- Mine already went out, man. You said these don't ever go out! - They don't. - If you know how to smoke right. - Some people are highfalutin and can figure out prices of cigars, but they can't smoke for shit. - Some people. Some people. I'm just gonna give this, the number four torch. Hey, kids, remember not to burn your tobacco. - Ha! - [Rob] There's a story inside every smoke shop, with every cigar, and with every person. Come be a part of the cigar lifestyle at Boveda. This is Box Press.
(upbeat music) Welcome to another episode of Box Press. I'm your host, Rob Gagner. - And I'm your other host, Nate Beck. - Yeah, and we have no sponsors, so there's no sponsors to rattle off, but, obviously, it's produced by Boveda, so guess what? Keep your cigars fresh, protected, with Boveda. That's all we're gonna say, all right? Head over to BovedsInc.com. If you want to save 10% and you want free shipping, subscribe and save. It's the easiest way to do it.
Get it shipped to you every three months. You don't even have to think about it. - Do it. - All right? That's all we have to say about that. - That's it. - Coming off of last week, well, we just dropped it today. We're pre-recording this. So what you guys are listening to right now, or should have been listening to, is a segment on whether or not you can taste quality in a cigar. Nate and I did four cigars from $5 to $35 and everything in between. And we decided you can taste quality.
- [Nate] You can really taste quality. - You can taste quality. - Yeah, you can. - So then, that got us thinking, big brother, little brother. Or big sister, little sister, I don't care what you call it, but there is always going to be, probably, in a decent cigar brand's lineup, a very premium stick, and a very budget friendly stick. - [Nate] Yes. - With this brand, we didn't go very budget friendly at all. - Kind of not.
- But it's still interesting because there is a $12 price point between these two. And we want to know if there's a difference. Can you taste quality between big brother, little brother? And how much of that quality should you pay attention to? Because, sometimes- - [Nate] Right. - You can't always have a Padrón 1964, and you gotta just pick up the 5000 series and call it good. - [Nate] Absolutely, and sometimes you want that because- - [Rob] Yes.
- You're gonna have a lot of your day that can't be focused on savoring, analyzing, appreciating, you know, subtle, unique flavor notes or complexities. You might be the kind of guy like me, or you Rob, where we wanna light a cigar, smoke it in the car on the way to work, and it doesn't have to be too complicated, it just needs to taste good. - Out mowing the lawn. I always have a cigar in when I'm mowing the lawn. And that is the last place I want a Padrón 1964. - [Nate] Totally.
- I don't want an expensive cigar when I'm just mowing the lawn. But I love the flavor of a good cigar while I'm doing the stuff I like to do outside. So, let's get into it. - It's like me with my snowblower. - Yeah, me too. You and I both snow blow and smoke cigars. - And those of you that have watched us for a while will remember when we discussed the Ciccar. The holder that allows you to smoke your cigar all the way down to the end. Both Rob and I loved it.
They make an add-on that is a silicone ring with a fairly stout magnet on it. With that ring, I can just stick my cigar under the snowblower. So I'm not using both hand grips and crushing my cigar in between puffs. Because, usually, I gotta wear a nice big pair of Minnesota choppers. - Yeah, man. - And I can smoke my cigar with those, but I just pop it on the snowblower and away I go, it's awesome. - Yeah. - But after I'm done, then I wanna smoke the big brother. - Oh, yeah, oh, yeah.
And these two are two heavy hitters. We are going straight for United Cigars and we are picking up two cigars. We've pre-smoked these and now we're smoking them again. So we've kind of already done our tasting notes on these. And, to be honest, I couldn't find mine in my notebook over here. But it's really evident and I remember everything I said. And if I don't, I'll make it up as I go. Because I make up flavor notes all the time. - You know what we rely on in those moments, Rob? - [Rob] What?
