Puff and Drinks
Podcast for cigars, conversation and drinks
Puff and Drinks
Smoke, Sip, and Solidarity: Meet Toledo's Pink Ladies - Ep. 7
This episode is only available to subscribers.
Puff and Drinks +
Listen to our full podcastWhen Stacey Crawford was told she couldn't join a local men's cigar club because of her gender, she didn't just walk away – she created something new. The Pink Ladies Cigar Club of Toledo emerged as a powerful response to exclusion, transforming into a vibrant community where women from all walks of life connect over premium tobacco and genuine conversation.
What began with a small group of friends who had never smoked anything before has evolved into a 20-member sisterhood with a waiting list. Their journey mirrors the path many take into cigar culture – starting with sweet, infused options like the blueberry-noted "Groovy Blue" before gradually exploring more traditional blends. These women are breaking stereotypes while building meaningful connections that transcend their differences in age and background.
The Pink Ladies aren't just changing perceptions about who belongs in cigar lounges; they're actively engaged with their broader community. Between planning bourbon tastings with expert Joe Wilson and arranging events featuring former NBA player Dennis Hobson's luxury mobile cigar lounge, they're making time to volunteer at homeless shelters and support families during the holidays. Their approach demonstrates how hobby communities can create positive impact beyond their immediate interests.
Most striking is how the club has turned initial rejection into collaboration. Despite being denied entry to the established men's club, they now partner with those same individuals for joint events, proving that shared passion can ultimately overcome prejudice. As one member eloquently puts it: "When we come together, it's a party. An event that might last an hour lasts three hours."
Discover more about this groundbreaking group on their Facebook page "PinkLadyCigarClub-Toledo" and join them for upcoming events at Crocs on Arlington (August 16th) and The Cigar Affair in Maumee (September 20th). Whether you're a seasoned aficionado or curious newcomer, you'll find a warm welcome where diverse stories are shared over the relaxed ritual of a well-crafted smoke.
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
Speaker 1: 0:00
Cue the music.
Speaker 2: 0:07
What's up. What's up, up and Drink family. Welcome back for another exciting episode. I am Rodney Q Love and to my right, byron D, and once again, I'm Jimmy Jefferson. Mr Jefferson, please introduce or tell us about our illustrious guests for the evening. Absolutely, once again, folks. I want to take this moment to introduce our wonderful guests tonight. They reached out to us through Facebook and YouTube. They're the Pink Ladies Cigar Society of Toledo.
Speaker 2: 0:40
All right so let's bring them aboard and you know we got a ton of questions to ask because they reached out, they got a story to tell us they got a story, man, so let's go with it and, gentlemen, let's toast the ladies real fast ladies, please raise your glass alright salute alright, ladies, and once again, thank you for joining us tonight and we want to take the time and go through and, you know, find out the history of the pink ladies that we we know that there's another group here in michigan, but we didn't know that there was another group that was, just, as you know, influential down there with the cigar culture. So definitely want to have that conversation with you guys and then let us know how you came about.
Speaker 3: 1:30
Yeah.
Speaker 5: 1:32
I'm Stacey Crawford and I founded the group we started in January, I think January 11th of this year, Okay, and it all started about two years ago. I had never smoked a cigarette, never smoked anything, and about two years ago my friend Teresa her cousin, had asked us to go to a cigar lounge. So we went and he taught us a lot about the cigars and we tried them and we liked nothing. Yeah, we didn't know anything.
Speaker 2: 2:01
It's usually the way it works with everybody.
Speaker 4: 2:03
But it was just something new that my cousin brought to me and said, hey, come and hang out with me, bring some of your friends, and I'm like I don't smoke cinars. And he said, well, I'm going to show you. And he did like a whole editorial, although it was. It was with five of us and we all sat around and we learned very quickly and we took. We were like, okay, this is nice and smooth you know, how to smoke. Don't smoke like a cigarette absolutely right, don't smoke like a cigarette.
Speaker 4: 2:40
That's the reason why our show is called Puffin Drink and we're the only ones out of our group that kind of stuck with it, and so we started doing our little meeting with the girls and everything. And then she did the phone, the big lady.
