12 Grapes, New Intentions & Cafecito: Kicking Off 2026 the Latino Way

Summary

Stay Tranquilo Podcast – Episode Summary

Episode Title: 12 Grapes, New Intentions & Cafecito: Kicking Off 2026 the Latino Way
Date: January 5, 2026
Hosts: Stay Tranquilo Network (A & B)
Duration: ~15 minutes
Theme: Embracing Latino New Year traditions, reflections on time and intentions, and personal growth for 2026—all served with a laid-back, cafecito-infused vibe.

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Episode Overview

This episode of Stay Tranquilo kicks off the new year by diving into the unique Latino tradition of eating 12 grapes at midnight, exploring how cultural rituals shape intentions for the year ahead, and sharing personal goals for growth in 2026. The hosts combine humor, nostalgia, and genuine reflection in a conversation that’s both relatable and motivating, all with their signature “don’t stress” ethos.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The 12 Grapes Tradition: Timing, Meaning, and Practice

• Cultural Ritual Dissected:
  The hosts open with a playful debate around the 12 grapes, a Latino tradition where you eat one grape for each stroke of midnight, each representing a wish or intention for the new year.

  • A: “Do you do the grapes before the countdown of New Year's, or do you do it after 12 o'clock strikes and then eat your grapes?” [00:43]
  • B: “There's no law of, like, you need to eat the grapes before the countdown starts… It's like 12, 6, 5, 4… I think that's a crazy, crazy thing.” [01:23]
  • A: “I've always done them after 12 o'clock strikes… if you're doing before, then... you’re eating them in 2025, so it's like those wishes are going to be stuck into.” [01:51]

• Intention vs. Tradition:
  Host A shares their practice of assigning a specific intention or wish to each grape, treating each like a mini birthday candle. In contrast, Host B views the grape-eating as a broader symbol of good luck, with less granular intention.

  • A: “I go very in depth into every grape…” [03:20]
  • B: “I guess… my intentions are more like just like a me, myself thing… but when I'm eating my grapes, I'm not thinking about, like, my intention.” [02:58]

• Regional and Family Variations:
  The conversation highlights the mix of grape types (red, white/green), timing (before, at, or after midnight), and even modifications like dropping the last grape in champagne. The tradition spans beyond Cuban communities, with Colombian families joining in, but isn’t well-known in places like Dallas.

2. Reflections on New Year’s Eve and Time

• Celebrating Across Time Zones:
  The hosts share how New Year's Eve feels different depending on location—Miami’s all-night fiestas versus quieter celebrations elsewhere.

  • B: “Miami is the only place… everyone’s party until 5 o'clock in the morning.” [07:44]
  • A: “St. Augustine… By two o’clock, it's everyone go home.” [07:40]

• The Fluidity of Time:
  They muse over how time zones make New Year celebrations a rolling, global phenomenon, and how it can impact the “right” way or moment for traditions.

  • A: “Time is kind of crazy because there’s definitely like, okay, it’s New Year’s, we celebrated. But, like, they didn't. You haven’t even celebrated yet.” [06:56]

3. Setting Intentions and Goals for 2026

• Personal Growth and Self-Improvement:
  Both hosts are intentional about reflecting on the past year and building new routines. Themes include:

  • B: “My big intention is self improvement… being more intentional, how I approach my days…” [08:19]
  • A: “I think I did a really good job, you know, getting in the gym, taking care of my health. But I want to evolve that even more…” [09:29]

• Concrete Goals:

  • Health & Wellness: More exercise, meditation, reducing alcohol (Dry January), and quitting nicotine (“Zins”).

    • A: “I want to start meditating more in the mornings, doing more of, like, routines… want to consume less alcohol in 2026 overall.” [09:29]
    • B: “Getting sharper, getting rid of the vices.” [11:49]

  • Service & Community: Volunteering and food drives are priority areas.

    • A: “That's a huge, huge, huge thing for me… just being able to give back, I think, is another big one for me.” [10:13]

  • Business Development: Continuing to grow their Stay Tranquilo brand.