- Unagi. - Unagi, yes. Unagi. I will tap into my unagi and tell you all about these cigars. - That's two for two on "Friends" references. - That's great, though, I love that. - Gotta keep this train rolling. - So, we got two cigars from United. The first one, is from the Bandolero series. The Badolero, that is, basically, the bandits that were taking tobacco outta Spain because Spain was ridiculous in prices, and then, they were making cigars and bringing them back.
So, they're called the Bandoleros. - Kinda cool. - Cool name. Yeah, very cool name. This cigar that we're actually smoking, I gotta scroll down, it is the Serie A. It comes in right around like 14, 15 bucks retail. - [Nate] Yep. - [Rob] And the size that we're smoking is the 4 1/2 x 54. Not a huge size, but dang is it good, tasty. Wrapper is Ecuadorian. And everything else is undisclosed except for Peruvian Seco in the filler.
- Cool. - Which I kind of hate, that they do that, but, you know, whatever. - Oh, that they don't give us everything. - Yeah, man, I like to know. - I know. - I like to know. - Wouldn't you think, wouldn't you say- - That pisses me off sometimes. - That that's happening more often. - And I think it was because of FDA regulations, and all that other crap, but, it just, undisclosed is so, like as soon as I read that, I'm like, "Oh, thanks a lot for nothing."
God. - As Rob chucks his cigar across the room in a fit of rage, because he's had it. - I will not enjoy this cigar because I don't know what is disclosed. - Nothing about this is good anymore. - Just kidding. - Done with you. - I will enjoy it, but, man, I'd sometimes like to like, you know, see some similarities. Like, "Oh, yeah, you gravitate towards Habanos. Or you, you know? And, really, what does that mean? Does it really mean anything? I don't know.
- This is not only the little brother, in our little brother, big brother with the next cigar that we're gonna talk about. But it's also the little brother in the same family as our $35 cigar from the episode that we dropped two weeks ago. Our episode on how can you taste quality? Because, as Rob said, we are pre-recording this. Our $35 cigar was the Alfonso, which is also made by United Cigars and Selected Tobacco. And Rob and I were both blown away by that cigar. And this is tasting fantastic.
Often, when you pick up a cigar like this, and this holds true for both of these two cigars that we're smoking today, they are so firm like, and so well packed. That you would expect, in any other cigar, that you are gonna have trouble getting a good draw, as you smoke this cigar, and it couldn't be further from the truth. - Yeah, I was pinching after we cut the caps, which were like- You cut it, and you were like, "Oh, my God!" And I was like, "What?" - [Nate] Yeah. - I thought you screwed up.
And you're like, "No, no, no, look how like just crisp." - [Nate] It's like glass. - "Show the camera, that it is so crisp, there's no flakes." - And it's just perfect. - There's no major spaces. It looks like you literally chopped, like a candy roll. - Absolutely, it's perfect. - [Rob] In half. - And, I will admit, it's one of the things I really enjoy in a cigar, when I cut that cigar, and it's often in a little more expensive cigars, because they're crafted better.
There's, generally, more tobacco. They still have a great draw. But I love it, when I cut a cigar, and it's absolutely clean across. - Yeah. - And I always have a thing, I often do it on my watch. Sometimes on the table. I'll just lightly tap to get any loose bits of tobacco. And this cigar had nothing. - Phenomenal cigar. The construction on the outside looks great. I mean, minimal veins.
If you compare it to our other cigar, the Byron Reserva 3 Anos, I don't know if I can really tell a whole lot of a difference. - [Nate] Color is very similar. - [Rob] Very similar. Talk about the flavor of the Bandolero. I get like this very meaty, like just hardy flavor. - [Nate] Sure. - And I love it. - I noticed on the cold draw, for this particular cigar, it tasted like gourmet, chocolate covered cherry.
As a kid, chocolate covered cherries at the holidays were one of my favorite treats, loved them. But it combines all of those notes that you often get in cigar tobacco. A fruity note, sometimes it's raisin, sometimes it's dried cherry, sometimes it's prune. - Holy crap, off the foot, it smells like cinnamon. - [Nate] Yeah. But it's like a gourmet chocolate covered cherry. It's creamy. - For $15- - Sweetness, $15. - This is a banger of a stick. Banger, like the aroma coming off of it.
