Speaker: 00:00:00

- 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 at Boveda.

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This is "Box Press."

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- This is the-

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- El Güegüense is Nahuatl from Nicaragua,

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so it's indigenous to Nicaragua,

so it's not even Spanish.

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So even people that speak

Spanish can't pronounce it.

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- Well, what is it?

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- It's a dance that's been happening.

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It's the oldest indigenous

satire of the Western hemisphere

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that's been happening in

Nicaragua since the late 1500s.

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It's recognized by UNESCO

as a cultural mastery.

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- So how do you get hip to this?

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- Living in Nicaragua since 2003.

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- Did you dance?

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- No, but that imagery is everywhere.

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So when I started my,

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you know, it was about

to start Foundation,

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I wanted to do a brand, you know,

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I was never on the sales

and distribution side for,

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at that time, 12, you

know, 12 years, 13 years.

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So I wanted to, something

that represented.

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I knew I wanted to do

an all Nicaraguan blend,

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filler, binder, wrapper.

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And I wanted to pay homage to Nicaragua.

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Nobody knew who I was in 2015, except

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for the hardcore smokers

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and the shops that had

kind of been following me.

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So, hence, I named it something

a little bit more difficult

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to pronounce because I knew

they would get it, you know,

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I knew they would

appreciate what I was doing.

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As time, you know, brands continued,

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I made them easier to say.

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- So I've been hip to your

Tabernacle and your Wise Man.

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I hadn't been exposed to this, the Olmec.

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And I smoked this last

week for the first time.

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Dude. It's a special smoke.

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It's one of those smokes.

- Why, why is it so special?

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You know, someone told me

recently, another manufacturer

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said, you broke the code.

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Because I think it has kind

of all of those elements.

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For one, the blend is using

the choice of choice tobaccos

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from Nicaragua, the filler

San Andrés Negro wrapper.

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I mean the San Andrés

Mexican wrapper is some

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of the oldest tobacco in the world.

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People don't realize the Negro seed

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predates the Habanensis

seed, the Cuban seed,

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and is one of my favorite wrapper leaves.

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And then you put the

branding together with it.

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I think it just has kind

of all those elements

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that make for magic.

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And you never know sometimes

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how these things are gonna hit, too.

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But we planned big for Olmec,

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but it far exceeded what our plans

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and our projections that we had.

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Yeah.

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- So did you notice the blue

flame never touched the cigar?

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Yes.

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- You did your homework.

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You did your homework.

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- The guy's pet peeve is, well,

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do not let the blue

flame the 3,500 degrees

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or whatever the hell is.

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- Because the blue, it's

3,500, 4,000 degrees

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that blue flame, the

soft flame is probably

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around 800 degrees.

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So it's just such an

intense amount of heat

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to be applying directly to the tobacco.

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And you see the changes.

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- Well, I'm not saying you're a freak

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because it's a pet peeve.

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- No, no, no, no.

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I appreciate the guidance

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because I'm looking at it and

I'm going, okay, tomorrow,

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I'm not gonna be putting the blue flame

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because I'm one of these guys

that's like, ah, you know,

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because you can feel it too

from really far away that flame.

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Yeah. And it's just, I just

think it has some effect when

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initially when you're smoking on the,

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how hot the tobacco smoking.

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And then it affects how the blend,

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what the intention of the blend is.

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So that's why, it's like

when you smoked, you know,

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two, puffing, puffing, puffing, puffing,

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you get the tobacco too

hot, you're gonna affect,

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look at here in Las Vegas.

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So we've been, I've been smoking some

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of the new blends we've

introduced all year.

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Again out here, it's a whole

different smoking experience

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because we're dealing with-

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- 11% relative humidity.

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- 11% relative humidity, maybe.

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I mean, that's an extreme.

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Tobacco needs moisture.

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Can't have too much moisture.

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That's what you guys

do beautifully, right?

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It can't have too less.

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I mean, this temperature

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and moisture from the beginning,

from seed to the farms,

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to the curing barns, to fermentation,

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right up to the humidors is

such an important factor.

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And that's why, you know,

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you guys have really crushed it

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because you made it so easy

to maintain this humidity,

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which I did not talk to

Nick ahead of time about.

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- No, not at all.

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- Yeah, but thank you.

Not at all, not at all.

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Appreciate that.

But we of course, you know.

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So here's one of the reasons

why I'm so excited about you.

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You started in a store.

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- Yep, 1996.

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- I can't tell you.

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- Are we live by the way?

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- We've been live the whole time.

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I can't tell you.

- Can we swear on the show?

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Yeah, you can do whatever you want.

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And if you want we'll bleep it out.

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- No, that's all right.

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Sometimes I have a potty

mouth, but not always.

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And I get carried away

once in a while too.

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Who doesn't?

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- You gotta get into it.

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But I have much respect for

the idea that you started

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in a store and it shows in

the craft that you've created.

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So you're in the, you do the retail thing,

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you understand the consumer,

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you fall in love with cigars.

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- Yes.

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Yeah, that was, I was 18

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- And you fell in love with cigars.

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- Hard, hard.

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- You're still in love with cigars.

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- Big time.

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Yeah, big time.

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You should see me around tobacco.

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Hand to tobacco.

- Yeah, you did a little diddy

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about Connecticut Broadleaf

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and you talked about

getting lost in the smell

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of Connecticut Broadleaf

- Ah, so good.

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when you're holding it up to your face.

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So good.

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I could eat it.

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But yeah, I love, you know, I love cigars.

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My grandfather's is really,

was the beginning of...

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Being able to smoke a cigar

with my grandfather was,

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- He was a cigar guy.

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- They both were.

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And my great-grandfathers

were all cigar smokers.

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So Connecticut had a, it still does,

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but you know, back throughout the 1900s,

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there was a lot of cigar

brands in Connecticut,

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a lot of cigar factories.

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So you had the growing region north

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of Hartford in the

Connecticut River Valley.

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And then you had factories

in Hartford, New Haven,

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Bridgeport, tons of factories.

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They were all using

Cuban fillers before: 1959

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and Connecticut wrappers.

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I mean, that was the, they

called them Clear Havanas.

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That was the combo.

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- So your bobber goes

down for cigar flavor,

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for cigar experience?

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- Yeah.

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- At a young age?

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- Yeah.

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- And then you do the retail experience.

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- Yep.

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- Just going to school, working the store.

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Wasn't in class, working a shop.

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- And then?

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- And then I traveled the world.

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And in the process, you know,

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I met Jon Drew when I first

started working the shop.

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He was first starting and he

had a brand called Samaro.

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It was God awful, but he kept

at it and he kept coming back.

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They then came out with a

brand called La Vieja Habana,

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which Nick Perdomo was making at the time.

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This has gotta be about '98.

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And I took that into the store

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because the women I worked for,

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they put their full confidence in my love

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for cigars and my knowledge.

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By 18, I had known everything

I could about cigars,

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you know, from a book.

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And that was the height of the cigar boom,

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so it was a crazy time to,

to start in the industry.

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So we brought on this brand, I met Jon

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for an event one Saturday

from '98 to 2003.

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We kept in touch.

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I graduated school in: 2000

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and wanted to get outta Connecticut.

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You know, when you want to travel,

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I worked in and lived in Rome

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and then bought an

around-the-world ticket for $1,500.

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Went to from Paris to India to Thailand,

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Overland down the Mahjong River

into Laos, Vietnam, China.

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So Jon and I were communicating on email.

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So I think the light bulb

went off in his head.

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In the early 2000s, nobody

wanted to go to Nicaragua.

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He said, "Oh, this kid

will go to Nicaragua.

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I'm sure he knows what the

product needs to be at least."

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And I was traveling the world for a year

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and I get an email from Jon,

"Do you want to come down

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and be my right hand man?"

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I was 24.

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- How long did it take you

to answer that question?

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- Right away I was in,

because my next dream trip,

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after traveling the

world, I wanted to travel

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through Central America

and learn how to roll

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and bunch cigars.

