(upbeat music)
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- There's a story inside every smoke shop
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with every cigar, and with every person
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come be a part of the
cigar lifestyle of Boveda.
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This is "Box Press".
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- Manolo, thank you for taking
the time to talk to Remon.
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- No, that was my pleasure.
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- It's a beautiful story, so
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I might as well segue into this, too.
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Because I had this sitting,
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we're gonna have a
conversation with him later.
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I had that sitting and you saw
this and we talked about it,
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and you mentioned going to Spain and
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the challenge of keeping cigars fresh
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and travel over there.
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And a partner of ours, Remon Mansour
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and CigarBros created this,
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and this is yours to take
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and use for your enjoyment going to Spain.
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But we took the opportunity
to let him meet you.
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- Wonderful, I thank you for that.
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- And to meet Raquel and it's your
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attitude about family,
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your attitude about this craft.
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I think it's just a beautiful opportunity
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for a young fellow like
that to get exposed.
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- As I said, I've been going to Madrid
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over the past year and a half
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often, and I have all
kinds of humidors at home.
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And I went to a number
of retail shops in Madrid
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to buy Bovedas.
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- Boveda.
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- And nobody even knew what they were.
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They were giving me all
kinds of ridiculous humidity-
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- So you knew over there
promoting our brand in Madrid.
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- So I finally went to Calle Magallanes
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and they have them all over the place.
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And I go, this is, this is-
- Heaven.
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- And I have millions
of them in the factory,
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but I have to buy a whole
bunch of them in Madrid.
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So all my humidors are full of Bovedas,
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all over the, the apartment.
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You talk about our products
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and you talk about what
we've done over the years,
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but you have come up
with the best idea ever.
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The Bovedas, the are the
greatest thing since popcorn.
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(laughs)
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They keep cigars in perfect condition
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and it's really a magnificent product.
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I am so proud to use
Bovedas in all my humidors,
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and I thank you for
coming up with the idea
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and making a product
that's consistently good.
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- Well, it's a privilege for us to
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protect the passion that you create.
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- And the legacy and the
history and all behind it.
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- It's, it's, we're not
the star of anybody's show.
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We're an asterisk on the,
on the cigar industry.
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We're an asterisk on every
industry we're involved in.
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We support other people's passions.
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And, and the conversations that I've had
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with leaders in the industry at this show,
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the, the theme that keeps coming back over
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and over again is, it's
not really about the cigar,
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it's about the people.
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And it's about the connection
that happens over a cigar.
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- Oh, indeed, indeed,
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- Indeed.
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- It's, it's and it's delightful to,
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to spend time with you
before the interview
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because it just builds.
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It's, it's, it's a,
it's an ethic of respect
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and regard.
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- It's about family.
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- Is that fair?
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And I think that's a fair
way to put it, isn't it?
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- Yes.
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- But, you know, we
talk about making cigars
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and we start with seeds and land and farms
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and crops and barns and drying
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and then fermentation and sorting.
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And then we go to the, to the aging.
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And then we go to the factory
and we make the cigars
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and then we pack them and ship them.
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And that whole process, we
can control up to the point
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where we ship the cigars to the retailers.
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Retailers usually have great conditions
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to keep cigars in until they're sold.
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But once they're sold, it's
in the hands of the consumer.
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And protecting those cigars
becomes their responsibility.
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But our fault if something goes wrong.
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And Boveda has taken
all that fault away by,
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keeping the cigars in
perfect condition at the
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humidor in the house of the
consumer that bought the cigars.
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- So complaints are no
longer, longer available
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because Boveda keeps the
cigars in perfect shape.
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So we appreciate and
we definitely thank you
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for taking that worry out
of our, out of our world.
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- Everybody's gonna think I,
I primed you on this (laughs)
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to get you to make a pitch
for us during the interview.
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I thank you so much for that comment.
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- It comes from the heart.
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- Refer, refer them to a video I made in
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in Santiago where I spoke
exactly in the same way,
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because you have a great product.
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- We will, we will refer
back to that in the uh...
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- And it saves us a lot
of, a lot of situations
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that we don't really want to deal with.
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Because the cigars are kept perfect.
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- Drew, I, I wanna come back a little on
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what you said about women
being the first on the ad.
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- For My Humidor ad. Yes.