Speaker 5: 2:57
And how that came about was there's a men's cigar club here in Toledo called Wise Guys and I wanted to be a part of that and they told me, no, because I'm a woman, I'm not really doing that. So then I was dating someone in the group and he broke off and started his own cigar club and I thought, oh well, I'm all in now.
Speaker 2: 3:17
I know that's right. I guess he didn't want y'all to play in the sandbox, huh.
Speaker 5: 3:23
He said no, it's only for men. I said okay, I got you. I said I'm going to start my own club.
Speaker 3: 3:28
So in.
Speaker 5: 3:28
October of last year I said I'm going to start my own club and I had said it for the first time on a cigar cruise and Ruby was on the cruise, her and her husband and I said I'm going to start my own ladies-only cigar club called Pape Ladies, and then in January it became alive Alright awesome Cigar crew.
Speaker 1: 3:44
That's interesting. So a question I have. So the guy taught you guys how to smoke a cigar. So one, what type of cigar was it? And my second question, I just want to get these two out. Well, we love sweets.
Speaker 4: 4:04
The sweets taste. You know, all women we like something that tastes good Sweets. We kind of grabbed us. Okay, he had the aftertaste. He had a friend who actually had his own cigars and then he had different flavors, infused, infused. He had a farm of apple and then we had, like different flavors like infuser and infused cigar was really good oh okay. So that kind of grabbed us, and then it had one that was actually at the place we were at, called groovy groovy blue groovy blue that's what he was are smoking right now.
Speaker 1: 4:46
Okay, I'm going to have to try that one.
Speaker 2: 4:49
The Ruby Blue it tastes like blueberry. It's like a blueberry taste to it. I've had that before in everything else.
Speaker 4: 4:57
That's what kind of grabbed us. Anything that we can taste, that's free, tastes good. Then we start venturing out more of the harsher, you know, cigars. Okay, it's learning, we're just learning, so we just kind of get our feet wet and different, you know Right right, right, right.
Speaker 1: 5:16
So I'm not sure if you watch one of our shows Hopefully a lot of them, right? We actually talked about what a bad cigar is and what to look out for, so you guys have to go back and look at that episode. Yeah, but to you guys' point all women, not just women, like to sweet cigars. I started on an Acid Cuba, cuba, oh yeah, which is an infused cigar, and I've bitched off a little bit. Yeah, which is an infused cigar, and I, you know, bitched off a little bit, but I always come back to them. So you guys aren't the only ones that started off on these sweet cigars, right?
Speaker 5: 5:56
My favorite ones are any of the Desmond, any of the ladies. Those are my ladies.
Speaker 1: 6:00
Oh yes.
Speaker 5: 6:01
Oh, yes, okay.
Speaker 1: 6:03
Yes, lady with no name was my last one I had.
Speaker 5: 6:06
She's actually smoking the new one.
Speaker 1: 6:10
Oh nice, which one was that one?
Speaker 4: 6:15
The Deadwood, dominican, we call it. Lady B, we call it.
Speaker 2: 6:18
Lady B. Lady B.
Speaker 4: 6:23
All right, all right.
Speaker 1: 6:27
We will make it a name. We'll shorten it.
Speaker 2: 6:28
Okay, all right, all right, ok All right Now we also I'd like to refer to ourselves as somewhat culinary cooks we have a unique venue that we're going to start doing, where we're hunters and we're going to do a fill-the-fork segment. We're also going to pair our liquors and our smokes. Trust me, it's not going to be barbaric or anything like that it could be.
Speaker 5: 6:55
Think of it how.
Speaker 2: 6:56
Hannibal Lecter had to put his displays in the room. It's going to be decadent.
Speaker 5: 7:03
It's going to be decadent, it's going to be guys yeah, right well, you know how men started the cigar smoking, but there's a lot of women that smoke cigars now yeah, most definitely just in one year it went from like four, four hundred and something to a million oh, wow yeah, I can see that I could.
Speaker 1: 7:27
So the pink ladies are how many strong?
Speaker 5: 7:30
now, and it's actually pink lady cigar club, but we, we would like a society. Okay as of right now we have 20 members and we've decided to cap it at 20. Right now, we have 20 members and we've decided to cap it at 20.
Speaker 1: 7:45
Oh nice that's smart.
Speaker 2: 7:46
So, out of curiosity, the ladies that are in the room with you, Mary. I'm sorry, Stacy, will you introduce them or will they introduce themselves?
