Ready to get metaphysical over cigars? "Everything is an experience," says sensory expert and cigar passionado Reinhard Pohorec. And what a vision quest this entrepreneur is on since he joined UberLuxury cigar brand Meerapfel as its vice president. You might recognize Reinhard as host of the live cigar podcast, Light 'em Up Lounge, where he talks to cigar insiders. Tables turn as Boveda's Drew Emmer interviews Reinhard to talk first cigars, work-life balance, and finding your purpose.

What is Boveda? Luxury and craft cigars brands protect their blends with Boveda 2-way humidity control—that brown pack that you find in the box with your cigars. Boveda preserves the flavor and character of premium cigars by keeping them at ideal humidity. At home, continue to use Boveda in your humidor to keep cigars well-humidified or they can be hard to light, burn to too fast or get moldy. With Boveda in your humidor, you'll enjoy full flavor and a perfect smoke from every cigar.

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(upbeat rock music)

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(gentle guitar music)

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- There's a story inside every smoke shop,

4

with every cigar and with every person.

5

Come be a part of the

cigar lifestyle at Boveda.

6

This is Box Press.

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- Thanks for having a cigar with me.

8

- Well, I have to thank you.

9

It's a privilege.

10

Sharing those moments

is priceless, I feel.

11

- What are you inspired about today?

12

What is driving you today with

your pursuits around here?

13

You have a lot of relationships

14

in the cigar industry, obviously.

15

Reconnecting with friends you haven't seen

16

perhaps since last year?

17

- Absolutely.

18

Well, I didn't make it

to the show last year

19

because of a family situation at home.

20

I'm taking care of my

grandmother. She's 102 now.

21

So certain things had to be done.

22

I couldn't make it to the show.

23

But I was here last two weeks,

24

two years ago.

- Two years ago.

25

- Two years ago. That's what you call it.

26

Sitting down with you

guys. And now we're back.

27

So as you said, it is

all about reconnecting,

28

seeing people again,

giving everybody a big hug

29

and sharing a cigar.

30

- Are you as passionate about food

31

as you are about cigars?

32

- Oh, absolutely. Yeah.

33

My earliest childhood memories are

34

always around the family table,

35

kneading dough with my

grandfather, baking bread.

36

I come from a very simple

and poor background.

37

So we never had much, but

we had the family table.

38

- And tell people where you're from.

39

- Austria.

40

I was born and raised in Vienna.

41

I always say I'm a

classical Viennese mixture,

42

a little bit of everything

43

that the former Habsburg monarchy,

44

Austro-Hungarian Empire had to offer.

45

So my name is Slovenian,

but I had mixed influences

46

and different parts of the family,

47

but true Viennese born and raised.

48

I spent most of my life there,

49

apart from the time I spent in London.

50

I live and work there.

51

Always enjoyed London,

consider it my second home.

52

And I was working in the

hospitality industry there.

53

So I was a bartender at the

American Bar at the Savoy.

54

I worked for a consultancy company

55

and co-opened a gin craft distillery

56

right in the city of London.

57

So in fact, the finer things in life,

58

food, good drinks,

59

that's always been an

integral part of my life

60

and what I enjoy the most.

61

I have to say, though,

62

people in the wine and spirits industry

63

and in the food industry,

64

they are passionate.

65

But I have never experienced anything

66

like the premium cigar industry

67

when it comes to how people come together,

68

how you connect through a humble cigar.

69

The conversation that

you're having, it's unique.

70

And that's utterly fascinating.

71

- I wonder why that is.

72

Just one idea of why that

might be the case is,

73

it causes you to slow down,

74

causes you to be present.

75

It's very hard to enjoy a cigar

76

if you're not fully engaged

77

in the experience of enjoying the cigar.

78

- It's not something you do rushed

79

whilst you're running from A to B.

80

- You don't do it passively.

- Absolutely.

81

- I mean, it's not,

82

I mean, you may listen to music,

83

you may enjoy a meal.

84

You know, we had opportunity

to eat a few meals

85

together with the team.

86

And the complaint among the group is,

87

most of the places you eat in Las Vegas,

88

you can't enjoy a cigar while eating.

89

So, but in a lot of times

previously we've been here,

90

we'd go to Ferraro's or

we'd sit out on the patio

91

and eat this sumptuous Italian dinner.

