Episode 42 | OFC Maracana | Cigars & Lounges

Yo yo yo yo yo. What's up guys? We're back for another episode of Sticks and Stones podcast. Sticks and Stones is where we talk about life. We talk about love and we talk about the brotherhood and sisterhood of the leaf premium tobacco products. So let me let me just clarify something for those of you who do not know. We have probably recorded maybe close to 50 episodes by now. This we have numbered episodes and then we have some impromptu ad hoc episodes when things happened like news and when we were at PCA and stuff like that. This podcast is all about life. It's not just about cigars. So yes, I do listen and I read all of the comments from all sources of media. This podcast is about my life and life in general. So, I'm a dad. I am an entrepreneur. I have I I own and operate multiple entities. I am involved in other entities that I don't own. So, I have close to 30 years of business experience. That is a huge part of my life. I smoke anywhere from two to five cigars a day. That's also a a huge part of my life. This podcast is about my life and about friends of mine and and guests that I bring on that kind of share same views and ideas and ideals that I do. The greatest thing about the world we live in is everyone is free to do what they want to do and listen to and consume the things that they want to consume. So if you are interested in cigars only, I got something for your ass. Go to puff-cast.com. That is a website that we operate and eventually are going to open up to the public for you to review cigars. And those videos will be nothing but cigars. Cigars and nothing but cigars. So all of the videos there speak nothing about anything else other than what the cigar tastes like, how it's performing, how it acts, so on and so forth. So if you are only interested in cigar media, go there. for everything else, you know, we talk about funny stuff here. We talk about real stuff, serious stuff here. We talk about business stuff. So, like if you are a business owner or you're interested in thinking about starting a business, this is for you. Like this is we talk about stuff like that while smoking cigars, while talking about cigars, while planning on You know, if you're planning on starting to smoke cigars, we talk a lot of [ __ ] about cigars. cigars is is the focal point of this podcast, but we also talk about a lot of other stuff, you know, current events, cigar news, life events, you know, being being a dad, being a husband, being a business owner, being a consultant because people pay me for my business advice. So, I walk into people's businesses and get to understand what they do and how they operate. and try to help them out in whatever their issue or problem might be. So, I see a lot of businesses and business models and it's it's just it's a part of my life and it is a big part of my life and I share that with all of the viewers and listeners that even give a [ __ ] about this podcast. So, if that is not your cup of tea, not a problem, no hard feelings. You can go to puff-cast.com and you get all of that media and that's all cigar reviews all day long. That's all that is. If you like if you have other interests, if you have if you like learning about current events and news and business stuff and entrepreneurial stuff, then this podcast is for you. The the Instagram channel is for you. You know, all of this other stuff is for you. The YouTube is for you. We're actually doing a series right now. We're shooting a series right now. If you are interested in opening a cigar store, shop, lounge, bar, how to go about doing that. Because of my my commercial real estate background, I'm shooting a whole multi- multi- video series on the steps you need to take to start your own cigar business, your own cigar enterprise, let's call it. This is the type stuff that we put out there. Uh this is the type stuff that we're producing. So if if that's for you, if that if that is your cup of tea, come on in. The water's fine. Having said all that, what am I smoking today? Well, you know because it's in the title. I am smoking the Oz family cigar Marakana. Now, why this is so special? The Marana is not for public consumption yet. That sounds a little weird. The Marikana has not hit the shelves yet for sale. This cigar is the one and only that was given to me by uh Miguel at Oz Family Cigar and Crown Heads at the PCA 2026 show in New Orleans, Louisiana. I have been saving this and I have not smoked it. It was the only one the one and only that they gave me and I don't know why I've been saving it. I don't know why I have not smoked it yet. I I started the the the Puffcast review which was basically born from PCA and I started by giving reviews of cigars that I had never smoked before and smoking it one time giving it a review. I have changed my mind and I think that it's unfair to rate a cigar that you've only had once. So, I think it's bare minimum you've had to smoke it twice in order to give it a fair