Full Transcript for Davidoff Maxamar 25th Anniversary & Glenlivet 12 Jamaica Edition | When Does Cigar Analysis Become Paralysis? – Ep. #257

Davidoff is doing. You know, technically, this is a store exclusive. That's how they're doing all of their store exclusives as we've learned over the last couple years. Everything is undisclosed, and it's very, very odd. Senator [00:05:40] Yeah. Does the store get told? Bam Bam [00:05:45] You would think. That's a Senator [00:05:46] good question. Mean, Pagoda [00:05:48] does a does a blender know? Gizmo [00:05:49] They certainly sell a lot of they certainly sell a lot of Davidoff there, so I would imagine they're they're on the end. But I just don't understand not disclosing it. We've said it so many times. Bam Bam [00:05:57] Well, they're probably using AI to blend it. Gizmo [00:06:04] It is off to a really nice start, though. And I'm happy I'm saying that because Davidoff needs to show up on this podcast again. It's been a minute. Yeah. You know? It's probably been since the Maduro. Bam Bam [00:06:15] So what again? Senator [00:06:16] Before even what we're getting, I just... The thing I'm appreciating about this, it's hitting every part of my palate. Gizmo [00:06:22] Yeah. It is full coverage. Senator [00:06:23] Yeah. It's like I'm getting some fruit notes. I'm getting some, like, more savory notes. I'm getting Rooster [00:06:31] Just a little pepper. Senator [00:06:32] Some pepper. Even some, like, tartness, like a tart fruit note I'm kinda getting. Chef Ricky [00:06:37] I was just gonna see acidity of some kind. Senator [00:06:39] It it kinda hits every part of your palate, which there's not many cigars that do that. So I'm appreciate... And then... Sorry. The last thing I was trying to think of, the saltiness that Giz was saying you got on the cold draw, I think you get, on the light as well. So for me, it kinda checks every box to start. Bam Bam [00:06:57] Yeah. It's smoking pretty elegantly right now. I'd... I I wish I was getting a bit more fruit or something a bit sweeter, just a touch, like a sweet coffee, which I get in a lot of that, also the Grand Cru or Rooster [00:07:10] something sweeter after the one... After the initial. Bam Bam [00:07:15] Don't think it's offensive in any way. I do like the pepper a lot because it's very mild, keeps your attention. Pagoda [00:07:24] It's very pleasant. It's just covered in the whole palate. Totally agree with you. Rooster [00:07:28] As soon as you light it, though, you can tell it's a Davidoff. Bam Bam [00:07:31] That's what I said. The DNA is there for sure. Senator [00:07:33] I do get a good amount of fruit, though. Pagoda [00:07:37] Yeah. I'm getting fruit. Senator [00:07:38] Which I'm surprised by because there's not many Davidoffs that I get that on the light, and I think this is kind of unique in delivering that. Rooster [00:07:44] Like a dark, dark fruit. Like maybe a plum or something? No. Pagoda [00:07:49] You're talking about a wet fruit or a dry fruit? Senator [00:07:52] Well, probably wet. Gizmo [00:07:55] I think right now the most intriguing thing for

me about this is the salt. Do love that in a cigar. So I think that's the highlight note for me right now. But it is, I think, really well said, Senator. Really well... It's a well rounded, full palate coverage cigar. Great viscous smoke. Great smoke output. Combustion is very good. Seems like it's pretty well packed. Bam Bam [00:08:18] Mhmm. Gizmo [00:08:19] So right now, am optimistic for our evening here with this cigar. Yeah. Pagoda [00:08:24] Well, that's a great start. Senator [00:08:26] Bev is very skeptical. Bam Bam [00:08:28] It's like I'm on a precipice of the mountain and I'm kinda wanting to step away from it, but you know. It's pleasant, the minerality that I'm getting is pleasant. I love the salt and pepper. It's good, I just wish I was getting that fruit. Chef Ricky [00:08:43] You're not getting any like those Brookside chocolate covered blueberry No Bam Bam [00:08:50] way. Chef Ricky [00:08:50] No? That's that's kind of what I wish. What I'm getting right now. Really? Bam Bam [00:08:54] Yeah. That much fruit you're getting? Senator [00:08:55] Yeah. I hate to say this early, but You guys are nuts. I... Just take a sip of the spirit and then take a draw of the cigar and Bam Bam [00:09:01] just What Gizmo [00:09:02] are you doing tonight? Rooster [00:09:03] I'm I'm What's up with you? On a pain in stomach tonight. Fifty eight weeks. Pagoda [00:09:08] Right? What's going on over here? Senator [00:09:09] What's happening? We're an hour late. I'm dying for a cigar. I'm one speed right now. Rooster [00:09:14] I'm like Lizard Landau. Senator [00:09:15] You can't... I can't be stopped. Gizmo [00:09:19] I will say though, there is something at the front of my mouth that reminds me of the better millennium cigars I've had, which there's like a nuttiness, like a sweet nuttiness, like almost like a cashew Bam Bam [00:09:32] or something. Yeah, that nuttiness that for me, it's like a walnut cashew thing for me that I'm getting. That is quite good. Gizmo [00:09:38] That to me is typical Davidoff. Bam Bam [00:09:40] Oh, yeah. Gizmo [00:09:40] That note, I don't get in any other cigar At least that I remember. Bam Bam [00:09:45] I'm sorry. That there isn't as much cedar in this that I get in a lot of other Davidoffs. Cedar's not a favorite thing. Rooster [00:09:51] There is a little bit of cedar, but I think it's also very earthy. That earthy note is what Davidoff kind of... You know? That's what I remember, like every single Davidoff. A fuller Davidoff cigar gives you that earthiness and that leather note that you get out Bam Bam [00:10:10] of this. Is this available in retail establishments or is Gizmo [00:10:12] it just This is only available from Maxamar and smallbatchcigar.com. Obviously, we purchased these. Actually, Rooster purchased these, and then I convinced him to give me Bam Bam [00:10:22] Yep. Gizmo [00:10:22] Six or seven for the review tonight. Rooster [00:10:24] Then I gave you nine. Gizmo [00:10:26] I

think what was intriguing about this was this is the first time I've seen Rooster so excited about a recent release Davidoff in quite some time. Yeah. And he's loved Davidoff. He loves those kind of off the beaten path Davidoff Rooster [00:10:42] since 1910. Gizmo [00:10:43] Since 1910. Senator [00:10:44] Since the pre embargo. Rooster [00:10:45] Yeah. Eighteen eighteen ten. Gizmo [00:10:47] Gotcha. So let me ask you this. When you tasted this, when you had this cigar, obviously, know we're in for hopefully a treat tonight, but what really struck you about it that... I know you said the master blend, but was it that it was classic to have it off? Was it reminding you of the greatness? Rooster [00:11:04] What is it? I mean, even before the master blend, I think this tasted or for me, it was like it's better than a millennium. And lately, the millennium cigars that we have had haven't been that stellar. Actually, any Davidoff that we have had Bam Bam [00:11:21] Within the past three years of release have not Rooster [00:11:23] been They haven't been good. So when I smoked this, I was like, wow, this is kind of like the chef's edition we had, like the first chef's edition. It kind of had notes from that cigar or the master blend when I had the one through 15, the entire series. I remember number 11 and number 13 being stellar. They were fantastic. So I was getting notes of that. It almost feels like an Eladio Díaz stamp on this. But I know he's not part of Davidoff. Gizmo [00:11:57] And he hasn't been for Rooster [00:11:58] Hasn't been a number of Quite time. Gizmo [00:12:02] Pre COVID. Rooster [00:12:02] Yeah. But I feel like the blend is, you know, it's awesome. It's a great blend. It's a medium bodied cigar. It's got leather, it's got earth, it's got salt, it's got a little bit of pepper. And the pepper for me kind of dissipates after the initial. And it gets sweeter and it's like a two act or three act cigar. And I think hopefully you guys would like it. Okay. It's off to a good start, though. Gizmo [00:12:29] So normally, we're not going to do store exclusives on this podcast. And we're not even doing this just because Small Batch is a sponsor of the podcast. Right? The reason why we're doing this is it is available to everyone. Smallbatchcigar.com has... They have them. They're available. Their their their inventory is there. So if we like the cigar tonight, if if you relate to our palates and wanna check it out, you can get it. You're not gonna find this at a normal Davidoff retailer. You're only gonna find this online at Small Batch, or if you're in Orange County, California, can get it at Maxamarr. Pagoda [00:13:03] Actually, this this run started because Lizard Alex had come over and he wanted these. And I reached out to Rooster from his, you know, contact where he gets his cigars to get a box of Davidoffs. And that's how this whole process started. Gizmo [00:13:17] Nothing to Pagoda [00:13:18] do with a Small Batch at all

from that perspective. Rooster [00:13:21] Yeah, at that point, we did not know that this was a Small Batch exclusive. And I didn't know, like, what is Maxamar? I had no idea that that's what a Gizmo [00:13:32] Small Batch That's their shop name. I still Chef Ricky [00:13:34] don't know. Oh, okay. Rooster [00:13:37] Oh, check. It's almost like the Gizmo [00:13:39] headphones are turned off for the first eight minutes of every episode. So these cigars come in 10 count boxes. Reportedly, there were a thousand boxes made of them, a 100,000 total cigars. Like I said, $50 a cigar. And if you buy a box of 10, pre LIZARD15 code, it's $490 a box. After that, you're gonna save quite a bit of money. So use our code if you wanna get a set of these at smallbatchcigar.com. Bam Bam [00:14:03] The code is a must. Gizmo [00:14:04] The code is a must. Chef Ricky [00:14:06] And you get those points. Pagoda [00:14:08] Can you repeat that code again? I'm sorry. Gizmo [00:14:10] You've called me like three times for the code, dude. It's LIZARD15. LIZARD15. Oh, man. Pagoda [00:14:19] Hey, listen. I have to say. Gizmo [00:14:21] By the way, I pulled that. Bam Bam [00:14:22] I I know. I love that. Gizmo [00:14:24] Me too. Rooster [00:14:25] Here it is. So funny. Gizmo [00:14:28] Oh, man. Bam Bam [00:14:33] First It's after a very mundane typical question because it's not a big deal to answer. Rooster [00:14:40] Was almost like he was at a loss loss of words. I had no idea what to say, and that's what came Bam Bam [00:14:47] out. Great. Gizmo [00:14:48] For any listener who doesn't know what we're talking about a couple weeks ago, chef didn't send over his rating during the ratings portion, and I went to Pagoda, who's our sergeant at arms, and he had a real tough time coming up with an acceptable Pagoda [00:15:01] Punishment. Gizmo [00:15:01] Punishment. And he started with his frustration. So that's what that that clip is there. So, boys, let's go to some news. Bunch of stuff to get to tonight. We're gonna start with this one. So Cohiba has officially launched the Talismán in the classic line, Línea Clásica from Cohiba joining the Siglo series, the Robusto, the Lancero, anything outside of Maduro, Behike, you know, the the special stuff from Cohiba is in the classic line. It's a 54 ring gauge cigar by six and one eight inches long, has a special footband on it that says Talismán, and they launched this couple weeks ago at Kensington Palace in London. 400 guests attended. You can imagine what those scenes looked like. A lot of bespoke suits and really high end clothing. The UK is receiving apparently 6,500 special three count boxes. Anybody wanna take a guess at what they are priced at? No. Three cigars, 600 British pounds per box, roughly $263 each for a regular production Cohiba cigar. That's Rooster [00:16:18] not bad. Bam Bam [00:16:19] Yeah. I didn't think Cuba was making cigars anymore. Gizmo [00:16:22] That is why I'm really wanting to bring this up again because I see this celebration of what they're calling the Año Cohiba, the year of Cohiba, celebrating Cohiba's sixtieth anniversary, right? There's more releases coming. We've talked about some of them in the past here on this podcast. But it's just interesting to me that 400 people get together and celebrate the success and the future success of Cuban tobacco, the Cuban cigar industry, $263 regular-production cigars, and isn't there like an elephant in the room that anybody wants to like address? Rooster [00:17:00] There is such a disconnect. Unbelievable. Bam Bam [00:17:03] Exactly. Gizmo [00:17:04] I just, it's crazy. Like, the idea that we tell people that this cigar's coming out and the fact that no listener of average means is going to be able to get their hands on these cigars is crazy. Pagoda [00:17:17] It needs to be over 40 or 50, right, no? Meaning anyone who's younger cannot smoke or buy. Gizmo [00:17:23] I mean, even if you have all the money in the world, in a lot of these markets, you're not going Rooster [00:17:27] to have access to this stuff Gizmo [00:17:28] because they're just not getting a lot of them. They're not even putting the 10 count boxes out, probably not even because of the price, but because they can move more three counts and get them into the hands of more people because the production's way down. Yeah. So it's just an interesting way that they do things. They just keep announcing cigars and announcing cigars at big parties and everything else. And then you look at what's going on in Cuba, and it's a total disaster. Gotta tell you. Bam Bam [00:17:57] I gotta say something here. I'm loving this thing right Gizmo [00:18:01] now. Senator [00:18:01] This thing is fantastic. Thank you. I'm sorry. Forget the news. Like, we gotta talk about this cigar. Rooster [00:18:06] It is so good. Bam Bam [00:18:07] If I may, the first half inch was okay for me. It wasn't interesting. Rooster [00:18:11] I think it's a little bit pepper heavy That's all gone. In the beginning, and that kind of... That goes away. But the pepper is very faint. Senator [00:18:18] It's Yeah. I don't think Bam Bam [00:18:18] it's super heavy. I enjoyed it, though. It was very it was very subtle. After that half inch Rooster [00:18:23] It gets sweeter. Senator [00:18:25] For me- Chocolate and Gizmo [00:18:26] sweet It's not Bam Bam [00:18:27] so much sweet, but it's so creamy. Senator [00:18:31] Correct. Bam Bam [00:18:31] And honestly, the aroma, when I was a kid, to make hot cocoa, I would put milk in a saucepan, let it get really hot, and then put cocoa powder in it, mix it, put it a thing, and drink it. Chef Ricky [00:18:44] Nice. So yours got richer because you evaporated some of that water from the milk when you were doing that, which Bam Bam [00:18:49] is I they've would smell the milk as it's getting warm. That's what I'm getting on this aroma. It's like a warm, dairy, milky, This toasty type is

different. This is a different Davidoff than anything I've had, I think. It's very, very good. I agree. It's ridiculous. Gizmo [00:19:09] Did Rooster [00:19:12] you ever have the Master Blend series? Bam Bam [00:19:14] Yeah, they're not memorable. It's years and years ago. Senator [00:19:17] Of them were very good, but There were Rooster [00:19:19] so many of them that it's hard to remember, but this reminds me of that number 11. Chef Ricky [00:19:23] I think this is so Senator [00:19:25] Honestly, elegant is and... Yeah. This is better than any the master blend cigars I've had. I I am shocked. This is the best thing I've had out of Davidoff in years. Gizmo [00:19:36] Senator was staring at me as I'm talking about Cohiba, like Rooster [00:19:39] Yeah. Like Gizmo [00:19:40] blinking. Like, stop talking, giz. Senator [00:19:41] Please. This is Chef Ricky [00:19:43] He's like, fuck Cuba. Can we talk about Davidoff? Senator [00:19:46] No. No. But very seriously, I mean, number one, construction of this cigar, this is also one of the best constructed cigars I've seen in years. Chef Ricky [00:19:55] The ash is gorgeous. Rooster [00:19:56] It's razor sharp. Senator [00:19:57] It's it's like a work of art. I mean, I'm shocked how beautiful this cigar is performing. The smoke output's great. The burn line is razor sharp. Bam Bam [00:20:09] Correct. Senator [00:20:09] The ash is so structural. And then the flavor, I mean, exactly like Bam, when he said cream, that's exactly what I've been getting. And it's like there's some coffee I'm getting with all the cream. You still get a little bit of those fruit notes. There's the tiniest bit of acidity. Like, it is like a complete meal. Yeah. It is outstanding. So the acidic experience for Bam Bam [00:20:36] me is right at the tip, the front of my palate. But as I take it in, it gets really creamy and velvety. Chef Ricky [00:20:43] Yep. Yep. It's not acidic in a negative sense. Oh no, It's bright. Bam Bam [00:20:47] Tannic, it's a little tannic. Chef Ricky [00:20:48] There's a brightness to it in the beginning that then just mellows and blends into this creamy sort of mocha type experience. Rooster [00:20:56] It hits like every part of your tongue. Bam Bam [00:20:58] You see that? Pagoda [00:20:59] Exactly what it is. Yeah. Chef Ricky [00:20:59] It's very count... Countersque. Bam Bam [00:21:01] You found a cigar. Gizmo [00:21:02] This absolutely punching me in the face with flavor. Pagoda [00:21:05] Yeah. No. It is. It's Gizmo [00:21:07] it's how... And I completely agree with you guys. Obviously, was talking, so you guys were smoking while I was yapping. But getting back into it now, I completely agree. I think this is one of the best cigars we've had on this podcast in a long time. Rooster [00:21:20] And how good is the aroma of the foot? Senator [00:21:22] It's amazing. Pagoda [00:21:23] It's so dope. I mean, it's creamy. Yeah. Bam Bam [00:21:25] It's very subtle and silky. Senator [00:21:27] No harshness at The only frustrating thing to me is the fact that this is Price, $50? No. No. Forget the price. I'm even on board with the price Rooster [00:21:37] right now. Wow. Senator [00:21:37] That's how good this is. Bam Bam [00:21:39] Well, it's like caviar. Rooster [00:21:40] It's It's $300 an ounce. Senator [00:21:46] My only frustration is the fact that this is just like a retail exclusive. Gizmo [00:21:50] Yeah. Senator [00:21:53] This should be a regular production cigar. Pagoda [00:21:55] Yeah. Senator [00:21:55] This is better than that Davidoff Royale, than any of this higher priced crap that they've been putting out. This... I would absolutely pursue this already. We're not even through the first third, and I'm this like... Gizmo [00:22:09] I honestly, I don't remember the last time I've seen you this amped up about us. Yeah. Rooster [00:22:13] Yeah. I'm sorry, but they're sold out. Bam Bam [00:22:17] By you. Gizmo [00:22:20] Yeah, this is spectacular. Rooster [00:22:22] How beautiful is the wrapper too? It's got a nice sheen to it. Bam Bam [00:22:27] It's a color. Rooster [00:22:29] Color is nice, deep, rich brown. Senator [00:22:33] I just don't get it. I mean, clearly, someone can blend a Davidoff. If they can make this, why can't they do that Gizmo [00:22:38] with the other stuff? Chef Ricky [00:22:39] I think we need to send them a voice memo. Pagoda [00:22:43] I'm sure they have just a Small Batch Bam Bam [00:22:45] of these Pagoda [00:22:45] leaves or something. Gizmo [00:22:46] Who knows? Or they just, you know, they just hit the jackpot on this one. I don't know. Bam Bam [00:22:50] Yeah, this is crazy. Gizmo [00:22:51] On the blend, mean, about how many we've talked about, how many we've had. Think about their new key release, the Puro Dominicano, that we did on this podcast. Disaster. And everybody around the internet is in agreement. I haven't seen one person celebrate that cigar in an authentic way, you know? It's very interesting. Senator [00:23:12] You know what series this would be perfect in? The chef's edition. Gizmo [00:23:15] That's what, yeah. Senator [00:23:16] Mean, I described it as a meal. We're talking about it hitting every single part of your palate. If this was a chef's edition cigar, I mean, my god. We would Rooster [00:23:24] load up on these. Make this into a Churchill and put it out. Senator [00:23:28] Size... I mean, this is not a size I normally pursue, but the performance is so extraordinary. I'm good with this just as it is. I wouldn't change a thing. Bam Bam [00:23:37] You have to say, though, that the vitola isn't very... There isn't much value because of what you're you're paying for. $50 for this That's Rooster [00:23:44] what I'm saying, Gizmo [00:23:44] to bake this into Senator [00:23:45] a Churchill. Gizmo [00:23:46] Davidoff sells Robustos Pagoda [00:23:47] for I know, $50 Maduro. Chef Ricky [00:23:48] This is Pagoda [00:23:48]

