Self Storage Investing

Bourbon, Cigars, and Self Storage: A Perfect Pairing

• Scott Meyers, Stories and Strategies • Season 1 • Episode 219

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Ever wondered what self-storage has to do with cigars, bourbon, and life’s little pleasures? 

In this episode Scott Meyers and Doug Downs dive into a passionate discussion about the finer things in life – cigars, bourbon, and the importance of proper storage for both. 

Scott shares his journey of discovering the art of cigars and bourbon pairings, exploring how both are more than just indulgences – they're celebrations of life, community, and craftsmanship. 

From the art of cigar rolling to the perfect bourbon match, they explain how self-storage and cigar storage have more in common than you might think, all while making sure your cigars stay fresh for the next celebration.

Listen For

10:13 The Importance of Hand-Rolled Cigars

13:09 Understanding Cigar Sizes: A Cigar 101

16:23 The $1.3 Million Cigar

26:47 Humidity and Temperature Control for Cigars

28:36 Quick Fix for a Dry Cigar

32:19 The Art of Pairing Bourbon with Cigars

Where to Buy Quality Cigars Online:

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Big Announcer (00:03):

This is the Self Storage Podcast with the original Self storage expert, Scott Meyers.

Scott Meyers (00:11):

Hello everyone, and welcome back to the Self Storage Podcast. I am your hostess, Scott Meyers, and in the studio I have Doug, our producer.

Doug Downs (00:19):

Good to be here. Doug,

Scott Meyers (00:19):

Welcome back. Good to here. Welcome back to the show.

Doug Downs (00:21):

Different look. Today we're

Scott Meyers (00:23):

Celebrating. We are celebrating. It's not as if we've said everything there is to say about self-storage, but self-storage and our lives are intertwined. I mean, let's face it, the reason why we got into self storage is so that we can live our lives on our terms, doing what we want, when we want, with whom we want and the way that we want. And so one of the cool things about the place that we find ourselves now is that we do get to enjoy some of the finer things in life. And some of those don't come with a hefty price tag. And through the years, I've been a big fan of wine and have taken a tour through Italy, France, Spain, and Napa, and tasting and understanding what that looks like and the whole art and the science behind that. And yes, it's farming for grapes and these farmers are artists. And to learn about that and then to carry that over into my research of a bourbon and understanding, hey, it's the same thing. It is an art form. These are things that are grown. And then in the nineties was early nineties, introduced to cigars through my buddies and never really got much of a taste for it. But it wasn't until I found bourbon and then I started drinking bourbon with my buddies and they were smoking cigars that I found myself coming back.

Doug Downs (01:35):

It's like a hamburger and fries. They just compliment each.

Scott Meyers (01:40):

And then for me, I think I have to almost feel like there's a connection to, there's got to be something more to this. And so then understanding what makes Cuban so good and why is this, and what is the difference between a machine rolled and a hand rolled and the leaves and okay, this is an art too, and it is something that we've taken organically and it does differ by region and growing region. And thus my deep dive into cigars and then pairing with bourbon. So well, so here's the stretch folks. Cigars do need to be stored. There's cigar storage in terms of humidors. And so yeah, it is a stretch, but Doug and I decided that's a

(02:20):

Stretch. It's a good stretch. It needed to be covered. Somebody has to cover cigar storage and cigars that go into storage.

Doug Downs (02:27):

I'm going to show you this. So I've got for the audio listener, I've got a cigar, not a cigar cigarillo that I've got. And my boys and I, because they're old enough to smoke now, we keep this in the house, but near the entrance to the hot tub. And the agreement is if there's an evening where folks that got a chill, you grab a cigarillo hop in the hot tub, that's about a three minute smoke, no big deal. So this is your storage container, and it has to be

Scott Meyers (03:00):

High tech.

Doug Downs (03:00):

High tech has to be humidified, but the goods need to be stored very carefully. And that when you can, you smell that. Smell how good I wish I could. So sweet. I wish I, there's a hint of wine.

(03:15):

Like they've been dipped in wine and it keeps them at that perfect temperature, the perfect humidity. Storage is really important when it comes to a cigar so that when eventually I'm going to have it, it's right there for me. It's important. It's spoiling me. It's me time when I have a good cigar.

Scott Meyers (03:35):

Tell me, when was the first time you enjoyed that? Me time with a cigar?

Doug Downs (03:42):

I want to say when I was just out of high school, but let's be fair, it was a particular sports victory that my baseball team and I was still in high school and we decided to celebrate. I'm sure there was one of the older lads got a case of beer and somebody had, I think a few cigars and we kind of passed them around. And I fell in love with the whole, it wasn't bourbon, it was just beer, but whole, maybe it was the societal, and this is a bit misleading, but this is shades of what it means to be a man, which is a bit misguided. But I sure felt relaxed. I sure felt like one of the boys on that occasion. So yeah, high school for me. How about you?

