PCA Morning Smoke | Thoughts About Ciggaro Hackensack

Yo, yo, yo, yo, yo. We're back for another episode of the Sticks N Stones podcast. We are day two in New Orleans, NOLA, for PCA 2026. >> Yeah, thanks a lot, man. Good to see you, bro. Good blessed day, man. >> True, true. You're live, huh? Yeah, man. Here for the cigar show. Congratulations, my brother. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Hope Hope you do good with it. >> Thank you, thank you. Day two for PCA. I am smoking the Herriman Solomon Lancero, drinking my morning coffee. Base of operations for us is the Element by Westin downtown. And so far, I think NOLA is pretty legit. Okay, so I promised everyone a my thoughts on Cigar O in Hackensack. And here we go. Cigar O got a lot of things right. A lot of things. So, please don't take this as I'm throwing shade. I'm not. I'm just being very realistic. For those of you who think have been to Cigar O and think Cigar O was a little unrealistic or ridiculous or whatever, I'm going to break some things down for you. By the way, this is the first day for the PCA 2026. This is a lot of the educational stuff. Very excited about today. That starts at 10:00 a.m. Central time. So, a little early this morning. That's why I figured I'd share a cigar and some coffee with you guys. So, Cigar O in Hackensack, the cigar lounge that just opened in Hackensack. First, I want to go over the really good [ __ ] Number one, I don't know how these guys did it. I don't know what magic hat they have, but they got a liquor license, a restaurant, and a smoking establishment in the state of New Jersey. I thought it was impossible. There's only one other establishment that can say that, and that's Jamie's Cigar Bar in Clifton. But, Jamie's was grandfathered. So, how these guys did it, I have no idea. The ambiance of Sagaro is that of New York City. The build-out had to cost a bare minimum of half a mil. Everything that you look, everything that you touch is super high quality. From granite to marble to all of the the brushed brass finishing, everything was done phenomenally. So, kudos to the construction team. It was fantastic. The bar was beautiful. The atmosphere was unbelievable. Down to the staff, Sagaro has hired all of the best of the best. These men and women could walk out of Sagaro and walk onto a catwalk easily. The food, I spoke to one of the owners and they said so so my buddy Roger and I, we just we just had the burger. And I spoke to one of the owners and they said that the the meat blend and the spice blend, they went through nine different iterations before they chose that burger. That blend of meat and spices. Let me tell you, amazing. One of the best burgers you'll find in New Jersey. I mean, they they cooked it to perfection. The crust on it was unreal. The cheeses that they used was great. The bun was like crazy. Fries were great. I mean, just the food was on. What else can I tell you that was great about Sagaro? So, the level of service, they were very upfront. They were very clear on what their policies and procedures are. And then once we got to our table, multiple people came by, asked us if we were okay, multiple people people came by uh to see if we needed something, if we wanted to order cigars. Now, my buddy Roger was was a little he was a little annoyed that they got his order wrong. I mean, Roger, you can set Big to his drink order. It's always Glenlivet, big ice cube. They brought him regular ice, and it was kind of like downhill for him from that point on. And then when when they realized that they messed up the order, they didn't make a new drink. They just took the ice out and dropped in a big rock. So, he wasn't super um team Cigarro after that. Is he right? Is he wrong? Look, I can't say, but here's here's what I can say. When you are commanding the prices that Cigarro's commanding, you should get everything right to precision. Now, granted, it was only the second night that they were open, officially open. They had a soft open, but that was invite only. So, they were only open for 2 days. Do I want to say that that is a good reason for that? I don't know. I really can't I really can't say. But, it was downhill for for Roger from that point on. So, let me tell you some of the not-so-great stuff. Number one, there are minimums at Cigarro, and I will explain why there are minimums at Cigarro, but there are minimums. So, if you want to stay in the outer area Now, first of all, Cigarro is very very small. I would not put Cigarro larger than 2,000 sq ft. So, they packed a lot of [ __ ] in a very very small space. So, there's a bar, there's hostess, it you know, they had a photography wall, all kinds of [ __ ] in the in the front, and then they had bar and surrounding area. I mean, it was a lot of stuff in a very small box. So, small space. If you want to stay in the outer areas, it's a $50 per per person minimum, not including cigars. Not a problem. For that ambiance, for that element, it's worth it. If you want to go closer to the action, if you want to be in the better seats, it's $150 um minimum spend without the cigars. I'm still okay with that. I'm still okay with that. The ambience is worth it. Everything is is all worth it. Still okay with that. Not a problem. Then you get to the cigar selection and they do they do have a good cigar selection. They've got the, uh, Lusitania Year of the Horse. They have the Cohiba Weller collaboration cigar. They've got the My Father's Blue Honduran. They They got a lot of good [ __ ] A lot of good [ __ ] Don't get me