- From For My Humidor ad.
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- Yeah.
- I really feel very grateful
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and I thank you for that.
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And that proves that the journey
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that I've been, you know,
for 23 years in this industry
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since I started at the factory,
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proves, you know, that I,
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that we've been doing something right.
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That the legacy, the history that I have
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has been shown the right way.
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So you can put me on the
privilege to have me on the ads
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and I really appreciate it.
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- It's a great privilege
for us to have you
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a part of that collection.
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- Thank you.
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- I, I think it's a great testimony to
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women emerging as leaders
in the cigar industry.
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And you've certainly had
the opportunity to do that.
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- And I thank you.
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- A great opportunity
now and you grew up in-
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- Yes.
- The business.
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- Yes, I did. (laughs) Yeah.
Since I was born, I believe.
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- I just lit the Casa Magna.
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- Connecticut.
- Connecticut.
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And I am very fond of this cigar.
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- Yes.
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- In just a few short puffs that I've had.
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This is lovely.
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- On my social media I always say,
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it's not your typical Connecticut.
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That's my line. (laughs)
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- No, it's, it's-
- Has a little kick to it.
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- Got tremendous character.
- Yes.
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- It's lovely construction.
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- Well it was, it was made in the,
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to be in the family of Casa Magna.
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- Yes.
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- Which Casa Magna is
a Nicaraguan product.
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Origins of Nicaragua.
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And it always had a little
more intensity to the smoke.
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So making the Connecticut,
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we said it has to be in the family.
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The Connecticut will tone
it down ever so slightly,
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but it's still gonna be a
Connecticut that's gonna be
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very rich and very intense in your palate.
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- It's spectacular.
- Yeah.
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- Well, thank you.
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- When we do the lines for Casa Magna,
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when we open the different lines,
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we always wanna keep the
essence of the Casa Magna,
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original Colorado, in order to open up
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and do different things.
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- Now, The Colorado's the
one that won the award.
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- Yes.
- Yes, sir.
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- Yes. Yes.
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- So has that been sort of
the centerpiece for the-
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- Casa Magna line? Yes, sir, it has.
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- Yes sir. Totally.
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- And the offshoots have
been the D, the D. Magnus
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and the, the Liga F and the
Connecticut and the Oscuro.
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But they're all, they're
all within the family
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of Casa Magna.
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- Yes.
- Yeah.
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- Following the lead of the Colorado.
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- And now the 15th anniversary, too.
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- The 15th anniversary,
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- We're celebrating 15 years of
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Casa Magna Colorado this year.
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- That's awesome.
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- Yes. So we came out with this new cigar.
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- This is the cigar.
- That's the one, yeah
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- Casa Magna 15th anniversary.
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Yes. It comes boxes of 15.
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- Congratulations on the anniversary.
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- Thank You. Time flies
(laughs). Who would've said?
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- And that's a Colorado wrapper.
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- Well, no, it's, it's
all Nicaraguan tobacco.
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- Okay.
- With a Habano from Ecuador.
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- Okay.
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- So we sort of tweaked it a little bit
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to make it a different,
sort of a different,
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even though it's within
the family, it's different.
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- And you call it the Colorado,
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- Well, we call it the 15th anniversary
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of the Colorado Cigar. Yes, sir.
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- Yes, sir.
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- Okay. Beautiful. You,
you, your passion for,
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and I, I don't want to
suggest it's a passion
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for perfection, but I've
never had a Quesada Cigar
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that isn't just exquisite in terms of
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construction and draw
and the burn and the ash
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and all the different things
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that everybody talks about in this game.
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- Well, let me tell you something.
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When I started working for my father
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or together, I always said,
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why does it have to be? Nothing's perfect.
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But he's like so close to
perfection that I'm never, I,
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I couldn't understand it at that time.
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I was like, but this is
perfect for me. Why? What?
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But he always like insisted
and insisted, you know,
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with the construction, the
consistency, the quality,
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that's something that
always like comes up to mind
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for me when it comes to our cigars.
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And now I understand why
(laughs) and it makes sense.
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All the effort that he
always put into our cigars
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and our Quesada Cigars.
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- Well, it's super important for me
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to get a big mouthful
of smoke when I, when
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00:10:00,810 --> 00:10:03,930
not have to labor over it.