    • A: “Obviously, the business as a whole—continue to grow that, continue to evolve and make it better and bigger.” [10:41]

• Memorable Quote:

  • B: “Time slows down for nobody. So if you're not adjusting to the times… you're gonna get left behind… it’s important for everyone to really just lock in and move forward.” [12:01]

4. Mindfulness and “Slowing Down Time”

• Slowing Down by Disconnecting:
  The hosts discuss the illusion of time speeding up as you age and suggest that creating new experiences or unplugging helps you savor life more.
  • A: “…As you get older, it feels like time goes faster and faster… to really slow down time is… actually taking time to disconnect.” [12:33]
  • B: “I think it's like a sense of control, just a control over… your work, life, balance. I think that’s how you can really slow down time.” [13:32]

5. Maintaining Tranquilo Traditions

• Some Things Never Change:
  As they look ahead to 2026, the hosts celebrate the stability and comfort found in simple rituals—like cafecito and croquetas—while joking about which pastries are welcome at the table.
  • A: “The only thing that's not changing in 2026 is we're still drinking our guacita. So that's not going anywhere.” [14:38]
  • B: “Maybe throw in a different Croata. Or just keep taking hamon. It's not bakalao. Leave those. Leave those at the store.” [14:47]

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Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• About the Grapes:

  • “I've always done them after 12 o’ clock strikes… if you're doing before, then... you’re eating them in 2025, so it's like those wishes are going to be stuck into.” (A, [01:51])
  • “No one's actually keeping track. And then, like, they find out, oh, New Year’s in 30 seconds, and they start throwing grapes.” (B, [06:11])

• On Intentions:

  • “My big intention is self improvement. Just improving myself, you know, being more intentional, how I approach my days…” (B, [08:19])
  • “That's a huge, huge, huge thing for me… just being able to give back, I think, is another big one…” (A, [10:13])

• On Time:

  • “Time slows down for nobody. So if you're not adjusting to the times… you're gonna get left behind.” (B, [12:01])
  • “As you get older, it feels like time goes faster and faster… to really slow down time is… actually taking time to disconnect.” (A, [12:33])

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Important Timestamps

• 00:43 – Introduction to the 12 grapes tradition
• 01:51 – Discussion on proper grape timing and intentions
• 03:20 – Approaches to setting intentions with the grapes
• 05:31 – Grapes as a Latino (or Cuban/Colombian) custom
• 06:56 – Talking about New Year across time zones
• 07:44 – Comparing Miami NYE to other cities
• 08:19 – Personal goals and intentions for 2026
• 09:29 – Specific areas of self-improvement
• 12:01 – Reflection on time and the need for growth
• 12:33 – How to "slow down time" and the importance of disconnecting
• 14:38 – Promising that cafecito won’t change in 2026

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Tone and Language

The conversation is upbeat, deeply rooted in Latino culture, with genuine camaraderie. The hosts blend humor (“no Grace being eaten in Dallas, Texas” [03:46]), personal anecdotes, and motivational takeaways, leaning into a lifestyle that’s about enjoying the moment, staying present, and always trying to “stay tranquilo.”

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Summary Takeaway

This episode offers a heartfelt, fun, and thoughtful glimpse into how Latino new year traditions shape personal and collective growth. Whether you’re reflecting on your own rituals, setting fresh intentions, or just in need of a reminder to slow down and savor life’s little joys, the Stay Tranquilo team delivers both laughter and inspiration for the year ahead.

Transcript

[A]

All right. Happy New Year, Felisano. Welcome back to another episode of Cafecito y Croqueta is brought to you by State. Tranquilo and H and co Felizano. We're here. First recording of the year 2026.

[B]

Man.

[A]

Crazy.

[B]

Finally, 2026. It's crazy how fast the years have flown, how fast last year flew.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

Stuff that we did earlier in the year of 2025, we thought it was, like, super recently, but now it's, you know, it's the new year. It's time for, you know, new changes, maybe, you know, new new habits to be built and, you know, or to just keep building on what you build off in 2025. So.

