Episode 46 | Fifa World Cup | Oliva Melanio Unboxing

Yo yo yo yo yo yo yo YO YO YO YO. Welcome back to the Sticks and Stones podcast. Sticks and Stones is the cigar podcast where we're all about good deals and good cigars. But what do we talk about? We talk about business, we talk about life, we talk about love, we talk about So, we got a lot of activity from the 2026 PCA show in New Orleans, and one of our posts went viral when we watched somebody at the Oliva booth unbox the FIFA World Cup humidor. I just so happened to have been gifted one for Father's Day. Shout out, Bob. And this was purchased at Cigar Heaven in Webster, Texas, by the way. Shout out to Matt and Ali. Love you guys. So, we are going to unbox this bad boy right now on the pod. Here we go. The the whole world is excited about FIFA. Everybody's excited about FIFA. And I'm kind of getting the idea why. Because you know like us Americans you know our American sports baseball American football we have a huge event every year you know in baseball it's the World Series in football it's the Super Bowl but I believe I believe FIFA comes every four years it's not an annual yearly thing. So I kind of get now why people are so excited and fanatical. So, just first off, the packaging on this thing is amazing. I mean, look at that. And it's also so precise. It's like it's airtight. So, this is the Grand Reserva Limitada double Toro soccer edition. Now, a lot of people came for me in the comments on Instagram. It's not soccer, it's football. It's not me. Aliva themselves called it soccer. So, don't come for me again. I mean, these guys detailed this thing. Look, look at that. So, from my interview with Oliva, I know that they outsourced the manufacturing of this humidor because it's so precise. And I mean, like, how do you create a humidor to look like a soccer ball? I mean, they had to go to professionals that, you know, work with these types of things on a daily basis. And what a job they did. What a job. So, we're going to So, it's stamped. It's gold stamped the same thing on the inside as it is on the outside. That is a very, very cool detail that a lot of people would not put the emphasis into to do that. Now, a lot of people wonder what is in here. So, that is just a thick piece of paper in the shape of a cylinder with a soccer ball sticker to hold it together. And I believe there's some sort of a Yep. So, inside inside that is the how you keep track of the games. So, that was really cool. A lot of people thought that there was like a canister in there and that's kind of what it looks like on the inside. So, really, really cool. I thought there was a Bova pack in here, but I guess there isn't. That's That's good to know. No Bova pack. I guess there's like air air cushions in there that I guess are going to serve the purpose of So So there are 24 cigars in this box of cigars. And for in the spirit of FIFA and European football, there's a Melanio and a natural or Habano. And they got a band on the bottom of the cigar that's got a soccer ball on it. So very very cool packaging and detailing. They they put a lot of effort. Oliva put a lot of effort into this thing. That is for sure. So together and that is going to stay right here for the rest of the pod. Then it's off. Can you see it? Mhm. Okay. So we are going to go through some very interesting facts about FIFA and the World Cup. First of all, is it every four years? So the FIFA World Cup happens every four years. And I am going to give you the last 10 winners. Starting in 1986, it was Argentina and the runner up was West Germany. And then 1990, the winner was West Germany and the runner up was Argentina. And then in 1994, the winner was Brazil. The runner up was Italy. Then in 1998, the FIFA World Cup winner was France and the runner up was Brazil. Then we moved to 2002 and the World Cup winner was Brazil and the runner up was Germany. I'm starting to see a pattern here. Then the next World Cup winner was in 2006 and the winner was Italy and the runner up was France. Then the next World Cup was 2010 where the winner was Spain and the runner up was the Netherlands. Then we fast forward to 2014 where the winner was Germany and the runner up was Argentina. The 2018 FIFA World Cup winner was France and the runner up was Croatia. And then the last FIFA World Cup was in 2022 where Argentina took it home and France was the runner up. So, those are the last 10 FIFA World Cup winners. And now we are going to give you the top 10 richest FIFA players. And we're going to start at the bottom of the list at number 10, Mr. Mohamad Salah. S L Ah, I don't know if I said that right. At a net worth, estimated net worth of $180 million. And then we're going to go to the number nine