Speaker 5: 7:56
I can introduce them in the next time. This is Keisha. She goes by Kiki Hi Kiki.
Speaker 2: 8:02
That Kiki right there. Y'all All right, I'm Kiki. Hi Kiki. That Kiki right there y'all All right.
Speaker 6: 8:06
I'm Kiki in Toledo, but I moved here from Detroit.
Speaker 2: 8:10
Okay, okay. Okay, sorry to hear that, but okay, go on. Exactly.
Speaker 5: 8:16
This is Teresa. She's the one who started it with me. It was her cousin who invited us out. Yes, and then this is Ruby, hi Ruby, we love Ruby.
Speaker 1: 8:26
Okay, All right.
Speaker 5: 8:29
Ruby, it's the best woman.
Speaker 2: 8:32
Okay, all right, that's good. That's good to get. So what do you guys do? Do you guys have any events or anything like that lined up in the next, say, six months, or anything like that?
Speaker 4: 8:43
Yes, we do. Can you tell me what time it is? So, is it August 16th?
Speaker 3: 8:46
up in the next, say, six months, or anything like that. Yes, you do so. August 16th oh, it's coming up. August 16th, we have an event that we are hosting with the male club. That wouldn't let our friends in, so we had to start our own, and so we'll be out.
Speaker 2: 9:04
Why are y'all associating with them then? They want to let y'all in the door, but y'all can party with us.
Speaker 6: 9:15
I really tried to get them to let us in. My husband is the vice president.
Speaker 2: 9:20
Okay, so there's some connection. I wanted to be wise guys and dolls and gals and they were like no, so it was like okay.
Speaker 6: 9:24
So there's some connections. I wanted to be with these wise guys and dolls and gals and they were like no. So I was like whatever. So we were just going to do an event with them, just to support each other, okay.
Speaker 1: 9:35
You had to cut him off to let you in.
Speaker 5: 9:37
Right. They're very supportive of us, so we are supportive of them.
Speaker 4: 9:43
Okay, good, good, good yeah they just want that at the end. But you know.
Speaker 1: 9:47
All right, hey, like I said, you got to cut him off, yeah.
Speaker 2: 9:53
You probably will. Do you, ladies, have any merchandise that you're promoting at all, or just getting started?
Speaker 6: 10:00
No, they have been around for almost five years. Okay, they do do things for the community. They do food baskets, that type of thing. I think last year they did school supplies type of thing, and so they have their own thing. But I think they're starting to see that they probably should have let us in. I think they're starting to see that it's always nice to have a ladies touch.
Speaker 2: 10:25
Is that because you're married to one of the members? That could possibly be the case, maybe.
Speaker 6: 10:32
I tell them look y'all, do y'all thing, we do our thing, We'll get together A meeting in the middle. I think they're starting to see the benefit of having ladies around, we make everything elegant.
Speaker 4: 10:45
They like what we do Sometimes you make it complicated.
Speaker 2: 10:50
Well, let's, we won't go in there. That's another topic for another show.
Speaker 5: 10:58
We just require a thousand dollar deposit.
Speaker 2: 11:02
See there, we go, there it is.
Speaker 1: 11:03
I saw that.
Speaker 2: 11:07
She already said, a thousand dollar deposit. That was a hell of an episode, so apparently somebody's watching our shows.
Speaker 1: 11:18
That's a good thing. We appreciate it.
Speaker 3: 11:22
So that event is at Crocs, that is, on Arlington in Toledo, ohio. So if you guys are free, come hang down with us. We'd love to see you Next.
Speaker 5: 11:30
Saturday, from 6 to 10.
Speaker 1: 11:33
Okay, Next Saturday 6 to 10.
Speaker 5: 11:34
We're going to do lots of giveaways every hour. So, yeah, it's going to be a good time You'll be able to follow the. Peak Ladies and all of the Wise Guys.
Speaker 1: 11:44
It's a combined event. Okay, just send us the information. We'll do our best to share Yep.
Speaker 6: 11:49
We will definitely make sure you get it.
Speaker 2: 11:52
Well, I think you guys have been placing different ads and stuff different things on our Facebook page, and so definitely continue to do so.