[A]

Absolutely.

[B]

Happy New Year, brother.

[A]

Happy New Year.

[B]

Happy New Year, Antonio.

[A]

Happy New Year to all of you back there.

[B]

Happy New Day, everyone.

[A]

Yeah, we're glad to be back. We're gonna. Before we kick it off and get into some of our intentions and our goals for 2025 or 2026, I want to talk about a tradition that happens on New Year's Eve. And we were kind of having a dialogue before we were recording, but the 12 grapes before new Year's, I'm assume. We're assuming that it's a very Latino thing. I was at the bar in St. Augustine, and we were the only ones there with our Ziplocs full of grapes. But I gotta ask you, do you do the grapes before the countdown of New Year's, or do you do it after 12 o' clock strikes and then eat your grapes?

[B]

So I think, like, at least for me and my family, there's no, like, rhyme or reason.

[A]

Right.

[B]

It's just a matter of, like, sometimes the grapes are handed out way before, and maybe you, like, pop a couple, but, like, there's no law of, like, you need to eat the grapes before the countdown starts. Because, like, I mean, we're. We're kind of achieving for it to knock down 12 grapes in 12 seconds and just be like, it's like 12, 6, 5, 4. Like, I think that's a crazy, crazy thing. Honestly, I don't think there's a rhyme or reason. Just like, you know, maybe some before the New year, after the New year, I mean, just finish.

[A]

I feel like there's got to be a little bit of a rhyme or reason, though. I mean, you're. You're. You're setting your intentions right. You're trying to be as clear and. And precise with what you intend to, you know, wish for and have into 2026. Historically, I've always done them after 12 o' clock strikes. Right when we were doing our grapes this year, everyone's like, oh, we got to do them before. And I'm like, well, if you're doing before, then you're.

[B]

You're losing the purpose.

[A]

You're not maybe the purpose, but it's like that's. You're eating them in 20, 25. So it's like those wishes are going to be stuck into.

[B]

Did you guys have champagne also?

[A]

We did have champagne. Yeah. They brought us some champagne, which is a crazy mix.

[B]

Grapes and champagne. I mean, they kind of, like, go together.

[A]

They do. So Val actually did something which was pretty cool. She saved the last grape, put it in the champagne, drank your champagne, and then ate the last grape.

[B]

I've seen that. I've seen putting grapes in champagne.

[A]

What's that? What's your strategy when you're eating the grapes? Like, do you go like, is it a month by month thing? Do you have, like, a list of priorities?

[B]

Like, man, I just. I just need grapes.

[A]

But you don't set, like, a. An intention for every grape.

[B]

I.

[A]

That's the whole point, you know What? You're not just eating 12 grapes. To eat 12 grapes.

[B]

Yeah, no, I get that. I don't know, man. I guess, like, when I do my intentions, at least with the grapes, I think my intentions are more like just like a me, myself thing. And with the grapes, I guess I kind of symbolize it. But when I'm eating my grapes, I'm not thinking about, like, you know, my intention. My intentions are like, kind of like me personally, I said before and, like, kind of afterwards words. But I don't. I don't, like, categorize each grape as, like, an intention.

[A]

Oh, wow. Okay. No, I. I go very in depth into every group, which maybe that's just.

[B]

Not something that, like, at least my family, like the grapes is just more like a tradition, like, yeah, eat your grapes.

[A]

Okay, got you.

[B]

So it wasn't like something like, oh, like, it's not like when you blow out your candle, make a wish?

[A]

No, that's how it is for me.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So, like, maybe that's like, every grape is like a. Essentially like a birthday wish, you know?

[B]

And this new year is actually weird because this is my first New Year's away. Right. Not in Miami.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Super worth it. But it was. But there's definitely no grapes being eaten in Dallas, Texas, I'll tell you that. There's no Grace being eaten in Dallas, Texas.

[A]

Yeah. I'm very curious to, like, know how Many people actually do the grape thing. I say I've grown up around this.

[B]

I've seen. I've seen grapes.