Scott Meyers (04:29):

Yeah, was I think the first introduction was my dad. He smoked a pipe growing up and I never cared for it, but mostly because, and maybe some of the folks that are up in years will remember Captain Black Tobacco, and it was just cheap tobacco that my dad would smoke. But every once in a while, if he ran out of that, he had some mold cigars somewhere at the bottom of his sock drawer and he'd take out a cigar and he'd cut it and stuff it into his pipe and then he would smoke that and also very cheap and old and didn't really have all that great of a

(05:05):

So I never really had a desire. I tried cigarettes when I was a teenager, I think most teenage boys do, and it never really got into smoking period.

(05:15):

And then as I mentioned earlier, back in the early nineties when we were out of college and in the working world, people were starting to get into cigars. They were becoming popular again. And so a number of my folks, it would pass me a mackin or a torpedo or that's all I remember. And the only thing I remember at that time, Doug, was that it didn't really taste all that great. And the next morning it tasted like a dog took a dump on my tongue and I just couldn't kit, I just couldn't get the taste out. And I thought, yeah, I didn't really enjoy it that much until then. Yeah, fast forward to really 2020, got covid during that time and I came home and went through the wine cabinet and could not, afterwards I lost most of my taste and smell. It started coming back, but I couldn't get, not a hundred percent of my taste came back and I couldn't really taste wine like I used to.

(06:15):

And even my favorite bottles, I'd pull one and I just couldn't pull everything out of it that I used to be able to taste. And so during that time, I think many folks, at least I hope many folks come home from a hard day and either commiserate with a drink or celebrate with a drink. But I couldn't taste wine anymore. So I was rummaging through the liquor cabinet one night. I was either celebrating or commiserating, and I saw one of the bottles of bourbon that I purchased, one of the mini bottles of bourbon that I purchased from my friends. I bought thousands of dollars of bourbon for my friends. And I never had a drop of it, I just didn't like it. It was just a round. And I thought, well, lemme give a taste of this and I could taste it. I could taste beer and I could taste bourbon. And so I began down the journey of drinking bourbon and learning about bourbon and then also by default how cigars go along with it. And then started drinking bourbon with my friends who were also smoking cigars at the same time. And so it wasn't necessarily just the pairing, but I really enjoyed the cigars this time and the pairing with it. So that was, I mean, we're just talking five years ago that I started down this path again. And you're

Doug Downs (07:22):

Participating in something that this has been going on I think of 150 years ago, right? Men with their port retiring to the smoking room. But it goes back further than that I think like hundreds of years, right? Or more

Scott Meyers (07:37):

So I had love to say that I could pull this out for you or from our conversation organically, but I did do a little bit of homework, if you don't mind. So a brief history of cigars, they originated with a Mayan civilization where tobacco was wrapped in a palm or plantain leaves. Obviously it was readily available. And then call it fast forward and we're still going a ways back. Christopher Columbus brought tobacco back to Europe, and I think we heard a lot about that in the trading, spices and tobacco and then leading to cigar production in Spain then at that point. But today, fast forward again, the best cigars are crafted in Cuba. As many people are aware of the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and Honduras. And it's because of the tobacco. It is because of the leaves. I mean it is the good soil and growing regions.

Doug Downs (08:25):

Is it good that Cubans are available again in the country?

Scott Meyers (08:31):

Are you

Doug Downs (08:31):

Happy

Scott Meyers (08:31):

With that? Is it good? I think most people would say that it is. We could riff on that a little bit. I've had Cubans, my wife has done,

Doug Downs (08:41):

There's really nothing better. Cubans are cigars are amazing.

Scott Meyers (08:44):

Yeah, they are. My wife came back from Nicaragua and she brought back some Cubans because she could. From there I was over in the Middle East and there's no over there. And I walked into my buddies and I went into a cigar bar, a cigar lounge and pairing. And Doug, it was a room of over 300 different types of Cubans. Now there was boxes of each, so there was a lot, but 300 types of Cubans.

(09:12):

And I walked in there and the gentleman in the humidor was looking at me because my eyes were as big as saucers and my jaw was on the ground. I said, you have no idea. I come from the US and I've never seen a wall. I've never seen a room with so many Cubans in one place to be able to select. And obviously we smoked some that the evening as well. And I do like Cubans. Maybe I'm not as refined enough to say that they're my favorites and that there's a huge difference. But I'll tell you when first, that first light is amazing.

Doug Downs (09:44):

It's so sweet. Yes.

Scott Meyers (09:47):

And there, there's something about a good wrapped Cuban, and I haven't bought cheap Cubans, so everything that I bought has been good, tight wrapped, just good, slow burn, consistent, not soft all the way through and been amazing virtually all the way through as well. Some cigars get soft in the middle and at the end and they kind of lose a little bit after you've been drawing on 'em for a bit. I find the Cubans are just consistent all the way through.

Doug Downs (10:13):

It's a celebration of what you've arrived at, wherever you've gotten to. It's your chance to celebrate. And if you're doing it on occasion, why not?

