The Stogie Guys

Last week I wrote about how cigar smokers can protect their rights on Election Day. Between now and then cigar smokers should focus on identifying and supporting local politicians who will vote against tobacco taxes and smoking bans.

Going forward, the bigger challenge is creating a stronger alliance in our fight for cigar rights. Reaching out to other smokers is one way to do that, but an often neglected way to create a stronger pro-cigar coalition is making sure that those who should be on our side are fighting the anti-tobacco lobby.

No one is more impacted by anti-cigar legislation than tobacconists who sell cigars to make a living. And yet some cigar shop owners are content to let others fight legislation while they stand on the sidelines hoping for the best.

Tobacconists, along with cigar makers, should be leading the charge for cigar rights. Not only is this battle in their self-interest, but they owe it to their customers whose rights are on the line. Fortunately, as cigar smokers and customers, we have the power to insist that those who get our hard-earned dollars use a small portion of those funds to protect our rights.

So the next time you visit your favorite local tobacconist, ask him one simple question: What are you doing to protect cigar smokers’ rights?

While there’s no single right answer to that question, simply having an answer is important. Maybe it’s being active in local politics, supporting the IPCPR in their campaigns to fight smoking bans and tobacco taxes, or educating shop visitors in the importance of supporting CRA.

Some shop owners contribute to the IPCPR’s Political Action Committee, which supports federal candidates who take pro-cigar positions. I was pleased to see some names I recognize—including Gary Pesh of the Old Virginia Tobacco Company, Mike Copperman of Bethesda Tobacco, and Jeff Borysiewicz of the Corona Cigar Company—on the list of recent IPCPR PAC contributors.

Ultimately, though, how they are fighting for cigar rights is less important than if they are taking action. Remember: We must be vigilant to beat back anti-tobacco zealots who won’t be happy until cigar shops are out of business and most  smoking is prohibited by law. If cigar shop owners won’t fully enlist in the battle for our rights, then we have no chance of winning.

And if your local tobacconist still refuses to take action to protect our rights, then it’s probably time to find a new place to spend your hard-earned money on cigars.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Cigar Label Blog

Two weeks from today, voters will go to the polls to vote for everything from local school board and town dogcatcher to senator and governor. No one can credibly say that this election will be all about cigar rights or tobacco issues, but that doesn’t mean cigar smokers can’t use the opportunity to make their voices heard.

For those who doubt that elections matter, you might re-read our story from two years ago about Obama and McCain’s positions on key cigar issues. We predicted that under Obama the SCHIP tax and FDA regulation of tobacco would be signed into law, and that Obama would make some initial steps toward normalizing relations with Cuba—all of which came true.

So for cigar smokers worried about their rights going forward, here are three ways you can maximize your impact:

Research Your Candidates

Find out where your candidates stand on important issues like cigar taxes and smoking bans. The easiest way to predict how a politician will vote in the future is to see how they voted in the past. If a candidate hasn’t held office before or hasn’t made any votes on the issue, the next best indicators are public statements either in a news article or on a the candidate’s website.

Also, look to see who is supporting their campaign with contributions. If local restaurant associations support them, it’s probably a good sign that they’re against local smoking bans, while if a local anti-smoking group is saying good things about a candidate, it usually means they’ve pledged to support smoking restrictions. Finally, you can always call and ask a candidate’s position, but be aware that politicians are likely to tell potential voters what they think they want to hear, so take any answer you get with a grain of salt.

Focus Local

Focusing your attention on smaller races has many advantages. First, with the FDA bill and SCHIP tax having already passed Congress, most of the action is taking place on the state and local level where anti-tobacco activists are looking to expand smoking bans to restaurants, bars, and even outdoor locations. Second, in smaller races there are fewer voters, which means your vote and that of your fellow cigar smokers can have a large impact.

Invite your local candidates down to your cigar shop and ask them tough questions about their view of the role of government when it comes to smoking (and be sure the shop is particularly busy that day). They may be glad to get the chance to meet with groups of voters, but it will also remind them that anti-tobacco laws have victims, and that those victims vote.

Speak Up Now

Politicians are more responsive to their constituents in the run-up to Election Day. That makes now the best time to let all the candidates, whether friendly to cigar smokers or not, know that smoking bans and tobacco taxes are important to you. When key votes come, you want politicians to be forced to consider the consequences at the ballot box.

For years the anti-smoking lobby has been very vocal as they push for higher taxes, smoking bans, and other laws that take us closer and closer to complete prohibition of smoking. The key to reversing the trend is applying pressure in the other direction, so that politicians know that appeasing the anti-tobacco zealots will have consequences.