spot, Zlatin Ibramovic at $190 million. By the way, today I am smoking the House Blend cigar at Cigar Heaven in Webster, Texas. And this is actually a Rojos cigar. You may be familiar with Rojos cuz they have the very popular series Street Tacos. Great cigar. I'm glad I'm glad I picked it out of the bag of goodies I just got. Uh, in the number eight spot, Wayne Rooney. And his estimated net worth is between$170 and $220 million. That's that's quite a swing there. In the number seven spot, Kareem Benzema at $200 plus million. Coming in at number six, Kylenne Mbappé. B A P with a little on top. 200 to $350 million. And coming in in the number five five spot, Neymar Jr. Ne. His personal net worth estimated is 250 to $450 million. I don't know where these numbers are coming in at because that is a $200 million swing. At number four, Sir David Beckham. Hello. Hello, Gobner. Estimated net worth $450 to $700 million. At number three, Mr. Liono Messi. We all know that name. 850 to1 billion with a B, guys. Dollars. In the number two spot, Cristiano Ronaldo at an estimated net worth of 1 to 1.4 billion with a B billion dollars. That dude's bringing in some some change. Now, the number one spot, and I don't think anybody I've never heard this name, but then again, you know what? What the hell do I know? I don't know [ __ ] about soccer or European football or the World Cup. And then, okay, so the number one richest FIFA player with an estimated net worth of 20 billion, that's B, billion with a B, is Fake Bulkia from Brunai. And that I probably butchered that name, but it's F A I Q B O L K I H. $20 billion man. Amazing. So, I have had my producer look up all of the matches for the FIFA World Cup. And there are, if you don't know, there are 104 matches across the US and Canada. Well, I'm sorry, the US, Canada, and Mexico from June the 11th until July 19th of 2026. And starting today, we have Switzerland versus Canada at 2 p.m. Bosnia and Herszgo Goina versus Qatar, also at 2 p.m. Scotland versus Brazil at 5:00 p.m. Morocco versus Haiti or Hei, however you pronounce that, wherever part of the equator you're from. That's at 5:00 PM. Ceschna versus Mexico at 8:00 p.m. South Africa versus South Korea at 8:00 p.m. Tony, can you look up the locations of where these matches are going down, please? June the 25th, we have Ecuador versus Germany at 3:00 p.m. >> Uh, it's just different cities across the United States. >> Okay? So, look up look up do a search for FIFA World Cup matches June the 24th and what cities are taking place cuz it's probably going to make you go day by day. So, we're we're working on that right now, guys. This is a great cigar. Definitely a morning coffee type of vibe. Good body, good construction. I mean, it it did crack a little over here, but >> Vancouver, Canada, >> Vancouver. >> Yeah. Seattle, USA, Miami, Atlanta. >> Do you know where they where and which which matches? Like Switzerland and Canada. Do you know where that's is that Vancouver? >> Vancouver, Canada. >> Okay. So the Switzerland and Canada match is in Vancouver at 2. Bosnia and Hersza Goina versus Qar is taking place in Seattle at 2. Scotland versus Brazil is in Miami at 5. Morocco and Haiti, Mexico City is in Mexico City at 5. Cheschna and Mexico. Mterrey, Mexico at 5. Sorry, Mterrey Mexico at 8:00 p.m. And South Africa versus Korea, we don't know where that's taking place. at that 8:00 p.m. Okay, so June the 25th. So the South Africa and South Korea, the tooth south is taking it's going down in Mterrey. Okay, so June the 25th, Ecuador versus Germany. Hey, this cuts off on June 27th. We have to We need all the matches. >> I know. I'm trying to look for 25th. It's the computer. >> Ecuador versus Germany. >> East Rutherford, New Jersey. >> East Rutherford, good old New Jersey, my homeland. uh 3 p.m. and Curisowl versus the Ivory Coast, >> Philadelphia. >> Philly going down in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. And that's at 3 p.m. Tunisia versus the Netherlands, >> Kansas. >> Kansas City. >> Kansas City, Kansas or Kansas City, Missouri? >> Missouri. >> Kansas City, Missouri. That goes down at 6 p.m. Japan versus Sweden. >> Arlington. >> Arlington, Texas or Arlington, Virginia? >> Texas. Arlington, Texas at 6 p.m. Turkey versus the United States, >> Englewood, California. >> Englewood, California at 900 p.m. And Paraguay versus Australia, >> Santa Clara, California. >> Santa Clara, California at 9:00 p.m. Now for June the 26th, we have Norway versus France, >> Foxboro, USA. Foxboro, Massachusetts, where the Patriots play. That is going down at 2 PM. And then we have Sagal versus Iraq. >> Toronto, Canada. >> That is being played in Toronto, Canada at 2 p.m. Uruguay versus Spain. >> Hope in Mexico. >> That's going down in Mexico somewhere. 