Puff and Drinks
Podcast for cigars, conversation and drinks
Puff and Drinks
Cigars Gone Bad: Spotting the Warning Signs and A Conversation with DJ Qu4d - EP. 1
Welcome back to the smoke-filled sanctuary that is Puffin Drink! After a brief hiatus, Rodney Love, Byron B, and Jimmie Jefferson return with glasses raised and cigars lit, ready to reignite your passion for the perfect puff.
This comeback episode features special guest DJ Qu4d (Akima Menaka), a remarkably versatile entrepreneur who embodies the hustle spirit with her impressive roster of talents. From her day job as a dedicated school counselor to her work as a DJ, photographer, photo booth operator, children's entertainer, and community organizer, DJ Qu4dshares details about her upcoming car show fundraiser at Cola's on Northwestern Highway. Scheduled for July 26th from 5-9pm, this event combines automotive appreciation with philanthropic purpose, raising scholarship funds initially for Sigma Gamma Rho with plans to support other Divine Nine organizations in the future. Car and bike enthusiasts can showcase their vehicles for $40, while spectators enjoy free admission to this community celebration.
The heart of this episode lies in the "Barbershop Talk" segment where the hosts deliver an impromptu masterclass on cigar quality assessment. Debunking the myth of "tobacco poisoning," they share three essential tests every cigar enthusiast should know: the pinch test for proper moisture content, the smell test for authentic aromas, and the taste test for distinctive flavors beyond just "rolled-up leaves." Their discussion extends to proper humidity levels (65-72%) for storage and the crucial difference between harmless cigar plume and potentially dangerous mold growth – knowledge that could save your precious collection.
Ready to elevate your cigar and bourbon experience? Subscribe to catch future episodes featuring expert guests, product reviews, and community events. Looking to promote your cigar lounge, bourbon brand, or related business? The Puffin Drink team is seeking sponsors and advertisers to join their growing family. Grab your favorite smoke, pour something smooth, and join us as we continue our journey through the rich, complex world of premium cigars and fine spirits.
Thought provoking content that is not commonly discussed outside of our safe spaces i.e. the barber chair, pool hall or wherever black men chill to discuss what is on our minds and hearts!!
Puff and Drinks – Like, Subscribe & Follow us at YouTube.com/@puffanddrinks | Interested in advertising with us? Contact: puffanddrinks@gmail.com |
Merchandise
https://puffanddrinks.printful.me
Byron B: 0:00
Cue the music.
Rodney Q Love: 0:10
Hey, hey, welcome back Puffin Drink family. I am Rodney Love and we are back to our full-bodied episode. We're going to lay down quite a bit of information on you, but I want to introduce my fellas.
Byron B: 0:28
Hey, I'm Byron B and we have a powerful show coming on Coming down your way. I'm going to talk about good pairing. We've actually been doing smoking Zola with Wolf of Reserve, but then during our barbershop talk, we've actually been doing smoking Zola with Wolf of Reserve, but then during our barbershop talk, we're going to talk a little bit about what the heck did I say we? Were talking about Bad cigars.
Jimmie Johnson: 0:55
Oh yeah, bad cigars, you know how do you know when a cigar is bad?
Rodney Q Love: 1:01
All right, of course, I'm Jimmie Jefferson, lover of strong smokes, definitely of good bourbon and, of course, unapologetic truth when it comes down to barbershop talk Outstanding. Our guest for this evening is going to be Akima Menaka, and she'll be dialing into it shortly.
Byron B: 1:25
She will have quite a repertoire of events that she hosts around town and will most definitely have her expand upon her horizons well, she'll be here shortly, but before we get there there have been a bunch of uh, I guess cigar events going around town oh, that's a ton of them lately, yeah um one being in pontiac we talked about earlier.
Jimmie Johnson: 1:56
I think it is a little overpriced it's a tad bit overpriced when you know you're paying a hundred dollars for to get in and then you get one cigar and then you get one cigar, One cigar right.
Jimmie Johnson: 2:06
You get one cigar. Now if you want two cigars then it's an even higher cost for two cigars. Yeah, that's crazy. So you know they're saying that, you know you'll get a chance to meet all the different makers and all this other good stuff. I get it, I understand that, but it's expensive and everything else so did a drink come with that at all.
