the that natural sweetness.

SPEAKER_04 23:36

Yeah, absolutely. Leslie's asked the question. She's not comparing um with the white tonight. Um, Mel and I are both drinking water. We were drinking more bourbon and soda on the show, um, and we've done some pairing nights, but as of late, as we're trying cigars and trying to pull out the flavors a little bit more, we've kind of dialed that back a little bit. Um, but it looks like there's a slew of different things happening out there. Uh, getting back to the topic, Mill, while they might not get or pick up many flavors, it's important to have recognizable flavors in that first cigar.

SPEAKER_06 24:15

Right. To give them the best chance of that.

SPEAKER_04 24:19

Absolutely. We want them to enjoy the cigar and have the ability to say, hmm, I enjoy that flavor. They may not be able, they may not be able to tell you that it's like the dust off of a bag of Cheerios that you open and how that dust pops up. Like that's the flavor. They may not know it's bitter chocolate, they may not know it's the um Macanudo nut cookie that Ashley mentioned in the comments. However, they might go, this is enjoyable, there's a slight sweetness there. You want them to have a good chance.

SPEAKER_06 24:55

Yeah, absolutely. Um, and fourth is gonna be make sure you are picking a manageable size for them. That Robusto, the corona, the petite corona, um, another cigar in that maybe 30 to 60 minute ring gauge. That's a really good starting point.

SPEAKER_04 25:14

Yeah, absolutely. Please, Rebels, do not hand someone a 7 by 70 for their first cigar.

unknown 25:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 25:22

I was at an event probably three months ago, and a guy brought his nephew with him, and they bought some of our cigars because we were selling, but he brought his nephew the asylum 8x80 to introduce him to cigars. That kid looked like he was about to lose everything he had eaten in the last month, like 20 minutes in, because his uncle was on the second cigar from us, and he's still on the first and doesn't understand why. So he's over there just trying to choke it down. Uh, so bring them a cigar they can relax and enjoy with, not something they feel like they need to burn down the forest with.

SPEAKER_06 26:06

Right. Right. I agree. Uh, fifth is gonna be choose something that is really within a reasonable price range. The cigar really it should be good enough to represent that premium tobacco, but not so expensive that the person is afraid to make the mistake.

SPEAKER_04 26:25

Yeah, absolutely. It's another one of those things that giving somebody a Davidoff or a high-end placentia or an atabe, while all are fantastic cigars, probably doesn't make sense for a first-time cigar smoker. One is if they enjoy it, you're introducing them to a $30 a stick habit, which isn't really good for them or the cigar industry because there is spectacular cigars like this McAuliffe White at the $9 range. Um, and so if you're introducing someone to cigars, help them out in several ways. One, give them a reasonably priced cigar is always a first hint. Secondly, you might encourage them, like, hey, let's grab something to eat before we have a cigar. Give them their best opportunity. Um, get them something good to drink with it, some sparkling water, a root beer, a diet root beer, a nice bourbon. Um, walk them through the cutting and lighting and how to take a draw every 45 to 90 seconds, you know, not too fast, but fast enough to keep the cigar going. And then while you're with them, pay attention to the cues. If they start feeling it, give them a piece of chocolate. And remember, they do not have to finish their first cigar. If they smoke half of it and set it down and move on, that doesn't mean you've lost them. It might mean they enjoyed it, and now next time they'll know they can enjoy something else.

SPEAKER_06 27:52

Right, 100%. Those are all great pointers. Um, so there is more to come after the break as we walk through cigar smokers at every level.

SPEAKER_04 28:03

All right, we'll be right back.

SPEAKER_01 28:06

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 thought 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 here, and so much more. The impact storytelling has on the human connection is why we've decided to name our store and lounge the story. Because behind every good cigar and conversation is an even better story.

SPEAKER_03 29:19

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SPEAKER_06 30:13

As always, thank you to our sponsors. Let's go ahead and take a look at upcoming shows.

