Home General Discussion

the "draw" of the Cigar

Pun intended.
Kind of a strange topic but I was just wondering what has driven everyones passion for cigars.
I personally have always enjoyed a good cigar on occasion but since about a year ago I have been enthralled with everything about them. I find myself wanting to know more and more about what is out there and what information about the whole cigar experience I can find.
To me the cigar is intrigueing because of the different nuances of each cigar brand, wrapper type, filler, binder, shape, size, etc and how all of these aspects go into the complexion of each individual smoke. Much like single malt scotch and how the differnt aging tecniques and barrel styles affect each individual scotch.
Again, strange question, I know. I was just curious.
«1

Comments

  • kuzi16kuzi16 Posts: 14,633 ✭✭✭✭
    relaxation
    thats it.
    nothing like sitting on my portch with a cigar, watching the world go by.
  • rdnstnrdnstn Posts: 993 ✭✭
    Ditto.

    That and good company.
  • jlzimmermanjlzimmerman Posts: 282
    I think for a lot of people it's the little cheap machine-made sweet cigars that act as a gateway to REAL cigars, kind of how mary jane is the gateway to coke.........ok, bad analogy, but you get my point.

    Smoking stogies is an acquired taste that builds over time, like fine liquor or gourmet foods. My hat is off to the guy that never tried anything then stuck a Punch in his mouth and said, "this is great, I love it!" That's why most experts suggest starting with mild smokes.

    I was no different. There was a time when I didn't like the smell of cigar smoke. As I aged, my taste and senses changed and I began to see the appeal in a nice every-once-in-a-while celebratory smoke. It became common place in some situations, and hell, I surely wasn't going to be the only one not smoking at my buddy's wedding. Having a casual smoke with my siblings became the norm during holiday gatherings. It just grew from there.

    Now, everything about smoking a cigar is great: the taste and aroma, the social aspect, the history, the entire experience, being distinguished, etc.... I look forward to expanding my palate and trying new cigars. The varieties are endless.

    My appeal has grown by leaps and bounds, and I know it's not the nicotine talking because I don't smoke that often, only one, maybe two cigars PER WEEK. That's it. Yet, I find myself constantly browsing sites and their inventory, gazing at the beauties as I read their descriptions as if I was a kid looking into Toys R Us.

    Ahh, I can hear them call to me...
  • AVGeekAVGeek Posts: 7
    Ashmaster's signature quote sums it up for me: it's all about escaping for a while.  I only smoke when I'm around friends or I fell like that I've earned it.  Last night I worked 2.5 hours on a stats exam and walked away from the computer with a headache. Came home and lit a 5 Vegas Alpha on the deck and all suddenly became right with the world for a while.

    -D

  • j0z3rj0z3r Posts: 9,403 ✭✭
    AVGeek:
    Ashmaster's signature quote sums it up for me: it's all about escaping for a while.  I only smoke when I'm around friends or I fell like that I've earned it.  Last night I worked 2.5 hours on a stats exam and walked away from the computer with a headache. Came home and lit a 5 Vegas Alpha on the deck and all suddenly became right with the world for a while.

    -D


    +1

    I love how I am able to relax with a cigar. Few things in life allow me to relax and let the world drift on by. My job is stressful at times and more often than not I am tired and worn out, a good cigar and good company (or just a good cigar, company is optional for me) is like an instant recharge for my batteries. 90 minutes spent with a cigar I enjoy makes up for everything else that would perpetually drain me.

    Joe
  • LarryDLarryD Posts: 59
    Ditto for me, sometimes I'd rather not have the company just the Cigar. When theres other peple around you have to talk!
  • ashmasterashmaster Posts: 237
    Thanks guys.....When I first started I didn't know what to expect but it sure didn't take long to realize what the true enjoyment of the leaf was all about. Whether it's relaxing with some friends "lying" about the one that got away or sitting back on the patio with your ole buddy "Fuente, Ashton, Pepin", I am sooo greatful.
  • AVGeekAVGeek Posts: 7
    This may sound weird, but there's a line that I've had in my head for the last few months. Don't think I've actually heard it, but it does make me grin. 