bigger than the Maduro. Bam Bam [00:23:49] Yeah. I understand. Senator [00:23:50] And the Royal Robusto is over $50. Bam Bam [00:23:53] And I haven't gone anywhere near those cigars because of the pricing. Rooster [00:23:56] Those are like 80 to 100. Bam Bam [00:23:57] Yeah. They're stupid. It's just, a shame. Rooster [00:24:01] But this is such a rich experience. Pagoda [00:24:03] Russel, let's corner the market. Rooster [00:24:05] Yeah, I don't... It's already done. Senator [00:24:10] Pagoda doesn't even realize he's out. Pagoda [00:24:12] I'm not out. I don't see this as Bam Bam [00:24:15] a rich cigar though. It's a supple, But the flavor is... It's supple, it's subtle, it's creamy, it's silky and velvety, and Chef Ricky [00:24:25] it's like sweet cream now. It's rich, but not heavy. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. I'm getting rich flavors and everything you described is a rich flavor. Gizmo [00:24:32] Is not... Pagoda [00:24:33] I guess that's right. Rooster [00:24:33] This is Gizmo [00:24:34] a cigar that someone who's been smoking for just a little while can have that kind of like, Oh my God. Moment with a cigar. This could really do it for them. We are in the room right now, Bam Bam [00:24:45] but I Gizmo [00:24:46] think this is a very accessible cigar. I don't think you need a ton of experience to appreciate what's going on here. Bam Bam [00:24:52] What do you think of the retrohale? Gizmo [00:24:53] I love it. Right? Senator [00:24:55] Yeah, it's beautiful. Outrageous. Gizmo [00:24:57] It's amazing. Senator [00:24:58] Pagoda and I were just saying the same thing. Yeah. Pagoda [00:24:59] It's incredible. Correct. My nose is blocked, my sinuses are broken, but yeah, I could retrohale. So what are you experiencing, the retro? Gizmo [00:25:09] Little bit of spice there. Bam Bam [00:25:11] I think it's every, I don't know. Gizmo [00:25:12] Just a touch. Bam Bam [00:25:12] Not for me. Gizmo [00:25:13] Like a bakery spice? Pagoda [00:25:14] So it's kind of like a biscuity thing for me on Bam Bam [00:25:18] the retro with, it's like a graham... A touch Gizmo [00:25:22] of a... Bam Bam [00:25:22] A very subtle graham cracker with cream on top. Chef Ricky [00:25:25] Biscuit, graham cracker, slight nuttiness is what I'm getting. I could see... I see your your spice almost like a very faint cinnamon. Cinnamon. Gizmo [00:25:34] Cinnamon. That's it. Rooster [00:25:35] A bit of spice. Chef Ricky [00:25:36] That's it. I see that for sure, but it's not like in the front. Gizmo [00:25:40] But when you do that, it's so interesting when you put the Pagoda [00:25:42] You. Bam Bam [00:25:43] You found a cigar. Gizmo [00:25:45] This room's amped up tonight. I know. When you put the smoke through the nose, it almost highlights the front of the tongue. It's very interesting what it's doing. Bam Bam [00:25:54] It's incredible. Gizmo [00:25:55] It's like it's really a wild experience here. It's like you're getting Pagoda [00:25:59] a divorce of smoke. Pretty much. Chef Ricky [00:26:01] Yeah. It's like the roof of your mouth becomes an extension of your palate. It's insane. Pagoda [00:26:06] True. Yeah, but you know, it's like one of those few cigars which envelopes the whole. Like the tongue and top, correct? Rooster [00:26:14] But every single note that you're getting from this cigar is pleasant, it's delicious, and it's like there's nothing offensive. There's not a single note that you don't like from this Bam Bam [00:26:27] cigar. I enjoyed that pepper. Rooster [00:26:29] Yeah. And now it's... It is getting a little sweeter for me. Bam Bam [00:26:33] Yeah. It's heading there for me too. Senator [00:26:35] Everything's in perfect harmony Bam Bam [00:26:37] Correct. Senator [00:26:37] Flavor wise. Correct. Oh, Jesus, chef. Bam Bam [00:26:40] You gotta get up? Chef Ricky [00:26:42] This pairing. Oh. It's... Sorry. Gizmo [00:26:45] Do you Senator [00:26:45] see why I said you need to take a sip? Chef Ricky [00:26:46] I had to drink something because I... My... I've... I had a frog voice. Senator [00:26:50] Can I go to lead a sip in my spirit? This is taking too long. Gizmo [00:26:52] I had a frog in my throat, Chef Ricky [00:26:53] and I had nothing to sip on that wasn't the What Pagoda [00:26:56] was I saying? And now to the spirit, please. Gizmo [00:27:00] Sorry, boys. Let's go to the pairing. We are off the rails tonight. We have an interesting one. We have the Glenlivet twelve years aged single malt scotch whiskey, the Jamaica edition Treasure Beach. Chef Ricky [00:27:14] Wow. Very exciting. I'm... I I feel that. I'm getting that. Gizmo [00:27:17] Is out of the rum cask selection Pagoda [00:27:19] Yeah. Chef Ricky [00:27:20] From Glenlivet. Bam Bam [00:27:21] So the aroma is pretty intoxicated. Pagoda [00:27:23] Oh, yeah. Chef Ricky [00:27:23] Dude, the palate for me is ripe peach, coconut, pineapple. Gizmo [00:27:29] The nose smells like a rum runner. Chef Ricky [00:27:30] Oh my God. Gizmo [00:27:33] Don't know. When you're at the beach and you get a nice Bam Bam [00:27:35] I wonder if this is aged any rum cask of any Gizmo [00:27:37] It is rum Yeah. Cask, Senator [00:27:38] Unless that's aged in Jamaican rum cask. Pagoda [00:27:40] So that Bam Bam [00:27:40] explains the aroma. Gizmo [00:27:41] Does my mic come through your headphones? Bam Bam [00:27:43] He just said it for the first time. Rooster [00:27:46] Need another nap. Pagoda [00:27:47] It's subliminal. Don't worry. Subliminal. Cheers. Gizmo [00:27:51] Cheers, boys. Pagoda [00:27:51] Cheers, folks. Happy birthday. Alright. Rooster [00:27:55] Nice to see Pagoda's ash on the table this time. Pagoda [00:27:57] Yeah. By the way, thought somebody would notice earlier because the funny part was actually chef said something about ash, and I said, yeah, there's a lot of ash on the table. Bam Bam [00:28:07] How easy is that shit to drink? How Fucking easy is that?

Wow. Senator [00:28:12] This bottle is gonna be gone. Gizmo [00:28:15] And guess how much it is? $42. 54. MSRP. Wow. I got it for 45. Bam Bam [00:28:21] And how many years? Senator [00:28:22] Twelve. Twelve. Rooster [00:28:23] At the same price as the cigar. Bam Bam [00:28:25] That's outrageous. Pagoda [00:28:26] Less? That is Gizmo [00:28:27] I got this for less than the cigar. Senator [00:28:29] That's unreal. I'm also going to now gush and make a bold statement. We primarily drink rum on a daily basis with our cigars. Yep. This is the one single malt that I would immediately put into my rotation. It drinks like a rum. The flavor, again, hits every part of your palate. It's smooth yet still rich and full bodied almost as a spirit. It's outstanding. Gizmo [00:29:05] Are are we back on Rooster [00:29:06] the good shit? Giving me fucking goosebumps. Good, man. Bam Bam [00:29:08] This is crazy. Gizmo [00:29:09] What's going on tonight? Pagoda [00:29:10] So what I get in this that I don't get Bam Bam [00:29:12] in rum is there is... The finish has a fruit finish for me, and it's kind of... It's weird. It's I'm getting like a pineapple, just a faint pineapple. Chef Ricky [00:29:19] Pineapple coconut peach is what I'm getting. Bam Bam [00:29:22] And it's very faint though. It just develops and But then it's not a super strong long finish, but it's there. Chef Ricky [00:29:29] It's an aromatic almost. It's almost as if you were to retrohale Bam Bam [00:29:33] the way. Chef Ricky [00:29:33] Correct. But Bam Bam [00:29:34] the sweetness in this is just enough. It's not too sweet. Beautifully balanced. Chef Ricky [00:29:38] This thing is perfect now, but in the summertime? Bam Bam [00:29:41] Oh yeah. Oh, Senator [00:29:43] anytime. That's great. Yeah. Morning, evening. Winter, summer. Summer, spring, Chef Ricky [00:29:48] while you sleep. In the shower. Senator [00:29:50] In an IV drip. Pagoda [00:29:52] Maybe that's what we should start doing, looking for whiskeys which are aged in some rum. Rooster [00:29:58] Just so looking something. We've Senator [00:29:59] done that. Yeah. Mean, we're being cast Anything Gizmo [00:30:03] that says rum on it in a spirit that we like, you know, we're often reaching for that just to see how the But marriage this is really nice. Pagoda [00:30:13] Yeah. Is it... Is this at two fiftieth? Like, no. Bam Bam [00:30:15] I'm just kidding. Rooster [00:30:16] It feels like it. Gizmo [00:30:17] It feels like we're, like, on a real party the last few weeks. But... So, boys, this Jamaica edition Treasure Beach was launched in October 25, a year ago effectively. And what they say here, they were seeking new dimensions of refinement on their spirit, taking inspirations from Treasure Beach, Jamaica on their... On its enchanting South Coast where the Caribbean Sea meets the golden sands. The scent of coconut lingers in the air, a rich tapestry of sights and sounds captivates you. So they aged this after twelve years. They aged it. They finished it in casks that previously held Jamaican rum. I'll give you some of the notes that they say we should be expecting on the nose. Vibrant tropical aromas of fresh mango and pineapple with hints of coconut beautifully balanced with a burst of green apple. On the palate, fruity, sweet flavor notes of juicy pineapple complemented with rich vanilla and toffee. This... Chef Ricky [00:31:16] I don't know how many of you guys have... Maybe have had this in the past, but in The Caribbean, almost anywhere in The Caribbean, I'd say the number one soda is probably, you know, obviously Coke maybe, but number two, it's something called Cola and it's spelled Cola Champagne. Senator [00:31:31] Oh my God. Yeah. Jamaica. That's huge. Chef Ricky [00:31:33] Yeah. So Jamaica, Puerto Rico, the DR, Haiti, all over The Caribbean, Cola Champagne or Cola Champagne. That's what this tastes like. Senator [00:31:41] That's actually really funny. Chef Ricky [00:31:43] Yeah. It's like a very, very almost whiskey equivalent of to that flavor profile. Just all those bright flavors but like in a cola. It's really good. And even the color of this almost resembles that too. Bam Bam [00:31:56] What's the ABV on Gizmo [00:32:00] this? 40. Pagoda [00:32:01] Okay. 80 proof. Right on the mark. Bam Bam [00:32:04] Yes. Super easy. Senator [00:32:05] I've said this before, Glenlivet never gets the credit it deserves. Gizmo [00:32:10] And by the way, on this podcast, it has. Senator [00:32:12] Oh, on this pod? Yes. I mean outside of us. Yes. It just... Like, this is for twelve year... I can't remember the last time we were this excited about a Gizmo [00:32:21] twelve year single malt scotch. It is $50. Crazy. Bam Bam [00:32:24] Exquisite. It's just amazing. Gizmo [00:32:29] Almost drinking it like I do at Rum Runner. That's a problem. Bam Bam [00:32:31] Yeah. You can drink this all night long. Rooster [00:32:33] Yeah. Easy. Pagoda [00:32:34] Yeah. All night long. Rooster [00:32:40] Man, now I want a cola champagne. You have one. You almost don't want the cigar to end. Senator [00:32:48] I'm already thinking about it. I want a second one after this. Bam Bam [00:32:50] So easy to go through it. Pagoda [00:32:52] I do have three in the locker. Rooster [00:32:54] Nice. Perfect. Dibster. Shotgun. Senator [00:32:56] Alright, those are gone. Pagoda [00:32:57] What are the bets? Bam Bam [00:32:58] Were the Pagoda [00:32:59] beds? The minimum Oh, 100? One Chef Ricky [00:33:03] isn't that always the case? Yeah. Rooster [00:33:04] I got a box at home. Just came yesterday. Bam Bam [00:33:07] Nice. Pagoda [00:33:08] By the way, I'm getting five of those. I already Chef Ricky [00:33:10] So Rooster's deck after the recording. I can't hear you. Gizmo [00:33:15] Go ahead, Giz. Get back to the show? Go ahead. Chef Ricky [00:33:18] Alright. Back to Cuban news. Gizmo [00:33:22] So, boys, Perez Carrillo has announced that they

