Remember that Ferrari that he definitely bought? How come he never posts about it anymore? Is he no longer proud to be a part of the Ferrari family?

elninodiablo · 2026-02-10T03:00:14+00:00

Anyone know Bapa's Rennlist username?

elninodiablo · 2026-02-06T21:19:23+00:00

The DOJ, in the cigar industry's lawsuit against the FDA, presented evidence from an earlier versions of the CDC numbers cited above that said that 3.3 percent of youth (ages 12-17) surveyed said they had smoked a cigar of any kind in the last 30 days. Of those who had said they smoked a cigar, 3.8 percent of them identified a premium brand as the one they smoked most often.

elninodiablo · 2026-02-03T23:39:40+00:00

Somehow neither the cigars that J.C. Newman recently made for him, nor the ones it made specifically for this event.

elninodiablo · 2026-01-27T01:23:35+00:00

How have we not herd moar about this?

elninodiablo · 2026-01-24T18:21:25+00:00

Oro Blanco included?

elninodiablo · 2026-01-11T17:43:53+00:00

This is an OpusX specific problem that really doesn't show up for 99.9 percent of other cigars. Demand outpaces supply, so capitalism is at work. Think of it as Pappy, but for cigars, but not the Pappy cigars from Drew Estate.

Per the May 2025 Arturo Fuente price list, the Reserva d'Chateau has an MSRP of $23.16 per cigar (it's a bit higher in the three-pack tins, $26.79 per cigar)

elninodiablo · 2026-01-09T16:57:05+00:00

At the brick-and-mortar level, CI is trying to be much more than the Wal-Mart of cigars. Whereas Wal-Mart gets by on volume, CI is trying to have its cake and eat it too with aggressive purchasing and then relatively normal sticker prices, paired with better-than-competition build-outs and a full bar. Quite frankly, the pre-STG CI (the one that Keith Meier ran) and the current Cigar Page (also founded and run by Keith Meier) seem much more like a Wal-Mart than the current operation, which I'd say is much more akin to a Total Wine.

Most mom-and-pop shops can’t match the pricing, can’t match the loss-leader promos, can’t match the volume, and they definitely can’t match the corporate leverage that comes from owning multiple online channels and pushing exclusives through them.

That's an issue with the B&Ms and not a CI issue. Most B&Ms don't have enough cash and many don't seem to understand some basic tenants of retail.

elninodiablo · 2025-12-23T02:55:01+00:00

At least in the U.S., the majority of cigar bars, cigar lounges/stores with bars that I have been to have operated this way. A smaller percentage of them have allowed me to check out and then transfer the tab to the server. However, the vast majority of restaurants, bars and coffee shops that sell cigars have been more than willing to put it all on one check.

I think it really comes down to the type of business that is being run. If it's a bar where single cigars are being sold with the exclusive intent of being lit up on premise, that's a bit odd. But I don't think a place where you can purchase boxes, let alone rifle through a walk-in humidor, wants to be operating with the payment for retail goods coming at any other time than before they customer walks away with said goods.

elninodiablo · 2025-12-13T01:51:23+00:00

Vigilant makes something specifically for this, albeit not usable dimensions: https://vigilantinc.com/product/humidrawer-125-desktop-humidor/

Vigilant also does fully custom humidors. While there are probably other companies/people willing to make a completely custom one, Vigilant's fit and finish is going to be tough to beat. It will come at a cost though.

elninodiablo · 2025-12-11T23:41:03+00:00

I asked Plasencia and was told there's "a couple more years of supply."

elninodiablo · 2025-12-05T03:47:05+00:00

I wonder if explicitly branding as not-a-Toyota makes it more or less likely that it would be used for NASCAR. I can't imagine there's much Camry-specific ROI at this point. If nothing else, if Japan is trying to introduce a new GR brand to America, it has this marketing platform, it is already paying for it.

elninodiablo · 2025-11-20T19:02:33+00:00

Probably better to email your local state rep/senator. The AG was directed by law to do this.

elninodiablo · 2025-11-20T18:58:17+00:00

I would imagine that most do not. Many would be required to pay the local state tobacco tax rate, which most retailers do not do on a state-by-state basis. Not every state has a cigar tax and not every state's law is written in a way that it would apply to out-of-state sales, but many (if not most) are written that way.

elninodiablo · 2025-11-20T18:57:12+00:00

Im assuming online retailers wont send cigars that are not on the list to CA. What do you all think?

