"Return From The PCA Tradeshow! What Happened?" Ep. 32 4/25/26

We have returned from the PCA Trade show, and there is much to discuss. From interviews to new products, this is an exciting time here at OGT Cigars and for the whole industry! Plus, BONUS, NEW Brand has landed at OGT Cigars! 

El Mago Cigars LINK:

https://oakglentobacconist.com/product-category/el-mago-cigars/

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:08

Welcome to OGT Cigars Live Podcast, your neighborhood virtual cigar lounge. Each week, we share the cigar experience with the OGT Cigars community. Join Mallory and I as we explore the world of boutique and unique premium cigars. I'm Eric, founder of Oakland Tobacconist and the OGT Cigar Society. I have a deep passion, and some might say obsession, with cigars and cigar culture. Working as an artistic theater director previously inspires me to infuse entertainment into the crafts I love. Learning never stops. And I invite you to follow in our cigar journey.

SPEAKER_06 0:42

I'm Mallory. While I don't ever claim cigar expertise, I've always been a foodie who's obsessed with scent and flavor. I can be counted on to provide bizarre tasting notes, such as the Home Depot Garden Center or Grandma's Basement, which always leads to good conversation. And good conversation is truly my favorite part of enjoying cigars with friends.

SPEAKER_03 1:00

Welcome to OGT Cigars Live, where conversation lights up. Hello, everybody. Welcome back to another episode of uh OGT Cigars Live Podcast. We are freshly back from the PCH.

SPEAKER_06 1:16

Yes, hello, hello.

SPEAKER_03 1:17

New Orleans, New Orleans. And uh it was it was a long week. It was a great week.

SPEAKER_06 1:21

It was wonderful, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:22

It was wonderful. But I think we've been we've been going at 100 miles per hour.

SPEAKER_06 1:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:26

But I've been excited for this show because uh we had talked about a few things before leaving, and now we can kind of kind of do a recap snapshot of how it was.

SPEAKER_06 1:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:35

So as usual, thank you guys for jumping on tonight and listening. Let us know what are you smoking tonight?

SPEAKER_06 1:40

Yeah, what are you pairing with it?

SPEAKER_03 1:42

Yes, what are you pairing with? Um, and also if you have any questions about the PCH raid show or any of the cigars we're going to talk about tonight, drop those down in the comments and we will do our best to bring those up and read because the virtual cigar lounge is always better when more people than just us are at the cigar lounge.

SPEAKER_06 1:59

Yeah, nice to, I mean, I like talking with you. It's nice, but it's it's also nice to have a group conversation going.

SPEAKER_03 2:06

Exactly. So drop those comments down. We'll go ahead and pull them up. Um, but we have a lot to talk about tonight.

SPEAKER_06 2:11

Yeah, a whole lot of ground to cover.

SPEAKER_03 2:13

A lot to cover, a lot of cigars coming, things to look forward to, cigars that are new to the uh OGT community, as well as a short, brief video presentation.

SPEAKER_06 2:24

Ooh, so it's it's very packed.

SPEAKER_03 2:26

And so tonight we're not necessarily gonna completely be covering like the news segments because all of what we're talking about is most kind of cigar news is the news.

SPEAKER_06 2:34

So it was it was uh a tidal wave of cigar news.

SPEAKER_03 2:37

It is, and I hope that you guys are all ready for it. So buckle up. Uh, we're gonna take some comments, we're gonna be smoking some cigars tonight, and then we're gonna get into the meat of what is coming for OGT and what we saw at PCA. So let's see here. We got Chip is on tonight.

SPEAKER_06 2:51

Saying, okay, let's go. Uh, starting tonight with the Belgian blue and a touch of green spot. Oh, blue and green. There you go. Two colors.

SPEAKER_03 2:59

All the colors, blue and green. Uh, Belgian blue is such a good cigar. Uh, really delicate balance on the whiskey. So great. That sounds like a great pairing. Let's see. RJ is on also.

SPEAKER_06 3:09

Hello, Eric and Mallory. I am smoking a doctor's orders tonight along with Crystal Light Iced T. I still need to try the iced tea. I've said it like three weeks in a row. I'm gonna do it.

SPEAKER_03 3:17

We need to just we need to like pick RJ's brain and like what are the best teasers? Exactly. But doctor's orders too cannot go wrong with that. He further says, Hope your trip was a good one. It was.

SPEAKER_06 3:28

Yes, it was.

SPEAKER_03 3:30

Uh, let's see here.

SPEAKER_06 3:31

Chip is also asking, How's the new HVC? Okay, well, I will be smoking that tonight, so I will let you know. This is kind of a blind tasting.

SPEAKER_03 3:40

It is, it is. So, Chip, I can uh tell you now at this point, Rainier Lorenzo from HVC Cigars, he's one of those blenders that I kind of blindly trust. And so the new HVC will be coming to uh Oakland Tobacconist, but this will be the first time we actually smoke it.

SPEAKER_06 3:57

Yes, we have we have not had a chance yet, but we did we did trust, we're trusting the process, and I'm sure we're not going to be disappointed. So I'm very excited.

SPEAKER_03 4:05

It's a it's a new blend from HVC. Uh, and uh we're gonna jump into it. As far as I understand, it's supposed to be more medium, but it's one of the samples that we got at the show, and I was like, you know what? Blind tasting time. So there we go. Uh onions uh 101 says, Welcome back. Thank you. Thank you.

SPEAKER_06 4:22

Rob Brown is on. Hi, guys. Welcome back. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_03 4:26

And let's see here. What are you smoking?

SPEAKER_06 4:28

The Stump Town Rider is having a diesel desert walker.

SPEAKER_03 4:32

Oh, shout out to Cigars Daily. That is Tim Swanson's like exclusive with diesel cigars. Okay, Pennsylvania Broadleaf, I believe. Really good cigar.

SPEAKER_06 4:41

Really, I haven't had that one.

SPEAKER_03 4:42

Deep, heavy, full, great cigar. So um, yeah, tonight, amongst the other like cigars that we uh picked up or got to try, we got a lot of samples, which is really cool. And so Mallory tonight is going to be um checking out the HVC. Tonight I'm gonna be smoking the soon-to-be released uh 601 Blue by Espinosa Cigars 20th anniversary. So, from what I understand, this is a beefier, beefier version of the famed 601 blue, 20 years of this brand. It's a six and three quarter by 56 oval box press. This is not a small cigar. So it's kind of like I think AJ was the first to do an oval box press. Okay, and then he and Espinoza are pretty much the only ones on the market that do it. Okay, and you'll notice, I don't know if you can see on camera, but it the box press is just completely round into like almost like an oval shape.

SPEAKER_06 5:35

All right, so not crispy, not crispy. I think I might need to try that.

SPEAKER_03 5:39

Yeah, so uh let's do a cold draw real quick, see what we're getting. Uh, I have not smoked that HVC either, so this is gonna be interesting. I'm excited. Um, complete blind tasting here. We don't we always don't have the opportunity. So uh cold draw, what are you getting? Good open draw on this one.

SPEAKER_06 5:57

Uh I'm getting some like earthy, maybe a little vanilla on the okay, a little bit of vanilla, nice a little bit of like wood, like a cedar or sandal wood. A little bit. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 6:10

Nice. This honestly not much pepper to it. It's a little bit sweetness, very barnyard earthy.