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That was like my next, I had to learn how

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to roll and bunch cigars.

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So it came at a perfect time.

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So after traveling the world for a year,

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I was back in the States

for a month and a half.

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Flew down to Nicaragua.

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Jon said, you want the job?

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You gotta start now.

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And I didn't.

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I started right away.

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Didn't leave Nicaragua for two years

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before I went back to the States.

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And you know, Drew Estate

was tiny that time.

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We were working out of the

back of Nick Perdomo's house.

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The back was kicked out rolling tables.

228

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I lived upstairs of the factory.

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There was two bedroom for about two months

230

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until my farmhouse is ready.

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Moved to a farmhouse

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because I said, if I'm

gonna live in Nicaragua,

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I wanna live on a tobacco farm.

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That farm is actually, I

use a lot of tobacco from

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that farm in my blends to this day

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because I work with Abdel Fernandez now.

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So that farm, he grows on that farm.

238

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So I nestled in, you know?

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Here I was, 24 amongst all

these legends that I'd only read

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about in books.

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And here I am a sponge ready

to learn how cigars are made.

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- And you're living with the plant?

243

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- Living with it.

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Living with it.

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And that's how you know tobacco.

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You have to be a good listener, observer.

247

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Your senses have to be unbiased.

248

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You have to be an observer

249

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because that's, you have to

be able to communicate it.

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Not to get weird, but communicate

and listen to the plant

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because it's very fickle, very fickle.

252

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- So you probably know personally

the plants that made up

253

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that Willy Herrera red

254

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and white label that I fell in love with.

255

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- Yeah, I worked with that

256

00:11:26,396 --> 00:11:28,996

with Willy when he first came on board.

257

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Yeah, yeah.

258

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I helped a little bit.

259

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- Beautiful cigar.

260

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- It's great smoke, great smoke.

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- So, okay, so now you go, you

do the Drew Estate chapter.

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And then, and the wanderlust continues.

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You want to keep rolling?

264

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- Yes.

265

00:11:43,123 --> 00:11:46,070

- Or do you wanna immediately

go start your own?

266

00:11:46,070 --> 00:11:49,570

- No, I was with Drew Estate for 12 years.

267

00:11:51,025 --> 00:11:54,524

You know, we went from working

out of the back of a house

268

00:11:54,524 --> 00:11:57,894

with maybe making 5,000 cigars a day

269

00:11:57,894 --> 00:11:58,727

until 12 years later, a

hundred thousand square

270

00:11:58,727 --> 00:11:59,560

foot factory,

271

00:12:03,075 --> 00:12:04,825

105,000 cigars a day.

272

00:12:06,351 --> 00:12:08,143

So I had been in charge of,

273

00:12:08,143 --> 00:12:12,341

eventually evolved into the

tobacco purchasing, blending-

274

00:12:12,341 --> 00:12:15,775

- Did you guys start that

safari thing during the time

275

00:12:15,775 --> 00:12:16,711

that you were there?

276

00:12:16,711 --> 00:12:18,251

- Yeah, yeah, of course.

Because the guys rave

277

00:12:18,251 --> 00:12:19,173

about the trip that they took.

278

00:12:19,173 --> 00:12:20,054

- Yeah, of course.

279

00:12:20,054 --> 00:12:21,332

That was '08, '00.

280

00:12:21,332 --> 00:12:24,100

You know, finally we were, so from '03

281

00:12:24,100 --> 00:12:28,020

to about '08, there was

so much growth happening.

282

00:12:28,020 --> 00:12:30,618

And they would call me from

the States, and say, Nick,

283

00:12:30,618 --> 00:12:31,693

we need more production.

284

00:12:31,693 --> 00:12:34,204

We would rent out another house,

285

00:12:34,204 --> 00:12:36,445

we would knock down another wall.

286

00:12:36,445 --> 00:12:38,211

We would expand and expand,

287

00:12:38,211 --> 00:12:39,672

and finally we came to a point,

288

00:12:39,672 --> 00:12:42,526

we had about 10 different

buildings throughout Estelí.

289

00:12:42,526 --> 00:12:46,063

And I said, guys, this is

as far as I can take it

290

00:12:46,063 --> 00:12:51,063

without jeopardizing quality, consistency,

291

00:12:51,496 --> 00:12:52,329

and having problems.

292

00:12:52,329 --> 00:12:54,560

Like we're, we're, we're working well and-

293

00:12:54,560 --> 00:12:55,896

- What's your role at that point?

294

00:12:55,896 --> 00:12:58,475

- Director of Tobaccos and Production.

295

00:12:58,475 --> 00:13:00,915

So over three years,

296

00:13:00,915 --> 00:13:03,780

I had just gone hard

into learning everything

297

00:13:03,780 --> 00:13:05,776

about the leaf, right.

298

00:13:05,776 --> 00:13:09,220

So I sort of reverse

engineered the cigar coming

299

00:13:09,220 --> 00:13:10,571

from the retail.

300

00:13:10,571 --> 00:13:13,147

I then started to reverse engineer

301

00:13:13,147 --> 00:13:15,585

and really focus on quality control.

302

00:13:15,585 --> 00:13:19,206

That was one of my main

jobs, was quality control.

303

00:13:19,206 --> 00:13:21,110

I implemented different filters.

304

00:13:21,110 --> 00:13:24,336

So here I am, you know, in Nicaragua, sort

305

00:13:24,336 --> 00:13:27,746

of, Jon left after the first two weeks

306

00:13:27,746 --> 00:13:29,228

and said to kind of figure it out.

307

00:13:29,228 --> 00:13:30,061

I had just come off

308

00:13:30,061 --> 00:13:35,061

of an international business

degree and my love for cigars.

309

00:13:35,167 --> 00:13:36,651

So I was out to prove myself.

310

00:13:36,651 --> 00:13:39,483

But the international

business degree came in handy

311

00:13:39,483 --> 00:13:40,608

because I was able to,

312

00:13:40,608 --> 00:13:43,624

there was not much organization

happening at that time.

313

00:13:43,624 --> 00:13:46,742

There was not production

planning, shipment planning.

314

00:13:46,742 --> 00:13:48,950

And I'm kind of a freak when it comes

315

00:13:48,950 --> 00:13:51,035

to keeping everything organized.

316

00:13:51,035 --> 00:13:54,050

So I started implementing

a lot of organization.

317

00:13:54,050 --> 00:13:56,892

I planned all the production,

worked with the sales team

318

00:13:56,892 --> 00:13:59,838

to take those projections,

make a production plan,

319

00:13:59,838 --> 00:14:04,459

tobacco purchasing plan, and

then I oversee quality control,

320

00:14:04,459 --> 00:14:05,656

and then all the blending.

321

00:14:05,656 --> 00:14:07,491

- So all the capacities from the-

322

00:14:07,491 --> 00:14:09,891

- Yeah, everything to

do with the production.

323

00:14:09,891 --> 00:14:10,724

- Yeah.

324

00:14:10,724 --> 00:14:11,557

- Yeah.

325

00:14:11,557 --> 00:14:12,390

So-

326

00:14:12,390 --> 00:14:14,218

- But that's a beautiful thing

327

00:14:14,218 --> 00:14:16,532

because you've done everything along,

328

00:14:16,532 --> 00:14:18,505

I mean, you started at the retail, you go

329

00:14:18,505 --> 00:14:23,505

through all the capacities in

the production end of things.

330

00:14:23,887 --> 00:14:26,261

- We built this amazing team.

331

00:14:26,261 --> 00:14:28,972

You know, it's not, it wasn't just me,

332

00:14:28,972 --> 00:14:30,893

but all of the team down there.

333

00:14:30,893 --> 00:14:33,125

We were all around the

same age, young team,

334

00:14:33,125 --> 00:14:37,792

and we all, they appreciated

me coming from the U.S. side

335

00:14:37,792 --> 00:14:42,152

to add the perspective of kind

of what they were missing,

336

00:14:42,152 --> 00:14:42,985

right?

