Puff and Drinks
Podcast for cigars, conversation and drinks
Puff and Drinks
Behind the Smoke: How Puff and Drinks Became a Brotherhood of Bourbon, Cigars, and Real Talk - EP. 2
Ever wondered what happens when men gather beyond the stereotypes? Dive into the smoke-filled world of Puff and Drinks where three friends—Rodney Q Love, Byron B, and Jimmy Jefferson—are redefining male conversation one cigar and bourbon at a time.
Born from the spirit of a 90s social club called "Drinkers and Things," our podcast creates a digital barbershop—that sacred sanctuary where men speak freely about everything from current events to mental health struggles. As Byron puts it, "Men will talk to a total stranger about any and everything going on in his life" in a barbershop, "and never even exchange names." That's the energy we're bringing to podcasting.
We're not just about smoke and spirits (though we're passionate about both). Byron swears by his Zola by Upsetters paired with Woodford Reserve, while Jimmy champions the dual-wrapped Asylum Ogre 13 with Basil Hayden bourbon. These preferences aren't just consumption habits—they're gateways to stories of discovery and connection that reflect our diverse perspectives.
Looking ahead, we're taking the show on the road! From pig roasts to gator cooking, from cigar bars to wineries, we're expanding our horizons while keeping authentic conversation at our core. Show up at one of our announced locations, mention you're "here to hang with the Puff and Drink Boys," and you might join us on-air with complimentary cigars, drinks, and merch.
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!!
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok @puffanddrinks or email us at puffanddrinks@gmail.com. Join our brotherhood where feelings aren't taboo and genuine conversation flows as smoothly as the bourbon in our glasses. As we like to say—sip slow, take a puff, and let's talk about what really matters.
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
Jimmie Johnson: 0:00
This is what I was meant to do. All right, I'll stop clowning.
Rodney Q Love: 0:09
Welcome. Puff and Drink, family man. It's good to be back on the tribe.
Jimmie Johnson: 0:14
Yes, it is Good to see everybody.
Rodney Q Love: 0:16
Hey everyone, I'm Rodney Q Love.
Byron B: 0:19
And I'm Byron B, and this is Jimmie Jefferson.
Rodney Q Love: 0:21
We are back in full effect and we are going to start jumping off into why puff and drinks evolved into what it was. How about, how? How about?
Jimmie Johnson: 0:33
how, a why and a how. There we go. A why and a how, there we go. There you go.
Rodney Q Love: 0:38
We were all at a ditty. For goodness sake, I'm fresh out of baby oil. We slid here. We slid there.
Jimmie Johnson: 0:53
Cheers. Alright, guys, cheers.
Rodney Q Love: 1:00
Well, gang, what we're gonna do, and we're all gonna, you know, do a roundabout with it. But one of the reasons we started, or a Puff of Drinks initially came about, was back in the day there used to be a social club called Drinkers and Things, and that was when some urban, you know, young individuals would get together after work and just go to a particular bar and talk about, you know, current events and it started evolving and it got pretty big and this was like in the early 90s. Eventually it fell off, but we picked it back up and we said, you know what? This would be a good idea to throw our twist into it with a little drinking, a little smoking, and we could, you know, reevaluate different topics, different likes, different things of that magnitude, and turn it into what it is puff and drinks. As it evolved, we picked up Mr Byron yeah, I was invited by Rodney as it evolved, we picked up Mr Byron.
Byron B: 2:05
Uh, yeah, um, I was invited, uh, by Rodney and um, come to like that dude, jimmy, over there.
Jimmie Johnson: 2:14
Well, it is what it is. It is what it is, you know it is what it is.
Byron B: 2:19
But you know, um, I came on for fun, okay Right. I came on for fun, okay Right, Because you know I'm kind of a homebody. I don't know, you guys don't know that, but I'm kind of a homebody. They do now, sir, they do now. So they got me out the house and everything and I came out and we started talking shit and everything else, lots of shit, lots of shit.
Byron B: 2:44
And I was like hey, I like this, I can drink and talk shit and I got good company. I said hey, I want to continue on doing this and let's keep it moving. Nothing wrong with that man.