are releasing a pledge purple in Robusto. Pagoda [00:33:28] I'd love that. Gizmo [00:33:29] So we loved the pledge purple cigar here on the podcast, and they are releasing a 52 box pressed Robusto by five and one quarter inches long. Pricing is set at $16.50 per cigar. So it's the same blend as the other sizes in the line. Connecticut grown Havana seed wrapper from Dunn & Foster, if you remember, Dunn & Foster band on it coming from the same crop used for the cigars in the original pledges debut line in 2020. That's the one one cigar of the year. Underneath that wrapper is a Mexican binder and fillers from Nicaragua's Condega, Esteli, and Ometepe regions. So this is the second size for pledge purple joining the 54 by six Toro that we did on the pod. So I'm interested to do that. I really enjoyed that cigar. I've smoked a few of them. I bought a box after we reviewed it. I've smoked a few since. Bam Bam [00:34:23] They're great. Gizmo [00:34:23] And I think as they're sitting, they're really, really very nice gelling. And it's it's a really good cigar. So I'm looking forward to trying that. Another one. I know this one's going to get exciting for you guys. And I have some other angles I want to talk to you about. But La Flor Dominicana has announced that they are shipping the tenth anniversary Maduro wrapped Andalusian Bull. What? So they're celebrating ten years of the Andalusian Bull, and they are releasing a cigar in the same perfecto shape, '52 up to '64 by six and a half. And they're taking what was the Ecuadorian wrapper. They're replacing it with a Connecticut broadleaf wrapper. Underneath is tobacco grown on the company's farm in La Canela, Dominican Republic from a 2016 harvest. Bam Bam [00:35:13] Do we know how much they are? Gizmo [00:35:14] $35 a cigar, Bam. Bam Bam [00:35:16] Okay. Gizmo [00:35:16] 10 count boxes coming in at $350 a box. They have limited the production to 5,000 boxes. So I found that interesting. Maybe it's because of the tobacco being ten years old, there's a limited quantity of it. Bam Bam [00:35:31] Or maybe it's because the cigar did so horribly on their podcast and they heard that, limiting the run. Gizmo [00:35:37] Didn't it win Cigar of the Year, I think? Yes. I don't think they're having problems selling Bam Bam [00:35:41] I do wanna try that cigar though. In the Maduro, it could be amazing. Gizmo [00:35:46] Oh, it's Rooster [00:35:46] gonna be so different. Bam Bam [00:35:47] You never know. Gizmo [00:35:48] So on the podcast here, it did not perform very well. I mean, this is a very polarizing cigar. Think in the cigar community, folks chase them. They're often not available. I kind of view it almost like I do Opus X in a way limited quantity people chase them around. Obviously, there's only one Vitola here in the Andalusian Bull, but now you'll be able to get the Maduro. So comes in a very cool box. Lid kind of opens the middle two thirds kind of pops up and then the edges remain closed. It's an interesting presentation on the box, but only 5,000 boxes. I was really surprised to see that number. Gizmo [00:36:22] It seems a little low given the success. I think this is probably the early front runner for cigar of the year next year for Cigar Aficionado. So with that being said, I I just wanted to talk a little bit about Cigar Aficionado for a second because in a span of twenty four hours, they've they've really confused me. So for the first time as I saw, they put up an article teasing that La Flor Dominicana was about to announce a Maduro Andalusian Bull, and then they sent an email out. Right? I've never seen them do before. They didn't do that for the Padron sixtieth. They didn't do that for any other big release, but they're, like, teasing the announcement of the cigar coming out. Right? So they do all that. Gizmo [00:37:05] Then I go on Instagram same day and I see that they're running an AI generated ad on their Instagram account for some retailer I've never heard of. Like people paying them to access their Instagram account and then they're using AI slop to create this ad or whatever. And people are blasting it, I think, the point where Cigar Aficionado actually took this ad down. And then, either the same day or the next, I get an email from them. This is a sponsored message from our partner, Allegiance Gold. And I'm reading a Cigar Aficionado email where they're pimping Allegiance Gold gold IRAs. What? How about annuities? You can get your free gold IRA guide. Bam Bam [00:37:55] Oh, boy. That's that's not good. Senator [00:37:57] Oh, I already have one Rooster [00:37:58] of those. Senator [00:37:58] I'll lend you mine. Gizmo [00:38:00] But I'm just Bam Bam [00:38:01] shocked that Gizmo [00:38:02] this is the... What's supposed to be the, call it the behemoth, the pinnacle, the top. This this is the the top of the media industry here for cigars, and they are engaging in AI. They're selling their Instagram platform for AI ads, and then they're sending out gold IRA guides to their mailing list for people who've signed up for Cigar Insider and Cigar Inspector and just CA updates. Am I crazy or is this weird? Bam Bam [00:38:32] It's not good. Gizmo [00:38:33] You sound very upset. I'm irritated because I I see what the influencers and what other media are doing and what other people are doing out there where they're taking advantage of the gift that people have given them of their attention. People have purchased Cigar Aficionado subscriptions, signed up for their mailing list, went to the website, put their email in, and now they're getting junk. They went and followed them on Instagram. They're getting junk. And I expect this from the losers on Instagram that just make AI every day and are looking for some sort of fake attention, but this is Cigar Aficionado. It doesn't get higher than Cigar Aficionado in this industry. Correct. Am I crazy? No. No. And I think that they should be held to the highest standard. If

they're going go around and they are the god of the cigars... Rooster [00:39:24] Like what, they can't use AI? Dude, it was bad. Gizmo [00:39:27] And then they're selling that space? Bam Bam [00:39:29] So I can buy my cigar and sign up for an IRA. Gizmo [00:39:32] Anyway, I'm irritated with Cigar Aficionado again. They were on my good side for a minute, but I'm not happy about this. I think that they should be held to a higher standard, and I think they should be doing better. And whatever's going on over there, I don't know if they're having revenue problems or something, but the idea that they're doing all this stuff is very, very odd to me. And, you know, I think really unfair to their consumers. I'll give you another one now, boys. This one's interesting, and this brings up a question I have for you. So a gentleman, 60 year old Cuban born Spanish guy was traveling by bus toward Paris out of Spain, and authorities reportedly found 997 cigars carrying Habanos branding in its luggage, including names such as Cohiba, Montecristo and Partagás. The cigars were divided into 40 bundles and were transported loose in transparent plastic packaging, not in their original boxes. Okay? Senator [00:40:35] Sounds familiar. Gizmo [00:40:37] Authorities valued the cigars at €230,000 based on legal market prices, pricing these cigars in almost €230 per cigar, which is crazy. Right? So they're saying that he's going through not declaring that amount of cigars. But here's the thing. The cigars might not be real. They might Rooster [00:41:00] be fake cigars. Most definitely. So Gizmo [00:41:05] if you're him, you think these cigars are real that you're buying. Mhmm. How do you... Like, you gotta get out of these duties and the value here. I mean, they're gonna crush this guy on duties for these cigars, but if they're not real Habanos, like, I would be pushing for that angle to try to convince them that they're not real. Yeah. Can you imagine being caught with all those cigars and they say, you owe us a vig on $230,000? Senator [00:41:32] Yeah. This isn't Cuban customs, Giz. Gizmo [00:41:34] No. It is not. But if it's not real, how can they charge it? Bam Bam [00:41:40] Correct. Senator [00:41:41] I'm not sure that it matters that it's real. Gizmo [00:41:45] You're saying the intention matters. Senator [00:41:46] I don't even think it's the... The intention, I don't know if it's the right word. I think it's basically what happened at the point of sale. So if he purchased them at a value of that, it really doesn't matter whether they're real or fake. It matters that he transacted x dollars to purchase those, and that is therefore their value, whether they're real or not. That's what he paid, and therefore he owes whatever VAT based on that. Pagoda [00:42:14] No. But the thing is then, at point of sale, they would charge you the VAT. Gizmo [00:42:19] So he must have bought them underground or something. So... On the black market. Do they charge Rooster [00:42:24] you VAT in Cuba? Pagoda [00:42:26] No. This is in Paris. Right? Rooster [00:42:28] No. No. He bought it. In Spain. Gizmo [00:42:30] He No. No. He was in Spain. Senator [00:42:31] But all I'm saying is if they didn't charge the VAT at the point of sale, like, they can have him... Make him produce some kind of proof of payment. Right? Like, there's gonna be a a charge on a debit, a credit card, his bank account, something, or even if he says he paid cash, okay, then contact the retailer, whoever he got them from. What did he pay for these? And whatever that number is, it really doesn't matter whether they're real or fake. It's what he paid, and therefore, what VAT he owes that was not paid on that. Gizmo [00:42:59] But he... He's a Cuban national. He was a Cuban born. I don't... I think that's irrelevant to the story. I don't... They didn't say anything about where it came from. They didn't say if he was in Cuba or whatever. Senator [00:43:08] Yeah, rooster, no racial profiling. Bam Bam [00:43:10] He say Irrelevant, rooster. Pagoda [00:43:14] You know, it should not be a big deal. Was going from Barcelona to Amsterdam once, and by bus. I had no money. Like, this is what I'm talking about. Gizmo [00:43:22] He's going by bus too. Pagoda [00:43:23] When I was a kid, they stopped the bus. Rooster [00:43:24] It was the same bus. Pagoda [00:43:25] And in those days, no, in those days they used to be more concerned about hash being transported. Now they're concerned about cigars. Gizmo [00:43:34] Yeah, tobacco. Pagoda [00:43:34] What the hell's going on? Let it be. Just How let it Rooster [00:43:38] many pounds of hash do Bam Bam [00:43:40] you have on you? Rooster [00:43:40] And did you pay the VAT on it? Pagoda [00:43:43] Just found two suitcases of hash. They were two young guys. Rooster [00:43:46] They're probably hash browns. Pagoda [00:43:47] Oh, by way, that story is a bit scarier because what had happened is we had, we were eating lunch on the bus, it was a lot of meat, it was a lot of lamb and goat, like I think it was goat. And what happened is they stopped the bus, and in came in like five or six Doberman, huge. And we said... So we had no idea what the hell is going on. I said, damn, we are fucked. Rooster [00:44:15] Because you ate all the meat. Yeah. So we are Pagoda [00:44:17] like more concerned about that. We don't realize that they'd stop the bastard cats and they found these two suit... Two kids of hash. Wow. And nobody would own up to them. Wow. And I said, oh my lord, two Indian kids and I'm talking about like 25 ago, that we are done. Gizmo [00:44:34] Pagoda always has a custom story, doesn't he? Bam Bam [00:44:38] Correct. Gizmo [00:44:39] So I'm curious how this is gonna wrap up for this guy. I mean, 60 years old. That's a lot of money. I mean, I feel bad for him. Hopefully, they let him off with Rooster [00:44:46] a Yeah. But what what do you think? I mean, do you think those are real?

Gizmo [00:44:49] No. There's no way. Senator [00:44:51] No. They're probably not. Just saying I don't think that matters from a legal standpoint. It's just what did you pay for them? Rooster [00:44:56] But if if these are fake cigars, he can't prove he he he probably paid cash. Doesn't He have a receipt. How do you pay Gizmo [00:45:04] you have to somehow produce how much he Senator [00:45:06] paid even in cash. Rooster [00:45:07] How would he prove that? Gizmo [00:45:09] I think they're just saying what they think the value of the cigars are. Pay the tax. Pagoda [00:45:13] I'll just lead the cigar. Senator [00:45:14] But that's on him. Right? So their assumption is gonna be that it's real. So if he can't produce something that proves what he paid, then they're going to value it based on the market value. That's on him. You're supposed to get a receipt for all this stuff. I mean, we know when we're in Cuba, get a factura. You have to show what you paid and that tax was paid on it. Rooster [00:45:31] So they're gonna confiscate the cigars. Think that's Senator [00:45:34] most Well, if he doesn't pay the Gizmo [00:45:36] VAT, then that's what's gonna happen. Yeah. But he's he's also definitely gonna be fined too just for doing it, you know, and not declaring them. So interesting. I thought that was wild. I mean, no boxes in plastic bags. I mean, how do you value that? I think they're really just going from probably the top line of what they've seen on some of these cigars and applying that to everything. But, you know, not a great situation for this guy. Pagoda [00:45:57] They should let the guy go, and they should not make it to the news. Correct. Gizmo [00:46:00] Next. So boys, we've come to the end of the first third on the Davidoff Maxamar twenty fifth anniversary paired with this Glenlivet 12 years aged Jamaica edition, the Treasure Beach. How's everything working for you guys? I think the energy in the room speaks for itself. I think everybody's really enjoying the pairing. What's everybody's thoughts? Bam Bam [00:46:22] Cigar is delicious. Rooster [00:46:23] It's orgasmic. Yeah. It's it's Chef Ricky [00:46:25] so good. My ash is still holding on. And it looks like it has Cheese. Gizmo [00:46:29] Yeah. Chef has about, what, two inches, inch and a half? Bam Bam [00:46:32] Yeah. Inch and three quarter. Gizmo [00:46:34] Okay. Thank you. Pause. Bam Bam [00:46:35] Pause. Accuracy matters. Gizmo [00:46:39] Senator, where are you at right now in the in the cigar? Rooster [00:46:44] Why are we playing crickets? I Gizmo [00:46:46] don't know. Bam Bam [00:46:46] I like it. Senator [00:46:48] Bam is bad from a soundboard. Gizmo [00:46:50] I have the crickets over here Chef Ricky [00:46:52] if you really Bam Bam [00:46:52] want them. Yeah. Alright. Here they are. Here you go. Gizmo [00:46:56] Anyway, senator, where are you at in the cigar right now? What... How's it doing? Senator [00:46:59] I have not a single complaint. Pagoda [00:47:01] Mhmm. Senator [00:47:02] Not one. I I love this cigar. I... I'm just shocked. In my wildest dreams, I did not imagine I could feel this strongly about a Davidoff in this day and age. Bam Bam [00:47:14] That's correct. Rooster [00:47:15] It's surprising that this cigar just came out last year. Yeah. That they're capable of making this, and yet they can't come out with such mediocre Bam Bam [00:47:24] Their standard production's awful. Yeah. Pagoda [00:47:29] Listen. They're hits and misses. Gizmo [00:47:30] But you know what too? Maybe It's mostly misses. Maybe the the Maxamar Small Batch guys, maybe Andrew and his team, you know, they may be just tougher critics when those blends come in of what they want and don't want. I mean, maybe they just Rooster [00:47:44] They must have had a huge input into what they wanna put out. Gizmo [00:47:49] I think so. I mean, look at Avowed, right? Is an option. Rooster [00:47:52] Or if they Senator [00:47:52] have some new guy blending these retail exclusive editions that aren't involved with the other stuff, and if that's the case, put that person on Gizmo [00:48:02] everything else, Senator [00:48:03] because whoever blended this cigar did an outstanding job. Bam Bam [00:48:08] Put them in the factory. Boy. Chef Ricky [00:48:09] Lost it. Rooster [00:48:10] Oh. To me, this tastes like an Eladio Díaz cigar. Yeah. Gizmo [00:48:14] This is the closest, I think, to what we remember of Davidoff when we first met at North Korea. This is, I think, what... It's as close to that memory as we've had maybe since those early days. It's like the best off to Rooster [00:48:32] have it off. You know? That's what this tastes like. Gizmo [00:48:35] It's really good. Alright, boys. Let's go now to some listener email. We're gonna start with one, a follow-up here from our friend Lizards Scott, wrote in a couple weeks ago. He said, good afternoon again, gentlemen. Thank you again for answering my questions and adding to a list of tips to get me up to speed. I had written about being interested in the cigar industry as a career. I thought I would follow it up with some details. So remember he asked about getting started, growing tobacco, blending, all those things. Right? He said, I'm in my mid forties, and I'm a father. Obviously, supporting my family is a priority, so anything I do has to make financial sense. But I'm not expecting to become rich. I've been in the restaurant business as a chef since I was 13 years old. A small shop that opened up during the boom got me interested in cigars. Gizmo [00:49:25] We visited it regularly as it was next to our dry cleaners. The chef owner of the restaurant I worked at got very interested in cigars thanks to that shop owner. He then started smoking every Saturday at the bar, purchased a humidor, and sold cigars at the restaurant. I've since been a weekend celebration holiday smoker. And recently, about a year and a half ago, our town smoke shop that

had a nice selection of cigars got caught selling things that are not cigars, shall I say. I refuse to support them and have since gone down a very enjoyable road of learning and tasting a lot more. I have Connecticut broadleaf and Criollo plants growing on my property and plan on growing more again next season. Ideally, I would like to be a part of the blending process and eventually have my own marca. Moving outside The US is not off the table. I think it's best to get into retail to start so I learn and understand every aspect of the industry, hence, growing my own tobacco. Gizmo [00:50:22] I've been popping into my very few retail shops regularly and even out to Pennsylvania to see what's around. Sorry for the long winded response, but this should give you better understanding of where I'm coming from and what I'm looking for. Thanks again, Rooster [00:50:35] Lizards Scott. Does he mention where Gizmo [00:50:38] he is? He does not mention where he is. He did say that he goes to Pennsylvania, so I would imagine he's somewhere East Of The Mississippi, let's say. That would be my thinking here in The US. Bam Bam [00:50:49] I think he's a South Jersey guy. Okay. My guess. Gizmo [00:50:54] I think, you know, again, I think that we talked about this before, not to be a... Not to poo poo his idea here, but I think that to take something you love this much and then to try to turn it into something that is a profitable business for your family and yourself, even if it's just a slight profit. I mean, it just seems like such an uphill battle. Bam Bam [00:51:18] Correct. Pagoda [00:51:19] Please, this is a man with a dream, let him pursue it. Gizmo [00:51:23] I'm not telling him not to, I'm just There presenting Bam Bam [00:51:26] are a lot of individuals that go down to the DR and meet a blender, they purchase services to build out a line of cigars for themselves. He can do that to start. Rooster [00:51:42] That's probably the way to do it. Instead of growing your own tobacco in The US, the conditions are not favorable. Bam Bam [00:51:50] No. And the backyard isn't enough. You can be involved in the blending. Rooster [00:51:55] Well, you don't know how many acreage he has. Gizmo [00:51:57] That's true. I just think you need to be as educated and experienced as you can be. I mean, if you're in a position where you can open a retail shop and make that successful, have a lounge, you know, provide a really great hospitality experience, that's where I would start. Bam Bam [00:52:11] Me too. Gizmo [00:52:12] Yeah. If I was him, I would start with a space that's reasonable, inviting, get in the hospitality mentality, and then if you're so fortunate, get into the blending by offering, you know, a house cigar. Bam Bam [00:52:24] Well, he's You Gizmo [00:52:24] blend and you get into, and then maybe you go from there if you have success with it. Bam Bam [00:52:27] He's a chef. Yeah. He works in a restaurant, presumably. Right? Yes. Can't they have a little annex retail cigar lounge type of thing in that restaurant? It'd be pretty amazing. Gizmo [00:52:38] It's a good question. I don't know regulatory wise where he's at Bam Bam [00:52:41] or I understand. What those Gizmo [00:52:42] rules Bam Bam [00:52:42] Of course, but that would be the ultimate start. Pagoda [00:52:45] Yeah, but I think he's thinking about it the right way, except I don't know about growing leaves. My thought is he could easily go to the DR or Nicaragua and get one of the factories to blend a cigar. Chef Ricky [00:52:56] I fully support him growing leaves, not for his own retail you know, but just for the knowledge. Yeah. For the knowledge, the experience. Mhmm. Anything he could use to back up whatever he's going to pursue is is a great thing. But, yeah, I agree. Unless he has significant acreage and maybe even greenhouses to just kind of get the conditions favorable enough, Rooster [00:53:21] he won't have a shot. Bam Bam [00:53:22] Anybody getting cocoa on their cigar right now? Chef Ricky [00:53:25] Early on. It Bam Bam [00:53:26] is ridiculous how much cocoa I'm getting. I'm moving into a phase where it's very chocolatey and still very creamy. It's unbelievable. Senator [00:53:37] I have to put mine down. I'll take it. I'm serious. Bam Bam [00:53:41] What? I Senator [00:53:42] can't keep drawing on the cigar. It's the only way I can stop my cigar. I literally had to put it down because I just can't stop. Bam Bam [00:53:48] You and Rooster are very... And chef. Actually, all of you fuckers. I'm blasting through this thing. I can't help it. Chef Ricky [00:53:54] It's good cigar. You're the new one that napped Bam Bam [00:53:56] before the pod. Yes. Rooster [00:53:58] So you're well you're well rested. Gizmo [00:54:01] Alright, boys. Let's go to another one now. This one is from our friend Johnny the Greek. Subject line, has my palate become middle management? He says, hey, boys. Is an educated palate always a blessing? When I started smoking cigars, my vocabulary was, I like this and give me another. Now I'm questioning fermentation and conducting an exit interview with the final third. My relaxation acquired a quality control department. I love that knowledge gives us more to appreciate, but do we sometimes let discernment become a habit of finding fault or let someone else's opinion interrupt our own enjoyment? Someone gives your favorite a six, and suddenly you owe the room an explanation. This happens with wine, food, and music too. Maybe wisdom is knowing when to let your expertise take the evening off. So, boys, when does analysis add to the pleasure, and when does it get in the way? What cigar do you still love without feeling the need to defend it? Gizmo [00:55:04] Warm regards, Johnny the Greek. I love this email. Great email. Pagoda [00:55:08] Yeah. Didn't we talk about analysis paralysis last time? Gizmo [00:55:12] We never said that on No? Chef Ricky [00:55:14] Ever. That was