SPEAKER_06 6:15

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 6:15

Which I personally like. Yeah. So uh we're gonna get into this. Keep those comments dropping down. We're gonna light up the cigar and see where these new cigars, soon to be at OGT, uh, land in the beginning. Today's cigar is brought to you by the OGT Cigar Society membership. Enjoy a five-pack of premium custom cigars each month at an undeniable price. Join the community and smoke with us on the Oakland Tobacconist YouTube channel as we delve into the rich experience of boutique and craft cigars. You can find out all about the subscription and a whole host of amazing blends by following us on social media. Look for us at Oakland Tobacconist or OGT cigars. All right, so Mallory is just getting hers lit up right now. She's uh I'm not gonna directly put her on the spot, but she'll be the first two in terms of flavor notes um on this HVC. I'm excited because he's a great blender. This is the La I'm gonna butcher this, but decoracion, which I believe is a six and a half by uh 52, I believe. No, six and a half by fifty, and it has a Ecuadorian Habano 2000 wrapper. It's dark, but from what I understand, not too aggressive. I don't know what what do you think strength levels it hitting you pretty hard or no?

SPEAKER_06 7:29

Um I'd say it's at least medium plus, maybe a little. It's a little stronger than I was expecting, which I'm completely okay with. Um, I get a lot of like dark chocolate espresso um in the draw, and I haven't really retroed yet, so I'll pass it to you.

SPEAKER_03 7:54

At this at this point, retrohaling to me, I have to think not to do it. It's so much muscle memory. Um, I remember like first time I started doing it, I was like, wow, there's a lot of flavor here.

SPEAKER_06 8:03

Okay, so there's a very piny note there too. Um maybe almost a citrusy acidic. Okay. So like I'm thinking like you have like a really do you have like a like a dark chocolate orange?

SPEAKER_03 8:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 8:18

Little bit of that happening.

SPEAKER_03 8:19

Okay, nice.

SPEAKER_06 8:20

Um, that's kind of what I'm getting right now. It's very, very delicious. I'm excited about this one.

SPEAKER_03 8:26

Nice. So um, in terms of the 601 blue, a lot of pepper out the gate. Well, I mean, it's Espinosa, kind of expect that. I'm gonna say right now it feels like a medium plus, but I won't fully know until we get into it. Very impressed with the draw on this thing because it is it is a hefty cigar. It's a bigger ring gauge, and it's also a broadleaf, and broadleaf holds its moisture. So when you have a six and three-quarter, almost a seven-inch length, almost like a per domo church show for a better way to put it. The draw is phenomenal. Um, a lot of dark chocolate coming through, but a lot of spicy notes, as well as a little bit of cedar going on, um, and some of that barnyard like grit on the back end. Yeah, um, but really well balanced. It feels to me a bit heavier than the normal 601.

SPEAKER_06 9:11

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 9:11

When we were talking to the blender, Hector, uh, he was like, We we beefed it up a little bit, and I can definitely see that. So off to a great start.

SPEAKER_06 9:18

Oh, it looks like we've got uh Stump Town writer uh says that uh can't wait for the 601.

SPEAKER_03 9:24

Yes.

SPEAKER_06 9:25

Um, so I can see why.

SPEAKER_03 9:26

And I believe these are becoming later in June. With normally when a cigar manufacturer tells you, like, okay, these are the months of shipping, it mostly means probably a month after whatever date that is. That's just the cigar business.

SPEAKER_06 9:38

But then we're happily surprised when it comes on time. So it's either way, it's fine.

SPEAKER_03 9:42

You can't rush art, as it were. Uh, look who's on tonight.

SPEAKER_06 9:46

Hello, hi Nicole. She says, hi guys.

SPEAKER_03 9:49

Hey Nicole, how's it going?

SPEAKER_06 9:50

Uh RJ has another uh can't see, wait to see what you guys are adding to the humidor after the PCA show. Well, we're you're gonna give you like a pretty intense sneak preview here tonight.

SPEAKER_03 10:00

So there's a lot to talk about. We're not only gonna be talking about um the the cigars from brands you recognize, but we did bring in one new brand we are announcing tonight. We're so excited for.

SPEAKER_06 10:11

Very excited.

SPEAKER_03 10:12

Much like Domain last year, like going into the show, you you you try to cover all the bases. I know we were looking over okay, black labels coming out with this, Crown Heads is coming out with this, okay. We got to secure XYZ. And then last year, I was like, I've been hearing a lot about this company, Domain. We have to stop by, check it out. As we all know, uh, majority of everyone in the community, too, absolutely loves domain.

SPEAKER_06 10:34

It's been a major hit.

SPEAKER_03 10:35

Fantastic cigars. And I think we've got another hit on our hands. It was another brand I had been watching, and I was like, we've got to talk with them, we've got to bring them in. So we're gonna be announcing who that is.

SPEAKER_06 10:45

Anyone who listened last week will probably have a premonition on what that is, but uh Nicole says, watching while I grill some chickens.

SPEAKER_03 10:52

Nice, very nice. That's the way that's the way to do it. That is the way to do it. For sure.

SPEAKER_06 10:57

And then uh RJ says the 601 is going to be awesome.

SPEAKER_03 11:00

And here, I want to pull the room. I have a question for you guys. If you guys have been following Espinoza or anything like that, one of their limiteds was this 601 blue, the other one was the new knuckle sandwich Avant Guard, which is supposed to be more of a medium habano, medium strength. Between those two, which are you guys more excited to try? The new knuckle sandwich or the 20th anniversary 601?

SPEAKER_06 11:24

Oh, yeah, that'll be interesting to hear. Oh, you there's one for you there.

SPEAKER_03 11:28

Let's see here. Uh, Chip's saying, Hey, Eric, great interview with just Sokka. So I did that on purpose because I think the first two Zooms I did with him, and then the first two interviews at PCA, I'm always like, okay, here we are with the like the man, the myth legend, Steve Sokka, and he's always poking fun at me for saying that. So I was like, fine, you know what? We're here with just Steve Sokka. And so I think he enjoyed it.

SPEAKER_06 11:52

That was a really fun interview. It was. It's all it's been really cool getting to talk to him more and hear about what's going on with the brand. But that was uh it's always really fun to stop by the Dunbarton booth.

SPEAKER_03 12:03

Behind the scenes, I'm gonna grab something real quick. Um, I think it's a really cool story.

SPEAKER_06 12:08

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 12:08

So uh very quickly, Mallory will have to uh take the helm very quickly.

SPEAKER_06 12:12

Okay. Uh so yeah, I'm gonna just uh keep checking our comments here. Uh we've got Nicole saying Habano for me.

SPEAKER_03 12:25

Very nice, very nice.

SPEAKER_06 12:28

So we're split here.

SPEAKER_03 12:29

So well, no, if she's saying the habano, she's also made knuckle sandwich.