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There's something just magical about-
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- Being able to draw. Yes.
- Yes.
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00:10:08,730 --> 00:10:09,930
- Effortless draw.
- Yes, yes.
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- With the smoothness and
a big mouthful of smoke
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and opportunity to have it linger and...
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- Yes. And enjoy.
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- Entrance.
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It, it, it's that, it's,
it seems to me that
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as I'm smoking it, it's
that opportunity to
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entrance and gimme the-
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- Oh, yes indeed.
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- Little space to really
enjoy it. It's lovely.
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- But you know, we
always talk about quality
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and quality is a very important
word in everything we do,
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but also is important as consistency.
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You cannot be good one day,
and not be good the next day.
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You have to be consistent.
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And I tell smokers when I meet with them,
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if you don't like my cigar,
you are never gonna like them.
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Because we're consistent in what we make.
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If you like them, you're
gonna love them forever.
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But we, we have to be
consistent in what we do.
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- Well, I'm in the camp
of loving you forever.
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- And we are, too.
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So that's a perfect match there.
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- It's beautiful. It's beautiful.
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00:11:07,920 --> 00:11:09,390
What are you excited about today?
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00:11:09,390 --> 00:11:10,900
What's the, I mean, of
course celebrating the,
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- Yeah, celebrating the-
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- Celebrating
- The 15th anniversary.
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- Yes. We also have the Oktoberfest,
252
00:11:14,130 --> 00:11:16,890
which is a seasonal cigar
that we come up every year.
253
00:11:16,890 --> 00:11:18,450
This would be our 13th Year?
254
00:11:18,450 --> 00:11:19,980
- 13th year. Yeah.
255
00:11:19,980 --> 00:11:23,790
- So now we have a, also the three sizes
256
00:11:23,790 --> 00:11:25,620
that are the original
sizes for every year.
257
00:11:25,620 --> 00:11:28,920
But also we have a Salomon shape
258
00:11:28,920 --> 00:11:30,660
that is gonna be for events only.
259
00:11:30,660 --> 00:11:33,180
Very, very nice smoke.
260
00:11:33,180 --> 00:11:34,830
So we're very excited about that.
261
00:11:34,830 --> 00:11:35,880
- Yeah.
262
00:11:35,880 --> 00:11:37,500
And it's a pressed Salomon.
263
00:11:37,500 --> 00:11:38,333
- Oh, yes.
264
00:11:38,333 --> 00:11:39,327
- Which is a very unique,
265
00:11:39,327 --> 00:11:42,160
- I'll bring you one, Drew,
you're on my team. (laughs)
266
00:11:42,160 --> 00:11:43,200
- Okay. Okay. This is good news.
267
00:11:43,200 --> 00:11:45,930
I've been promoted to
being on Raquel's team
268
00:11:45,930 --> 00:11:50,430
and I will have the pressed-
- Salomon Oktoberfest.
269
00:11:50,430 --> 00:11:53,670
- So the Salomon with a-
- It has a two bulbs,
270
00:11:53,670 --> 00:11:56,250
but it's a, it's got a
flat body in the middle.
271
00:11:56,250 --> 00:12:00,272
- It's a 6 3/4 x 50. 33. 33 and 50.
272
00:12:00,272 --> 00:12:03,240
- And do you just dream these things up
273
00:12:03,240 --> 00:12:04,988
and have these visions of,
274
00:12:04,988 --> 00:12:09,462
or do you find, do you find a
certain tobacco that you're-
275
00:12:09,462 --> 00:12:11,733
- Well, lemme tell you the dreams are his.
276
00:12:12,780 --> 00:12:13,950
- Well.
- We executed.
277
00:12:13,950 --> 00:12:16,302
- The Oktoberfest came about
278
00:12:16,302 --> 00:12:20,010
and we drank a lot of
beer to match the cigar
279
00:12:20,010 --> 00:12:22,950
to the Marzen-style
beers of the Oktoberfest.
280
00:12:22,950 --> 00:12:24,480
So we drank a lot of beer
281
00:12:24,480 --> 00:12:25,770
and came up with the Oktoberfest.
282
00:12:25,770 --> 00:12:27,030
- Sounds like good duty.
283
00:12:27,030 --> 00:12:27,863
- On the Salomon Press.