    " I'm spending the evening with two of my closest friends: Jack Daniels and Arturo Fuente."

    Never heard the quote, but in my head I can hear Barry Corbin saying it. 

    Ya'll take care.  Looks like it's a 5 Vegas night tonight.
    -D
  • carmike22carmike22 Posts: 70
    A. Fuente is a hell of a guy. I just love sitting outside and relaxing with a smoke and a drink. Doesn't matter how bad of a day I have had, a good cigar will make all my worries go away. And it's also good when I can enjoy a cigar with a good friend. But just love everything about cigars.
  • MarkbbMarkbb Posts: 196
    Ditto to everybody a good cigar and a double shot.....
  • 6clicks6clicks Posts: 34

    I't pleases me to see that I'm in very good company. It seems that most of us are reading this thread and thinking " Wow, that's me!". I don't know what it is either that makes these things so attractive, but they sure take up a lot of my thoughts and I'm enjoying every minute of it.

    George 

  • pilot711pilot711 Posts: 176
    Wow that is me!
  • I'm currently deployed to Afghanistan. My buddies and I, have very long hard days working in our job fields, the best way for us to escape the monotony, the stress, and headaches of our long days, is to sit down, smoke a cigar for 30-45 min (depending on the cigar) and enjoying the company of a group with 1 goal in mind... Smoking a good cigar while relaxing from another hard day of work. We can't go to the corner bar, there is none. We are not allowed to drink alcohol (near beer doesnt count) and we are discouraged from partaking in the opposite sex. It's pretty limited on how we can relax. We know we can count on a good cigar to help us relax
  • First, let me say, "Thank You" to you and your friends. I hope you all stay safe and hope you're home soon.
    Second, cigars are, as my wife says,"something to do when you're doing nothing". Quite true. A cigar allows for contemplation and ,if the music is right, recollection. I look forward to my cigar and think about which one I'll choose and will I drink Macallan or Van Winkle 18 year old or that aged rum that Donnie at Cigar.com recommended? Tough decisions but I can handle it.
  • jlzimmerman:
    Now, everything about smoking a cigar is great: the taste and aroma, the social aspect, the history, the entire experience, being distinguished, etc.... I look forward to expanding my palate and trying new cigars. The varieties are endless.