337

00:14:42,985 --> 00:14:45,064

If you're always in, in the Nicaragua side

338

00:14:45,064 --> 00:14:47,833

or that side, you don't

understand what's going on

339

00:14:47,833 --> 00:14:52,318

in the stores and the tobacconist

and what customers want.

340

00:14:52,318 --> 00:14:56,047

So everybody was real

excited to have me on board

341

00:14:56,047 --> 00:14:59,764

because I was bringing

this perspective that kind

342

00:14:59,764 --> 00:15:02,409

of connected all the dots for them.

343

00:15:02,409 --> 00:15:04,965

And we built up, the team that runs

344

00:15:04,965 --> 00:15:08,034

that factory today is still

the team that I worked with.

345

00:15:08,034 --> 00:15:10,679

- Well, and and you're birthing cigars.

346

00:15:10,679 --> 00:15:15,092

I mean, you're birthing

legendary names like-

347

00:15:15,092 --> 00:15:17,118

- Yeah, Liga Bravada's a big one.

348

00:15:17,118 --> 00:15:17,951

Yeah.

349

00:15:17,951 --> 00:15:21,007

And before that we were known

as just the flavored guys.

350

00:15:21,007 --> 00:15:22,969

But I appreciated flavored cigars

351

00:15:22,969 --> 00:15:25,149

from the retail perspective and finding,

352

00:15:25,149 --> 00:15:26,701

but I didn't smoke them.

353

00:15:26,701 --> 00:15:28,813

I was a hardcore traditionalist.

354

00:15:28,813 --> 00:15:32,692

So from '03 to '06, I

was just blending, trying

355

00:15:32,692 --> 00:15:36,983

to figure out where the

flavor profiles of cigars

356

00:15:36,983 --> 00:15:37,988

that I loved

357

00:15:37,988 --> 00:15:41,839

and where those flavor

profiles were coming from.

358

00:15:41,839 --> 00:15:44,939

- So when you were back

in the retail store, what,

359

00:15:44,939 --> 00:15:49,939

name a couple of brands that

were your go-tos when you were

360

00:15:49,988 --> 00:15:51,567

in the store?

361

00:15:51,567 --> 00:15:53,846

- Oh, Padrón 3000 was my staple.

362

00:15:53,846 --> 00:15:57,770

I was a big Fuente Opus X since, you know,

363

00:15:57,770 --> 00:16:00,739

that cigar was launched, I think '94.

364

00:16:00,739 --> 00:16:03,406

So yeah, I was a big Fuente fan.

365

00:16:04,441 --> 00:16:08,782

I smoked a lot of Excaliburs

at that time, Excalibur 3s.

366

00:16:08,782 --> 00:16:10,154

Hoyo de Monterrey.

367

00:16:10,154 --> 00:16:11,821

Rothschilds were big.

368

00:16:13,159 --> 00:16:14,242

Henry Clays.

369

00:16:16,124 --> 00:16:19,177

Yeah, it was a Mac, you

know, I started on Macanudos

370

00:16:19,177 --> 00:16:23,657

in early on when they were

being made in Kingston, Jamaica.

371

00:16:23,657 --> 00:16:25,323

And the wrapper was coming right

372

00:16:25,323 --> 00:16:27,054

from the Connecticut River Valley.

373

00:16:27,054 --> 00:16:29,554

It was shade from the

Connecticut River Valley,

374

00:16:29,554 --> 00:16:32,645

San Andrés Mexican

binder, Jamaican fillers.

375

00:16:32,645 --> 00:16:36,638

So yeah, I, there were so

many great cigars there

376

00:16:36,638 --> 00:16:38,170

and there were so many bad cigars

377

00:16:38,170 --> 00:16:40,282

because it was the

height of the cigar boom.

378

00:16:40,282 --> 00:16:41,716

You had to be careful.

379

00:16:41,716 --> 00:16:43,825

We called them Don Nobodies.

380

00:16:43,825 --> 00:16:45,228

There was so many people trying

381

00:16:45,228 --> 00:16:48,344

to make a quick buck,

get into the business.

382

00:16:48,344 --> 00:16:51,830

And I always said at

that time, this is about,

383

00:16:51,830 --> 00:16:53,974

if you can put your heart and soul

384

00:16:53,974 --> 00:16:58,423

and passion into this,

you're gonna have a chance.

385

00:16:58,423 --> 00:17:01,443

You can't just wanting to

come throw a band on a cigar

386

00:17:01,443 --> 00:17:04,489

and expect to make it in this business.

387

00:17:04,489 --> 00:17:07,406

I mean, it's just, that's too much.

388

00:17:09,229 --> 00:17:14,229

So 12 years built this family,

389

00:17:14,916 --> 00:17:17,547

you know, living abroad

390

00:17:17,547 --> 00:17:19,904

and working abroad is

different than I think living

391

00:17:19,904 --> 00:17:23,827

and working home and people you work with,

392

00:17:23,827 --> 00:17:25,112

you become even closer,

393

00:17:25,112 --> 00:17:27,918

that becomes your community even more.

394

00:17:27,918 --> 00:17:31,982

And it was really difficult

to make the decision

395

00:17:31,982 --> 00:17:33,309

to leave Drew Estate.

396

00:17:33,309 --> 00:17:36,818

I had a great position.

I had a great salary.

397

00:17:36,818 --> 00:17:37,954

I had all the perks

398

00:17:37,954 --> 00:17:42,296

and I saw the FDA

regulations at that time.

399

00:17:42,296 --> 00:17:43,943

So this is 2014.

400

00:17:43,943 --> 00:17:45,986

And there was so much talk about,

401

00:17:45,986 --> 00:17:50,403

potentially not being able

to start your own company,

402

00:17:51,697 --> 00:17:54,157

cut off dates that the FDA would.

403

00:17:54,157 --> 00:17:57,386

So I said, if I don't do this now,

404

00:17:57,386 --> 00:17:59,942

I probably will never do it.

405

00:17:59,942 --> 00:18:04,942

And I knew the experience

that I had built at that time

406

00:18:05,094 --> 00:18:07,558

that I could, if I failed,

407

00:18:07,558 --> 00:18:10,667

I could get another job on

the leaf side of things.

408

00:18:10,667 --> 00:18:13,035

You know, I knew I had some security.

409

00:18:13,035 --> 00:18:15,846

Now, a 21 year old wasn't

gonna come and take my job

410

00:18:15,846 --> 00:18:18,727

because of all the

experience that I built up.

411

00:18:18,727 --> 00:18:22,592

So it took me a couple

years to make the decision,

412

00:18:22,592 --> 00:18:26,009

and then I finally left in May 9, 2014,

413

00:18:27,380 --> 00:18:30,038

and then spent the next year developing

414

00:18:30,038 --> 00:18:32,918

what would be Foundation Cigars.

415

00:18:32,918 --> 00:18:37,055

We launched at this trade show, PCA 2015,

416

00:18:37,055 --> 00:18:39,472

with one brand. El Güegüense.

417

00:18:41,384 --> 00:18:43,697

- El Güegüense.

418

00:18:43,697 --> 00:18:45,040

It's not Elgay Gunsei.

419

00:18:45,040 --> 00:18:47,066

- That's a great pasta sauce.

420

00:18:47,066 --> 00:18:47,899

Yeah.

421

00:18:47,899 --> 00:18:49,656

- Golognese is a great pasta.

422

00:18:49,656 --> 00:18:52,605

El Güegüense, El Güegüense, The Wise Man.

423

00:18:52,605 --> 00:18:54,047

- That was your launch?

424

00:18:54,047 --> 00:18:55,338

- That was our launch.

425

00:18:55,338 --> 00:18:59,473

I wanted to do a a hundred

percent Nicaraguan blend.

