Episode 176 - Ray Prodanoff

You're listening to the only place on the internet that offers the perfect blend of high-quality premium cigars and cryptocurrency news and commentary. Welcome to cigars and crypto. Now here's your host, Invest New York. Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to this episode of cigars and crypto. You know who it is. You should boy know where to tell you. I always give you guys premium crypto content,

but today I am honored to have Ray Prattinoff with me today so that we can discuss cigars. Ray, how are you, sir? Hey, not too much. I appreciate you joining me. Thank you so much for accepting my invitation. I'm not a cigar magazine, obviously, but back in Bulgaria, I'm born in Bulgaria. And all that magazines, there was a few magazines under one umbrella. All that magazines

start creating parties and events and everything like that. And there's always been a sponsors company who bring, you know, booze, alcohol, a non-alcohol experience to play the cigars, of course. And that's how I start basically from curiosity, everyone smoking. And I say, yeah, I'll try, of course, as well. And I would say that, that was the first cigars I smoke. I don't remember what they are.

I guess there will be a Cuban cigars because back in the time, there was a mostly 99% Cuban Cuban market in Bulgaria. And first few years, I really don't, well, I smoke cigars by don't count them because I don't know what I smoke. Am I smoke fake cigars? Am I smoke Cuban expensive cheap? I have really no idea. That was my very first touch to the

cigars. That's an awesome. You know, everyone has their entry into the cigar lifestyle. And it's very unique that your experience started with 99% Cubans because of the market that you were in. And you've been smoking for quite a while now. So I think my next question is going to be Cuban or noncuban. What are your favorites? Well, both. You come, you can't say, you're not going

to be a Cuban. You choose one of the others. You know, they both have their minuses. They have their pluses, their specific tastes, their rumors. I can't, I can't choose one of the another. Excellent answer. You know, I have a lot of people who, they are diametrically opposed to one or the other. I have some friends who are Cuban only and I have some friends who

are new world only. And I enjoy the experience of trying new things. I like to be surprised. I like to be wild by new cigars from new places. And I'm constantly looking for boutiques to try that have different blends and tobacco from different regions. So I really like knowing that you're open to any experience related to cigar smoking and that you don't have a preference in

terms of overall region for tobacco that you smoke. So when you think about a good cigar, you can see that there's a lot of things that you can't do. Right. Tell me the maybe top two top three things in your mind that qualify a good cigar, even if it's just the experience, but what top two or three things make a good cigar? Ah, that's, that's interesting.

Okay. You know, there's always cigars which everyone prefer more than the others. That's that's one on one of mine. But I would say the first thing, the most important thing is, with who you're smoking. Of course, you can smoke alone, but you can smoke with a nice friend and company. And then the cigars, doesn't really care that much. The experience combined between the nice conversation, nice

friends, nice chat and the cigars with them. That's my most important thing. The other side is if you're smoking alone. So there will be a book, there will be a podcast, even something towards sport or anything. That's a different experience. So I need complete difference. You guys in both occasions. And they can be favorite stuff. If you, if you get in me. Yeah. Oh, yeah. I

totally understand you and I are ideologically aligned there. For me, the company, the experience is more important to me than the actual cigar that I'm smoking. Now, I'm not going to be able to do that. No one wants to smoke a bad cigar. And everyone has their idea of what a bad cigar is. But I think the experience when you're smoking a cigar really, really resonates

with you, especially in the future. When you go back and you look at the brand that you smoke, you remember, hey, I was doing this when I smoked that cigar and I really, really liked it. And I think I'm going to grab it again. You know what I mean? Yeah, of course, completely. Even the way you're feeling today, you know, if you have a really bad

feeling, you can have a bad day, even if you smoke, I don't know, opus eggs or behike or Monte Cristo, whatever, very expensive cigar. You're not going to fix your mood probably. But if you, if you know, the best mood in the world, you can smoke the cheapest cigar ever, you know, something which is not usually your type and you still be happy and you enjoy

it. It's, it's in feelings. So very true. So very true. So, I am big on interesting and unique and weird pairings. Right. I like to pair cigars with not the typical bourbon or whiskey or run, but I'm into weird pairings. Do you have any pairings that work for you? Oh, welcome in my garden. Yeah. So first of all, I also like to try new stuff. I'm

UK. We don't have that much of a choice and stuff. So I need to relate to my friends around the world to find me some rare stuff sticks. Even the cigar smoking now smoking as a desire. Cook dog. Cookie dog. So it's a very not easy to find cigar for me, but pairings. Yeah. I, one of my latest experiments with the pairings. I like Jaggermeister with

cigars. I like Don Benedictin. They have quite similar records. That's with the alcohol pairings probably. I try with some book. It didn't work for me. Don't try. If you don't, if you haven't, I'm going to try it. Not working. It's too sweet. Some book is awful. So it doesn't work. But I would say if you don't, if you're not on a colleague stuff, milk, fresh milk.