your exit interview. Alright. Gizmo [00:55:16] I mean, we talked about palate and, you know Pagoda [00:55:19] Yeah. Overanalyzing. Bam Bam [00:55:20] I will say, in this club and a lot of clubs, herd mentality does take over a little bit. I think that's a problem overall. If you like a cigar and he doesn't like it, that's just your opinion, and you're allowed to like that cigar. Senator [00:55:34] You've been told that very loudly, Bev, before. Me? That's just your opinion? Pagoda [00:55:40] Correct. Bam Bam [00:55:44] That was a fucking great night. Gizmo [00:55:47] Think, listen, I think you need to be able to turn the microscope on and off, and I think we're a fairly we do a fairly good job of that. I mean, I don't think when we're sitting around together in most scenarios outside of this room, I don't think that we're we've got that analysis paralysis type of thing. Chef Ricky [00:56:06] So, you know, a lot of times, people cook for me, Oh, they're nervous because they're cooking for a chef. We love nothing more than this. I mean, we want it to taste good, and most people that offer to cook or offer to feed you do make good food, right? Maybe it's not high end restaurant level food, but it's still delicious food. Bam's Bolognese. I was waiting Bam Bam [00:56:30] I for was staring right Chef Ricky [00:56:32] He was almost staring at you just so you could, He was queuing it up. But yeah, know, I look, I love when people cook for me and I don't approach those meals with any type of critical lens or anything like that. I'm just appreciative and grateful and that somebody provided something for me to eat and was thoughtful So you say. Cigars are a little bit different, I think, just because we pay for the cigars that we smoke and we buy, and you don't want to put good money into a bad product. So think it's hard to shut it off on the cigar front, but yeah, I have no problem turning it on and off when it's time. Senator [00:57:20] I just think in what you're saying, you have to start by recognizing kinda what you're paying and what that's competing against. Right? Like, you used the example of people, you know, cooking food for you. You know, it's a free meal. Mhmm. Right? So among free meals, how how does this perform? Not among Michelin star restaurant meals and, you know, fine dining and any of that, but among a meal in someone's home, how does this experience kinda stack up in that category? And I think cigars are the same way. You know, I do get frustrated if someone is sitting there and and, you know, has, let's say, tries an $8 cigar and sits and says, oh, well, you know, this is no Davidoff. Senator [00:58:02] This is no Padrón. This... It's not trying to be. So I'm not sure why we're starting by comparing it to a cigar that's worth double or triple or that costs double or triple the price, I think it's just important to, like, start by recognizing what is that category that it is competing within, and then critiquing it based on that. And I think that that's a much more fair way where you don't fall into this trap of being overly critical and demanding things from a product that it is not capable of possibly trying to deliver. Bam Bam [00:58:33] But to counter that, just to touch, where there are cigars that we smoke on a daily basis that are sub $10 that punch way above their category. Senator [00:58:43] And that's fine. But I'm saying doing the reverse is not. Right? So you can't have an $8 Gizmo [00:58:48] cigar dollar cigar. And say Oh, Senator [00:58:50] it doesn't perform like a 30. But I think it's perfectly acceptable to say Bam Bam [00:58:53] Yeah. Senator [00:58:53] This $8 cigar is not only best in its class, I'd put this up against a $30 cigar. That's how much value it's delivering. Bam Bam [00:59:00] And the whole notion of being overly critical outside of this podcast is not always a thing for me personally. Gizmo [00:59:07] It's I'm very rarely as critical as I am or Bam Bam [00:59:11] very critical, but in the club or anywhere else, you know what you're gonna smoke, you know it's gonna be great. Gizmo [00:59:15] To me, but it's also like, you know, when I put a cigar down, it's not overanalyzing. Is this cigar giving me what I need right now? And if I've had it before, is it giving me what I expect or close to it? That's my analysis while I'm smoking outside this room. Maybe given our discussion, you know, a couple weeks ago about pallet stuff and memory and all those things, might be a little different moving forward. But for me, I don't get like this when we're not in Rooster [00:59:42] the room here, you know? But this cigar is giving me everything I need ever. And I can't believe Small Batch has been sitting on this and not like, tell Senator [00:59:53] us, bastards. Tell us. Mean, they did give a box away to our listeners. Gizmo [00:59:57] Yeah. They gave a box away. Rooster [00:59:58] No. I know. But no mention, like, you know, like, they're over sponsors and, Listen. Hey. Try this cigar. They never do Gizmo [01:00:04] our thing, man. They don't interfere. They're great, man. They're they're phenomenal partners. And I'm so glad we're here and not I'm glad we're here not because of them. Right. I'm glad we're here because of that's what I'm shocked about. About. That's of outside of that world. Bam Bam [01:00:19] Getting back to the email. I do enjoy our conversations in the club when we're chatting about a particular cigar and not being overly critical or analytical about guys that are trying it for the first time. It's fun to chat with them about it. That I find very enjoyable. Not being too critical. I want to know what they're getting. Does it match what I'm getting? Is the performance the same? What do they think about the cigar? That's an interesting conversation. But once you get too critical in a social setting, it's not fun to smoke. Senator [01:00:51] Especially when they're smoking a baseball bat. You love those

conversations. Bam Bam [01:00:55] Oh, yeah. Yeah, so that's a problem. You can't Senator [01:00:59] Just for the listener. Chef Ricky [01:01:00] You can't smoke 60 gauge cigar. Rooster [01:01:02] Bam is the one lizard that Senator [01:01:03] is known to sometimes, on Rooster [01:01:05] the wrong day, walk in the club Chef Ricky [01:01:07] I know. Senator [01:01:07] See what someone's smoking and say, that's a shit cigar. Bam Bam [01:01:11] I do have a terrible filter. Rooster [01:01:13] I've seen it. Hey. What... Pagoda [01:01:14] That that listener has never come to the lounge again. Rooster [01:01:17] Correct. Gizmo [01:01:18] Are you serious? Pagoda [01:01:18] Have you seen him? Senator [01:01:19] No. We lost Bam Bam [01:01:20] Not because Chef Ricky [01:01:21] of me. Rooster [01:01:21] Lizard Jeeps. Gizmo [01:01:23] Oh, yeah. Rooster [01:01:24] He hasn't been here in months since Bam literally walked in one night and said, that's a shit cigar. He's... I heard worked out Bam Bam [01:01:30] I heard he's very busy. I Rooster [01:01:34] have no idea who we're talking about. Chef Ricky [01:01:35] It's that time of year where you Bam Bam [01:01:36] see He's selling crumb cakes all over the country. He's too busy. Gizmo [01:01:39] I think, though, you know, here's how I'll answer the question for Lizard Nation, right? If you were to sit with any of us outside of when we're recording, I think you're going to get a much more relaxed analysis of our experience. We're just not like that, I don't think, outside the room. Chef Ricky [01:01:56] Unless you're smoking a 60 ring gauge. Gizmo [01:01:57] Unless you're, yeah, unless BAM comes in hot at you, and then you have to defend yourself. Yeah. You know? Which happens. Bam Bam [01:02:03] Was seen it. Funny. That was an outrageous cigar. Come on. Gizmo [01:02:05] It was crazy. But... So let me ask you this. He asked one more one more question. He says, what cigar do you still love without feeling the need to defend it? So what's a cigar that maybe you enjoy that other folks don't? And is there anything you pull out or you see pulled out that other folks jump on? Like, what are you doing? The person really likes it Senator [01:02:25] or you really like it. Gizmo [01:02:26] I mean, I can think of one, and every time I see an Opus X in the club, I'm immediately drawn to understanding how good of an experience that is and trying to find an Opus X that I really, really would love to smoke. I jump on that all day, you know? But from my own experience, I don't have anything I think that's left of center that I like to smoke that I feel like I have to defend. Same. Rooster [01:02:50] Some of the Tatuajes maybe. Gizmo [01:02:51] Yeah. You do smoke. Yeah. Senator [01:02:55] We definitely judge Rooster Pagoda [01:02:56] for that. Bam Bam [01:02:56] A Gizmo [01:02:58] lot of people love Tatuaje. I mean, Lizard Henrito does too, Senator [01:03:01] you know? But most of us don't understand it is my point. Gizmo [01:03:04] Exactly. Well, just like Opus X, I'm dying to find a larger format Tatuaje that I can smoke Bam Bam [01:03:12] Mhmm. Gizmo [01:03:12] Once a week, every other day. Like, I'm dying to find that. So hopefully, the next one that we review will be Pagoda [01:03:18] it. I don't think I defend cigars. I I defend the sizes of the cigars often. Gizmo [01:03:23] Well, because you order the wrong stuff, and then we remind Pagoda [01:03:25] Listen. You of Bam Bam [01:03:27] You're a Gordo, man. Pagoda [01:03:28] It happens once in a while. Gizmo [01:03:30] Just move too fast when you're ordering cigars. Alright. Let's go to another one now. This one's from Lizard Dillon. He says, good evening. Let me start with an introduction of myself. My name is Dillon, and I've been smoking cigars for the last four years consistently. And I've been trying to find a podcast that would not just talk about cigars solely, but made it feel like I was in a chair close to friends that also liked the finer things in life. Pagoda [01:03:54] Well, you found it. Gizmo [01:03:55] Yep. I've been listening to the podcast for the last six months, and I've been able to listen to most of the catalog as I sit at a desk all day and have nothing but time to consume pipe and cigar podcasts. What? This podcast by far has allowed me to learn way more about things that we as enthusiasts like to pair with our cigars. Rooster [01:04:13] Must be a banker. Gizmo [01:04:14] One of the greatest things... No. They're all... They're always on vacation. One of the greatest things I have been able to do recently is share a glass of a Abuelo seven with my father, and he asked me, rum can taste this good? I told him about its origins and was able to reference notes that I had jotted down during that episode. All this to say that you guys in the podcast make my days move way faster, and thank you. But here is the thought provoking question I have for you. With all the brands that openly state that they are blending to capture Cuban heritage, do you think that this philosophy transfers into how the blender intended the cigar to be enjoyed? What I mean is, with the knowledge that you have shared about Cuban cigars, they benefit greatly from aging. Gizmo [01:05:01] Could it be that the cigar blenders that make the claim that they are attempting to be Cuban ish or Cubanesque need to go through the same aging process post roll? Or is it your opinion that Cuban and New World cigars are too far removed from one another that these brands that make these, quote unquote, Cuban killers should continue to do their puros of their respective factories. I would love to hear what you guys think on this. Best regards, Wizard Dillon. So do blenders who are trying to capture or promote or, I'll add the word market, their cigars as Cubanesque, Cuban focused, Cuban inspired Bam Bam [01:05:47] Cuban killers. Gizmo [01:05:48] Cuban killers. Do you think that folks meet

that, call it Bam Bam [01:05:58] Meet those expectations. Those expectations. Rooster [01:05:59] Yeah. No. Fabrica 5. Chef Ricky [01:06:01] I think Rooster [01:06:02] some of the Honduran tobacco smoke. Gizmo [01:06:04] The closest. Yeah. I think some of the ones we smoke too. Yeah. Generally, I think the answer is no. Rooster [01:06:10] I don't think that's what they're pursuing maybe. That they're going after making it smoke or taste like a Cuban cigar. It just happens to be like a lot of the Fabrica 5 cigars, they're all mostly Honduran tobaccos. And the Honduran tobaccos are very similar to Cuban tobacco. So the end result is that the cigars do end up tasting Cubanesque. Senator [01:06:38] I think Fabrica 5 is an exception to the My experience has been the brands that pound their chest the loudest that they have created something Cubanesque or a Cuban killer are completely full of it, and the brands that are silent about it are the ones that we end up finding something that we're, like, shocked is actually close to a Cuban cigar. Gizmo [01:07:00] Yes. Senator [01:07:00] I think of Atabey as the perfect example. Bam Bam [01:07:03] Yep. Senator [01:07:03] They mimic a Cohiba band on their cigars. They talk about how their cigars are like Cuban cigars and better than Cuban cigars. None of us have ever smoked an Atabey, and so that that's close to Cuban tobacco. So I I am always skeptical of brands that actively market a cigar as like a Cuban cigar, and I think most Cubans... Most New World cigars we have found that are Cubanesque in some way don't actively market themselves as that. They even mentioned profile. Exactly. I don't know Gizmo [01:07:40] if Cabaiguán is a good example. I don't know if Pete Johnson put that cigar out talking about Bam Bam [01:07:45] I don't think so. Gizmo [01:07:46] It being Cuban esque. But that one, I mean, some of the other stuff that we've found, I mean, we talked about that Wise Man Corojo in the Foundation episode. I compared that to La Corona bench roll. Mean, makes sense to me. Senator [01:08:00] Even the Perdomo, that Legacy Epicure one, They don't, in any way, shape, or form, mention that being Cubanesque. And we sat there, and we said, if this was blind, we might think it's a Behike. Bam Bam [01:08:13] Yeah. Gizmo [01:08:16] Yeah. And the ones that we've said on this podcast, we've read stories about they blended it in the image of what they remember in Cuba and the flavors that they experienced, and we taste those cigars, they taste nothing like it. Bam Bam [01:08:29] Nothing Gizmo [01:08:30] like So I think Senator's point is spot on there. Mhmm. Alright. Let's go to another one now. This one is from Lizard G. He says, fellow lizards, I wanted to say first how cool it was to hear my email about the Lounge Lizards T shirts being read on the podcast. That was pretty awesome. I just recently reached episode 238 this past week where my email was read, and I got to enjoy hearing it while driving at work and was laughing pretty hard at the fact that you guys chose to read it. I have good news to share. I have now lost enough weight to fit into a two XL. So if you remember, he wrote in asking, where are the three XL t shirts? Says he's lost 87 pounds. Wow. So you can now disregard my former request. Chef Ricky [01:09:16] All to get a Lounge Lizard T shirt. Look at that. Gizmo [01:09:19] Let's go. Bam Bam [01:09:19] Congratulations. Yeah. Just for that reason. Gizmo [01:09:20] That's what I'm talking about. I'd like to pose a question to all of the lizards on the pod. If you could smoke a cigar with one person that is still with us or is passed on, who would that be for each of you? It could be anyone. And whether you're sure they were, are a cigar smoker or not, it does not matter. Cheers to all the lizards. Many thanks. Keep smoking cordially. Lizard G. So alive or dead, cigar smoker or not. Man, I miss Lizard John. Bam Bam [01:09:52] Oh, yeah. Senator [01:09:53] From the club. Yeah. Yeah. Sweetheart of the Bam Bam [01:09:56] He's a Rooster [01:09:56] great guy. Just missed those conversations with him. And him and Senator talking about basketball, Senator [01:10:04] and he used Rooster [01:10:04] to play basketball. I played golf for them a few times. Bam Bam [01:10:08] Talking about his sons. Rooster [01:10:09] Just a great guy. Bam Bam [01:10:09] Yeah, Rooster [01:10:10] great guy. Senator [01:10:11] Yeah, that's a great call out. I mean, basketball season's right around the corner. Rooster [01:10:16] I just loved spending time with him and Bam Bam [01:10:18] talking to him. Senator [01:10:19] Great call out. Rooster [01:10:20] Was just a great time when he was here. Left us too soon. Pagoda [01:10:25] One of Bam Bam [01:10:25] his sons does residential development in California. We had a lot of great chats, he and I, about how he does it, his process, how proud he is of his son. It's pretty neat. Gizmo [01:10:40] Anybody else? Senator [01:10:41] Crickets. I mean, I'm gonna say an obvious one. Winston Churchill. Classic. Yeah. Mean, George George. Selfishly for me, like, this is a guy, Pol Roger, his favorite champagne, the premier, you know, offering they have is in his namesake. I would love to chat with that guy. Love to. Can you imagine having a cigar at Winston Churchill? That would be one of the coolest experiences. George Burns. Chef Ricky [01:11:08] Yep. George Burns is a Gizmo [01:11:10] good one. Chef Ricky [01:11:10] Yeah. George Burns. Gizmo [01:11:12] I think this might be a a silly one, but if he was in the right mood, I'd love to have a cigar with Michael Jordan Because I feel like Oh, for sure. What I've seen when he has a cigar, he turns it... Like, he's a much calmer, more chill, like, more open version of himself. Obviously, that CA conversation he had. Senator [01:11:29] Even in the last dance, Gizmo [01:11:30] he he was sitting there Senator [01:11:31] with cigar in tequila,