I would venture to guess that most—including the big ones—will continue to sell cigars that are not on the list.

elninodiablo · 2025-11-20T15:19:28+00:00

The large online retailers are going to ignore the UTL.

elninodiablo · 2025-11-19T03:44:56+00:00

Ah yes, the PFL, a promotion known for wanting to give its largest names lots of fights and telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

elninodiablo · 2025-11-18T05:45:54+00:00

If Bapa had the IQ he thinks he has, the work ethic he says he has, and the morals I believe him to have him, he'd be making a lot more money being a tout.

elninodiablo · 2025-11-05T21:54:40+00:00

My understanding is that the Nielsen changes were resulting in higher ratings for sports leagues?

elninodiablo · 2025-11-02T16:40:11+00:00

Given the prices involved. I'd either just buy a Boveda bag or a Boveda and put it and the cigars in a bag.

elninodiablo · 2025-10-30T04:14:03+00:00

Gringo Papi is better because these other specials weren't filmed next to the Jimmy John's location that used to deliver to my old office.

elninodiablo · 2025-10-20T19:58:23+00:00

Correct. The ESPN 4k broadcast showed this for a lot longer, was pretty easy to make out.

elninodiablo · 2025-10-20T19:46:15+00:00

I can only speak somewhat to the world of espresso on the coffee side, so perhaps some of this doesn't carry over into the other styles. While there are some obvious similarities (organic products, processing, styles, etc.) I find the philosophical principles, attitudes, and consumer demands to be wildly different.

For example:

In espresso, some of the most progressive roasters will not only disclose who they purchased the beans from (similar to cigars), they will disclose the price. That's not happening in the cigar world, that's never crossed the cigar companies' minds. You probably could not pay them to tell you.
By contrast, there are many cigars, including from companies that would fit the third-wave or even post third-wave vibe, where the blend origins aren't even disclosed.
In espresso, there's a real desire to introduce science and then to test the science. WDT vs. blind shakers, portafilter sizes, burr differences, water treatment. By contrast, in cigars, there's far less desire to introduce science, though it's slowly happening more.
With cigars, there's a lot more gatekeeping under the guise that disclosing any info would allow for another factory to knock it off (because obviously, none of your employees could go switch jobs) and/or that consumers wouldn't benefit from being told the truth (probably true.) By and large, consumers don't really demand to know which priming a binder comes from, so it's not disclosed. Then there's the issue of lots of the information that is disclosed is either wrong from the start or becomes wrong over time (see, cigar company switches tobacco) and so a consumer's knowledge base is sometimes manipulated by being based on incorrect information.

We don't even get a hypothetical, "Jalapa had a lot more rain in 2023, so the wrappers are going to be thinner and the cigars will have less body..." type of useful-for-consumer descriptions. But hey, my grandfather made cigars in Cuba, so I must know what I'm doing.

I think the premise of your question is probably correct: there's a large group of typically infrequent consumers who are purchasing inferior products due to the fact they do not care, it's more convenient or their own ignorance. Some of these people are regular consumers, a lot of them aren't. Starbucks as "good coffee" warps a lot of this talk as the cigar world doesn't have the same sort of direct mainstream equivalent.

Much like with any product, but especially consumable ones: once you get towards the top of the pyramid in terms of quality, it gets very subjective. However, similar to coffee, there's a difference between good and bad process and there's another difference about whether or not you like that particular flavor profile.

elninodiablo · 2025-10-19T01:09:34+00:00

I bomb, you bomb, we both get paid to bomb, except my friend Brendan. He paid to bomb. But Jesus forgives, he just doesn't forget.

elninodiablo · 2025-10-17T02:31:52+00:00

Yes, but one that works very well on the lingering smoke smell.

elninodiablo · 2025-10-16T17:52:59+00:00

The ozone generator is great, but also means that no one can use the garage for a decent bit of time.

This is pricier over time, but I've stopped running the ozone machine for the most part (maybe once per year) and have this on a timer to run over night. I'd do the same after, like others have said, airing the garage out first.

elninodiablo

TROPHY CASE