SPEAKER_04 30:19

We got a lot of great shows coming up over the next month. Um, next week on August 10th, we have Misunderstood. We're gonna talk about dark cigars. Are dark cigars stronger? And we're gonna be smoking the perfect cigar for this conversation, the Montosa Maduro.

SPEAKER_06 30:36

Yep. August 17th is the industry discussion, and we'll have Steel City Cigars, uh, Tony Rawlings here, and we'll be smoking the Bell Ringer at that show.

SPEAKER_04 30:46

Yeah, and that's gonna be a great show. We're gonna have a cut and light before the show goes live here at Stories, and then we'll do the um live podcast with him. Um, we're bringing in six different cigars that Steel City Cigar brings in. It'll be the first time here, our first time smoking some of them, and it'll be our second time smoking the bell ringer, I think. So really excited um to have Tony live here on site with us. On August 24th, a shift is coming. Um, the industry is changing. Um, we're gonna dive into what that is, and we're gonna be smoking the Lady Jade by the Elevated Humidor.

SPEAKER_06 31:21

And then on August 31st, we are doing a pairing series 101, and we'll be pairing some snacks with that and be smoking the Veiled Mutiny HDA.

SPEAKER_04 31:32

Yeah, so one of the things that's come in from a lot of our Rebel followers is they love the 101 series, the cigars 101, the tobacco 101, the develop your palette. And so we've gotten several requests to have some kind of 101 series every four to six weeks. And so we're trying to develop out a few different ones of those, so it's not always the same thing. Um, and I've got a great setup for this snacks one that I'm really excited. And we'll have snacks here live with us for everybody to enjoy. And we're going to talk about how snacks can elevate your cigar experience. Um, if you're watching live with us tonight or listening wherever you pick up your podcast, um please go ahead and click that subscribe button if it's your first time here on YouTube. You can click the subscribe button just below. You can follow us on social media anywhere at Cigar Rebel. And don't forget to click on that notify button on Facebook and YouTube, so it gives you a heads up a few days early and a few hours before we go live. Before we get back to the topic, though, Mel, let's check on the McAuliffe white. This is one of their last releases in the color series. What are you getting from the cigar at this point? Kind of into the second third.

SPEAKER_06 32:46

Yes, I'm about halfway through, you know. Um, and for me this time smoking it, that pepper has been there pretty much throughout. Um, it's moved from kind of being in the back of my throat or the back of my tongue more to where now it's on the tip of my tongue. And then there's a sweetness that's almost coating the roof of my mouth to kind of offset that spiciness. So they're all it's all working together.

SPEAKER_04 33:17

Yeah, absolutely. So I'm getting a really the creaminess has stayed with me. I think the creaminess is still there. Um, I'm still getting this hint of kind of cacao or um milk chocolate. I I've read some people say, and um, one of the comments earlier was the macanudian macanabian nut cookie. So I I could maybe lean into that chocolatey with if you mix that with the creaminess smell. Yeah. Um, there's still hints on the retrohale and especially on the finish that are that nuttiness, and but it's almost transitioned a little bit into a coffee. Um, if you've ever drank coffee when it's too old, you you've poured your fresh cup and you've let it set there for like an hour, so it's kind of cold. You take a drink, it doesn't taste bad, but it doesn't taste the way you enjoy it when it's fresh.

SPEAKER_07 34:08

Right.

SPEAKER_04 34:09

There's hints of that um with this, but I do want to jump back into the topic for tonight um and get into some of these lanes or levels as we talked about. Um, it's time, as I would call it, the cigar rebel recommendations for every cigar smoker.

SPEAKER_06 34:27

Yeah, I think to keep this list simple um or streamlined, we are going to be combining those mild and first-time uh cigar smoker categories together.