[A]

It's almost like crazy.

[B]

One grape in the champagne, that's it. Just.

[A]

I think someone does the one grape.

[B]

I've seen that in some other places. Like a grape in the champagne, maybe that's more common, but the whole 12 grapes and a little. A little baggy. Yeah, Like, I. I think that's just. Honestly, that's just something that.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I mean, every New Year's I basically spent in Miami, so I don't know, you know, New Year's traditions everywhere else.

[A]

Yeah, no, I. I use very intentional on every single one of those grapes. But I am very curious to hear what you guys have to think about grapes. Do you do them? Do you not do them? Do you do them before New Year's? Do you do them after it strikes 12? And do you do intentions? Because I thought for sure. I mean, everyone around the table was like. It was crazy. Like, everyone was sitting there and, like, eyes closed, like, one grape, and then, like, really thinking about the next one.

[B]

Wow. You guys.

[A]

Yeah, it took me, like, seven minutes to really go through all the grades.

[B]

More power to you, bro.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah.

[B]

So I've never. I've honestly, like. I've never approached it like that. Like, obviously, you make your intentions, but I've never, like, connected my intentions to my grapes.

[A]

Interesting.

[B]

I thought the grapes just more, like, curious now. I thought the grapes is maybe just like, you know, some good luck, you know, like the cleanse. You know, like whatever it is you cleanse with the grapes.

[A]

Add some massive grapes.

[B]

This year, though, is red or white grapes?

[A]

Well, I do the. Like, the green ones. Yeah. Yeah. Usually. I mean, that's a whole other debate. Now, do you do red grapes?

[B]

I mean, like I said, grapes are something. Latinos, dude, like I said, it's. I think everyone. Like, I think the same way. Everyone kind of celebrates, you know, Christmas differently. Like, especially not Latinos. I feel like people approach maybe New Year's differently.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Like, maybe not every Latino culture does the grapes. Maybe that's just a Cuban thing.

[A]

No, no, because Val's fam's Colombian, and they do it.

[B]

Oh, maybe then maybe it's a full Latino thing.

[A]

I think it's a full.

[B]

But maybe each culture approaches it differently how they approach the grapes. Maybe some of them are like, hey, each group needs to be an intention for us. There's so much going on and, like, freaking champagne, everyone. By the time I get around saying, happy New Year to everyone at the house, Right?

[A]

Exactly.

[B]

Then you're for years by that time, which was the whole grapes, which was.

[A]

The whole rationale of doing it before is because once 12 o' clock strikes, you're there saying Happy New Year's to everyone, you know, everyone's celebrating and then the grapes kind of get forgotten. And then all of a sudden it's 12:30 and you're like, I got six more grapes.

[B]

You know, it's annoying. I feel like this happens probably more than often now is like no one's actually keeping track. And then like they find out like, oh, New Year's in 30 seconds. And they start throwing grapes now. And like there's been times where like, like, yo guys, it's 11:59. And they're like, oh, oh, what, what, what time is it? How many seconds?

[A]

The seconds. It's a second.

[B]

How many seconds?

[A]

Cuz especially if you're not in front of the tv, the TV gives you the countdown, right?

[B]

Which there's like this whole thing of like New York not exactly being on time. It actually turned into New Year.

[A]

So that, that's a. Interesting point. Right. The concept of New Year's like on the dot at the time is crazy, right? Because you have time change, you know, time zones across the whole globe. Right. So it's like in China, they, they celebrated New Year.

[B]

I don't know.

[A]

When they say, yeah, I brought the New Year Australia, they're doing it. And then, yeah, you're in Dallas and you're doing it after. I am. So like I celebrated New Year's a whole hour before. Before you did. And then if you're in California, we did it three hours before. If you're in Hawaii, six hours before, you know, it's like, it's like a whole day. Yeah, yeah. So the phenomenon of like time is, is kind of crazy because there's definitely like, okay, it's New Year's, we celebrated. But like, they didn't. You haven't even celebrated yet.

[B]

By the time, like, by the time.