It is refreshing. Your palate almost after every puff and you can enjoy the cigar like brand new smoke, which is weird, but it's work. That's interesting. I've never heard that. Now, I know, immediately I like to pair some of my cigars with Fennel. Fennel milkshakes. So I've never heard fresh milk, but that is interesting. Yeah. Just a glass of fresh milk. No sugar. No, nothing. Just

a pure milk. And as I said, because usually the milk, a lot of people, especially if you take, if you know, industry where you're tasting a lot of cigars and everything, they use the milk to refresh your palate between the cigars because the milk kept that. Obviously, you know, that, that thinking in inside. And I found it nice to pair the cigar, especially if you smoke

a strong dark, mature or a very double, triple, like, a cigar. It's really nice pairing to fresh milk. All right, folks, you heard it. Something new for us. You gotta get grabbing some fresh milk. Light up your favorites of God. Refresh that palate. Don't blow your palate out. So, right. You know, for me, I, I have been playing around a little bit. I'm glad with tequila

and sake. And it's a very unique experience. I really enjoy on YeHo and Repricado tequila. When drinking. I mean, when smoking a cigar, no ice room temperature. Just a nice pour of on YeHo tequila tequila as I'm smoking the cigar. And it really works for me. But I have been putting it on my mind. I've been planning around the last couple of months with hot sake

and cigars. And it is an amazing experience. So if you get a chance, grab yourself some hot sake and have a good cigar. And let me know what you think about that. I'd be curious to get your thoughts. It sounds interesting. I'm agree with you on the tequila. So I'm not a bourbon or whiskey drinker at all. So I love rum tequila brandy. That's my usual

pairing. But yeah, I'm on you. I don't really need no ice. I'm not sipping not short so anything like that. On you, who of course, I'm not fun on the white and the pasta, the pasta, the stuff. But on you who is always good to roll. But sake, I try a few times, but not with the hot sake. Try with cold. And I didn't work. Honestly,

I didn't enjoy it. Yeah. Yeah. My first time was with cold sake. And it didn't work for me. Room temperature sake didn't work for me. But hot sake was amazing. And I don't know why. I loved it. So yeah, it's an it's a great thing, man. Well, we'll keep in mind. There you go. So what are you into nowadays? I happen to bump into you on

Facebook in a cigar room. And I watched a video of you on YouTube. Why you were speaking to one of my former guests, Mitchell Orchard. What are you into nowadays? What are you up to? I'm I'm I'm I'm I like to say I'm mostly cigar geek. So I do a lot of different stuff into the into the cigar world. If the video you watch, it's a

part of my channel. I am cohost in a YouTube channel with another guy. We're doing interviews with interesting people from the industry mostly in UK, because as I say, we obviously based in UK. We try a few zoom sessions as well with Jose Blanco and a few other guests. The show is mostly questions and answers, not not like testing sessions or anything, but I just basically

more historical part of the history of everyone in the industry. I'm also cigar familiar qualified by the international cigar familiar situation. I'm cigar consultant. So I'm consulting all kind of events parties and everything related to the cigars. I've seen a blog in a few blogs in a light em up world. It's my main to go blog and it's not my blog, but I'm invite there to

written often. I'm a part of the tasting panel of the cigar journal. I know you guys in the in the States, you have the cigar fish and other we in Europe have way more influence by the cigar journal. And I have the owner to be one of the people which should have even the cigars in that magazine. And yeah, that's some of the stuff I'm doing.

