Mobile Cigar Lounge(s)

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: LSA: Lone Star Attitude by The Elevated Humidor.

Want to smoke along us on the show? The Rebel Pack Subscription goes includes 5 Cigars each month for $43 (including tax and shipping). Packs ship each month around the 22/23 of the month. 

Thanks for joining us. Don't forget to subscribe to stay up to date on all things Cigar Rebel!

Like and follow us on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, and join the conversation on the Cigar Rebel Community on Facebook.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 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 0:36

Welcome, Cigar Rebels, to the podcast. I'm Mel. Whether you are lining up on your back porch, sitting at your favorite lounge, driving home from work, or seeking away for a little peace and quiet with a cigar, we are glad you're here.

SPEAKER_09 0:50

And I'm Kevin. We're coming to you live tonight with a conversation that I've been looking forward to for weeks. Um, tonight we're gonna be talking about cigars, business events, communities, and what happens when a cigar lounge doesn't wait for you to come to it.

SPEAKER_06 1:04

Yes, that's right. So tonight we are joined by Dale and Delia. Did I say that right? Delia. Delia. Okay, I would have known that had you were asking earlier. I want to make sure we pronunciated it right. I made a brilliant for you. I made a whole problem out of it. Yeah, uh, but you guys are with Simple Man Mobile Cigar Lounge.

SPEAKER_09 1:24

Yeah, and I love this concept because cigar lounges are normally built around a place, a building, a humidor, a chair, a table, a regular crowd, but not Simple Man.

SPEAKER_06 1:36

Right. Simple Man, you guys take the cigar experience on the road with you to weddings, private events, festivals, parties, uh the corporate gatherings, really anywhere that people want to sit down, slow down together and enjoy a cigar.

SPEAKER_09 1:54

Yeah, and that's dangerous, guys, because some of us already have a hard enough time staying away from the cigar lounge and to say no to the cigars that are in the humidor. And now we're going to events and cigars are already there.

unknown 2:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 2:06

It sounds like both a business model and also a personal attack.

SPEAKER_09 2:10

Exactly.

SPEAKER_06 2:11

So uh so tonight we are going to talk with both of you about how you guys got into cigars, your first kind of cigar memories, uh, why you decided to get into the cigar business, and what made you guys choose the mobile cigar lounge life and what Simple Man is really about.

SPEAKER_09 2:30

Yeah, and we're also gonna talk about events, some of your favorite memories, um, brands that you guys enjoy selling and the stories you tell about them. And then we're gonna see, I want to hear what you're hearing from customers, like some of the things that y'all, the feedback that you get, because I think y'all have a fascinating business model, and you're reaching people that a cigar lounge, a podcast may not reach. And so we're excited to get into that here in just a few minutes.

SPEAKER_06 2:54

Yep. All right, so rebels cut light and settle in.

SPEAKER_09 2:57

But Mel, before the conversation, let's go ahead and tell everybody what we're smoking tonight.

SPEAKER_06 3:01

So tonight we are smoking the Lone Star Attitude or the LSA uh by the elevated humidor. Look at my humidor. I know you've got Hutton Young on there, but is by the Elevated Humidor.

SPEAKER_08 3:14

All the data's right.

SPEAKER_06 3:15

It has a bonoclero wrapper, an Indonesian binder, and then uh it's got a proprietary blend of premium tobacco, including the HVA for the fillers.

SPEAKER_09 3:27

Yep. And so I apologize for the graphic guys. I do update these week to week and uh did this one quickly at a busy weekend. And so uh for our live audience, there's a guy named Eric said I didn't work yesterday, Eric. That this is the problem. This is what happens. Uh, but let's go ahead and light this cigar mail. Um, the lighting is brought to you by the elevated humidor.

SPEAKER_01 3:54

Some moments deserve more than just passing by. They deserve to be celebrated. That's the philosophy behind the elevated humidor. Born from a passion for hand-rolled premium cigars. TEH lends world-class tobaccos from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua into cigars crafted with tradition, precision, and purpose. Whether you're marking a milestone, closing a deal, or simply taking a well-earned pause, the elevated humidor turns a simple moment into a lasting memory. With four distinct collections crafted to satisfy every ballad. There's truly something for everyone. Explore the smooth refinement of the Velvet Collection, the elevated sophistication of the elegant collection, the timeless character of the core collection, or the flavor experiences of our infused collection. Visit your preferred tobagonist and ask for the elevated humidor by name. If you don't find us on the shelf, our premium collections are available online through our trusted retail partner, Two Guys Cigars, bringing exceptional craftsmanship and unforgettable experiences out directly to your door. The elevated humidor. Celebrate life the elevated way.

SPEAKER_06 5:14

As always, thank you to our sponsors. Uh, now that we have this kind of lit, um, how how is it treating everybody?

SPEAKER_09 5:23

Yeah, just the first couple of draws for me. I'm interested in Dell, your thoughts, but I get a little bit of a sweet hay and some roasted peppers off of it.

SPEAKER_08 5:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_09 5:30

Um, just I can't, I've only taken three draws, so it's very early on.

SPEAKER_05 5:35

Yeah, you're right. I I do get the hay. Um, I like the cold draw first. Uh a lot of y'all know I don't smoke, uh, and that's okay. You don't have to smoke a good cigar in order to enjoy a good cigar. Uh, but the blend is really nice, it's an easy draw. I I like it.

SPEAKER_06 5:55

Yep. I get a lot of spice, you know, a little bit of not a peppery spice, but almost like a maybe a like a jalapeno or something like that spice to it.

SPEAKER_09 6:07

Yeah, I can agree with that, absolutely. So uh just a couple shout-outs. Hey, Krista, welcome. Uh, it's good to see you, Dwayne. Always excited to have you guys on. So if you're watching live tonight, we'd love for you guys to go ahead and drop in the comments what you're smoking, maybe what you're pairing with a cigar. Let us know how your evening is going. Um, Krista says she's getting a lot of chili pepper like jalapeno, um, very similar to what Mel just said. And so, Mel, let's go ahead and jump right into tonight's topic.

SPEAKER_06 6:36

So, welcome again, guys, to the podcast. We're really glad that you guys are here with us tonight. And so, yeah, anything welcome. Yeah, welcome. Pretty excited.

SPEAKER_05 6:47

Long drive. Pretty excited.

SPEAKER_07 6:49

Long drive. So, where are you guys out of? We're out of north to uh north side of Tyler, north 20.

SPEAKER_09 6:55

So okay.

SPEAKER_07 6:57

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_09 6:58

So we're excited to have you guys with us tonight, and we're gonna have a great conversation. Uh, we like to say that every good cigar comes with a story, and tonight we really want to get into y'all's story because a mobile cigar lounge is not something someone typically just wakes up and accidentally starts.

SPEAKER_06 7:15

Right, yeah. Normally there's a story behind it, you know, a moment, there's gotta be a lot of passion there, conversation, maybe a little bit of craziness and chaos.

SPEAKER_09 7:25

Oh, yes, yes, yeah, and every good business has a little bit of chaos to it, a little bit of craziness, right?

SPEAKER_06 7:32

Especially in cigars. So I want to start kind of at the beginning and ask the question how did you guys get into cigars?