Rodney Q Love: 3:03
Yeah, and you know what's funny? You don't find good friends like this, no right, no, I mean, we all we're we're different individuals, but we all hit it off because every one of us has something unique yes, we bring a different spin to the whole topic.
Jimmie Johnson: 3:22
And you know again, you know, when we started the whole process of Puffin Drinks, we were looking at how conversations take place with men, right you?
Jimmie Johnson: 3:32
know, we wanted to actually have that conversation so that we can actually take and say all right, what happens when guys get together, you know, do we have conversations about? You know, of course the typical stuff that every woman thinks that we always talk about is just girls and cars, girls, cars and money. No, we don't. We actually have a deep, heartfelt conversations. We really do. So the reason to, you know, to Rodney's point and everything else, you know, back in the day, of course it was the drinkers and thinkers and of course we were thinking.
Jimmie Johnson: 4:04
Everybody was thinking and drinking at the same time but we were bringing topics to the table and then, you know, everybody had their their spin on why, what, when and how, whatever. And then so now we're at that point where it needed to come back to the forefront, because social media is always out there and you got all these different podcasts. But one of the things that we saw too, and when we set this up, was there was a gap in man conversation. We know that there's different shows for different people and everything else, but at the same time, for men, we didn't have that conversation. At least I'll say this much honest conversation.
Rodney Q Love: 4:47
There's a difference you know it's funny unless you're in a comfort zone. You can only be in a comfort zone with good friends. That is true. Normally we wouldn't say anything to anybody. Right now, I am not going to lie. I'll call one of you bastards up and blame them In a heartbeat.
Byron B: 5:09
Right right.
Rodney Q Love: 5:10
And in the minute, keep in mind.
Jimmie Johnson: 5:15
I can't even pick up a drink on that one. I know it to be true. Exactly exactly, you know and I and the same you know, for myself too, and even with Byron, when Byron joined us and everything else, byron and I found we had some commonality and everything else. You know, and the thing that's so crazy about it, the world is truly small. Yeah, it really is truly small and that's that's the thing about you know, most men we don't, people don't think, but we do, we actually do talk.
Byron B: 5:44
All right, we do have that conversation and we have feelings. Oh my God, how dare.
Jimmie Johnson: 5:49
How dare, how dare.
Rodney Q Love: 5:52
And opinions, oh double. We got to keep them to ourselves.
Byron B: 5:56
Yeah, there we go For the most part.
Jimmie Johnson: 6:01
One of the things I think that is important to you know, when we started this was to we were looking at the barbershop conversation. The barbershop conversation, too, is one of the things that, especially for any man, that is a sacred sanctuary, right, you know? The thing is that I've always, you know, amazed as I've gotten older. The thing is that I've always, you know, amazed as I've gotten older. When you go to the different barbershops and everything else. You go to a barbershop Men will talk to a total stranger about any and everything that's going on in his life.
Byron B: 6:34
And get this. Never even exchange names.
Jimmie Johnson: 6:38
No, yeah, don't have to talk about who's who.
Byron B: 6:43
Ain't no handshakes being had, none of that conversation going on about what is what you can walk into that barbershop and you can join into that conversation.
Jimmie Johnson: 6:50
You won't get the, you know, the, the stink eye or anything like that yeah you can sit there and have that conversation with that guy or guys for that most part, because everybody's gonna have something to say. I promise they will. You have a one-eyed ball. Oh yeah, you always have that one, you know he's just sitting there, you know, in the corner and everything else. He's just waiting for his haircut though he just came in for a haircut. He didn't come in for the conversation. You know he didn't understand the sanctuary terms.
Rodney Q Love: 7:21
Yeah, and the breath is like I wish they would shut up.
Jimmie Johnson: 7:23
I just came in for a haircut. I don't need all this Again, it helps out because we do more than just smoke cigars and drink.
Byron B: 7:34
Absolutely.
Rodney Q Love: 7:35
That's the most important thing too.
Jimmie Johnson: 7:38
Of course, we are going to talk about our cigars and what we like to drink in just a few minutes. Trust me, stick with us, stick with us y'all, we got got something going for you but, like any good organization, everything it's beyond your natural scope.