[A]

I was an hour, I was probably asleep already. By the time. Celebrating New Year's.

[B]

No, it was only an hour difference.

[A]

That's what I'm saying. I was basically in bed by like one o'. Clock.

[B]

Really?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

It was a quick New Year's Day.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah.

[B]

See in Dallas, man, everything by, by two o', clock, it's everyone go home. Everyone go home.

[A]

Yeah, St. Augustine. Same. Same thing.

[B]

Yeah. I mean, Miami is the only place.

[A]

That I got everyone's party until 5 o' clock in the morning.

[B]

I mean, I'm sure space is still open. I'm sure. I'm sure space is still banging right now. I'm sure they're at their, like their fifth DJ set.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Um, but no, man, I mean, like, New Year's, like I said, much like Christmas is just, you know, bringing it with the family. You know, you appreciate all the good memories from, you know, the year prior. You appreciate it. You bring, you know, all the people you're close with. And then obviously whoever, you know, people with their own families, you text them. But, hey, man, grateful for you guys. And then, you know, obviously look forward to 2026.

[A]

Absolutely. So. So talk to me. What, what's the goals, the intentions for 2026?

[B]

I think my big intention is self improvement. Just improving myself, you know, some habits, you know, being more intentional, how I approach my days, you know, whether it's in the morning, whether it's, you know, getting my morning workouts in, even though I'm not a morning person, you know, changing habits.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You know, instead of being lazy, not doing my hair, you know, I got this beautiful head of hair. Wake up a little earlier, do my hair, paint a little, you know, do a little. I did a. Use a blow dryer today.

[A]

Wow. Wow. Holy moly.

[B]

I know.

[A]

We got hair dryer pooch for 2026.

[B]

And then, then obviously, you know, it's always just, you know, trying to be better, you know, trying to be a better, a better, you know, son, a better brother, you know, a better friend. And, you know, I think for me it's a lot of self reflection of, like, what I can improve on as, you know, what I can, you know, obviously, you know, whether it's, you know, here at say, what can I do better? How can I be better to you? How can I be better to Antonio? And just, you know, overall, just elevating myself, you know, bringing out, you know, the true best version of myself, because I don't think I've reached, you know, my, you know, true best version yet. So that's, that's my intention. It's just, you know, self improvement and just working on myself and, you know, becoming better, you know, for everyone around me.

[A]

Love that. That's awesome.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

What about you, brother?

[A]

Man, I got a lot of intentions, but, yeah, I think there's always room to improve. Right. I think we have to always strive to improve. That's always like the goal. Right. Because if you get, if you settle and you get complacent with who you are, and where you're at, you're never really going to evolve. So definitely, you know, self improvement. I think I did a really good job, you know, getting in the gym, taking care of my health. But I, I want to evolve that even more. I'm doing dry January, so no drinking in January. I want to consume less alcohol in 2026 overall. That's a big goal of mine, you know, not doing so. Not that I drink a lot, but, you know, it's very easy to say, hey, like on a Wednesday night with the boys, and now all of a sudden you just down two pitchers, right? Like, cutting those type of things out. Just taking care of my overall health, you know, more cardio. I want to start running again. That was something that I didn't do a ton of. I want to start meditating more in the mornings, doing more of, like, routines, right? Like these little things that you kind of push on the back burner, right? And they are essential to, to just your overall being. So those are things that I want to start incorporating again in my, in my everyday habits and, and just like, I would say health, like deeper, deeper health. I'm healthy, but I want to get even healthier. I want to get my mind sharper, I want to get my energy higher. You know, all these things that we all want to do, but we have to do our part, you know, to accomplish that. So that's big. Obviously, the business as a whole continue to grow that, continue to, to evolve and, and, and make it better and, and bigger and continue to grow that. And then, you know, outside of that, I don't know. I, I, I think for me, it's just like, I want to do more like community service. That's a huge, huge, huge thing for me. You know, just whatever I can to do little things, you know, food drives, you know, whatever, whatever it is, just being able to give back, I think is, is another big one for me. And then we talked about, I want nicotine. Like, I got into Zins, and I want to get off of them. Not to say like, anything's happening, but I just know, like, talking about, like, that health component, at the end of the day, it's not like the healthiest thing for you. So if there's things that you could do to, to again, make yourself healthy, make yourself strong.