Scott Meyers (10:23):

It's a treat. It's a treat. And it's also a little bit of the forbidden fruit because we're not supposed to have Cubans. Exactly, exactly. So different types of cigars, I had no, well, I had no idea. I mean, all this has been a learning curve for me. So handmade hand rolled, got

Doug Downs (10:39):

To be hand rolled

Scott Meyers (10:41):

Versus machine. It's got to be

Doug Downs (10:42):

Hand rolled. Yeah, it got to be.

Scott Meyers (10:42):

It's got to be hand rolled.

Doug Downs (10:43):

Yeah, with a little bit of dirt under the fingernails of whomever rolled it. I want to see

Scott Meyers (10:48):

It a hundred percent. And if you get to go to the cigar shop and you see the pictures on the wall of the place where that particular cigar shop buys their cigars, and you see the guy or gal rolling those cigars who's been doing it for 50, 60 years, themselves passed on from their father or a grandfather that's been doing this. There's just something about the pedigree of the cigar itself that just lends to the story. It's

Doug Downs (11:12):

Like a homemade pie, homemade pie versus machine pie.

Scott Meyers (11:15):

Yeah.

Doug Downs (11:15):

Yeah. I'll take a homemade

Scott Meyers (11:17):

And clearly I've had both machine rolled and hand rolled, and that gives an even greater appreciation when you have the hand rolled that also is just as tightly packed and it has the same slow burn all the way through as a machine. And that is something pretty special.

Doug Downs (11:33):

Makes me celebrate humanity too. We're beating the machine still in that one.

Scott Meyers (11:38):

Okay, so as I go down this path and you go to the cigar bar, or if you start shopping online, there's a number of different sizes. There's a whole lot of words that many people aren't familiar with, including myself in the beginning. And so I thought we'd break that down just to give a little bit of an understanding, a quick cigar 1 0 1 on size and type here. So let's start with the robusto. My favorite and cigars are measured in two distinct ways, the length and inches, and then the ring gauge or the cigar ring size. So the ring gauge is the diameter of the cigar and is measured in increments of one 64th. Why of an inch. And why is that important? Well, because when you buy 'em, that's how they're sold. So for example, a cigar labeled six by 54 is six inches long and has a diameter of 54 64 inches.

(12:27):

So is that important? Well, you just kind of like anything else, you come to know what it looks like when you see it after a while, but it kind of gives you a gauge when you're looking online and trying to understand the size. And so my favorite, we'll start with the robust O, and that is approximately five by 50. It's a short, full flavored, 30 to 45 minutes smoke. And it's usually again, full flavored, focusing on the full flavored. And that's kind of what I like. Toros are approximately six by 50. It's great for beginners, medium duration, 45 to 60 minutes. Then comes a church show, which is approximately seven by 48 to 50. It's a long, elegant, has complex flavors. That's a one to two hour smoke roughly.

Doug Downs (13:09):

I can't imagine that. I've never had a church. I know I can't either. I can't do

Scott Meyers (13:12):

That. I haven't either. I've seen 'em and it almost looks a little goofy. It's like you're showing off or it looks to me it almost looks like cheap, like a clown cigar.

Doug Downs (13:21):

I'm thinking I would brush my teeth twice during the smoke.

Scott Meyers (13:24):

Yeah. Yeah, a hundred percent. And then there's the Len zero, which is seven and a half by 38. So it's slim refined flavors and it burns cooler. And so that's the sizing of it. So as you're looking at these and giving an idea of both of the flavor as well, that's roughly what you're looking at.

Doug Downs (13:42):

Can I just say if you are a beginner, because after this episode there's going to be a few guys light up a smoke, right? Look, they've got cigars. Yeah, hope so too. And there's no sponsorship thing underneath it. Scott's not sponsored by Robusto Cigars or anything. No. Although that's a heck of an idea If you are a beginner, I've had that where by the time I got to my young twenties, I had not had a lot of cigars. And one afternoon the boys and I on the golf course first round of the year, and I wanted to be a man like the other guys. And they all started lighting up and I had, when I knew it was coming, I'd lit up big fat cigar. I don't know what kind I'm telling you. 10 minutes into it, I started going green and a couple minutes later, it wasn't the green but the fairway, they got a little greener or browner, if you know what I mean. It was a bad, if you're beginner, start with a cigarillo. Don't try to be the superhero with a cigar

Scott Meyers (14:46):

And go to a good cigar lounge and go into the door and the or a lady in there will tell you, ask, how experienced are you? Are you a beginner? What are some of your flavors that you like? Flavor profiles. And also ask, what are you drinking tonight? What do you like? If it's not bour bourbon, if it's something else, scotch, they'll pair it. Scotch. Exactly.

Doug Downs (15:07):

La Freud is my recommendation. A nice smoky Petey Scotch.