92

And while we're eating,

during the courses,

93

we're enjoying, we had

cigars going during the meal.

94

Is that a European thing or is that a-

95

- I think it very much is.

96

The only downside would be that

97

in a lot of European countries,

98

given the regulatory framework,

99

you don't have that opportunity anymore.

100

And you don't get the

privilege and pleasure

101

of enjoying a good meal with a cigar.

102

In certain countries, it's still possible.

103

But in Austria, for example,

104

you wouldn't have that opportunity

105

because smoking is mostly forbidden

106

indoors in public places.

107

So that's a bit of a

challenge and a hurdle.

108

But there's something very, very special

109

about that moment when you

share a meal with somebody,

110

you're breaking bread together

111

and you share a cigar.

112

- Well, and typically a

European, in my opinion,

113

would be inclined to have a

more long course of dinner

114

than an American.

115

We're a lot of times obsessed

116

with getting back to

whatever we were doing.

117

Or there isn't the time taken and the-

118

- The hustle and bustle, work,

119

always being busy.

120

It's true.

121

I see more and more of

that internationally,

122

though, as well.

123

And I think in the time that we live in,

124

everything is fast paced.

125

Everything is digital,

everything is online.

126

You're constantly available.

127

And I very much love the,

128

what you mentioned earlier

129

and the topic that you

brought up about time.

130

To me, a cigar is time

131

and it is also the perfect

product for our current time,

132

because more than ever, it's

so relevant to slow down,

133

focus on being present in the moment

134

and to just enjoy a great conversation,

135

appreciate the moment for what it is.

136

And that could also be

just a moment for yourself.

137

When you sit down with a cigar

138

and you contemplate, you think about life,

139

about the day you had, the

conversations you shared

140

or reading a great book.

141

So whether it's time for yourself

142

or time shared with somebody else,

143

the cigar is kind of

always like the facilitator

144

that makes the entire

experience unique, I find.

145

- So in your creative journey

146

and the things that you've

worked on in your career,

147

you're known as a creative,

an inspirational creator.

148

I mean, that's kind of the

reputation that you have,

149

at least in what I've read about you

150

and what I've heard about you.

151

I'm just, I'm curious,

152

where your work life with,

153

are you engaged fully in Meerapfel

154

day in, day out?

155

- Being the vice president

for Meerapfel Cigar,

156

that is what I focus on, what

I spend my time, my energy on,

157

and where I'm delighted and humbled

158

to attribute and dedicate my time

159

and resources and my passion.

160

I had an interesting path

in life and career thus far.

161

I'm still a young gentleman

with 35 years of age,

162

but I had the privilege of

exploring different industries

163

and different fields of expertise.

164

But as I told you before,

165

it always kind of evolved

166

around the inspiration

that I have from my family

167

and growing up in a humble environment

168

where the meal was important,

169

the family table was important,

170

a good conversation was important,

171

and it always stayed with me.

172

I then ventured into a few other things.

173

I mean, I studied socioeconomics.

174

I worked with handicapped pupils.

175

I was a skiing instructor.

176

I almost became a professional musician.

177

I'm a drummer and a singer,

178

but I eventually

reconnected with the things

179

that inspired me most as a young child.

180

And that's always been

181

those simple, honest,

handcrafted products.

182

Like a great piece of

bread, a wonderful wine,

183

or a handmade premium cigar.

184

And so at some point I understood

185

that this is truly what I would love to do

186

with the time that I'm given,

that I'm presented with,

187

is to share experiences with other people

188

that are somewhat memorable

and meaningful to them.

189

And doing that through an analog product,

190

something that is real and tangible,

191

that you can smell and that you can taste,

192

for me, is the most impactful

and direct way to do that.

193

Because it hits you right away.

194

It does something to you,

195

especially our senses of smell and taste.

196

I mean, all our sensory system,

197

it's so interconnected,

everything's intertwined,

198

but our senses of smell

and taste are so relevant

199

in the day-to-day life and

how we perceive the world,

200

how we think about life.

201

Also on an emotional level,

202

it has to do with how our

brain sort of takes in

203

and works in all these

sensory triggers that we get.

204

But it immediately links with

our memory, with our emotions.