SPEAKER_07 7:41

Well, I've been smoking cigars probably about 11 years. Group of guys I was worked with, they kind of introduced reintroduced me back to cigars. My first experience you're talking about a while ago was with my dad down in Galveston when I was about 21 years old. He brought out some at the time, seemed like foot-long candelas. I didn't know what it was. It was on the jetty. He gave me one of those. I looked at it, it was very intimidating. So I cut it in half and attempted to smoke the other half. Threw the rest in the water, I couldn't do it. So that was my first experience of cigars until I I worked around some other guys about 10, 11 years ago, and they reintroduced me back to cigars. I really enjoyed it. So that kind of started my passion again with cigars.

SPEAKER_05 8:29

I didn't enjoy what he was doing, but but it was okay. I mean, it made him happy, it was good, it was it was fine, you know. Uh, I didn't have to go back to work, so I whatever he enjoyed, what how I got involved in it is I wanted to learn more. What did you like? What did he like? What can I do to thank him for working hard and providing a home for me? And I would go to these local tobacco shops and say, okay, I know he likes this, this, and this, pick me out some. And uh, and and when I found out what his favorites were, I would can you know, I would conspire with my mom, and we would go and get him boxes of them and just everything that we could to to line up his his big old thing of cigars that he keeps so that you know he'd have these different ones, and and uh it made him happy, and I wanted him to be happy.

SPEAKER_07 9:32

I didn't want him to smoke in my Jeep, and that was okay, but he's but he smoked in his truck, and I was getting home and there's a pack of cigars sitting on the island waiting for you when you get home after a day's work.

SPEAKER_06 9:46

Yeah, that is that's nice.

SPEAKER_07 9:47

Mel um, pick up some notes here.

SPEAKER_06 9:51

We got lots of cigars at home. We have thousands to house.

SPEAKER_09 9:56

So I do always find this part extremely fascinating. I love hearing that part of the story because there's so many variables. Sometimes it's friends, sometimes it's a relative, um, sometimes it's uh walking down the street and stopped in a cigar shop. You know, there's so many variables to how people begin their cigar journey, and it's just something that's fascinating to hear. And I love how much you took to his hobby, his passion, and really made it yours.

SPEAKER_05 10:25

Yeah, uh, yeah, because I learned a lot. I learned what he liked, what he did not like, and I would go and hunt. It's almost like a scavenger hunt. I gotta find the best cigar. What I need this, this surprise me with something else, and and it became uh fun for me because the look on his face when I pulled out this bundle, it was hey, I appreciate everything that you've done, but tell me more about this cigar, or if he smokes one and it stank, no, no, I'm let me know that cigar because I'm not gonna buy that, because a good cigar will have a nice aroma and then I can hang out with him a little longer.

SPEAKER_09 11:04

No, that's awesome. Yeah, so um redneck yam said smoking my last uh McAuliffe white working on the boat, which is awesome. Yes, uh Alex, good to see you. Always glad to have you on the podcast with us. Um, Highley Outdoors said smoking my last McAuliffe. Oh, same thing as the Redneck Yam. So same person, maybe. If not, wildly uh interesting, two people doing the same thing.

SPEAKER_05 11:29

That's our fun. Yeah, that's our fun.

SPEAKER_09 11:31

And we we smoked uh the a newer McAuliffe White earlier today, and that was amazing. Yeah, so so was it something that you guys enjoyed right away when you started smoking maybe 10 or 11 years ago, or is it something they kind of built up?

SPEAKER_07 11:45

I kind of done it at work, and that was about it. You know, I didn't take them home very much, you know, just something I done with the guys at work. You know, we take you know, I'm a safety coordinator, so we was able to to go out on job site or something or smoke outside, so it's something that's kind of progressed along the way, and kind of first thing one thing led to another, and so we go ahead.

SPEAKER_05 12:09

Never have a cigar, an adult beverage, and a hot tub. Don't don't combine those three. Don't combine those three. How this kind of stepped it is that we know that someday we're gonna retire, and we wanted to kind of do something we would supplement our income and then have fun at the same time in February, no January of 2024. Was that right?

SPEAKER_08 12:41

2025.

SPEAKER_05 12:42

We're at Canton. This is where everything blew up. It was at Canton, and we're walking around, and it was a beautiful day for January, and he pulled out his cigar, and you thought is like, oh, all these guys are saying, Oh I mean, I wish I brought a cigar with me. And uh, we was just kind of walking around, and of course, I can tell when something is going on in his mind, you can tell, and he was enjoying this walk and this cigar that is where the fire started.

SPEAKER_07 13:15

Yeah, it's awesome.

SPEAKER_06 13:17

Oh, that's really great. I mean, I think a lot of people think cigars are just about the cigar, but for a lot of us, it's about the people. Yeah, you know, it's about the room, it's about the conversation. Yeah, uh, it's that feeling that you get to slow down. Yeah, and so I'd love to hear from both of you what your favorite part of the cigar cigar culture is. If you can pick, you know, it could be cigar culture, maybe the experience of it.

SPEAKER_05 13:46

My favorite is when somebody comes up and says, Well, I'm I don't know what I'm doing, I'm just now starting out, and I get to be I I get to pick out something for them that would start off kind of mild, you know, something that won't knock them off their feet or anything like that, and to get a message to say, you picked the right one for me. This is an excellent one, so it just kind of makes me feel good. Yeah, well gosh.

SPEAKER_07 14:17

When our son was younger, he wanted to learn how to fly fish, and so we took a fly fishing class and we got really involved in fly fishing. And one thing is uh progressed along, you go fly fishing, especially somebody that ties flies, like me and him started doing. Well, you go fly fishing, and somebody ties a fly and they're catching the fish. You kind of ask me, you know, what are you using? And nine times out of ten, they'll hand you the fly that are catching the fish with. Same way with cigars. If you like a particular cigar, a lot of times somebody said, You know, what do you happen to like? And a lot of times they will hand you their favorite cigar. Yeah, so I like that that people share their experience what they enjoy with with somebody else.

SPEAKER_08 14:59

Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_09 15:01

So um, it's an important question here next, Dale. And I want you to be honest with us, okay? Because not everybody starts with something great. All right, so what was your first cigar? And maybe you talk about the one with your daddy, you talking about the Candela, but when you started smoking 10 or 11 years ago, what was the first cigar?

SPEAKER_07 15:19

The guys I was working with like full-body cigars, and so I kind of jumped in head over heels, you know, over full-body cigar up to my neck, you know, because I didn't start out with a mild cigar or or something what we suggest somebody start with. I went all the way to a full body, you know, a lot of times Maduro's, but that's how I kind of grew my palate from that way up that far up. And I really like the Maduro to me, it's eye feeling. First of all, you know, a look at the I can uh a Maduro to I'm already tasting, I'm already getting the cocoa notes, you know, and stuff like that. And I really enjoy the the the Maduro cigars and full bodies. Okay.

SPEAKER_09 16:02

Um curious, do you still smoke that cigar, same cigar today?

SPEAKER_07 16:08

Not maybe that same brand, but the same wrapper, the same body. I still enjoy Maduro, I still like enjoy full body, uh, but different brands.

unknown 16:18

Right.

SPEAKER_07 16:19

Yeah, I've had the opportunity to try different brands now, especially what we specialize in Texas brands. Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_06 16:25

Um, so I'm curious how uh this cigar is treating everybody. I know you were cold drawn on it a little bit.