SPEAKER_06 12:32

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_03 12:34

So when you go to a trade show and there's the hustle and bustle of things going around, inevitably, you're probably gonna lose your lighter and cutter, which happened to us before the show even started. We were at a kind of a gathering, we were at a table, and for this reason, I bring like the throwaway lighter, the throwaway cutter that you don't expect them to last forever. I went to go grab something, had some friends at the table. When I came back, someone stole both. Well, not stole, taken, I don't know, and walked off with it. So the entire show, Mallory and I are like apologizing to whoever's booth we're stopping by. We're like, hey, do you mind if we borrow lighter, cutter? Steve Socca being the cool duty is uh we stop by at the end of day two, and I asked him the same question. Sorry, before we do this interview, can I borrow your cutter and lighter? And he plops down as a gift one of the Dunbarton lighters. I don't know if you, I mean, sorry, cutters. I don't know if you can see that. Which maybe not. This is one of Steve Sokka's like personal um like cutters that he worked on with the uh uh owners of the company, and it's very special, and so it's now like the permanent addition here. Yeah, being given a cutter from Steve Soc. It was very awesome.

SPEAKER_06 13:40

He's he's such a gentleman every time we go, he always makes sure we have espresso. And that was just very kind and generous.

SPEAKER_03 13:47

So always getting espresso, always willing, like, okay, if we have an interview like scheduled, it's never okay, let's get it on moving.

SPEAKER_06 13:55

He's just like he's yeah, so yeah, yeah. So it's such a fun to talk to.

SPEAKER_03 13:59

Um, so let's see here. A few more uh comments coming down.

SPEAKER_06 14:03

I wanted to clarify when I said that we were split, it was because the Habano and the Knuckle Sandwich, there was two, but then earlier we had two or three 601s. So I was saying we're we seem to be split in excitement.

SPEAKER_03 14:15

Wanted to clarify Chip is knuckle sandwich, Rob Brown is knuckle sandwich, um Mike Morton. That's a$300 cutter. It's it meant a lot, and it's one of those things that uh this will now be a permanent fixture. Um, I really like the cutter. I still absolutely love my XO from Zycar, but this is this means a lot, and so it's a permanent, yeah. Very cool. Uh let's see, Stomp Town.

SPEAKER_06 14:42

I have the same one, I love it.

SPEAKER_03 14:44

Yeah, very, very cool. And what I do like about it too, this is seems to be the updated version. The first try around didn't have like the magnet. You guys can actually hear that now. Before it just was free sliding. So I like the upgrade. I think it's really cool. What is uh Chip saying?

SPEAKER_06 15:00

Uh the last thing Saka needs is more espresso.

SPEAKER_03 15:04

It's Mallory will always need coffee or something. I always need more espresso. Uh Nicole.

SPEAKER_06 15:12

Okay, I moved over to YouTube so I could see the other comments. Oh, all right. Welcome over to YouTube.

SPEAKER_03 15:16

And onion 101 knuckle sandwich. It seems like they're leaning towards a knuckle sandwich.

SPEAKER_06 15:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 15:20

Either way, we're getting both. Super excited. So let's jump into our first segment. Uh, while we're on the subject of Espinoza, let's tell you about some things coming in for Espinoza. Now keep in mind, majority of these are summertime releases, but we did secure them, which we're very excited. First of which is the 601 Blue 20th anniversary. Um, the cigar I'm smoking tonight. And I will say, secretly, out of the 601s from Espinoza, or maybe not so secretly if you guys watch the channel as much, the blue is typically my favorite. I like the green as well, but uh, I think it's just cool of a testament for 20 years on a brand. And I still don't like Espinoza's blown up, but I don't think of them in that category of just like you know, the the long-standing heritage brands. Um, so it's cool to see that milestone happen.

SPEAKER_06 16:06

That is really cool, super exciting.

SPEAKER_03 16:07

Now, along with that, uh, another tradition from Espinoza is the new limited Warhead 12, La Bamba. That will be coming later as well. I would say probably the warhead lines and chef special tend to be my absolute favorite from Espinoza.

SPEAKER_06 16:24

It seems like those are the ones you get like the most excited.

SPEAKER_03 16:27

Yes, it brings the power, it brings the strength, and always a great blend. So that will be in 10 count boxes, that'll be arriving later this summer. And last year they kind of went off on like a I'm not gonna say bunny trail, but a special release of Warhead known as the Independence Day, which was even a more smashing hit than the normal Warhead. So they're repeating Independence Day this year. I think it's slightly in a different size, um, but that will be coming out as well later uh this summer. And so that's also 10 count box. Super excited for that to come. And talking to Hector, um, who is the blender, which you guys will see a little bit on a video tonight. Um, he claims that the Warhead Independence Day is their heaviest, fullest body cigar that they create.

SPEAKER_06 17:11

So pretty intense. Uh intense smoke.

SPEAKER_03 17:14

Intense.

SPEAKER_06 17:15

Very cool.

SPEAKER_03 17:16

Um, and let's go to one more picture and then we'll get to some comments here. And then finally, the chef's special. So I look forward to this one every year. Last year was a Brazilian Matafina. This will be coming uh again, and this is a uh Mexican claro. What I found really is there's a lot more subtlety to this blend. Okay, it's got that signature like knuckle sandwich punch. Um, but if you can get underneath the layers of like heavy and full, you get some really good subtleties, good sweetness.

SPEAKER_06 17:44

Okay, very cool. I'm excited to try that one.

SPEAKER_03 17:46

Really excited. I don't know if we should tell them a little bit about the story of uh Hector and this podcast at all.

SPEAKER_06 17:53

Yes, yeah. We need to have Hector on the podcast.

SPEAKER_03 17:56

Okay, so here's a few comments, and then we'll we'll jump into that. Let's see here. Stumptown Rider. Uh, I love that you can change the blades. Oh, very cool.

SPEAKER_06 18:04

I did not know that.

SPEAKER_03 18:06

Comes with a replacement blade, which is really cool.

SPEAKER_06 18:08

Very cool. Okay, so we've got one here. Mike Morton says, What upcoming release are you most excited to try? What is your most excited to try?

SPEAKER_03 18:16

One of them was the first cigar we lit up at the trade show, and that was the black label macabre, which we're gonna get more into that more detail and why that's so exciting. Um, but that was definitely on the list, and that was the first cigar I tried on the trade show.

SPEAKER_06 18:31

I actually I remember when we were looking at this one on the podcast last time, and I remember thinking, oh, I really want to try that one, so I'm excited to do that. And the other one I can't say because it's not been revealed yet. Yes, but I've got one that I've got my eye on that I'd love to try.

SPEAKER_03 18:48

So but I would also say Independence Day out of the new Espinozas that I haven't tried. That I'm so excited for Independence Day. Uh hologram Gabe saying, Hello, everyone.

SPEAKER_06 18:58

Hello, hologram Gabe.

SPEAKER_03 19:00

Thank you, thank you. Uh, question here.

SPEAKER_06 19:01

How you guys feel about the boxes changing to a regular box? Oh, as opposed to the tin, the the rounded guys. Here's what I'll say Warhead.

SPEAKER_03 19:12

I think the warheads are one of the coolest like box designs.

SPEAKER_06 19:16

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_03 19:17

But also at the same time, it causes the biggest hiccups in delivery and delay of time. So, the question for all of you would you rather wait longer and have the cigars delivered in like the tin of last year or simply a 10-count box as it's coming this year.

SPEAKER_06 19:33

So speed or packaging is the question.