426

00:18:59,473 --> 00:19:04,458

I felt at that time, you know,

I knew I was gonna come out

427

00:19:04,458 --> 00:19:06,143

with Broadleaf blends.

428

00:19:06,143 --> 00:19:10,765

That's kind of what I was

really well known for being

429

00:19:10,765 --> 00:19:14,898

from Connecticut you know,

being connected to Liga.

430

00:19:14,898 --> 00:19:18,847

But it, the Broadleaf wasn't

ready curing at that time,

431

00:19:18,847 --> 00:19:23,187

but I thought this experience

432

00:19:23,187 --> 00:19:27,087

of Nicaragua, I wanted to bring

to this part of the world,

433

00:19:27,087 --> 00:19:29,979

to the consumers, to the retail shops,

434

00:19:29,979 --> 00:19:34,979

to really show them what

living in Nicaragua is about.

435

00:19:35,023 --> 00:19:37,080

And the heart and soul

436

00:19:37,080 --> 00:19:40,167

of Nicaraguan culture is El Güegüense.

437

00:19:40,167 --> 00:19:41,000

It's everywhere.

438

00:19:41,000 --> 00:19:44,312

It doesn't matter where

you come from in Nicaragua,

439

00:19:44,312 --> 00:19:47,180

what your cultural, religious background,

440

00:19:47,180 --> 00:19:48,671

political background,

441

00:19:48,671 --> 00:19:51,909

everybody identifies with El Güegüense

442

00:19:51,909 --> 00:19:54,560

as being distinctly Nicaraguan.

443

00:19:54,560 --> 00:19:57,752

- So this the, this subject of discussion

444

00:19:57,752 --> 00:20:01,262

with different leaders in the industry,

445

00:20:01,262 --> 00:20:05,104

the shift in Nicaragua being perceived

446

00:20:05,104 --> 00:20:08,104

as a second rate provider of tobacco

447

00:20:09,325 --> 00:20:12,746

to being a world class

provider of tobacco,

448

00:20:12,746 --> 00:20:15,329

that happened under your watch?

449

00:20:16,199 --> 00:20:17,147

- Yes.

450

00:20:17,147 --> 00:20:18,843

- You were there for that?

451

00:20:18,843 --> 00:20:22,267

- Yes, because, you know, there,

the country really started

452

00:20:22,267 --> 00:20:24,350

to open up in 1990, 1991.

453

00:20:26,166 --> 00:20:27,596

The 80s was a disaster.

454

00:20:27,596 --> 00:20:29,548

The 70s was a disaster.

455

00:20:29,548 --> 00:20:33,516

So when the country was opened

up to elections in 1990,

456

00:20:33,516 --> 00:20:38,266

that was the beginning of the

cigar industry coming back.

457

00:20:39,606 --> 00:20:42,151

I mean, they had nationalized

the cigar industry,

458

00:20:42,151 --> 00:20:44,699

I believe during the 80s.

459

00:20:44,699 --> 00:20:47,104

So it really wasn't

460

00:20:47,104 --> 00:20:51,301

until they started giving

land back, factories back.

461

00:20:51,301 --> 00:20:54,134

So 2003 when I moved to Nicaragua,

462

00:20:55,877 --> 00:20:59,242

it was just starting to

really get on its feet,

463

00:20:59,242 --> 00:21:02,799

and, yeah.

464

00:21:02,799 --> 00:21:07,799

- Well, and I would assert that this craft

465

00:21:08,415 --> 00:21:13,415

that you've built into the Foundation DNA,

466

00:21:13,807 --> 00:21:18,735

this is as good as any cigar

you're gonna smoke anywhere.

467

00:21:18,735 --> 00:21:21,072

- Yeah, there's a very, you know,

468

00:21:21,072 --> 00:21:22,655

I am a tobacco man.

469

00:21:24,529 --> 00:21:25,817

This has been my experience.

470

00:21:25,817 --> 00:21:29,571

- Sounds like a song.

Purchasing tobacco from all

471

00:21:29,571 --> 00:21:31,246

over the world.

472

00:21:31,246 --> 00:21:35,389

So Ecuador, Brazil, premium,

473

00:21:35,389 --> 00:21:37,180

we call it black tobacco.

474

00:21:37,180 --> 00:21:38,408

That's cigar tobacco.

475

00:21:38,408 --> 00:21:39,714

Where you have Blond and Burley,

476

00:21:39,714 --> 00:21:40,754

that's all cigarette grades.

477

00:21:40,754 --> 00:21:45,587

And so from a standpoint of

dark air cured black tobaccos,

478

00:21:47,647 --> 00:21:51,005

there is a big misconception, you know,

479

00:21:51,005 --> 00:21:53,658

and mystique around Cuba.

480

00:21:53,658 --> 00:21:55,741

Nicaragua is very unique.

481

00:21:57,120 --> 00:22:00,160

It's the land of lakes and volcanoes.

482

00:22:00,160 --> 00:22:01,829

That's what Nicaragua means.

483

00:22:01,829 --> 00:22:04,232

Most active volcanoes in Central America.

484

00:22:04,232 --> 00:22:08,152

The soil is just so you can drop seeds

485

00:22:08,152 --> 00:22:10,733

by accident and things are growing.

486

00:22:10,733 --> 00:22:14,029

So what makes Nicaragua

very unique compared

487

00:22:14,029 --> 00:22:17,391

to any other growing

region is in the world is

488

00:22:17,391 --> 00:22:20,481

between the lower primings of the plant

489

00:22:20,481 --> 00:22:21,714

and the upper primings.

490

00:22:21,714 --> 00:22:24,173

So usually the lower primings are milder.

491

00:22:24,173 --> 00:22:26,173

The middle of the plant is medium bodied.

492

00:22:26,173 --> 00:22:29,734

The upper part of the plant

is the strongest, your Ligero.

493

00:22:29,734 --> 00:22:31,888

The diversity from the lower primings

494

00:22:31,888 --> 00:22:35,322

to the upper primings is

unlike any other country.

495

00:22:35,322 --> 00:22:37,239

So the strength levels,

496

00:22:38,361 --> 00:22:41,375

the flavor going from the lower level.

497

00:22:41,375 --> 00:22:43,702

So, for example, the upper primings

498

00:22:43,702 --> 00:22:47,632

of the Nicaragua plant,

the Ligero, the strongest,

499

00:22:47,632 --> 00:22:52,074

that would be like the Dominican's

middle part of the plant,

500

00:22:52,074 --> 00:22:54,880

or Cuba's middle part of the plant.

501

00:22:54,880 --> 00:22:57,526

I'm not saying one is

better than the other.

502

00:22:57,526 --> 00:23:00,582

I don't see that tobacco as being better

503

00:23:00,582 --> 00:23:02,696

or worse per se.

504

00:23:02,696 --> 00:23:04,543

What makes something better or worse is

505

00:23:04,543 --> 00:23:08,210

your care in the field,

your growing practices,

506

00:23:08,210 --> 00:23:10,766

your quality control, your fermentation.

507

00:23:10,766 --> 00:23:12,387

That's what makes tobaccos.

508

00:23:12,387 --> 00:23:13,680

They're just different, right?

509

00:23:13,680 --> 00:23:18,196

But Nicaragua, from a

strength flavor-fortaleza

510

00:23:18,196 --> 00:23:21,678

-we say, there's nothing like it.

511

00:23:21,678 --> 00:23:24,697

That's why you see all these brands, even

512

00:23:24,697 --> 00:23:28,794

before Nicaragua became Nicaragua,

Dominicans always used it

513

00:23:28,794 --> 00:23:32,304

for blending, Honduras,

all these other countries.

514

00:23:32,304 --> 00:23:33,830

- And it's all about the terroir.

515

00:23:33,830 --> 00:23:35,549

- It's all about the terroir.

516

00:23:35,549 --> 00:23:38,824

Yeah. I mean that's what

makes Connecticut unique.