Jimmie Johnson: 2:27
I didn't see anything about drinks. I didn't see anything about drinks. I saw that they said that you know they had some exclusive cigars and you know if you pay I think it's uh, what is it? The cheapest cheapest one was 81, and then you get one cigar. Now if you want like two cigars, well it's actually's actually three, it's $250. Ah, do I get a back rub with that? No, no, no, no, no. You don't get a back rub and in fact you don't get shit with that. So that in itself is troubling to any and everybody man. But I mean, you know, one thing I want to take and you know, throw back out to everybody, is that we're back.
Byron B: 3:04
We're back.
Jimmie Johnson: 3:08
We're back For those who've been looking for puff and drinks we're back Right yeah, a little rusty, just a little rusty. We'll knock off all the rust.
Byron B: 3:18
Bear with us, send us a little Diddy oil and we'll be right in there.
Rodney Q Love: 3:22
I told you no, diddy.
Byron B: 3:26
So, let's do a toast, yes, yes, our syrup sacramental toast Back to being on the air.
Jimmie Johnson: 3:32
Yes.
Byron B: 3:32
Cheers.
Rodney Q Love: 3:33
Jens. Cheers, all, right, all right, we'll have the fancy glasses next week. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
Jimmie Johnson: 3:39
But anytime people put bourbon in any glass, it's delicious, absolutely. So what difference would it make? I guess, if you hear, bourbon in any glass is delicious, absolutely. So what difference would it make, I guess, if you hit a clink of the glass? That's it. I mean as long as we hit a clink of the gas that's all that matters. Again. Our guess is now. I see that she's online. Now we're going to go ahead and bring her on and ask her a couple of questions and she'll explain what's going on for the weekend.
DJ Qu4d: 4:07
Are we ready?
Byron B: 4:12
Yes, we are.
Jimmie Johnson: 4:13
Are we ready?
DJ Qu4d: 4:14
Hey y'all, what up dawg?
Jimmie Johnson: 4:17
How are you doing, Okimo? I'm wonderful.
DJ Qu4d: 4:20
Now I'm looking for my flyer, but I know about her. Okay, I'm ready when you're ready, but I know about her Okay. Yes, so I'm ready when you're ready.
Jimmie Johnson: 4:28
All right, well, dj Quad. Now, do you want to go by DJ Quad or do you want to go by Okimo?
DJ Qu4d: 4:33
That's fine. Dj Quad is wonderful.
Jimmie Johnson: 4:36
DJ Quad. All right, we'll go by DJ Quad. Dj Quad is also a Sigma Gamma Rho. I'm quite sure she will take a fill the blanks in on that and let everybody know about that. But for the most part, tell us what's getting ready to happen. I think it's in two weeks.
DJ Qu4d: 4:52
Yes, I'm so excited. It's my first car show, so I want anybody with a nice ride or a bike to come out to Colas. Colas is located on Northwestern Highway and all proceeds go to scholarships.
Jimmie Johnson: 5:14
Oh, awesome.
DJ Qu4d: 5:18
So this is my first round Not my first round giving out scholarships, but the order I'm going right now is, of course, my sorority. First, semigam Road, chapter Road, sigma, detroit. Shout out, they will receive the funds raised and then from there we'll go for the Alphas, aka's, all through the Divine Nine. I want to be a blessing to the Masons and Eastern Stars. So, yeah, annual. So I want to do an annual car show at Colas. So you know, e-may, brother E-May, shout out to him. He's the owner of Colas, so he and I are working together.
DJ Qu4d: 5:59
Okay, brother, sigma so anybody who would like to be like a sponsor next year you can join on. This year was Rose Sigma foundation, so they they got the the trophy, so I have five trophies.
Rodney Q Love: 6:19
Nice so.
DJ Qu4d: 6:20
I'm looking forward, just trying to push. I know it's been a busy month for people because it's a lot of car shows, a lot of car shows.
Jimmie Johnson: 6:31
Michigan and Detroit, all the way around. You know how it is. I get you.
DJ Qu4d: 6:37
There's a lot going on. I'm like if I can get a good 20 cars out, bikes a mix. If I can get a good mix, they can bring them on out.
Byron B: 6:50
We will definitely put the word out.
