Rant: Cigar Bums

[South Shield]

Originally Posted by bobarian

I did throw a rock at the Veteran in a wheelchair with a sign as I was leaving!

GOOD! I bet his sign said "Homeless Vet! Need Cigar!"

[DocLogic77]

Giving a cigar to someone is one of the great pleasures of this hobby...new to cigars or those with a trained palate. Cigar smoking is a social experience and should be shared. For those who are new to the hobby I am more selective with what I give but it's based on what I think a new smoker might like. If someone has never tried a cigar handing them a PL panatela might be a great first step. Terrific cigar, very reasonable and should give the guy a reasonable idea of what a good cigar tastes like. It's also smaller and if they put it out...no biggie. If they like it...then I am tempted to hand them a few to get em started. Giving them a few cigars, and some knowledge can be a great thing. You never know when you have found a like minded soul to enjoy a cigar with in the future.

Back OT for another circumstance. A guy I know that belongs to the same private club I belong too is a cigar smoker. (There's only 4 or 5 of us that smoke cigars in this club) We were talking cigar shop at the bar one night and he told me that what I was smoking was too expensive for his "daily" smokes. He bought bundles from CI and they cost him about 2.50 each. I asked him if he would bring an extra one with him the following weekend when I would be there, I would like to try one to see if they would be a less expensive alternative to what I smoke. I told him that I WOULD pay him for it.

The next weekend he came in and had the extra cigar with him and gave it to me. I paid him for it on the spot. He tried to refuse the $$ but I know he's a retired person and can't afford to give cigars away. Anyway, I ASKED for it and I don't want a hand-out. I told him there was no way I would take it for FREE. So he graciously accepted. If I am asking someone for a cigar, I am going to pay for it or I won't ask.

I came equipped with my normal 3 cigar supply, my cutter, and 2 butane lighters as usual. I was not depending on him or anyone to supply me with smokes. I bring my own when I go to the club on weekends.

The cigars he buys weren't bad at all, for the price. I had never tried anything in bundle and I wanted to get a handle on this method of buying cigars. I'm still looking around for the right deal, I don't want to buy a bundle that is dried out and I don't want to smoke.


Cheers,


Mike

[Ahbroody]

I am constantly giving out cigars to coworkers and friends.
Of course no one ever asks for them. I guess it would be different if the same guys kept coming up asking.

I have given and recieved plenty of cigars. Its just how the hobby works.

[Coach Deg]

A friend( a lawyer) had out on the bar OpusX xxx at his wedding. Me and another guy were crying over all these idiots that took the cigars didn't know how to cut them, took a few puffs and left them in the ashtray to die!!!

[hscmit]

Originally Posted by Coach Deg

A friend( a lawyer) had out on the bar OpusX xxx at his wedding. Me and another guy were crying over all these idiots that took the cigars didn't know how to cut them, took a few puffs and left them in the ashtray to die!!!

that is a sad story
I would hate to see it in person

[Noodles]

Originally Posted by Coach Deg

A friend( a lawyer) had out on the bar OpusX xxx at his wedding. Me and another guy were crying over all these idiots that took the cigars didn't know how to cut them, took a few puffs and left them in the ashtray to die!!!

They are idiots for basically not sharing the same hobby as you do?

[hscmit]

Originally Posted by bonggoy

They are idiots for basically not sharing the same hobby as you do?

no I would assume that he (the op) lamented the waste of dozens of cigars that others would have enjoyed

[Noodles]

Originally Posted by hscmit

no I would assume that he (the op) lamented the waste of dozens of cigars that others would have enjoyed

That's what exactly I am referring to. He called them idiots for not understanding the proper etiquette of cigar smoking i.e. not knowing how to cut a cigar and you have to finish a cigar.

[Coach Deg]

Originally Posted by bonggoy

That's what exactly I am referring to. He called them idiots for not understanding the proper etiquette of cigar smoking i.e. not knowing how to cut a cigar and you have to finish a cigar.

It was the fact that these people didn't even smoke and were just taking them because they were there. If your a vegetarian and there is a filet sitting on the bar do you take a bite and put it down, just cause its there.

[pektel]

I honestly give away/gift/bomb more cigars than I smoke. But almost all of those times have been unsolicited. The only person who's ever asked for a stick from me has been my brother. If he's going out fishing with his buddies or something. Then he gets his pick from my humi.

[poker]

Originally Posted by cmitch

Okay, so I'm a nice guy, at least most of the time. But, often, more times than not, I carry these great sticks with me to enjoy when a not so educated person wants to 'try' one of my sticks. But, you don't 'try' a stick. You 'try' a cigarette. If the stun sucks, you put it out and that's it. Period. But a cigar is different. Palettes are different and flavors often change while smoking a cigar. These ignoramuses think they should try a stick on my investment. Forget that I paid $7 to $10 for the stick, more than they paid for their worthless pack of cigarettes. For some reason, they think I owe them a shot at one of my expensive sticks and they've never smoked a cigar before. I have no problem sharing great smokes with someone who has developed a taste for a fine cigar. But, if someone wants to try a cigar, especially a first time cigar smoker, they need to try it on their own dime.