284
00:12:27,863 --> 00:12:29,130
- He always says the best duty.
285
00:12:29,130 --> 00:12:30,330
- Whiskey was the culprit.
286
00:12:30,330 --> 00:12:31,620
We drank a lot of whiskey
287
00:12:31,620 --> 00:12:33,450
and we decided to press a Salomon,
288
00:12:33,450 --> 00:12:35,880
which is a stupid idea to begin with. And-
289
00:12:35,880 --> 00:12:37,080
- It's hard to do, isn't It?
290
00:12:37,080 --> 00:12:38,747
- Oh, indeed it is. Yes, it is.
291
00:12:38,747 --> 00:12:41,101
It's a very difficult cigar to make.
292
00:12:41,101 --> 00:12:41,934
- Yes.
293
00:12:41,934 --> 00:12:43,230
- And we came up with the idea thanks
294
00:12:43,230 --> 00:12:45,930
to the whiskey consumption
and that's how we,
295
00:12:45,930 --> 00:12:46,950
yeah, let's try it.
296
00:12:46,950 --> 00:12:49,081
- You would be surprised how
that draws in, how that burns.
297
00:12:49,081 --> 00:12:51,930
- Yeah. That's when my
brain immediately went to.
298
00:12:51,930 --> 00:12:52,969
- Amazing.
- To the, the-
299
00:12:52,969 --> 00:12:54,177
- The draw, yep.
300
00:12:54,177 --> 00:12:55,080
- The draw with the, with the-
- Yeah.
301
00:12:55,080 --> 00:12:57,960
- You'll see. You'll be surprised.
302
00:12:57,960 --> 00:12:59,130
- Do you just love cigars?
303
00:12:59,130 --> 00:13:00,182
- I love 'em.
304
00:13:00,182 --> 00:13:01,453
- I remember-
- Now let me tell you
305
00:13:01,453 --> 00:13:03,217
something I always say, sorry.
306
00:13:03,217 --> 00:13:05,790
That if you don't love
it, you can't do it.
307
00:13:05,790 --> 00:13:07,770
I mean, you have to do
what makes you happy,
308
00:13:07,770 --> 00:13:10,020
which is the most important thing in life.
309
00:13:10,020 --> 00:13:12,360
And I'm really happy. (laughs)
310
00:13:12,360 --> 00:13:14,621
- And you obviously love cigars.
311
00:13:14,621 --> 00:13:15,454
- I'm sorry?
312
00:13:15,454 --> 00:13:17,390
- You've always-
- Love cigars.
313
00:13:17,390 --> 00:13:20,220
- Do I love cigars? Let's see.
314
00:13:20,220 --> 00:13:24,180
Next year will be my 50th
year. 50th year making cigars.
315
00:13:24,180 --> 00:13:25,140
- Yes.
316
00:13:25,140 --> 00:13:26,010
- If I, if I don't love it,
317
00:13:26,010 --> 00:13:28,020
what the heck am I doing here?
318
00:13:28,020 --> 00:13:29,710
- 50 years of making-
- 50 years of making cigars.
319
00:13:29,710 --> 00:13:33,420
- We're working on that
project right now. (laughs)
320
00:13:33,420 --> 00:13:34,950
- That'll be fun.
- Yes.
321
00:13:34,950 --> 00:13:36,480
It's, it's already fun.
322
00:13:36,480 --> 00:13:39,090
Because we've been a-
- Congratulations on 50 years.
323
00:13:39,090 --> 00:13:40,560
- Well, thank you, sir.
- Thank you.
324
00:13:40,560 --> 00:13:42,060
- That's significant.
325
00:13:42,060 --> 00:13:43,920
- It's, I've been around for a while.
326
00:13:43,920 --> 00:13:46,843
Yes, sir. Yeah. A couple of weeks.
327
00:13:48,090 --> 00:13:51,830
- So in talking to you,
you came from Cuba.
328
00:13:51,830 --> 00:13:52,788
- Yes.
329
00:13:52,788 --> 00:13:57,540
- Most of the other people
that I've had conversation with
330
00:13:57,540 --> 00:13:59,608
this week that are from Cuba
331
00:13:59,608 --> 00:14:04,053
have a very distinct Cuban accent.
332
00:14:04,920 --> 00:14:05,753
You don't.