Jimmie Johnson: 6:52
Yes, we'll make sure that we'll put the word out. It's pretty much already on all of our, you know, social channels. We'll make sure that everybody knows to come on out and bring their ride and, you know, let everybody see what you got going on. Is there a cost?
DJ Qu4d: 7:07
So the fee if you want to participate and be in the you know participate.
Jimmie Johnson: 7:13
Do you have your window down? I'm sorry, it's only been bright.
Rodney Q Love: 7:18
Do you have your window down? We're getting some background, yeah.
Jimmie Johnson: 7:23
It sounds like some error. Okay, wait a minute.
DJ Qu4d: 7:28
How's that?
Rodney Q Love: 7:30
Oh, much better. Yeah, that's a lot better.
Byron B: 7:31
Thank you.
Jimmie Johnson: 7:33
What did you say? I'm sorry, I ain't gonna faint out here Look.
DJ Qu4d: 7:39
So it's $40 for those that want to participate. As far as bringing a bike, you know, truck, jeep out, it's $40. Spectators free, of course, yeah. Okay, all right then, all right.
Byron B: 7:53
Spectators free, of course yeah okay, alright, then alright, and the date again is July 26, from 5 to 9 alright so this is Byron B here hey Byron so when they told me you were coming on the show, they told me that you are your background You're a Jamaican with 10 jobs.
DJ Qu4d: 8:22
OK, what else?
Byron B: 8:24
do you do besides put together car shows?
DJ Qu4d: 8:29
I'm a DJ, I am a photographer, a booth owner, 360, the stand-alone, the roamer. I have throne chairs. I dress up for children as a clown and make up and I do balloon dogs for them. I'm like freaking amazing.
Rodney Q Love: 8:53
I'm freaking amazing Go ahead and blow your own horn, and I do balloon dogs for them.
Jimmie Johnson: 8:55
I'm like freaking amazing. I'm freaking amazing. Okay, period, go ahead and blow your own horn, okay, okay period. So what do you do? You know, in the daytime, the full-time thing.
DJ Qu4d: 9:06
My full-time. I am a school. Let me say this I'm an amazing school counselor for grades K-8. I love my babies. Shout out to DPSCD because that's my district, yes, and my school is again Bethune on Puritan 8145 Puritan, and one initiative that I love is three.
DJ Qu4d: 9:32
So one initiative I love I do with the children is I have a tie event and that's in. When do I do that? February. I have men from the community to come out and they donate ties. I bring all my middle school boys down and they learn how to tie a tie. Nice, I love it, it's so nice.
Byron B: 9:58
So many young men that don't know how to tie a tie?
Jimmie Johnson: 10:00
Yes, They've gotten away from it and everything else. I recall when I went to school well, at the time it was DPS, but now a lot of stuff has been taken away. They used to take and do the job training and all sorts of stuff, because I think when you got into like the 10th or 11th grade, you always had to take and do all these different things to learn how to put you know, tie a tie how to professionally dress and you know different etiquettes, all that stuff.
Rodney Q Love: 10:30
So All right, cool, cool, all right. Hey, I've got a real good question for you also, too. We are avid hunters and when we do a hunt we do a field to fork type segment, what have you? And I've driven by colas a couple of times, so I need to ask you what would you recommend as a favorite drink or favorite dish from?
DJ Qu4d: 10:57
Coles, good question. So I like the I'm just straightforward the jerk chicken and fries. That's what I get and I don't drink. So I'm a Shirley Temple type of girl and I'd be, like keep it coming, keep it coming. Just then I just have them laughing because I'm like Shirley Temple. Put it in a cute glass. Don't be giving me them fat old cups.
Jimmie Johnson: 11:20
Like I got some. Okay, all right In that case, then we know what to look for when we go there. Right, all right. I saw the menu.
Rodney Q Love: 11:30
I saw the stewed oxtails I was like, okay, I might have to partake.
DJ Qu4d: 11:37
Yes, come through. It's a nice atmosphere, it's really nice.
Rodney Q Love: 11:41
Is there any particular night where there's a special or like?
Jimmie Johnson: 11:47
the ambiance.