Free loaders.

Rant over.

I cant say I agree with you as others have pointed out. I dunno. Maybe you should not bring cigars with you wherever that you dont plan to smoke yourself if it bothers you that much.

I personally have given away literally hundreds and hundreds of cigars over the last 20 years, many of which are rare/vintage havanas to friends, family, and to many folks I never met before or met for the first time. Sometimes the cigar I give someone is my last of that particular cigar I may ever see again.

Why? Probably because theres a certain magic that can happen when you give someone something that they have never tried or only dreamed about.
Im not saying you should be more like me or anything like that. What I am saying is that maybe you might need some work in the tolerance of others department. There was a first time for everybody, including everyone here. This includes me (btw: I'm also an ignoramus cigarette smoker).

[LasciviousXXX]

This man speaks the truth!

The very first time Kelly and I ever met in person he handed me a very rare cigar that I had never tried. Both the gesture and the cigar made a lasting impression that I remember to this day. Generosity, even to those you've never met or might never meet again, can sometimes be the greatest gift.

[DocLogic77]

Originally Posted by LasciviousXXX

This man speaks the truth!

The very first time Kelly and I ever met in person he handed me a very rare cigar that I had never tried. Both the gesture and the cigar made a lasting impression that I remember to this day. Generosity, even to those you've never met or might never meet again, can sometimes be the greatest gift.

Agreed. I remember the generosity of a few gentlemen, specifically Klugs when I first entered into this wonderful hobby. I knew nothing, had little to smoke, and little to nothing to offer. It was those generous and social experiences with experienced and giving BOTLs that spurred my love for cigars.

Freud said it best.

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

[DivineRight]

Originally Posted by tobii3

Freud said it best.

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

I'm not a big Freud fan, I prefer to look at cigars in this manner:

"A good cigar is as great a comfort to a man as a good cry to a woman."

Bulwer-Lytton, E. G.

[wayner123]

Originally Posted by cmitch

It is really quite amazing how many different directions and opinions came from this rant. Hmm. I don't think I was attaching strings to anything. My rant was about people I didn't know who thinks they can bum a cigar like they bum a cigarette. That's all.

It did drift some but such is the forum posting world. However the first reply:

Originally Posted by wayner123

Or just carry around really good cheap cigars.

Should have covered it all.

[massphatness]

Originally Posted by poker

I personally have given away literally hundreds and hundreds of cigars over the last 20 years, many of which are rare/vintage havanas to friends, family, and to many folks I never met before or met for the first time. Sometimes the cigar I give someone is my last of that particular cigar I may ever see again.

Having received a Cohiba Reserva Esplendidos from this man when I was just getting my feet wet on Club Stogie, I can tell you he speaks the truth. It was a phenomenal example of what this brotherhood is about and one that I have tried to emulate, abeit poorly, over the years.

[Whipper Snapper]

If it were not for folks who gave generously, I doubt I'd be on these boards today. I started posting on cigar boards over 7 years ago. I was interested in the hobby, but it was the generosity of some fellows (one who posts here in fact) that not only plunged me into the hobby, but gave me more of a reason to be here than to just talk about cigars.

I've had the opportunity to try cigars that I didn't even know existed 7 years ago, thanks to people who cared enough to give a noob a shot.

Now, I just so happen to know a little bit about the cigar world when I used to know nothing, and I don't think that would have been possible had generous people not shared their cigars/knowledge with me.

Nobody likes a mooch. But, sometimes moochers are really just people who don't know where to start. It's full circle really. Give a newbie some cigars to try, and 10 years down the road, he might just be giving you that dunhill you never dreamed of owning.

What a wonderful place we have here at the asylum.

[markem]

I'm sure that most, if not all, of us know or know about some one person who seems to freeload off other people's stashes. I think that is the type of person the OP was posting about, although it is clear that others in this thread are painting a wider brush.

I see no reason to start a thread over that one aberration of a person. Tell the person 'no' and move on with your life. Complaining about the one person just makes you miserable. Let it go and move on. Don't worry about their behavior if it isn't directed at you - you can't play mother hen to the entire world.

Let's let this thing die and move on to other topics, like who has received the most touching stick from a friend or stranger and why was it so. I doubt that most of the stories would include rare sticks, but who knows. Many here know about the time I gave a rather run of the mill stick to someone who was homeless and it reminded him of better days and took away the pain of his circumstances for a while, or so he told me. Let's focus on the good in both us and those around us, m'kay?