205

To give you a simple example,

206

everybody has a certain scent,

207

a certain memory of

your grandmother's dish

208

when you open the door

coming home from school

209

or after a long day of work.

- Definitely.

210

- And there's that one meal

that puts you in a place

211

of tranquility and peace and comfort

212

where, you know, I'm home.

213

- No, I'm experiencing it right now

214

as you're talking about it.

215

I'm just paging through

memories that I have and-

216

- And isn't it fascinating

217

how you can recall those memories?

218

And I have a taste on my tongue.

219

I have a scent in my nose

from the potato bread

220

that my grandfather used to bake.

221

And that always reminds

me of how important it is

222

to appreciate those things

223

and to be more connected with our senses,

224

with our perception of the world.

225

- Well, and you could have

stopped the sentence with,

226

just with "to be more connected."

227

I was thinking,

228

I had a conversation

with one of the gentlemen

229

that runs the Luxury Cigar Club,

230

and we were talking about

the luxury experience

231

and how there's almost

an exhibitionist approach

232

to luxury consumption, at

least in American society,

233

and with all the social media.

234

And going back to the simplicity

235

of when you talk about the bread,

236

when you talk about the smell

at the door when you walk in,

237

that connects you to a memory,

238

that connects you to yourself.

239

It's conscious living

240

and the ability of luxury experiences

241

to impact conscious living

242

as opposed to being just

strictly looked upon

243

as a hedonistic escape.

244

You know, it's,

245

not to be judgmental

about hedonistic escapes,

246

but it's like, there's so much more.

247

- Absolutely.

248

- About being present in the moment

249

and it's really getting rather deep.

250

But I'm rather enjoying it.

251

- And, you know, that's why we said,

252

Meerapfel Cigar, we

call it the UberLuxury.

253

I mean, this cigar has created

254

the segment of UberLuxury

in the cigar world.

255

And by that we're not talking

about the price point.

256

We're talking about the

hedonistic experience.

257

We're talking about analog,

we're talking about time,

258

and we're talking about preserving

259

certain values and traditions

260

that have been important in the past.

261

And we probably somehow

forgot some of those things

262

in these very hectic environments

263

and in the world that we live in.

264

And that's also,

265

and coming back to what we were discussing

266

about my previous work experiences.

267

That's where I immediately understood

268

and realized that the Meerapfel family

269

has a unique legacy and history,

270

with 400 years and 11 generations.

271

And this project, it's a legacy project.

272

It's a means to share values

and history with people

273

through an actual cigar.

274

And that was why I immediately connected

275

with this idea and with the concept,

276

besides the fact that I

share a European heritage

277

and an upbringing like

the Meerapfel family.

278

So there's certain things

that we have in common

279

and that we clicked

initially and immediately.

280

And that's why I'm blessed and grateful

281

to dedicate my time and resources to this.

282

- Who smokes that cigar?

283

- That's a very interesting question.

284

And without being judgmental

285

or, you know, stressing

any preconceived notions,

286

we always wanted Meerapfel Cigar to be

287

affordable and available

for pretty much anybody.

288

Yes, this is a luxury

cigar, an UberLuxury cigar

289

with a certain price point to it.

290

But everybody should have the opportunity

291

to enjoy a Meerapfel cigar at least once.

292

And depending on where you are,

293

availability, a certain disposable income,

294

that might be once a month, once a year,

295

or once in a lifetime.

- Or once in a lifetime.

296

- But I think this is a product for people

297

who treasure those

values that we discussed.

298

People who want to take the time

299

to reflect on what was important,

300

what has been important,

301

what is and will be

important for a long time.

302

And certainly people who appreciate

303

the finer things in life, right?

304

No question about that.

305

But

306

I've seen

307

men and women all around the world

308

lighting up one of these cigars.

309

And I can tell you

every single one of them

310

took a moment, looked

at the cigar, smelled.

311

- It's a beautiful cigar.

- The ethereal sense,

312

and had that taste sensation

lingering on the palate.

313

And there's always something happening.

314

I see it in the eyes.

315

I see it when,

316

it's kind of like that moment

where you stop for a moment

317

and you realize that something

very special is happening.

318

And I have that with cigars in general,

319

where I feel very much

connected with all the people

320

who invested so much time and energy

321

into crafting and creating this.