DJ Qu4d: 11:48
They used to have house. Thursdays was house night, if you like, house music oh yeah, we grew up, yeah yeah, so yo. So your friend brother. Uh, marty bulger was doing that night. That's how I ended up getting involved with colas because of marty okay, okay principal marty bulger. So, brother, he made it switched up the weeks on us a little bit, so he's allowing me to come and partake on that Saturday.
Jimmie Johnson: 12:19
But any night is a good night.
DJ Qu4d: 12:21
Any night is a good night at Cola's period.
Byron B: 12:24
Yes, fill me in. We say Cola's, not Nicola's.
Jimmie Johnson: 12:32
It's actually Cola's, it's an.
Rodney Q Love: 12:32
African restaurant.
Jimmie Johnson: 12:35
It's right there on Northwest Highway.
Rodney Q Love: 12:39
Right before Orchard Lake.
Jimmie Johnson: 12:41
Actually way before Orchard Lake. It's right there at 12 Mile, 12 Mile and Orchard Lake 12 Mile and Northwest Highway Right there Now it's coming to you.
DJ Qu4d: 12:53
It's coming to me. I'm sitting there like Cola's, cola's to you.
Byron B: 12:54
I'm sitting there like colas, colas, colas.
DJ Qu4d: 12:57
I know everybody thinks Nicolas, Everybody shortens it.
Jimmie Johnson: 13:03
They're talking about Nicolas.
DJ Qu4d: 13:05
That's right there on television.
Jimmie Johnson: 13:08
But it's cola.
DJ Qu4d: 13:09
That's a good space too. All of them up and down Northwestern have participated in some shape or form. Good space too. All of them up and down Northwestern. I have participated in Some shape or form. So yeah, but this time we're giving it to my brother. Black-owned Business Shout out.
Jimmie Johnson: 13:23
All right, we'll make it. So. We'll make it. So, all right, we're not going to hold you longer or anything like that. And we definitely wanted to make it a point to have you on the show and then also go through and explain what the car show was all about. We do appreciate that. We do.
Byron B: 13:40
Before you go, I want you to give a little contact information.
Jimmie Johnson: 13:48
Throw out your handles. All the above because I know you have a ton.
DJ Qu4d: 13:51
All right, I'm on have a title, all right, all right. So I'm on DJ Quad TikTok. I'm DJ Quad Instagram.
Jimmie Johnson: 14:01
Oh, no, no, no, explain to them how you spell DJ Quad.
DJ Qu4d: 14:05
Oh, dj Q-U-4, because I'm a quad and my brother is too.
Jimmie Johnson: 14:12
Yes, I am a quad Period. Okay, because I'm a quad and my brother is too.
DJ Qu4d: 14:14
Yes, I am a quad. Period.
Jimmie Johnson: 14:18
Okay, there you go, we'll be able to put you out there and everything else will make so, and looking forward, and hopefully it'll be a wonderful turnout.
DJ Qu4d: 14:26
All right, thank you, I appreciate you all.
Jimmie Johnson: 14:29
All right, thank you, we'll toast you and thank you again.
DJ Qu4d: 14:33
I don't have a glass, but toast it up, there you go, you're.
Jimmie Johnson: 14:37
Shirley Temple then.
Byron B: 14:38
That part. Thank you have a great one y'all, you do the same.
Jimmie Johnson: 14:45
Bye-bye, bye-bye.
Byron B: 14:50
Alright, that was nice.
Jimmie Johnson: 14:51
Very nice, that was nice.
Byron B: 14:55
Back on the air. Um, so you guys want to see some good cars, um have some drinks or whatever and good food and good food. Come on out. Um, when was it again?
Jimmie Johnson: 15:07
it is on uh, july, the and forgive me, I apologize for this and I will have to get that information back, but I believe it's the end of the month.
DJ Qu4d: 15:17
Okay, you know.
Jimmie Johnson: 15:19
July 26th. I'm sorry, july 26th. We'll put it on our site, yep.
Rodney Q Love: 15:23
We'll make sure. Well, now we're going to segue into what we love to call our barbershop.
Byron B: 15:32
It is bringing on being in the barbershop without being call our barbershop talk. There it is Bring it on being in the barbershop without being in the barbershop.
DJ Qu4d: 15:38
Exactly.