review. So, I was going to save this for a Puff Cast review, but Mikana is shipping soon, so it'll be on the shelves and I'll be able to go to any local and purchase this cigar, smoke it, so I can review it. But what I'm going to do is I am going to crack it open on this podcast episode. And on a cigar this small, you know, I'm I'm really favoring the crown cut or the star cut, which which is the Vcut multiple times in different directions, different patterns. But on a cigar this small, I think this is like a 46 ring, it it just it turns it into it turns it into meatloaf. All right. So, on the cold draw, I am getting, first of all, it's a little bit of a tight draw. Nothing other than cedar. All right, let's dance it around the flame. You know how we do. And we're off. And I'm shooting this episode from Houston, Texas. And I got to tell you, summer took a really was kind of dragging its feet to get here. And it is definitely here now. So, we are June the 5th, and it is the typical Houston summer. the swamp ass. Very humid, very hot. This is like mosquito Super Bowl right now. Mosquitoes are everywhere because of the humidity and it's been raining a lot. Summer took a while to get here, but it's it has definitely arrived. Ooh, this is nice. I mean, I'm not surprised. I'm not surprised because it's Oz family cigar which which is also a huge part of Crown Heads which if anyone follows us on Instagram or Facebook you will know that I am a huge Crown Heads fan. So I'm not surprised that this is a good smoke and I am enjoying morning coffee with this. Now, as a disclaimer, I smoke a lot of cigars daily. So, my tolerance to nicotine is very high. So, I can smoke a bold cigar in the morning with coffee on an empty stomach. I do not recommend, I repeat, I do not recommend anyone starting out to do that. If you're going to smoke in the morning, do it with a lighter cigar, a Connecticut shade or something like that. You might want to have like a English muffin or something. Don't do what I do. Basically, kids, don't do this at home. But so far, I think this is a wonderful cigar for for morning coffee. Another thing that I'm well aware of, guys, I smoke cigars like somebody hooked a shopvac up to a cigar and lit it. I guess it's got something to do with I am a very busy guy with a lot of things going on and I'm constantly juggling, you know, 25 professional balls and and 10 personal balls in the air. So, I'm always on the run. I'm always on the go. And I don't have a lot of time. I I don't have 2 hours to sit there and enjoy a cigar fully. So, I just puff and puff and puff on it. And it ends up, you know, most people that get their hands on a 2-hour smoke, I'm I'm smoking it in a half an hour, 45 minutes. I am well aware of what that does to a cigar. I am well aware of the cons of that and the pitfalls of doing that. It It's just who I am. I get busy and I smoke the [ __ ] out of these things very quickly. That's got a good draw. It's got good smoke output. Got really good taste. So this is the beautiful thing about the brotherhood of the leaf, the sisterhood of the leaf is this is all subject these premium tobacco products are all subject to your taste, your preferences. This has nothing to do with what I think, what I like. This is all about what you like and what your tastes are and what your preferences are. Some people love to be kicked in the face by pepper. I don't. Some people love a really, really super mild. I know people that only smoke macudos, very light, very mild macanos. It's the only thing they smoke. Smoking for 30 years and it's the only cigar that they'll smoke. I have a friend that only smokes the h the my family's cigars. Haimey Garcia double gordo. You could give him a Girh Grand Cortisan and he he'll turn it down. This is all subject to you. If you like a certain thing, that's what you like. So, I just visited a nice ash cigar shop and lounge in the Heights area of Houston and I was talking to the manager, David. Really great guy, very, very knowledgeable. If you are in that area, if you're in the the Heights, Montro area of Houston, definitely go see those guys. They're very, very knowledgeable, very cool. There was actually a really cool cigar rep in there. I think he repped Espinosa. Very, very cool people. And I was talking to David there for for a good bit. Maybe we had about a 15 20 minute conversation. And he is a former chef. And his approach to cigar selection when he's recommending cigars to people is you have to ask a lot of questions. You know, what do you like? What are your preferences? Are you a a red meat eater? Do you like steak? Do you like, you know, prime rib? And, you know, that kind of thing. Well, I'm going to pair this cigar with you with, you know, this drink, whatever it is. He's a he is a chef. He was a professional chef and now he's in the cigar industry. So he's very very used to hospitality and his idea is I can't push off my preferences, my likes, dislikes, my tastes on you. I don't know what you