Why I Love Cigars

[OHRD]

Like people, cigars come in every shape, size, color, and personality
For the same reason I love people, I love cigars – they are unique and no two are exactly alike. So much goes into creating a cigar and so many variances are involved, that it is truly impossible to find two cigars that are absolutely identical! And I love that! It’s authentic, timeless, and it allows the participant to be as involved as he or she desires – if you want to compare the different textures and profiles within a given line, you can do that. If you want to compare how the sun or shade affected the coloring of the wrappers or how the primings adjusted the strength, you can do that. The analysis is endless and it is a playground for lovers of tobacco.

Whatever your mood, there is a cigar that will fit it. With so many levels of body and flavor, sizes from thin and tiny to wide and long, and more brands than you can keep up with, there is no shortage of company.

Cigars generate conversation and community
Recently I was part of a wedding party where, outside of the groom, I knew hardly anyone. As I rode to the rehearsal with the groom and his out of town friend, mention was made of the final bachelor’s night, which included a visit to Chattanooga’s Burns Tobacconist. Immediately, the groom’s friend made mention of Oliva and a connection was struck. We spent the entire weekend talking about everything under the sun – we talked a lot about cigars, but we also talked a lot about life and aspirations. Cigars were our gateway; our shared passion created an immediate trust in one another and provided the primer for a quick forming friendship.

Without a doubt, the cigar community is one of the strongest communities around. Spend a little bit of time on cigar forums, Twitter, or even begin following comments on cigar blogs, and you will quickly realize that the cigar community is a strong and united front. All stereotypes are shattered and women and men of all personalities, colors, and sizes are connected over their shared passion. Cigars and gifts are sent across the country when brothers and sisters get a new job (or suffer unemployment), get married (or breakup), and welcome babies (or mourn a loss). The cigar community is committed and strong and unlike any other community out there.

Cigars are delicate and fickle and require love and attention
It’s one thing to have a hobby or a passion that requires little attention or maintenance; its entirely different to have a hobby or passion that demands your involvement –a bit like gardening or car restoration, the love and hobby of cigars requires investment and weeds out those less interested. I’ve had countless friends who, after purchasing one cigar at a time from the B&M, finally decide to invest in a humidor and make an order. Then, after a few months, they complain of wet and moldy or dry and cracked cigars. And a few months later, the humidor has become a storage box for jewelry, pictures, and a stray cigar or two.

Cigar smoking requires care, love, and attention. I check my temperature and humidity level as often as I feed my dog, shave, and shower, and almost as often as I kiss my wife and son! And I love reading other’s thoughts on the same cigars I’ve smoked because everyone’s palate is different and every cigar is cropped, shipped, and stored with slight variances. It is good to have a hobby that needs you, isn’t it!?

Cigars have a history
Any lover of history should take a good look at the cigar industry. It is a history akin to a great, dramatic soap opera or a city uprising: politics, violence, industrial boom and depression, big players and underdogs – it’s all there! Each of us that smoke today share in that history and with the unprecedented access to the new players, such as Pete Johnson and Don Giolito, we all feel an increased investment in the process.

Cigars have been a part of my relationship with my dad for nearly 15 years
I smoked my first cigar on the backporch with my dad, after my mom had gone to sleep. I was 14 and it was a wood-tipped Swisher Sweet! What I love about cigar smoking is that everyone has a story of how they first started, and my story began with my dad and it continues today. My dad and I still try and smoke together once every week or two, over 15 years after our first smoke together.

We’ve both moved on from machine made cigars and though my dad still prefers the flavored variety from Drew Estate, Tatiana, and CAO, we still place online orders together and share cigar tools. I cannot recount how many stories we’ve shared over a cigar in the front driveway as the sun sets and the breeze floats by. I’ve received advice on every front – as I prepared for college graduation and my first real job, for marriage, the birth of my first child, and the preparation for the birth of my second son now. At every stage of my life and crossroad, my dad and I have enjoyed a cigar together and discussed the best way to approach the situation. The stillness and clarity of thought that a cigar places upon a situation is unrivaled.

So...why do you love them?