Scott Meyers (15:12):

I just had a La Freud while we were over in the Middle East just recently. It's one of my favorites of my buddies. And it's super, super smoky. Super

Doug Downs (15:20):

Smoky. 18 year probably

Scott Meyers (15:23):

No you Or 24. I think that's what it was. I think that's what it was. And I got turned onto that by another buddy of mine in the industry. And we'll have to follow this up with the bourbon and the whiskey episode and not bad. We can riff on those a little bit

Doug Downs (15:36):

Later. Sponsorships to be rolling in at that point.

Scott Meyers (15:38):

Yes. So let's talk a little bit, how about some fun facts? Here's one of the piece that I found, I did do a little bit of research for the show just to make sure that we didn't miss anything. So Doug, do you know what the most expensive cigar is that it's ever been? Sold?

Doug Downs (15:54):

Oh my gosh, no, but can I guess on price? Sure. Quarter million dollars.

Scott Meyers (16:01):

That's a good guess.

Doug Downs (16:01):

Is it close? Am I actually close?

Scott Meyers (16:04):

Well, that really depends. I'll say you're close, but you're about four x off the gke. Royal Cortisone sold for 1.3 million per cigar. And it is because it is rare and it's infused with Remy Martin, black Pearl Louie the 13th.

Doug Downs (16:23):

I can get that. Well, maybe not at the store, but you know what I mean.

Scott Meyers (16:29):

I've had good smokes, I've had good smokes. I bought sticks for 12 bucks that are fantastic and compared those against 35 and $50 and yeah, they're better, but incrementally, 1.3 million bucks. I don't think that that's going to be that much better than a $50 stick.

Doug Downs (16:47):

You could start your self storage business if you got a spare one point through

Scott Meyers (16:50):

Mill that would, you could buy yourself the farm. You can buy yourself a

Doug Downs (16:54):

Plantation. Exactly. Exactly.

Scott Meyers (16:55):

Mayans Cigars, a 600 year old cigars that were found in Guatemala, they auctioned for over $500,000.

Doug Downs (17:02):

They'd a little fail by now, wouldn't they?

Scott Meyers (17:04):

Yeah, you'd think so. But there's so clearly some providence and a story behind that one. And Cohiba rounding out to number three, Cohiba, I think it's B-E-H-I-K-E 56 56 is one of the price Cuban cigars sells for roughly a hundred dollars per stick. So these are expensive sticks.

Doug Downs (17:24):

I would try that.

Scott Meyers (17:26):

I would

Doug Downs (17:26):

Dip into that.

Scott Meyers (17:28):

Yeah. Alright, so we talked about going to cigar bars and learning cigar lounges and having the folks kind of guide us on that a little bit, but what about online? Do you buy online? Where do you buy your cigars?

Doug Downs (17:43):

I would normally go to a cigar shop, like a really good one. If I was going to a wedding and went to buy a box of cigars or something, that's where I'd go. I don't know if I would shop online.

Scott Meyers (17:55):

So I'm the same way. I like to go look at them, I like to see them. I like to at least smell as much as I can through the wrapper and if there's anybody that happens to be around to be able to talk to them. And so I do go to Total Wine. There are some folks in there that understand and a great selection gets some really good sticks in there at decent prices. And usually it's also either an excuse for one or the other. I'm going to buy some sticks and I'll grab a bottle or two, a bourbon or I'm going to get some bourbon for an occasion. I'll grab a few sticks as well. And so that's just kind's like a double treat. That's the adult male candy store

(18:28):

If you will. However, cigars Direct is also becoming a favorite of mine. Now they offer some really good discounts on cigars, some sales, and what they'll do, Doug, is they sell bundles of Robusto and so you don't have to buy a whole box. You can get the individual packs of things that they select of certain types depending upon a profile of what you like. And it's already pre-packaged 30 to 40% off free shipping if you're over, I don't know, I think a hundred bucks or something. And yeah, it does sound like we're promoting but we're not. I found I've never been disappointed. They sent it in the humidor packs, good quality, good prices, comparative to buying here locally, but Famous Smoke Shop and we'll put all these folks out. We'll put these in the show notes as well. And some of you may be familiar with a famous smoke.com.

(19:18):

It's the famous smoke shop and Cigars International is another favorite site of mine as well. They've got a huge selection and just a ton of different packages that they can put together as well. Thompson Cigar is another one that rounds out the top three or four here. And then jr cigars.com is also another one to take a look at. And just depending on what they got going on, sign up to get their email and they'll send you emails of their specials and what's happening. So I'd encourage you to go take a peek online. You'd be surprised at what you might find there.

Doug Downs (19:53):

You earn points on your credit card when you order these in bulk too. And then

Scott Meyers (19:58):

Of course

Doug Downs (19:58):

You and the family can take a trip somewhere mostly on points. You're contributing

Scott Meyers (20:04):

Absolutely anything to get the points. This is just another one as well, correct?

Doug Downs (20:08):

That's right.