Speaker 1: 11:59
Yeah.
Speaker 2: 11:59
Right, you know, that way we'll get it out to the masses and go from there.
Speaker 6: 12:03
Yeah. So, September the 20th, we're going to be doing a really really nice big event at a spot called the Cigar Affair, which is in Maumee. It's like an outdoor patio, yeah, it's in and out.
Speaker 2: 12:23
Is that near the cornfield? No, I'm just messing with y'all. I'm just messing with y'all.
Speaker 5: 12:32
I'm just messing with y'all.
Speaker 2: 12:38
You know I travel back and forth to Ohio a lot in Chillicothe and in Hebron. That's why I was like, is that near the cornfield?
Speaker 1: 12:46
They don't know me. That's just like a walleye. Oh it, that's just like a walleye.
Speaker 2: 12:50
Oh, it is.
Speaker 1: 12:51
It's a walleye. It's a walleye.
Speaker 6: 12:54
So that is going to be Stacey's bringing someone in that is, I don't know, the bourbon guy, joe Wilson.
Speaker 2: 13:04
Oh, joe, okay, you guys are familiar with. Joe I see respect in him, though he's a Q. You know we can't all be. You know sickness, we can't. We can't all, but you know.
Speaker 4: 13:19
He did a wonderful editorial. He taught us a lot.
Speaker 1: 13:23
He did. You know what he did the same for us Very detailed, very together.
Speaker 5: 13:30
Yeah, he does Very detailed, very put together. So his taste testing will be four different bourbons and you get a cigar, okay, Okay, joe, making his way from one end to the other. Very well, said I actually met Joe at one of the Puffy with my pearls events. Marissa, their founder, had introduced me to him. So yeah, that's how that kind of tuned in Okay.
Speaker 2: 13:55
Okay.
Speaker 4: 13:56
So we just invited him to the next event that we have.
Speaker 1: 14:01
Okay, nice guy, nice guy.
Speaker 2: 14:04
So now I heard you guys mention earlier that you kind of sort of stay to the infused or the sweet type of cigars. So have you, have your other members started venturing out or gotten to the point where they want to try you know, I don't know, a fat bottom Betty.
Speaker 4: 14:21
That's Deadwood, that's what.
Speaker 1: 14:24
I want to try, that's. Deadwood, not just Deadwood, that's a Drew Estate. So Drew Estate has a Drew Estate, drew Estate. Drew Estate has a lot of good cigars.
Speaker 6: 14:34
One thing that I did. One of you all mentioned the Zola Upsetters.
Speaker 1: 14:39
Oh yeah, the Django.
Speaker 2: 14:43
Oh, the Django, but there is a green wrapper one.
Speaker 6: 14:48
I don't know that it's a part L, something or another, it's just the green.
Speaker 1: 14:53
Okay.
Speaker 6: 14:54
And that one amazing.
Speaker 1: 14:57
Is it by Upsetters? Yes, oh okay, let's do that one, it is.
Speaker 6: 15:01
Now I have a soda, okay, and I did smoke it and it was good, but that green wrapper one, absolutely, absolutely, is that?
Speaker 2: 15:11
a new one.
Speaker 1: 15:13
I haven't seen that one either.
Speaker 2: 15:14
Yeah.
Speaker 1: 15:17
Okay, you'll make me go out and buy it. Yeah, we will.
Speaker 2: 15:21
Yeah, we will.
Speaker 6: 15:23
If you think that Zola one smells good, it can hold a candle to the green one.
Speaker 1: 15:27
Okay.
Speaker 6: 15:30
And also just to further information about the September 20th event. There's a gentleman named Dennis Hobson that has a mobile cigar lounge and he's a retired NBA player that went to Ohio State. He's going to be at our event with his mobile.
Speaker 4: 15:51
Yeah, where you can go in and you can smoke and you know.
Speaker 2: 15:54
Now. Is he local to Toledo? Yes, Okay. Because we saw a lot of the mobile Commitadors popping up around the early of the summer too. Quite a few of them here.
Speaker 5: 16:06
This one doesn't. This one. Many of the others compared to this one. This one is pure luxury.
Speaker 2: 16:12
It's beautiful. Oh, now I see, okay.
Speaker 4: 16:14
You guys got to come so you can see it for yourselves.