SPEAKER_05 16:33

Yeah, it's it's uh I like his idea when he said, Hey, it brought me back to my childhood, you know, running around in the hayfield and stuff like that. So it's it's it was it's a nice, easy draw on that.

SPEAKER_07 16:47

It's got a little spicy, but it's not a hard spice. It's yeah, this one just kind of keeps you know, you kind of keep on going because it's kind of that hot sauce that you keep eating because it's so good and you're afraid to stop, you know, you just enjoy every every pup of it.

SPEAKER_09 17:02

So I love a good hot sauce that it doesn't burn till you stop eating it. Yes, and so you gotta keep eating more because your mouth's numb as long as you're eating it. Um, we were at a cigar event at Warwagon on Saturday. We went up there to do a cut and light with those guys, and while I was um eating, we this little Mexican restaurant they took us to is the same thing. It was like the hot sauce was smooth, but the finish was just burning hot. And so I had about three or four chips because I trying to, you know, we just want a little something because we're gonna be there. We ended up being there about six hours, and so I was like, I want to eat something a little bit and not too much, so I had to hold off. And man, but their hot sauce was good, right?

SPEAKER_06 17:48

Uh so now I kind of want to transition just a little bit, or where you wanted to go to some cards.

SPEAKER_09 17:54

Uh Chris said he's enjoying the roper by the elevated humidor. Um, and then Dwayne said off of the cigar because he's got the cigar rubble pack, so he's smoking the Lone Star Addict. I'm getting chocolate. I can't talk tonight like normal. Chocolate volcano cake on the retro hell, uh, which is a fantastic description. I don't know that I'm getting that, but I'm gonna have to retro hair a few times to see. Yeah, um, I don't know. Do you retro hell Dell?

SPEAKER_07 18:21

Yes, I tried to, and I'm trying to remember the uh chocolate lava cake, and I can kind of see that.

SPEAKER_06 18:28

I love chocolate cake.

SPEAKER_07 18:29

It's been a while. We need to go back and try that lava cake again. There's definitely a little that spice on it for sure.

SPEAKER_09 18:36

So we want to transition.

SPEAKER_06 18:37

Yeah, I was gonna transition a little bit and talk a little bit about the cigar industry. Um, so you know, enjoying cigars is one thing, great thing, but selling cigars is a completely different story. Uh building an experience around about you know, around cigars, that's also on another level. Uh, when did you guys kind of know that you wanted to get into the industry, start the mobile lounge? Was it a long conversation? Was it a short one?

SPEAKER_07 19:10

No, it's coming back from Canton when we had that experience. Everybody was, man, I wish I had a cigar. And later that evening we got on a hot tub, and I had a cigar, and I think she might have a glass of wine. We started talking, and yeah, that's kind of when we made decisions. Hey, you know, let's take a punch and go for it and see what our first step is, yeah, which is licensing, and that was not an easy step.

SPEAKER_06 19:35

Yeah, and you always knew you wanted to do the mobile lounge starting out, you know.

SPEAKER_05 19:40

Um, we didn't know where it was gonna go. We just we followed this thing. Uh uh, you're not gonna get anywhere until you start, right? So we just started and then we just kind of we let everything ride. We did this and we did this. It was there was no rhyme or reason in it. How are we gonna do this? How are we gonna do this? And we was watching YouTube, so we're watching everybody else, and I said, We need to start doing table talk, we need to rent some place, we'll just need to take them out there and set up a table in a tent, and let's just do it.

SPEAKER_07 20:19

And we had the idea of using a horse trailer, but we didn't have the time to do the horse trailer, right? So we get the tent and table and get started that way, and we use the horse trailer for a while.

SPEAKER_05 20:31

Yes, we use the horse trailer to haul all of our stuff all over the place, you know. So that's what we used it for.

SPEAKER_07 20:37

And it wasn't until we were doing that for a while we got challenged in Maybank. They wanted us to come to the rodeo, and I asked the mayor if they smoke the rodeo. He said, if you provide a place for them to smoke, then yes. So that was the challenge we needed to go home and finish the trailer, which we did that weekend, three-day weekend. And we went back to Maybank the next weekend and set up our tent in front of the trailer with a ceiling fan, chairs, tables, and uh ashtrays in front of our horse trailer. And he came back and saw us and said, Okay, you did it, y'all.

SPEAKER_05 21:11

That's awesome. You're in.

SPEAKER_09 21:12

You're welcome.

SPEAKER_05 21:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_09 21:13

So that night in the hot tub, was it that would be fun, or was it a let's do this? Like, what was the cliff you jumped off that night? I know the wine, cigars, the hot tubs, perfect mix, in my opinion.

SPEAKER_05 21:25

I'd swap out the wine for bourbon, but uh well, I thought I'd I I thought we would save more money if we would open up and do this, and that way he could smoke what we get at our cost.

SPEAKER_08 21:45

Well, yeah, that was my thinking. Sounded good.

SPEAKER_05 21:49

That was my thinking. Yeah, but then he realized every cigar he lit up, he was smoking up the profit. So I kind of got under Back off a little bit.

SPEAKER_07 22:01

I didn't get to smoke as many as I thought I was going to by doing this.

SPEAKER_09 22:04

No, I'll tell you when we got in the cigar industry, one of the things that uh our buddy Chris, that's many of you have been on the podcast, is like, man, if nothing else, you'll get cigars cheaper, manufacturing them. And uh it's maybe seven, eight months later, it's like, dude, I used to spend like a few hundred dollars a month on cigars. Now I'm at like eighty grand a month. Yeah. Yeah. You know, for a little while.

unknown 22:27

That much.

SPEAKER_09 22:28

It was like, I was like, I'm not sure we're uh on the right end of this yet. You know, and I don't remember who said it. Somebody watching probably knows, uh, but it's the old saying that the quickest way to make a million dollars in the cigar industry is to begin with two. Um and so uh definitely one of those things. Uh enjoying McAuliffe Blue and a poor of Evan Williams, uh, Mr. President. And then uh Chris says she's still getting jalapeno, but it comes and goes. It's great for this New Mexico girl. Appreciate that.

SPEAKER_06 22:59

Awesome, love that. Um, so you know, we talked about you guys kind of talked about your first event that you had. You mentioned you know, the licensing was a little bit trickier. Outside of that, was there was it more challenging to start than you thought it would be, or was it about what you expected?

SPEAKER_07 23:18

Well, it's just uh get connected with because we we're since we're in a two-horse trailer, we're kind of limited on space. So we have a six-foot wall that's got about four or five shelves on it. So we couldn't just carry every brand that was out there. So we had to say, okay, what are we going to specialize in? And being from Texas, and you know, proud to be from Texas, the greatest country in the world. And we said, we'll we'll try to focus on Texas brand cigars, yeah. And so then we started researching Texas brands, and at the first it was kind of difficult because you don't you Google Texas brand cigars and not a whole lot really pops up, but uh we found several brands that was very helpful and supported for us, and uh so it was challenging in a sense, but it's becoming easier because when your focus is one thing, you want to make this work, you're not gonna take any sidetrack, you're gonna just focus on that, and you get some brands behind you keeping you focus on that right Texas brand, it helps a lot too.

