Commentary: Catching Up with Old Friends

On average, do you tend to smoke cigars alone, or with a friend or two?

For regular readers of cigar web-magazines like StogieGuys.com—and for people like me who write for such publications—I hypothesize we smoke alone a relatively larger percent of the time. Not because we’re introverts. But because, unlike more casual cigar smokers, we don’t need a special occasion or a gathering of friends to light up. We’ll smoke alone and not think twice about it. We’ll smoke alone often if we have to.

That isn’t to say I don’t enjoy smoking with friends. I really do. And I suspect that camaraderie is a big reason why I got into cigars in the first place.

Next month, at the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR) Trade Show, I’ll have the opportunity to smoke with two friends I (unfortunately) rarely get to see in person these days: Patrick S and George E. While at least one person from StogieGuys.com has personally covered the Trade Show every year for the past six years, all three of us have never attended the show simultaneously. I’m really looking forward to this.

Even if you peruse StogieGuys.com regularly, it may not be abundantly clear that Patrick S, George E, and I all write from different cities (Washington, Tampa, and Chicago, respectively). Getting all three of us in the same location is about as rare as a Cubs pennant. It’s almost as if we have a policy similar to those in line to be President: never get the President, Vice President, Speaker of the House, etc. in the same room—just in case.

I plan to make the most of our time together by sharing good smokes and covering the heck out of the Trade Show. Check back at StogieGuys.com when the convention begins for our extensive coverage. And check back in the ensuing weeks and months as we review many of the new cigars that are set to debut.

In addition to my colleagues, there are plenty of other friends I’m looking forward to seeing. These include various cigar makers, peers from other online cigar media, folks at Cigar Rights of America, etc. I think the Trade Show’s host city, Las Vegas, will provide a solid setting for fun, food, drink, and smokes.

As I’m doing all this catching up and reporting, keep in mind I’ll be asking industry leaders as many questions, and gathering as much info as possible during the trip. So if you have some burning inquiries you’d like me to ask, say, your favorite cigar maker, please feel free to leave them in the comments, and I’ll get as many answered as possible.

Until then, I’ll raise my glass—and my cigar—to a long overdue meeting of old friends.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Flickr