Byron B: 15:38
So a guy at work told me he's like, man, I was sick for about a week. I said man, what'd you have? Flu or something like that? He said, man, I had tobacco poisoning. I'm like you had tobacco poisoning. He's like yeah, man, see, that's why I only stick to certain cigars and I'm like wait a minute, so you won't venture out of the regular cigars that you have because you're afraid of being tobacco poisoned. He's like yes, I said okay. So I said, said, hmm, what?
DJ Qu4d: 16:19
is a bad cigar okay so, um, it's crazy.
Byron B: 16:23
Um, uh, just cutting grass. Yesterday I went down to my humidor and I pulled a cigar out and it just didn't smell right. Didn't smell right, but when you're looking for a good cigar, or if it's bad or not one of the first things you do is a pinch test. So you pinch the cigar and everything, make sure it's, I guess, kind of moist. It's kind of moist or whatever, and that's how you pinch yourself when you go to the bathroom, jimmy Mind your business, you actually have to use your fingers, not tweezers.
Jimmie Johnson: 17:03
Mind your business, mind your business.
Rodney Q Love: 17:08
With no ditty oil. No ditty oil. Mind your business, I'll go pay for that one. No ditty oil.
Byron B: 17:14
No, ditty oil, mind your business.
Jimmie Johnson: 17:16
So I'm going to pay for that one Catching me off guard. I just mean doing it the other way around.
Rodney Q Love: 17:25
Go on and finish your story man All right.
Byron B: 17:28
So if it's a little dry, okay, and it's brittle, it's not a good cigar.
Jimmie Johnson: 17:35
Does it mean at that point in time that it's gotten tobacco poisoning at the time, or anything?
Byron B: 17:41
I'm not sure about being tobacco poisoning, but the cigar is no longer good.
DJ Qu4d: 17:45
Really.
Byron B: 17:45
Yes, and if you smoke it and things just falling apart, you don't want to smoke that.
Jimmie Johnson: 17:50
Now I've seen that where some people are holding the cigar, when they're holding a cigar and they light it and it looks like it's, it's, it looks like um, but it looks like the bottom of it looks like a tree it wears, expanded out. Yeah, I've seen that. I'm like, okay, what happened to that cigar? Because so now, now, now I understand, because the cigar was super dry super dry, super dry, yeah, yeah.
Byron B: 18:15
So it's been unhumidified for too long. You really, you really don't want to smoke that.
Rodney Q Love: 18:24
OK, it's funny you mention that, because I heard a gentleman at the cigar bar say he had to throw a ton of them away.
Byron B: 18:31
Yeah, yeah.
Jimmie Johnson: 18:32
Yeah, now I've seen where, when I picked up some cigars and everything else, the moment you take the wrapper off, the actual wrapping of the actual cigar falls off. It just literally unravels in your hand.
Byron B: 18:46
Yeah, that's a bad one, all right. Second thing, okay, the smell of your cigar. So you know a cigar, usually the good ones have a leathery smell to them.
DJ Qu4d: 19:04
Naturally Natural leathery smell.
Byron B: 19:08
Now the ones we smoke have kind of like a herbal smell to it and everything. Bad cigars don't have a smell at all.
Jimmie Johnson: 19:23
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Now, I had no clue, I did not know that I mean, and when you know that, now okay, so okay, this is something for all our cigar smokers out there and everything, because we are. You know, if you do get a cigar and it doesn't have a smell, it's not a good cigar.
Byron B: 19:36
it's not a good cigar. You take your chances with it, you know, yeah. So because you know we like to pull our cigars out the wrapper and take a good whiff.
Jimmie Johnson: 19:50
All day long, yeah, all day long.
Byron B: 19:51
So if it doesn't smell good or doesn't smell at all, that's a sign of trouble. That's a sign of trouble. Wow, it doesn't smell at all.
Rodney Q Love: 20:00
That's a sign of trouble. That's a sign of trouble. Can a cigar have mood on?
Byron B: 20:03
it, here we go, here we go yeah.
Jimmie Johnson: 20:09
Don't make people not want to smoke cigars. We're all about the puff. We want you to know. We also know, we want you to know, that it's good cigars and bad cigars. Every cigar ain't great Alright.
