Rant: Cigar Bums

[OLS]

Originally Posted by Tecnorobo

I started posting on cigar boards over 7 years ago..

You might have been the first mooching noob, and I mean that in the most respectful way.
I can remember when you popped in and jumped in with both feet. Even though the other place
was not as completely, overwhelmingly generous as THIS place is, I think you had no idea that people
were going to hit you the way they did. You were just curious and broke, as I recall. I did not send
anything to you, but I remember it well. Your avatar made me chuckle everytime I saw it.
I think it all started with a couple "I never had one of those." 'es. Talk about the birthplace of the bomb.

I may be mis-remembering the facts, but I remember the time and place and the shavetail young whipper-
snapper. I think people could diffrentiate you from a garden-variety mooch, so you were OK.

[Whipper Snapper]

Originally Posted by OLS

You might have been the first mooching noob, and I mean that in the most respectful way.
I can remember when you popped in and jumped in with both feet. Even though the other place
was not as completely, overwhelmingly generous as THIS place is, I think you had no idea that people
were going to hit you the way they did. You were just curious and broke, as I recall. I did not send
anything to you, but I remember it well. Your avatar made me chuckle everytime I saw it.
I think it all started with a couple "I never had one of those." 'es. Talk about the birthplace of the bomb.

I may be mis-remembering the facts, but I remember the time and place and the shavetail young whipper-
snapper. I think people could diffrentiate you from a garden-variety mooch, so you were OK.

After reading all of this, I hope the term "mooching-noob" isn't synonymous with "mooch" or "purobrat". Thankfully, I had the opportunity to bomb some of the farts responsible for a majority of the mayhem (Cough *Smitty/Paulmac* cough). One things for certain- I had absolutely NO IDEA I'd get pummeled the way I did back at the other place.

Motheman, Icehog, Smitty, Frank and Anita (Floydp), IHT (now curly cut) and Coppertop. I'm sure there were others whom I've forgotten, and for that I'm sorry. They sure did beat the snot out of me though.

I think the worst of it all was the constant torment I received from Paulmac and Smitty via aim/pm's. The two of them insisted that there would be a time where impending doom would rain down upon my head. Apparently they had arranged some mass bombing that would've included half the forum or something. Thankfully, that never took place. I don't deserve a carpet bombing.

Bottom line is, I hope a few years down the road, I'm able to return the favor to someone as ignorant as I was.

[South Shield]

Wow, there is some very generous Brothers of the Leaf on this forum and to that I say, YOU ARE MOOCH ENABLERS! Stop it! The less you give the more you have.

Now will someone go to Walmart for me and pick up some Kitty Litter, I have to keep my humidor going until my sticks get to 3 years old and I have to destroy them in front of the VA.

[replicant_argent]

Everypipedotcom

[DivineRight]

I think people are misinterpreting the difference between a "mooch" and a someone who is new to the cigar scene. Over the years, I have met a lot of friends of friends who are interested in cigars and almost all of them never have their own cigars. I have no problem gifting them with one of my tasty habanos but I always try to judge what a good cigar for them would be depending on their experiences.

I've found that giving someone a strong cigar like a Partagas SD4 or one of my Bolivar PC's always seems to wrong move. Over the years, I have found certain cigars to be great introductory cigars. These are the ones that I tend to give to others to smoke but they are also cigars that I enjoy myself. There is nothing more satisfying than seeing someone discover the enjoyment of a cigar before your eyes.

I also have a collection of cigars that I reserve for people who in my opinion have no inclination to ever become a cigar lover, so basically "posers". Over time, through box passes and friends returning from vacations, I've been gifted with fakes and strange cigars (some smelling like aftershave, others just looking too rough to smoke). I've handed these cigars over and giggled while doing it. I know its messed up, my dark humor sometimes takes over but in my defense I reserve these only for the true mooches. In my circle of friends, we've kicked out actual mooches-those who are cheap in every aspect of the definition and take advantage of the generosity of the group. They are the ones who you go out to dinner with and they seem to always forget their wallet or not have any cash on them that day. They are the same people who go to a BBQ's empty handed when everyone else brought something, they show up to parties and drink everyone else's booze because they didn't have time to pick something up, they are the ones who show up to cigar meets empty handed every time and they are typically the ones who talk the big talk with nothing to show for it. I think we can all agree that nobody wants to be around people like this, let alone gift them with our precious cigars.