SPEAKER_04 34:41

Yeah, I think it's a great idea. Um, as we highlighted earlier, a mild cigar does not mean mild flavor or mild bodied as we define strength, body, and flavor intensity. We just simply believe that a fuller bodied smoke, mouth texture, balanced cigar that is mild in strength is really a wonderful cigar for a new cigar smoker. It also makes the perfect recommendation for someone who enjoys a mild cigar.

SPEAKER_06 35:12

Right, right. So, like when I started smoking cigars, I was very drawn to those flavor-intense cigars, uh, fuller bodied profiles, and maybe you know, medium through that full strength. But I actually did not smoke my first Neanderthal for a very long time into my uh cigar journey, and that probably might not have been the best first choice for me, even.

SPEAKER_04 35:38

Yeah, absolutely. Because a mild cigar doesn't mean beginner cigar, right? A mild cigar means the nicotine level is on the lower end, right?

SPEAKER_06 35:47

And I think that category uh it gets treated really unfairly a lot of the time by everyone, yes, and I think it's because the industry it spends a lot of time celebrating the strength of a cigar.

SPEAKER_04 36:02

Yeah, and we've mentioned it before on the podcast. When we were at PCA in New Orleans a few months ago, every time we walked up to a new booth, every new cigar coming out was medium to full, period. It's medium to full. There were multiple times we smoked some cigars with people, and as we walked away, we were like, that was mild. But the industry's at a point that it's celebrating medium to full, so they're spending a lot of time trying to sell that as a whole.

SPEAKER_06 36:34

Well, and if you think about there are manufacturers out there, and when they are putting out that full-bodied, how many have we seen where it's like this is going to be the strongest cigar you've ever smoked? I don't know that I've ever seen anyone be like, This is going to be the most mild cigar you've ever had. Yeah, and they probably wouldn't advertise that because I don't know that it would sell as well. Because again, there's that miss, I think there's that myth that yeah, meet mild is not.

SPEAKER_04 37:03

Well, in the reality, when you look, when you look at data and numbers, and I'm a data guy, the industry has moved more toward fuller bodied, full strength cigars in the manufacturing line. Sales and high-end sales, meaning, and I'm not saying high-end dollar amount, I mean volume, still traditionally mild flavored and medium are what sells. We we run through at stories, and then as elevated humidor for our line, we sell a whole lot more of that mild to medium plus to cigar shops, and on their reorders, they get more of the mild and medium plus than they do our fuller bodied stuff. They sell our fuller body. Now, full-bodied cigar smokers tend to become more loyal to a brand. Yep, but the walking off the street, the guy who's gonna smoke at the lake this weekend, the guy who's having some buddies over, rarely is that hey, I want the strongest cigar you got in the humidor.

SPEAKER_07 38:10

Right.

SPEAKER_04 38:10

And also, it's not wise because they don't know who's gonna be there, who isn't. Right. Um, going back, fuller bodied cigars receive attention because the flavors can be dramatic. They can do a really good job of increasing and helping with those flavor profiles. And so the other issue in the blending process is restraint can be difficult when blending a cigar. A mild cigar has less room to hide poor tobacco in poor construction, so it's much harder to blend.

SPEAKER_06 38:48

Yeah, that's that's true. I mean, if the profile is subtle, then every rough edge is going to become very obvious. The great mild cigar may deliver that delicate transition, maybe that refined texture, uh the aroma, natural sweetness, balance, and complexity that's gonna be without force.

SPEAKER_04 39:12

Yeah, absolutely. Leslie came in and said she loves the 101 series. And once we can let her know the snacks we're gonna have. I absolutely will get a final list by next week. We'll share it on the podcast so everybody has a couple of weeks to get that ready. Um, Krista said the um chili is waning, but now getting some more um creamy, bittersweet chocolate with a smokiness like a smokehouse. Great example. I love that. Um, Mel, I want to get to some got to some cigar recommendations. Um, I want to provide kind of a top three, and we can give our reasons why we might think it's top three. Um, in Rebels, I want to give another reminder because I cannot feel I feel like we cannot over-communicate this. This is not a rating, this is not our top three for each lane. It is not what we think every cigar smoker should have. It is what we believe is an easy recommendation for each lane, right? For anyone to enjoy in that lane, right?