SPEAKER_03 19:35

Right. What is your thoughts? Now, I'll be the first to say like I kept a few of those bomb tins for display. Super cool. But also with them arriving, like I think three weeks late, I was like, come on, when when are these cigars coming?

SPEAKER_06 19:48

You were excited. I was very excited. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 19:50

So if that's the case, if we knew going into this that the next Lubamba was going to be delivered in a tin, but you're going to have to wait nearly an extra month. What are you guys choosing? The the tin bomb uh packaging, or are you going with a straight box? Drop it down in the comments.

SPEAKER_06 20:04

Question here from Nicole. She says, So, are we looking forward to brick and mortar this year? Maybe that's actually a question we get a lot on the show floor, too. Um, and I feel like we've kind of both come to the same conclusion that like we are really excited about that. Um, but we've been really blessed to be able to kind of take our time to do it exactly the way we want to. Um and having this like online community has really helped tide us over while we wait for that time to happen. But we got our eye on stuff.

SPEAKER_03 20:37

And it's it's in my mind, it's inevitable. It's a question of timing. Yeah. We want to do it the right timing. But I will also say, and this is a massive blessing, is because we're not rushed into it, I also know that when we do a brick and mortar, that it's going to require a lot more work in terms of hiring people and such like that. Because at this time, I don't see myself having the same amount of time in California, which is great. And that's a shout out to all of you guys. Um massive blessing. But we're just really not in a current rush to do that. We want to make certain that our what we moved with to North Carolina, we continue to give our best customer service we can. And I don't want that to get muddied by trying to force into a brick and mortar at this point. So we want to give yeah.

SPEAKER_06 21:22

It will come, uh it's just waiting a little bit to see what it what it'll look like.

SPEAKER_03 21:29

All in God's timing, and we don't want to sacrifice that that customer service aspect either. Absolutely. For sure.

SPEAKER_06 21:35

Uh we got Rob Brown saying HVC is always box worthy. I agree. I agree.

SPEAKER_03 21:42

In fact, the the newest rendition, and Chip and I were talking about this not too long ago, the one that they created or reblended last year, the 2015 box press, that is a boxworthy cigar. It's my current favorite HVC cigar. It's so good. Especially if you're a San Andreas Maduro lover, go with that. Uh RJ looks like he has a question here.

SPEAKER_06 22:02

So yes, the independent independence day I'm looking forward to. Still have some left from last year's release. Awesome cigar. It's nice when you have some left because you can definitely compare and contrast. Yes. It's fun to be able to do that. And see how it aged. I love that too.

SPEAKER_03 22:15

Things like Espinozas that are heavier, stronger, Maduros, tend to age pretty darn well.

SPEAKER_06 22:21

Yeah, it's got room to mellow if it needs to, but let's see here. Uh you guys being online only right now reminds me of your COVID shows, and good for you for taking your time. The COVID shows are the real OGs. Like if you remember the COVID shows, we were out freezing our butts off at a little table in our backyard.

SPEAKER_03 22:39

Yes, long, long.

SPEAKER_06 22:40

I mean, that was smoking cigars and taking guests.

SPEAKER_03 22:43

We didn't even have an online presence. We couldn't sell online at that point.

SPEAKER_06 22:47

No.

SPEAKER_03 22:47

But COVID, we shut down and we would have people come up curbside and then try to go on Instagram live and smoke everyone.

SPEAKER_06 22:54

It was it was a wild, it was a wild time.

SPEAKER_03 22:56

Good memories. Yeah. Good memories. In spite of what was going on.

SPEAKER_06 22:59

And being freezing. It was like March.

SPEAKER_03 23:02

Um, so someone had mentioned, I believe it was Chip who had mentioned Steve Soccer. Let's talk about a few things coming from Steve Sokka.

SPEAKER_06 23:08

All right.

SPEAKER_03 23:09

This is also going to be a big year. I won't, I didn't wasn't able to basically talk about everything that's coming. If you are curious about that, we do have an awesome interview on our channel right now. It's about 30 minutes long. Typically, interviews like that, I will listen to like on a drive to work or maybe at the barbecue, barbecuing chicken like Nicole.

SPEAKER_07 23:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 23:28

Um, it's just not necessarily you don't always have to have the visuals going on just to hear the information happening. So it's about 30 minutes. It's almost podcast length, but it's worth taking a look. That being said, a few of the really exciting things coming. Uh, first ever to be released to uh shop owners and to consumers would be the Chubby Unicorn from Dunbarton Tobacco and Trust.

SPEAKER_06 23:51

It looks so good. I love the logo on that. I think it's amazing.

SPEAKER_03 23:54

I think it's it's classy, it's brilliant. And I think it's really funny. So so the size, uh Steve was remarking that they're like, people say, like, oh, so you're doing basically a feral flying pig. And Steve's like, you do realize I helped create the project of the feral flying pig. Um, so it's really cool because I'm a big fan of his unicorn series, but this one in particular seems to have a bit more oomph, a bit more power. Um, I haven't smoked it yet, but from what I understand. So beautiful box.

SPEAKER_06 24:23

I'm very excited about this.

SPEAKER_03 24:24

Yes. Now, this is very true of Dunbarton. When they say, Oh, it'll probably be in October, I would say probably count beginning of December, hopefully before Christmas.

SPEAKER_06 24:32

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 24:33

But hey, if it comes out earlier than that, all the better.

SPEAKER_06 24:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 24:36

So looking forward to that. One of his big core line additions that I thought was really cool is his new brulee tapa negra.

SPEAKER_06 24:43

That was really cool. I was interesting to hear about the process of that one too. So that's in the video, right? Or is that was that pre-video?

SPEAKER_03 24:51

No, it was in the video. Okay. So essentially you have uh the entire brulee cigar, and then wrapped over the top of it, just where the label meets, is a really heavy, like Nicaraguan sun-grown wrapper. And the concept is you get some of that spice, that richness, that flavor on your palate directly, but you're still getting this smooth, balanced experience.

SPEAKER_06 25:11

Such an interesting like concept. It's really cool. Really cool. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 25:15

And as Steve was saying in the interview, like this, there's a lot of things like barber poles out there or even artwork. Like sometimes you'll have um LFD doing like the football cigars, uh-huh. All really cool aesthetically, but in his opinion, which he believes is this is one of the uh more pronounced like dual rapper flavor changes that you're gonna notice. Um, so I'm really excited about that.

SPEAKER_06 25:36

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 25:37

That was a cup of coffee. Yeah, I think it would work really well.

SPEAKER_06 25:40

And like shout out to my most unexpected uh love of the show was the new Stillwell stars. I really enjoyed those. I really like I I like the pipe tobacco experience in that, and I think that um the revamp of that line was really cool. And yeah, it was kind of fun.

SPEAKER_03 26:00

So I don't necessarily have pictures of Stillwell, but he basically uh cut all of the still wells that he had and is revamping them, relaunching them under three different blends. I believe the Dulce Claro, Dulce Maduro, and then the English Maduro. And uh he upped the pipe tobacco in all of that.

SPEAKER_06 26:17

Yeah, and you can you can tell it definitely has more oomph. And um I am not, you know, I'm like I'm not an infused cigar person. I don't really enjoy flavored, but this is just a little bit sweet, and it's like if you kind of are like, I'm just gonna go a little off script for a while, it's kind of fun. Like it's it's yeah, it's a fun one.