and he was his real self reacting to a lot of what happened throughout his career. Chef Ricky [01:11:37] You know, I'll say this just to bring him back because boy, we need him. George Steinbrenner. I'd love to smoke a cigar with George Steinbrenner. Bam Bam [01:11:45] Right? Yeah. Rooster [01:11:46] And everybody out there, chef Ricky is Gizmo [01:11:48] very angry. Very angry. I've never seen him send a flurry of texts Bam Bam [01:11:53] Correct. Gizmo [01:11:53] Like he did with the New York Yankees organization. Rooster [01:11:55] It took him years, but he's finally caught up to my level of anger with our current manager. Chef Ricky [01:12:00] I try to give people the benefit of the doubt and and understand what they're doing as managers and then try to put myself in their shoes. But yeah, it's a different world. It's a different world, and there's no reason for what happened to have happened. Bam Bam [01:12:14] You know, I'd like to smoke a cigar with Hugh Hefner. Rooster [01:12:17] Of course you would. So on bread, it's unbelievable. Classic, classic Larry Flynt. Chef Ricky [01:12:26] Wow. Why? Bam Bam [01:12:27] Brilliant, man. Rooster [01:12:28] Just so he could get it. Brilliant. Just so he could get an invitation to the Playboy lab... The Playboy... The Bunnyman. Gizmo [01:12:33] Slim on the picture. Pagoda [01:12:35] Figured out life. Bam Bam [01:12:36] Figured it all out. Pagoda [01:12:37] Right. Chef Ricky [01:12:38] He knew how to enjoy life. Even if he's naked under that robe? Bam Bam [01:12:41] Correct. Because I'll wear a robe as well. Gizmo [01:12:45] And what about the flip flops? Bam Bam [01:12:47] Well, if we're on vacation, yes. If we're on the compound, no. Gizmo [01:12:54] Pagoda, who's your pick? Alive or No, Pagoda [01:12:57] it can be personal as well, Gizmo [01:12:58] or? Absolutely. Pagoda [01:12:59] Oh, yeah. My dad maybe. Bam Bam [01:13:00] That's a good one. That's great. Pagoda [01:13:02] And the reason is, I did smoke cigars in front of my mom. And she so hated, but, you know, towards the end she enjoyed the smoke. I remember one of the last times I was sitting with her. My dad knew I smoked cigars, but I've never smoked in front of him. Bam Bam [01:13:18] Did he frown upon him? Pagoda [01:13:18] So it'd be, no, he never said anything. But it'd be great because he enjoyed his whiskey. It'd be great if he was sitting there, him having his whiskey, and, you know, me just sitting and taking that hour and a half or two just to sit with my dad. Bam Bam [01:13:32] You win the prize. Yeah, that's a good answer. Pagoda [01:13:35] No, I just was thinking about him. Bam Bam [01:13:37] That's great. Chef Ricky [01:13:38] I don't know if I go to his dad, you're a steinbrenner. Come on, man. Look, Bam Bam [01:13:42] Hugh Hefner. Pagoda [01:13:45] Although all of these guys sound excellent. Gizmo [01:13:50] They're like a round table, you know? Pagoda [01:13:51] Right, but I would join all

of those Gizmo [01:13:53] conversations. Thanks It'd be to Lizard G for that great email and great question. We appreciate it, and congratulations on losing 87 pounds. Bam Bam [01:14:02] Amazing. Gizmo [01:14:03] That is pretty Pagoda [01:14:04] awesome. Congratulations too. Gizmo [01:14:06] So let's go now to a voice memo from our friend Lizard Grem. Lizard Grem [01:14:11] Hey, guys. Lizard Grem here, sitting on the back patio smoking an E.P. Carrillo Battleborn. The cigar is delicious. Bittersweet chocolate brownie and salt. Lots of espresso and leather. The spice is soft, but it's there. E.P. Carrillo can be hit or miss, but this one's a solid hit. I'm pairing it with Penelope Light American Whiskey. It's a little high proof at 139 proof, but one chip seems to dial it down just right. One chip pagoda. It's very sweet. Kettle corn toffee notes coming through. I probably wouldn't pair it with a lighter cigar, though. Smash it. I wanted to thank y'all for choosing me as Lizard of the Week a while back. It was pretty exciting hearing my name called out in the pod without any warning. And for the record, that's definitely how I prefer. Please keep it that way. Just a surprise. I haven't tried any of the Bond Roberts yet, but I'm looking forward to getting my hands on some. Lizard Grem [01:15:06] I've smoked a few of the Fabrica 5 when I purchased an assorted pack, and they're very good and working their way into the rotation. Speaking of rotation, Lizard Enrique once asked you all what was in your rotation, but he didn't say what was in his. My rotation lately has been Aladino, Connecticut's, or Tatuaje Sextus in the morning with coffee. Then later in the day, maybe an Aladino Cameroon or Stoic. Evenings are a little heavier stuff. Things like Arturo Fuente Chateau, Queen Bee, or aging room sonatas. Those sonatas are pretty hard to lay off of. But Padróns and Ligas are working their way in there, but the price keeps me from getting too many. What are you smoking right now, Lizard Enrique? One last comment on hair care products. Bam, don't let them bother you in what you use on your hair. Yes. This is coming from a completely bald man. Rooster [01:15:59] Take Lizard Grem [01:16:00] care of that mane. I may not have any hair on top, but I do have a pretty thick beard, but it's starting to get a little salt and pepper. Well, a little more salt and pepper lately. I recently came across a shampoo you can use on your beard and mustache that helps with yellowing you can get from smoking. This stuff is crazy inky purple. Looks like pen ink. Apparently, the purple cancels out the yellow and helps bring white and gray hair back to a more clean silver color. I've used it a few times, and it actually does work. It takes out some of the yellow tinge and brings the beard back to a much nicer, silvery white. So for any of you guys who burned a leaf and are starting to notice a little discoloration in your beard or mustache from your smoking habits, give

the purple shampoo a try. Gizmo [01:16:49] Might be surprised. Lizard Grem [01:16:50] Thanks again, guys. Slainte. Bam Bam [01:16:52] Has it? Has it? I know you're gonna do that. I already knew that was coming. Gizmo [01:16:58] Thanks to Lizard Grem. So, you know, what's interesting is, you know, you and I have beard. Chef has a mustache, but I don't I've never noticed, like, discoloration. I if it's a mustache. No. I mean, like, here. I'm Bam Bam [01:17:13] still here. Gizmo [01:17:13] We're not talking about, a beard. Rooster [01:17:15] That's where a beard grows. No. But I'm saying Gizmo [01:17:17] the smoke is up here, dude. The smoke Senator [01:17:20] I'm I'm genuinely confused how you could characterize chef as having a mustache and not a beard, but yet you have a beard. No. Gizmo [01:17:28] We all have beards. What I'm saying is what he's talking about where the discoloration happens is immediately around the mouth. Bam Bam [01:17:35] Yeah. Gizmo [01:17:36] That's what I'm saying. Rooster [01:17:37] He never said that. Senator [01:17:38] Okay. But you drew a distinction. You said, bam and I have a beard and chef has a mustache. That doesn't make sense. Bam Bam [01:17:43] Alright. Can we get back to the email? I've seen guys... So I've noticed guys with very thick beards have a yellowing when they smoke a Gizmo [01:17:54] lot of Bam Bam [01:17:55] cigars. But our beards are very shallow and tight to the skin. So it's not going to... The discoloration fear factor... Gizmo [01:18:01] Trim them a lot. Bam Bam [01:18:02] Yeah. Not an issue for us because we trim our beards. Chef Ricky [01:18:04] And we use the ashtrays, except my ass fell on the floor. We use ashtrays, not our beards. Rooster [01:18:11] You don't ash on your beard. Chef Ricky [01:18:12] You don't ash on our beards. Pagoda [01:18:16] That's why we typically clean shade. Bam Bam [01:18:18] The yellowness doesn't come from the ash. I think it just comes from Gizmo [01:18:20] the Correct. Pagoda [01:18:21] From the tar. Bam Bam [01:18:22] That's correct. Chef Ricky [01:18:22] Yeah. I think Pagoda needs yellow Bam Bam [01:18:24] Oh, he's got tar on his pants. Yellow tide. Chef Ricky [01:18:28] Purple tide. Sorry. Gizmo [01:18:31] So thanks to Lizard Grem for his voice memo. I will get that information from Lizard Enrique for you. I'm sure he'll write in next week. That's great. Chef Ricky [01:18:38] I love that dialogue between the lizards just kind creating that. Gizmo [01:18:41] And you know what? I hear it all the time that that lizards out there are smoking together. They're doing Zoom calls together. Bam Bam [01:18:46] They're That's cool. Gizmo [01:18:47] Communicate... It's awesome. So I'm... I love to hear that, and I'm sure Lizard Enrique will write in next week. So, boys, we've come to the end of the second third now on the Davidoff Maxamar twenty fifth anniversary. Gizmo [01:18:59] The celebration of Maxamar cigars in SoCal, Small Batch paired with this Glenlivet 12, the Jamaica edition Treasure Beach. I need a refill. What's everybody thinking? Chef Ricky [01:19:14] So maximum experience right now for me. Bam Bam [01:19:18] On the cigar for me, it's a deep cocoa and a little bit of... Just a touch of minerality, which is very pleasant. But the cocoa for me is very present. It's not overly sweet. It's kind of like a semi sweet type of thing happening, and it is still really super creamy. Rooster [01:19:35] I think it's that dark chocolate with cinnamon that's coming through. Maybe. Senator [01:19:40] For me, as you get to the end of the second third and definitely into the final third, it's very dark chocolate. So I've lost a lot of the sweetness. I'm not thrilled about it. I like that. That's my one complaint. It Bam Bam [01:19:58] love semi sweet dark chocolate experience. Rooster [01:20:00] I like it the way that's... Chef Ricky [01:20:01] I lost the sweetness on the traditional draw. Do love that. But on the retrohale, you get almost cookie. So it's like a chocolate chip cookie but with bittersweet or with semi sweet chocolate. Carbara. Pagoda [01:20:12] Just wait Senator [01:20:13] till you get further down is Chef Ricky [01:20:14] all I'm gonna say. Rooster [01:20:15] Uh-huh. Okay. Bam Bam [01:20:17] That's good. Gizmo [01:20:17] Yeah. It's a very good cigar. I... Like, getting to this point, I've been like, wow. This every single draw is amazing. Yeah. Pagoda [01:20:24] And it's kind of Is it teetering for you? Gizmo [01:20:27] It's teetering off the cliff a little bit for me at this point. Okay. Not going... It's not dropping like to a What Bam Bam [01:20:33] are you getting? Gizmo [01:20:33] To a hard hit. It's just... It's a little more bitter for me right now. The sweetness is gone. It's certainly heated up, and I don't think I've been smoking it fast. Certainly, I've been talking a lot. But I think it's just it's more like a bitter chocolate right now for me than I'm getting. I think that saltiness is absent now. That's left. I'm not getting any of that fruit. I'm not getting any of that spice in the retro, that cinnamon I was talking about that I really liked. Bam Bam [01:20:57] Retro's still nice, though. Gizmo [01:20:58] Right now, the biggest omission for me to where I'm at in this cigar in the last third here is that Davidoff classic thing I was talking about in the front of my mouth. That cashew you call the cashew walnut thing that happens is also absent now. So am I being harsh on the cigar? Maybe with having an inch, inch and a half left or whatever, but I wish it was still present here. Bam Bam [01:21:22] That's tough thing about this cigar. It's a short cigar. So if it were a little longer, you'd get more of that experience. Because it's so short, you're explaining something that you're not actually liking the final inch. That's a substantial amount of Gizmo [01:21:34] the stock. But I think your perception's wrong because this

is a five and a half inch cigar, 55 ring gauge. Do think do think, though, it burned faster than I anticipated tonight. So I think that's where your perception's coming in on. I think you're commenting on time, not so much size of the cigar. I think the cigar burned faster for me. Bam Bam [01:21:51] Oh, definitely Yeah. For me Senator [01:21:53] And to be clear, for me, the first two thirds were perfect. Mhmm. It's the final third where I was having an identical experience of the one that Gizmo described to the t. And I'm frustrated because it was perfection, and I really didn't want it to change, and it it changed a lot. Yeah. And I love dark chocolate, but it it was to the point of like a really bitter dark chocolate. I put the cigar down on a rest thinking that maybe it was just heating too much. If I let it cool, I would get that sweetness back, and the sweetness has not returned. So that's my only frustration, but most of it was spectacular. Just this last third is not exactly what I was hoping for. Chef Ricky [01:22:36] Rooster. Rooster [01:22:38] I'm still enjoying it. I like that the cigar has gotten fuller. I like the journey. I like the journey that at the beginning, the middle, and now towards the end, those notes are more distinct. They're a little bit different, like the dark chocolate and the espresso and the leather and the earthiness. It's more pronounced. I think that's where it's at. Yeah, the sweetness has gone down a little bit, but it's not offensive. It's still very delicious. I'm still enjoying it. Bam Bam [01:23:12] Pagoda? Pagoda [01:23:13] Yeah. So for me, it's been kind of nutty, salty in the front with a little bit of tingling coming on Gizmo [01:23:19] my Pagoda [01:23:19] lips. And I'm getting a little bit of the cocoa and the chocolate, like, towards the end on top of my palate. I'm really enjoying it. Rooster [01:23:28] Try purging the cigar, too. Gizmo [01:23:30] Did. Did purge it. Pagoda [01:23:31] I'm really enjoying it. So, like, for me, no complaints so far. Gizmo [01:23:34] I think, and Senator, I'm gonna go back to you here for a second. Do you think, and I think my answer's yes to this, do you think you're viewing the cigar from that $50 price point for that last because I do think I'm No. Pagoda [01:23:49] I'm not think about Gizmo [01:23:49] that. No. No. No. No. I wanna Senator [01:23:52] be crystal clear. I'm viewing the last third through a $10 cigar price point. For me, there are a few cigars that get as bitter as this has in that final third. I'm not... I'm... Like I said, I was so blown away by the first two thirds. Price is out the window for me. Gizmo [01:24:10] Okay. Senator [01:24:11] That experience was so special. Mhmm. It would be hard to find a dollar amount that I'm not willing to pay to replicate it. But the last third, again, for everything I loved in those first two thirds, it's such a departure from it that that's where I'm just left frustrated. Unusual. Also Pagoda [01:24:27] I'm getting no bitterness. Rooster [01:24:28] Another thing I would say is like this box that we just got these. Right? These just came like this week or like later last week, like Friday or so. So they haven't sat for a while. I don't know Gizmo [01:24:41] if that would change. I think the cigar performed really well. I mean, Senator [01:24:46] you know Yeah. But to to Rich's point, I have had with some cigars when I've smoked them after only holding them for a week or two. Sure. The first two thirds performed really well, and that last third, I it needs a little bit more acclimation to have the entire cigar be what it needs to do. So that's very possible. Rooster [01:25:04] It might change that. You know? So hopeful. Gizmo [01:25:10] Alright, boys. Let's go now to another email. This one's from our friend, Lizard Bunners. It says, hi, Lizards. I like the balance the team makes between subjective and objective points that make a good cigar. It made me wonder, what's the most polarizing cigar amongst yourselves? What do you think is the most polarizing amongst the cigar community? Cheers, Lizard Bunners. So inside the Lizard crew, what is the most polarizing cigar? And then what do we think for the greater cigar community? What is the most polarizing cigar? Think I'll answer the second one first. I think it's Opus X. Chef Ricky [01:25:51] I agree Senator [01:25:51] a 100%. Gizmo [01:25:51] I think that's an easy one. Honestly, that Andalusian Bull probably would play Bam Bam [01:25:55] Yeah. Gizmo [01:25:56] Number two just because of the hype and the excitement and the cigar of the year around it. Yep. And they've gotten to the point that they can get CA to do teasers. I don't know how much they paid for that, but it's... That's number two for me behind Opus. Pagoda [01:26:11] The p two. Bam Bam [01:26:16] That's an Gizmo [01:26:16] interesting Maybe Chef Ricky [01:26:19] the BBF. Pagoda [01:26:21] That's another one. Rooster [01:26:21] The Bolivar? Yeah. Bam Bam [01:26:22] Oh, that's good. Gizmo [01:26:23] The La Coso Finos. I'm trying to think of cigars in the room. Like, even if if you were to look at our ratings, like, there's nothing where someone's giving it a nine or a 10 and someone's giving it a five or a six. The ratings are never that divergent more than maybe two points. Well, sometimes, Yeah, but not sometimes. But I'm saying, I don't know of a cigar I can think of that someone loves in this room and that someone else Bam Bam [01:26:51] Hates. Gizmo [01:26:51] Absolutely despises. I mean, there are some cigars that you guys have loved and smoke a lot that I don't get into, but it's not that I hate them. Mhmm. Like, think of that the Davidoff... Since we're smoking Davidoff, I'm thinking of that that Lancero that was a limited edition that I didn't love. Bam Bam [01:27:09] The signature one? Signature number one. Senator [01:27:11] Oh, yeah. That's ridiculous. Gizmo [01:27:12] That's a good do not