SPEAKER_05 24:24

Yeah, they love the concept so much that they want to be, they want to support us and say, wait a minute, you know, that is a good idea. I want I would like for you to carry our cigars, yeah. And sure, you know, but we gotta also remember we are limited space and we get some to where they want us to buy a big amount, uh, and then we just can't house it. Now, when we do have a humidor, a walk-in humidor built into our house. Of course, it didn't start out that way, it was to house pee-pughs, and they had to go for the cigars.

SPEAKER_07 25:06

I came home one day and all my gun was sitting on the couch on my bed. I thought, yeah, what's going on? Just unturned the walk-in uh gun closet to a walk-in humidor.

SPEAKER_05 25:15

Yeah, but along with this, it went off fast. I mean, it was just rolling, and I was getting nervous. Yeah, because I said, Wait a minute, this is going way too fast. And it we're still trying to catch up, but it's still going fast, and it's a wild ride, and we are enjoying every moment of it.

SPEAKER_09 25:37

And it's a wild ride that you have to manage, right? Because it's not just the cigar business of selling cigars, it's not just a retail business, it really is, especially for you guys, it's a hospitality business, right? Oh, yeah, you're not just selling tobacco, you're creating moments, which is a completely different challenge that feels like it snowballs. Like, what do you guys do y'all experience that?

SPEAKER_07 25:59

Yes, we get a lot of people come by, and you know, uh they like the concept of horse trailer that draws people in. They uh come in to like the Texas brand because we talked about where each brand is out of. Now we said they're Texas brand, not Texas made, and so they're they're intrigued that I didn't know this Texas had cigars, that's where the companies are based out of cigars, and sometimes people are intrigued about where the company's out of, just like we're talking about the LA Gimble. I'll Lufkin. Oh, yeah, I grew up in Luffin, I want that brand. So, yes, it's snowball, but it's it's manageable, yeah. Because whenever we're all in, because this is what we do every weekend, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 26:41

Yeah, yeah, that's great. So, in a few minutes, I want to actually talk a little bit more specifically about the Simple Man uh mobile lounge, but for like the more generic aspect, how important uh do you feel creating the atmosphere or the environment is for cigars?

SPEAKER_07 27:03

Well, like you said when we first opened, we bring experience where people are at. So a lot of people might not go to a humid or to a lounge to experience, or some people, man, I I haven't tried a cigar in years. I you know, hi, you're right here, Lou. What do you have?

SPEAKER_08 27:18

Right.

SPEAKER_07 27:18

You know, because we sit, we we decorate, we we we try to make it invite people to come up, and we're there talking to people versus you go into a lounge, sometimes they they're they're intimidated. We try to break down those barriers, you know. Hey, come up here, young. Sometimes people walk by and they smell the cigars or smell the cedar from the trailer, so that's inviting her. Somebody said that reminds me of my grandfather. Yeah, so we try to bring the environment, bring the experience out to where people are at.

SPEAKER_05 27:46

Yeah, we have sold cigars just so that they can light them and set them in the ashtray so that they can remember their childhood. So, you know, I mean, hey, yeah, it cigars bring back all kinds of memories, right?

SPEAKER_09 28:01

And that's really even where this flavor, we did a whole series on develop your palette, and we did two or three episodes, and we actually have six, but we kind of felt like we're getting a little topic-heavy too close together. So the other three are coming later this year. But one of the conversations in episode five or six that we didn't do was all the memories that cigars bring. And we talked about it briefly because um we've had people at events. Matter of fact, this was a couple of years ago. Mel and I were in New Orleans at City Park. Um, we were there for something completely unrelated. We went out there and grabbed a bench and was smoking a cigar. A dozen people walked by, no one complained. Three or four told us how great they smell, and a couple stopped and said, Can I just smell for a second? It reminds me of my grandfather.

SPEAKER_05 28:49

Yeah, yeah, we get that a lot.

SPEAKER_09 28:50

You know, like there's just something that is amazing because I don't know if you guys are feeling this in the couple of years y'all have been doing this, but cigar smoking is becoming more normalized and more welcome than it ever has, in my opinion. I believe it is, yes.

SPEAKER_06 29:07

Yeah, I agree.

SPEAKER_09 29:09

So there's something interesting about a mobile lounge because it solves a problem. Okay, a lot of people enjoy cigars, um, but not every event has a cigar-friendly space. Have you guys experienced that in your journey? Yes, I know you talked about if you can create a space, but if you found spaces where you're selling and they can't smoke, oh yeah, we've we've done some indoor events to where we could only sell, you know.

SPEAKER_07 29:35

We we've done a Tac 2 expo that would set us up inside with our trailer, and you know, we could only sell it, but you know, it's just kind of half the experience, but we have come across that. We've had uh one event that that says no smoking allowed unless you're at soup plant mobile cigars, yeah. That was pretty deep, but yeah, we have run into a few areas like that.

SPEAKER_05 29:56

Yeah, yeah. But when we set the event up, we try to find out first what are you allowed? Do you allow the smoking? Yeah, now if they say no, they can't smoke in this area, they have to go someplace else. We do not display the cutter or the lighter, we don't want to be a part of that. It's it's it's up to you if that's what you you can go over that way. Yeah, so we just don't supply that stuff. But 95% is they have no problem. Yeah, which is what we're saying.

SPEAKER_07 30:28

These things are so unique, they said, okay, cool.

SPEAKER_09 30:30

Long smoke cigars. Let's get to a couple comments here. Uh, Chris just said, still getting the jalapeno. Um, she said that one before, sorry. Uh Chris said, Enjoying the low star attitude along with you. Wow, there's so much jalapeno pepper left lingering in my mouth. Very good in the first third. He said, because you mentioned jalapeno, I can't help but noticing it. Um, Dwayne says he agrees with Chris. There's a jalapeno mix with cocoa, excellent contrast. Um, and then never forget the fellowship that was taunt up the camaraderie. I think Krista mentioned that some of my favorite times are when stories are set up outside events. Um, love that as well. Just being outside and people, and there's a couple of big events down the street that happen every year that we just set up and sell at, and you'll it'll be a concert, and you'll just look across the crowd of a couple of hundred people, and there's pockets of people smoking, yeah, and no one's complaining. Exactly. And it's one of those things that I think if people were lining up cigarettes or vaping, you might have some complaining. But in those events, it's cigars only, and people are enjoying it, and it's great.

SPEAKER_06 31:33

Yeah. Um, you kind of had mentioned earlier, you know, one of your favorite things about the cigar experience is when you get to help that person pick their first cigar. Because you know, not everybody knows what to pick. And so the mobile cigar lounge is really bringing that product and that experience and really the guidance as well. It's literally a lounge on wheels. We talk about, you know, you being the tobacconist, all those things.

SPEAKER_09 32:02

Yeah, and so how many times are do you think, or what do you put somebody on that's a brand new cigar smoker?

SPEAKER_07 32:09

So, usually we we introduce our brands where they're from, then we say we have sweet, mild being the full body. Then we say, you know, what are you, what is your palate? How do you and sometimes they'll say, Well, I don't really know. So that leads us towards asking, Do you want sweet or do you just want a mild one? We don't want to start you at anything, anything's too strong. And so we kind of go from that. They want to start off with something sweet, or they want just something mild. Yeah, and we just kind of we kind of interview them in a way because we want it to match them.