Scott Meyers (20:10):

Alright, so another thing that I really like about the sites is especially cigars are direct. And one of the reasons I like them is because as you kind of go through the specials and what they're offering right now, they'll have a little black icon on it that says numbers two or number one or number 17. So it entices you to click on it and then when you click on it, it shows you that this was the number three robusto of 2018 or 2019 or what have you as you go through. So I like it because that's the way I buy wine for everyday drinking 90 plus rated under $30. And so it was when I go to the site to see, okay, number one, number two highly rated and I can see the price. And so that just makes it real easy for me.

Doug Downs (20:54):

That makes me think of an idea. There's a wine I don't drink anymore, but there's a wine that my wife and I used to called 19 Crimes. Have you checked that? Okay.

Scott Meyers (21:03):

Yep.

Doug Downs (21:03):

So 19 Crimes, there's a QR code on the side of the bottle and it tells you a story about a criminal from like 150 years ago. So on the cigar you have the color ratings, put a QR code and tell me a story about how this cigar was made.

Scott Meyers (21:19):

You should and the lineage of the plantation and the family and all of it.

Doug Downs (21:24):

There you go and charge a little extra for the story. People

Scott Meyers (21:29):

Love story. You should probably cut that out of the podcast, Doug and preserve that and then sell that to the cigar companies rather than world you've to

Doug Downs (21:37):

Not to give these away for free. Yes, they're gold. They're gold, obviously

Scott Meyers (21:41):

They are.

(21:43):

Well it's great to see that when you're shopping. Total Wine does the same thing when you're walking around their humidor. Many other places do. And there's always the shop owner's favorite. His is a selection this month. And then of course the gold standard is aficionado magazine slash online and their ratings and reviews and there really isn't a match to that. So like wine, it can start to get a little bit convoluted, but cigar fishing, nado is really kind of the one and only they are the gold standard. And you can't go wrong by seeing, when you look at the pedigree of the folks that are smoking these cigars and what they put into the reviews and the reasons why they get the rating that they do, they do tell a story and they can, while you're reading these reviews, really kind of match the cigar up to your taste.

(22:32):

And they've been spot on. There's a few others out there. I did look up half wheel HALF, half wheel.com. Cigar Dojo is a good one, it's community driven and then Reddit. Many things people look for social proof of anything and everything on Reddit and they've got a huge community on Reddit as well. So I'm a good friend of mine, turned me onto a Facebook page. It's by invitation only, called Holy Smokes. And it's Christians all around the world that smoke cigars and drink bourbon. You'll see that on there as well. And so he's telling me about this and I was like, okay, well tell me more. How do I get in? He says, well, it's by invitation only.

(23:16):

And he paused. I said, okay, what do I got to do to get an invite? And I think he was waiting for me to share another stick with him, but he did invite me. And I think we all are now becoming more accustomed to trusting individuals versus what may be behind a rating or review by a company because they are getting compensated on the backend for promoting or propping up something. And so when you've got independent unbiased ratings by folks that are just smoking a good cigar and they're good at describing what it looks like, I am speaking for myself, I am more likely to go try that and order a bunch. I trust that more. I dunno, how about you?

Doug Downs (23:56):

Same thing when my wife and I were in Vegas for our anniversary in January looking for a place to eat. Of course, I don't know if you've ever seen the signs in Vegas, you're bombarded. Oh yeah,

Scott Meyers (24:07):

Right.

Doug Downs (24:08):

But we saw a sign for a pub that someone had mentioned to my wife was a good place to go. So despite what 20,000, 30,000 signs that I'd seen earlier, we went to that pub because somebody told my wife. That's where that's So it's way more powerful.

Scott Meyers (24:24):

Yeah, it is. A hundred percent. I agree. I agree. So how do we interpret these ratings? Well, it is like wine. If you're familiar with any of these, their ratings. Cigar aficionado says 90 plus rated cigars equals exceptional. So if you're 90 and above, it's

(24:40):

85 to 89, solid, enjoyable smoke below 85 inconsistent or lower quality tobacco. And folks, here's how I roll, no pun intended. There's no reason not to buy 90 plus rated wine, 90 plus rated bourbon, 90 plus rated cigars. You'll find them at prices that are affordable. I don't buy anything that's 85 to 89 and I don't even buy anything that's less expensive for the friends that come over that aren't smokers. In other words, you're not going to waste a good cigar on them. Here's my thought. First of all, I can afford it. Second of all, you're doing folks a disservice if you're going to give 'em a crappy cigar and they're going to turn green and get sick on the fairway. Like the experience you had, Doug, not that that was a bad cigar, but

Doug Downs (25:24):

Thanks for the

Scott Meyers (25:24):

Recall. I put, I'm sharing this with somebody because I would hope that they have the fairest shot at being able to enjoy. That can be so enjoyable. And if you turn them off by giving 'em something cheap to begin with either, well, they may not like it and they may never come back or they might even know the difference and not be too happy with you that you just gave 'em this cheap old cigar because it looks like a cheap old cigar. So there's no reason to have cheap cigars in your humidor. That's my take.