[dvickery]

Originally Posted by DivineRight

There is nothing more satisfying than seeing someone discover the enjoyment of a cigar before your eyes.

some smelling like aftershave, others just looking too rough to smoke

chap

first...so nice to see you here...5 posts in a year and i know you have lots more you could add to this forum. too much wisdom and cigar knowledge to be so unspoken about it all.

paragraph#1...logan smoking his first cigar...he enjoyed but maybe too many mojitos to remember.it was a glassy eyed look of satisfaction tho.

paragraph#2...i remember the "aftershave" tainted cigars...still chuckle when i think of them...glad we traded the guy for a sack of pucks to vancouver.

Originally Posted by dvickery

yes i watched someone put down one of my beloved santo coronas with but an inch smoked...maybe i should have given him a milder cigar.

yes that was logan too...it appears chap gave him the better cigar as he smoked all of it.

sorry if this post makes little sense to anyone else.
derrek

[cmitch]

Originally Posted by DivineRight

I think people are misinterpreting the difference between a "mooch" and a someone who is new to the cigar scene. Over the years, I have met a lot of friends of friends who are interested in cigars and almost all of them never have their own cigars. I have no problem gifting them with one of my tasty habanos but I always try to judge what a good cigar for them would be depending on their experiences.

I've found that giving someone a strong cigar like a Partagas SD4 or one of my Bolivar PC's always seems to wrong move. Over the years, I have found certain cigars to be great introductory cigars. These are the ones that I tend to give to others to smoke but they are also cigars that I enjoy myself. There is nothing more satisfying than seeing someone discover the enjoyment of a cigar before your eyes.

I also have a collection of cigars that I reserve for people who in my opinion have no inclination to ever become a cigar lover, so basically "posers". Over time, through box passes and friends returning from vacations, I've been gifted with fakes and strange cigars (some smelling like aftershave, others just looking too rough to smoke). I've handed these cigars over and giggled while doing it. I know its messed up, my dark humor sometimes takes over but in my defense I reserve these only for the true mooches. In my circle of friends, we've kicked out actual mooches-those who are cheap in every aspect of the definition and take advantage of the generosity of the group. They are the ones who you go out to dinner with and they seem to always forget their wallet or not have any cash on them that day. They are the same people who go to a BBQ's empty handed when everyone else brought something, they show up to parties and drink everyone else's booze because they didn't have time to pick something up, they are the ones who show up to cigar meets empty handed every time and they are typically the ones who talk the big talk with nothing to show for it. I think we can all agree that nobody wants to be around people like this, let alone gift them with our precious cigars.

There ya go. Unfortunately, we sometimes end up around moochers and it's not by choice. I've gleaned some good ideas from these posts as well, to combat moochery in the future.

[glassjapan]

It's not the fact that someone is an experienced smoker. And it's not the fact that they might finish the cigar or only smoke an inch. You give because you want to give. You give the best you have, because you like to give. The rest is just score keeping...

[hscmit]

waste not a lack of passion

[shilala]

I didn't read all this, but wanted to offer a workaround.
First off, I consider giving away cigars about 90% of the fun, so far as this hobby goes. When I go somewhere where I'll be smoking with others, I take tons of cigars along, so I can share.
I do agree that it can get real expensive sharing $10-$20 sticks with folks who are only likely to take a couple puffs. I make sense of that by keeping plenty of really good $3-$4 sticks. That way if I'm around a campfire with a lot of folks who have never smoked, but just want to "try" a cigar, it's not a problem.
I suppose the long and short of it is that my humidor is, and always has been wide open to anyone at any time. I don't have any cigars that I wouldn't give up in a second. Don't care what they are. If that cigar is gonna put that big dumb grin on a brother's face, that has far more value to me than the price of any cigar.

One other thing that may or may not have been mentioned is that average folks do not know that cigars cost lots of money. They assume they're a buck or something, and by asking, they're not putting me out or breaking my bank.
If I get caught at that campfire with nothing but expensive cigars, that's what they're gonna get. There's a lot of reasons for that, one big one being that no matter how many expensive cigars I give away, I'll never pay back the generosity that's been extended to me by my botl's.