like. I don't know what your tastes are. So I'm going to ask you a bunch of questions and then I'm going to pair what I think would be good for you. Now this week I have tried some really good stuff. So, I've tried the Espinosa collaboration with Guyieti knuckle sandwich. That was great. I also tried the Hooty Young. Let me get you the the Hooty Young Medus. M A deuce. It looked like it looked like a 30 odd six round or a really big 223 round. The cigar shape. It was really cool. Hootin Young, if you don't know, is a very military ccentric brand. Both of the founders, they have a bourbon or whiskey and the cigar brand. And everything, both of the founders are veterans. So, I I tried that. That was phenomenal. Uh, and I think the next one is going to be the Neptune Spear. Can't wait for that. Like I said, I tried the knuckle sandwich. That was great. actually got that one on a I smoked that down till I needed a a cigar spear, cigar pick. Then I tried the Fiero Tego Timeless Prestige. That was great. And then on a late night drive home, I had the Crowned Heads Mil Diaz. That was great. I had a lot of firsts this week. Been working with the guys at Ritual Cigars and I tried one of their cigars. It's difficult to say. I don't I don't remember how to say it. And then I tried the warped easel cocoadillo yesterday. That was fantastic. Got a little bit of got a little bit of of strength to it. So, you know, just just warning you about that. But this is the beauty of the premium tobacco industry. Mosquito bite on my [ __ ] forehead. There are so many brands out there today. There are so there are thousands of brands out there today and tens of thousands of facings. A facing is a cigar an in it's a an individual cigar is the best way to explain it. So if if I am a brand and I have like the Makana, let's just use this for an example because it's what I'm smoking today. If there are three sizes to the Americana and two types, a Maduro and a habano, let's say, that would be six facings because there's there's two tobacco types and three different sizes for each. So that is six facings. So there are thousands of cigar brands out there and tens of thousands if not more facings. There is literally a brand for everyone. This is not anymore. It's just Cohiba and D and Dav or our Turor Fuente. There's literally a brand for everything and everyone. Men, women alike are producing some really good [ __ ] out there. Crowned Heads is one of them. Steve Saka in Dun Barton Trust and Tobacco makes some phenomenal [ __ ] Elizabeth Santos with her brand Noble Cigar. She's got three different cigars right now in multiple sizes and they are phenomenal. Great person, by the way. One of my favorites. One of my favorite people in the world. Then there's like Drunk Chicken uh cigars. Met them at PCA. Really, really cool. Good cigar. I I I interviewed those guys at PCA while smoking their mother clucker Maduro. It was great. It really was. So, like there are so many brands out there now. Like Nick Malo's foundation, he's got a ton of stuff. He favors like the fire cured type process. You've got uh AJ Fernandez. I don't know if I'd call AJ Fernandez a boutique because they are pretty large and and he collaborates with pretty much everybody under the sun. Um but you've got, you know, so many different brands out there that are doing like Fiorgo and EGM. EGM is another great one. EGM is known for doing their cigars in a very organic. All of their methods are are organic. When they grow the tobacco plant, I I learned a lot just from from watching different podcasts with uh Eton, the the owner, the founder of EGM. Great guy. Met him as well. And when they grow their tobacco, one thing that I I did not realize is when they grow tobacco, those fields are not just growing tobacco. So they prep the the the ground, they prep the soil with a different crop before. And what EGM does is they also run something in the soil after. So, they'll they'll run like I I I don't know, one type of bean, then they'll then they'll plant tobacco. They'll grow the the tobacco, and then they'll do like um lima beans after or some other type of bean, and it helps enrich the soil and uh nitrogen and and a whole bunch of other stuff. And they also, most cigar brands will grow the plants single single wide rows to get as many tobacco plants as possible. And EGM goes double wide. So, it's not as many plants, but it's better for the plant. It's better for the tobacco plant. Very interesting stuff. And it's very different. So, everybody's got a different take. Everybody has different methods on on how they do stuff. And there's buros where everything in the cigar is from that uh country of origin. So, if it's a Nicaraguan bureau, it's the the filler, the binder, and the wrapper are all from Nicaragua. So, if you do that with whatever country the the plant comes from, that's a puro. So there's like so many different things, thousands of brands out there, brands that some people have never heard of. This Monica