333
00:14:05,753 --> 00:14:07,007
- Nope.
334
00:14:07,007 --> 00:14:10,093
- I haven't had a beer.
(everyone laughs)
335
00:14:11,100 --> 00:14:15,580
I've been outta Cuba since I
was 13 years old, 63 years ago.
336
00:14:15,580 --> 00:14:18,630
And I'm in Madrid and I talk to people
337
00:14:18,630 --> 00:14:20,687
and they say, are you Cuban?
338
00:14:20,687 --> 00:14:22,890
And I go, how do you know I'm Cuban?
339
00:14:22,890 --> 00:14:23,723
Well, you speak like them.
340
00:14:23,723 --> 00:14:26,314
And I go, I've been out of there 63 years
341
00:14:26,314 --> 00:14:30,210
and you still still consider
me that I speak like a Cuban.
342
00:14:30,210 --> 00:14:32,327
I don't notice it, but everybody does.
343
00:14:32,327 --> 00:14:33,851
- Oh, that's great.
- Yeah.
344
00:14:33,851 --> 00:14:37,320
- So it's distinctive to a Spaniard,
345
00:14:37,320 --> 00:14:39,870
but it's not distinctive to a Minnesotan?
346
00:14:39,870 --> 00:14:41,566
- No. And English is different.
347
00:14:41,566 --> 00:14:42,930
- Yeah.
348
00:14:42,930 --> 00:14:45,390
- In Spanish. Yeah. You would pick it up.
349
00:14:45,390 --> 00:14:50,340
- Yeah. It's the regard for family.
350
00:14:50,340 --> 00:14:55,340
I know our earlier discussion
we were talking about the,
351
00:14:55,680 --> 00:14:58,140
a challenge a family
member had in traveling
352
00:14:58,140 --> 00:15:00,884
and the how everything comes to a halt
353
00:15:00,884 --> 00:15:04,080
when family is in peril
or where there's an issue.
354
00:15:04,080 --> 00:15:04,913
- Indeed. Indeed.
355
00:15:04,913 --> 00:15:09,653
- And that's another very prominent theme
356
00:15:11,460 --> 00:15:14,820
in this room. The families.
357
00:15:14,820 --> 00:15:15,790
- Yes.
358
00:15:15,790 --> 00:15:17,340
- And people referring to their friends
359
00:15:17,340 --> 00:15:19,530
and the relationships that they develop.
360
00:15:19,530 --> 00:15:20,363
I know that Tim [Swail] and Sean [Knutsen]
361
00:15:20,363 --> 00:15:21,196
feel intensely connected.
362
00:15:23,383 --> 00:15:25,883
- Connected.
- To you guys like family.
363
00:15:25,883 --> 00:15:28,837
And there's other people in
the room that they refer to
364
00:15:28,837 --> 00:15:31,615
their colleagues in
the industry as family.
365
00:15:31,615 --> 00:15:33,300
- That's the beauty of
our industry, I believe.
366
00:15:33,300 --> 00:15:36,550
- Well, there was a
seminar Friday at the PCA
367
00:15:38,130 --> 00:15:40,830
and I wasn't on the, on the panel.
368
00:15:40,830 --> 00:15:45,830
And I get a call dawn of, of Friday
369
00:15:46,500 --> 00:15:48,960
telling me that I have to
be on the panel because...
370
00:15:48,960 --> 00:15:51,081
- Saturday midday.
371
00:15:51,081 --> 00:15:54,090
- One, the one of the gentleman
that was supposed to be
372
00:15:54,090 --> 00:15:55,770
in the panel, his wife got sick
373
00:15:55,770 --> 00:16:00,420
and wife took precedence
over coming to a, a seminar.
374
00:16:00,420 --> 00:16:01,253
- Right.
375
00:16:01,253 --> 00:16:03,720
- So I had to fill in for
him and I did it gladly
376
00:16:03,720 --> 00:16:07,036
because I realized that his,
he had a crisis at home.
377
00:16:07,036 --> 00:16:08,478
Take care of that first.
378
00:16:08,478 --> 00:16:11,880
And I'll try to cover
for you as best as I can.
379
00:16:11,880 --> 00:16:12,840
- Yeah.
380
00:16:12,840 --> 00:16:14,820
- So, yeah, family is very important.
