A mini AMA (Ask Me Anything) with El Prez and Ken???

[benfica_77]

I avidly watch all of the Cigar reviews that Ken and El Prez do, I thoroughly enjoyed them. I had an idea for their next review I am not even sure if they would be interested but I thought I would put it out there. What's one question you would like answered by Ken and El Prez ? i.e. a mini ask me anything (AMA) the 5 most liked questions could be answered by the gents during their next review. Could be about them, a ridiculous scenario where they have to choose one option, a cigar related question etc. etc...Just an idea....

Here is my question, How did you meet each other? and what was your initial thoughts of one another. 

Cheers,

Alex 

[M777]

How many sticks a week do they smoke?

Favorite c&c's  (I would think Ken doesn't do many c&c's)

When they reach for an nc, which do they reach for

 

[BuzzArd]

This could go downhill fast...  ???

[Derboesekoenig]

6 minutes ago, BuzzArd said:

This could go downhill fast...  ???

This, sir, is BLASPHEMY! Hahahaha

[oliverdst]

I miss Reddit. Lots of fun there in the past. Kind of addictive.

[riderpride]

Prez - have you ever presided over a women's arm wrestling match? I won't post a link due to the content, but it sure sounds like Rob. See 'girl snaps arm while arm wrestling ' circa 2011.

[mtd057]

I too would love to hear about how these two became friends.  How long have you been friends?

[El Presidente]

5 minutes ago, riderpride said:

Prez - have you ever presided over a women's arm wrestling match? I won't post a link due to the content, but it sure sounds like Rob. See 'girl snaps arm while arm wrestling ' circa 2011.

Not arm wrestling. 

[benfica_77]

Just now, El Presidente said:

Not arm wrestling. 

......definitely mud wrestling....;)

[El Presidente]

2 hours ago, benfica_77 said:

I avidly watch all of the Cigar reviews that Ken and El Prez do, I thoroughly enjoyed them. I had an idea for their next review I am not even sure if they would be interested but I thought I would put it out there. What's one question you would like answered by Ken and El Prez ? i.e. a mini ask me anything (AMA) the 5 most liked questions could be answered by the gents during their next review. Could be about them, a ridiculous scenario where they have to choose one option, a cigar related question etc. etc...Just an idea....

Here is my question, How did you meet each other? and what was your initial thoughts of one another. 

Cheers,

Alex 

I will answer a few when back tonight.

 

[benfica_77]

1 minute ago, El Presidente said:

I will answer a few when back tonight.

 

Thanks! Hope the warehouse treats you well! 

[El Presidente]

7 hours ago, benfica_77 said:

Here is my question, How did you meet each other? and what was your initial thoughts of one another. 

 

It would have been sometime in 1996 or 1997.  we have a mutual friend in Dean Merlo (coffee king here) and I had my first store/divan in Dean's coffee Trattoria.  

if I remember correctly ken popped in after a long lunch and was quite pickled. Those are two things that I have always respected. 

Naturally ken was overawed but I insisted he call me Rob and not Mr Ayala.  

He has been a solid acquaintance ever since.   the "Robin" of the dynamic duo.....the sancho to cisco's natural panache. I will miss him when he's gone.  

[El Presidente]

9 hours ago, M777 said:

How many sticks a week do they smoke?

Favorite c&c's  (I would think Ken doesn't do many c&c's)

When they reach for an nc, which do they reach for

 

8 a week these days (average). 

Favourite cheap and cheerful? I enjoy a Punch coronation Tubos as long as they are not too gnarly. Quintero Favoritos for fishing. Outside of that it is PL Montecarlo/Panetela Extra.

NC I don't reach for that often but I am enjoying Hamlet's latest 25th Anniversary series as well as Padron 1964 Principe maduro,  Fuente Hemmingway Short Story.  IMHO, smaller formats in many NC's are quite excellent. They just don't sell that well (or so I am told). 

[MountainMilG]

I'm always curious how people get into the business.  How did you decide to get into the cigar business?

[99call]

16 hours ago, El Presidente said:

I will answer a few when back tonight.

 

Would you ever want any of your kids to take up your mantle?. One particular interest I would have in this dynamic is. If I had kids, I'm not sure I would ever want to feel at if actively encouraged them into a profession, that would require being a smoker.   That said, if I was confident that they had chosen it for themselves (without any pressure) I would love to share the passion of cigars. 

The reason I find it interesting, is you've obviously built something pretty special, with a definite family business feel to it. If it was going to move outside of the family, do you think you would prefer to close the book?

Obviously, not for a hundred years, or "Cent'anni" as they say in the Godfather

 

[Duxnutz]

13 hours ago, El Presidente said:

It would have been sometime in 1996 or 1997.  we have a mutual friend in Dean Merlo (coffee king here) and I had my first store/divan in Dean's coffee Trattoria.  

if I remember correctly ken popped in after a long lunch and was quite pickled. Those are two things that I have always respected. 