is fantastic. By the way, I keep a running list of some of the interesting stuff that I want to try. And I went to I went to the one of the cigar shops yesterday and some of these they didn't even know. Mirrorfell Earnest Komodo Triple Leho. Leho is the strongest part of the plant and this is a triple Lehedto. So I can imagine it's going to be a knock you on your ass type of cigar. Gambino cigars. El Septimo is is I've had an El Septimo at the Blend Bar in the Woodlands, Texas, and that was a fantastic cigar. And since then they have El Septimo has been roaring. They're everywhere now. Furman Perez cigars and then Hootin Young. Like I I'd never I'd never seen Hootin Young. And I got to say I think that social media is helping a tremendous amount with getting awareness out of all the different brands and cigars that are out there. Like I would have never known about Hootin Young. I would have never known about any of these. I also think events. There needs to be more events. Like I know summertime's coming and there's going to be a lot of events coming, but you know there should be cigar events all year round, winter, spring, fall. I mean, you get out to an event where there's, you know, multiple brands, you know, that's another way because social media is great. Don't get me wrong, I just said that social media is great for learning about different brands that are out there, but you can't interact per se. You can't interact with the brand owner or the people who, you know, the brainchild behind that brand from your phone screen. And I know these people, look, people in the cigar industry are very hard workers because if you're a smaller brand, a boutique brand uh of cigar, nine times out of 10, you have a 9-to-five job. So these people are working a 9-to-f5 and they're shleing their asses all over the country and the world for that matter with cases and cases of cigars and they're going to, you know, local shops and they're talking to people, interacting with people with, you know, with fans and every walk of life and talking about their cigars and and filling people in and giving them the information about their cigars, how they created it, all that type of stuff. So you have people, you know, just like you and I could be could be parents, husbands, wives, business owners or loyal employees traveling all over the country, all over the world, taking their cigars with them, setting up these events, dealing with shop owners, you know, cutting deals with with the shop owners and taking their time and displaying their products and meeting all the people. I mean, it's a it's these are very very hardworking people. So, show them a little love is all I'm is all I'm saying. If I'm saying anything is show these people some love, you know, be an advocate for these people because if if we don't show them love and we don't buy their product and even if the product is [ __ ] right? Like even let's just say that. Let's just say that somebody put a lot of hard work into something and it it didn't come out great. Don't tear them down. Give them your respectable or respectful feedback and say, "Hey, you know, I know you tried really, really hard, but you know, XYZ was the problem. You know, it was a bad draw. It tastes tasted like [ __ ] or I got a an overwhelming sense of this." I'm sure they're going to appreciate that because eventually what everybody wants is a cigar that everybody loves and are going to buy because at the end of the day, this is a business. They need to make money to continue producing that cigar and coming up with new ideas and new inventive ways and new products. So, they have to make money in order to keep those things on the shelf. And if they're not making money, then they're going to go out of business and no one really wants that. So going going to, you know, I'm at Cigar Heaven all the time in Webster. When I'm in New Jersey, I'm at Stick Cigars in Somerville and in Rawway all the time. I go to Kasa Deonte Cristo. Shout out to my my boy Nardo. These are the places that I'm comfortable at, you know, and there's tons. There's thousands of lounges and and shops all over the country. And normally when I travel, that's like the first thing I look for is the cigar shops. And obviously when I have time. I do take some trips sometimes where I'm in and out and it's very quick and I don't have the time to to to drive 45 minutes one way to get to a cigar store or lounge. But going and seeing Nice Ash in the Heights, it's a really nice store. The Hubador is not huge, but it doesn't have to be. They have really great products. And yes, I know that there is an ask for every chair and some people like certain cigars and bigger shops carry a lot of stuff, many facings, you know, thousands of facings, there's something for everyone. For people that don't have the real estate, hint hint, for people who don't have the real estate, they're they have to make the decision on which lines, which brands they carry. So, at Nice Ash, you've got some