The flavor of it. The whole- This is, I would buy a box of these, hands down. - It tastes like chocolate. It's creamy. - Oh, it's so good. It just has this kind of meaty, back-boney kind of like- - [Nate] Yeah. - Like it's got body. This is a perfect example of like, when you think of like, what does body mean? Now when we go to the Reserva Anos, 3 Anos? Less body, in my opinion. Much less body. That mouth feel. - Yeah, mouth feel is a good word.
Like, it feels, this feels almost syrupy, the smoke does. Whereas, this feels a little more light and delicate. - And here is a trick, because I can already tell that my Bandolero is heating up because I'm getting so excited. So, the nice thing is, is just smoke another cigar at the same time. If you're very excitable, like me. And make it the Byron Reserva 3 Anos and do this with us, because that's our big brother. This sucker's coming in at, I think- - [Nate] I think $28.
- [Rob] 28 Bucks, 30 bucks, depending upon where you're at. - [Nate] Depending on your state and what the- - [Rob] $12 is technically at like, you could literally buy two Bandoleros, or you could just say, "Well, I'm gonna buy one Byron." - Totally. - So, what's the difference here? - [Nate] Just spectacular, again. Look at that, just perfect cap, it's just, the cut is clean. - If you're listening to us on podcast platform, you can easily see these images over at YouTube.
But, just know that, there's a little bit more sheen in the Byron. I feel, of the wrapper. - Oh, dude, the retrohale is so different. - [Rob] It's so good. - Oh, my gosh. - And there's a sweetness to the retrohale in this. - Sorry there, I got a little excited. - That isn't in the Bandolero. - [Nate] Yeah. - But yet, we still talked about a candy, but it's just different, what is it, like? I don't understand what it is, but it's different.
It's way more rounded and there's no like- Like the Bandolero had like this great like, "Ha ha, this is what you're tasting." And I don't know what I'm necessarily getting out of the Byron. - Again, I go back to beverages a lot. This would be the same wine, right? Fresh from the vineyard, or off the liquor store shelf. - The Bandolero. - The Bandolero. This has been sitting in your cellar for five to eight years. - The Byron? - The Byron. - So, it just kind of mellows out?
- Everything is softer. - Yeah, it is. Here's what I'll say about that, though. There is a stark difference. But, are either one of them like disappointing? No. Right. So then, at this point, my money is on the Serie A because I just get more out of it. - [Nate] On the Bandolero. - On the Bandolero, Serie A. I just get more out of it. I don't know what it is about that, that I'm just like, "Dang, that's good." - I might agree with you on that.
It might make a real difference if we were smoking one of the other sizes of the Byron, or one of the other sizes of the Bandolero. Because the blends will make a difference in different sizes. - Yeah, what size are, okay, we have, for the Byron, we have the, I'm gonna butcher it, but it's the red label, and it is 52 x 5 inches. So, we were trying to kind of stick in the same vein. Although, they do make a 50 x 4 inch.
That would probably be more similar to the Bandolero, but the Byron series- - It's pretty close. - [Rob] Has four sizes. Same thing, I think, with the Bandolero. - [Nate] I think the Bandolero was also four. Yep, four vitolas. - Vitolas. - If we're gonna geek out. - And they're both like, okay, Ecuadorian Shade on the Byron. Undisclosed, undisclosed. Nicaraguan and Peruvian Ligero.
- [Nate] And, Rob, let them know, also, they list, on the United Cigars website, how many years each of these sizes was aged. So, over there, under vitolas how many years of age- - Oh, that's interesting. - After rolling, did this cigar sit? - Oh, I just got this Byron too hot and it was like a bitter. - So this is the Poemas, I believe is the size. The Poemas, right, number two there. - [Rob] Three years. - Three years aging on this.