wrong. They have the Davidoff Royal Reserve. All good. Phenomenal sticks. However, from what I have seen and I've been to cigar shops all over the world, they are at a minimum of double the price that you could get at most shops. Okay? That's a That's a hard pill to swallow, but understandably. Okay? And I'm I'm going to I'm going to break this down even further. That's fine. Okay. This is what really got me and honestly, I would have to think very hard to go back to Cigarro. Let's just say that men of a certain age, very limited. Roger and I were probably the oldest people in that place and it and it felt that way. Part way through the night, we sat at a at a high top table, the $50 minimum spend because what happened was we were waiting for my cousins to show up because we were going to We got there super early. We were going to eat real quick and then we were going to wait for my cousins to show up and then we were going to go on the inside and go to the bigger spend. Now, what is nice about Cigarro is if you sit at the $50 table and you want to go to the $150 table, you can do that without having to reset the clock. So, whatever the they'll transfer the the bill over to the to the higher seats. So, we're waiting for my cousins. Cousins never showed up. We're in the $50 high top, but we're in the hallway next to the the hostess, uh, desk. Part way through the night, I sat around and I was like I'm looking and I said I looked over at Roger and I said, "Do you feel like we did something bad in school and we're being punished so like we're in the the we're in the we're in the time-out room or we're in the corner?" And he started laughing and he was like, "Yeah, I kind of do feel like that." I don't think that and I understand why. It's a very small space. They have to put a lot of stuff in a very small space. However, I don't think the tables and we were the only humidor they have is a cabinet humidor in the corner and our table was by that humidor. So, anybody getting cigars had to come and basically knock into me. So, I think it would be better off if they remove those tables across from the hostess desk. I get it. That's that's $100 per person uh or or $100 per table in spend in food and beverage spend, which I get. However, if it gives the the patrons a bad experience, I I think you're defeating the purpose there, right? You you've you've built something that is phenomenal. You built something that's amazing. You built something that doesn't exist in New Jersey with the exception of a grandfathered 50-year-old establishment. Double down on the tables inside. Remove the tables outside. So, we were the oldest people in there. The table area wasn't great. You know, I kept getting bumped into, which would they were very polite, very very nice. That's how I met one of the owners. He kept going back into the humidor to to to get cigars for customers. And it was weird. It was just weird. And it was the it was the high numbers that it's not going to be a regular spot for most people. And and I don't think they want it to be a regular spot. I think the people that can go there regularly it actually is their demographic. That's their target because they need to make money back. Um And and and I'm going to go break down into the reason why all of these policies and stuff. They need to make their money back and they want the person that can come there regularly and spend four, five, six, seven hundred, a thousand dollars. Is that going to be the norm? Is that going to be the the usual suspects? No, it's not and I think they know that. So, why are they doing what they're doing? Well, let me tell you why. Number one, a liquor license in New Jersey, specifically Bergen County, is probably costing right now about a million bucks. I I've sold liquor licenses in further south, in Somerset County, and nowhere near um a known town like Hackensack and it cost that owner 200 grand. So, liquor licenses in New Jersey are fortune. Now, you have the cost of real estate. That that lease is probably 40, 50 dollars a per square foot per year, which is then broken down by 12. So, if I had to guess, I would say that that that lease is costing Cigarro probably 10,000 dollars a month. Now, one of the owners told me that it was it was a very difficult process. The town and the clerk were not going easy on them. They paid rent for two years before they could open. So, think about that. Roughly 10,000 a month, two years of rent, probably close to a million dollars in a in a liquor license before you even open your doors. That is a very tough, very big pill to swallow. But, with the right vision, knowing that what your target is and knowing crunching the numbers and making sure that you can make you can hit targets and hit numbers, it's possible. It's very possible to do, but you have to do what they're doing. So, if you're upset that they're charging a lot of money because I did see Now, specifically, Roger and I left without smoking because of the where we were sitting and feeling like we were the oldest guys in the room. I mean, we were dressed suit and tie and we were the only ones. I just did a lot of buzz on social media and whatever about the the ribbon cutting and I was like, "Okay, this is a nice place. We got to dress nice." We dressed really nice. We overdressed and it was kind of feeling uncomfortable being the oldest guys in the room, being a little overdressed. We said, "Okay, we're going to we're going to leave. We're going to go somewhere else." And that's what we did and we smoked somewhere else. We were