SPEAKER_03 26:38

Added sweetness.

SPEAKER_06 26:39

It would be a great starter cigar too. If you have a friend that you like to get into it, but you don't want to give them something that's like vanilla milkshake flavored, right? I think that that or you know, fruit loops.

SPEAKER_07 26:49

Right.

SPEAKER_06 26:49

I think that that would be a good way to be like, you're kind of getting a little bit of pipe tobacco experience and you're getting a cigar experience, but it's really easy on the palate. Like it's just like okay, like good beginner, good gateway cigars. Really good balanced sweetness without having that like sticky, gummy like flavor that's on like a yeah, no, no headache, no super sweet, just like mildly sweet and enjoyable. Yes, yeah, 100%.

SPEAKER_03 27:14

So, yeah, new still well coming. Um right now, which is available, uh, is the Dunbarton Year of the Pazers. So this is really interesting. This is not necessarily PCA, this was actually PCA last year.

SPEAKER_06 27:27

Really?

SPEAKER_03 27:28

And every year he does his own version of like the lunar series. Year of the Pazers is in dedication to his uh friends, I believe Michelle and Tom Poser. Um, two different blends in one box, which I really like. This concept, one of them is a darker like iteration of like the Paladin de Sakas in Compromiso in a round form. The other one is a hybrid seed he's never used before that is somewhat, I believe, a strain of broadleaf and Habano 2000, something like that. But it's a box of seven and seven. If you guys have the opportunity, check this out while it is available. These are one of those projects that Steve does that's made to order. So, in other words, the orders are put in, he makes X amount, sends those out, it's done.

SPEAKER_06 28:11

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 28:12

So if you guys are curious about that, check out your the pauses while it's still there. Yeah, yeah. Let's pull up our comments here. Uh let's see, Nicole.

SPEAKER_06 28:23

Logging off for dinner. Nice hearing you, and I'll watch later for the update. Okay. So we're good. I think have a good dinner. Let's see. The price on those. Uh, would that have been that was probably Chubby Unicorn?

SPEAKER_03 28:35

Probably.

SPEAKER_06 28:35

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 28:36

Those most of Dunbarton's stuff, uh, that is unicorn titled, are normally retail of$100. Here at OGT, we we try to infuse like sampler packs and such to make it a bit easier to obtain. So a lot of that will probably be forthcoming as we get closer to the date. More than likely. Let's see. Mike Morton.

SPEAKER_06 28:58

I'm so excited to try the Tapanegra.

SPEAKER_03 29:00

Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_06 29:01

It was it was yeah, it looks like it's a fantastic cigar.

SPEAKER_03 29:04

So and those I believe should be coming within a month. Those those aren't too far off. So super excited for that.

SPEAKER_06 29:10

You got to smoke that one in the booth, right?

SPEAKER_03 29:12

We did. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 29:13

Yeah. Oh, wait, I did I get that one too, or I was like giving some. Yes, I did. Okay, I remember. Sorry. It's a lot of cigars. I lost it. Everything, yeah, yeah. Like I have things that stand out and then things that start to run together because I'm like, I that's a lot of cigars.

SPEAKER_03 29:27

So forgive me. We want to announce the newest brand to drop. So we've got a few more I want to talk about, and then we have a kind of a snapshot. So we we have a lot of different videos coming out with more in-depth interviews, like the Steve Soccer one. Later this weekend on Saturday, we'll be launching our interview with Hector Alfonso of Espinoza, which he gives a full blend breakdown.

SPEAKER_06 29:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 29:48

A bit more in depth. Um, but before we announce our newest company, let's talk about the cigar we were talking about a moment ago, and that's Black Label Trading Company Macabre. So, as James Brown puts it, this is the cigar that's like quintessential black label trading company. The last time I heard him say that about a new limited cigar was the Orthodox, which was a personal favorite of mine.

SPEAKER_06 30:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 30:10

So we had a mission as soon as those doors open was make it to Black Label.

SPEAKER_06 30:14

First stop, secure what we need to, and get that cigar and try it.

SPEAKER_03 30:18

And so, especially too as the show goes on, a lot of times it's like, oh, well, sorry, there's no more samples or of this or that. So we did not want to miss that. Uh-huh. It is an insanely good cigar. Because it has more of a like softer touch on the palate, and then you retro and it's like this is black label through and through. It's it's punchy, it's heavy, peppery. Um good sweetness, though. You smoked the corona gorda, I believe.

SPEAKER_06 30:40

I did. Yeah, I really, I really enjoyed it. I I always love that there's this like incredible balance of like that intensity, and then you also get these surprises, like a floral note, or you know, and again, when I say floral, not potpourry, but just sort of like I I think that James said like honeysuckle or something like that. Yeah, and it's like it was, it was really subtle, and it's just an undertone in your yeah, it just adds so much to the experience.

SPEAKER_03 31:06

It's fantastic, and it's really good. As a side note, I appreciate a corona gorda a lot more than a petite corona.

SPEAKER_07 31:12

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_03 31:12

Petite corona is just a little too small, and I'm like the gauge. I like a petite corona, but that that corona gorda, five and a half, I believe, by 46, beautiful iteration. And it's gonna be hard to choose between Toro, Robusto, Corona Gorda. I feel like you kind of have to smoke them back to back to back.

SPEAKER_06 31:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 31:27

To kind of find that out.

SPEAKER_06 31:28

So you'll have to do that.

SPEAKER_03 31:29

That hopefully will be at some point in May. Um, such a great cigar. If you guys are gonna pick up a limited from black label, this is one to keep an eye on. Insanely good stuff. Um, let's see here.

SPEAKER_06 31:42

All right. Uh can't wait to order me a box, buddy, for my one.

SPEAKER_03 31:48

Well, thank you. Yes. And we'll be, of course, posting it as much as much as possible as we get closer. But what we also got available are these three amazing cigars right here. These are uh probably familiar to you, but released now in Toro sizes. So the famed Porcelain Connecticut, which has been a staple at OGT. Absolutely, is now available in a six by fifty two. Sorry, six by fifty Toro, which is very exciting. Very exciting, along with the Rorschach line. So Rorschach is ones we kind of carried on and off. One is a Habano, the other's a Sumatra. This is like basically Black Label doesn't make bundle cigars, but they do make these two Rorschachs that are more affordable.

SPEAKER_06 32:27

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 32:28

So much so that a single of one of the Rorschach's is about like$8.50. Crazy good. I smoked that cigar towards the end of the night, I think a day one, and it still has that sweetness, that that spiciness that they do with Sumatra that's beautiful. So check out one of those uh individuals in the Toro sizes. And also, I mean, porcelain, I think it had need of a Connecticut for some time. Or a Toro.

SPEAKER_06 32:52

Yeah, yeah. I I mean I think porcelain being I mean, again, a lot of people's first cigar at OGT, um, especially if you're kind of easing into it, but it's a Connecticut with personality.

SPEAKER_07 33:04

Yes.

SPEAKER_06 33:05

And so it's really cool to be able to offer it in a size that tends to be more like popular with our group. Um so it's kind of that's exciting. It is, and we'll always love the original size.