SPEAKER_06 40:12

And easy, easier to find as well. This list does no good if we give you a bunch of stuff you can never find. So, uh, to kick off tonight's cigar, probably no surprise, but it's going to be the McAuliffe White. What? I know. So running through that wrapper is an Ecuadorian Connecticut, Nicaraguan binder, Nicaraguan filler, uh flavor notes. We've gotten cream, we've gotten uh macadamian cookie, we've gotten um spice, vanilla, uh vanilla wafers, chocolate, uh some nuttiness in there. For strength, I'm gonna say for me, it's a it's classified, I believe, as a mild to medium.

SPEAKER_04 40:52

For me, it's pretty mild, but again, I would say it's probably more on that mellow to mild range, somewhere between one and three on a one to ten strength gauge. Uh you talked about hard to find. Um, many of you rebels out there, if I name this website, you would be familiar with it. I'm not asking to go find the website. So, but I was looking up what are some other people recommending, right? Do some research. What do we believe, but what are other people doing? And all of their top five of ten for the mild range were Cuban or limited editions that have not been released in more than 10 years. And this article was published like eight months ago.

SPEAKER_07 41:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 41:41

Like, what good is it for me to tell you about a Partygas Golden that hasn't been produced since 2013 as the cigar you should recommend to somebody who likes a mild cigar?

SPEAKER_06 41:55

You could still recommend it.

SPEAKER_04 41:56

Yeah, I mean, you might be able to find it somewhere for like a thousand dollars a box because they only produced 500 boxes to begin with. Like, why does that even make a list, right? I mean, that's just asinine to me. So we wanted to make it McAuliffe White. Number two, and this isn't interesting to me, but I truly believe this is a great recommendation, and that mild, and it's probably mild to medium, is My Father, Connecticut. What's interesting about the My Father Connecticut is if you go to their website and you look at it, it is a medium plus cigar. There is no way it is a medium plus cigar, it is maybe a two. I might be able to be convinced that it's a three on a one to ten scale. Um, it's delicious though, and it's very reasonably priced. The wrappers, Ecuadorian Connecticut. It's got a Nicaraguan binder and filler. You're gonna get a creaminess, a nuttiness, a cedar, a little bit of pepper, some sweetness, a buttery texture. Does that remind you of the McAuliffe white notes at all? That this mild but fuller flavor profile makes up a great cigar.

SPEAKER_06 43:13

Right. Yeah, so next we kind of had to make the decision, you know, do we go with the Yellowstone by Big Sky, maybe the La Gloria uh White label, maybe Charter Oak Connecticut, or maybe the Montosa Natural. So we went ahead, yeah. We just went ahead, we made the executive decision and chose the Charter Oak Connecticut. So um that one's got great flavor notes, some creaminess in there, nuts, hay, some sweetness. It's gonna be mild to medium again.

SPEAKER_04 43:45

It's those flavor notes seem to transcend all three of these.

SPEAKER_06 43:49

Absolutely. It's gonna have that Connecticut shade wrapper, uh, the Sumatra binder, and then those Nicaraguan fillers.

SPEAKER_04 43:56

So yeah, uh Shane put out their Perdomo Lot 23. Connecticut is what started his cigar journey. Absolutely love that. That is a fantastic cigar. Right. So yeah, there's definitely one of those out there that's a good another great cigar.

SPEAKER_06 44:16

Right. The cigar, it's gonna be a little bit higher on the mild to medium spectrum. But and so we almost went with the Montosa Natural or the Maduro here, but that Charter Oak Connecticut's it's it's pretty solid.