- But then, all the other ones, which is funny, all the other ones are four years. Two of them are four years, and one of them is five. Because the Grand Poemas is five years. So, I wonder if that would like, you know, tick up like a different flavor profile. - [Nate] I bet it will. I bet it would. - [Rob] So then, you have to do this again. We have to do this again with like the other ones? Oh, man. Shoot. It's such a rough job that we have. But, you know, maybe we'll do it.
- I don't know if others of you, out there, struggle every morning rolling out of bed, and coming into a job that is such a chore. I guess it's the cross we have to bear, Rob. I'm fine with it. - We'll help you guys out, we'll smoke them for you. The Byron has that same kind of like, cinnamony off the foot and it's just so, like mouthwatering. It's just amazing. And a good amount of like, oil is happening. - I feel like parade princess. - Yeah.
I do have a little bit of an uneven burn, but I struggled with lighting the Reserva. It went out on me. Nate says they don't ever go out because there's such good quality, but he's a liar. - Yeah, I'm fine with that. - Pretty little liar, you are. - Another cross I bear, a completely inept smoker to my left, over here. - Hey, what flavors do you have? How about Rice Crispy Treats and some gummy bears? And then Nate goes, "Uh, wrong, wrong." - Freshly cut garden hose. - Okay, Psalm.
- A brand new can of tennis balls. - You do have a big schnoz. Not from a perspective of like anatomy, but like smell wise. Because we were at the club the other day and Derek lit a candle. The club, Club Carraway, private club in Minneapolis that were members of, and he lit a candle and he was in the other room. And like, within seconds Nate was like, "Oh, what's that?" And Derek's like- - What scent? He's like, "What, you smell that?" I'm like, "Yeah, what is it?" He's like, "I just lit that."
And I said, "Yeah." - My wife actually just got me, for Valentine's Day, like tobacco soap. And I feel like they always miss the mark. - It's never kind of what it smells like, or like it's never what is advertised. - I want it to smell like this. Which is like cinnamon, spicy, like leathery, chocolatey goodness. - One of the only things that ever smells exactly like it's supposed to is any of those Grandpa's Pine Tar Soap. Like the black bars. - [Rob] Oh, yeah, pine tar.
- Yeah, and you open up the package and you're like, hello. - Yeah, can I get another version of your spruce, please? Yeah, that one's totally different than the other one. - Literally, you're like, you know, you get outta the shower and suddenly you're one of the characters from Frozen or something like that. - Oh, yeah. - You're talking with an, you know, a Swedish accent. - [Rob] Yeah. (Nate speaking jibberish) Bandolero does have a bit of a piney, sprucey, kind of woody note to it.
- Oh, for sure woody. - I love the woody flavor. I think, maybe, that's what's jumping out at me that is the big difference between these two. - You had mentioned sort of a meatiness. I bet you that's part of that. - [Rob] Yeah. - Almost kind of like a- - Hardy. - The amazing smell that comes off a barbecue smoker. You know, it's a rich mixture of whatever meat you're cooking, plus the wood smoke, and then whatever else is in the air. It's just, it's awesome. - Smoked meats.
We might have to go to Baker's for lunch. Texas barbecue. Oh, yes. Anyways. - I'm a big fan of this one. - The Bandolero is banging. - For $14.50? - Dude. - There are a lot of cigars. - [Rob] It tastes better. - In the $14, $15 range at any tobacco shop right now, and I'd put this up against any of them. I mean, this is a phenomenal value. - Oh, yeah.
- You know, there are brands that their smaller vitolas smoke exceptionally well because they're able to use those smaller top of the plant leaves that can't make it onto a Toro, or a Churchill. - Right. - But you can put it on a Robusto or a Petit Corona. - And if they're on the top of the plant, that means they have more flavor. - Yep, more nicotine, more flavor. More sun exposure, right? And we're understanding that correctly? - Yeah, you know what I think is interesting?