SPEAKER_03 33:15

Well, and I think too, the reason I like porcelain so much, and I'm also talking to Zeke if he's watching, is that there's a lot of people out there that don't care for a Connecticut. This is like you said, with a personality. It's got umph, it's got this really good citrusy note, it's got the signature like Connecticut creaminess, but also a blast of pepper, a spice, aggressiveness. Um all together, just fantastic. So now we're twirl. Um, so we're gonna get to the new brand that we brought in, but I have a little bit of a show and tell with a brief, like eight, nine-minute video that we're so you're not just hearing it from us, but also from the cigar makers. Again, a lot of these interviews uh are in longer format or gonna be posted on our channel. But I wanted you guys to take a look at the show floor of PCA and kind of get a snapshot. So um, let's take our last few comments and we're gonna jump right into that. Let's see here. Sumtown Rider.

SPEAKER_06 34:05

Dumb question. Can you guys tell us more of the OGT club looking to do it? I see it's every month. Is it a cancel anytime? Can you pass on a month? Sorry to ask, but curious. No, this is a great question.

SPEAKER_03 34:14

Great question altogether. So this last month we dropped the first of a set of five coming, known as the Emerald Knight. I'm so excited for this drop.

SPEAKER_06 34:24

So amazing.

SPEAKER_03 34:25

So five different cigars will be represented not only in color, but also by knights that make up an order that we call the order of Chevetta. Some of them will be obtained uh strictly, like this one, only through the membership. Some of them are obtained by like exclusive drops. Some might be in the membership and may be available afterwards. Um, the concept is collect all five of these later. Whoever has all five as a set takes a picture, will be entered into a lottery for a grand prize that will be coming soon. This is a Brazilian Habano. We've never worked with that before. We've never worked with a Vallicari company either factory. So super exciting on that. The society is you sign up, you get a five-pack of this same blend, and it's once a month. It's always on the 22nd of every month. And you can cancel it at any time. You can also put your subscription on hold if you'd like to. Um but I would definitely say give it a try, check it out, because a lot of these cigars, like let's say, for instance, during Christmas, we did the Festivist from Cigar Clowns. It's like a$16 cigar, and you're getting a five-pack for a 45. It's it's kind of a crazy.

SPEAKER_06 35:28

It's a great deal, and it's also a great way to stay on top of everything that we talk about here on the podcast and that everybody in the OGT community is talking about. And you get enough of the same blend that you can keep one, age one, give one to a friend, or just try them all five times.

SPEAKER_03 35:43

Yes, 100%. So, yeah, and if you have any other additional questions, feel free to reach out to me on Instagram or whichever. Absolutely. Give us a call, and I'd love to even speak about it more in depth. RJ.

SPEAKER_06 35:54

Say how many cigars did you guys smoke last weekend? I lost count. That's for the first time. I think the most I'd ever smoked at a PCA trade show was 11 on a day. So I think that's still my record. Okay. I think I went a little slower this time because I really didn't want to burn my palate out. We had so many things that we wanted to try all the way through. Whereas in previous trade shows, um, we've kind of tried to do like a quick taste of a lot of different things, more like a wine tasting type of deal where we're just checking for the personality of a lot of different cigars.

SPEAKER_07 36:26

Right.

SPEAKER_06 36:26

This there was so much that we really needed to smoke all the way to the end and give a like a solid try. Um, so I don't think I smoked quite as much, but I think you probably smoked way more.

SPEAKER_03 36:38

I also lost count. I'm normally like, oh, yeah, this is number nine or number eight. It was probably in the 12s uh per day around there. Um last day was a lot smaller. We were flying home, but uh past 10 each day for sure. It's it's a bit crazy. You you you get a little bit of palicallus, but more so in terms of just like the subtleties you don't really notice. But I will say that's when some cigars really stand out and impress me. I'm like, even on cigar nine, this is so good.

SPEAKER_06 37:07

Sometimes you'll get one that just totally knocks your socks off, and you're like, you know, this is gonna be good when it's your first of the day. Right, you know, right. Um, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 37:15

So yeah, it's it's kind of a wild ride. Uh let's see here. Sumtown uh rider.

SPEAKER_06 37:20

Say anyone in here a current member and do the club each month, and then we have a response here from RJ who says, highly recommend joining OGT's club. The society is top notch, and the variety club is great too. Yes, shout out to the variety club. We also do that. Um let you expand your profile. Highly recommend.

SPEAKER_03 37:36

And I will say, I mean, this drop for Emerald Night, like I said, is one of my personal favorites, and we do have some really special things coming from the variety club. Yeah. We went to the PCA with the variety club members also in mind, not just society. So exciting things on the horizon.

SPEAKER_06 37:55

And said Rob Brown says the Society Club is my favorite club. I will be a lifetime member.

SPEAKER_03 38:00

Thank you guys so much. Thank you, thank you, thank you so much. And uh okay, done, signed up. Well, thank you. I appreciate it. Welcome to the society.

SPEAKER_06 38:08

Welcome to the society, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 38:09

And if you have any questions, uh, like I said, feel free to reach out. The main purpose of it has always been education, spotlight on some of the blenders or companies we feel like need more of a spotlight because of how good they are. And it's about the community on. So everyone, we're we're shipping out Emerald Night um this week. Everyone's already been shipped out. Uh, Stumtown Rider will ship yours out first thing tomorrow. Hopefully, you'll get it in time because next Thursday, which I'm sure you will, uh, we're gonna be smoking the Emerald Night altogether. It's our society meeting.

SPEAKER_06 38:39

Because everybody meets up and says what they're experiencing and they're tasting notes, and it's a good time.

SPEAKER_03 38:44

And I will also say so this comment here by RJ, can't wait for the Emerald Night. I I'm very excited to see the reaction because it is it's in the fl like the profile in terms of strength and such that the society and us we always aim for, but it's still a very different cigar, and that's why I like it. Brazilian habano, I want to say the only one I'm really familiar with that does that is Espinosa's laranja. It's you see, you hear about Matafina or Ariparaka, Ari Paraka, whichever way you pronounce it. Um, Habano is one of those ones that's just like, oh, really? I haven't really explored Habano in Brazil before, and it does not disappoint. It's so good.

SPEAKER_06 39:20

It's it's very, very good.

SPEAKER_03 39:22

Uh Chip has a good point right here.

SPEAKER_06 39:23

It says be careful canceling your society membership because it's not always open. Yes, we do, we have at times closed down for a couple months at a time. Um, sometimes when we have a really limited drop, that doesn't yeah, we can't put anyone else in.

SPEAKER_03 39:37

But yeah, in the case of this drop, we reserved it strictly for the society to make certain we could cover that. And next month is going to be the same thing.

SPEAKER_06 39:44

Yeah. So two exclusives basically.

SPEAKER_03 39:47

Yeah, that's just a very, very small allocation. All right. That being said, I invite you guys to sit back and watch the uh a brief uh snapshot of the PCA trade show. Uh and I think it's it's not only educational, but it's pretty cool.

SPEAKER_05 41:06

Um, it's a little bit more than a lot of people.