7:00 p.m. Cape Verde versus the Saudi Arabia. >> Houston. That is in Houston, Texas, right here where this is being recorded at 700 p.m. New Zealand versus Belgium. >> Vancouver, Canada. >> And Vancouver, Canada at 1000 p.m. Oh, that's late. And then Egypt versus Iran. >> Seattle, USA. >> Seattle, Washington at 10 p.m. Now, moving on to June the 27th, we have Panama versus England. >> East Rutherford, New Jersey. East Rutherford, New Jersey at 400 p.m. Croatia versus Ghana, >> Philadelphia. >> Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at 400 p.m. Colombia versus Portugal. >> Miami Gardens, Florida. >> Miami Gardens, Florida at 6:30 p.m. And that is the first appearance of Portugal. That's crazy. I think that's who Cristiano Ronaldo plays for. >> The Dominican Oh, no, wait. DR Congo something. Republic of Congo versus Usuzbekiststan, >> Atlanta, >> Atlanta, Georgia, a town, the ATL at 6:30 p.m. This is all going down June 27th, by the way. Jordan versus Argentina, >> Kansas City. >> Kansas City, Missouri at 9:00 p.m. And >> oh, that was Arlington, Texas. >> Oh. Oh, sorry. So Jordan versus Argentina is Arlington, Texas at 9:00 p.m. And then Algeria versus Austria, >> Kansas City, Missouri. >> Kansas City, Missouri at 9:00 p.m. Now, let's find the rest of the matches >> after. >> Yeah, because that's June 27th and they go, the FIFA goes until July 19th. So do a search, do a Google search for all of the FIFA World Cup matches, dates, and places. It doesn't give me a list anymore. gives me links to all the stadiums in each zone. Dad, >> it doesn't give me the lists anymore. It just gives me links to each of the stadiums in each zone, like central zone, western zone, eastern zone. Let's see. The semifinal is July 14th. The semifinal 2 is July 15th. The third place playoff is July 18th, and the World Cup final is July 19th. >> And where's the final being? Uh >> New York. New York. New York FIFA World Cup schedule. Oh, that's why because there's no determination yet. Okay, got it. So, all all we do know is in round 32, Germany's playing on the 29th of June at 3:30 p.m. We don't know who. Also, Mexico is playing on June 30th at 8:00 p.m. USA is playing in round 32, July 1st at 7:00 p.m. Argentina in round 32 is playing July 3rd at 5:00 p.m. Yeah. So, that's all that's all we know right now for FIFA World Cup. So, very very interesting. And the fact that it's in the United States is really awesome. It gives our country first of all global spotlight. You know, the whole world is looking at North America right now. Canada, the United States, and Mexico. So many people are coming here from all these countries to support their country that's in the World Cup, which is really awesome. And I hope that we show some US hospitality to all these foreigners coming in to our country. We show them respect and we show them a good time because everyone knows Americans know how to party. So, I hope that you guys show these folks a really good time and good luck to everyone in the FIFA World Cup. Good luck to all of you guys. I hope that the US brings it home. But, you know, that's just a bias in me cuz I'm an American citizen, born and raised in the greatest country on planet Earth. So, good luck to good luck to everyone in the World Cup. I hope your country does really well for you and and you're very proud of your heritage in your country. I uh I don't know whether to smoke these cigars or not. Uh because they're supposed to be worth some money in the future or something. This is supposed to be a collector's edition or something. So, but it's really tempting. I'm not going to lie. I really want to crack this thing open and smoke these bad boys because if you've smoked a Milano, first of all, the Milano by itself, a regular Milano is great. Great cigar. But these these are limited edition. These are special edition Milanios. They're aged an additional year. So these are an extra year old. You know, they started production on these cigars a long time ago. And these Millennios, and this is why I believe there's only 2500 boxes, 2500 humidors in existence in the world. So, these Millennios were aged in an extra year than any other millennio you can get off the shelf, which is pretty cool. So, my producer is telling me, "No, I shouldn't smoke these, but I really want to." So, I think what I'm going to have to do is I'm I'm going to have to go down to Cigar Heaven and get me a handful of these so I can smoke them. And then I have to invest in some bova packs. Put a bova pack in here and keep these things fresh. I don't know what I'm going to do with them. If I can't smoke, I don't know like what do I what do I do with these things, you know, cuz sitting putting