Doug Downs (25:51):

If you can't do a 90 plus cigar, you really need to open your first self storage facility. That's all I'm saying.

Scott Meyers (25:59):

Fair enough. There's another motivation, just reason number 97. Alright, so speaking of storage, good segue. Should we get into, well, if you want to call it the meat of the episode, let's talk about storage. Absolutely. This is the storage podcast. So it is important we store wine in a humidity controlled, temperature controlled facility because if the cork dries out, air gets in, oxygen is bad for wine until you open that bottle and let it breathe a little bit, otherwise it's death to the bottle. So cigars are essential, and here's the proper word, it means that they are what of you who they're hydroscopic. So for those like Doug and others and myself out there who didn't know this in the beginning, it means that they absorb and release moisture. And so as you can imagine, that's not good. So if cigars dry out, they lose flavor and they burn too fast.

(26:47):

And if they're over humidified, they burn unevenly and then they taste harsh because they're soggy. So everybody's familiar, I would assume, with a storage humidor. And that is the best method for Storium. And they maintain 65 to 70% humidity. And yes, temperature's important, but the humidity is more important. If you've got a humidor that's inside your house, you shouldn't be so concerned as much about the temperature as you should within that box, keeping the humidity at 65 to 72% so it doesn't dry out, so it doesn't get too moist. Now there are, and many, many cigars, if you do order online, they'll be shipped in a boda, I call it a boda pack and maybe a bo vita. It is a sit it and forget it humidity controlled packet. And I just try to keep them closed and not open it up and close it up very often until I'm getting ready to use those. But I use those when I'm packing to go take on a trip with me to share places. And anytime that I'm handing some cigars to my son to go share with his buddies, it goes in one of those packs. There's also a tupper door and just as you would imagine,

Doug Downs (27:48):

Sounds like Tupperware. Tupperware.

Scott Meyers (27:49):

Well that's the idea because it's a budget option. It's an airtight container with humidity packs inside of it. So yeah, it's like Tupperware with a humidity pack inside of it. And then you've got, there it is, you've got the Wine ado, which is a wine fridge converted to store cigars and controlled temperatures and humidity. So there you have it.

(28:09):

Quick fix for a dry cigar, placed a humidor with a boda pack for one to two weeks before smoking and then just keep an eye on. And if it's sitting around anywhere else outside of your house or you just forget after a trip or what have you, or after it's been shipped, you got to do something, either smoke it or you need to store it. And you can also then bring it back to the proper temperature and a humidity level so that it burns properly by putting it back into one of those packs. That's a good tip. So there you have it.

Doug Downs (28:36):

That's a good tip. I like that one.

Scott Meyers (28:38):

That is cigar storage. 1 0 1 could be, should be the meat of the episode since it's the storage podcast. But nevertheless, going to talk about why it's important to store things in storage first

Doug Downs (28:49):

And sell storage is a way of life, and part of that life is celebrating however you choose to celebrate your own successes and your contributions to the world as a result of being able to

Scott Meyers (29:01):

Agreed. And another way to celebrate that success along with the cigar is of course for me is bourbon. Bourbon. And that's how I got into Kentucky, back into cigars, if you will. And it is interesting as I've taken this deep dive into both bourbon and cigars and then into the pairings of those and learning what goes with what. And listening to the folks at the cigar lounges, there are some folks out there who even say that bourbon ruins a cigar, which what I disagree with really, I know I disagree with him. Several folks will say, wine is what you're wine adds to a cigar. It does not take away. But if looking to add to your bourbon, a cigar is really good if you're perhaps a bourbon doesn't add to the cigar, but the overall experience is greater and again, to each their own. But there are folks out there that think differently.

Doug Downs (29:53):

And this is where you're going to Gordon Ramsey me and give me

Scott Meyers (29:57):

The

Doug Downs (29:57):

Bourbon with the cigar.

Scott Meyers (30:00):

Correct?

Doug Downs (30:00):

Right. You've

Scott Meyers (30:01):

Got it.

Doug Downs (30:01):

This matches just made in heaven.

Scott Meyers (30:03):

Okay, so this is it. So you should typically match the strength levels. So in other words, mild cigars with smooth bourbon and full bodied cigars with bold bourbon. So you can probably guess what I lean towards. And that is the way I approach life. Full body, bold everything. So top bourbon pairings, if you will. And this is not necessarily, I'll give you mine in a moment here, but this is not necessarily endorsed by me, but this is, I agree with this. Buffalo trace pairs well with mild to medium cigars like Arturo Fuente and the Arturo Fuente Hemingway in particular. And Buffalo Trace, good solid cigar as well. And this would be, in my opinion, Doug, this would be a good, I would introduce this to my son's friends who if they're responsible parenting a cigar lounge with us. Yes, thank you. Thank you. I appreciate that.