The Byron says it has Nicaraguan and Peruvian Ligero in it. - Ooh. Which, oftentimes, Ligero is gonna add a decent amount of strength. But in this case, I don't- I don't tend to notice that. - The Bandolero, it says Peruvian Seco. So, maybe, that's where you're kind of getting that really like woody flavor, from the Seco? - The meatiness? - I don't know. - That might be a good guess, yeah.
- The wrapper on the Bandolero says Ecuadorian, but then, when you jump to the Byron, it says, Ecuadorian shade. - Oh. - So, I don't know what that does to flavor. - So, both are Ecuadorian? - [Rob] Yeah. - But the Byron is an Ecuadorian Shade. - Correct. - Anything that has shade in it, Connecticut Shade, Ecuadorian Shade, they literally grow it under a canopy of cheesecloth, basically. Or like muslin. - Or, in Ecuador, it's just so much cloud. - It's shaded by the clouds, yeah.
- So much cloud cover it's shade grown. - Yep. - Whoa, that was weird. I went back to the Bandolero and I almost got like a chlorine pool taste. - Really? - Yeah, it wasn't that great. - Interesting. - But, I don't know, I went from the Reserva, or the Byron to the Bandolero. So, maybe, it was messing with my flavors. The Bandolero is smelling on the foot now. Smelling more woody than sweet cinnamon.
- Now I know that, you know, when somebody mentions a flavor, it often impacts your experience the next time you taste that or smoke that. I see what you mean about that chlorine pool, yeah. - [Rob] It's weird. - It's, yeah, it is weird. - It's like the woodiness is changing. - Like, I wouldn't say it was a, like an off flavor, but it, certainly, was something unique. - Take everything that we're saying with a grain of salt because you may not have that experience.
Plus, flavor is totally subjective. - And if you decide to smoke both of these same cigars, while watching this video, leave your tasting notes in the comments. Let us know what you think of the Bandolero and the Byron. - Or, if you're listening on podcast, shoot us a message at [email protected]. We'd love to hear from you. - Hmm. That Byron is- - Yeah, now I'm getting a little bit of a kind of meaty back bone to the Byron, a little bit back there.
I kind of feel like it's- - Kind of building a little bit? - Yeah, like it's a little juicy steak. You know what I'm saying? Little juicy steak. - [Nate] Little porterhouse. - Remember those steaks we cooked when we went camping? - Holy smokes. - On the cast iron. - Oh, my gosh. - Those prime New York strips. - Rob and I went with a couple buddies and did late fall camping, almost early winter, on the North Shore of Lake Superior.
If you haven't ever been winter camping, you owe it to yourself to try it. It's an amazing experience. But we cooked some skillet potatoes in about a pound of butter right on the open fire. - [Rob] The whole stick, we just threw the whole stick. - [Nate] Yeah, it was a whole pound. - [Rob] Just go. - [Nate] And then New York strips in cast iron, and it was pretty exceptional. - That was one of the best steaks I've ever eaten. And I think it's also like the situation, right?
Like warm food while you're camping is really, really good. You probably haven't had anything to eat like that for a while, you know, at least 24 to 48 hours. - We'll make sure to find a picture in- - Well, it's on my Instagram. - Oh, it will include it? - @Boveda_Rob. - Oh, yes. - You can see the smoke, or the heat coming off of the cast iron. The two steaks are right there. And then, my face is just- Like mouth open.
Drool coming outta the side of my mouth, and I'm just like, "I can't wait to eat these." - We had to cook them in, the steaks in two rounds, in order to get enough heat in the cast iron skillet to do it. - Yeah, and you heated up the cast iron, which was smart, because you're like, "Hey, before we put these back on, the cold steaks, let's heat up the cast iron again." I was like, "Ah, that was brilliant." - Yep, now, by the time we made the second two steaks, you were done. Completely done.
