You can get
cigar-lighting how-tos all over the mighty internets—some concisely right-on
and some…not so much. Watch video after video and you’ll find each subtly
different.
Nuances
abound in the cigar world, but don’t worry about the “right way.”
Fuck the
nuances. At this point, you just want that sucker
1. On fire
and
2. To remain
lit.
Your spokesmodel for the evening:
Caballero #3
Lighting the
cigar with no fanfare:
1. Cut about a 1/16th off the
end. (This is a post for another day.)
2. “Toast”
the end that doesn’t go in your mouth.* Blow it out if it keeps flaming as you pull
the lighter away.
What that means:
hold it above the flame and spin it a bit—just like you’re toasting a
marshmallow.** You’re warming up the wrapper.
Not so much for demonstration purposes,
but to show my mad photography skills.
And by "mad," I mean "bad."
3. Put the
stick in your mouth*** and hold the flame about an inch from the foot. You’re
lighting the filler.
4. Puff a
couple of times.
4.5 Dear god, don’t inhale.
5. Hand the
house lighter back to the cigartender.****
6. Repeat
3-5 as necessary if the cigar goes out.
Fire! Fire! Fire!
*This shouldn’t
have to be said, and yet…
**If you’re
one of those assholes that burns the marshmallow, stay the fuck away from
cigars.
***Heh heh
heh.
****Don’t
even think about pocketing it. Yes, it’s nice, but it’s not yours.
Unless you've been living somewhere other than Penny World (although why would you be anywhere else, since here everything is fun and sparkly. Plus unicorns.) I wandered away from my sentence again.
So unless you're new, you know how much we adore Jim Robinson, he of Leaf by Oscar and Island Jim fantabulous cigars, as well as the superfantabuloso Leaf and Bean.
Jim and our hero
The other day on the facebook,* Jim posted the following missive, which sums up pretty much all that is right with the cigar word.**
The only changes I made were adding paragraphing. He said I should change it to make him sound smarter, but I'm ignoring that for three reasons:
1. No way would I even attempt to alter his voice. "Find your voice and commit to it," I tell my students. Jim's writing voice is as open and friendly and honest and awesome as he is. To mess with it would be a crime.
2. Jim is already wicked smaht, as we say here in New England.
3. I forgot what the other thing was.
Jim in his shop Leaf and Bean in the Pittsburgh Strip District
So with that, please enjoy: All the time as a retailer I am asked what is your favorite cigar. What a question, how do I pick just one. There are so many great manufacturers out there making fabulous cigars, its impossible for me to pick a favorite. My goal is to try them all, yes I have certain tobaccos that I like. But to pick ONE from thousands is impossible for me. And there are so many great masters of the craft, I cannot even start naming names, mostly for the fear I will not mention one of the masters of the craft.
For the most part great cigars are in that $7 - $20 price range. Some below a few higher, but money does not make a cigar taste better to me. I respect a fair number of Master Blenders or as I refer to them the Head Chefs of a fine restaurant who know their ingredients and how to make a great recipe. I have had fantastic $6.00 cigars, and OK $20.00 cigars. The joy of cigar smoking for me is to experiment, try them, smoke them. I have not in my opinion had a bad cigar yet! Some may not fit my taste profile, but that does not make it bad. Not one, Not one, manufacturer that I know is making a bad cigar. They are making cigars for their market, some markets I fall into, some I don't. Does not make them bad. We are living in great times, we have choices, It was not that many years ago, that we did not have choices, there was only so many different manufactures to choose from, now every day I am hearing and trying something I never heard of. For me, that is what cigar smoking is all about, always on the quest to try something new, to find that perfect cigar, that perfect cigar that fits my budget. Not everyone agrees with me, and you know what "Thats OK." That is what is so cool about cigar smoking we don't have to agree. What brings us together is the ritual, the socializing 10 guys and gals around a table will be smoking 10 different cigars and they all at the time think they are smoking the best. Wahoo! What a country.... For me the quest is on, I am smoking and enjoying and looking for that next great cigar.....
You must have all of these. Go ahead. We'll wait.
So, as Jim would say, "Wahoo!!"
*I say this in an ironic way.