SPEAKER_04 44:34

It is in the price points great. It's right around that under $10 range. It's very easy, it's approachable, it's got good flavor. Um, while I think a Montosa, either the natural or Maduro, might be a better first cigar in some ways if you're a beginner cigar, because it's lighter and the flavors are a little bit more muted. They're still out there, but that charter oak has a very bold flavor intensity for a mild cigar, which I think makes it work really well for a first cigar or a mild cigar smoker.

SPEAKER_07 45:10

Yep.

SPEAKER_04 45:10

Um, now, Mel, let's go ahead and move into the medium lane of cigars. And the truth is, for all you rebels out there, I want you to know this is probably the most versatile lane in the cigar industry.

SPEAKER_06 45:24

Right. Um, this is usually going to offer that enough flavor, enough body for the experienced smokers while remaining very approachable for many people moving beyond those mild profiles. Um, and before we jump into these, I don't know, we got a question on what would we recommend in the Fuente line for a mild? So before we jump into the next category, maybe we can answer that one.

SPEAKER_04 45:52

No, that's a great question. I'm glad that you saw that. So, Leslie, if we're going to recommend something from the Fuente line for a mild cigar smoker or a first-time cigar smoker, I think it's hands down the Chateau Fuente. Um, and especially in their smaller Robusto size, um, it's probably a 3, 3.5 on a scale. Um, it's got good flavor. The natural and the Connecticut are not overpowering. The Maduro or the Sun Grown is a little bit stronger. Another good option in that same lane is the 858 Candela or the 858 Maduro. Oddly, the 858 Maduro to me smokes a little milder than their natural or their Connecticut, even though they're truthfully a little bit stronger in nicotine, the balance is just better. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 46:47

Yep. So I was gonna say the 858 candela, that's what came to my mind absolutely first. But then when you said that, I was like, that makes sense. Can't that's also a great candela, I feel like, for someone who wants to try a candela cigar, maybe that has never had one. Right. Because it's a pretty that's for a candela, it's great. I mean, all the ones I've had, never had any issues with them because having a bad candela off the start can put you off of them forever.

SPEAKER_04 47:13

Yeah, absolutely. So um getting back to medium cigars, um, medium cigars work in most situations, morning, depending on the cigar, uh, mid-afternoon treat, or maybe right after dinner. Um, it works well with coffee, with beer, with bourbon, all of those things, just that medium-bodied cigar, medium strength is so versatile.

SPEAKER_06 47:35

Right. And they're also really great group cigars in general. I mean, that's a great point to follow. If you're buying for several people with that different preference, the medium is going to often be that safest meeting point for the group.

SPEAKER_04 47:51

Yeah, absolutely. Medium cigars does not mean generic, it truly means versatile.

SPEAKER_06 48:00

Right. A medium-bodied cigar that can deliver a lot of tremendous complexity in there. Uh, they can deliver that natural sweetness, the depth, the spice, the earthiness, uh, depending on the blend.

SPEAKER_04 48:16

Yeah, in medium cigars, they're not indecisive. And I've said this three times now. I'm gonna say it one more time because I think we cannot over-communicate this. They're versatile.

SPEAKER_07 48:29

Right.

SPEAKER_04 48:30

They have options, and there's a lot of them on the market. Correct. It was really difficult to narrow it down to three, but we narrowed it down to three that we think are pretty popular right now, easy to obtain and in the right price range.

SPEAKER_06 48:46

Right. So, with that, we'll move on to our first recommendation, which is going to be the Rocky Patel Emerald. Um, so it's from that Rocky Patel, the Edge, the Emerald series profile, um, just in case anyone's not familiar with that. Uh, it's gonna have those flavor notes of cream and cedar, some toasted nuts, soft sweetness, maybe some mild pepper.

SPEAKER_08 49:10

Right.

SPEAKER_06 49:10

Um, I had one last week that I and I had not had one in a long time, and the strength surprised me a little bit. And in that particular one, I had the pepper to me was a little bit stronger, but it was still very silky, very velvety.