"How was it, guys?" "Mm, mm." - I didn't wait for you guys? - No, because we told you to eat. It was getting cold. - Okay, good. - That's just ridiculous. - I don't even remember. - It was 24 degrees outside. We go to all that work to make those steaks and have them be delicious, you know? And then sit on it while we make the other two. Take another 10 minutes, they'd be ice cold. - Phenomenal. The Bandolero has almost like a pencil. - Mm, okay. - Like a pencil wood note.
Byron, not at all. - [Nate] Nope. All right, let me see. And it's interesting that that flavor note, like pencil lead or the wood in a pencil. - [Rob] Yeah. - Is one of those aromas that almost everybody can recall. - Well, I wonder if the next generation will know because everything is digital. - That's a good point. - Like, we had to sharpen pencils, so like you know what that smells like. - [Nate] Yes. Let's see if we can just slide this off.
- And if you were anything like me as a kid, you were like, "I need to go sharpen my pencil," when it was perfectly sharpened. Either A, just to get that smell, or B, because I don't want to do whatever I'm supposed to be doing. So, "Oh, I need to go sharpen my pencil." Okay. - The classic stall tactic. - [Rob] Oh, God, I was the king of that. - "I gotta go to the bathroom." "Not now." - I don't think I ever played in computer class.
I don't think I ever played past the first round of "Oregon Trail." - On floppy disk? - Yeah. Because I was always so slow at typing. Everyone else would be playing and I'd be like, "Oh," and then I'd be distracted, because I'd be looking at like, "Oh, what kind of things are you gonna get at the store," and blah, blah blah. And I was like, just watching them play.
And then I would finally get done, and I'd put my floppy disc in, and the teacher would be like, "All right, that's the end of class." I'd be like, "No!" - "Come on, man." - "I just got my wagon set." - I'm trying to remember, Rob, like what was the really desirable model of Apple computer? Was it like the 2GS, or the 2C? I'm trying to remember which- - Oh, I have no idea. - Which model was the- - I didn't even know how to type on it, how would I know the name?
"What is this?" "Well, that's keyboard." "How do you use it?" "I don't know." (Rob pretend typing) - We're just far enough apart in age, when I went to school, it was, what were they, five inch floppy disks? The black ones that were- - Oh, that's what I had. - [Nate] That's what you had, okay. Because then they went to the- - Technology budgets back then were not very high so it was kind of like, "Yeah, we bought these and that'll serve for 10 years."
And you're like, "Really?" - Then they went to the plastic ones that had the little metal slide you could pull over and see the disc inside. - I remember those because those were like, "Whoa, look at this, so much more room." Now, it's just in the cloud. "Where's your homework?" "It's in the cloud." So, can you even say your dog ate it? No. You could just say the cloud consumed it. - [Nate] Yeah. - Just erupted. - Yeah. - Cloud rained. - Yep. - Rain cloud. - Yep. - Homework's done.
- SpongeBob's got it. - SpongeBob Squarepants got it. - Patrick. - Byron. - Yeah? - Sorry. - Oh, squirrel. - Doritos. - What? - Yeah, like that corn. Not like Doritos flavored, but like Doritos, like corn chips. Like, just regular corn chips. - Fritos. - Fritos, yeah. For some odd reason, I went to Doritos. - [Nate] Fritos. - That kind of like after flavor, a little bit of the corn chip. - [Nate] All right. - It was good. - [Nate] Corn chip. - But I kind of like, I was like, "Whoa."
You saw my face, I was like, "What?" How did I get corn chips out of that? Nate's like, "Yeah, no, that's there, buddy." - Not so much for me. - No? - Not yet. - I got, out of the Byron just now, I got some floral. - Mm. - But like, more of the green floral than like the flower floral. - Yeah, like- - [Rob] Green plant. - Yeah, like, sort of, if you have a, I guess they're may be all called conservatories, but if you have a, you know, a local zoo that has a greenhouse.
Like, our local zoo, here in Minnesota, is called the Como Zoo. And they have a beautiful conservatory and it has, you know, lots of different rooms, and one of those rooms is the fern room. - [Rob] Yeah. - And it smells like greenery. So, I will often say, when I, and I think we've talked about this before, when floral comes up in cigars, I'll often say it's like walking through a garden. It's not just the flowers. It's also the herbs, the greens. Or, you know, the leaves. - Right.