381
00:16:14,820 --> 00:16:17,460
- And I'm just reflecting on the privilege
382
00:16:17,460 --> 00:16:19,050
of sitting with you.
383
00:16:19,050 --> 00:16:19,890
- Thank you.
384
00:16:19,890 --> 00:16:23,584
- Our excitement about having you, Raquel.
385
00:16:23,584 --> 00:16:24,430
- Yes. I'm so excited about that.
386
00:16:24,430 --> 00:16:27,660
- And Manolo, you've been
part of the original group
387
00:16:27,660 --> 00:16:31,530
that was in the For My Humidor
collection with Boveda.
388
00:16:31,530 --> 00:16:34,140
And we're, we're honored to
have you be a part of that.
389
00:16:34,140 --> 00:16:35,144
- Thank you.
390
00:16:35,144 --> 00:16:36,473
- Anything else you want to?
391
00:16:36,473 --> 00:16:41,160
- Well, I just feel grateful to be here
392
00:16:41,160 --> 00:16:43,830
and I wanna keep on showing the world
393
00:16:43,830 --> 00:16:46,810
that Quesada Cigars is one of
the best cigars in the world.
394
00:16:46,810 --> 00:16:49,140
And to keep continuing
my legacy, my history
395
00:16:49,140 --> 00:16:50,952
and the passion that my father
396
00:16:50,952 --> 00:16:53,189
gave me the opportunity to have.
397
00:16:53,189 --> 00:16:56,026
- They truly are beautiful sticks.
398
00:16:56,026 --> 00:16:57,761
- And then I'm gonna start crying now.
399
00:16:57,761 --> 00:16:59,081
- No, that's good.
400
00:16:59,081 --> 00:17:02,566
That's good. We've had some
people getting misty about this
401
00:17:02,566 --> 00:17:07,566
craft of, of quality and
consistency to your point.
402
00:17:07,590 --> 00:17:08,850
- Yes.
403
00:17:08,850 --> 00:17:12,750
- The discipline that
goes into making this.
404
00:17:12,750 --> 00:17:14,081
- I was asked the other day,
405
00:17:14,081 --> 00:17:17,303
what were the items on, on my bucket list?
406
00:17:17,303 --> 00:17:22,035
And I said my bucket list. I
filled my bucket list already.
407
00:17:22,035 --> 00:17:25,230
So the only thing that I have
left to, to accomplish is
408
00:17:25,230 --> 00:17:28,320
to continue bringing
pleasure as best I can to
409
00:17:28,320 --> 00:17:30,210
as many people as I can.
410
00:17:30,210 --> 00:17:31,043
- That's beautiful.
411
00:17:31,043 --> 00:17:33,600
- This is an opportunity to enjoy yourself
412
00:17:33,600 --> 00:17:37,213
and obtain a lot of
pleasure from an activity
413
00:17:37,213 --> 00:17:41,910
that is really, really very
rewarding and very relaxing
414
00:17:41,910 --> 00:17:43,950
and very satisfying.
415
00:17:43,950 --> 00:17:45,853
- I thank you so much for taking the time.
416
00:17:45,853 --> 00:17:46,686
- Thank you.
417
00:17:46,686 --> 00:17:49,050
And much respect to the
family and to the craft
418
00:17:49,050 --> 00:17:52,282
and to the beauty of these Quesada Cigars.
419
00:17:52,282 --> 00:17:55,963
It's a, it's a real honor
for us to be connected.
420
00:17:55,963 --> 00:17:58,307
- Thank you.
- To your family and
421
00:17:58,307 --> 00:17:59,891
to be able to help.
422
00:17:59,891 --> 00:18:00,810
- And many, many more years to come.
423
00:18:00,810 --> 00:18:01,643
- Yeah.
424
00:18:01,643 --> 00:18:02,787
- Cheers to that.
425
00:18:02,787 --> 00:18:03,620
- Many blessings. Thank you so much.
426
00:18:03,620 --> 00:18:04,839
- Well, thank you for having us.
427
00:18:04,839 --> 00:18:05,672
- Thank you.
428
00:18:05,672 --> 00:18:07,013
- Our privilege and our honor. Thank you.
429
00:18:09,055 --> 00:18:11,638
(outro music)