Byron B: 7:53
You know, we're trying to better human life. That's what we want to do, okay, um, just like you know, having kid and everything, your job is to bring that kid up to make this a better world yeah, all right. So we have this podcast. We talk about cigars and bourbon, because that's what we do, um but?
Rodney Q Love: 8:14
and we eat and we eat, oh yeah and we do eat.
Byron B: 8:18
You guys, stay tuned, you know, for later episodes and everything we got food coming to you not gonna, did you say, gator?
Jimmie Johnson: 8:31
no, no dancing gator we are.
Rodney Q Love: 8:35
We are hunters.
Byron B: 8:36
Yes, still the forking lens yeah, but we will, uh, we, we do get serious sometimes, right, and um, we try to make the world a better place. You know, um, you know, in lieu of all the things that's going on right now. Yeah, um, sometimes you need laughter and um you know some of the silliness that we bring uh to knock the edge off.
Jimmie Johnson: 9:01
Yes, Sometimes it just needs to be done. Right, it just needs to be done sometimes.
Byron B: 9:04
And that's what I like about these guys. They knock the edge off, and I can't ask for a better group, you know.
Rodney Q Love: 9:12
There we go, there we go.
Jimmie Johnson: 9:14
And keep in mind too. You know, everybody works all week.
Rodney Q Love: 9:18
Yeah, we do All week.
Byron B: 9:20
All week, I'm Tommy, I don't have a job it tells in all the text we get, I'll be like man writing in a text again.
Jimmie Johnson: 9:31
Shit, I thought he was in a meeting. You know you want to see the fights.
Rodney Q Love: 9:44
The bare knuckle brawls.
Jimmie Johnson: 9:49
I don't know why that's a thing lately. I do not understand why these guys are doing Fight Club.
Rodney Q Love: 9:54
No, Between them and the Sasquatch video. Oh the. Sasquatch video Yeti Sasquatch and Yeti oh man, oh my God.
Byron B: 10:02
That is hilarious. I don't know who came up with that whole AIatch and Yeti. Oh man, oh my God, that is hilarious.
Jimmie Johnson: 10:04
I don't know who came up with that whole AI concept and everything else. It is fantastic.
Byron B: 10:09
Yes, it is. You know what I found, even a little more fantastic. My wife's going to kick my butt when I say this, but they know, you know, they have now bikini MMA fighting. Ooh, really, oh, my life.
Rodney Q Love: 10:27
Did you get?
Byron B: 10:27
his tickets. I haven't found a spot near us yet no, you probably won't no. The stuff that comes over there. Rodney Sims, man it's. It's like he said, he's Tommy.
Rodney Q Love: 10:47
Yeah.
Byron B: 10:49
Sometimes we say you don't have a job.
Jimmie Johnson: 10:51
Dude some of the stuff that's out there in Tik TOK world and Instagram world. Oh my God.
Rodney Q Love: 10:58
Oh my God, it's entertaining. It is. It's either entertaining or I can't believe. I saw it.
Jimmie Johnson: 11:03
Yeah, well, sometimes you might even get a video where it's both Right, right yeah.
Rodney Q Love: 11:11
Was that an?
Byron B: 11:11
elephant yeah.
Jimmie Johnson: 11:13
You know, I don't even understand how that happened. Right, right I mean again, you know the thing I think that's so important about what we do and everything else and why we chose to do this is because we want to make sure that we're reaching our core audience of, of course, men. We want to have that conversation with the men and we want these men to also go back and have that conversation with their respective other and then you know, that way they can actually take and say, oh yeah, I was watching these guys.
Jimmie Johnson: 11:41
And then we're talking about you know, table the fork, you know. And then how they, you know we, we would go and do the hunting. Or either they were talking about I need to probably go see a doctor, you know, right, do you know? Or or my my personal favorite is you know, I, I'm not feeling good today and you know I'm having some anxiety issues or I'm a little depressed, right you know, we are going to talk about all these things.