SPEAKER_08 32:36

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_07 32:37

We want them to have a good experience that way, they'll come back to cigars and and build their palate up and come back to us, also.

SPEAKER_06 32:44

Yeah, absolutely. That's great. That's great. That's great. So, on that thought, we are gonna take just a quick break, but when we return, we're going to shift our focus more on the Simple Man Mobile Cigar Lounge.

SPEAKER_09 32:56

Okay, we'll be right back.

SPEAKER_00 32:59

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 Lovely. 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 where new friendships are made, our 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 our stories. Because behind every good cigar in conversation is an even better story.

SPEAKER_03 34:08

Reminders around true black wondering now big sky cigar is ringing that spirit back in Yellowstone River to the Boldy Gornfo. Madison, there we like what we know I mean from Nicaragua, San Brace to the Ecuador And every box helps our veterans, man. With warriors and quiet waters, we lend a friend's hand. It's heritage burning and everybody draw. Big sky cigars, Montana's pride and low.

SPEAKER_04 34:55

Big sky cigar. We're heritage full with ever draw. Find your rear red big sky cigar to pop.

SPEAKER_06 35:07

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

SPEAKER_09 35:12

So next week on Monday night, we have boutique and craft cigars. Is there a difference? And we're gonna be smoking the intemperance treachery by Roma Craft.

SPEAKER_06 35:21

On July 27th, we are doing the gathering place, cigars, friendships, and the third place, and we will be smoking the CAO Flathead Speed Shop.

SPEAKER_09 35:31

On August 3rd, cigar recommendations, recommending cigars for every level of smoker, and we're gonna be smoking the new McAuliffe White.

SPEAKER_06 35:39

And on August 10th, we are doing Misunderstood Dark Cigars. Are dark cigars really stronger? And we will be smoking the Montosa Maduro on that one.

SPEAKER_09 35:48

And that's the perfect cigar for that conversation. 100%. Um, if you're watching this live, we'd love for you to go ahead and click that subscribe button. Um, you can also go out to YouTube and click the notify me. It'll notify you a few days and a few hours ahead of time that the cigar that Cigar Rebel is going live. I can't talk. Um, you can also follow us anywhere on social media at Cigar Rebel. We'd love for you to come along for the journey with us. And of course, always share what you're smoking and pairing, post any pictures you want, hashtag or tag us. Um, we would absolutely love that. But before we get back into the topic, let's talk just for a moment what we're getting out of this cigar. Dale, you were talking during the break. Do you want to share what your thoughts on the cigar are?

SPEAKER_07 36:31

The pepper is getting a little bit stronger through the second half, but it's still uh I love it. It's just still good. Still trying to get more of that uh chocolate volcano out of the retro hell because I really like that, but uh that's great. This likes it's building a little bit more, more. Somebody says it's kind of like a Texan.

SPEAKER_09 36:50

Yeah, yeah. So for me, the flavor builds in the second third, it's got this slow build, the level of heat and the pepperiness of it. And it's really on the flavor intensity. The strength hasn't picked up, I'm not feeling it any stronger in my chest or anything. It's really just that flavor intensity, um, which I love in a cigar. I want a cigar where that flavor intensity always is outperforming the strength. And the sweet hay is still there on the finish for me. It's almost that jalapeno-ish that everybody's kind of talked about with a little bit of sweetness on the end. How about you, Bill?

SPEAKER_06 37:22

I mean, I agree with all of those. It's a very savory cigar to me at this point, just with the different flavor notes of the pepper, the jalapeno. Um, you know, there's that little bit of sweetness. I'm picking up just a little bit, not an over abundance of salt, but just a twinge, you know, that pulls.

SPEAKER_09 37:44

A little bit on my lips. And yeah, yeah. John, good to see you, Kiltman. Thanks for jumping on.

SPEAKER_06 37:50

No, that's great.

SPEAKER_09 37:50

So let's jump back into the topic, Mel.

SPEAKER_06 37:52

Yeah. So I would like to get into the Simple Man Cigar Lounge, and I'm gonna ask a couple of questions. You guys can answer them in any order that you want. Um, but the first one, you know, you kind of had mentioned a little bit is what kind of cigars do you offer? Um, I'd love to know a little bit more about what your setup actually entails that you're offering to people, and what is what should someone expect when they walk up to your mobile cigar lounge?

SPEAKER_07 38:21

Well, I said you had to be specific because we didn't have the room for a lot of different brands, so we we stuck with the Texas brand, but we have them set up pretty much as you know, each label has their own area of the shelf grouped together. Uh, that way it's easy for us to keep track of who they are, where they're from. So it's not by strengths or anything else, it's by the brand. And uh, you know, that's what we just kind of introduce where the who they are, where they're out of anything special about that that company as we get to them. You know, we have one that's just got one brand uh one blend, but uh we we specialize him because it it's it's an easy spoke for everybody, and everybody seems to like that one. But then we'll talk about different brand uh cigars from that brand as we get to it, also.

SPEAKER_09 39:07

Yeah, so when someone walks up, do they walk up to a window? Do they come into the trailer? Tell us about that.

SPEAKER_05 39:13

No, it's a it's a it's a two-horse trailer. Okay, and um when we built it, we cut out the side, we put a window in it. Um, there's only one way in on M3s, what we call mobile one. Uh, and it's a back way. But anyway, we have the it's all out of cedar, and they walk up. The first thing they do is they smell us first, they smell the aroma because Dale's always smoking a cigar uh to throw all the crowd in. Um and so sometimes they stop by just to say, I just want to smell it, it smells so good. And others say, you know, I I I don't really smoke. I, you know, what what do you do? You know, it's how is this all about? Of course, Dale, he'll get into talking a lot about the cigar, but um I study every one of these cigars when we learn about a cigar and we're gonna carry it. I look up the name of it, I find out what's in there, I get opinions on a lot of different people of what do you get out of this? Because no, I don't smoke, but I do appreciate a good quality cigar and what it could uh, you know, it could be a hit or miss with somebody. If you give them a strong, strong cigar and they're new to it, they'll never gonna, I don't think they're ever gonna go back to it. Yeah, but if you ease them in on it and know what you're talking about, because I have learned there is nothing um that a man does not find sexier than a woman who knows about cigar, uh, and that that they're educated on it. So I don't want to just say, oh, this is good here, take this, you know. I want to know what I am yeah uh offering.

SPEAKER_07 41:02

Our first trailer, one we call it M1. A lot of times there's not a room for both of us to sell inside that trailer because it's only by three and a half foot, four foot window. A lot of times I'll be out front in a chair smoking a cigar, and we have our vice our vice president of marketing sitting on my lap was our Jack Russell dog named Jack. Yes, so he draws a lot of attention also. Everybody's got pet Jack, and he's a great, fantastic dog. But uh, so they we use different elements to bring them in. We got a cow hog rug, we sit in front of the trailer to make it welcoming for people to come up.

SPEAKER_06 41:38

I'm so glad you mentioned your dog because I was actually it's not in our notes, but I was gonna bring it up because on your social media it's like he's really kind of your mascot almost for the line for the every event we go to. Um I mean if the cigars aren't bringing people it in, he's doing it right.