(30:53):

Buffalo Trace, good solid middle of the road bourbon with Arturo Fuente, which is a little bit milder, good starter pack Blanton's single barrel, great with medium bodied cigars like a Padron 1964 anniversary. And I've had Pones. I've not had a 1964 anniversary, but it must be special because Blanton's is pretty special. That isn't our everyday drinker around the Meyers household, but it is there and it comes out when special friends are over. Also a Woodford Reserve, double oaked, we do have that at the house. And perfect for full-bodied Liga. Prevata number nine, again, I've had some of the Liga. I have not had the Bravada number nine. And so as I've gone through this example, providing these example to folks, guess what website is pulled up right now for ordering after the podcast.

(31:43):

And then Elijah Craig, small batch pairs well with Rocky Patel Vintage 1990 and I have had the Rocky Patel Vintage 1990. It is fantastic. And I do like Elijah Craig small batch. It's good and solid. You can get it at Costco, you can get it at many, many places. It's just a good solid, solid bourbon. And then of course at the high end, Pappy Van Winkle, 15 year, if you can find it or if you've got a buddy that's got it, if you've got it around pairs. Well with an Opus X lost city and I have not had an Opex X as we discussed earlier, I don't know how much more a 1.3 million cigar taste compared to a $15

Doug Downs (32:19):

Wine. I could never tell.

Scott Meyers (32:21):

Someday I'll treat myself to an Opus X. It'll be a monumental celebration. And we'll, we'll get the pap out for that one as well. And so a couple other recommended cigars. And here's my go-to when it comes to folks that I'm smoking with for the first time. And I do buy these by the pack so that I have 'em around for my new smokers as well as my sons of buddies who are one and the same. Romeo e Julietta, 1875. There we go. There we

Doug Downs (32:48):

Go.

Scott Meyers (32:49):

Right there. Mild, smooth and approachable. Mac Cannito Cafe. And I spoke a lot of those in the beginning, early, early to mid nineties and light and creamy, great, great starter cigar. And then Artura, Fuente Hemingway, short story, sweet, easygoing smoke. And it's short story as you can imagine, it's a shorter smoke. So again, sometimes you get new smokers who they're not so sure and they'll let it burn and they'll let it burn a little too long

(33:14):

It does get maybe a little soggy. It just doesn't taste the same as it's gone. So give them a short smoke, something that's no longer than 45 minutes in my opinion. And that is one of 'em. As you go on up the ranks. Best intermediate cigars. I like the all about Siri five Melanio. It is a well-balanced, just great flavors, just solid smoker. Ashton VSG, which is a little more complex. And Monte Crito, a number of Monte Crito is also another favorite. I've got those by the box Monte Cristo number two, which is a Cuban classic Cuban scar, smooth medium profile, just solid, solid smoke. And then what I lean towards full-bodied is again, Liga Bravada. Number nine, love everything in the Liga class. Padron 1926 series, chocolatey, spicy, very luxurious. And Opus X, if you're going to go, that is one of the best full-bodied cigars in the world. What are some of your favorite stuff?

Doug Downs (34:17):

You already named it the Romeo e Julieta. I smoked the cigarillos. That's what you mentioned. Mild, smooth, approachable, just like me.

Scott Meyers (34:25):

Yeah,

Doug Downs (34:26):

Yeah.

Scott Meyers (34:27):

Perfect. What else you got around? Is that the mainstay? Is that every day?

Doug Downs (34:31):

That's all I've got in the house right now. Yeah.

Scott Meyers (34:33):

Yeah.

Doug Downs (34:34):

But I'll buy Ace Cigar on an occasion. If the boys and I were going golfing for our first round, I'd probably buy three. I'd probably buy three Cubans or Hondurans. I've had good success with the Honduran.

Scott Meyers (34:48):

Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Well, my favorite right now, and this, I mean this is always difficult because it is. What are you drinking it with? How can it really be a favorite? Do I have a favorite bottle of wine? I've got some up at the top that are everyday drinkers, coffers. There's some that I like that go particularly well with steak or lamb or whatever that looks like. It is a flavor.

Doug Downs (35:12):

They do go with lamb matching. That's a good choice. With the mint sauce they do. That's well done. Yeah,

Scott Meyers (35:18):

A hundred percent. So then when it comes to bourbon, what am I smoking? What does that look like? At that point? I will pick sometimes, but right now I'm still, I'm only five years in and so I'm just experimenting. I just like doing still stuff new or something that somebody has recommended. And mostly when the guys that get together, everybody brings a pack of five, each person brings a pack of five and we're just swapping and we're just trading off.

Doug Downs (35:40):

You've only been smoking cigars for five years.

Scott Meyers (35:42):

Yeah, that's it. That's it. What happened to

Doug Downs (35:44):

Your youth? Man?