them in front of me is just very very tempting and I don't do well with temptation. So that's very very interesting. The double Toro soccer edition grand reserva limit. So, the Series V is the the top of the hotel for Oliva, but the Milano is the flagship for Oliva. And they're a great company. Met some of the the people there at the PCA show. They they were very hospitable, very, very nice people, which makes me love the brand even more. And this is a super cool humidor. So, like I don't know much about European football or soccer, but from $280 billion, I think that's what the number was. Sorry, $20 billion. I mean, still 20 billion, that's a lot of And I wonder if Do a Google search on this guy F Bulkia F A I Q B O L K I Ah, from Brunai. How did he get that $20 billion? Did he invest it? Is he like royalty? Is he a prince? Who is this guy? by being born in royal family. >> He's the son of Prince Jeffrey Bulgai. >> Okay, so he's he is a royal. Now, fun fact, I was uh I was about I don't know early teens, like 13, maybe I was 12, something like that. I was with my dad in Atlantic City. My dad used to be a very big gambler and my dad and I were in Atlantic City for the day and Atlantic City, New Jersey. It's a big casino town. And my dad went to go buy my mom a pair of shoes. I guess he won that day and uh he went to a boutique uh called Steuart Whitesman. It's still around. Uh they're known for their high-end ladies shoes. And we walked in there and the sales associate said, "I'm I'm so sorry, but we're very limited on inventory because the Sultan of Brunai just came through here and bought 44 pairs of shoes." At the time, Steuart Whitesman was like saying Christian Louis Vuitton. shoes were very nice but very very expensive. The guy bought like 44 pairs of shoes for his 22 wives or 18 wives or however many wives he had. Brought them all in. They all tried on what they liked and he bought pretty much the whole store. That's the kind of money these Arab royals have. I also know for a fact in in my my career in the aviation field, the Sultan of Brunai has had a 747 sitting at Lufanza in Frankfurt, Germany for years and they do all the maintenance on it. The Sultan only hires Lufanza pilots cuz he believes they're the best in the world uh for his private his private jet travel and they only fly private. They don't ever fly commercial. Um, but he has a fleet of Boeing jets and Airbus jets as his as his private jet. And he's had a 747 at Frankfurt airport at Lufanza for years. He pays rent on the the tarmac there on the apron. And that airplane is constantly going through maintenance even though it doesn't get used. You know, the engines are always being looked at and maintained and, you know, just different various things going on in that airplane. They don't even feel it. they they don't even feel that money going out of their pocket. That's how much they have. Now, you've got players like Cristiano and Lionol Messi and David Beckham. I mean, everybody knows their story. But it's interesting to to see that the number 10, the least rich person on this list, still has an estimated net worth of $180 million from playing a sport. Now, don't get me wrong. I don't claim that soccer is easy or European football is easy. As far as I know, it's the field is 110 yards, I believe. Tony, check into that. I think it's 110 yards, but I can't I can't see my fat ass running down 110 yards back and forth. And it's not like it's not like football, American football, you know, you have downs, there's four downs, and you know, there's breaks and there's, you know, all kinds of stuff. So this it's 100 yards, but you're not continually running. >> It's 110 to 120 and 70 to 80 yard wide. >> Okay. So it's the soccer field is 70 to 80 yards wide and 110 to 120 yards long. American football, you've got breaks, you've got gowns, you've got timeouts, you've got all kinds of stuff. So, you know, it's technically I think about 48 minutes of play, but lasts professional anyway, professional football, it's like two 2 and 1/2 hours with all the commercials and breaks and water breaks and, you know, all this stuff, timeouts and challenge flags and whatnot. Soccer is a bunch of guys running down 110 to 120 yards and it's nonstop. They are kicking a ball and they're running their skinny asses up and down that field. And I get heart palpitations just thinking about that. That's a lot of freaking running. And you're kicking a ball and you're trying your best not to get your balls kicked in cuz that happens a lot. And there's a lot of I know soccer players get a lot of [ __ ] for, you know, faking the injuries and falling down and crying when no one was even in their vicinity. I personally think it's because they