like Senator [01:27:13] a cigar. I agree. Gizmo [01:27:16] I did not like that at all. Rooster [01:27:17] Yeah. Not the Millennium Lancero. Gizmo [01:27:19] No. I like that the other one. I like that one. Yeah. Trying to think of other cigars that we don't agree on that we smoke. Senator [01:27:27] I mean, a cigar that's polarizing for me has been the PLPC. I know Rooster loves that cigar. Some of the other guys do, and I I just don't. Gizmo [01:27:35] It's interesting. We've only come up with Cubans. Senator [01:27:39] I mean, only other one... We kind of talked about this earlier, but Tatuaje. You know, Rooster obviously smokes more Tatuajes than any of us, and we don't necessarily agree on those. Gizmo [01:27:48] It can Bam Bam [01:27:48] be a bit polarizing. Inexplicable, actually. Rooster [01:27:54] Actually, the Black Label Petite Lancero, we're going to do that on Yeah, that's the actually Gizmo [01:27:58] what we're going do. Yeah. Rooster [01:27:59] I think you guys will like that. Can't wait. Yeah. Senator [01:28:03] That was the one Tatuaje that I enjoyed. Rooster brought one for me once. Gizmo [01:28:07] I can't wait to try it. Yeah. Alright, boys. Let's continue on. We're blowing through some emails. This is good tonight. We've been... I've been lax on getting through the emails the past few weeks. We've we've got a lot we're we're getting through, so this is great. Let's go now to one from our friend Lizard Isaac. Subject is a lizard in Ohio found the wrong nectar. Says Gizmo and the Lizards. I've been listening from Ohio, and you guys have become dangerous to my shopping list. Because of the pod, I've picked up cigars I might never have found on my own. The Fabrica 5 Trinity Robusto, the Bond Roberts Dalia, and the Aladino eighty fifth anniversary. You've sent me down the rum aisle too for Abuelo seven and Santa Teresa 1796. Then I heard you guys drinking Glenmorangie the Nectar 16. Remember we did that couple weeks ago? Pagoda [01:28:55] Oh, that was great. Gizmo [01:28:56] Yeah. And went looking for a bottle. My local store didn't have it. However, they did have its predecessor, the twelve year Nectar d'Or, marked down from $89 to $49. That's pretty crazy. Yeah. I stood there thinking, quote, this isn't the bottle the Lizards had, but at that price, how do I leave it behind? I bought two. I haven't opened one yet, so here's my question for the group. If you were introducing someone to Nectar d'Or with one cigar, would you reach for the Trinity Robusto, the Dahlia, the Aladino eighty fifth, or something else entirely? And for anyone who's had both whiskeys, would you grab another $49 Dior while it's still on the shelf or save that money to hunt down the one you guys did, the Nectar 16? Thanks for making the search half the fun. I'll be listening with a glass and a cigar while you settle the pairing. Lizard Isaac. Senator [01:29:53] So I have strong thoughts here just because we reviewed the twelve year Glenmorangie, and I was the one who said the ten year, I've never liked. And sure enough, they discontinued the ten, and now I think they only have that twelve as kind of their entry point. And we liked that twelve. It was great. Gizmo [01:30:13] Yeah. Senator [01:30:13] So I think that Lizard has done... Made a smart move in buying that 12. Now that retailer claiming that discount, that's bullshit. I'm sorry. They're twelve year. No one sells their twelve year for $80. It's a $50 spirit, so what he's selling it for or she is what it should be. But as far as cigars to pair with that, every cigar that Lizard named, you know, that's a lighter yet satisfying twelve year. The Aladino, the eighty fifth, the Fabrica 5 Trinity Robusto, the Dalia, all of them pair perfectly with exactly that spirit that he bought a couple bottles of. So I don't think there's searching for anything else. I think he's got exactly the cigars that would pair perfectly with that. And he should try it because for his palate, it's important that he likes it. I mean, we did. That doesn't mean everybody will. But if he does, sure. At $50, that's a great price point. Stock up on more of it. Gizmo [01:31:12] I agree. I think everything he named is gonna work with either of those spirits. I think we found here on the podcast that Glenmorangie is a pretty accessible spirit, and it pairs pretty damn well with almost everything I think that we smoke as we've gone across the line. I think it's one of those scotches that I think is, like you said, I think it's it's a little lighter. It... It's a really good pairing for most of the cigars that we smoke here. Bam Bam [01:31:35] New world and Cuban. Gizmo [01:31:36] I agree. Chef Ricky [01:31:37] Yeah. Senator [01:31:37] I'd be telling that lizard that he needs to go out and seek and pursue that 16 that we had if he was having a fuller cigar than the ones that he's named. That's where you you need something a little bit more substantial, but for all those smokes, you don't necessarily need the 16. Rooster [01:31:54] I think those cigars that he mentioned probably what you guys are drinking tonight will probably go well with all of those. Gizmo [01:32:00] I think this Rooster [01:32:00] is a perfect, you know, and at that price point. Correct. Gizmo [01:32:04] This is a perfect cigar scotch tonight, I think. Rooster [01:32:07] Settle down, Ben. It's it's really good. Gizmo [01:32:11] It's really good. So, boys, it's time now to go to our lizard of the week presented by our friends at Bond Roberts. And our lizard of the week this week is from our friend Lizard Dan, who's written us before, and he sent over a voice memo I wanted to share. I think this one's pretty special. Lizard Dan [01:32:31] Hey, Lounge Lizards. It's Lizard Dan from Sydney. I wrote in a couple of times one about developing a palate and the other one about which cigars to smoke. Thank you very much for all the advice. This voice recording is more of a, I guess,

appreciation for the show and what you guys do. I wanted to go around the room a little bit, so I'll start with Senator. I have very similar tastes to senator in, you know, like food, music, alcohol, and so forth. So I listen to everyone and what everyone says very carefully, but I think I listen to senator just a little bit more because of that. And, I mean, Giz said it once upon a time as well. He said, you know, when you find the lizard that sort of rings true to your tastes more, then that's the person you should listen to the most. Lizard Dan [01:33:20] So thank you very much for that. Also, how the hell you managed to keep that birthday cake from not tipping over, and you pulled that off while as hammered as you were well done. Your birthday sounds like one of those nights you'll never forget. Sounds epic. So awesome. Bam, how you hold society to such a high standard when it comes to dress code is phenomenal. Uh-huh. Based on what I saw the other week at my local shops, someone wearing a pyjama onesie Pagoda [01:33:56] Get the fuck out Chef Ricky [01:33:57] of here. Grocery store. That's exactly what you would have told the guy. Lizard Dan [01:34:01] Fuck you doing what you're doing. Chef Ricky [01:34:02] Bev's worst nightmare. I Lizard Dan [01:34:05] don't want to see people, you know in flip flops either, people with capri pants masquerading as shorts. Correct. Image of you walking around stopping people going do you know why I stopped you? Bam Bam [01:34:17] And they're like Lizard Dan [01:34:18] for what I'm wearing. Correct. Well done. Old boy, you are the epitome of the seasoned cigar collector, smoker, in my opinion. Anyone that can have a full bodied cigar for a breakfast cigar, you're all over it. Well done. And I I just have this image as well based on on the rest of the Lizards, how they described what you collect and how you collect it as in harder to get cigars that are of a more vintage age. My mind just sees your cigar tower as more of a museum. So yeah, well done. Chefs, first of all, the job you do is extremely difficult. I used to be in the industry, so respect for not only working in it, but making it in that industry. Thank you. People don't understand how long the hours you would be working, how long you'd be on your feet, the adrenaline, the orders, the organisational skills on the fly. It's amazing. And the attention to detail, everything has to be consistent every time. Lizard Dan [01:35:29] When a customer comes back, what they eat has to taste exactly like it did last time to a high standard. So respect for your job. It's also good to see that you're weaning off the tomatoes for a flavor profile. Bam Bam [01:35:41] Thank God. Lizard Dan [01:35:41] You've gone from tomatoes to gooseberries, which have a tomato aftertaste. It's good to see getting off of that. Also, your palate is second to none, obviously based on you being a chef. But I mean, there's been instances where the rest of the lizards know what

they're tasting but can't put a word to it. They know like, for example, I think it was Ben who was saying that some rum, it has a sweet taste, but it's like almost butterscotch kind of thing and you've just jumped in and gone, molasses, bang, straight away you're on it. They knew what was going on. So in the words of a lizard who's not there at the moment, your palate is right all of the time, 60% of the time. Gurna, your world time comments are something to behold. Gizmo [01:36:36] Oh, man. When you hit, Lizard Dan [01:36:38] you hit hard, hence the Pagoda name. Fantastic. Also, the new cigar ash detector is Gizmo [01:36:48] We're looking at it right now. Lizard Dan [01:36:49] I recommend you keep it up. Keep wearing those pants and see how much ash gets covered on it. And for the rest of the lizards when it comes to Pagoda, do me a favor. Can you guys, like, just air tag everything he owns like you would find security tags on clothes from the shop? This guy's lost more cigars and cigar paraphernalia than I've ever owned, so please, it's heartbreaking. Please make sure that you look after him. Chef Ricky [01:37:15] We'll surgically implant And one as Lizard Dan [01:37:17] to the last person here and probably the man of the hour, Gizmo, first of all, it was really nice with that phone hookup through Friends of Urbanus. It was nice to actually talk to you, but I wanna really thank you for putting the podcast together and getting it as far as you've gotten it as well. I don't know if you understand how much it means to a lot of people out there. It's not just the entertainment part of it, but it's a lot of really good information that you guys bring. But also, like, I go outside and I smoke, and I've got my own little area. And when I do, I put the show on, and it's almost like I'm there with you guys. Yeah? It's like you've got your mates there while you're having a cigar. You're not by yourself, and the banter and everything is just phenomenal. So just to let you know that you mean a lot to a lot of people out there, thank you very much to all of you guys. Lizard Dan [01:38:16] Like I said, the advice that you guys provide, the information that you guys put out there, the effort that it takes to get the show done for everyone to get together and, you know, do what you guys do, I honestly think that deserves a lot of recognition and a really big thanks. So for me, thank you very much for all the entertainment, the info, the laughs. Keep it up, boys. Looking forward to the next episode. Thank you. So that's Lizard Dan from Sydney. Bye. Rooster [01:38:50] Great. Great Bam Bam [01:38:50] voice. I mean, come on. So nice. Senator [01:38:52] Lizard Dan, thank of the best voice memos we've ever received. Bam Bam [01:38:55] Amazing. Oh, it's because it's complimenting center. Gizmo [01:38:57] Yeah. He started out. Rooster [01:38:58] He started by saying that. Exactly. That doesn't hurt. Gizmo [01:39:02] But he was complimentary. No. No. Rooster [01:39:05] He was complimentary of every single person Senator [01:39:07] in this room. Gizmo [01:39:08] That's absolutely right. Senator [01:39:08] Why I say it. Are you sure? I... Gizmo [01:39:13] The the Senator [01:39:14] depths that this guy went through. This is clearly a long time listener. The callouts, the references Bam Bam [01:39:22] The detail. Senator [01:39:22] Throughout our entire journey through this podcast, honestly, it was incredibly awesome to hear that. I am just gonna say I have never been to Australia. It is on my list of places to visit. But the day I make it there, I'm deadly serious. I am going to reach out to find this lizard and smoke a cigar with him, and we're gonna have a Partagas d four followed by a padrone. What an awesome email. Rooster [01:39:51] Yeah. Pagoda [01:39:52] Yeah. Just please make sure you don't wear a onesie pajama That's the fun thing. Bam Bam [01:39:58] When you meet him. Can you believe that? Gizmo [01:40:01] Incredible, right? Senator [01:40:03] How do you do that? Gizmo [01:40:04] Oh, you're saying about wearing a onesie. I'm saying about sending that voice memo. Bam Bam [01:40:07] Well, that's also amazing. Gizmo [01:40:08] I mean, yeah, when I heard that, when it came in, I was like, This is absolutely gonna be our Lizard of the Week. And to me, it's starting to get me thinking about this five year celebration we have coming up in three weeks, right? Like, kinda gets the nostalgia going and thinking about the origins and all of those little, like, you know, little, like, inside jokes and stuff in the program, like you said, senator, that kinda span the length of what we've been doing. So I felt like this was a good kinda tee up and start up to our Senator [01:40:40] Poobah, you know, 60% of the time. I mean Yeah. That's a that's going deep time ago. To Yeah. Recall mean, it's impressive. Gizmo [01:40:49] Yeah. It's pretty amazing. So, Lizard Dan, you know, I'll you, and senator, you know, you just said you wanna meet him. It was a pleasure hanging on FOH Zoom with you. And by the way, FOH Zoom is fantastic. So we just sit there. Rob kinda moderates. We could just hang out, smoke cigars. Chef Ricky [01:41:05] It's a great time. Can you put that on our Lizard calendar? Rooster [01:41:08] Waiting for a man might. Bam Bam [01:41:10] Global global insight. Gizmo [01:41:12] Join f o h. I mean, you're Chef Ricky [01:41:14] I did two years ago, but I haven't been back. Bam Bam [01:41:17] That's because you're not a global insight. Chef Ricky [01:41:20] It's just the time. Gizmo [01:41:21] It's a great time. Yeah. But I'll I'll send you a link when I'm jumping on. But it's really great to hear from you, Lizard Dan, and we appreciate it. It's amazing to me not just the lengths you've gone to share what you did on that voice memo, but the time you've spent, and also the fact that, again, coming from all the way around the world, like we're sitting together in New

Jersey, and we just heard a voice memo from someone who's, what, sixteen hours ahead of us right now? I mean, it's just amazing what podcast, what this thing we've put together has reached. So I'm so grateful to Dan, Lizard Nation, you guys. And, again, this is starting to tee up what what I'm thinking about for this five year celebration come up and coming up. And I think, you know, any lizard out there who wants to be involved in that celebration, tell us what you think. And not just... Gizmo [01:42:12] We're not looking for praise, but tell us what it means to you to be in Lizard Nation and the experiences you've had and the things you've felt. We really wanna start sharing those things. So, you know, in the coming weeks, certainly on episode 260, which will be our five year anniversary episode, I'd love to share a lot of those kind of comments and thoughts and voice memos. I mean, we're gonna have a real celebration. We're gonna have a great time, it's really important to me to have Lizard Nation involved in that. And I think this is a perfect example of exactly what we need to hear and we wanna hear on that episode is, again, not the praise part. We're very grateful for that, but more so, what does the show mean to you? Rooster [01:42:49] Doesn't hurt. Gizmo [01:42:50] Clearly. What does Lizard Nation mean to you? What what have you learned? What have... Who have you met? All of these different things. Please share that and and think about that coming up in three weeks. So get on it and start putting your thoughts together and send us your voice memos and emails and all of those different things. We really, really appreciate it, and congratulations to Lizard Dan. Just won himself a 10 count box of cigars from our friends at Bond Roberts. Our Lizards of the Week, every week, win a 10 count box of cigars. Boys, I'd like to put my hand up and celebrate with you. I am caught up on Lizard of the Week. Bam Bam [01:43:26] Alright. Oh, god. Gizmo [01:43:27] I'm completely caught up. Love it. Everybody's getting them. I'm getting emails about them. No. Chef Ricky [01:43:31] No. You you have to play Pomp Hey, Gizmo [01:43:33] what do you and Senator [01:43:34] I thought Fabrica 5 was sending all this stuff out. Gizmo [01:43:36] No, no, no. Well, I have to compile everything. It's a whole process. Senator [01:43:39] Oh, you've been a bottleneck. Chef Ricky [01:43:40] Come on, Pomp and Circumstance. Let's go. Bam Bam [01:43:42] Let's go. Mr. Chef Ricky [01:43:43] Bottleneck, and do it again. There you go. Congrats, Senator [01:43:48] Gizmo. Congrats. Gizmo [01:43:49] I'd like to congratulate myself for catching up on Lizard of the Week. It took him ten years Senator [01:43:56] for a four year degree, but he's made it. Rooster [01:43:59] Hey. Thanks, Mike. Pagoda [01:44:01] Hey. Maybe this maybe this is quote of congratulations and celebrations. Gizmo [01:44:05] Oh, we could do that too, Pagoda. We can hit it all, man. I have everything here. Pagoda [01:44:09] Everything for you. Everything for you. Gizmo [01:44:11] Actually, I don't even know where the fuck that is. There it is. Pagoda [01:44:15] Congratulations and celebrations. Happy birthday. I don't know. Bam Bam [01:44:21] I forgot what it is. Rooster [01:44:27] Oh, man. Bam Bam [01:44:28] That is... That's a... That's genuine right there. Gizmo [01:44:31] I left the tag on too. I need another drink. So, again, I I really feel like we're starting the celebration for our five years, so please keep that in mind. If you're listening to this right now, we need to hear from you. We want to hear from you. You guys are the lifeblood of this program, and we really, really appreciate hearing from everybody. Bam Bam [01:44:49] That's correct. Gizmo [01:44:50] And with that, boys, we've come to the end of our evening with the Davidoff Maxamar twenty fifth anniversary celebration and the Glenlivet, 12 years age, single malt scotch whiskey, Jamaica edition, Treasure Beach. Any final thoughts before we get to the ratings? And don't forget to send over your ratings. I'm talking to you, chef. Chef Ricky [01:45:11] I see you looking. Senator [01:45:12] I see you. Bam Bam [01:45:13] So I'm over. I will say I'm about... I can't smoke this any longer. It's unsmokable, but I'm about just under a half inch. I'm curious what senator's experiencing in his final stretch because he said he was going through some serious bitterness. Pagoda [01:45:26] It's a different cigar. Bam Bam [01:45:27] Yeah. I didn't get any bitterness at all. Rooster [01:45:31] It got a tiny bit hot. Pagoda [01:45:33] Yeah. Well, I agree with you. Bam Bam [01:45:35] Mean, I slowed down and the temperature dropped. For me, it was exquisite all the way down. Just unusually good. Rooster [01:45:41] I mean, you're at the nub. Yeah. You can't really smoke it much further than that. Chef Ricky [01:45:48] For me at this point, it became espresso, leather and earth. That's what it turned into for me. Slightly more bitter notes naturally, but not bitter to the point where it was unsmokable. It morphed a little bit. Rooster [01:46:04] I think it's all the tar... Bam Bam [01:46:06] Tar So build, isn't we're getting a little bit of a difference in experience in the room. That is not a good sign. Little bit of inconsistency there. Senator [01:46:14] So I'll I'll just say this on this cigar. Most of the last third was was bitter dark chocolate for me. The last half inch, suddenly, I started to get some more sweetness. So I was glad to see that. I ended on a happy note. I'm glad. It just wasn't perfect all the way through, but I'm in a I'm in a good place. Bam Bam [01:46:39] Yeah. Good. Rooster [01:46:39] Did it get hot for you at the very end? Senator [01:46:41] There were there were multiple periods, and that's why I was putting this cigar down. And the weird thing was even after putting it down for an extended period of time, I would just take one