Speaker 1: 16:17
Most definitely.
Speaker 5: 16:20
Dennis played for the Bulls, he played for the 76ers. He graduated from Ohio State and he's from Toledo, so he's very well known there.
Speaker 2: 16:28
Oh, okay.
Speaker 1: 16:31
September 20th at the Cigar Fair downtown on Main Street that brings us to a point in our show where we talk about a good pairing, Good pairing cigar. If you guys want to venture off from the sweet tips and I have with this one, the man.
Speaker 2: 17:03
O' War Abomination, and you mix that with a 1792 full body bourbon oh, I'm getting thirsty now, yeah, so you try that one and let me know how you like it.
Speaker 1: 17:13
Yeah, so that's $17.92. It's got a black ring around the neck. It's $125, proof you probably take about two drinks with that one and a cigar that abomination and it might put you down.
Speaker 2: 17:27
And put the sign up that says leave the pill alone. Yeah, I'm hearing a lot about that one.
Speaker 1: 17:30
Abomination.
Speaker 5: 17:30
And I might put you down and put the sign up. That's going to leave you alone. I'm hearing a lot about that one.
Speaker 1: 17:33
Yeah, so it's a man o' war Abomination, so it's got like a Spartan helmet on it and everything. So that lets you know it's a warrior. Oh stop.
Speaker 2: 17:47
It should be Wolverine-ish Ladies. Where can we find y'all If we want to look for you? Are you on Facebook, youtube, instagram? What are your channels?
Speaker 5: 18:02
We're just on Facebook. Right now it's PeepLadyCigarClub-Toledo.
Speaker 2: 18:07
Okay.
Speaker 5: 18:08
We have about 130 members on the page right now, so we have a good dash Toledo. Okay, we have about 130 members on the page right now, so we have a good following, okay, okay.
Speaker 1: 18:15
I think one of them is us right.
Speaker 2: 18:17
Yeah, I'm in there already, and the guys? Are going to be joining.
Speaker 5: 18:21
Oh yeah, yep, we put all of our events on the Facebook page and I also wanted to just let everyone know that we're not just about smoking cigars, we also do volunteering. We're going to be volunteering for the Cherry Street Mission here, which is for the homeless, the shelter for the homeless, and then at the end of the year we're going to be doing a charity where we'll friend a family and do a donation to them around the holidays and Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Speaker 2: 18:52
All right, awesome, see, if people don't understand. It's not just about smoking a cigar either. We do that as a relaxation.
Speaker 1: 19:01
That's what we do you know?
Speaker 4: 19:02
but it and for us it's like a sisterhood, because now we have different ages, different women, and we're all coming together. We all have a story to tell, we all have conversation, which is nice, because it's hard to get a lot of women together and just have a real good vibe. And all the women that have been coming in our group. Oh my God, it's been amazing and we love it. We love it. We love meeting new people.
Speaker 5: 19:31
I love every single member that we have, from all different walks of life, different ages, and when we come together it's a party, we laugh, and an event that might last an hour is a last of three hours.
Speaker 4: 19:46
We get together Right. We have a lot to say we understand.
Speaker 1: 19:55
Yeah, absolutely, absolutely okay, gang.
Speaker 2: 19:58
Well, ladies, we most definitely appreciate you hanging out with us, absolutely, and we have to give you our catchphrase. So whenever you're hanging with us, we want you to always sip slow, sip, smooth and sip with us. Yes, as always.
Speaker 5: 20:16
Let us sip smooth and sip with you.
Speaker 2: 20:18
There you go. We thank you all for coming on the show tonight. Thank you Go, lions there we go Always. One hour, no Cleveland Browns. Always One hour no Cleveland Browns, no Bengals either Thank you, gentlemen? Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1: 20:43
Y'all have a good night. Thank you, ladies, thank you Cool. So another good episode, absolutely. We're still live, gentlemen, we're still live.
Speaker 2: 20:55
I'm still talking there we go.
Speaker 3: 20:57
Let's go with it. Let's go with it.
Speaker 2: 20:59
So now, since we're gang, we're going to be a little off the cuff. All right, I say we be a little off the cuff. All right, I say we get a little raunchy today.
Speaker 1: 21:05
All right, all right, what you got, what you got, oh my goodness, here we go, here we go he's going to get his ass?