SPEAKER_04 49:25

Yeah, I was gonna say it's very peppery, but it's smooth and it's silky, and it hits that medium range, it's not gonna overpower you with strength, and the balance or the body of it is very well balanced between flavor intensity male as well as the strength of the cigar. Right. Um, it's probably on a strength gauge around a six, so it's a little on the higher end, but that medium balance along with flavor really brings a very enjoyable cigar.

SPEAKER_06 49:58

Yeah, I agree. It's got the Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper, Honduran binder, and then Nicaraguan and Honduran fillers to it. And the technical strength, I think, is mild to medium, but I would definitely put it in a solid medium category.

SPEAKER_04 50:14

Yeah, and I I put in the notes when we were highlighting the mild to medium, um, and I really question doing that, Mel, because when I look at it, depending on the site you look at, it rates it very differently. Um, and when I looked at Rocky's site directly in two different spaces on that same site, it has a different rating. Yeah, and so I don't know if they're giving somebody else's feedback versus their own. And so I was like, I'm just gonna throw it out there in that medium category. I think it's medium. Uh moving on to our second recommendation, and I am cheating on two accounts here tonight because I'm gonna go with sister cigars, so I'm giving us two, and I'm giving something from the elevated humidor, um, which is our brand. So I got to give a little bit of a quotes there, maybe. But the Velvet Smooth and Velvet Spice, the wrappers that Habano 2000, a beautiful Dominican binder, and then we've got Dominican Crilla 98 and Pelo de Oro in that cigar. The blend is different, so each cigar has different secco and different Lajero, but it's just the opposite of the other. And they come with two different profiles. So I'm gonna give the smooth and then the spice. In the smooth, you get creaminess, you get char, you get salted peanuts, a little bit of espresso as the complexity builds. On the spice, you get wood, bell pepper, espresso, a little bit of kettle corn, and several reviewers have said a little bit of a charred butter.

SPEAKER_07 51:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 51:50

And so both of these cigars are that medium to medium plus, but definitely land in this versatile medium category.

SPEAKER_06 52:01

Yep, especially because there's two to pick from. You can kind of go with the uh more sweet or savory and choose which one you want from that.

SPEAKER_04 52:09

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_06 52:09

Uh, next on the list is going to be the West Tampa Chef Rick. Uh, that's gonna have some sweet cedar, maybe some creamy hay in there, pepper. Uh, you're gonna get maybe some cinnamon in there, some coffee beans. Um, that's got the Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, Nicaraguan binder, and fillers. It's a great cigar.

SPEAKER_04 52:32

Yeah, and with West Tampa, with the Chef Rick, um, it's a new cigar this year. It's a collaboration cigar, a part of kind of the the Chef series, if you want to call that. They had the double scrap last year. Um, I've really enjoyed the Chef Rick. And the reason I really made the argument that it should be on this list is it's that medium plus cigar that pairs really well with a lot of different things. I can imagine eating a steak with it, I can imagine eating some roasted or candied nuts, um, I can imagine um drinking with a glass of wine. We don't drink wine much anymore, or pair it with a bourbon. And so just so many options that it fits really well. But I think if you give that Chef Rick one of the Velvet series um or that emerald to somebody that's really looking for something in that medium lane, you're not going to disappoint them because the strength is there, but the balance is really well done.

SPEAKER_07 53:31

Right.

SPEAKER_04 53:32

Um, I think Rick Rodriguez did a fantastic job with this West Tampa blend. Um, so glad it made the list.

SPEAKER_06 53:39

Yeah, me too.

SPEAKER_04 53:40

Uh let's jump into the full strength lane, which is an interesting lane.

SPEAKER_06 53:45

Right. So the full strength cigar, that's gonna deliver more nicotine, it's gonna have a heavier body, more of an intense spice, some deeper flavors in there. Um, but it doesn't automatically mean that that is going to be a better cigar than those other two categories.