SPEAKER_03 43:16

Here we are. We are about to go into the market for our appointment. This is something that I have had my eye on since the announcement. I know there's a lot of those around the cigar, but this is basically Steve Stock's unicorn series, put it in a different format, I believe. And this will be made available coming to OTC very soon. But I have to basically showcase this because it's such a cool project, and I think it's a demonstration of what Steve Stock does. Dunbarten tobacco entrust not only taking that concept of unicorn hard to get a hold of expensive tobacco, but there's a little bit of a play on it, and the graphic design on it is not out of the heart. So we're gonna head into the gunmark mode and make certain we secure it.

SPEAKER_01 45:15

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 45:37

Daniel and cigars in doing release. I didn't release the line. Daniel, thanks for having us here.

SPEAKER_04 45:44

What do you got going on? What's the next release? The news release is a continuation. It is a Connecticut. Cigars. Manufacturing is really hard to spell. It is a clear for Connecticut. It's the first cigar to feature our finger age tobacco in the filler. So I can't wait for it to be open to back. Uh hopefully very soon. Yes, yes, awesome.

SPEAKER_03 46:21

Look forward to it. It's an awesome brand. We love it to excited. I'm here with Le Mark Stone from the Fan Myth Legend, the creator of Doctor's Order 2, and Doctor's Order 3.

SPEAKER_09 46:33

And we've been doing this for 40 years. Yeah, it's awesome. Yeah, so we have a massive year limited in the unit talked off camera. The last couple of years I've been working on these projects, and we just haven't had time to kind of fit them in. So what are you supposed to do now as the highway too? So that's a super super cool cigar. Um it's the first ever Chinese foot. I've supposed to laugh from 2017, one of the first videos that we ever bought. Um super cool cigar in the end.

SPEAKER_03 47:05

Oh, it's it's incredible. I mean, the amount of sweetness and like a little bit of hidden spice enough to be there, but then it transitions into that wrapper leaf that smooth out. Super uh interesting wrapper too, which is not something you see all of what what exactly is like the graving of it?

SPEAKER_09 47:21

So that's what we would call a bana cafe. It's got a little bit of a red tint to it. It's a really pretty wrapper, and I really enjoyed it. If you love Havana, it's uh it's a beautiful version of a variety of wrapper. And when is this to release? It'll be July.

SPEAKER_03 47:38

New booth to Oakland Tobacanists, but not a new booth to PCA. This is El Mago Cigars. I'm here with Nick. We had our eyes set on this brand. It was on our mission to visit you guys. I'm so glad we did. El Mago Cigars, this is how many years for you guys? We're on year three and a half. Okay. Three and a half.

SPEAKER_08 47:56

So mid-2022 is when we is when we started. So I think the math is right.

SPEAKER_03 48:04

And you guys are from the field to the final production. You guys are vertically integrated, right?

SPEAKER_08 48:09

Yes. Yes, we are. Yep. So factories in Estelin, Nicaragua. Uh last year we grew about 30 acres of tobacco. Okay. So a lot of the what we're growing is ends up in ends up in our blends. Um and uh import to Miami, distribute, so yeah, pretty, pretty vertically integrated, I would say.

SPEAKER_03 48:26

Yes, one of the things we're super excited about because there are a lot of like newer companies out there, but usually they are purchasing from other factories or purchasing from other farms to have that completely done in-house is amazing. You guys are also releasing new stuff this year. Yes, yes, we are.

SPEAKER_08 48:41

So, what are the new projects? So, the first thing we got here at PCA is the James Avenue, which is our newest addition to the core line. It's the first time we have a 20-count box in a cabinet-style format uh that is not in two. So, yeah, we're diversifying the portfolio in a way in that sense. And then we launched the S tier program this year. So we got new S-tier um releases coming out, the Oyama Omen and Mr. Omen. I'm sold now. Okay. We got the jug and the cavalry coming out, and the offender and defender. Okay. Okay. Wait till I knew, you know, I knew it was gonna be something that that that turned heads when I got the first impression of the of the first tin, which was the Oyama Omen tin. Okay. It was an It was an older guy in the industry who has, you know, he has a different mindset than I do. Sure. And he saw the tin and showed it to him, and he goes, wow. Controversial. That was his immediate response. I said, you know what? That's what I want. It's gonna be fun.

SPEAKER_03 49:43

Well, and really just this the buzz on social media alone that we saw coming up to PCA was staggering. It was all over the place. People talking about those two. So excited to see the other S-tier things coming and the launch of the new line. I know that this is probably a question most blenders don't like, but you have four new blends in 20 count boxes. Do you have a favorite?

SPEAKER_08 50:03

I do because I'm biased. Okay. My my favorite wrapper, and and I believe this is subject to change because my palette has changed over time or I prefer this or that. But right now, I'm a Sumatra guy. Okay. So that's gonna be, yeah. Yeah, that's gonna be my favorite. Awesome.

SPEAKER_03 50:19

Well, we're super excited to have El Mago uh coming into the OGT Humidor. Thank you so much. We're super excited, and we look forward to what's gonna be happening.

SPEAKER_08 50:27

It's an honor and a pleasure, and thank you. Thank you. I really appreciate it.

SPEAKER_03 50:29

All right, stay tuned. And there you have it. Our newest brand that we have brought in is El Mago Cigars. And I gotta give a big shout out to Daniel, uh, who's normally on tonight. I don't know if he's watching tonight, but uh, he's been telling me for a while, check out El Mago, check out El Mago. And it's funny because I had been for over a year, and I'm like, you know, I gotta really watch this brand, see what's going on. And then again, I will mention Tim Swanson, Cigars Daily, because I saw him bring it in as well, which is always cool vote of confidence, but it was also like, man, he beat me to it. But uh, we're super excited for El Mago Cigars to uh release. This is the newest company to uh join OGT Cigars here. A lot of exciting things happen, and as we had mentioned in the uh interview, most of it is grown. Now, of course, they have to purchase their Connecticut or their Mexican San Andreas wrapper because it's of course not grown in Nicaragua, but their fillers and such like that. This is a company that has only been around for three years, but they have their own farm.

SPEAKER_06 51:29

Which is, like you said in the video, kind of rare to find from a new brand on the market. A lot of the time you're work they're working with sometimes even a couple different farms to try to get what they need. Um that's really cool. Super excited.

SPEAKER_03 51:43

The last time we brought in a sort of three-year-old company similarly was Domain, but they also grow their own, they also have their own factory. So super excited. If you guys have questions about El Mago cigars, now is the chance to drop it down. I'm gonna pull out a few comments here. Let's see.

SPEAKER_06 51:57

So is the cigar of the month one correct? I did that one again. Sorry to take up the time. Oh, sorry we missed that earlier. Um yes, yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_03 52:05

Exactly. Uh let's see here. Uh can an average guy get into PCA trade show or just retailers? It's really meant for the industry. So retailers, media, that sort of thing, manufacturers.

SPEAKER_06 52:18

Yeah, they it's uh it is a show that isn't open to consumers, um but mostly because a lot of the um discussion that happens is about how we're going to bring it to consumers. Um and so yeah, so it's um it's just yeah, industry pretty much.