SPEAKER_07 41:55

We do a we do a rodeo, a four-day rodeo, and by second day everybody comes, where's Jack at? Or I did an event the other day, says, Where's the dog? I said he's with my wife in the other trailer. And so everybody asks where Jack is, and he helps draw people in. We even got a vest. We can put cigars in his best, we can walk around with that.

SPEAKER_08 42:12

That's cute.

SPEAKER_09 42:13

So uh it's not in the notes either, but kind of a freebie fee rebels out there. So you mentioned M1 and M2. M2 is new, like really new. Tell us about the expansion.

SPEAKER_07 42:24

Well, we I I wanted a bigger trucks. I I like said it's hard for us two people to sell out that window, plus, we got going from the back on this one. I I really wanted to get a trail that we could have access from the front, front sides, and have a bigger window. So in D C in January, we were in Canton. We do Canton every month. Uh inside the pavilion. Now we used to be outside, but we're inside the pavilion. I've been wanting another trailer because I knew we was overgrowing this first trailer, and I found one, and uh, we went and bought it in January. Then the weather did cooperate for with us for several months. So we we finally got it going three weeks ago now. Yeah, and uh it's been great, great add-on expansion, especially during the summertime. So we got an air conditioner in there and we got a humidifier in there, so we can take care of our cigars with that. You know, it's been a great expansion to our business that we both do events on one weekend, yeah.

SPEAKER_09 43:26

And so being mobile, you travel around. So, what's your distance? How far do you travel? What are you willing to do?

SPEAKER_05 43:34

Um, well, as long as it's within the state of Texas, because that's where our licensed. Um let's see, how far, what's the far as we've been? Uh I don't know, we've gone two hours, I think uh farming. Two three hours, but we'll go anywhere if the price is right.

SPEAKER_07 43:52

Yeah, we have a lot of people have a trailer that I pulled behind my trailer and she can pull one of the trailers behind her trailer. Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_05 44:00

I don't need him. I love you.

unknown 44:05

Okay.

SPEAKER_05 44:05

I love my husband, but I can pull, I can set up, I can display, I can sell, I can do all that with or without him. I prefer with him because you know sometimes I gotta take a break and walk away. Um but when it needs to be done, it's it's gotta get done.

SPEAKER_07 44:26

Yeah, so when we do can't, we usually set up our our trailer inside the pavilion because we spark sideways, and another guy sets up in front of us and another booth behind us. So we take uh one of our trailers set up inside there, and we put our travel trailer behind it. So when she gets there Thursday morning, she's already got a travel trailer set up. She got air conditioner, bathroom, everything right there. So she sells Thursday and Friday by herself with her and Jack.

unknown 44:52

Okay.

SPEAKER_06 44:53

That's awesome. I think the first time we met, you were you were doing an event, and you were like, She doesn't need me there. I'll have a I'll stay here and have a cigar with you.

SPEAKER_07 45:02

It took it took a while for her to get that conference, but now she's she started another one less this past Friday. She drove the trailer out there and set up. I came up after work. She's already been there for five or six hours already.

SPEAKER_06 45:12

Yeah, it's awesome.

SPEAKER_09 45:14

So uh they said uh if y'all pay me enough, I'll quit Joy Jace and take a trailer.

SPEAKER_07 45:21

Oh, that's that's nobody. He's just trying to look for a free cigar.

SPEAKER_05 45:27

He is our kids are our biggest supporters. They have been very super supportive. Our grandson has been super supportive. He just turned 18, so we got him to where he can be with us. He wants to kind of learn about this. Uh, so that's it's really good that we have a good supportive family.

SPEAKER_06 45:48

Yeah, that's great. Maybe you could uh eventually have a a legacy mobile lounge.

SPEAKER_08 45:54

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 45:55

Yeah, if they don't smoke all the profits up easily, sure. So for your lounge, you know, you talked about you've gone to some events. Um, do you guys do a lot of private parties? You had mentioned weddings, you know, festivals, the corporate events.

SPEAKER_07 46:09

Just we do a lot of festivals, and and some our main thing we did uh one of our biggest ones last year in Kilgore, and it was an Oktoberfest. And at the end of the event, it was kind of surprised because we didn't realize it. And the MC came over and visited us. He said, I swear I said everybody had a beard in one hand and a cigar in the other. Yeah, and we didn't realize how how many we sold that day, but we got looking back after the event, like wow, yeah. So, and then somebody said we'd done uh Herson, the Circ Festival, and that was a very good event, and just people passing by. Luckily, it was across from uh the aisle from the stage, and you had to walk by us also to go to the food court.

SPEAKER_08 46:49

Oh no, that's great.

SPEAKER_07 46:50

Pretty good visibility there, too.

SPEAKER_09 46:52

Yeah, yeah, we did an Oktoberfest event a couple years ago. Not trying to take off some of that, but it is. It's Oktoberfest, it was the same thing. Uh, everybody had a beer and a cigar, and I think we did like 300 cigars that day. I mean, it was just a crazy thing. I mean, we took a group and had to send somebody back to the shop to pick up more cigars.

SPEAKER_05 47:12

That's a good problem I have.

SPEAKER_09 47:14

And so those kind of events are fantastic.

SPEAKER_07 47:17

Even the wedding we done that the lady contacted me this past week said they're still talking about that, and that's been over a month ago. That people are still talking about that us being there.

SPEAKER_06 47:26

That's great. So when you have someone that books you for something, are they normally cigar people already, or are they just people trying to add something to this?

SPEAKER_07 47:36

Another element to their experience.

SPEAKER_06 47:38

That's great. That's great because then you know you get to be that first point of contact.

SPEAKER_05 47:43

Yeah, and and we have great events, and then then then we don't have great events, and that and that's okay. You never know that that's okay because it's when it's all about that one person, and you get somebody that enjoys that cigar, and then you get a contact, and then that name is spread, and then you get people contacting us. We got a message through uh Facebook from California wanting to know, hey, do we ship and do you carry these cigars? Yeah, a little OLS from a little town in East Texas, you know, and so your name is very important. You want to make sure that you get the best possible customer service. And uh if if they come back and say, hey, you know, I just bought the cigar about an hour ago, there's a split in it, no problem. Just here you go, and that'll go to my son, he'll smoke at it. You know, no big deal. But uh, we just want to make sure that when they hear Simple Man, then they said, Well, those are the good people, those are honest people, those are the people that one wants to make sure that you got the best possible experience that you can have.

SPEAKER_09 48:58

Absolutely. And that really connects with a lot of things we talk about here on Cigar Rebel. Is cigars are really all about that experience, they're about that trust. It's not just smoke, it's not just flavor, it's not just price. It truly is about that experience and connection with you as the tobacconist, as the trusted partner, in a sense, even though they're buying from you, they're trusting you to provide a good experience, right?

SPEAKER_06 49:23

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_07 49:24

Well, somebody walks up to their number one, yes, they're our main focus right there.

SPEAKER_06 49:28

Yeah. And that's really really what the mobile cigar lounge is built entirely around that idea. It's not just, you know, here's the cigar, good luck, see you later. You know, it's this is a private place, you know, you can you can gather, you know, someone to help guide you, especially if it's your first time. Um, this is gonna be something that's truly hopefully going to be memorable for them. And then also, you know, they'll you have someone who will follow you on Facebook and interact, you know, because you can make friends and over a cigar and they can be friends for life. So um when you guys think about Simple Man, uh what kind of experience? I know you touched on it a little bit, but if you could only give one experience that's what you wanted your name to be attached to, what would you want that experience to be for the cigar enthusiasts that's coming to you?