- It's the soil, or the mulch you have down, it all kind of makes a floral. - I went back to the Bandolero. Lot of wood. A lot of wood like, oak wood. Like, fresh cut wood. Like in a good way. - It's very woody. - [Rob] Really good way. - Very woodsy, yeah. So if you like cedary, oakie, woodsy cigars, the Bandolero is gonna be right up your alley. - I think that Bandolero would give the Davidoff Anniversary No. 2, Aniversario No. 2, a run for its money on the wood notes.
- And it's a very different smoking experience than that Davidoff Aniversario No. 2, because this doesn't have that prominent grassy, hay quality to it. - [Rob] Sure. - But it really, I think, goes over the top on that woody quality. - [Rob] Yeah. - Yeah. - It's amazing how you can get different flavors out of the types of tobacco you blend. - Unbelievable. - We were talking about it earlier, like, that's what made me get into cigars.
Because it was like, "Oh, my gosh, there's so many possibilities and so many options, and I won't be able to try them all before I die." - You know what I'm getting now of this Byron? Like, fine leather. Like the smell of walking into a leather shop or a like a high end shoe store. Tanned leather. Oh, fantastic. - Oh, that cinnamon sweetness is coming back from the Byron on the foot. Oh, God, it's good. Oh, yeah, huge chlorine on the Bandolero, when I came back from the Byron.
There's gotta be something in there that's like fighting each other, that flavor. - That cinnamon and creaminess in this Byron is just outta sight. - Are you switching your preference? Is it being teased out of you? - I don't know, because this is such a good value. For the flavors that we're getting. - Yeah, I'd hang out with either one of these brothers. - [Nate] I would too. - And, I think, maybe, I would probably pair the Bandolero with like, you know, barbecue.
And the Byron would have to be like, it would go really well with like a seafood. - If you were, or you are a fan of great Scotch, great bourbon this would be your jam. - Bandolero? - Yeah. Because that oakiness, that cedariness, if you had a bourbon that had a lot of vanilla sweetness, you know, that flavor that often comes off of oak? That brown sugar, this would just be a flavor bomb. Don't you think? - Yeah, I don't drink, but, man. - Right? - I can see how that would work real well.
- Our good friend, Charles, who has been on the show on two separate occasions doing cocktail pairings, if you have seen those, brought in, to our private cigar lounge, or our private cigar club, Club Carraway, a coffee from Onyx Coffee Roasters. And it was a, I believe, it was an anaerobic natural processed Ethiopian coffee. And we are part of a coffee subscription, called Fellow Drops. And Fellow is a coffee company that predominantly makes coffee equipment.
Grinders, gooseneck, pour-over kettles, different equipment to brew and make coffee. But they have this text service that is just awesome. And once a week on Tuesday, they drop a new coffee. I would say, the majority of roasters come from the U.S., but they do some from Europe, some from other places. It's really, really unique. And they're usually in the, I'm gonna say, $22 to $24 range, plus shipping. And it's $2 to $4 shipping. So, it's a nice treat.
Well, this particular coffee, I think with shipping, came to $41 for 10 ounces of coffee. - Whoa. - And he almost bought two bags, and then looked at the price and went, "Oh, no, I'll just get one." So he brought it into the lounge. - I missed it. - It is, I have to say, it's the most exceptional coffee I've had in the last couple of years. And, literally, when you brought the cup up to your nose, it smelled like flowers. It smelled like berries. It smelled like tangerine.
It had all these layers. And that Byron would be amazing with that coffee. - Did you guys smoke with the coffee? - We did. - Okay. - I think the one that we ended up mostly smoking, the group of us that were down there, several of us had the Southern Draw Rose of Sharon. - [Rob] That's super creamy. They'd go great with that, not overpower it. Bandolero would definitely not be one that I would pick with that. I got that question today.