really great stuff. They don't sell the stuff that's like I'm not saying that everything they've got there is super expensive. Do they have the $100 cigars? Absolutely. Is it all $100 cigars? No. They have a lot of good stuff. But that's the thing. Everything they've got on the shelves is good stuff. You know, that's that's where I saw the Hoot and Young Medus and David explained to me about their entire lineup and it's, you know, really really good. You know, they've got cigars from the $12 to over 20, which is that's a that's a middle-of the road price range. There are very few brands out there that have the $6 and below cigar that's any good that's any that's worth a [ __ ] So Nice Ash was was good people. David was great. Good humidor and a really nice setup lounge. I like the lounge. It was a very comfortable homey vibe. very nicely built out and definitely a place that I would if I was in the Heights today, I would go hang out there. You have lounges and shops of all shapes and sizes. You've got shops that are super duper high-end luxury. Don't do any of the economic, let's call that price conscious brands. Like you're you're not going to see the Odyssey, you're not going to see the CAO surplus, you're not going to see any of those, you know, the the Drew Estates factory smoke. You're not going to see them in there. You're going to see that, you know, the David off Royal Reserve and, you know, all that type, you know, the the 40, 50, 60, $100 cigar in those shops. And then you've got some of the shops, and forgive me for saying this, but you've got some shops, and I've I've been to a couple that you feel like you need a tetanis shot when you leave. And there's everything in between. So, you have, you know, the the shops that are your like your home plate that you feel comfortable at. They've got the selection that you like. Here's another thing that you want to keep in mind when you're when you're, you know, picking a a shop that I'm not saying that like you got to go to the same shop every single time, but everyone gets into that into the routine that that becomes your local your local cigar shop where you go, it's your go-to. You want a shop that doesn't has a good rotation, you know, doesn't have the same stuff every single time. Like when I go to Cigar Heaven, it's new stuff every time I go there, which is great because it prevents me from it. It it alleviates me from having to go on these these journeys to go to a cigar shop that has something that I'm looking for because nine times out of 10, Cigar Heaven has it. Then you have Pasadena Tobacco. Pasadena Tobacco and Cigar on Spencer Highway. And love that shop. Love the owner. Chris is great. Everybody in there is very knowledgeable. Their selection is I mean, if you passed the building on Spencer Highway, you would keep going. You would think to yourself, there's no way they have anything good or anything that I want. could not be further from the truth. They have a huge selection for a very small store and great pricing. Great pricing. I I still do not know how they do it. And they do get some stuff in unrin. You know, they get they got a couple six boxes of Andelusian bulls. Then they got a handful of boxes of the Amazon Basin. They do get some surprise stuff, but it's not as often as Cigar Heaven. Every time I go into Cigar Heaven, they're bringing there's a new line in there. And they've got everything from the the the bargain the bargain brands to, you know, the couple hundred stick cigars. So, it's everything you want. What else are you looking for when you're going to shop for your cigars? A lot of people shop online today. A lot of people go to, you know, CI Cigars International or Halt Cigar or whatever, order their cigars, and they come right to their door. That's great. I do a bit of that as well. I'm actually waiting on two shipments right now. But what do you look for? If anything, some people don't give a [ __ ] Some people are just like, "Look, if they got tobacco and cigars on the shingle outside, I don't give a [ __ ] I'm going to go there and check it out." Which I do that as often as I can. I I'm more more often than not checking Google first. I'll check Google Maps or Apple Maps and look for cigars cigar shops in my vicinity. But what are you looking for for a shop that you'll go back to? For me, I can only I can only speak for myself. The selection is one thing. I want a shop that's got a good selection. I want a lounge that's got a good selection. Customer service is number one. If you have good, knowledgeable people, people at the at the cigar shop that you would go have a drink with and chill and go smoke a cigar with after work. That's that's what I'm looking for. Also, cleanliness, right? I don't want to go to a lounge that's dirty, dingy, not well upkeep. This thing is staying lit, guys, which is a great sign. It shows that their blend, which this is my father's. My father's blend blended this. They purchased uh Oz family purchased the tobacco from my