not the only ones. We saw people sit at the bar. The bar is a $50 minimum spend as well. So, you sit at the bar which very easily done, very very easily done. We ordered two burgers, one side. Roger had a Glenlivet with a big rock. I had Balvenie 14-year-old Caribbean Cask neat and it was $176 without tip. Again, it's not the money. We had a great time. The food was phenomenal. It's the fact that, you know, where we were sitting and the fact that we felt like, you know, we were in timeout and that we were the oldest people in the room. So, we just felt uncomfortable when we left. But, I saw a lot of other people leave before, you know, cracking open a a torch. So, a lot of people didn't smoke. I saw a lot of people not eating. I saw a bunch of guys come in, dressed, had a drink or two and left. So, it's not like we were the only ones. There were a lot of other people that were drinking and dashing. Do I think that Cigarro got a lot of things right? Absolutely. Would I give Cigarro another shot? Probably. If I was better prepared, didn't go suit and tie and like pocket square, you know, good fellas. Yeah, I probably would give it another shot. If you understand why the minimums are, if you understand why their pricing is. Guys, they've spent a lot of money in rent, and they spent a lot of money in the liquor license, and they spent a lot of money in um buildout. They got to make that money back. I don't know what their vision is, I don't know what their plan is, I don't know what the plan to make that money back is. I don't know if it's Is that a 5-year plan? Is it a 10-year plan? Is it a 1-year plan? I don't know. However, they are going This is probably their goal. They're probably They want to exclude a lot of people. They want to make Cigaro very exclusive, and I get that. I totally understand that. I hope you understand that. Because if you take offense to it, I think you're not as prepared or understanding as to what's going on. So, that's why I'm giving you my thoughts. Because of my my professional background and doing what I do for a living, I know what it cost these people, and it was very steep. It's not the fact that, you know, they want to be uppity. It's not the fact that, you know, they want to exclude people because they can. They need to charge a price because of what they've spent. And they also want to keep the lounge at a certain element, you know, a certain demographic, a certain ambiance. And rightfully so. I mean, they did a good job. They executed on a lot of different levels phenomenally, like precisely. Just a couple of things, and you know, you can't change the psychology of a person with your establishment. So, I'm not saying that they're right or wrong. What I'm saying is is how we felt. And I wasn't the only one. My buddy felt the exact same thing. So, don't count them out. Cigaro's a great place. If you want to eat, drink, and smoke, it's either there or Jamie's in New Jersey. If you're going to get upset about the pricing, don't go. I'm just telling you now. If you are worried about your dollars and cents, I totally get it. We have inflation issues, we've got tariff issues, we've got all kinds of stuff going on, a lot of [ __ ] going around weird in the country and bombs are falling everywhere all over the world. There's a lot of unsurety. If you are worried about your dollar, wait until there's a celebration. Wait for an anniversary, wait for a birthday, wait for, you know, a promotion, Cigarro is not your place. But if you're looking for a really nice spot to hang out at, have a really good drink, the bar is very nice, very great top shelf. If you're looking to have a really good drink, really good smokes, because their shittiest cigar is, you know, probably a $12 to $14 cigar in any shop. If you're looking for great smokes, good food, really good food, good drinks, and great atmosphere, Cigarro is your spot. Just don't get like overly dressed. Don't get overly dressed and be prepared if you're in your 40s or above, you're probably going to be one of the oldest people in the room. If you're okay with all of that, DJ was great. I mean, everything was great. If you're okay with the very minor downsides, you're good. Cigarro will be your spot for a very long time. Now, when the people of Cigarro are interested in expanding and going into a bigger space, hit me up. I know the cigar world and I know the real estate world. Commercial real estate is my main gig. Plugging that there. Also, if you're interested in starting a cigar lounge or cigar bar or cigar shop, also hit me up. host@ss-show.com. Um and I can hook you up with the humidor people and all the cigar manufacturers and reps and distributors and all that sort of stuff and the real estate. So, if I can help in any way, please let me know, reach out to me. That is my thoughts on Cigarro, my my on the Behike and Solomon Lancero flavor bomb. However, everything is great. Ash is okay. Smoke output's good. It does die on you halfway in. And this is the second time I've smoked this cigar, not the first. So, it does die on you quite a bit. PCA 2026 New Orleans. This is day two for us, day one for the show. Very interested to get there, learn some stuff, meet some people, and I will be shooting from the show. It won't be live. It will be dropping on our YouTube channel. And then we will be doing some live podcasting and stuff like wherever we get a chance, but I'm going to I'm going to share everything with you guys. So, until then, stay warm and above all else, keep it rolling, baby. Sticks and Stones, we out.