How did Privada Cigar Club start?
Desind collected limited-edition cigars until he had a small room full of them. A move to a much smaller apartment forced him to sell. Buyers didn't understand what they were getting. So he wrote up the story of each cigar.
That became a subscription. Three cigars came each month, each with a write-up and pairing ideas. Six months in, he had 15 members and nearly shut it down. Then someone offered to unbox his cigars on video, if he sent them free.
"He did one unboxing and I got 50 new members overnight. And then I was like, 'Okay, you don't have to tell me twice. This is how I'm going to market this thing.'"9:19 in the episode
What's the difference between craft and boutique cigars?
Desind draws the line like this. It's his definition, not an industry standard.
"Craft cigars means you actually make your cigars. Boutique cigars means you go to a factory and have them made for you."22:27 in the episode
How does Brian Desind age his cigars?
He keeps cigars of the same type together in coolers, with two-way humidity packs.
"You suspend that tobacco in time, but you allow the tobaccos to marry together."44:07 in the episode
A cedar box is fine for a traditional cigar, he says, for up to a year. Leave it longer and it turns woody. He also dislikes water misted into the air of a humidor. In shops, he says, he follows where the mist lands and finds mold on those cigars.
What should a cigar shop do for new smokers?
"Cigars will call you at some point in your life. When you answer that call, how you get introduced to cigars is the most important part."34:33 in the episode
He also runs the Limited Cigar Association, which sends limited cigars to member shops.
"The Limited Cigar Association is a monthly drop of two cigars, sometimes three if we have a box product that month. And it's a subscription for shops."1:30:54 in the episode
His warning to shop owners is about staff who never hear about it.
"They put it down in the bottom corner, new guy comes on shift. They don't even tell the guy what the LCA is."1:33:41 in the episode
What should a cigar band do?
"How do I translate what this cigar tastes like visually so that when you see it, you know what to expect from this cigar? That's what a good cigar band should do."56:44 in the episode
His test for every cigar he picks is simple. He has to be happy smoking the whole lot himself.
In this episode
- 0:53From singer-songwriter to auto transport, and why he values transparency
- 4:01Sneakers to cigars, and the unboxing that brought 50 members
- 9:43Community, his first cigar and "cigar heads"
- 21:33Craft versus boutique cigars
- 25:12Old world versus new world tobacco
- 33:11Who smokes cigars now, and where the Privada name comes from
- 39:51Buying direct from factories, and aging cigars in coolers
- 1:29:34The Limited Cigar Association, and rapid fire
Quotes come from the episode captions. Filler words like "uh" are trimmed, and names are spelled correctly.