517

00:23:38,824 --> 00:23:40,616

Connecticut is a Mohegan word

518

00:23:40,616 --> 00:23:43,859

that means the great tidal river.

519

00:23:43,859 --> 00:23:47,549

The Connecticut River's 406 miles long.

520

00:23:47,549 --> 00:23:49,470

Starts on the border of Canada,

521

00:23:49,470 --> 00:23:51,149

cuts through New Hampshire.

522

00:23:51,149 --> 00:23:53,242

It's the border of New

Hampshire and Vermont,

523

00:23:53,242 --> 00:23:56,586

cuts through Massachusetts,

through Connecticut,

524

00:23:56,586 --> 00:23:57,688

into the Long Island Sound.

525

00:23:57,688 --> 00:24:00,637

That was a gigantic finger lake at the end

526

00:24:00,637 --> 00:24:02,701

of the last glacier period.

527

00:24:02,701 --> 00:24:04,784

So it was this huge lake.

528

00:24:06,369 --> 00:24:11,369

The lake bed eventually

settled into 30,000 acres north

529

00:24:11,419 --> 00:24:12,768

of Hartford.

530

00:24:12,768 --> 00:24:16,363

That's where the

Connecticut River Valley is.

531

00:24:16,363 --> 00:24:18,939

And it's because of

that glacier that makes

532

00:24:18,939 --> 00:24:21,472

for a very sandy loam soil.

533

00:24:21,472 --> 00:24:23,156

So the sand, when you

see the sand, sometimes,

534

00:24:23,156 --> 00:24:24,316

you think you're at the beach.

535

00:24:24,316 --> 00:24:26,666

When you look at the

terroir, you're like, what?

536

00:24:26,666 --> 00:24:29,201

This is so sandy, how does?

537

00:24:29,201 --> 00:24:31,004

The sand is about this,

538

00:24:31,004 --> 00:24:33,100

say for example, this high,

539

00:24:33,100 --> 00:24:34,731

then you have clay at the bottom.

540

00:24:34,731 --> 00:24:38,726

What happens is, is that the

water filters through easily

541

00:24:38,726 --> 00:24:40,955

before you get to the clay.

542

00:24:40,955 --> 00:24:43,831

Whereas if it was all clay,

the water would settle up.

543

00:24:43,831 --> 00:24:47,126

The root system of the plant

is following the water,

544

00:24:47,126 --> 00:24:48,526

so it goes deep.

545

00:24:48,526 --> 00:24:52,277

That makes for sweeter, tastier tobacco,

546

00:24:52,277 --> 00:24:53,226

which is unique because most

547

00:24:53,226 --> 00:24:56,511

of the black tobacco growing

regions, cigar tobacco,

548

00:24:56,511 --> 00:24:58,580

are more volcanic in nature.

549

00:24:58,580 --> 00:25:01,599

Connecticut's unique

because of the glacier soil.

550

00:25:01,599 --> 00:25:05,137

So all of this plays a huge factor,

551

00:25:05,137 --> 00:25:08,387

but Nicaragua has become very unique in

552

00:25:09,520 --> 00:25:14,103

that the volcanic soil is, it's so rich,

553

00:25:15,178 --> 00:25:19,178

it's, you look at, it's

just you want to eat it.

554

00:25:21,677 --> 00:25:22,510

At least I do.

(Drew laughing)

555

00:25:22,510 --> 00:25:24,673

Some people don't want to eat soil.

556

00:25:24,673 --> 00:25:26,867

But it's, you know, it's thriving.

557

00:25:26,867 --> 00:25:27,950

It's amazing.

558

00:25:29,103 --> 00:25:32,040

And then you have different

regions within the country.

559

00:25:32,040 --> 00:25:34,761

Estelí is very volcanic,

560

00:25:34,761 --> 00:25:38,448

whereas Jalapa was much farther away

561

00:25:38,448 --> 00:25:41,257

from a lot of these volcanoes.

562

00:25:41,257 --> 00:25:44,515

I mean, you can literally

see in Estelí remnants

563

00:25:44,515 --> 00:25:48,544

of rocks that were just blown

from some of these volcanoes.

564

00:25:48,544 --> 00:25:51,611

And you can see volcanoes,

some of them, they're some

565

00:25:51,611 --> 00:25:55,988

of the most perfect formed

volcanoes, iconic volcanoes.

566

00:25:55,988 --> 00:25:57,541

- So did that have anything to do

567

00:25:57,541 --> 00:25:59,059

with the logo for Foundation?

568

00:25:59,059 --> 00:26:00,305

- A hundred percent, yeah, yeah.

569

00:26:00,305 --> 00:26:01,354

- Is that, I jumped to that.

570

00:26:01,354 --> 00:26:02,457

I didn't know that.

571

00:26:02,457 --> 00:26:04,535

No, no, a hundred percent, yeah, yeah.

572

00:26:04,535 --> 00:26:09,035

So, because for me, the

foundation of this is the leaf,

573

00:26:10,200 --> 00:26:11,033

right?

574

00:26:11,033 --> 00:26:13,974

Good leaf, time, fermentation.

575

00:26:13,974 --> 00:26:18,974

So within the Foundation logo,

you'll see water, necessary,

576

00:26:19,138 --> 00:26:22,388

volcano, the volcanic soil and the sun.

577

00:26:23,743 --> 00:26:26,229

This is, this is the foundation

578

00:26:26,229 --> 00:26:28,445

for growing, you know, tobacco.

579

00:26:28,445 --> 00:26:30,008

If you don't have those elements,

580

00:26:30,008 --> 00:26:32,285

you can't grow good tobacco.

581

00:26:32,285 --> 00:26:35,947

And it's part of the,

the logo of the crest

582

00:26:35,947 --> 00:26:38,484

of Nicaragua, very similar to that.

583

00:26:38,484 --> 00:26:41,867

So, and then the pyramid is the balance

584

00:26:41,867 --> 00:26:43,986

between polarities, right?

585

00:26:43,986 --> 00:26:44,819

It's one of the-

586

00:26:44,819 --> 00:26:46,791

Okay, okay, and then we shift into some

587

00:26:46,791 --> 00:26:48,867

of your meditative practices.

588

00:26:48,867 --> 00:26:51,238

This is, are we getting

on the edge of that?

589

00:26:51,238 --> 00:26:52,071

- Sure.

590

00:26:52,071 --> 00:26:53,489

- I mean, talk about that a little bit

591

00:26:53,489 --> 00:26:56,906

because you are not your run of the mill.

592

00:26:57,863 --> 00:27:02,012

- I mean, I got very big

into like metaphysics,

593

00:27:02,012 --> 00:27:06,387

studying culture, history.

594

00:27:06,387 --> 00:27:11,319

Those things always fascinated

me from a young age.

595

00:27:11,319 --> 00:27:13,681

I just always had a quest

596

00:27:13,681 --> 00:27:17,768

for understanding why things

were the way they are.

597

00:27:17,768 --> 00:27:20,226

I was that pain in the ass kid.

598

00:27:20,226 --> 00:27:21,451

"Mom, why is this?"

599

00:27:21,451 --> 00:27:23,092

- If you were a priest, you'd be a Jesuit.

600

00:27:23,092 --> 00:27:24,288

I mean that's like a basic

601

00:27:24,288 --> 00:27:25,165

- Yeah, there you go.

602

00:27:25,165 --> 00:27:27,171

- It's that kind of discipline around.

603

00:27:27,171 --> 00:27:29,921

- Yes, and mysticism, the occult,

604

00:27:31,876 --> 00:27:35,606

all of those kinds of things

very, very much interest me.

605

00:27:35,606 --> 00:27:39,773

And mathematics and geometry

are very interesting.

606

00:27:42,575 --> 00:27:45,814

And the pyramid is that structure.

607

00:27:45,814 --> 00:27:47,573

It, you know, the Trinity,

608

00:27:47,573 --> 00:27:50,741

people talk about the Trinity having more

609

00:27:50,741 --> 00:27:52,577

of a religious context.