322

But even more so when you

reflect upon a family history

323

and a legacy of 11 generations

324

who have been so heavily

involved with trading tobaccos

325

all around the world

326

and shaping the industry

in one way or another,

327

even though mostly behind the scenes,

328

because the name Meerapfel,

329

to many people who enjoy

tobacco and cigars,

330

might still be rather unknown,

331

though the family has been

around for such a long time.

332

And so that's what's

so fascinating for me,

333

when you see something click,

334

something happens with the people

335

where they connect with themselves,

336

but also with something

that's bigger than themselves

337

and has meaning.

338

- Everybody has a first

experience with a cigar.

339

They're varied.

340

And a father sharing

something with a son, a buddy,

341

you know, my recollection of cigars

342

was playing garage poker

343

and smoking really cheap,

store-bought, you know,

344

like convenience store-bought cigars

345

like a Swisher or a White Owl

346

or whatever back in high school,

347

late high school, early college.

348

Today I take a lot of pleasure

349

from giving cigars to people.

350

- Oh yeah.

351

- Finding someone that

maybe I met at the store

352

that I visit with regularity

353

and they were smoking a,

354

perhaps a infused cigar.

355

because that's how they got introduced.

356

And then introducing them

to a Connecticut or a Maduro

357

or Habana wrapper that I

like, that's approachable

358

and not gonna put a

dent in their forehead,

359

that they're gonna have

a decent experience with

360

to take it to the next level.

361

What's your experience been

362

with introducing people to cigars?

363

Or is that part of your focus

364

as you look at your Meerapfel experience

365

in terms of how to engage people?

366

- I think there's different aspects

367

how to best answer that question.

368

One is, I love introducing

people to cigars

369

when they probably haven't

had that experience before.

370

And to give them the

opportunity to explore

371

and experience the unique magic

372

of a conversation and a cigar

shared with great people.

373

I wouldn't necessarily present somebody

374

with a Meerapfel cigar

375

as their first cigar ever.

376

But that's the other aspect.

377

If you meet somebody who is

a seasoned cigar aficionado,

378

and I have the privilege

of presenting them

379

with a Meerapfel cigar,

380

that to me is a very, very special moment.

381

I mean, you saw that it makes me humble

382

and I'm very respectful in

the way I treat these cigars.

383

Because even for me,

384

it's a rare treat to enjoy one of these.

385

- Downright reverent.

386

- But to have the opportunity

to present somebody,

387

a friend, a fellow, or even a stranger,

388

with a Meerapfel cigar,

389

to me is a magical moment.

390

So it's both the ability

391

to introduce new people

to the world of cigars

392

or to introduce people who already had,

393

who had tipped their toe into the waters

394

of premium cigars

395

and then introduce them

to a Meerapfel cigar

396

are equally special and and beautiful.

397

- Do you remember your first one?

398

- My first Meerapfel cigar?

399

- Yeah.

- Yes, absolutely.

400

As it were yesterday.

401

It was together with Jeremiah Meerapfel.

402

We were in Belgium at a beautiful castle

403

called Château de Moxhe

404

and we broke open a box

of Meerapfel cigars.

405

We visited a very good

friend of the family

406

and we at the same time

had the opportunity

407

to shoot some photo and video

content for Meerapfel Cigar.

408

And it was the first time

that I sat down with Jeremiah.

409

He presented me with a Meerapfel cigar.

410

In fact, it was a Meir Pyramid,

411

same cigar that I'm smoking right now.

412

And it was like the world stopped.

413

I didn't think about

time and place anymore.

414

And I just had that very

moment shared with Jeremiah

415

and to explore and experience

416

the cigar for the first time.

417

- It sounds like a fabulous

setting for that introduction.

418

- Absolutely.

419

I couldn't have thought

about a better place

420

with that gorgeous environment,

surrounded by lovely people

421

and then getting to share one of these.

422

- So did the friendship precede

423

the engagement with the company?

424

Was there-

- Oh, absolutely.

425

- For a long length of time?

426

- Absolutely, yes.

427

Otherwise, I couldn't be in that place

428

and I wouldn't want to,

to work on a project

429

if I don't feel like

430

it has a special meaning or I belong.