father's and my father's rolled this. Same thing with the Crown Heads Moonflower. So, I'm I'm not surprised. But if something stays lit when I'm not trying to smoke this like a shop pack for this episode because I'm busy talking to you guys. But when I go to a lounge and I don't see someone regularly emptying the ashtrays and wiping them down, I start to get like h it's actually a a WhatsApp notification from the founder of Ritual Cigars in Peru. So cleanliness, customer service, knowledgeable staff, you know, if I come to someone and I say, "Hey, this is my preference. I'm I'm a medium to bold cigar smoker. don't really like a pepper kick in the face and I want to smoke something for 45 minutes. I want to be talking to somebody who knows what they're talking about and can give me a recommendation and say, "Well, have you tried this or have you tried that?" I recommend it. Like that that is something now that I think about it. When I went to Cigaro in is a high-end lounge in Hackinack, New Jersey, the lounge was beautiful. the the the menu. I mean, we only had a couple of items on the menu. The burger was crazy, but their cigar selection was very limited because they only had two very small pedestal humidor cabinets. So, they had to be very, very selective on what they put in those cabinets. And for someone who is only concerned about the price tags, that lounge is not for you. They are selling the David off Royal Reserve for $200 a stick when you could find that in a shop or other lounges for like 85. I know in another one here in Texas it's like 20 or less. So 200 for the same stick is a bit much. But if you appreciate ambiance, if you appreciate uh an upscale environment, then that that's your spot. I also like going to cigar shops and lounges. And a lot of a lot of shops, especially here in Texas, a lot of shops you can go buy your stuff and smoke them there. New Jersey and New York, not so much. Like I stopped into a shop in New Orleans and it was so small that it was only grab and go. But another another thing that you know I keep in mind is the clientele. Do I want to go to a lounge or shop that when I'm there hanging out, everyone is very community driven, friendly, hanging out, talking, spark up a conversation. you're smoking a cigar and having a really good talk with someone. Yeah. Like I I like that, you know. I don't want to I'm I'm a rowdy guy. I'm I'm, you know, born and raised in New Jersey, so very loud. Grew up around a bunch of different nationalities, Italians and Russians and Albanians and, you know, so I'm I'm I could be a very rowdy guy and, you know, so I I get it. But when I go to a cigar shop and it's like 90% rowdy, it all depends on the mood. You know, sometimes, and this is this is the other beauty part of you having a choice and a selection of where you can go because there are some nights when I want to be rowdy and I want to hear loud music and I don't care, you know, what's going around. We're going to be laughing and joking and drinking and, you know, talking loud. Great. There are lounges for that. Then there are some nights or afternoons depending you know whatever whatever your cup of tea is that I just want to relax unwind with a cigar. Maybe have a very intelligent conversation with someone sort of like a lounge you know type thing environment. Not not meaning cigar lounge but just like a lounge lounge but have a cigar. I mean, that's that's another type vibe. Sometimes you can go to a country club. You can go to a country club that has a smoking area, preferably, you know, one that's open to the public because the private ones are pretty damn expensive and require membership. So, you could, if that's the vibe you're going for, I mean, you find something that leans to that the golf world. And then you've got lounges that you know people know of. They they are out there where you know you have one or two people in there all day long. So maybe it's a situation where you're on the road, you need to get some work done. You don't want to talk to anybody, but you also want to have a cigar while you're working. There are lounges like that and everybody knows at least one. So there are so many different lounges and places that we can choose to go to. That is the greatest thing about the United States of America. We are free to choose wherever we go, whatever we do, and how we spend our money for now. Just going to put that out there. And you've got everything in between, guys. Everything in between. There's a there's a a lounge cigar bar in Scottsdale, Arizona called Foxes. which is my favorite place to go when I'm in Arizona. And it's just the vibe. It's so nice and so high higher luxury tiered and great cigar selection. Great drinks. Bartenders are great there. Here's the other thing, too. There's another thing to keep in mind. the restaurants that are around Foxes, you can within touch of a button, you can have a four-star steak at your table or a Buffalo chicken sandwich, which is like right across the