Depth of the hobby
HestonCV
Posts: 5 ✭
I was wondering what y’all think about the hobby and it’s depth. So far ive been into cigars for about 2 months, still haven’t run out of things to research on the internet. I understand you can collect cigars, develop your palate, and learn about the different types of tobaccos and their origins but other than those things what keeps you interested? Where does the longevity come from for you personally and what will keep you for years to come?
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The people you meet smoking cigars.
I know, You're a big dog and I'm on the list.
Let's eat, GrandMa. / Let's eat GrandMa. -- Punctuation saves livesIt'll be fine once the swelling goes down.
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Go on the www, check every online cigar store. Check all your local B&Ms. Count the different makers and types of cigars. Now start going through them and see what you like. See what ring size is best for you, as you sample your pallet will change so you may need to revisit some. As some are discontinued and others are released there are more to sample and reassess which is your favorite. Of course then you need to age some....and.....Logistics cannot win a war, but its absence or inadequacy can cause defeat. FM100-51
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I see it as a lifestyle rather than a hobby. The brothers befriended, the knowledge gained, the excellent tobaccos we smoke again and again, and the utter relaxation encountered are all contributing factors to a very enjoyable existence.“Happiness? A good cigar, a good meal, a good cigar and a good woman – or a bad woman; it depends on how much happiness you can handle.” – George Burns5
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Learning about new tobaccos, developing my palate, these are a few things that I am not as excited about as I used to be, but still I get excited about smoking new blends that I think taste fantastic. And I still enjoy the ritual of smoking, and the friendships formed sharing the ritual.
In the same way you wonder what keeps long-term enthusiasts interested, I wonder how people loose interest. Plenty of new forum members come here and are active for a while then fade away. I wonder if they lost interest in cigars or just the forum. I wonder if they're still smoking, or if they've slowed down or quit entirely.2 -
For me it’s a few different things.
When I like the cigars that I smoke, I try to figure out what I like about that cigar. So I’ll figure out where it’s made, what it’s made out of, and what size it is. Then I’ll compare it to other cigars that I like and try and figure out what they have in common and what’s different. Some things end up being universal and some are more of a correlation as opposed to a causation. Then when I’m looking at new cigars I’ll see what they’re made out of and so on and see if they fit some of the things I like. I’ll also avoid some stuff altogether based on a few different experiences with something it has in it or about it.
As to “why” I do this, I think it’s because cigars are my time for myself. It’s my hour or two hours during a day where I can sit down and relax. I’m not working or dealing with life, I’m sitting down after my day and unwinding. Sitting down with a cigar gives me something to think about and focus on aside from all the various stresses I have that keep me awake at night. I can always look forward to that hour when I’m doing something I don’t want to be doing during the day, and think about the fact that later, it’s going to be me and my cigar.
In terms of this forum, I think that is pretty easy for me to answer. I’ve learned so much from everyone else about cigars and about what to try. I’ve learned this not only from advice, but from people being generous to someone they’ve never met, who they probably wouldn’t have talked to had they known me three years ago. Then later after meeting people and talking either online or in person, I’ve learned not just about their cigars but about them as men. Us guys REALLY suck at expressing our feelings, me included, so I think those of us on here do it via cigars. When I give someone else a cigar or a cigar related gift, it’s my way of saying you're my friend and I care about you and I want you to have an hour of happiness that I got because I tried this cigar. Now, as a guy, I’m not actually going to say that. Instead I’ll say “here you should try this.” And you’ll know what I mean because you’re not going to say it either. It’s unspoken, but it’s very loud. I hope to keep it going as long as I can.9 -
First, don't over-think it.
It's about relaxation and enjoyment.
The thing about something that affects the senses is that there are a million combinations of how it can affect a person and their individual tastes.
We can be in the same place, under the same conditions and smoke the same cigar and each of us will have a different experience,
At the same time, I can smoke a specific cigar one day and smoke the same cigar later and neither will have the same results.
Because of this, you will find yourself chasing the same experiences.
You may smoke one cigar and have that almost euphoric sense to it and the next time, not so much. So you hunt for the next one that has that feel to it.
And each time you find it, it reinforces the fact that you will attain it.