610

00:27:52,577 --> 00:27:54,968

But I think it's, when you trace it back,

611

00:27:54,968 --> 00:27:58,291

it has a very metaphysic-type meaning,

612

00:27:58,291 --> 00:27:59,129

and that's the balance.

613

00:27:59,129 --> 00:28:02,258

It is the balance between

polarities, right?

614

00:28:02,258 --> 00:28:03,512

You have two extremes,

615

00:28:03,512 --> 00:28:07,480

and then the balancing

point is the pyramid,

616

00:28:07,480 --> 00:28:09,489

the balance of polarities.

617

00:28:09,489 --> 00:28:12,339

This is, you know, the Great

Pyramids are the oldest,

618

00:28:12,339 --> 00:28:14,560

one of the oldest structures, the-

619

00:28:14,560 --> 00:28:15,809

- And it's part of the discipline

620

00:28:15,809 --> 00:28:17,822

that goes into your cigar making.

621

00:28:17,822 --> 00:28:18,809

- A hundred percent.

622

00:28:18,809 --> 00:28:23,012

And balance for me with

the blends is crucial.

623

00:28:23,012 --> 00:28:24,401

- This is absolutely-

624

00:28:24,401 --> 00:28:26,054

- This is a tasty one.

625

00:28:26,054 --> 00:28:26,976

- This is-

626

00:28:26,976 --> 00:28:28,342

- This is the Claro.

627

00:28:28,342 --> 00:28:30,524

- Do you smoke this?

628

00:28:30,524 --> 00:28:32,284

I mean, what do you

smoke more than anything

629

00:28:32,284 --> 00:28:33,117

out of your own line?

630

00:28:33,117 --> 00:28:36,167

- You know, I have weeks

where I get on different kicks

631

00:28:36,167 --> 00:28:40,198

because I don't like to

neglect all my children.

632

00:28:40,198 --> 00:28:42,580

So I will, you know, the Robusto

633

00:28:42,580 --> 00:28:44,694

and the Olmec, I've been smoking.

634

00:28:44,694 --> 00:28:49,027

Recently, El Güegüense

Coronas, what you have.

635

00:28:50,917 --> 00:28:52,219

So I'll switch up.

636

00:28:52,219 --> 00:28:55,813

Last week it was

Tabernacle Double Coronas.

637

00:28:55,813 --> 00:28:59,215

We sell so many Double

Coronas, it's bizarre.

638

00:28:59,215 --> 00:29:01,504

Usually Robusto, Toro is the top,

639

00:29:01,504 --> 00:29:05,604

but in Tabernacle and Olmec,

the Double Corona size,

640

00:29:05,604 --> 00:29:07,438

we sell just as many Double Coronas

641

00:29:07,438 --> 00:29:09,639

as Toros and Robustos.

642

00:29:09,639 --> 00:29:10,472

It's wild.

643

00:29:10,472 --> 00:29:11,393

- Why?

644

00:29:11,393 --> 00:29:12,694

- It's a great question.

645

00:29:12,694 --> 00:29:17,566

I think the price point

definitely is an influence

646

00:29:17,566 --> 00:29:19,985

between, and if you have the time

647

00:29:19,985 --> 00:29:21,470

and you look at the price of the Toro

648

00:29:21,470 --> 00:29:24,146

between the Double

Corona, you're like, okay,

649

00:29:24,146 --> 00:29:26,999

the price point is not

that great of a jump,

650

00:29:26,999 --> 00:29:28,776

and the cigar just keeps going.

651

00:29:28,776 --> 00:29:31,482

- Well, I smoked this in a larger format.

652

00:29:31,482 --> 00:29:34,704

It was something like

a Double Corona or a-

653

00:29:34,704 --> 00:29:35,537

- Was it a big?

654

00:29:35,537 --> 00:29:37,442

We do do a 60 in this.

655

00:29:37,442 --> 00:29:38,275

- No.

656

00:29:38,275 --> 00:29:39,108

- It was probably-

657

00:29:39,108 --> 00:29:39,941

- It was longer than this.

658

00:29:39,941 --> 00:29:41,838

- It was a Toro or the Double Corona.

659

00:29:41,838 --> 00:29:43,255

The Toro's 6x52.

660

00:29:43,255 --> 00:29:44,855

That's 5.

661

00:29:44,855 --> 00:29:47,294

So we have a 5, a 6 and a 7.

662

00:29:47,294 --> 00:29:48,585

- Yeah, I think it was a 7.

663

00:29:48,585 --> 00:29:49,586

- Yeah.

664

00:29:49,586 --> 00:29:51,058

- But it was an adventure.

665

00:29:51,058 --> 00:29:53,294

And I had this moment where I stopped

666

00:29:53,294 --> 00:29:58,294

and I get, I get, I'm a, I'm

a creature of habit, you know,

667

00:29:58,750 --> 00:30:03,124

I go to certain bins

when I'm in the humidor,

668

00:30:03,124 --> 00:30:07,541

and I pass this up, never tried it,

669

00:30:09,400 --> 00:30:11,800

and I had the experience last week

670

00:30:11,800 --> 00:30:13,695

and then I have the privilege

of talking to you today.

671

00:30:13,695 --> 00:30:15,675

It's like, hello?

- Yeah, yeah, that's great.

672

00:30:15,675 --> 00:30:16,896

Thank you.

Yeah, my pleasure.

673

00:30:16,896 --> 00:30:17,789

Yeah, Olmec.

674

00:30:17,789 --> 00:30:19,176

- Olmec.

675

00:30:19,176 --> 00:30:21,422

- And now what's the

significance of the name Olmec?

676

00:30:21,422 --> 00:30:23,279

- So this imagery here is,

677

00:30:23,279 --> 00:30:25,736

these colossal heads were discovered

678

00:30:25,736 --> 00:30:28,486

in the late '30s, '40s in Mexico.

679

00:30:30,022 --> 00:30:32,833

So I used to go to San Andrés every year

680

00:30:32,833 --> 00:30:35,297

for tobacco purchasing in Mexico.

681

00:30:35,297 --> 00:30:39,214

In this same region where

Negro tobacco is used

682

00:30:41,521 --> 00:30:45,489

for all of the Mexican tobacco

that's used in our market.

683

00:30:45,489 --> 00:30:48,755

This was the land of the Olmecs.

684

00:30:48,755 --> 00:30:52,851

The Olmecs were the mother

culture of Central America,

685

00:30:52,851 --> 00:30:55,255

pre-Mayan, Aztec, Inca.

686

00:30:55,255 --> 00:30:56,088

In the late '30s,

687

00:30:56,088 --> 00:31:00,226

they started uncovering

these colossal heads.

688

00:31:00,226 --> 00:31:02,397

These are gigantic heads.

689

00:31:02,397 --> 00:31:03,230

- Heads?

690

00:31:03,230 --> 00:31:04,198

- Yeah, if you ever get a chance-

691

00:31:04,198 --> 00:31:05,399

- Like human heads?

692

00:31:05,399 --> 00:31:06,232

- Not stone.

693

00:31:06,232 --> 00:31:07,257

- Yes, human heads.

694

00:31:07,257 --> 00:31:08,090

- Carvings?

695

00:31:08,090 --> 00:31:10,812

- Carvings, stone.

Not actual heads?

696

00:31:10,812 --> 00:31:11,645

- They don't know...

697

00:31:11,645 --> 00:31:13,328

No, no, no, no, carvings.

698

00:31:13,328 --> 00:31:16,283

They don't know much about them.

699

00:31:16,283 --> 00:31:20,533

Which is, I'm gonna give

you a quick look at these.

700

00:31:21,802 --> 00:31:22,635

- Oh, far out.

701

00:31:22,635 --> 00:31:23,601

- Yeah.

702

00:31:23,601 --> 00:31:24,973

They started uncovering these heads-

703

00:31:24,973 --> 00:31:26,158

- These carvings.