street. I think it's called the place is called Hot Chick. Phenomenal. So, most of the lounges that I go to, with the exception of Cigar Heaven, I've actually never ordered food in at Cigar Heaven. And an added bonus is if you could find a lounge or shop that has a kitchen, like the Blend Bar in the Woodlands, they have a kitchen and a full bar. So, you can eat, drink, and smoke all in the same place without leaving. And then there's like there are hybrids where you have a restaurant that will allow you to smoke normally outside. So, there's a few that I've been to where they have a small cabinet. It's it's just a a desktop humidor on steroids with maybe four or five different selections of cigars. So you can buy a cigar, you can, you know, waiter service, sit down dining and smoke your cigars outside and drink and whatever. There's a place that I was uh I I put on Instagram in River Oaks suburb neighborhood in Houston. Nice restaurant. Really nice restaurant. French restaurant. I think it's a French restaurant where you can they have a smoking section outside and on weekends they have live music. There's a a band that comes there and actually really good. So that's that's a different vibe as well. if that's the mood you're in. You want to listen to some music, have a drink, have a nice meal, and smoke your cigar, you can do it at a place like that. So, that's, you know, that's another option. But basically, you know what I'm saying, if I'm saying anything on this podcast, is we have so many options. The options are endless on where you want to go and choose to enjoy your time. when you're looking for a cigar or to relax or, you know, whatever. And there's so many and there's so many different places that you can do it at, you know, like one of the one of the places that is great is the Carnegie Lounge, the Carnegie Club in New York City. It's not It's walking distance, literally walking distance, steps away from the David off of Geneva on 6th Avenue. And it's very oldworld. It's, you know, nothing modern. You walk in and it's like red walls, highback leather chairs, full bar. They have snacks on the menu that they make there in the in the club, but you also have the option of ordering uh from a couple of different restaurants and it's on their menu. So, it's not like you have to go on your phone and and check, you know, what's around. You can order what other restaurants provide them and they will deliver it to you. They will bring it to your table. good cigar selection, great bar. So, another place that ha it has a vibe. It's not it's not the rowdy place, you're not going to go there and be loud and and boisterous and whatever. But if you have a meeting, a business meeting, or you want to go get some work done, or you want to chill with a couple of friends, I have done all of the above at the Carnegie Club. I've had meetings. I've been there with friends. I've been there alone and just got some work done. It's everything and above. But that's not the place where you just had dinner and things are getting, you know, wild and rowdy and boisterous and fun and you want to go afterward. And there's also like a mix of the two where there's a place and I don't even know if it's still open anymore or allows smoking cuz it's it's been a while. Uh, but there's a place called Cloud and it's on a rooftop bar in New York City, 60some stories up, 70 some stories up, whatever it is. It's it's high. So, you can see most of New York City and you can smoke up up there. And some nights it's rowdy, other nights it's very loungeesque. So, you know, there's a lot there's a lot of in between. And I guess it's just a matter of your preference and what you're looking for at that period of time, at that time, that day, in your mood, headsp space, whatever you want to call it, there's something for you. Whatever you're feeling, whatever you want, there is something for you. And I would say this, respect the damn room. You know, if if if you're in the mood where you want to be rowdy and you want to have fun, it's all good. It's great. Don't go to the quiet place and look to be that guy or or gal. There are there are a lot of women who smoke today. Know the room. Know the place and respect it. If it is a place that you know is a fun, rowdy, loud, you know, boisterous place, music is blaring, you've got TVs everywhere with sports games and all that type stuff, cool. Go for it. Have at it. But don't be that person that just because you're feeling that way, you walk into a room and you completely change the energy. You change the vibe. Don't be that person. If you if you want a chill, laidback environment, go to that specific lounge. And if you don't know where to go and you walk into a lounge and you take the temperature, look around, open your eyes. If you're inebriated, you shouldn't be doing that anyway. You shouldn't be going looking for stuff when you're inebriated. If you see that it's not the vibe that you're looking for, go somewhere else. Pull out your