431

And, you know, I've been

self-employed for 10 years,

432

running my own company,

433

and to take the time and

the effort and the passion

434

to invest myself into a project,

435

it means a lot to me.

436

And I couldn't do it for any other,

437

you know, random project and product.

438

It took me a while to realize in life,

439

what's really important

is to love what you do

440

and to enjoy every single

day, not even going to work.

441

You know, for me, the whole

concept of work-life balance

442

doesn't exist,

443

because there's meaning in

what I get to do for a living.

444

And I consider it an

integral part of my life.

445

We all spend most of our time working,

446

so I never wanted it to feel like work.

447

So I have to love and enjoy it.

448

And besides having an

entrepreneurial spirit and mindset,

449

for me, whichever project I work on,

450

whichever product I get to work with,

451

I give it my all.

452

And I would always treat

it not only with respect,

453

but as if it were my own.

454

And that was crucial in the way

455

the relationship and the

friendship evolved with Jeremiah

456

and then afterwards with

the whole Meerapfel family

457

and with our family team,

458

where it's an integral part

459

of the way we come

together, we work together.

460

And what we then get to

share with the outside world.

461

- You look at statistics and data

462

that's produced in surveys,

463

and the vast majority of people

464

aren't in love with what they do.

465

What a gift.

466

- That's why I said I would hope to,

467

I would love that that's the case.

468

And I hope

469

that could serve as an inspiration

to other people as well,

470

to have the courage to reconsider

471

what it is they're

passionate about in life

472

and what they get to do on a daily basis.

473

At the end of the day, what do

we want to be remembered for?

474

Or what do we want to think about

475

and remember ourselves

476

when eventually things come to an end

477

or we go onto the next

part of our journey, right?

478

I would hope that we can say,

479

with gratitude and with joy, that

480

we had the opportunity to

do something with our lives

481

that is meaningful and

that means something

482

to ourselves and to other people,

483

and that hopefully we got to share moments

484

and experience with other people

485

that are worth remembering.

486

And you know, you always say,

"Lead by example," right?

487

And I wouldn't dare say that

488

we get to influence other people

489

in what they want to do with their life

490

or where they're supposed

to end up work-wise.

491

But I hope that it can be a role model

492

where other people also think about,

493

what do we do with the

time that we are given

494

and that we're presented

with and make it memorable.

495

- I'm very relaxed all of a sudden.

496

I've gone from,

497

"Who's gonna be on the schedule today

498

and how many people are we

gonna be able to connect with?"

499

And I'm just in a sort

of a place in the day

500

where I'm just, I feel really relaxed.

501

I wanna thank you for that.

502

- I have to thank you.

- Experience in conversation.

503

I mean, it's just a lovely experience.

504

- I wouldn't dare say, like,

505

you're in a bubble, right?

506

But it feels like you

become somewhat disconnected

507

from what's happening around,

508

from all the hustle and

bustle and, you know,

509

time and place aren't

that relevant anymore

510

because you get to share and

enjoy something, an experience.

511

And that's what cigars,

what great cigars can do,

512

and what great conversation does.

513

- Talk about Light 'Em Up.

514

Talk about your interviewing world.

515

- I think it comes back to

what we were discussing before.

516

The whole idea of Light

'Em Up from day one

517

has been to build bridges,

bring people together,

518

and provide a safe space and environment

519

where people can meet and

enjoy a great conversation.

520

Ever since day one,

521

Light 'Em Up has been

about the love and respect

522

for the premium cigar industry,

523

the people therein,

524

and how we can share those stories

525

with the outside world,

526

whether it's a cigar enthusiast

527

or people who never enjoyed

and smoked a premium cigar.

528

We have people joining

from all over the world,

529

all walks of life,

530

and everything from a seasoned

cigar enthusiast aficionado,

531

a once every-now-and-then kind of smoker,

532

to people who never

enjoyed a premium cigar,

533

but they love the conversation.

534

And not once,

535

but many times I had

people coming up to me

536

or sending an email, a text message,

537

or a DM on social media,

538

that they don't smoke cigars,

539

they've never tried one in their life,

540

but they love joining

541

because they're fascinated

by the conversations

542

and the stories of these people.

543

What inspired them, what influenced them,

544

and what ultimately

brought them to the dance

545

and to the industry.