Naturally ken was overawed but I insisted he call me Rob and not Mr Ayala.  

He has been a solid acquaintance ever since.   the "Robin" of the dynamic duo.....the sancho to cisco's natural panache. I will miss him when he's gone.  

I sincerely hope not, but is Ken unwell?

[dar24601]

If you could only keep 3 Marcas  in your humidor which would they be

[M777]

8 a week these days (average). 
Favourite cheap and cheerful? I enjoy a Punch coronation Tubos as long as they are not too gnarly. Quintero Favoritos for fishing. Outside of that it is PL Montecarlo/Panetela Extra.
NC I don't reach for that often but I am enjoying Hamlet's latest 25th Anniversary series as well as Padron 1964 Principe maduro,  Fuente Hemmingway Short Story.  IMHO, smaller formats in many NC's are quite excellent. They just don't sell that well (or so I am told). 

Thanks for responding Prez!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[El Presidente]

1 hour ago, Duxnutz said:

I sincerely hope not, but is Ken unwell?

Mental health aside....he is well 

[El Presidente]

1 hour ago, dar24601 said:

If you could only keep 3 Marcas  in your humidor which would they be

Upmann

Montecristo

Juan Lopez 

[El Presidente]

2 hours ago, 99call said:

Would you ever want any of your kids to take up your mantle?. One particular interest I would have in this dynamic is. If I had kids, I'm not sure I would ever want to feel at if actively encouraged them into a profession, that would require being a smoker.   That said, if I was confident that they had chosen it for themselves (without any pressure) I would love to share the passion of cigars.

 

I understand the attraction. 

No other industry develops the global depth of relationships.  However no other industry is under so much challenge. 

If they wished to join I would insist on them developing the international business skills that are universal/transferable. Their focus would be global and as much about commerce as about tobacco. 

I would want them to have the skills to walk into a variety of roles in any industry as a leader.  This industry certainly keeps you sharp. 

[wineguy]

On 10/17/2018 at 5:55 PM, El Presidente said:

I understand the attraction. 

No other industry develops the global depth of relationships.  However no other industry is under so much challenge. 

If they wished to join I would insist on them developing the international business skills that are universal/transferable. Their focus would be global and as much about commerce as about tobacco. 

I would want them to have the skills to walk into a variety of roles in any industry as a leader.  This industry certainly keeps you sharp. 

Sound like the skills you have developed!!

[El Presidente]

On 10/17/2018 at 10:09 PM, MountainMilG said:

I'm always curious how people get into the business.  How did you decide to get into the cigar business?

I was out of work 

Not quite but close.  I left banking and went to work with good mate Manu in his multinational based in Singapore. Had a great two years but the travel was extensive and I had a 2 year old son.  I was telling him I would need to cease working with him while we were both having cigars at "Fidels" at Crown Casino melbourne".  He asked me what I wanted to do next and I said that I had always  loved cigars and that cigars were a monopoly in Oz.  Where there is a monopoly you are sure to find disgruntled clients.  Manu happened to have a relative who was a cubatobacco sub distributor. And so I starter parallel importing. That was 1996.  

it is fair to say that we pantsed the local distributor over the next 5 years. I was negotiating with PCC during 2001 and in 2002 we signed a supply agreement and I topped paralleling. 

My vision was to develop a business that was global in scope but retained the feel of a local B&M,  We have succeeded in the main  but legislative challenges have meant that we have had to (and will continue to) evolve at a faster pace than envisioned. This will become clearer in 2019. 

Cigars is a brilliant industry. I can't think of another with such a depth of relationships. Unfortunately the pace of change in most parts of the world is breathtaking. Unless you keep planning, moving, changing.....you will be swimming along nicely one day and caught in the shore dump the next...... wondering what happened. 

 

[amberleaf]

37 minutes ago, El Presidente said:

Where there is a monopoly you are sure to find disgruntled clients.  Manu happened to have a relative who was a cubatobacco sub distributor. And so I starter parallel importing. That was 1996. 

it is fair to say that we pantsed the local distributor over the next 5 years. I was negotiating with PCC during 2001 and in 2002 we signed a supply agreement and I topped paralleling.

Interesting. About 10-15 years ago a firm began parallel importing CCs into the UK to challenge Hunter & Frankau's monopoly. H&F went to court and had their shipments seized for being 'counterfeit', arguing that they had the exclusive rights to distribute Cuban cigars and anything that isn't imported by H&F isn't the real deal. The judge agreed with them and they still retain the monopoly, had they lost it would have probably brought prices down by at least a quarter.

I imagine there are better antitrust and competition laws in Aus that would prevent that happening over there.

 

 

[El Presidente]

8 minutes ago, amberleaf said:

I imagine there are better antitrust and competition laws in Aus that would prevent that happening over there.

Competition laws here encourage parallel importing.