That sounds like a lot to me, bro. Yeah. Sounds like a whole lot to me. So when let's let's let's back up a little bit. I want to talk about the YouTube channel and the guests that you talk to. How did that come about? Well, we because probably in UK, I've been on many many events and places with the people. And they used to know me

by name, by face. I've never been anything, never do anything back to anyone. I helped them with a lot of stuff in the cigar world. And basically when we decide who we want to be our guest because there was a quite interesting people. So how can family, if you know, then the owners of the David of shop in London more than 40 years, there was one

of our guests. The ex Nikolai Gohan ambassador of the in UK was another guest to Ricardo Caryone. So every time I'm going to be a guest, I'm going to be a guest. When we approach someone, they're more than happy to be our guests, you know, they know we can do the stuff right. We try to make them more professional than some of the other channels. Obviously,

the people are working it. The professional stories apart, you know, apart a site of the cigar stuff they're doing. And they have, you know, all the professional equipment and everything that I don't need to worry about. And I think we look slightly more professional than many of the people. And the content is more deep than some of the other channels. And maybe that's why the people

agreed to come in and be our guests. Yeah, I think when you put out a good product, acquiring people to talk with you is a lot easier. I like my audio format, but at some point, I'm going to transition to video. Because the audience is a lot larger and a lot wider. But I think it's really cool that you had the UK, the Nicaragua ambassador to

the UK on your show. I think that is. Just amazing, bro. Most people would not think to do something like that. And you've actually given me an idea. And I think I want to try to catch the Nicaragua ambassador to the United States to see if we could talk cigars. Yeah, some of them. And the gentleman on the lady I have no idea who's in the

States. But definitely they will be involved in the cigars. They will smoke cigars. And that's one of their pride. You know, Nicaragua is, you know, a part of chocolate, gold and some others. They're Nicaraguan cigars. That's the pride. And especially the US market. It's the biggest market for Nicaraguan cigars. So definitely they will be a great, great thing in your show. Yeah, I appreciate that pro

tip, my friend. I'm definitely going to reach out to them and see if I can. I can get them on the show so we can definitely talk tobacco. Let me ask another question. You're a consultant for events. Did you say that? Did I catch that right? Yes, I'm a cigar consultant. I don't know how to use because it's not a standard position for someone in the

company or anything. I'm just consulting all kind of stuff related with the cigars, even events sometimes. How is it planning an event, a cigar event in the UK? So here in the US, it can be a little challenging because of local ordinances. But what's that process like when you set up an event in the UK and just how does that work? Well, it's first of all,

I need a lot of information from the people. You know, I'm doing events for people. My events, which I organized, they're not big as, you know, don't imagine like 500 people or anything. We're talking for 20 to 20. 40 people maximum. That's the events I'm organizing. They're more like private meetings or some people decide to have a private party or it's a company which wants to

have a cigar party, cigar event organized. So that's what they ask me. And yeah, I need more information as possible. Like, you know, how many people are they smoking before? Are they not smoking before? What kind of cigars? More than one cigar person, you know, if it's a longer event, it could be two, three, four cigars, I'm organizing quizzes, so usually cigar related quizzes. All kind

of difference depends, depends of the how the event, you know, wants to be how the person who wants that event, looking to what you're looking to achieve. I'm sometimes I'm like a speaker on the event, I explain a lot of stuff of the history of the specific cigar, all the cigars. Even like a familiar sometimes I help them cut in the cigars light and it's all

different. Every event is completely different and that's why it's so interesting. You know, as I say, if I'm organizing event, it's more with the close friends which smoke cigars. We usually grab some new cigar, try to test it, discuss it or just chilling out and have a nice drink and cigar. It's different. Yeah, and that sounds fun, man. I would love to be able to do

something like that here. Have a big, a herf here, like a big park in the state where I live. That would be absolutely amazing. I may have to plan. I may pick your brain over the next couple months, man, to get to the best practices, you know what I mean? Absolutely. I'm here. If you need anything advice, anything. Or even I might come down and see

you down there. Hey, that'd be great, man. Yeah, I've organized events in Dubai, in Austria and the Balkans. So I don't mind traveling in, you know, see people love that. Yeah, man, that sounds great. So do you have a favorite cigar? I can't stop on you once you got a lot of people ask me, you know, what's your desert island cigar? You know, if you're on

a desert island, you can't pick one cigar. I honestly, my answer is, if I need to pick one cigar, I will stop smoking. It will be boring. I can't smoke. I can't imagine myself smoke exactly the same cigar all the time. Interesting. Impossible. You know, even if you think about whatever is your favorite cigar, your limited amount of that cigar, after 10, 15, 20 days, one