draw, and it, like, again felt like it was heating up, and I had to put it back down. So there's something about that last third that's a little finicky, tricky, whatever you wanna call it. But like I said, it ended really well, so I I still feel good. Rooster [01:47:04] I think a revisit of the cigar after being in it... In the tower for about a month, even two months. Senator [01:47:09] I agree. Rooster [01:47:10] Let's do this again next week. Gizmo [01:47:11] Yeah. I agree with you. Bam Bam [01:47:12] You got a box. Let's go. Rooster [01:47:14] Really don't need to smoke anything else. Bam Bam [01:47:15] Correct. Alright, Gizmo [01:47:18] boys. It's time now for the formal liquor rating on the Glenlivet 12 years age, Jamaica edition Treasure Beach single malt scotch whiskey. What a title that is. Yeah. Bam Bam, you're up. Bam Bam [01:47:29] I would like a refill. Pagoda [01:47:30] Okay. Same here. Bam Bam [01:47:31] I think this is just an absolutely delicious experience. You know, it's not very often the manufacturers' callouts on their notes is accurate, But everything, almost everything they've noted, I got on this spirit. It's so easy to drink. It's beautifully balanced. It's got just enough viscosity. It's not too thin. It's not too syrupy. It's not overly sweet. There's a touch of... For me, I I mean, caramel, a touch of salted butter, some butterscotch, pineapple on the finish, and actually more coconut than pineapple on the extreme finish. How unique and rare and the price is incredible. I am at a solid 10. This is... Senator, you said it. We need to be buying bottles of this for our collections. Amen. A 100%. This is just incredible. 10. Gizmo [01:48:23] Alright, chef. Chef Ricky [01:48:24] I'm right there with you, Ben. It's a 10. Ridiculous. It delivered a lot of those tropical notes in the classiest way. It was just on the tail end of the finish. It was light. It was woven beautifully into the spirit itself. It wasn't artificial feeling in any way. It was super nostalgic with the cola champagne sort of feeling for me. The color is great. The body is great. The texture is amazing. I really, really, really like this single malt Scotch. So it's a 10 for me. Gizmo [01:48:56] All right, Pagoda. Pagoda [01:48:59] 10 again. What It's Gizmo [01:49:01] excellent, Pagoda [01:49:03] I really found interesting was, I think, you know, when I was going through the cigar and I was in the second, third and the final third of the cigar, I was just holding on to, you know, for every sip I was having, I was holding on and leaving it there for a bit longer on my palate. It was excellent. It was just getting, you know, a lot more sweeter and with a little bit of, I felt a little bit of vanilla and caramel kind of, maybe Yeah, the buscotchy yeah, yeah. And so it was just great. And then I took a sip right after that, and it was once again the pleasant, you know, the fruity notes. And so it had that mix of both. I think the rum cask works in certain whiskeys, and I'm a big fan. You know, it's, you know, you, now it's like about two fifty episodes and, you know, we are not only developing our palates and we are not only experiencing a lot of different spirits, we know what we like immediately. You know it in the first few seconds, and you could sense it and Gizmo [01:50:08] Unless it's turpentine. That's the only exception. Pagoda [01:50:11] Correct. But you can sense it in just the way the feel of the whole podcast is and for the price, for it being a whiskey, for delivering, you know, a lot of the flavor notes a very, very elegant manner. I agree with you guys. The texture was just perfect as well. You know, and I thought, you know, I could pair this with a lot of cigars. You know, I like, the weather's been beautiful nowadays, and I'm hoping the weather's beautiful tomorrow. I'm gonna go in the morning, pick up one of these, sit down on my deck and smoke a nice cigar. Chef Ricky [01:50:45] With your scrambled eggs. Pagoda [01:50:47] No, this is great. This is, it was excellent. A 10. There's no question about it. Chef Ricky [01:50:52] And this is the perfect vehicle for this flavor. Like, this is a light Pagoda [01:50:57] Lighter, yeah. Chef Ricky [01:50:58] This is a lighter expression. Right? It carries the flavors beautifully. Gizmo [01:51:04] So for me, it's also a 10. Wow. I think it's an A plus easy 10. I think this is... If I were to tell anyone to go out and buy the perfect budget friendly, I'm not going say budget. I'll say budget friendly single malt scotch whiskey for a cigar smoker. This is the one. Bam Bam [01:51:23] I I think I wouldn't even include the words budget friendly because this, again, like a lot of the cigars that we smoke, punches way above Way above. Absolutely. It outperforms a lot of the scotches that we love, and it crosses over into some of the rums that we love. Rooster [01:51:40] But I think Gizmo [01:51:40] the reason why I'm calling out the budget friendly is I think that for the Lizard out there who is price conscious when they're purchasing a bottle, when they're thinking about that really intently, I think this is one that is... It's it's a solid bet. It's a Chef Ricky [01:51:54] no brainer. Gizmo [01:51:54] It's a $50 solid bet for almost any cigar you have in your collection, and I think that's really something important to note, especially for what we're doing here. I think this is one that each of us is probably gonna stock. I'm shocked that we've not had this before. It's been out a year. None of us have ever heard of it. I got this So I got this bottle from my father-in-law as a gift. I tried it. It was so good, and I went out and bought one for the podcast. Bam Bam [01:52:17] So I didn't ask. Has anyone had this prior to this recording? No. Gizmo [01:52:20] No. I did, and that's why I got it. Amazing. Yeah. It it paired so well with Cubans, with Hondurans, with everything I was smoking when I was with him that

Senator [01:52:29] This isn't what Lizard Geo poured us that one night. Gizmo [01:52:32] No. Okay. It is not. That's a much more expensive one. Pagoda [01:52:34] Shout out to your father-in-law as well. This is great. Bam Bam [01:52:36] Killer find. Yeah. Gizmo [01:52:37] Yeah. So for me, it's a 10, senator. Senator [01:52:40] This is one of the easiest tens I will ever give on a spirit. I hate the idea of a perfect score for a spirit or a cigar. This is categorically deserving. Undeniable. I'm blown away. This for me is my spirit of the year. Of anything we've drank this entire calendar year, this is the single most memorable thing we've had. Bam Bam [01:53:07] Can't argue with that. Senator [01:53:08] It is mind blowing. Yeah. And I've mentioned during this episode and other ones the brilliance of Glenlivet that they don't get enough credit for just because of how huge they are and the scale, and it's so ubiquitous. You can find Glenlivet anywhere. The pineapple note that's here, that's not from the rum cask. Glenlivet 12, that is the special single characteristic note. You get pineapple in a twelve year single malt. There's not a single other one that you will ever get that from. So that's from the original twelve year blend. What the rum cask does, the coconut, the mango, the vanilla that's present here. Regular Glenlivet 12 is not a vanilla heavy. You don't get any butterscotch notes, but good was talking about. That's what the rum cask has done to this. You know, chef mentioned that this is amazing during the summer. There's a... Senator [01:54:07] It's lighter. Glenlivet 12, the standard fare stuff, that's very light. That's like a perfect summer drink. Mhmm. This is light enough to drink in the summer, but has more body added to it from that... The whatever character the rum cask imparts. I mean, we're in the fall. I would drink this every single fall night. Bam Bam [01:54:28] Every single day? Mean, Gizmo [01:54:30] it's it's Morning, Rooster [01:54:32] noon, night. Bam Bam [01:54:32] And lose your Gizmo [01:54:33] job. It's it's unbelievable. Bam Bam [01:54:37] End up in the streets. Gizmo [01:54:40] But the spirit is good. Senator [01:54:41] Correct. It's truly truly spectacular what they've done. The price point, as we have said, is insane. If we drank this blind, and we were asked, number one, the age statement, number two, the price point, I think everyone here would have said higher than twelve years. Gizmo [01:55:00] What would you have guessed? Put that question to Rooster [01:55:02] yourself. Senator [01:55:02] I would have guessed fourteen or fifteen years. Gizmo [01:55:04] And how much? Senator [01:55:05] And I would have said that this is $80.90 dollar bottle. Bam Bam [01:55:09] Yeah. Yeah. Senator [01:55:10] It's that good. Yeah. And that's why I say for me, it's my spirit of the year. So as strong of a 10 as I will ever give on a spirit, what an outstanding job. And, man, hats off to Glenlivet. Incredible value. Gizmo [01:55:24] Well, boys, this is an easy one. First time in a while. Yeah. The Glenlivet 12 years aged. Rooster [01:55:30] Oh, shit. Bam is the culprit this time. Pagoda [01:55:34] Amateur. Senator [01:55:35] Chef, you're Gizmo [01:55:35] off the hook. Amateur. Finally. I don't know what's in the water or the scotch tonight. The Glenlivet twelve years aged, Jamaica edition Treasure Beach single malt scotch whiskey is a perfect 10. Let's quickly compare that to the other four Glenlivet's we've done on the pod. We'll start first with Glenlivet 18 on episode 26, scored a 9.3. On episode 60, the Glenlivet 12 scored an eight. On episode 117, the Glenlivet 14 scored a 9.8. And finally, on episode 237, the Glenlivet fusion cask also scored a 9.8. Very good performances. Pagoda [01:56:17] Great performance from this brand. Senator [01:56:18] That's crazy. Most underrated brand in the single malt category. Gizmo [01:56:22] Not in Bam Bam [01:56:23] this room. We respect the Friendly. Brand. Gizmo [01:56:25] It's so it's so That Bam Bam [01:56:26] is just amazing. Gizmo [01:56:27] Budget conscious for someone who's looking for single malt. Senator [01:56:29] And even their higher end stuff, I've said this, like, their eighteen year is priced more competitively than almost any eighteen year in the market. Yeah. And it's as good, if not better than the vast majority of them. Bam Bam [01:56:39] Yeah. Gizmo [01:56:41] Alright, boys. It's time now to do the formal lizard rating on the Davidoff Maxamar twenty fifth anniversary. Rooster, you're up. Rooster [01:56:50] What a cigar. I mean, the Davidoff is back. This this Let's not go Gizmo [01:56:54] that far. Not go too far. Pagoda [01:56:57] It's back. Rooster [01:57:00] This cigar, if somebody handed me this cigar without the bands on it, Gizmo [01:57:05] I think Rooster [01:57:06] I be able to tell that this is a Davidoff. The Davidoff DNA was present right from the cut on the cold draw. And as soon as you light it, I could tell that this is a Davidoff. This Davidoff was what a Davidoff should be, what the blend should be, one best of Davidoffs that I think I've ever had. And great job done by Small Batch acquiring this for their release, for their store. Rooster [01:57:43] Right on the light, I mean, you get a little bit of a pepper, and then the cigar is earthy. It's got salt. It's got sweet notes of cocoa and espresso, and the flavors just build and build. It completely envelops your mouth. The cigar is, I think, very like Davidoff used to call it very linear. It kind of hits every single part of your tongue, and that you experience the salt, the pepper, the chocolate, the sweet notes. It's a great, great experience. I mean, the cigar was absolutely delicious. I mean, I was drinking a coffee with it. I most often do, and it paired great with coffee, too. I could smoke this cigar, I think, in the morning, in the afternoon, or in the evening. It's a great medium

cigar. It's not very full. Towards the very end, I I want to say maybe like very, very end, like maybe less. Pagoda [01:58:43] Half an inch. Rooster [01:58:44] Yeah, half an inch to an inch. It got a little bit hot, but that's about the only But Pagoda [01:58:52] that's got to do with a little bit of the opening of the tar. Rooster [01:58:54] Yeah, maybe it was the buildup of the tar or whatnot, but I think the cigar was absolutely delicious. I actually sent my rating as an 11 on this cigar, but it's a solid 10. I mean, it was a great cigar. Pagoda [01:59:07] All right. We'll carry that one over for next time. Rooster [01:59:11] All right. Send what I've spoken. Bam Bam [01:59:13] Sergeant at Arms. Correct. Senator [01:59:15] This was a shocking a Davidoff cigar as I've ever smoked. I came into this expecting it to be very good because Rooster had it and and strongly recommended it. But in my wildest dreams, I could not have expected that this cigar would have delivered as much joy as it brought me. I was tired coming into this episode. I was starved for a cigar since we recorded an hour later than we planned. That's why I lit it while you all were on the cold draw. This thing was just... What a special journey this took me on. The the first third, for me, I would not describe as earthy. I think that's the only place I diverge from Rooster's commentary. The first third for me was I meant Rooster [02:00:04] like overall it had an earthy... There was an earthiness about the cigar. Senator [02:00:09] Still, for me, earth is in the background. I would not describe that as a dominant note at any point except may... Not even the end. For me, it... It's it's there, but it's not dominant. The first third... The last cigar that I would describe with the level of full palate coverage as we're talking about was Klaas Kelner's Gizmo [02:00:33] The eightieth. Senator [02:00:33] The eightieth. Yep. Don't remember I was Gizmo [02:00:36] gonna say that too. Senator [02:00:36] Yeah. I don't remember another cigar where every single... And right from the light, I mean, we're talking about sweet and savory and acidic and salty and all these things immediately present. It's rare you get a cigar that does that. The first third for me was an absolute perfect 10, if not 11, as Rooster gave it. The second third, the sweetness actually picked up. The acidity dialed down. The second third for me hit its perfect sweet spot of what I would want and chase in that blend. It was so delicious. The last third was the only complaint that I had. It got... It lost the sweetness for me. It got bitter. The final half inch helped recover in that I started to get some of that sweetness back, so I left satisfied. I thought for sure this was gonna be an absolute perfect knockout 10. I can't And it is. Give it that. No. I can't Bam Bam [02:01:48] In your opinion. Senator [02:01:49] For... Yes. For my... The experience in the final third for me was far from perfect. So I'm