Jimmie Johnson: 12:05
You know, keep in mind, we're going to have these conversations, I mean, you know, and then we want everybody to understand, we want to blend all that together with, uh, our drinking. We're going to blend that together with our cigar smoking, oh yeah, you know, and then we'll. We'll come back, of course, and then do some more drinking. Right, but at the same time, we're also making sure that we understand what's going on in the world, correct?
Rodney Q Love: 12:30
Absolutely, and again, we're going to have different segments where we'll be on different locations. We might even take you in the field hunting woods.
Jimmie Johnson: 12:39
Yes, that is something that we'll probably do in the fall.
Rodney Q Love: 12:42
Absolutely. You know I sent you guys a video again with these ladies made a grill on a little boat. I seen that.
Jimmie Johnson: 12:53
That was fantastic. That is awesome.
Byron B: 12:55
The only thing they were missing is a little umbrella over the top.
Jimmie Johnson: 12:58
That was the only thing that was missing Grilling right in the middle of the lake.
Byron B: 13:04
Oh, my goodness, they didn't hold it up, did they?
Jimmie Johnson: 13:08
That's what I call true eating. That's how that works. Hey, you know we could do that.
Byron B: 13:15
We can go up to Jackson and have our good buddy drink, we could.
Jimmie Johnson: 13:22
You got that little grill too.
Byron B: 13:24
Yeah.
Jimmie Johnson: 13:24
Yeah, you got that little grill.
Byron B: 13:26
Okay, okay, hey, so we are puffers and drinkers. Okay, what do we like to puff? I mean me personally. So one of our favorite cigar bars is La Rosa's in downtown Wayne.
Jimmie Johnson: 13:45
Yeah, yes, michigan Avenue. Shout out to Fernando.
Byron B: 13:49
Yep, yep. Fernando came up and said man, come on, man, grow up. He said, yeah, try this cigar. And he gave me a Zola by Upsetters yes, this cigar, that's changed your life, it has changed your life. It willpsetters. Yes, this cigar, that's changed your life, it has changed your life.
Rodney Q Love: 14:09
It will change your life. Fantastic, fantastic, fantastic.
Byron B: 14:12
And I've been smoking it ever since. Every once in a while I venture off and everything, but I kind of sway back towards that Zola. And now would I like to pair it with Okay, it depends. I'm smoking this cigar. My go-to is a good Wolfram Reserve. I've also paired it with the Uncle Nearest. You can never go wrong with Uncle Nearest.
Jimmie Johnson: 14:41
I've yet to have the green label, yet that is kind of hard to find. Sometimes, too, it all depends on where you're looking at you know you, if you go to a couple of spots uh, total, total wine, I think, um, uh, you have to order it oh really yeah, it's not on the shelf. I didn't. At least, when I was in there, you know, a couple weeks ago, I didn't see it on the shelf oh man.
Byron B: 15:00
Okay, but what before I pass it on? What got me started, though? Um, old guy at work, you know, he said he, that's like man, what you smoking on. He's like oh man, this is something, something a little too harsh for you I said how do you know?
Byron B: 15:18
he said, because you don't look how you smoke, I don't he. He said, okay, I got one for you, okay. And he gave this to me probably about early December. I was like man, you know, I can't smoke in the house and everything, so I won't smoke until I'm, you know, get warm outside. He's like no problem. He gave me an Acid Cuba, cuba and he put it into a travel humidor and gave me the travel humidor. Nice, he said, smoke is at your leisure, just let me know. Now it took me four months. No matter, I just happened to go down to north carolina on my birthday and everything, the wife and I to one of my buddy's house down there and I smoked this acid cuba, cuba and I was just like wow you haven't been right ever since I haven't been right ever since, so that got me hooked on smoking, cigars and everything so that's my story
Rodney Q Love: 16:17
nothing wrong with that shoot. I've been smoking off and on for a few years. It started out where, when I would hunt and we get something, well, just like one of a celebratory cigar okay then, uh, I started drinking a lot of scotch.
Rodney Q Love: 16:38
My favorite scotch was lefron, very smoky, very smoky Lefron. And a gentleman told me to pair it with a Hava cigar and I got hooked like crazy on it. Oh, okay, and then he pulled out a nice seared elk steak and said what I want you to do cut into the steak, take a sip, wolf the steak down real fast and then blow a puff of it and the oh it fucked my mind. He has not been right ever since, mind blowing.