month, you get bored of that cigar. You want something different. So that's what I have to ask which I like. Yes, I prefer specific brands, but I try everything else as a ambassador and a fish and other and part of the tasting panel and journalists and everything. I need to know what everyone offers on the table. Even if, as you say, some cigars, you might not

be good as the others, but I need to try them. I'm not afraid trying new stuff and weird stuff. Yeah, you know, for me personally, I love boutiques. I am always actively seeking cigars that are not made in Cuba, Dominican Republic or Nicaragua, because I'm looking for that unique experience, you know what I mean? Yeah, of course. Yeah. If you want a specific console on the

cigar, specific name, you need to ask me a brand. Ask me a brand and I'll give you which line I like. No, actually, you gave me a great answer. I like the answer that you gave me. I do have a go to cigar, but that go to cigar is because I don't smoke it all the time. If I smoked it all the time, then I will

probably hate it after a while. It's very unique. I don't think any other manufacturer uses on Bergonka leaf in their cigars. If they do, I would love to find it. So that I could try it. But I like to dabble. I like to search and find new things. I am actively working through my network of people in Central and South America to find cigars made in

Brazil, Panama, Honduras, Costa Rica, different tobacco. I had a really good experience with the cigar made in Africa. It was a unique experience and those flavors were pretty good to me. Now, some people may or may not like it, but going back to what we discussed earlier, the experience has a lot to do with the way you view and perceive a cigar. And when I smoked

that cigar for the first time, I had a really good experience. And I'm looking forward to smoking that one again. But that's just kind of an example of what I'm looking for. Something so different, so unique, the region, everything that I'll go out of my way to find it. Sounds perfect. Yeah, it's, yeah, it's, you're quite similar to myself. I'm pretty much the same way. I'm

always looking for a new stuff. Even if I smoke an amazing cigar, a mind blowing cigar, I'm always wanting to find something different. And I have a huge passion for the vintage stuff, not only Cubans. Cubans are one of the type. I start a long time ago, I start collecting vintage German stuff, vintage Netherlands, Dutch, French. I've got cigars which are more than 100 years old

and they are still smokeable. So that is another passion of mine, which is crazy. Wow. See, that's what I'm talking about because I did not know that are these like French German Netherlands puros or is it tobacco imported in from somewhere else in the country? It's important. You know, in Europe is not many places where you can actually grow a decent tobacco, especially in the northern

countries like Germany and Netherlands. So Germany, for example, they use two different tobacco. They use Brazilian tobacco and Sumatra Indonesian Subatra. And really back back in the time, they use Cuban for a little bit, but maybe that Cuban stopped giving them more tobacco. That's why the Germans go back to the Sumatra and the Brazilian Matafina. And the cigars usually dry cure technology. Some of them are

short. Some of them are long. Usually in a nice perfect with those, they don't have a standard robustus or you know, pariecho, that kind of stuff. It's always nice oval double perfect small size. And they have a lot of paper, a lot of kick, even if they are 100 years old, they still kicking out. So. Listeners, where we can find and follow you online via your

social media. You can find me in Instagram, Ray Protonov. Same name as what you, what you present me. So it's exactly with my name, same, same in Facebook, Ray Protonov with double F on the end. My name is quite unique. So there's no other people with that name. So you can, you can get wrong there. Yeah, that's what what a mostly active social media Facebook and

Instagram. YouTube, the channel is called cigar rant as well. You can mistake that as well. It's, you'll see my face over there on all every video and everything. So yeah, the guy with the heart. Right. Thank you so much for joining me today. I really do appreciate you accepting my invitation. And I really loved this discussion. I learned a lot. I know my listeners did. And

I'm looking forward to having you back on so that we can discuss those pairings. Make sure you try that. Thanks for having me. Thanks for the invitation. Of course. I'm always happy to speak with the fellow brother of the leaf. And you know, even even if you're not close to me, if you are in the States, I'm in the other side of the pump. It's always

a pleasure. As a safe, you need me for anything. We can have a chat. We can discuss anything. I'll definitely try the sake. I'm very intrigued now. And I'm even thinking that do I have a second now in my in my house? And shall I go and warm it up? There you go, my friend. Take care. Okay. Perfect.