SPEAKER_07 50:22

I kind of think of how we come up with the name. We was trying to think of you know what would describe us, what would describe me, what describe her. That's when we kind of come up with the the name Simple Man. Yeah, you know, we've already got two theme songs already. Everybody was thinking about Leonard Skinner, but Charlie Daniels had a song called Simple Man. But you when you listen to the songs, it kind of explained to us, you know, just that's what we want about it. It's not be fancy or anything else. Hey, these are people are real, yeah. They're approachable, you go up there, you got questions, you can be free to ask them, you know, not be intimidated.

SPEAKER_05 50:59

Yeah, we're we're gonna push out a good cigar. It doesn't have to be uh a $40 cigar, you know, a good eight dollar cigar can be just as good. And when we introduce, when they ask us what is your favorite, I'm gonna go first, and it'll be a specific one and not this one, and say, you know, hey, I want you to enjoy the cigar. That's what they want. They want you to be honest, you know.

SPEAKER_09 51:26

You feel like people stay longer than they planned.

SPEAKER_05 51:29

Exactly. Yes, they do. That's why we have chairs out outside in a city that can uh and then he'll go out there and chit-chat with them and smoke a cigar. And and I'm of course, I'm busy working, you know. So you know, somebody's gotta do it.

SPEAKER_06 51:44

So yeah, I that's funny. Um, so I want to talk a little bit about the cigars specifically, you know, that you guys offer. So you can tell us a little bit more about the brands that you sell. And I know you said you sell Texas cigars, but is there you know, more into that decision that makes even if it's a Texas cigar that makes it into the Simple Man?

SPEAKER_07 52:07

Yes, I think so because one of our first brands was a McAuliffe Al Weather. Yeah, and uh through that relationship with them, even at the open house last October we went to, you know, it was amazing how many other brands were there represented at that because we also had Texas Car Roller Show, David Skeleton, which he does a YouTube channel also. But he's been a very good uh supporter of us and helped keep us focused on Texas brand. Because I, you know, hey, if you try this brand, it's not really Texas. Uh okay, yeah. So it's kind of helped keep me in in line a lot. But then uh then the the one that uh Tony Rollins, the one that blended his. We picked up uh his still city. Uh so it's it's all kind of intermingled a lot. And then when we was in uh the underground, uh we met you for a brief moment. You know, I've always I've heard about you already, and so we brought in the elevated humidor from that event. And uh, of course, we've got Warfighter out of San Antonio, which they've been great, great guys worked with down there. Um we got Ohana out of Dallas, which they were at uh the open house. That's why I met uh Ryan and then he told me to get a hold of Holly. So we got to know each each each brand specifically. Uh Santa Maria, and then the new one we just picked up because David was at PCA, wouldn't have to go PCA this year. But David said, Hey, I there's some new Texas brands that can be at PCA and uh Carlos with Jorge. We got in contact with him, great guy. He's always texting me, hey, how'd that event go? He's always following up on it with us, and then um trying to think of anything else, anyone else.

SPEAKER_05 53:45

Yeah, all the cigars that we can we have a personal contact with everybody, and that's what we like. They care about enough for us, yeah. You know, because this is your brand out there, this is your name out there. And I don't know if I had a dollar for everybody that walked up and said, You got any Cuban cigars?

SPEAKER_07 54:05

Oh, we get that all three, right?

SPEAKER_05 54:07

Oh my gosh, I would we wouldn't even have to be doing we don't need it. And now let me introduce you to something that's just as good, and then we just pull out, you know.

SPEAKER_09 54:17

Before we went live earlier, it tying into this, and I made the comment we should have been recording this. Um, but you were talking about how you choose a brand, how how you decide you're smoking it, you're cold drawing it, you're getting advice. So tell us about you learned about elevated humidor, you got some cigars, how's the decision go? All right, we're gonna carry this brand.

SPEAKER_05 54:42

Okay, so when we talk to everybody, first we would like for them to send us a couple of cigars so we can test them. We want to we want to make sure it's the integrity of the cigar. And when I say integrity, it is a nice, good roll, it's just it's good, it's not falling apart, and then he he cuts it, and then I want to want to do a cold draw on it, and I'm I want to taste those flavors, you know, on my on my tongue, and then he lights it up. And you know, when I sit there and I smell it, and it just it's just a beautiful aroma. A good cigar, a good tasty cigar should have a beautiful aroma with it, it should not stink like a sewage or anything like that. We've had a couple of those, yeah, and those do not go in our on our shelf, but we research the people too, and we talk with them, and and it's the integrity of the person that is behind the cigar.

SPEAKER_07 55:46

We want to know about the people behind the stick, yes, yeah.

SPEAKER_09 55:49

And you know, so as you guys know, and many of you rebels know, Mel and I own the elevated cubidor, and as we're partnering with lounges, that's very important to us. Um, we've not set up a booth at PCA yet because at that event, you've just got to sell to anybody that walks up because you're thousands of dollars in just to show up. And so we want to partner with lounges that they're invested in us and we're invested in them, and that's why we've really loved work with you guys and getting feedback, and we feel like we're on the journey with you, yeah. You know, we get we watch, we um someone asked during the break about if y'all post your events and hey, we share them as often as we can get them and try and really let people get all of that stuff, let our followers know where they can buy our cigars, but also connect them to you guys. Um, and so that's just a big part of that partnership.

SPEAKER_05 56:42

Yeah, yeah. I mean, you you have to support each other in order to grow. We we're not gonna do it on our our on our own. We have to have the support of the the brand, the maker, the people that is uh behind the cigars. That is so so important.

SPEAKER_06 56:58

Yeah, absolutely. That's great. And so I know you guys just recently you opened kind of your second mobile lounge. Where do you want Simple Man to go from here now that you've just opened the second?

SPEAKER_07 57:11

Well, she gets on to me all the time because I'm always thinking, What's our next step? Yeah, you know, yeah, and actually went to our CPA back in the last part of 2025. He said, Well, what do you gonna do next year? You're gonna go to a bigger trailer, or you're gonna what's your next step? I said, Well, 2026, I'm gonna duplicate what we're doing right now, yeah. Still with the two-horse trailer. So we got that finished three weeks ago, and I'd already said, you know, my next next trailer, I want a gooseneck horse trailer with the living quarters in it. That way we can just take one trailer, go and set up and just sell right out of our trailer and stay right there. And first she thought it was crazy, then all of a sudden she's like, Yeah, I see the I see the vision now.

SPEAKER_05 57:53

And his vision was for a brick and mortar, and I'm thinking, you know what? We got a good thing going. Why, why? There is a lot of good brick and mortars around here, a lot of we need to get out and then push them back to the original brick and mortar. Hey, you can get your cigar here. We're just out showing an introduction, we're having fun, we're having a lot of fun. We're tired, but we're we're having a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_09 58:20

Yeah, it's it's a business model that if you're not in the business, you think you sit around and smoke cigars, and you might smoke a lot of cigars, but there's a whole lot of work involved on the backside. It is everything from regulation and data you gotta submit, yes, to all the things you've got to do to set up and tear down and build a trailer, yeah, yeah, every day for two months and work until it's dark.