Speaker 2: 21:11
No, diddler.
Speaker 1: 21:12
No diddler, no diddler.
Speaker 2: 21:13
No diddler, go here Now. Aspen. We've sent various videos amongst one another and I kind of like the liberal freedom that we've been seeing from some of our women folk and ladies. One of the things that we've been saying and I'm just going to throw it out there when were you when we were growing up? I done seen some shit. It's been horrible shit out there, man.
Speaker 1: 21:46
It's absolutely horrible, I'm not going to say horrible.
Speaker 2: 21:51
No, not horrible. Well, you're right, it is.
Speaker 1: 21:55
Oh, my God, wow, this is one of my things. When did this body painting start taking off? I mean, these women are butt naked, yeah, yeah, yeah, butt naked, just with body paint on. They got the body paint.
Speaker 2: 22:08
They got all this other stuff.
Speaker 1: 22:09
And some of the positions they showing lips. Yeah, yeah, that's. So now they're getting away with this. Hey, hey, it's the internet.
Speaker 2: 22:19
I'm not trying to tell them. I'm not trying to tell them, I'm not saying anything wrong. Yeah, he said I ain't trying to say nothing wrong, yeah yeah, I'm just curious they're doing splits and current wheels and yeah, there's some crazy shit out there like wow should we be taking the body painting lessons?
Speaker 2: 22:41
you know I'll cover this month's tuition Because you know that's what it is. They're all going to college. They're all going to college, everybody's going to college. But you know, I guess the question is, has it been undercover with the freedom that everybody's had? I think it's a liberation. I think it's a liberation.
Speaker 5: 23:02
I think it's a liberation.
Speaker 2: 23:04
I think that you know, if we're going to be honest with each other, I think that the stuff that we see on the internet is because people who did these things in the quiet spaces you know they don't have to be quiet about it anymore. You know? I mean, we've seen, you know and I know our women folks. They've seen these guys say some things that blew them away. You know, no different than we've seen some things where you know these females saying some things that blew us away as well.
Speaker 2: 23:33
You know, but I think it's just. You know, it's the Internet itself it allows you to be free.
Speaker 1: 23:38
This is the Me Too era.
Speaker 2: 23:41
Well, me Too era. It came out right after that, and them too Once they started coming out, everybody started coming out with everything it's like. Why be quiet about it anymore?
Speaker 1: 23:53
How far is it going? Good question.
Speaker 2: 23:56
Everybody always used to say I did that in college.
Speaker 1: 24:02
Well, no, think about it.
Speaker 2: 24:03
Now we're going to be honest. Only fans you know you talk about how far has it gone? You know that was the only fans you know. You ain't never heard of nothing like that. What was it Five, six years ago? Or something like that. I think it's been about that long, maybe a little longer. But, there ain't nothing about no dang OnlyFans, and all of a sudden you got these people who are paying to watch other folks do what should be done behind closed doors. Again liberation it's the liberation of the internet man, it's just liberation, and you ain't never seen no shit like that.
Speaker 1: 24:42
Each day I'm surprised.
Speaker 2: 24:45
It gets more and more weirder and stranger by the day. Wait until AI, because now AI is about to hit that shit real hard.
Speaker 1: 24:52
Oh man, the AI with the babies. Yes, yes, I'm still like.
Speaker 2: 24:55
Bigfoot. Yeah, the baby's talking, yeah, the baby's talking, the baby's talking and you got.
Speaker 5: 25:00
Yetii and Squatch and Downsie and Downsie my boy, we're going to hell for that one.
Speaker 2: 25:08
Take us out of here, nigga, take us out of here.
Speaker 1: 25:14
Alright, so I guess it's coming to the close of our show.
Speaker 2: 25:18
Okay, yeah, hey, we all want to thank you guys for tuning in. I mean, we, we treasure you guys as an audience. Yes, love, all the way around. My name is Rodney Q. Love signing out, and I'm Byron B, I'm Jimmy Jefferson and once again, thank you all and thank the pink ladies and hopefully we'll see you all again. Yeah absolutely Toast out, gents.
Speaker 1: 25:41
Yesents.
Speaker 3: 25:41
Yes, cheers, I've already tossed mine back, but I got it.