546

And that to me is a true testament

547

of what we discussed earlier,

548

the ability of a premium

cigar to bring people together

549

and to give us an

opportunity to share a moment

550

and share certain stories.

551

And so that has always been the nucleus

552

and the core of Light 'Em Up

553

And still to this day it is.

554

And on a weekly basis, every Wednesday,

555

we get to open our virtual lounge via Zoom

556

to the people who come and join us.

557

We have normally a guest, a star guest,

558

an icon from the cigar industry

to lead the conversation

559

and to share the interview with me.

560

And then we have people joining

from all around the world

561

directly via Zoom at the lounge

562

or through the live

stream that we put online

563

and become immersed in that experience

564

and become part of it.

565

So it's not like a static format

566

where you just sit and watch

or you listen to a podcast,

567

but you can truly become

part of the experience.

568

And that to me is very important.

569

It's a different way of

engaging with the conversation

570

and not to just passively listen,

571

but to truly be a part of it.

572

- I've enjoyed the occasion

to interview people

573

and have conversations that

we've captured on video

574

for our podcasts

575

and different events that

we've participated in.

576

And what I've loved so much about it is,

577

it's a very parallel reflection

578

of what Boveda is about as a company.

579

We're an asterisk on this entire industry.

580

We're not the star of the show.

581

We're a supporting actor.

582

We're committed to helping our customers

583

enjoy their passions,

584

maximize their passions.

585

And there's something,

586

it's just a privilege to get with people

587

and give them space to tell their story

588

or share the notion that

they're fascinated with

589

in the moment.

590

It's a real reflection

591

of what this endeavor has been for me.

592

That's what I do,

593

I introduce people to, basically,

594

to freshness and to maintaining quality

595

of things that we love.

596

- It's a beautiful analogy

that you brought up

597

and I never thought of it that way

598

in regards to Boveda,

599

but it is entirely what I have experienced

600

through Light 'Em Up

601

and through my journalistic

work in general.

602

It takes,

603

I don't know if humility

is the right word,

604

but the realization

that it's not about you,

605

it's about providing an

opportunity and a platform

606

for other people to share their story,

607

to express themselves,

608

and for the viewer, the

listener, the participants

609

to engage and become part of that story.

610

You have to take a step back.

611

- It's interest, it's,

612

people have interest in something

613

for a variety of motivations.

614

So I can be interested

615

because of something you're gonna give me.

616

I'm going to get paid

617

because I sold you something, you know,

618

or you can be interested

619

for the sake of being interested,

620

to genuinely-

- And funnily enough,

621

I think everything else then

is a natural progression

622

or is a natural result of that.

623

I never believed in sales

624

or being salesy for the sake of,

625

"I'm trying to talk you into,

626

this is the best thing

ever since sliced bread."

627

If we genuinely get

together, share a story

628

and share the interest

with the other person

629

so that I get to know you and

learn what you are all about,

630

what the company or the product

631

that you work for and with is all about,

632

everything else will follow.

633

And so I think you hit

the nail on the head

634

and you phrased it perfectly.

635

It's the genuine interest

for the other person.

636

And then we come together and suddenly,

637

one plus one equals-

638

- Way more than two.

- Absolutely.

639

There's a cigar for every

moment and every occasion.

640

And that could be

different things, you know?

641

Similar to aromas and flavors

642

being different for everybody

643

based on your sensory experiences

644

and the database of aromaticity and tastes

645

that you have built for yourself,

646

the references that you

have for certain triggers

647

that hit your sensory system, right?

648

So I don't necessarily

like to talk all too much

649

about, "The cigar tastes like X, Y, Z,"

650

because it might be

different for everybody.

651

- Yeah. Go experience it yourself.

652

- And who am I to tell you that,

653

you know, this has a note of

frankincense in it, right?

654

It might be different for you,

655

but we can talk about it.

656

And there again, the cigar

becomes a door opener

657

to a great conversation

658

and a whole journey beyond that.

659

- Reinhardt, I wanna thank

you for the conversation.

660

(gentle music)

- Thank you very much.

661

It's been an absolute pleasure for me.

662

- It was a treat. I hope

we get to do it again.

663

- I look forward to that.

Thank you very much.

664

- Yeah.

665

(gentle music fades out)