Rodney Q Love: 17:24
And now, unfortunately, he got me drinking bourbon and smoking a Zola. I'm sorry, now I'm all messed up again.
Byron B: 17:33
Hey them, zolas. Man, that's the shit though, man, the aroma of those things, man. Okay, look, wife and I went on a cruise and I said, honey, I'm going to go smoke me a cigar. She's like you know. So I went to the smoking area on the ship because you know, you can't do it Right.
Byron B: 17:51
A little small area up there and everything, and I'm by myself and I smoke in the Zola and this guy came over. It's like hey, man, me and my cousin over here smoking a cigar and we catch your smoke, which is overpowering our smoke. What are you smoking? And I said look man, this is all about upsetters. Man, he's like man, it smells fantastic. I'm like oh, I'm glad're catching a whiff of my smoke. But yeah, I was like man. Look, anytime the after smoke smells good on a cigar.
Jimmie Johnson: 18:40
Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's good, that's a good cigar. That's a good cigar. That's a good cigar. That's a good cigar.
Byron B: 18:45
That's a good cigar, you know, he was like man. He said I think I would just burn that cigar just for the smell. Wow yeah.
Jimmie Johnson: 18:53
Yeah Well, my personal cigar favorite is. Asylum, Ogre 13. It is a dual wrap cigar. Oh my life.
Byron B: 19:03
Oh yes sir.
Jimmie Johnson: 19:04
Yes sir, it's delicious. You can pour syrup on it and put it over your pancakes, okay.
Rodney Q Love: 19:12
It's just that good, all right.
Jimmie Johnson: 19:14
I've had it with and, strange enough, I've actually had it with Parmesan cheese fries.
Rodney Q Love: 19:20
Hmm, really Yep Parmesan, cheese fries.
Jimmie Johnson: 19:24
When I was at the particular cigar bar it's a bistro and they actually I actually served, um, of course, all these different foods and also the stuff, and it just so happens I was smoking that particular cigar, Okay. And then so I said, well, okay, let me, you know, get something to eat in there. I didn't really want a lot, I just want something to eat. So I got the parmesan cheese fries, okay, oh my god, I have not been right ever since I have not now and when.
Jimmie Johnson: 19:51
I want something to drink with that and everything else. What I really, really truly enjoy with that um is my uh, basil hayden okay when you, when you do a little, the basil hayden, especially the 13 year now isyear you really just need a whole pancake and put the cigar on the top and then slap the fries on and then pour some syrup.
Byron B: 20:15
That's how that works. So you said you're Basil Hayden. That's a bourbon. It is a bourbon, it's a bourbon.
Jimmie Johnson: 20:21
Wow, basil Hayden.
Byron B: 20:22
Basil Hayden Full body. For the most part it is full body. It's a bourbon. Wow, Basil Hayden. Basil Hayden.
Jimmie Johnson: 20:25
Okay, full body or it is. For the most part, it is full body. It's delicious. The thing I like about basil Hayden is that it does not have a burn on the back yet, you know, and then it goes down very smooth and it's actually very popular lately, and everything else too. But if you want to get Well, if you want to get an old-fashioned, I would do it with a blend. Okay, you know, definitely blends right? Okay, see, that's a perfect brunch drink.
Rodney Q Love: 20:53
Exactly, man, I could see that, especially when I'm, you know, up at three in the morning with my food crates.
Jimmie Johnson: 21:02
Who's eating at three in the morning? Know, that's what you have there. You know, uh, air frying, uh, uh, the bacon with the rind on it, oh yeah, oh man don't talk about my bacon bacon with the rind on it.
Rodney Q Love: 21:14
Man, I cook three in the morning, so don't nobody ask for that what a selfish mofo.
Jimmie Johnson: 21:26
All right, tell us what's coming in our future shows.