SPEAKER_04 54:03

Yeah, and it also doesn't mean it's going to be more complex. We get really confused. Complexity and strength are two completely different things. Yes, there are some mild cigars that are extremely complex, and there are some strong cigars that are not complex. And it depends on your mood, you may want a cigar that's complex, or a complex cigar may just wear you out.

SPEAKER_06 54:28

Yep, 100%. That well-blended, full cigar is gonna be balancing its power, so the strength is going to support the experience rather than just overwhelm it.

SPEAKER_04 54:41

Yeah, and a poorly balanced, strong cigar can feel like somebody simply replaced blending a good cigar with trying to get something loud.

SPEAKER_06 54:53

Right. Yep, 100%. So, first up on our list is going to be the Perdomo 20th anniversary Maduro. So that's gonna have that Nicaraguan Maduro wrapper. It's gonna have that Nicaraguan uh binder and filler in there. Uh, you're gonna get some flavor notes of dark chocolate, espresso, sweet oak, molasses, pepper, and maybe you're gonna have some bourbon barrel, barrel, maybe caramelized sweetness. Um, I saw that comment about the Perdomo champagne.

SPEAKER_04 55:24

Yep, Perdomo champagne is a nice one there. And it's one that is often people say are mild, and it is not, it's just so well balanced. Uh, Dwayne is throwing some love toward you and Roper with the black and M81 um fantastic cigars. Um, we talked about both of those, but we felt like that 20th um anniversary Maduro from Pedromo really fit that anybody can enjoy it. Um, and it's really an easy cigar to give someone. Yeah, as is the second one. Um, Shane said, love that M81. The second one's an interesting one, and it's the red anchor by United Cigars or Selected. Um, I don't think it's made by Selected Tobacco. I put that in there, but it's with United Cigars, it's wrappers, this Ecuadorian Habano that's just a beautiful wrapper. Um, Dominican binder and fillers. It creates these flavor notes of cedar, creamy spice, toasted nut, a little bit of floralness and sweetness to it. There's some subtle pepper. This cigar is extremely refined, it's in that medium to full. I think because of its balance, it smokes a little bit milder than its actual strength. And, you know, Mel, it's one of those cigars that's at the higher end, it's that $20 price point. We've been trying to be very reasonable. But if you have a full-bodied cigar smoker or a full strength, nine out of 10 of them are going to enjoy the red anchor.

SPEAKER_06 56:59

Yeah. No, I I think the red anchor is great. Um I love that one. So next we're gonna move on to one of my favorites. Probably nobody will be surprised here, but that is going to be the Neanderthal by RomaCraft.

SPEAKER_04 57:14

That one has one of my least favorites.

SPEAKER_06 57:16

I know, I know, yeah, I know. But I think it's okay. I'll smoke the ones that you wouldn't smoke for sure.

SPEAKER_04 57:20

I buy them and I've never I've smoked one.

SPEAKER_06 57:22

Well, you said you didn't really like it, so it's not my cup of tea. I'll take it.

SPEAKER_04 57:27

But you enjoy it, and many other people do as well.

SPEAKER_06 57:30

Yep. So that has that Mexican San Andreas Maduro wrapper on there. It's got a Connecticut broadleaf binder, and then it has uh Nicaraguan, Dominican, and then the Pennsylvania Double Lajero fillers in there. Flavor notes, for me, it is a very smooth cigar, especially for its strength. It's got some uh a lot of earthiness in there, a little bit of black pepper, maybe some dark chocolate, leather. Um, some people get espresso or dark roasted coffee. Um, there's gonna be some charred oak in there. I mean, for me, it is a full-bodied cigar that never lets me down.