[pektel]

Originally Posted by shilala

I didn't read all this, but wanted to offer a workaround.
First off, I consider giving away cigars about 90% of the fun, so far as this hobby goes. When I go somewhere where I'll be smoking with others, I take tons of cigars along, so I can share.
I do agree that it can get real expensive sharing $10-$20 sticks with folks who are only likely to take a couple puffs. I make sense of that by keeping plenty of really good $3-$4 sticks. That way if I'm around a campfire with a lot of folks who have never smoked, but just want to "try" a cigar, it's not a problem.
I suppose the long and short of it is that my humidor is, and always has been wide open to anyone at any time. I don't have any cigars that I wouldn't give up in a second. Don't care what they are. If that cigar is gonna put that big dumb grin on a brother's face, that has far more value to me than the price of any cigar.

One other thing that may or may not have been mentioned is that average folks do not know that cigars cost lots of money. They assume they're a buck or something, and by asking, they're not putting me out or breaking my bank.
If I get caught at that campfire with nothing but expensive cigars, that's what they're gonna get. There's a lot of reasons for that, one big one being that no matter how many expensive cigars I give away, I'll never pay back the generosity that's been extended to me by my botl's.

Well said

[HK3-]

Originally Posted by shilala

I didn't read all this, but wanted to offer a workaround.
First off, I consider giving away cigars about 90% of the fun, so far as this hobby goes. When I go somewhere where I'll be smoking with others, I take tons of cigars along, so I can share.
I do agree that it can get real expensive sharing $10-$20 sticks with folks who are only likely to take a couple puffs. I make sense of that by keeping plenty of really good $3-$4 sticks. That way if I'm around a campfire with a lot of folks who have never smoked, but just want to "try" a cigar, it's not a problem.
I suppose the long and short of it is that my humidor is, and always has been wide open to anyone at any time. I don't have any cigars that I wouldn't give up in a second. Don't care what they are. If that cigar is gonna put that big dumb grin on a brother's face, that has far more value to me than the price of any cigar.


One other thing that may or may not have been mentioned is that average folks do not know that cigars cost lots of money. They assume they're a buck or something, and by asking, they're not putting me out or breaking my bank.
If I get caught at that campfire with nothing but expensive cigars, that's what they're gonna get. There's a lot of reasons for that, one big one being that no matter how many expensive cigars I give away, I'll never pay back the generosity that's been extended to me by my botl's.

Well said Scott, well said.

[357]

Simple options from good suggestions:

1. Don't give cigars to folks you don't think will appreciate the gesture.

2. Keep inexpensive (yet decent) cigars with you for such occasions.

I don't think anyone would object to you doing either. I think what people are trying to convey is that giving is often the best part of the cigar experience. Obviously not every cigar you give will be appreciated or even liked. Such is life. Don't take it personally. I know there is monetary loss, but when you give a cigar to someone who lights up with joy, you'll realize the previous losses were worth it.

Edited to say: I agree with Scott too!

[pnoon]

It's really quite simple.
Carry a variety of cigars that you don't mind parting with - no matter who they go to.

-or-

Just say no.
Posted via Mobile Device

Just say no.
Posted via Mobile Device[/quote]

Wasn't that in a public service announcement.

I give a lot of cigars away, a couple a week or so. But, if I have a really nice expensive cigar I would ask for hte cost if someone wanted to "try a stick". Now don't get me wrong, I don't have crap cigars and all are very nice ones but if I was paying $9 +/- it would have to be a good friend I want to spend time with to just hand over a cigar just to try.

[poker]

If the person is in fact a "mooch" as some have eluded to, then just a simple "no" will do.

[Kreth]

Originally Posted by poker

If the person is in fact a "mooch" as some have eluded to, then just a simple "no" will do.

I do not think that word means what you think it means...
Posted via Mobile Device

[chand]

Originally Posted by Kreth

I do not think that word means what you think it means...
Posted via Mobile Device

Inconceivable!

[pektel]

Originally Posted by chand

Inconceivable!