Byron B: 20:25
You almost made me say something. I'm going to hold my tongue, alright. So here we go. You have mold that will get on the cigar. It's blue, greenish kind of mold, but you also have what's called a plume. Okay, now plumes like white speckles on your cigar. Oh, okay, is that a form of mold too? It's not a form of mold, and it's still good. You can actually like kind of sweep the plume off.
Jimmie Johnson: 20:56
Okay.
Byron B: 20:58
And the cigar is good mole you won't be able to sweep off it's, it's stuck to it wow okay, instantly trash and you're gonna make me check on mine.
Jimmie Johnson: 21:10
I know that's right, I know that and I I try to keep my uh bovita packs and stuff there, you know, in my um humiditors and everything else. So now, okay, now I'm going to have to check that out. Okay, is it possible for too much humidity?
Byron B: 21:30
I haven't Well, okay. So, being you know, I'm like I say new to the game but I'm not a veteran, say new to the game but I'm not a veteran, veteran at the game and everything you know. I've been smoking cigars for the last what? Six, seven years, okay, but I've been going by. I have my humidor humidifier set in my humidor at probably about 68.
Jimmie Johnson: 21:58
Okay, I think they recommend 69 to 72. 72.5.
Byron B: 22:06
Now I've seen packs, the little packs you can throw on your travel, travel Right your burritos. It's 72., 69. So somewhere between 65 and 72, I've seen. Okay, okay, so I'm taking that, you know, as gold Somewhere in between there. I don't want my humidity in my cigar to be any higher than that or any lower, true, so I go by those, I go by the packs, okay, okay, so take it as what it's worth.
Jimmie Johnson: 22:43
All right, okay, okay, you know, you know always googling everything well, you know, and then you know, for, for any newbie, you know cigar smokers too, they can always get that, you know. Go to amazon, of course. And then their thermometers. You know their hydrometers, I'm sorry, hydrometers. You can get the hydrometers and then the hydrometer tell you what percentage moisture is in that humiditor. So that way you know too. So okay, Alright, man See, that's good stuff.
Byron B: 23:09
That's good stuff. And last but not least, is the actual taste when you smoke it. Okay, so our cigars have an actual flavor when you draw it. It's not a dry type smoke, you know. So it has a taste. So when you draw on a cigar and it doesn't have that taste, it just tastes like you're smoking on some rolled up leaves. You laugh but it can happen. It can happen. I did that at eight years old, you know. I bet you were sick, oh man. Me and about five other kids.
Jimmie Johnson: 23:52
Your face was green.
Byron B: 23:54
You know we were trying to be grown and everything you found out quick too. You found out quick paper bag you found out quick Paper bag and leaves, and we rolled it up and it wasn't the same effect. Wow, yeah, yeah, yeah. So OK, yeah. So a little cigar, I guess you would say education, yeah, yeah, well you educated us yeah.
Rodney Q Love: 24:14
There you go, absolutely, absolutely.
Jimmie Johnson: 24:15
There you go. Well, you educated us. Yeah, there you go. Absolutely, absolutely All right. Well, cool, all right.
Rodney Q Love: 24:19
Well, gang, we're going to wrap it up Before we take off. I just want to let everyone know, like I said, we're back. We're going to have a website information up. Please like, subscribe. Make sure you stay up to date with us. We're going to give you guys a lot of information on our appearances, where we're going to be, and we're going to be giving out prizes and what have you. So gentlemen.
Jimmie Johnson: 24:46
Oh, don't forget one last thing we are also looking for sponsors and advertisers, absolutely so if you guys are interested in getting with us and having your Cigar Lounge advertised on our show, please let us know. We will love to have you on the show and also advertise. So please do. And any vendors, whether it's bourbon or cigars, we would love to have you on our show as well.
Byron B: 25:12
And we'll also be selling merch. We're starting to build that up right now. So, as you can see, we have our nice logo on our shirts and everything, um, designed by my wife, um, so um, but yeah, we'll be selling merch and everything and um, we want you to, uh, partake in it.
Rodney Q Love: 25:37
Okay, all right, there we go Light one, sip one and sip slow.
Byron B: 25:43
Sip slow. Hey, that's what I'm talking about Cheers.
Jimmie Johnson: 25:46
Have a good night, y'all.
Byron B: 25:51
Have a good night, cool.