SPEAKER_03 52:36

Yes. So let's talk a little bit about El Mago cigars. This is the newest company, as I had mentioned. It is currently at OGT. And uh it seems like a few people already got the the understanding or something. People have been jumping on it. Uh, and we're actually gonna have Nick from Elmago on as a guest in the coming week. So we're super excited about that. But let's uh very quick run through sort of their portfolio. This is the Miami Maduro, which is a uh San Andreas Maduro. Um it's all of their blends, kind of like Big Sky and such, are released in one size. So this is gonna be a Toro size. Something really cool about them is their design is beautiful, they are available in like anywhere between eight and twelve count boxes, so it's a lot more accessible. And majority, until their new releases happen, everything is in a tubo.

SPEAKER_06 53:26

And they're very beautifully designed too. Like the entire line is gorgeous. The the there's a lot of thought into the design and branding of this brand. So I appreciate that. Again, that doesn't necessarily uh dictate how something tastes, but it shows that they have good taste.

SPEAKER_03 53:43

Yes, yes, exactly. And the story and the history, which we're gonna get on about during the podcast, is uh is a really interesting, crazy story. It has a lot to do with family heritage, um some crazy things that happen. So we're gonna get into that when we have Nick on. So that is the Miami Maduro. He's also got the Miami uh Art Deco, which is a Habano. Those two are kind of their like flagship brands that they originally released in. Also a Toro size, more medium strength. Then you have their Connecticut, which is the Triumphante, I believe it's pronounced. Um also in a Toro, beautiful tubo right there, more on the like creamier, smoother side with a hint of pepper. The one that Mallory is really excited about is the Lotus Lancero.

SPEAKER_06 54:26

Love the Lancero.

SPEAKER_03 54:27

So Ecuadorian habano comes only in a Lancero, but this is like a seven and five eighth Lancero. So it's it's a pretty long cigar. Um but beautiful Ecuadorian Habano there. And then there are two heavier, like more, more heavy, would be the Pepe, which is a San Andreas um that's more medium plus strength, and then a personal favorite, the one that really convinced me is the Renegade, which is also really heavy, uh darker box press, five and a half by 56, I believe. Kind of a heavier, shorter cigar, but beautifully crafted. So absolutely love it.

SPEAKER_06 55:03

Uh Chip wants to know Hey Mal, how's that HBC going? It is really good. I was commenting to Eric during the video that it's got a lot of interesting transition. Um there's been some like blackberry or blueberry going on in this section. I mean, like I'm I guess I'm in the last third. Okay. I'm moving into the last third, I guess. Um yeah, a lot of like good subtlety. It's kind of um carried a little bit of like baking spice all the way through. Um yeah, maybe like some cardamom, blackberry. It's very, very good. Um but with that fruity note, it's still like very I feel like it's it's a little strong. I would say that it's I I said medium plus, but I think it for me it seems a little more fruitful, maybe.

SPEAKER_07 55:48

Okay.

SPEAKER_06 55:48

Um I don't know. I don't know. I feel like I want to like hand it to you and you'd be like, no, you're wrong.

SPEAKER_03 55:53

But no, no, no, not at all.

SPEAKER_06 55:55

I feel like, yeah, it's but it's delicious. It's not really good. I like it a lot.

SPEAKER_03 55:59

In terms of the uh the 20th, this is definitely a heavier, fuller cigar. Definitely savory towards the end, a bit darker, more coffee forward, like black coffee, maybe a little bit of espresso. Um, but beautifully crafted for such a large, large uh cigar. And Nick is on, said he made it.

SPEAKER_06 56:17

Hello, welcome.

SPEAKER_03 56:18

Nick, we've talked a lot about it. What's coming? I feel like you're gonna have to probably listen to this podcast uh in the car once it's uh uploaded this weekend because there's a lot to cover. But um, as I had mentioned, check out El Mago cigars. I am so excited for this company. They're doing some really special things um from their design to their blending to even Nick himself. He had mentioned that there is an S tier, which is sort of like where you get access to a lot of their limited production stuff, which I've heard a lot of buzz about, and thankfully we're accepted into the S tier. So I'm excited for a lot of those limited projects. And and what's really cool too, which I'm excited, and I want you guys to try this brand as well, because Nick is really excited about meeting us, and it seems like a very mutual like type of like partnership, which I really enjoy, so much so that he's also expressed already interest in doing things for the membership. So OGT Cigar Society, hopefully down the line, we can start uh really also seeing another side of El Mago cigars as well. Um so yeah, that pretty much covers some of the new stuff.

SPEAKER_06 57:20

That's I mean, that's not all that's it was a it was a quick flyover because I feel like there's a there's a whole lot coming this year, and it's going to be a very exciting year for OGT and other cigars in general.

SPEAKER_03 57:30

Yes, from Crownheads to Agonorsa. Just it the list goes on. Amazing stuff. Um very quickly though, I wanted to sort of do our uh cigar community like highlight of the week. I thought this was a fantastic photo. Someone had mentioned, I believe it was RJ, about the OGT Variety Club. This last month we sent out a five-pack of different Agonorsa cigars, but also all three tasting Pumas. Basically the Agonorsa experience in the membership box. That's an experience you can normally only get at an Agonorsa event. And we were able to send it to all of our members, and you're basically you light up one, you smoke that, you get the idea of what does Croho 99 taste like. And then you do that with Criollo 98, and then you kind of put them together. How does a blend work? So highlight uh from the Facebook group. If you're not in the OGT Society Facebook group, join now. It's a great community. Uh just on Facebook, find us there. But this picture is from Jason from California doing the Pumo experience full throttle. All three pumas at the same time. This is how a blend works. That's a Chrome 99, 98, and 2012. Um I thought that picture was great though.

SPEAKER_06 58:38

But that is Yeah, that's a great one.

SPEAKER_03 58:40

That is the power of the Eganorse experience. Tasting all those Pumas. Uh so shout out to Jason. Uh every week we try to pull a picture from that uh Facebook group. So drop those pictures in, people commenting back and forth, or even I what I really enjoy is someone will post a picture of a cigar and someone will be like, oh, what were your thoughts on that? I actually liked it in Toro, or I liked it in this. You just it helps bounce those ideas off each other, which is really cool.

SPEAKER_06 59:03

Yeah, and it's just the ongoing experience outside of the podcast, and it's really cool to see the community just um grow over time. It's been awesome. 100%. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 59:12

Now, you guys had mentioned you would watch the Sokka interview, as I say, uh Saturday. Uh going live will be our full interview we did with Espinosa Hector Alfonso. Um he gets a full blend breakdown, and we will eventually have him on the podcast as well.

SPEAKER_06 59:27

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 59:27

Um so check that out. Stay tuned onto the channel and also make certain before you leave tonight, check out Elmago cigars and the fire that's coming from that brand. It's keep an eye on this brand. I think it's gonna just continue to grow even more. Uh I was thoroughly impressed. It was one of those companies, like I said, I'd been watching and I was like, I'm very sure these cigars are gonna be great, but you gotta try them. Yeah. And then, like, first thing, I think day two, we're like, yep, this is the first cigars we tried. This is it. This is exactly what I was thinking. So all based out in Nicaragua, and I can't wait to have Nick on to kind of like further explore the brand. Um thank you guys so much for dropping all those comments. Uh, shout out to Stumptown Writer for joining the membership and the society. Glad to have you there. Awesome. Welcome aboard. Uh, thank you guys so much. We'll be back next week. Um and like I said, stay tuned on the weekend as well. And everyone have a great week. Until next time on OGT Cigars Live.