don't want to run anymore. I don't blame them. You know what? Fake an injury. Fall on the ground. start crying. Everybody will leave you alone type of thing. I mean, think about it. If you're running 110 to 120 yards, which happens to be 660 ft, that's like in your car when you have the GPS in 700 ft. Make a right. You know, you're running. You're running that. And it is like it's full tilt. There is no it's not a a a power walk. It's not a light jog. You are full steam running like you are running for your life trying to kick a ball trying to stay away from the other team trying to kick that ball into a little net while a guy is trying to stop you prevent you from kicking that ball into that net. And then you know I know the the famous singer Enrique not Enrique Julio Enlacius was a a professional soccer player and I think I think he got injured like badly injured kicked to the head or something but I'm sure I'm sure the injuries you know you got a lot of people running a lot of people kicking a ball. I'm sure he got a lot of injuries in soccer or European football. It's tough. But I mean that's my personal opinion. I I think these guys are are faking injuries so they can just get a rest and catch a breather. Maybe take a puff of that in inhaler a but rollerol in that [ __ ] Nonetheless, it is a global event. People are coming from all over the world to visit our beautiful country. It's summertime. Get out there, enjoy yourselves. I'm not advocating for drinking alcohol, but if that's your thing, it was my thing at one time for a very long period of time in my life. But, you know, if you're going to go out there and drink, drink responsibly, guys. Don't be a jackass. You know, don't end up on TMZ or World Star. It does happen. you know, show some some hospitality to our foreign visitors. I'm excited just for, you know, the economic value that this bringing. You know, this is bringing billions of dollars to the United States. You've got tourists, you've got travel, you've got, you know, hotel stays, you've got restaurants, and I'm sure that, you know, there's all kinds of specials for the World Cup and all this type stuff. So, the the the economy is being stimulated by the World Cup. And I'm sure after this is all said and done, maybe even before, we're going to hear all kinds of corruption stories. But, nonetheless, it's a happy time. It's a happy time in United States. It's a happy time for cigar lovers of the world with this Oliva Series Velio special edition, limited edition. Oz family cigar has I think a Mexican San Andreas special edition for the World Cup. Placencia also has a World Cup edition that has come out. Tony see do a search and see what other special edition >> of what >> cigars >> for the World Cup. >> The World Cup. >> Placencia Tree and Fall Aliba Series V Millennial. >> Yep. So Placencia >> Oz Family cigars >> family edition World Cup. So there's three specific cigars for FIFA World Cup. That's pretty cool. So enjoy the summer, enjoy your family, enjoy our country, enjoy our stadiums, have a good time, be safe, be responsible, you know, try not to fight with anybody, you know, nobody wants to spend the night or the weekend in jail. That sucks. And happy smoking, you know. Get get yourself one of these Oliva Series Velio special edition for FIFA World Cup. Grab yourself the Oz family special edition World Cup cigar or the Placencia. You know, go to your local cigar shop or order it online. Spark that thing up, dance it around the flame, and enjoy the game. Enjoy the match. I think this was a fun episode. We did something a little bit different than we normally do, which uh I'm very, very happy about. Stay tuned for new episodes. We drop a pod every Tuesday and every Thursday. We had a lot going on this week, so we did not drop a Tuesday episode, but every Tuesday, every Thursday, Sticks and Stones CR podcast where we're all about good deals and good cigars. So, we talk about a lot of stuff, not just cigars. So keep that in mind if you are interested in, you know, podcasts that talk about family life, that talk about relationships, that talk about business and cigars, this is your podcast. You know, we're here for you. would love to uh take some suggestions on some subjects and and content you guys want to hear about because we we come up with these episodes ourselves internally with our team. But would love to hear your input. I really would. I do read all of the comments. I read all suggestions. We are on YouTube. We are on Apple Podcasts and we are on Spotify. So would love to hear your feedback, your comments. I do get a lot of the I get a lot of complaints, you know, we don't want to see your overgrown grass and we don't want to see your warped and worn