704

00:31:26,158 --> 00:31:29,255

- And they were like, these are not Mayan.

705

00:31:29,255 --> 00:31:32,090

These are not, they discovered

a whole nother civilization

706

00:31:32,090 --> 00:31:33,994

that predated the Mayans.

707

00:31:33,994 --> 00:31:36,943

They were the first calendars.

708

00:31:36,943 --> 00:31:39,289

- So this becomes part of your story?

709

00:31:39,289 --> 00:31:41,439

- These are the first cigar smokers.

710

00:31:41,439 --> 00:31:42,721

That image of the cigar,

711

00:31:42,721 --> 00:31:45,216

that in the mouth of the lo,

712

00:31:45,216 --> 00:31:47,966

that's the first image of a cigar

713

00:31:48,918 --> 00:31:52,320

that I have studied and researched ever.

714

00:31:52,320 --> 00:31:53,824

- Circa when?

715

00:31:53,824 --> 00:31:54,657

- 3000 B.C.

716

00:31:58,307 --> 00:31:59,140

Yeah.

717

00:31:59,140 --> 00:31:59,973

2000 B.C.

718

00:32:01,247 --> 00:32:02,080

Yeah.

719

00:32:02,080 --> 00:32:02,913

- Fascinating.

720

00:32:02,913 --> 00:32:04,574

- So I thought they were worthy of a-

721

00:32:04,574 --> 00:32:05,407

- Yeah, yeah, no,

Of a brand.

722

00:32:05,407 --> 00:32:06,240

this is good.

723

00:32:06,240 --> 00:32:07,289

Let's name a cigar.

724

00:32:07,289 --> 00:32:09,522

- Yeah, I mean, for me, you know,

725

00:32:09,522 --> 00:32:11,730

having been on the blending

side for so many years

726

00:32:11,730 --> 00:32:14,980

to then create my own brands, you know,

727

00:32:16,424 --> 00:32:20,026

for me the packaging is a complement.

728

00:32:20,026 --> 00:32:21,998

I want to complement the blend.

729

00:32:21,998 --> 00:32:24,527

It starts with the tobacco always.

730

00:32:24,527 --> 00:32:27,130

But to be able to use things

731

00:32:27,130 --> 00:32:29,519

that I've been passionate

about, history, culture,

732

00:32:29,519 --> 00:32:31,686

and use them on my brands.

733

00:32:32,838 --> 00:32:35,130

I have an amazing art team in Nicaragua.

734

00:32:35,130 --> 00:32:37,647

One of my best friends, Alex Garcia,

735

00:32:37,647 --> 00:32:40,762

incredible artist from from Estelí,

736

00:32:40,762 --> 00:32:42,084

we work hand in hand.

737

00:32:42,084 --> 00:32:43,823

I'm like the conductor.

738

00:32:43,823 --> 00:32:47,100

He's the one that man manifests the art.

739

00:32:47,100 --> 00:32:49,771

And we have a lot of the same interests,

740

00:32:49,771 --> 00:32:53,046

so it's just exciting.

741

00:32:53,046 --> 00:32:55,537

- I could talk to you all

day, but you gotta go.

742

00:32:55,537 --> 00:32:57,924

But I want just touch on one thing.

743

00:32:57,924 --> 00:32:58,757

- Yes, sir.

744

00:33:01,505 --> 00:33:06,505

- Introducing new people to cigars.

745

00:33:06,676 --> 00:33:09,089

Going back to your retail experience

746

00:33:09,089 --> 00:33:12,506

and your attitude about how we keep from,

747

00:33:13,515 --> 00:33:17,395

I mean, there's all sorts of

new lux announcements coming

748

00:33:17,395 --> 00:33:19,733

in the industry, higher price points.

749

00:33:19,733 --> 00:33:20,953

It's natural.

750

00:33:20,953 --> 00:33:23,943

I'm not deprecating that at all.

751

00:33:23,943 --> 00:33:27,943

But how do we continue

to introduce new smokers?

752

00:33:28,792 --> 00:33:30,036

Yeah.

753

00:33:30,036 --> 00:33:33,656

- You know, for me, I

think the cigar shops

754

00:33:33,656 --> 00:33:37,384

and the retail shops are very crucial

755

00:33:37,384 --> 00:33:39,944

in creating the right environment.

756

00:33:39,944 --> 00:33:43,102

It is very intimidating for new people

757

00:33:43,102 --> 00:33:45,566

to come into this industry.

758

00:33:45,566 --> 00:33:48,814

There are so many blends,

there's so many brands.

759

00:33:48,814 --> 00:33:51,742

So creating that right

environment in the shop.

760

00:33:51,742 --> 00:33:55,133

I see those shops that do

create that right environment

761

00:33:55,133 --> 00:33:58,399

have the most success

in getting new people,

762

00:33:58,399 --> 00:33:59,620

because it's intimidating.

763

00:33:59,620 --> 00:34:00,453

It's like me with wine.

764

00:34:00,453 --> 00:34:02,486

I don't know wine that well.

765

00:34:02,486 --> 00:34:06,099

If I go into a wine shop,

it's, it's overwhelming.

766

00:34:06,099 --> 00:34:10,370

So you have to get the right

blend to the right consumer,

767

00:34:10,370 --> 00:34:12,899

because that's another, if

you don't get the right blend

768

00:34:12,899 --> 00:34:14,166

to a new consumer.

769

00:34:14,166 --> 00:34:15,891

If you give them a Tabernacle,

770

00:34:15,891 --> 00:34:19,331

that's a full body, full

strength blend to somebody

771

00:34:19,331 --> 00:34:20,902

that's never smoked cigars before,

772

00:34:20,902 --> 00:34:24,287

that becomes their image

of what a cigar is.

773

00:34:24,287 --> 00:34:28,037

And it's not necessarily

what all cigars are.

774

00:34:28,919 --> 00:34:31,695

There's so many different styles.

775

00:34:31,695 --> 00:34:34,162

So you have to get the

right, unfortunately, a lot

776

00:34:34,162 --> 00:34:37,698

of people like get cigars at a

wedding or they're at a party

777

00:34:37,698 --> 00:34:39,033

and then it's sitting in their desk drawer

778

00:34:39,033 --> 00:34:42,748

and then they try to light it

up and it's not humidified,

779

00:34:42,748 --> 00:34:44,038

and it's a terrible experience.

780

00:34:44,038 --> 00:34:48,099

So, but the cigar stores,

I invite the cigar stores

781

00:34:48,099 --> 00:34:51,182

to be less cliquey, less pretentious,

782

00:34:53,289 --> 00:34:56,537

and more open to welcoming new people.

783

00:34:56,537 --> 00:35:00,649

I think new, you know, podcasts

784

00:35:00,649 --> 00:35:04,149

and our cigar has been featured many times

785

00:35:05,333 --> 00:35:07,263

on Joe Rogan's podcast.

786

00:35:07,263 --> 00:35:08,463

It's been amazing.

787

00:35:08,463 --> 00:35:09,398

- I'm a Rogan freak.

788

00:35:09,398 --> 00:35:10,786

I watched everything.

- I am too.

789

00:35:10,786 --> 00:35:12,665

He mentions you regularly.

790

00:35:12,665 --> 00:35:13,498

- It's crazy.

791

00:35:13,498 --> 00:35:14,789

Joe has been amazing.

792

00:35:14,789 --> 00:35:15,622

I don't pay him.

793

00:35:15,622 --> 00:35:16,725

- How'd you, how did that happen?

794

00:35:16,725 --> 00:35:19,074

- It just happened three years ago.

795

00:35:19,074 --> 00:35:21,907

We were able to, a friend of mine,

796

00:35:23,241 --> 00:35:25,950

we met another friend

that was a cigar smoker.

797

00:35:25,950 --> 00:35:28,189

Cigar smoking brings people together.

798

00:35:28,189 --> 00:35:31,949

And he happened to be going

to visit Joe in Austin.