Make sense?
Post edited by 0patience onIn Fumo Pax
Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy cigars and that's close enough.Wylaff said:Atmospheric pressure and crap.2 -
Markwell said:
The way you describe the lifestyle makes it sound good. Really good. And it makes me want to reconsider my longstanding rejection of that term. I smoke cigars in my cluttered garage. Not exactly the image that the industry seems interested in promoting as "the cigar lifestyle". I have always resented the use of that term based on my own connotation and the way cigar retailers use the term. I think the retailers use it in a way that attracts posers interested more in style than cigars.I see it as a lifestyle rather than a hobby. The brothers befriended, the knowledge gained, the excellent tobaccos we smoke again and again, and the utter relaxation encountered are all contributing factors to a very enjoyable existence.
And this video is an example of that abuse of the term. Even though they don't use the term once, you know they're thinkin' it.
https://vimeo.com/1046290103 -
For me hiking or visiting breweries and working towards the goal of tasting 5000 craft brews is my hobby. Smoking cigars just is... I think the men above are right in saying it's a lifestyle if you have to label it.
I don't smoke every day because I don't have the time and honestly I think that makes them so much better when I do. In that moment sitting on my patio some good tunes, a drink, chatting with a friend or two and toasting that cigar I get to put that week/day, schedules/deadlines behind me and relax. Enjoying the different aromas and flavors is something I can't imagine giving up.
Meeting this bunch of looney tunes was also a welcomed treat. I pop in and drop my two cents for what it's worth when I can and regardless if they agree or not I know they can be called upon at any time without judgment. Standup bunch of men & the women that train them. 😄
So now my question to you @HestonCV is what got you into the "hobby of cigars" was it the aromas and joy of smoking or was it the lure of interesting research and collection? Answer that and I think you'll be closer to understanding your own path. If you still frequent the forum that is...lol.2 -
I can't improve on what's been said above. Well spoken, gentlemen, I am proud to be a member here.WARNING: The above post may contain thoughts or ideas known to the State of Caliphornia to cause seething rage, confusion, distemper, nausea, perspiration, sphincter release, or cranial implosion to persons who implicitly trust only one news source, or find themselves at either the left or right political extreme. Proceed at your own risk.
"If you do not read the newspapers you're uninformed. If you do read the newspapers, you're misinformed." -- Mark Twain2 -
I like cigars....They taste good and I'm relaxed while smoking them.
That's the long and short of it for me.....
Anytime the word "Lifestyle" is used to describes something I'm doing, it turns me off....Not what I'm doing, but to the people/companies that are using that term to make money off it.3 -
My life doesn’t allow me the time to enjoy a fine handmade cigar every day but when I can, it’s like a two hour vacation for me. I’m not one of those BOTLs who can do something else while smoking a cigar so I’m pretty much relaxing and escaping demands on my time. A good cigar and a good libation are like Nirvana to me.
The other element that has kept me returning to this forum for over ten years are the BOTLs and SOTLs who comprise the membership here. The love, generosity, and camaraderie that is shared amongst us. And I daresay we each contribute to a
wealth of knowledge that enhances this lifestyle.
So sayeth the oldfart.....
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For me it is my outlet as I rarely have much time for a break.
Relaxation and pure enjoyment from the flavors of the stick to the aroma in the air.If you want to bomb me send it to Tony @0patience
If you are a newbie I got Dem nachos....3 -
You can't dispel Ignorance if you retain Arrogance!2
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+1 on the people you meet. My wife has asthma and she feels bad when I have to go to cigar events alone. I told her that cigar smokers are never alone.
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What keeps me smoking cigars? The relaxation, the flavor, the brotherhood of the leaf, the memories that come to you when you light up a smoke that you havent had in years that reminds you of friends gone by, simple as that.HestonCV said:I was wondering what y’all think about the hobby and it’s depth. So far ive been into cigars for about 2 months, still haven’t run out of things to research on the internet. I understand you can collect cigars, develop your palate, and learn about the different types of tobaccos and their origins but other than those things what keeps you interested? Where does the longevity come from for you personally and what will keep you for years to come?"Long ashes my friends."
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