[B]

Getting sharper, getting rid of the vices.

[A]

Exactly, vices.

[B]

And, you know, not relying on, you know, stuff like that.

[A]

And I'm looking here on my laptop, and I have the Zen reward store tab somehow saved so close to the Tesla.

[B]

So close to the Tesla, man. But like I said, I think New Year's, you know, I think everyone can approach it differently. But, you know, I think, you know, it's always about improving who you are and improving on, you know, what you've built, you know, in 2025 and, you know, moving forward, man. Because unfortunately, time slows down for nobody. So if you're not adjusting to the times, you're not, you know, evolving yourself as time goes on, you know, you're gonna get left behind. So I think it's important for everyone to really just lock in and absolutely move forward. Because, you know, I. I think that's one of my favorite things, that time slows down for nobody. Yeah, it's gonna keep ticking for sure.

[A]

And I think that's interesting, too, right? Like, how do you actually slow down time a little bit? Right? Because if somebody. I forget who I was talking to, it was like, this weekend or something, and they brought up something interesting. Like, the phenomenon was like, as you get older, it feels like time goes faster and faster. And, like, when you're a kid, time so slow, Right? Because when you're a kid, everything's new to you, right? So, like, you're processing everything way slower because you're, like, soaking in this, like, new experience. So I think to really slow down time is, like, actually taking time to, like, disconnect.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Which was huge for me at the end of the year, I really wanted to just, like, turn it off a little bit, you know, and just slow it down. Yeah, just slow it down. And I think we don't need to wait till the end of the year to slow it down. Like, we could find moments where, hey, you know what we need to find in the balance? Yeah. Turn it down a little bit, because it's only going to create that longevity. Right. You don't want to burn out. You don't want to kill yourself in the process. Right.

[B]

I think it's like a sense of control, just a control over, you know, your life and, you know, being in control of, you know, your surroundings and being in control of, like, your. Your work, life, balance. I think that's where, you know, how you can really slow down time is like, when you're in control and you're, you know, ahead of the pace. You know, you can, like, you know, I'm gonna get my work done here, so I can, you know, take off two days. You know, you're in control of, you know, the future, and you kind of, you know, essentially doing your part to make sure you have those days where you can relax. I think that's where a lot of it comes in, is just, you know, being in control. And I think that's, you know, where I want to improve is, you know, taking more control of my life and, you know, not letting stuff sneak up on me. Because when stuff sneaks up on you and then you're working and then right by the time you notice it's one o' clock in the morning, and then you're like, oh, damn, I gotta wake up.

[A]

Yeah, exact manager. Fast forward never ending.

[B]

Yeah, fast forward. But I think, you know, being in control and, you know, being ahead of the head of, you know, I guess ahead of pace is the best way to say it is. Yeah, definitely where I'm looking to. I like it. Move to. I like. It's the pace, bro. I like it.

[A]

Well, on to 2026. Big year ahead. Let us know what your goals and resolutions are this year. And yeah, we got exciting stuff coming into 2026.

[B]

2026 is only going to get bigger.

[A]

The only thing that's not changing in 2026 is we're still drinking our guacita. So that's not going anywhere.

[B]

It'.

[A]

Maybe.

[B]

Maybe throw in a different Croata. Or just keep taking hamon.

[A]

Always Hamon first, you know, why not venture out into some other stuff?

[B]

It's not bakalao. Leave those. Leave those at the store.

[A]

The bakala. What's the. Is that the fish? Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, those are.

[B]

It's like white fish.

[A]

No bueno. I'm not a huge fan.

[B]

We'll leave those at the store. Leave those on the counter. But everything else is welcome.

[A]

All the others, everything else is welcome. As always, thank you guys for tuning in and we will see you guys on the next one.

[B]

Take it easy.