out fence. But what I would really love is I would really love some info, some feedback on, hey, can you talk about this subject or can you talk about that or this cigar or that cigar or do this or do that. Furthermore, we are trying to grow our Instagram followers and our Facebook followers, but more Instagram right now. We're focused on Instagram because it's our largest following. We're at 1350 plus or minus followers right now. We're trying to get to 2500. So when we hit 2500, we are going to do a random giveaway to one of our followers. And what you have to do is you have to follow our Instagram, repost, like, and give us some comments. And we are going to be myself and Matt at Cigar Heaven are going to personally curate a sampler box of 20 cigars and we are going to give that box away. Once we hit 2500, we're going to do a random giveaway and we're going to do a random giveaway and that could be anyone in the world. So, if you're in Texas, you know, you can come and pick it up at Cigar Heaven. And if you are anywhere outside of the state of Texas, uh we will ship it to you. So, just to show our appreciation, we are giving that personally curated 20 cigar sampler box away. Uh so, that's what's going on with us. You know, we've got stickscigars.com. That is a new website that we have rolled out. We are still developing that. And on that website, you're going to be able to at a glance see the entire Sticks and Stones ecosystem. So, you're going to be able to check out our Instagram, check out, you know, our reels and stuff there. You're going to be able to go to and jump to any podcast episodes. You're also going to be able to go to our review site, the Puffcast review, and see reviews that we've done on, you know, various cigars. you are going to be able to purchase our merch off of that website. Uh that's coming very soon and eventually eventually you are going to be able to purchase some cigars that we will be sending through the mail and that is going to be a passion project of mine because I'm only going to be reselling cigars that I would smoke. So, if I wouldn't smoke it, and that's kind of that's kind of the difference when you own a cigar shop and lounge, you kind of have to fill it with stuff that sells. It's kind of part of the business model. Part of the business model is you got to make money. And you make money by offering products to people that people buy. Whereas this this is going to be kind of I am going to be putting out cigars for sale that I would smoke myself, not just because they sell. So that is exciting. And then we've got some other stuff going on. We have Sticks and Stones is collaborating with Beards and Burn cigars. And what we're doing is we are creating a website called the working man list or working Yeah, the working man List. And it's basically a list of banger cigars that are like less than $10 for the average Joe, you know, for someone who is out there working, out there in the field, maybe a commercial real estate broker that's always in the car and always looking at buildings and showing buildings and stuff like that. And if you drop that cigar or it, you know, falls apart or it's not the greatest out of the box, it's a couple bucks. You're not worried about it. So, we are going to be publishing that website soon. We are curating the list. We're going through Anthony and I are kind of doing the research and, you know, seeing what we like and what smokes good and, you know, all that kind of thing for the price. So, excited about that. That should be coming out soon and you'll be able to get to that website from stickscigars.com. So, lots of good, great, exciting stuff. And uh we're going to be dropping another podcast episode next Tuesday. This episode is going to be dropping tomorrow. So, lots of great exciting stuff. If you want to see everything that I do professionally, I offer a lot of different services as my career spans over 25 years over multiple industries. So, consulting, business consulting, commercial real estate, commercial construction, you name it. You can go to angelomit.com. A N G E L O like Mike T like toml.com. So if you go to angelmitt.com you can see all the different things that I do. And yeah, that's that's what we got for the Sticks and Stones podcast for this episode today, guys. I hope you enjoyed it. I hope all of you looking watching this on YouTube saw the unboxing of the Oliva Series V limited edition Milanio for the World Cup, the FIFA World Cup and got some some some different information, some cool information about the World Cup and uh the matches that are coming up. So that's all I have for you guys today. Stay blessed and above all else, guys, keep it rolling, baby. So for Sticks and Stones podcast, we