Scott Meyers (35:46):

Like I said, I started in the nineties and I had some decent cigars, but it wasn't until I started pairing it with bourbon, then I really appreciated the pairing and then the individual, I do get that flavors of both bourbon and

Doug Downs (35:57):

Cigars. Love to see the science on that. How our taste buds I know are

Scott Meyers (36:02):

I would too. And I think again, for me it was the story to learn more that this truly was like wine, like bourbon. It starts as these farmers that are also artisans and what goes into that and the finest of the materials that goes into it and the story behind it to understand the difference. And so that's what that looks like. And so it's the same for me with cigars. And I've got a couple that I really like and also like wine and perhaps a bourbon. I got some labels from the rings that I pulled off with some cigars because it was on a night that me and my buddies were yucking it up and laughing more than I've ever laughed or the time when my daughter's boyfriend, he and I had a very serious heart to heart conversation. And I have that ring. You

Doug Downs (36:47):

Had a cigar with him, that's fantastic.

Scott Meyers (36:50):

He had two and I had one because I was doing most of the talking and it was a two cigar night. But at the end of it, we had a great time and we both have a great understanding of how we both view my daughter. I have a daughter and it was a fantastic

Doug Downs (37:05):

Evening. I have a 20-year-old daughter, you've just inspired me.

Scott Meyers (37:12):

It's a good reason for a smoke and a bourbon or two. And as you said, it's a celebration and it lowers, calms. Everybody during the conversation calms the male soul

Doug Downs (37:25):

Chatting. Yeah, we're just chat. I do

Scott Meyers (37:26):

Like that.

(37:27):

So that was a Cuban and I've got that. But right now a buddy of mine gave me, as I was saying, we swapped these around my father, the judge, grand Robusto, and my father just makes great cigars. This is a five inch by 60 and it's a 98 rated cigar. It was number one of 2024. And it doesn't disappoint every bit worth that 98th rating that it received from aficionado. I also, this same friend gave me last year, he gave me a handful of placencia and I really like this brand as well. There's about as close as you can get to organic in terms of farming. And I know everybody's chuckling out there and just saying, okay, it's organic and you're smoking a cigar. What's the difference? It's not good for you and it doesn't have as many chemicals. And the flavor profile is fantastic.

(38:16):

I do think that you get more of the flavor in anything in terms of organic grapes, organic grains. There is a difference that you can taste in the finished product with these. And this is the coca, if I'm pronouncing correctly, 1 51. And of course it's a robusto. And then another every day that I keep going back to that my daughter's boyfriend shared with us is Drew Estate, Deadwood, tobacco, fat, bottom, Betty, just a solid robusto, easy, approachable, it's a robusto, but kind of easy and approachable, great flavor all the way through. Just a great all around stick killer label. So it's a great one to share, to give to folks as well. And I have bought those by the box

Doug Downs (39:01):

Listeners are going to have their own favorites. And if you're on Spotify, you can leave a message right on Spotify, what your favorite is, or in the show notes, at the very top it says to leave a text message. Leave a text, let Scott know what your favorite cigar is because he's willing,

Scott Meyers (39:21):

Please do.

Doug Downs (39:22):

Willing to go out and try, obviously. Yeah,

Scott Meyers (39:24):

I think we may even have started a movement here. I hope so. Alright, Doug. So I think we could go on. I know we could go on for quite a while chatting about, well, another one of our favorite things along with storage is cigars. And so let's put a pin in that and we will follow this up with a bourbon in a whiskey episode. But in the meantime, folks, the way that Doug and I get into this, and I think that you'll find that many people did so much is because it does involve community. It involves creating memories and it celebrates manhood. And it doesn't mean that the women out here can enjoy this as well. Don't take that the wrong way. But there's something about a rite of passage when guys get together and they share this and they share it and they pass it out with their sons and their sons friends and the conversations that come up when you're hanging out, having a glass of really good bourbon and a really good stick with a whole bunch of guys.

(40:13):

It's just, I look back on those experiences, it's a pop-up party, but it's a pop-up experience that every time is never disappointed. And you don't have to wait. You don't have to have buddies to do it. You don't have to wait to treat yourself for any reason. 30 to 45 minutes, whether you have the time or not. Set aside the time, celebrate life a little bit, celebrate the wins. Or at the very least, if you had a tough day, well it's a good way to be able to wind down and just remind yourselves that there are some simple things that come out of the ground that somebody grew, that somebody rolled and took a lot of care in it that you now get to enjoy. And just do that. Just lean into that. Well, that was our stretch to talk about storage with cigar storage with cigars, but I'm not going to apologize for anything. Let's face it, this is the cigar episode and just sharing something that is near and dear to Doug and I, and once again, those spoils of life that we enjoy that we just wanted to share with you and perhaps yeah, perhaps to even inspire you to go out and try some of the other finer things in life that maybe you haven't tried. If it isn't cigar, take time to smell whatever it's smell or drink or taste, those things that you maybe haven't taken the time to do. So thanks Scott.

(41:19):

My pleasure, Doug. Until next time everyone, we will see you back on the South Storage Podcast. Take care everyone.

Big Announcer (41:27):

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