Went and got my hair cut, guy was like, knew I worked for Boveda and he was like, "Hey so do you have a favorite cigar?" And I go, "No." He's like, "What do you mean?" I was like, "It's, you know, it's kind of like food, you know?" Are you craving burgers or are you craving pasta? I can't have a burger when I'm craving pasta. It's not gonna suffice. And vice versa. So, I can't do that with cigars. - Like if you're dying for some sushi, you are not going to have a porterhouse steak.
That's just gonna ruin the mood. - So the same thing with cigars. Like, "I'm in the mood for this type of flavor." Okay, pick your cigars accordingly. - I would say we probably could easily pick out a top five. Like, most enjoyable cigars we've had. We could probably put together a list like that. Don't you think? Maybe, top 10? - Yeah, I mean I can do a top, but it's- - [Nate] Even then it's hard. - It's situational in what I've had, and there's so many things that I haven't had, like these.
- Because you include a top favorite cigar when you're mowing the lawn. Do you include a top cigar when you are sitting almost asleep at your favorite cigar lounge? Which one do you wanna smoke? (Nate snoring) - Chuck, Chuck, Chuck, wake up. You're burning a hole in your shirt again. - There's Captain Narcolepsy. - I'm just so relaxed.
- Anybody have those people at your favorite cigar lounge that can literally fall asleep in the chair with the cigar in their mouth or in their finger, and it's still there, and they're not burning themselves with it? We got a couple at our local shop. - Oh, yeah, sometimes Derek's so quiet I check to see if he's asleep. - He is, with his eyes open. - "What are you doing right now, Derek?" "Oh, I was just sleeping with my eyes open."
- This Byron is- - I mean, we're pretty much down to the final third. So, what is it gonna- What are you, where are you going? What are you doing? Which one are you gonna say? - Are we at that drum roll moment? - Yeah, man, we're there. We've been there for a while. - I think in this pairing, think I'm gonna side little brother. This is such a spectacular cigar for $14.50, $15 that, I would smoke this all the time. - Yeah. - [Nate] This is fantastic.
- I'm gonna have to stick with the same, Bandolero as well, because, I don't know. Even though, I think I was getting that off like chlorine- - Cedar, it's just awesome. - Yeah, from the mixture. So, I think if I just smoked this, which I did earlier when we were smoking these and the whole time I was just like, "Oh, this is so good." - This would be a cigar that I would love to smoke alongside the sensory panel. - Cigar Sense. - Cigar Sense, thank you. Cigar Sense, excuse me.
I would love to smoke this to figure out what wood are we tasting. - [Rob] There you go. - That would be fun. - Get the aroma wheel out. - So, Franca, if you happen to see this, Bandolero. - There you go. - 4 1/2 x 52, right? - I believe so. That is the end of this podcast. And please like, subscribe. Let us know you're out there, leave comments. If you're gonna watch this, go over to YouTube, you can.
If you didn't see the "Can You Taste Quality?" You owe it to yourself to go watch that, light up a cigar, it's worth it. There's a Box Press every Friday being dropped. And so, stay tuned, because we have all of our PCA Box Press episodes being dropped every single Friday, or every other Friday I should say. And they are some really good interviews. I felt like it was one of my best interviewing segments. - It's fantastic. - I got a little excited.
Like the first one that we dropped was the Cigars for Warriors and there were a couple of comments that they're like, "Dude, Rob, you're like all excited." I was so energized by everyone at the show. It was just a ton of fun. So, I apologize if it comes off too strong, but I was just feeling and vibing. - Passionate. - And in the moment. I was, yeah, I was passionate. I'm a passionate person. - Yep. - So, yeah. - One of your most endearing qualities. - Thank you. - Yeah.
- And, as always, if you need anything for that humidor, head over to BovedaInc.com, subscribe and save. Get 10% off as well as free shipping on any subscription. Thank you all for watching, and have a great weekend. - Thanks for joining us.