799

00:35:31,949 --> 00:35:35,549

Joe had just moved to Austin,

brought him a couple boxes

800

00:35:35,549 --> 00:35:36,989

and that's where it started.

801

00:35:36,989 --> 00:35:39,188

And I eventually made him his own smoke.

802

00:35:39,188 --> 00:35:41,635

Unfortunately it's not

available to the public,

803

00:35:41,635 --> 00:35:43,912

but hopefully one, maybe one day.

804

00:35:43,912 --> 00:35:46,047

- We've tried to go through the front door

805

00:35:46,047 --> 00:35:46,880

and dealing with his people.

806

00:35:46,880 --> 00:35:49,117

- Oh, I've given him Boveda before.

807

00:35:49,117 --> 00:35:50,868

Well, and he's, he's gotten packs, so.

808

00:35:50,868 --> 00:35:54,187

- But, and we don't need

to, we'd love to continue

809

00:35:54,187 --> 00:35:57,669

to support Joe's cigar

freshness through you.

810

00:35:57,669 --> 00:36:01,227

- I ended up getting

him a couple humidors,

811

00:36:01,227 --> 00:36:05,768

but whenever I send him,

you know, some sample packs

812

00:36:05,768 --> 00:36:09,650

of different stuff, I always

send Bovedas to him, so.

813

00:36:09,650 --> 00:36:12,685

- And he's such a great

ambassador for the cigar industry.

814

00:36:12,685 --> 00:36:13,921

- So that's, you know,

815

00:36:13,921 --> 00:36:16,256

these different channels

I think are crucial

816

00:36:16,256 --> 00:36:19,339

for exposing people to cigar smoking.

817

00:36:20,179 --> 00:36:21,012

I mean-

818

00:36:21,012 --> 00:36:24,521

- I'd love to sit and listen

to you and Rogan have a cigar.

819

00:36:24,521 --> 00:36:25,891

- That would be awesome.

820

00:36:25,891 --> 00:36:26,724

- What a trip.

821

00:36:26,724 --> 00:36:28,639

- That would be a trip.

822

00:36:28,639 --> 00:36:31,097

- I would freak out.

- I mean, start 3000 B.C.

823

00:36:31,097 --> 00:36:32,577

and work your way forward.

824

00:36:32,577 --> 00:36:34,672

- You know, we've

talked, we chat sometimes

825

00:36:34,672 --> 00:36:36,839

on Instagram, a little bit.

826

00:36:38,176 --> 00:36:39,474

He sent me a message this morning

827

00:36:39,474 --> 00:36:41,725

because I made him a new box

828

00:36:41,725 --> 00:36:45,488

for his new comedy store that

called the Comedy Mothership.

829

00:36:45,488 --> 00:36:48,320

But we've chatted about

Connecticut, the River Valley

830

00:36:48,320 --> 00:36:49,501

because he hates Connecticut,

831

00:36:49,501 --> 00:36:53,877

because the comedy scene has

been, I think he's had a lot

832

00:36:53,877 --> 00:36:56,256

of bad experiences there and whatnot.

833

00:36:56,256 --> 00:37:00,065

But now he's seeing, I

think, you know, the history

834

00:37:00,065 --> 00:37:03,502

of tobacco there, which we

just opened up our new office

835

00:37:03,502 --> 00:37:05,080

on a 300-acre farm.

836

00:37:05,080 --> 00:37:07,284

Would love to have you

guys come up at some point.

837

00:37:07,284 --> 00:37:08,463

Right in the heart.

- Pay attention.

838

00:37:08,463 --> 00:37:09,296

Pay attention.

839

00:37:09,296 --> 00:37:11,362

We're going.

- Yeah, that would be great.

840

00:37:11,362 --> 00:37:13,384

300-acre farm in the

Connecticut River Valley

841

00:37:13,384 --> 00:37:16,056

with my good friend Jon Foster.

842

00:37:16,056 --> 00:37:20,258

So he's been a tobacco

grower there since the 1600s.

843

00:37:20,258 --> 00:37:25,258

So educating people about

cigar smoking is crucial.

844

00:37:25,571 --> 00:37:26,912

There's so much to know.

845

00:37:26,912 --> 00:37:28,353

- We would jump at the opportunity

846

00:37:28,353 --> 00:37:31,096

because we're an asterisk

on the cigar industry.

847

00:37:31,096 --> 00:37:34,369

On all the industries we

serve, we're a side show.

848

00:37:34,369 --> 00:37:35,639

We're not the main event,

849

00:37:35,639 --> 00:37:38,494

but we are all about accentuating

other people's experience.

850

00:37:38,494 --> 00:37:39,327

- A hundred percent.

851

00:37:39,327 --> 00:37:40,160

You guys do it well.

852

00:37:40,160 --> 00:37:42,447

- And whatever we can do to support you

853

00:37:42,447 --> 00:37:44,581

and continuing to flourish with Foundation

854

00:37:44,581 --> 00:37:47,005

and the ambassador to the

industry that you are.

855

00:37:47,005 --> 00:37:51,047

It's a tremendous privilege

for us to talk to you.

856

00:37:51,047 --> 00:37:52,715

- Same here, same here.

857

00:37:52,715 --> 00:37:54,416

- And to smoke your cigars.

- Likewise.

858

00:37:54,416 --> 00:37:57,082

You make spectacular cigars.

859

00:37:57,082 --> 00:37:58,266

Thank you, thank you.

860

00:37:58,266 --> 00:37:59,099

- Thank you.

861

00:37:59,099 --> 00:38:00,014

- Thank you.

I can't thank you enough.

862

00:38:00,014 --> 00:38:00,847

I'm glad we got to talk.

863

00:38:00,847 --> 00:38:01,977

Sorry I was late.

864

00:38:01,977 --> 00:38:04,441

- Dude, I, you're gonna

get on your scooter

865

00:38:04,441 --> 00:38:05,657

and get onto the next thing,

866

00:38:05,657 --> 00:38:08,895

but this has been an absolute privilege.

867

00:38:08,895 --> 00:38:10,418

- Same here.

Nick Melillo.

868

00:38:10,418 --> 00:38:13,234

The Meli, Meli, Melillo.

869

00:38:13,234 --> 00:38:14,067

- Melillo.

870

00:38:14,067 --> 00:38:14,900

- Melillo.

871

00:38:14,900 --> 00:38:16,351

- There you go, that's the Italian.

872

00:38:16,351 --> 00:38:20,847

- The founder and the head

chuchi at Foundation Cigars.

873

00:38:20,847 --> 00:38:23,097

And I am smoking the Olmec.

874

00:38:23,949 --> 00:38:25,676

I have the El-

875

00:38:25,676 --> 00:38:26,509

- El Güegüense.

876

00:38:26,509 --> 00:38:27,342

- El Güegüense.

877

00:38:27,342 --> 00:38:28,175

- Yes, sir.

Thank you.

878

00:38:28,175 --> 00:38:29,674

I will practice that.

879

00:38:29,674 --> 00:38:31,015

I will never do that wrong again.

880

00:38:31,015 --> 00:38:32,283

- No, no, you're good.

881

00:38:32,283 --> 00:38:33,538

- And-

882

00:38:33,538 --> 00:38:34,865

- You're not the only one.

883

00:38:34,865 --> 00:38:37,121

- Yeah, you are a wise man

when it comes to cigars.

884

00:38:37,121 --> 00:38:38,273

- No, no, no, no.

885

00:38:38,273 --> 00:38:39,674

- Thank you very, very much.

886

00:38:39,674 --> 00:38:40,507

- My pleasure.

887

00:38:40,507 --> 00:38:41,340

Thank you guys.

888

00:38:41,340 --> 00:38:42,635

I appreciate it.

- What a treat.

889

00:38:42,635 --> 00:38:43,468

- Yeah.

890

00:38:46,958 --> 00:38:49,541

(snazzy music)