SPEAKER_05 58:45

Yes.

SPEAKER_09 58:45

All right, so we're running a little long on time. We've only got a few minutes left. Um, I want us to hit you guys with some rapid fire questions for our rebels out there to get to know you better. Okay. Um, and really just first thing pops in your mind pretty quick, and so Mel, if you want to kick us off.

SPEAKER_06 59:03

All right, so first I'm gonna ask if you are enjoy a morning or an evening cigar more.

SPEAKER_07 59:12

I enjoy a morning cigar with my coffee. I just don't have the opportunity as much because I go to work at six o'clock in the morning. So most of mine's gonna be in the evening.

SPEAKER_08 59:20

Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_07 59:21

So straight V or punch cut for both of you. Which one do you prefer? V. V cut. I tend to do a more V cut.

SPEAKER_06 59:28

Yeah, okay. So coffee, bourbon, rum, or water, root beer. What is your favorite thing to pair with?

SPEAKER_09 59:38

My favorite one was different types of root beer.

SPEAKER_06 59:40

Yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_09 59:41

That's one of my favorites as well.

SPEAKER_06 59:42

One of my favorites too. Yeah.

SPEAKER_09 59:43

Matter of fact, I've talked a lot about I want to create us a root beer to have our own root beer.

SPEAKER_07 59:48

Yeah, because I didn't see a root beer in the refrigerator earlier.

SPEAKER_09 59:51

So there's normally stalked, but we've gotten everybody on here with root beer. Yeah. So that's one of the first things. That's the first thing that goes. So I got ginger ale. And a good next second is a cream soda. Cream soda, yeah. Uh, just because it's such a almost a sister beverage to root beer.

SPEAKER_05 1:00:07

Well, a sarsporella. Yeah. Yes. You have you ever had sarsaparilla? We've had this conversation. I've had it.

SPEAKER_09 1:00:14

It's hard to find.

SPEAKER_05 1:00:15

I love it. It's hard to find, but I do like a good sarsarilla. Cold, ice cold. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_09 1:00:21

Favorite type of event to work.

SPEAKER_05 1:00:25

A favorite type of event to work. Uh well, I love the Oktoberfest, the ones that involve uh either food or beer.

SPEAKER_07 1:00:35

I think the weddings have been very fun because you get to introduce people to those types of events. You know, this is the excitement people have because everybody's excited already, and you know, it's it's it's a neat event for me.

SPEAKER_06 1:00:49

You very rarely run into anyone in a bad mood at a wedding.

SPEAKER_05 1:00:53

Oh no, they're all drunk.

SPEAKER_06 1:00:54

You know, that's all right.

SPEAKER_09 1:00:55

So favorite food. Favorite food.

SPEAKER_06 1:00:59

Favorite food, rib eyes, ribey.

SPEAKER_09 1:01:02

Yeah, my kind of people.

SPEAKER_06 1:01:03

And then last is the best advice for someone that is going that is new to cigars. Best advice.

SPEAKER_07 1:01:11

Don't do like me. Start out with something milder and work your way up because you learn how to appreciate the milder ones first. It hard, it got hard. It was hard for me to go back down to Connecticut or something milder. It took me a long time to to because at first I didn't like anything milder. And uh, so I threw several of them out the window, and now I've learned how to appreciate those a lot more.

SPEAKER_05 1:01:35

Yeah, educate yourself, educate yourself, get to know what you're selling, don't pretend like you know what you're doing.

SPEAKER_09 1:01:42

Don't be afraid to drive something different.

SPEAKER_05 1:01:44

No, no.

SPEAKER_09 1:01:45

So, Dwayne, one of our rebels out there, is a cigar rebel pack member and all these things. Great supporter, says, love their promotion of the local brick and mortar shop. Full respect. I agree at the elevated humid order cigar rebel. We're we don't want to sell to online people, we want to support the brick and mortar. Now, if it's a shop that also sells online, that happens, but it's really supporting the brick and mortar because brick and mortar or the mobile cigar lounge, like you guys are doing, yeah, that's who's building cigar culture. Yeah, and so we're super proud of that. Dwayne, thanks for calling that out. Um, guys, there is so much more that we could talk about. We we talked for 30 minutes, 40 minutes leading up to going live tonight, and we could really circle back and dive into several of these things, but unfortunately, we're just out of time. I know y'all got a couple of hours drive after this. Um, so let's just talk right at the end. What is our final thoughts on the Lone Star Attitude by the elevated humidor?

SPEAKER_07 1:02:42

I will have them at my store this weekend if they had cellophane. It's a very good cigar.

SPEAKER_09 1:02:49

So that is coming. Uh, we printed our first UPCs today, so they'll be celloed and UPC'd.

SPEAKER_07 1:02:55

And they were still getting the same body, yeah, so get the pepper, just great cigar.

SPEAKER_05 1:03:00

These will go really fast out the the window, very fast, because they represent Texas.

SPEAKER_09 1:03:06

Yeah, and so this is the new band that we saw tonight. And so uh just hot off the presses. I think Thursday is when all the bands were finalized, and so we want to pre-order. Love that. Um, but on the cigar, it really picked up for me from a kind of four or five in the beginning to more of like a six or seven strength. Would you all agree with that? Those that are smoking it. Um, that's I feel like I would call it that jalapeno-ishy, almost a white pepper in this final third because it's hitting me right at the back of the throat, um, which wasn't there. And I really still get that roasted pepper, just that savory sautiness on the finish for me. Um, but it's been rounded out quite nicely.

SPEAKER_07 1:03:49

I just picked up something that I like say a lot of times cigars bring back memories. I used to be a big dipper, I started dipping when I was real little, and just a while ago, I tasted Copenhagen.

SPEAKER_08 1:04:03

Oh wow, if you ever did.

SPEAKER_07 1:04:06

But it was that peppery from the Copenhagen. I'm like, man, that was great. Bring back great memories. Yeah, if you have new member, if not, you won't understand.

SPEAKER_09 1:04:16

Love it.

SPEAKER_06 1:04:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_09 1:04:18

All right, Mel.

SPEAKER_06 1:04:19

Yeah, I agree. Well, thank you guys again so much for joining us. Um, for everybody watching, if you liked this episode, please leave us a review, share with your cigar friends, and hit us up with any topics that you would love for us to dive in on future episodes.

SPEAKER_09 1:04:33

If you're watching or listening on the replay, go ahead and drop us a comment with hashtag retail replay fam, hashtag replay fam, and let us know what you're smoking or drinking while you watch the episode. You can get that on Facebook, YouTube, or anywhere you stream your podcast, such as Amazon, Apple, or Spotify. Next week we have a great episode lined up for you, Rebels. Um, so join us live at 7 p.m. Central. But for tonight, that's our show, Mel.

SPEAKER_06 1:04:59

Thank you guys again. We love having you on here. It's always easy to talk with you guys and talk cigars and other things. Uh, thank you guys again for tuning in. And don't forget to leave us a review and share with your fellow cigar lovers. We will see you Monday at 7 p.m. Central time. Until then, keep your cigar lit, your ash long, and your palate curious.

SPEAKER_09 1:05:21

Good night, Rebels. Go out and subscribe to Simple Man Cigars and follow up.