**Imagine one of those Ven Diagrams. One circle says Cigar World and the other says Penny World. That place where it overlaps? And it does overlap. That's a bit of heaven where a handful of people live. It's very nice there, if I do say so myself.
n.b.*: I started this post in September--September!--and am now just getting back to it. (Yes, I know we're now finishing up December.) Just ignore the references to school starting. Or hop in the time machine and read it in real-time. Your choice.
Don't you hate it when life gets in the way and there's nothing you can do to move that damn blockade that's keeping you from having fun?
Yeah, that happened. I've been caught up with work** and adjusting to a new schedule. Valentino's been doing his consulting thing, telling people what they need to do.***
Anyway, on Thursday (a million years ago), we threw caution to the wind...
...and went to our local hangout, Habanos. And! We met up with Caballero #2, who we hadn't seen in ages!
Naturally, when we arrived, the cigar trading began almost instantly. Cabellero #2 had four sticks laid out where we'd sit:
But can we just say, "Dammit! Trumped!" Valentino had already planned his swap, like a kid deciding which Matchbox car to share with a friend. But he didn't realize his well-thought-out decision would be overwhelmed by the sheer number gifted to him.
But we're still proud of his choice!
The other day****, we'd picked up a few EP Carillo 5th Anniversary... at Mr. J's Havana. (You know we walked out with way more than that, right?)
Released this past fall--right before we bought them!--remember fall, lo all those months ago?--the cigar does exactly what it says, celebrates five years from when Ernesto Perez-Carillo left General Cigars to start making his own delicious cigars. Remember how much we--I--liked the EPC Cigar Now Known as Chocolate Cake? It was definitely box-worthy!
Well this delight is also fantabulous. It has an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, Ecuadorian Corojo '99 binder, and Nicaraguan filler and a one-size-fits-all vitola,***** the double robusto at 6 1/2 x 54.
Here's a funny thing: as I said, I'm writing this in the car and our hero just asked, "What are you doing?"
I had to admit, "Writing a blog post I started in September about the EPC 5th anniversary."
"That was a really good cigar. It was creamy and kind of sweet." Luckily he said nothing about my mad procrastination skills.
I nod, even though he can't see me, and I do remember that cigar and that night at Habanos when both kind gentlemen lit up together, so I got a stereo-sensory blast of the goodness. Let's just be super thankful that on occasion I remember that I'm forgetful and actually type notes and AND put the name of the cigar the notes are about. (Sometimes I don't. This makes me have the sad and the major frustration.)
But this time, Caballero #2 describes a pepperiness but my sensors are all about picking up the subtle sweet creaminess. Valentino mentions a hint of coffee. This is what I love about cigars (besides all the other things I love about cigars): we're all sharing the same thing and yet getting a different experience, based on who we are.
That's why when newcomers to the cigar world ask, "What's the best cigar?" They rarely get a straight, definitive answer.
Valentino loves (irony--read: hates) when folks respond to a question with another question. And yet that's really the only appropriate response in this situation. "What flavor profile do you like?" "What cigars have you tried and liked? Not liked?" "Do you like strong or milder cigars?" The questions can go on and on, because there is no one best cigar. Just like not everyone likes the same foods, so too the cigar. Strength, size, shape, ring gauge...all those things make up the answer to what the question should be: "What's the best cigar for me?"
Well, for some of you, the EPC 5th Anniversary, which ranked quite high in all three of our palettes, is the answer to that question. You should give it a try and see if you're one of them!
*nota bene--Latin for "note well." I love Latin. I know it's a dead language and all, but I would love to resurrect it, a la Frankenstein's monster.
**Actual conversation--Student: Do you have our papers? Me: Shush. You're disturbing class.
***Two things just occurred to me: 1. Our jobs aren't that far apart after all and 2.Urgh. I shouldn't write late at night because I forgot what #2 was going to be.
****Let's do the Time Warp again. You're welcome, by the way...
*****You remember that vitola is the fancy way to say size, right? I know, I know. Why not just say what you mean and move on? And generally I'm right there with you, but specialized language within a group gives a shared sense of belonging. Oh crap. Why am I giving you a rhetoric lesson? I've been done with school three days. Let it go, Penny!******
******If you're expecting me to give you a rendition of "Let it Go," you have a long wait. That song goes right through my spine, and not in a good way.