SPEAKER_04 58:12

Yeah, and it's one of those cigars that many people love. And as I mentioned, it made our list, even though I don't love the cigar. But I think if you have a cigar smoker that really enjoys fuller strength cigars, fuller bodied cigars, Neanderthal is an excellent choice. And the reality is it's in that $12 range, right? It's super approachable, it's easy. If for some reason you give it to somebody and they smoke half of it and they move on, you didn't throw a $20 stick at them. Right. It's very enjoyable. I know you love it. We have a lot of people that love it. I'm loving that Shane agrees with me on it. Um, but it does deserve a place on this list because 9.8 out of 10 people are really going to enjoy that cigar if they like a full-strength full-bodied cigar. So, Rebels, this has been kind of our cigar recommendations for every lane. We gave you kind of three easy approaches for mild, three for medium, three for full. And again, not a rating, just cigars you can have in your humidor if a buddy drops by, or if you're a tobacconist working in a shop and someone walks in and says, Hey, I'm looking for this. These are really easy recommendations that won't break the bank and gives you the opportunity to point them towards something that they're most likely going to enjoy and enjoy the experience. As we begin to wrap up tonight, Mel, let's go ahead and talk about this McAuliffe White. Um, what are you getting on it at the very end?

SPEAKER_06 59:48

So, for me, the end, this has been, I told you in the very beginning, not on the cold drop, but since then, that white pepper for me for this time, it has just grown throughout this cigar. That's not normally my experience with this with the white, but for tonight, that's that has been the overwhelming for me, the flavor in it.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:11

But that's not normally it, but that's I've picked up more of that pepper in this final third. Uh, Krista that I just highlighted here in a second, really highlighted um some of that kind of charred skin around a pepper. I think that pepperness is there. Um, for me, it's not the white pepper that filled the back of my throat, it's just there as a tinge, but it's more on my lips and it feels that burning piece, um, which to me is more that roasted pepper or that chili pepper jalapeno type of feel. Um, there's definitely some baking spice that I've picked up in this final third because I feel the tingliness on my thumb tongue that I really get from that. Um, the creaminess has really died off in this last third. It's been replaced with something. I'm curious if anybody in our live audience or watching live um streaming, there's almost this toasted bread or toast, right? I love toast. There's almost that toast flavor on the finish. I don't get it on the palate, but if I blow it out and I'm talking, I kind of like maybe it's the dryness of toast with a little bit of that mouthfeel. I don't know if anybody else is getting that. Thumbs up, thumbs down, a couple thumbs up. But definitely believe this cigar smokes really well at eight to nine dollars for the Robusto or Toro. Yeah, it's a fantastic cigar.

SPEAKER_06 1:01:40

I agree 100%. Well, I mean, that there's our list, and um yeah, yeah. I don't know, I don't know, I don't know if you have more. Didn't want to cut you off.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:51

I don't. I I thought you were going to the thanks for joining us.

SPEAKER_06 1:01:54

I was going to, but then I wasn't sure. I didn't want to jump there too quick. Um, but yeah, thank you guys so much for joining us. If you liked this episode, please leave us a review, share with your cigar friends, and hit us up with any topics you would like us to dive into in future episodes.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:08

Yeah, if you're watching live. See, you I threw got thrown off. She was thrown off the beginning episode, I'm thrown off now. My notes are not where they need to be. Uh, if you are watching or listening on the replay, please drop us a comment, hashtag replay fam. Let us know what you were smoking or pairing with the episode. And if you haven't done it yet, please do us a favor, go out there and subscribe and share the podcast with your cigar friends and let them know that we go live every Monday night at 7 p.m. Central.

SPEAKER_06 1:02:39

Yes. I'm glad this uh we're getting the comments that this episode was helpful for them. So I'm glad that we were able to help you guys out a little bit. Yep.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:47

And join us next Monday night for an episode Misunderstood Cigars. We're going to be talking about dark cigars. And does that necessarily mean they're stronger cigars?

SPEAKER_06 1:02:56

Yes.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:56

But for tonight, that's our show.

SPEAKER_06 1:02:58

Yeah. Thank you guys so much for tuning in. Don't forget to subscribe but leave a review and share with your fellow cigar lovers. Until next Monday, keep your cigar lit, your ash long, and your palette curious.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:10

Good night, Rebels.