phone, get a recommendation from Google or from Apple, whatever. Don't ruin the experience for other people that are already there, already enjoying the room, already enjoying the place. So, re respect the people that are there. Respect the owners of the establishment. Don't ruin the vibe. Don't jack up the energy of the room because you're looking for something and it just happens to not be there. I will say this, being in this industry, knowing a lot of the places, I know where to go and when to go. I did venture into a spot that I did not know on a late night on a Wednesday and I happened to be there and it was a comedy night and I was in the mood just to relax, chill, be alone, be by myself, be with my thoughts. That was not the place, the space, or the time. What did I do? I enjoyed my cigar. I bought two, only smoked one, ordered a bottle of water, smoked my cigar, didn't bother anyone, and I left. Having said that, I'm in the industry. I'm I'm in cigar media. We're going to be opening up our online storefront soon. So, we will be selling cigars and accessories. I, for the most part, know where to go in the town that I'm in for whatever I'm looking for. There are a couple of lounges. I'm just going to say it. Cigars International and Katy. I do not go there on a weekend. It's most of the time not the vibe I'm looking for on a weekday. Absolutely. On a weekend, no. A little too rowdy for for what I'm looking for. The DJ is not my usual cup of tea. Like I said, usual cup of tea. If there is a weekend, a Friday night or a Saturday night where I'm looking for that, that I'll go. That lounge is a good hour from where I live. So, I'm not going to get in the car and drive an hour away to be somewhere where when I leave I have a headache. I don't want to do that. So, I steer clear of Cigars International and Katy on the weekends. If I'm in the Katy area and it's during the daytime on a Friday or Saturday or Sunday, yeah, no problem. Nighttime, I'll find another spot if I have to. Well, really and truthfully, I travel. My car always has two humidors in it. Two travel humidors. I have one humidor with bargain smokes in it, and I've got another humidor that is my creme de la creme. Goto higher line sticks. Worse comes to worse, if I'm in Katie, I'll just pop one of those open and either smoke in my car or find some place outdoors where I can smoke. But that's the beauty and the adventure of this is going to different spots, learning what that spot is, the energy, the vibe, the the clientele, everything about it, and knowing where to go, when to go. Back to the Makana. This thing is tried and true, man. Got great taste, great flavor, good burn. Has not been wonky this entire time. I've been podcasting here for an hour and 7 minutes. Hasn't died on me. Smoke output's good. Construction's great. This thing is awesome. I would say it's it's a medium body. I would say if you're a bit of a novice or rookie, a noob or someone who enjoys not necessarily a noob, you've been smoking for a long time, but you enjoy a milder cigar. I would not venture into the Monica or if you do eat something beforehand, it's great. The ash quality is nice. So, if you can if you're just on Apple Podcast or Spotify, you obviously can't see me. You can only hear me. So, again, if you are only interested in listening to this for the info on the cigar, this will be available. We will do a cigar review when the Mikana hits the shelves and you will have a video of nothing but this cigar. So, if you ventured to this podcast for everything about the Mikana, I'm I apologize. I'm sorry in advance. I hope you enjoyed the content in this episode. This is the type stuff that we will be doing. And every episode has different subject matter. So, some episodes could be talking about the cigar industry. Some episodes may be talking about real estate. Some episodes may be talking about a meltdown that my children had and I'm just, you know, venting to you guys. Every episode is going to be different. I don't talk about the same stuff every single episode. And I love to get your guys' feedback. I love to hear what you enjoy, what you don't enjoy. For things that I can help, I definitely will. For things that I can't, I understand that this is not going to be for everyone. I understand that this podcast is not going to be for everyone and I I love you. I respect you, but this may not be for you. For those of you who are crazy like me and have stuff going on, your life is chaotic and you're all over the place. Welcome. I'm here for you. Uh would love to talk to you. Would love to have you on the show and talk about cigars and life as crazy as it is. So with that and how convenient that as I'm closing this episode out, the Makana finally died. So with that, I hope you enjoyed this podcast. We will be bringing you more from here to kingdom come. So enjoy your weekend, enjoy your week ahead, stay blessed, and above all else, keep it rolling, baby. I'm Angelo for the Sticks and Stones podcast. We out.