    Ditto. I love things that have an aspect of craft and tradition to them. In a world of cheaply manufactured this-and-thats mass produced by the billion and meant to be thrown away in six months (if that), something that receives the care and, some might even say affection, that the growers, blenders, torcedors, etc... put into each cigar is fascinating to me. Especially since I'm going into the IT industry and work everyday with some of the aforementioned this-and-thats serving (mostly) people that don't even bother to understand anything about the machines they depend on for their work and/or play.
  • golfcigarjunkiegolfcigarjunkie Posts: 61
    I love the relaxation aspect of the cigar and I enjoy the taste. It has also become a hobby and like any hobby I like to be knowledgable and I enjoy the collecting of cigars. I have about 700-800 cigars and if I stopped buying today those would last me for a few years so I really have more cigars than I need but I still buy them.
  • kuzi16kuzi16 Posts: 14,633 ✭✭✭✭
    there is an endless amount of information on cigars out there. every day that i am home i find another site with a bit of info about cigars that i didnt know before. I spend alot of time reading about cigars.
  • madurofanmadurofan Posts: 6,219 ✭✭✭
    LMAO I can't believe thats your quote now gott.
  • madurofan:
    LMAO I can't believe thats your quote now gott.
    It was the best thing I could find that hadn't been done already. Besides, it's true!
  • madurofanmadurofan Posts: 6,219 ✭✭✭
    It is true very, very true.
  • RushNRushN Posts: 7
    For me the whole image of Cigar smoking was what brought me in; the society and the richness of the culture behind it etc. I like to enjoy things that take great craftsmanship particularly when they are made with such care and detail, things like wine, beer, and cigars. These are things you can really appreciate what goes into them, the time the effort, the various skills and techniques acquired over generations. When you understand what really went into your glass of stout or your Montecristo Media Noche (which I thoroughly enjoyed last night, see my post in "What you Smoking Tonight") only then can you really have an appreciation for the fine taste, aroma and appearance of something so well crafted. It is far from the crudeness of pounding down six Nat'y Ices and smoking a pack of Marlboro lights and that is what drew me into Cigars. You don't hear people discussing the creamy yet peppery smoke of their cigarettes, because cigarettes are garbage!! I have a lot to learn about cigars and the more I learn the more I appreciate and that is what keeps me drawn to such a fine hobby, I guess you would call it a hobby.
  • madurofanmadurofan Posts: 6,219 ✭✭✭
    RushN:
    For me the whole image of Cigar smoking was what brought me in; the society and the richness of the culture behind it etc. I like to enjoy things that take great craftsmanship particularly when they are made with such care and detail, things like wine, beer, and cigars. These are things you can really appreciate what goes into them, the time the effort, the various skills and techniques acquired over generations. When you understand what really went into your glass of stout or your Montecristo Media Noche (which I thoroughly enjoyed last night, see my post in "What you Smoking Tonight") only then can you really have an appreciation for the fine taste, aroma and appearance of something so well crafted. It is far from the crudeness of pounding down six Nat'y Ices and smoking a pack of Marlboro lights and that is what drew me into Cigars. You don't hear people discussing the creamy yet peppery smoke of their cigarettes, because cigarettes are garbage!! I have a lot to learn about cigars and the more I learn the more I appreciate and that is what keeps me drawn to such a fine hobby, I guess you would call it a hobby.
    Well said. VERY well said.
  • kuzi16kuzi16 Posts: 14,633 ✭✭✭✭
    RushN:
    cigarettes are garbage!!
    cigarettes are an abomination of tobacco.
  • MarkbbMarkbb Posts: 196
    I smoked cigarettes for a long time and thought cigar was just yeck, so I just uped and cold turkey them things 5yrs ago, and now I smoke cigars....well do you want to say smoke rather than taste, I may smoke/taste maybe 4 a day and thats in the afternoon and  I really enjoy it, with cigarettes its more or less the habit..
  • kuzi16kuzi16 Posts: 14,633 ✭✭✭✭
    4 a day? wow. Im lucky to get 4 a week. on the bright side i dont spend all that money.... i kinda wanna though...
  • madurofanmadurofan Posts: 6,219 ✭✭✭
    Wow yea 4 day gets expensive. I've been trying to slow up bc I was smoking 10 a week the past few weekd usually its only 3 or 4 a week but the weather was so nice.
  • kuzi16kuzi16 Posts: 14,633 ✭✭✭✭
    i think i would burn out my palate too.
  • mikalsanmikalsan Posts: 53
    kuzi16:
    4 a day? wow. Im lucky to get 4 a week. on the bright side i dont spend all that money.... i kinda wanna though...


    Ok, so I am not the only one with an addiction to collecting something I am just going to store in a fairly humid box before I make it dissappear with a highly ritualistic act of arson. Jk. I am lucky that right now I get to try (or if I know it is good, enjoy) a couple cigars a day. When I get home the wife is going to put an end to it, but for now..... Ha ha

    I'm the same way, browsing the internet when I can, compulsivly buying more and more. I've had to but three humidors this year to accomidate my habit. Right now, with my stock, if I smoked one cigar a day, I would not have to buy another cigar for a couple years.
    Sometimes we all smoke and bs and laugh it up, but then again, I've also just sat there puffing away, and "come to" about half way through the cigar and wonder where the heck I just was.....
    Simply put, SPLENDID
  • kuzi16:
    RushN:
    cigarettes are garbage!!
    cigarettes are an abomination of tobacco.
    Yep.

    Man, true story... I've got this co-worker who ritualistically goes to Starbucks and smokes a cigarette on her break. Recently, I picked up a couple tins of CAO Flavours (the petites), so I offered her one for her break. She flat out turned it down...

    ...for a Newport.
  • madurofanmadurofan Posts: 6,219 ✭✭✭
    Not surprising gott, not surprising at all. If she only knew.
Sign In or Register to comment.