at a nine. This is a high nine as strong as a nine as I'll give. I hope one of two things, that either this needs more time in a humidor for that final third to perform the way the first two thirds did, or this is not a standard production cigar. If Davidoff is listening, if you were ever to take a limited release cigar and find a way to make it standard production, I would challenge every single person you have on your staff that can blend a damn cigar to find a way to come up with something as close to this as possible with readily available tobacco, it's so special. Gizmo [02:02:41] What I think they should do is cut the last half inch off and make a Robusto. Senator [02:02:45] Oh, okay. That that would work too. Rooster [02:02:47] And call it the ear of the camel. It's gonna be, like, $90. Pagoda [02:02:54] Why camel? Gizmo [02:02:55] And I know. Senator [02:02:58] The other thing I'll say, we talked about this early on, but it's worth just mentioning because it it was consistent all the way through. The construction on this cigar was outstanding. The burn line Correct. The ash, the smoke output, it was effortless. We talk about a truly great cigar. You you should be able to melt into your chair and not have to think about what you're doing and just enjoy the flavor, the aroma, and that was the case all the way through. See, not to Bam Bam [02:03:29] interrupt you, but a lot of what Davidoffs cigars used to be five plus years ago was exactly that. That. And if you remember, the three of us bulk ordered Millennium Pyramids. Yeah. Yeah. How many years ago? That's five plus Gizmo [02:03:43] years ago. Gotta be four or five years. It's definitely during COVID. Senator [02:03:46] I lit one last night from that I Bam Bam [02:03:48] only have a few left. Gizmo [02:03:51] Are Delicious. Stunning. Bam Bam [02:03:52] They're fantastic, and everything he just said, they used to deliver. So I'm hoping, not to jump in on your parade, I hope that this is the potential start of a new path for them. Rooster [02:04:06] And what's interesting is that neither of us mentioned the price. Gizmo [02:04:10] That's how Rooster [02:04:11] good that cigar is. Senator [02:04:13] That's the thing. Rooster [02:04:14] That price is in the background. That's We're not even thinking about the price. Bam Bam [02:04:18] That's Senator [02:04:19] correct. This is one of the rare Davidoffs that has come out at a higher price point that I have zero complaint or issue with whatsoever. The last one actually would have been the Davidoff Maduro. Oh, yeah. That was an excellent cigar. Gizmo [02:04:32] Yeah. That was great. Bam Bam [02:04:33] That's true. Senator [02:04:33] True. Excellent. I have only a handful of those left, and I save those for occasions because I enjoy that cigar that much. Mhmm. But I would absolutely smoke this again. If you're a Davidoff fan listening to this or Davidoff fan of the past, this is a must try. There's no other way around it. I

just hope that you don't clear these all out so that me and other lizards that are reviewing this get some before they sell out. What a spectacular smoke, and I I just really hope that Davidoff takes this, learns from it, and applies this to a standard production release because, man, if something came out standard production that was 60, 70% as great as this, I I smoke it every... It would be a permanent part of my rotation. Rooster [02:05:25] Can carry my one and give it to him, and Gizmo [02:05:27] then gets a 10. Okay. Got it. So I completely mimic everything you just said. I'm I'm also at a nine. I had a very identical experience. I think we were exchanging, you know, flavor notes that we were on the same page. A couple things here. I think this is a product of Andrew and the team over at Small Batch Maxamar getting involved and and really, really refining what they wanted. Bam Bam [02:05:54] Do we know that for a fact? Gizmo [02:05:55] Absolutely. Out of a cigar to represent their twenty fifth anniversary of Bam Bam [02:05:59] the drop. Kudos to them. Gizmo [02:06:00] It it it is. That that to me, that is why we had this experience tonight. That's awesome. We've had recent runs of of Davidoff stuff that isn't doing what this did tonight. And even at my nine, I I feel bad almost giving the cigar a nine because it gave me so much great and smoke for for as much as it did. But that last third, like you said, senator, there was a good portion of that that was challenging and and got to a flavor profile that didn't align with my palate and I didn't really enjoy. And like you said, at the end, it came back at the very, very end. But at a $50 price point, I do think that that does need to be considered. I think this is an expensive cigar. You know? Like it or not, this is an expensive cigar, and I think that that is an experience that should carry all the way through. Having said that, I'm gonna buy a box of these. It's a nine, but I'm gonna buy a box. You know, 10 is like, I'm absolutely running out to buy it. I'm gonna order a box tonight. Gizmo [02:06:59] I I think it's a phenomenal expression of the best of Davidoff for the first 75 to 80% Bam Bam [02:07:08] of it. Can you order me a box too? Rooster [02:07:09] No. Can I split your box? He's gonna he's gonna sell those anyway. Gizmo [02:07:14] Right. Exactly. No. I won't. I'll bet I'll bet. Honestly, kudos to Well, Rooster [02:07:17] now that Bond Roberts is selling New Worlds. Yeah. Senator [02:07:20] There you He will Gizmo [02:07:20] be. Twenty seven fifty. Bam Bam [02:07:22] In about ten years. Rooster [02:07:24] There's only a thousand boxes available. Alright. Gizmo [02:07:27] But kudos to Andrew and the team over at Maxamar and Small Batch. Forget the fact that they are, know, sponsors of our podcast, friends of ours. This cigar is a triumph again for the first 80% for me. Senator [02:07:41] So A triumph. Bam Bam [02:07:43] It's... Well, that's... Hold on. That's Bane.

Chef Ricky [02:07:45] I know. It's a triumph. Rooster [02:07:49] It's actually not that good. That's a very, very good Gizmo [02:07:51] cigar, and and I hope, like you said, senator, that Davidoff returns to this level of glory. Pagoda. Ten ten wins, folks. Ten ten wins. Chef Ricky [02:08:03] Hell yeah. Pagoda [02:08:03] It's a 10. You know, I've not seen all of us so excited about a cigar for so long. As soon as we let it, everybody was just smiling, was happy. Not all of us. No, was, like in the beginning. Senator [02:08:17] Bam started out very skeptical. Pagoda [02:08:19] Oh yeah, I forgot. Bam Bam [02:08:20] And it'll reflect Mary. Pagoda [02:08:21] Yeah, listen, for me this was an excellent cigar. I love Davidoff. I love a lot of their, you know, different cigars that they come out with. This was just really, really good. Very, very flavorful. You know, I was thinking about, once again, Klaas Kelner's diagram, and I was thinking about it. I couldn't remember anything to be very honest. But having said that Gizmo [02:08:43] At least you were thinking about Pagoda [02:08:44] it. Yes, was thinking about it. Gizmo [02:08:46] So it's not Pagoda [02:08:46] that counts. This is one of the cigars which just kind of envelope not only your whole tongue, but also the top of your palate. It was so flavorful, you know, if you would like to call it, the finish was reasonably long, or for me the pleasant profile just maintained throughout while I was smoking the cigar. You know, I do understand that the price point is 50, but if you really start considering a lot of Davidoff cigars, they're, you know, a bit pricier just to other markers. So, you know, I'm not thinking about it. I would buy a box. In fact, we've already got a few. You know, I'm getting splitting fever drooster already. Rooster [02:09:29] Who you talking to? Pagoda [02:09:30] Yeah. But, no, this is fantastic. Rooster [02:09:33] I don't hear anything. Senator [02:09:34] Like I said, Pagoda doesn't realize he's already been cut out. My. Gizmo [02:09:39] Look what he did to the Dominicana. Yeah. We can't trust this guy. Pagoda [02:09:44] No, but this is excellent. It's right up there. You know, I really enjoyed just the overall flavor profile throughout. Just loved it. It's a 10. It's a 10. Senator [02:09:57] Bam bam, you're up. Gizmo [02:09:58] Alright, chef. Oh, chef. Chef Ricky [02:10:00] Ten ten wins for me too, man. This cigar has brought some life to this pod that's been missing for some time. It brought some excitement to my palate in ways that, you know, I said early on it was very counter esque. When I took my first draws. That's exactly my my head went right to that diagram and just every part of the my palate that this cigar was hitting the retrohale was delicious. Traditional draw was amazing. You know, it started off with those sweeter, brighter, lighter notes. And then as you got closer and into that final third and even that final inch, I mean, have ash not

all over me, but all around me because I was literally juggling this knob, this knob, trying to keep it in my fingers to keep smoking it, you know, towards that final half inch. I would say it definitely got very earthy and leathery, but the sweetness lingered. It was very light and it stayed in the background, allowing those bolder flavors to come through. Chef Ricky [02:11:07] I love the way it performed. I love the smoke output. I love the construction. I loved everything about the cigar. And yeah, it's a bit pricey, but this is probably one of those cigars you wouldn't mind paying that price for. So for me, it's a Gizmo [02:11:19] 10. Alright, Bam. Bam Bam [02:11:22] So I did not like the first three quarters of an inch of the cigar. I didn't. I noted that way earlier in the recording. It was uninteresting for me. Usually, most cigars on the light, you kinda get a pretty good experience. I didn't get that here for some reason. It, for me, was like recent release Davidoff product. But as I got into that final tail end of the first third, I think I noted this as well, it transformed very quickly. And I love the second third, and I love the final third. So it did leave a lasting, positive, really enjoyable experience for me. Bam Bam [02:12:06] It wasn't overtly sweet. I didn't get much fruit like y'all got. I didn't get much sweetness like the most of y'all got, but the creaminess, the velvety experience, really a... Probably a touch of sweet cream, but that cashew walnut is important for me. I happen to love that note, so I got a lot of those experiences in this cigar. But that first third kind of left me, you know, just enough of a demerit for me to give this a nine, and that's where I'm at. Price also factors in just the touch, not much because it's an incredible cigar. I will be buying a box of these, but I think overall, as we all talked about a moment ago, I hope Davidoff learns from this and they move forward with this in mind to improve their lines. Chef Ricky [02:12:55] They need to promote this Senator [02:12:56] blender. Yeah, Bam Bam [02:12:58] Whomever it is. Gizmo [02:13:00] This happened, they need to continue it. Bam Bam [02:13:02] So that's the thing. Gizmo [02:13:02] If it was the Small Batch guys, the Maxamar guys, hire them. Bam Bam [02:13:06] Yes. Whatever happens. That's correct. Look, that's the other thing. If Small Batch was involved Gizmo [02:13:12] They definitely were. Bam Bam [02:13:12] They were, and it may not be a particular blender at Davidoff because it was a collaboration. That's a shame. Senator [02:13:21] But that's why I said put out a challenge. Replicate as close to this as possible Yeah. Yep. And make it standard production. Can imagine we would all scoop this up? Bam Bam [02:13:31] Dude, they have the recipe now. Make it happen. Rooster [02:13:34] Yeah. And this... They have had it for a long time. Bam Bam [02:13:36] I know. I'm sure. Rooster [02:13:38] They can recreate this. They just

did. This came out last year. Yeah. And there's so many other Davidoffs that we have had that have not lived up Gizmo [02:13:46] to Here's Bam Bam [02:13:46] a question for you guys. You consider this to be a celebratory cigar because of the price and its limited run? Gizmo [02:13:53] I don't know. I think I could I could really enjoy this on Pagoda [02:13:55] a Anytime. Gizmo [02:13:56] A Friday or Saturday night and not not complain too much about the price. Uh-huh. Anytime. But When the price comes into it, it is celebratory. Right? I mean Bam Bam [02:14:05] So that's why I asked the question because I know there's gonna be a little Senator [02:14:07] bit of price point, I'm sorry. There's none of us that are regularly on a weekly and especially a daily basis smoking a cigar that's $50 in value. That's just absurd. Bam Bam [02:14:16] That's correct. Rooster [02:14:17] Definitely not daily. Definitely... Probably not weekly, but maybe at least once a month. Chef Ricky [02:14:23] Monthly, yeah. Bam Bam [02:14:24] Me tell Pagoda [02:14:24] you something Chef Ricky [02:14:24] that's easy. Gizmo [02:14:24] Once a month would work. Bam Bam [02:14:25] I'm at a very, very strong enthusiastic nine. So boys Chef Ricky [02:14:28] Can I say this about the price point? So it's $50, but you use that Lizard, what was Gizmo [02:14:33] $42. With our code, it's $42. Chef Ricky [02:14:36] Plus points. And the points, that's another Senator [02:14:38] what, 5%? Gizmo [02:14:38] Another 5%. You're down to 40. Senator [02:14:41] Though I know, but for, you know, if someone... The point is that's not always possible. Chef Ricky [02:14:47] Sure, but anyone listening to this pod could get this cigar for essentially $40, which makes this a steal, I think, for the experience we had today. Senator [02:14:56] It's more palatable It makes you tolerable. Chef Ricky [02:15:00] Yeah, yeah. I'm calling it a steal. I'm the brokest lizard on this podcast, okay? Rooster [02:15:05] I mean, I have a... Hey, Bam. Gizmo [02:15:06] Can you get the violin Senator [02:15:07] out, It's steal. Bam Bam [02:15:08] It's playing right now. Gizmo [02:15:08] We're in yard. Rooster [02:15:09] It's the world's smallest violin over there on Bam Bam [02:15:11] your And very, very silent. Gizmo [02:15:13] So, boys, I just wanna say something. Rooster [02:15:17] I think I have a strong feeling about if if you let the cigar sit for, like, a couple of months, it's gonna change. And all the issues that you had in the first third, it's not gonna go away. Bam Bam [02:15:29] And what senator had in the finals pay it possibly. We don't know. Rooster [02:15:32] Yeah. I'm hoping. Okay. Hopeful. Chef Ricky [02:15:34] Alright. We may never find out because I don't know if this is gonna last that long in any one's thought. That's also true. Gizmo [02:15:39] So boys, the formal Lizard rating tonight on the Davidoff Maxamar twenty fifth anniversary celebration Is a 9.5 a true return to form for Davidoff? I'm not gonna go through all the Davidoff ratings. If you wanna see them, go to our website, loungelizardspod.com, and go to the ratings section. There's so many. I will say prior to about the last year or eighteen months, Davidoff was one of the highest performing cigar makers on this podcast, and this is right in line with those. Chef Ricky [02:16:09] So So we could go through two hours of Cuban news, but god forbid you have to review all the Correct. Ratings. Bam Bam [02:16:16] He didn't wanna work. Gizmo [02:16:17] He just stopped. Pagoda [02:16:17] Go, chef. Go. Gizmo [02:16:20] Two hours of Cuban news. So boys, congratulations again to our lizard of the week with that awesome voice memo. Lizard Dan, thanks again to him, and thanks to all of the lizards who contribute to the show. Please keep sending your emails, voice memos, your comments on Spotify, Instagram, YouTube, Reddit, whatever you like. We wanna hear from you. We are coming up on our five year anniversary episode three weeks from today, which means you have about a week to get any voice memos, comments, any of that stuff you wanna get in that we can share on our five year anniversary episode. If you've not written us before, now is the time. Please reach out to us. We would really, really appreciate it. We're gonna try to get through a bunch of that stuff on our episode 260. Gizmo [02:17:08] Of course, we have to thank Bond Roberts for sending all of our Lizards of the Week a 10 count box of cigars. We really, really appreciate their support. Of course, boys, we just had a cigar from their shop. We have to thank Small Batch Cigar. Use our code LIZARD15 for 15% off your entire order, 5% back in rewards, free shipping. I am so glad that we found the Davidoff Maxamar. Bam Bam [02:17:32] I'm so glad we Rooster [02:17:33] found the show. Gizmo [02:17:34] Is so fast. It's incredible. Yeah. You are the chef. Rooster [02:17:37] I mean, literally comes in two days, if not, you know, if not from California. Gizmo [02:17:42] I know it's amazing. Crazy. It's amazing. And like I say on the the thing that, you know, pops into the episode, it's like their curation, their samplers, their cigar of the month club. And for some reason, on Reddit, they're the only folks that get all love. There's no Bam Bam [02:17:57] But also now, their blending prowess. Gizmo [02:18:00] Well, it always has. Look at Avowed. That's so true. That's these guys. Bam Bam [02:18:03] Great line of cigars. Gizmo [02:18:04] It is. It's an offshoot of a Small Batch. Bam Bam [02:18:06] They're making their mark. Again, go to Gizmo [02:18:08] smallbatchcigar.com. Use our code, LIZARD15. Get yourself some Maxamars. Get yourself some Avowed. Get yourself some Klaas Kelner stuff. Whatever you want. You're some stoic. Go to smallbatchcigar.com. Support them. Support us. Use code LIZARD15 at checkout. Of course, boys, Drew Estate, our new friends over there. The rebirth of cigars. Register now for the thirtieth anniversary celebration rewards program at de30rewards.com. Earn yourself some cool, unique swag. It's not generic stuff. It's really, really good stuff. I promise you that. For doing what you already do, for smoking, go to de30rewards.com. And finally, boys, our presenting sponsor, Fabrica 5. Fabrica005.com. Use our code LIZARD POD and get the new Maduro Petit Corona N4. The Bond Roberts Robusto is coming out soon. Chef Ricky [02:19:00] I just Gizmo [02:19:01] got sampler. Now have Bond Roberts samplers. Yep. You can get one of everything, a couple of everything. Check them out. You can get a bunch of five packs, 25 count bundles, 50 count bundles. Fabrica005.com. Use our code LIZARD POD. Bam Bam [02:19:15] Love you, Gizmo [02:19:15] Rob. And boys, one more time tonight, the Glenlivet, 12 years age, Jamaica edition, Treasure Beach was a perfect 10, and the Davidoff Maxamar twenty fifth anniversary was a 9.5. Also a treasure. You could tell by the energy in this room tonight, the excitement Correct. Jumping all over. What a pairing. Right? I mean, it doesn't get better than this kind of experience. It's actually been a while since we had an experience like Rooster [02:19:42] this. You can still taste that cigar in your mouth. Yeah. It And it's been twenty minutes. Gizmo [02:19:46] Can pull Rooster [02:19:47] it down. Easily taste Gizmo [02:19:48] it. Long finish. Long finish. Alright, boys. A great night, and we'll see everybody next week. Hope you enjoyed this episode. Thanks for joining us. You could find our merch store and ratings archive at our brand new website, loungelizardspod.com. That's loungelizardspod.com. Don't forget to leave us a rating and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. If you have any comments, questions, if you wanna reach out, say hello, tell us what you're smoking, email us. Hello at loungelizardspod.com. You can also find us on Instagram at lounge lizards pod. We really appreciate your time, and we'll, we'll see you next week.