Rodney Q Love: 21:31
We are going to do not only barbecue segments, but we also are participating in a pig roast. We're going to be cooking a gator. Yes, we're also going to be touring different establishments and I tell you what we're going to be cooking a gator. We're also going to be touring different establishments. I tell you what we're going to be on location. One nice thing that we want everyone to do is, if you tune in to us, if you go to it, we're going to give you guys advance notice on which place we're going to go to. If you show up and say, hey, I'm here to drink with the Puffin Drink Boys, you might even get a chance to sit with us, get a free drink and a cigar and throw in some merch.
Jimmie Johnson: 22:13
We might throw in some merch.
Byron B: 22:14
Might throw in some merch.
Rodney Q Love: 22:16
Remember, I'm here to hang with the Puffin Drink Boys.
Jimmie Johnson: 22:20
That's all you got to do and trust me, we're great guys. We oh yeah, that's all you got to do. You know and trust me, we're great guys. We enjoy, you know, being around people. We want to take and make sure that you know. We're educating people about our cigars, Right, you know? Or about cigars, or even about bourbon. Then, even further, we're also going to give you a little bit more conversation on the back end. Our barbershop taught a little everything for you.
Rodney Q Love: 22:42
You might even be on the show.
Byron B: 22:43
Yes, exactly you might even be on the show. Exactly I said, we're not just us. We like to bring out other cigar connoisseurs which are going to be on the show. And one of our favorites are the Puff and Pearls.
Jimmie Johnson: 23:01
Puff and Pearls, puffing with my pearls. Puffing with my pearls.
Byron B: 23:05
We are very good friends with them. My man, joe, he's very good. He is a bourbon connoisseur.
Jimmie Johnson: 23:13
Yes, he is Bourbon connoisseur.
Byron B: 23:16
When I need to know what a bourbon is or what it would do, I go to this guy and he will let me know. I love the guy. Yeah, you know I'm saying um. So you know, guys like that. You know we were bringing on the show um, uh, other cigar bar owners. Yes, you know we'll be bringing those guys on um and then you know, whatever you guys want to see on the show, you know, shoot it, give us a shout out.
Jimmie Johnson: 23:47
All you got to do is reach us at puff and drinks at gmailcom. Um, we're also our social media handles, our Facebook, instagram and Tik TOK, so and it all flows the same way puff and drinks, yes. So it is a, a and D and then drinks.
Byron B: 24:05
So but it's all there.
Jimmie Johnson: 24:06
So it is a A-N-D and then drinks, but it's all there, so it's all one word. So definitely look for us and then feel free to reach out to us. Trust me, we do monitor all our social media handles.
Rodney Q Love: 24:16
Also, we're not only going to be isolated to different cigars and different bars, we're going to hit wineries. Yes, I was in Travis City last weekend, visited 12, got drunk as hell and had a ball. We'll be able to give you guys a real review.
Jimmie Johnson: 24:33
Coffee too. Don't forget the coffee.
Rodney Q Love: 24:35
We have a compadre that comes in periodically with us and we're going to have him on location at different coffee events, different pastry places. You know, we're not Neanderthals, no, we're cultural.
Jimmie Johnson: 24:49
Oh, okay, all right. Well don't go too far, don't stray too far.
Rodney Q Love: 24:54
Yeah.
Jimmie Johnson: 24:55
Okay, you know no ditty. No ditty.
Byron B: 24:58
So our name really is Puff Drinking Eat.
Rodney Q Love: 25:01
Puff Drinking Eat, but we had to shorten it, so it's just public drinks.
Jimmie Johnson: 25:06
One thing too we do like this kind of care and all yes we do we do like this kind of care and all we want everybody to take and join us as we travel through and then show you all the different things that we're interested in and then hopefully, you'll become interested as well there you go.
Rodney Q Love: 25:22
Well, gang, we're going to wrap it up again Give. Well, there you go. So, okay, we're going to wrap it up again. Give a remember like please check out our we want you to subscribe. We are puffing drinks.
Jimmie Johnson: 25:37
I'm Byron B. I'm Jimmy Jefferson.
Rodney Q Love: 25:39
Rodney Q Love signing out. Remember. Sip, slow take a puff. Y'all take care.
Jimmie Johnson: 25:45
You love signing out Remember sip slow, take a puff and holla. Holla Y'all take care, all right.