Groups like Cigar Rights of America can help with activities like their Smoke the Vote campaign. Ultimately, though, individual smokers need to make their voices heard so cigar smokers can become a meaningful consideration for candidates looking to get elected. Keep that in mind in the next two weeks, on Election Day, and every day thereafter.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

The other day, the IPCPR sent out a newsletter pointing to an article that questioned studies citing declines in heart attacks as a result of smoking bans in Scotland and Wales. According to this article, the heart-attack data was cherry-picked, and a thorough examination didn’t lead to the same conclusions.

I was reminded of my latest, frustrating efforts to dig into a report earlier this year that was used to assert that cigar and pipe smokers inhaled. Since this runs counter to my own experiences as a current cigar smoker and former cigarette smoker, I wanted to know more.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s that, when it comes to presenting information, the devil (or is it God? I’ve never gotten that straight) is in the details. Ever wonder how polls on the prospects of two candidates can be so different? Try looking at who they questioned (Likely voters? Registered voters?). Would you be concerned if I told you an activity in which you engage doubles your risk of death? Probably. But if I told you that activity would increase your chances of dying from one in a thousand to two in a thousand, would your reaction be the same?

When it comes to smoking, a classic example can be found in reports of teenage cigarette use. The figure you’ll often see from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is that about 20% of high school students are cigarette smokers. Of course, that depends on what the definition of “is” is. The CDC defines “current cigarette use” as having smoked “on at least 1 day during the 30 days before the survey.” To me, at least, one cigarette a month is a pretty low threshold and not what the average person generally thinks of as a cigarette smoker.

So I was most curious about the inhalation study. I had numerous questions before and after I read the report in Annals of Internal Medicine. They were, I thought, fairly simple and important questions, such as whether the subjects smoked machine-made or premium cigars, and how many cigars the cigar-only smokers smoked per day or week.

Unfortunately, I never got any answers. Limiting my inquiries to just a few, I emailed several of the authors without success and engaged in a lengthy electronic correspondence with a staffer at the publisher’s office. She tried to get some answers but ultimately failed.

Now, I don‘t believe in conspiracies. I have a healthy respect and belief in science and the scientific method. More often than not, I’ve found the biggest impediment not to be ideology or mischief, but ego. Whether it’s politicians, scientists, corporate executives or any of dozens of other professions (yes, including journalism), people are too frequently defensive and dismissive when questioned. And when the topics are highly charged, as is the case with tobacco use, the walls can go up faster and higher.

All of which is a real shame. Because I’m also a firm believer that sunlight is the best disinfectant. And that kind of light doesn’t even cause dangerous sunburn.

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

A friend recently mentioned that he planned to significantly narrow the scope of his cigar purchases. Taking the “life’s too short for bad cigars” approach, he intended to select only a handful of specific blends and smoke little else.

My gut reaction was that he was making a mistake. To each his own, I thought. But trying new cigars is more of a journey than an objective. Part of the fun of the cigar hobby is discovering what’s out there, deciding what you like, and then comparing, contrasting, and experimenting with variables like age.

Besides, as illustrated by this year’s IPCPR Trade Show in New Orleans, talented cigar makers are constantly turning out new blends. The industry’s greatest strength is its abundance of innovation and the wherewithal to put new ideas into practice. While not all new cigars are good cigars, why would any enthusiast deprive himself of fresh creations?

But then I got to thinking: Maybe my friend is on to something. There are, after all, some noteworthy advantages of narrowing the scope of your cigar intake. One would be the certainty of knowing that every cigar you light up is going to be outstanding—assuming you carefully selected your favorites. Another would be the elimination of the risk of spending good money on cigars that disappoint.

Perhaps my own cigar routines would be drastically different if not for this website. Much of what I smoke is driven by our cigar review needs: what we haven’t yet reviewed, what readers are asking us to review, what’s new, etc. This requires a ton of variety. When I’m just smoking for sheer enjoyment, though, I often find myself turning to the same dozen blends.

Truth be told, I wish I could afford a little less variety and a little more loyalty in my cigar rotation. Whereas I currently smoke my favorite blends only about 10% of the time, I’d like to bump that up to around 50%. I doubt that’s possible.

But don’t get me wrong: I certainly don’t resent StogieGuys.com for the variety it imposes on my cigar intake. I consider this web magazine a great joy, a terrific journey that I have the privilege to share with my colleagues and our readers. And I must concede that I may not have discovered my favorite blends if not for the website’s requirement of me to venture beyond my comfort zone.

How often do you venture beyond yours?

–Patrick A

photo credit: Flickr

In the latest issue of our “Random Thoughts from the Humidor” series, I ruminate about the end of a partnership, the cigar community’s support of charities, and a new way cigar makers are helping cigar shops hit hard by taxes:

A Collaboration Ends

It’s sad to see Nosotros, the joint project of Illusione Cigars and Drew Estate, ending. The announcement came when Illusione’s Dion Giolito told Cigar Aficionado, “Illusione cigars will no longer participate in the Nosotros brand project with Jonathan Drew DBA Drew Estate…The Nosotros brand/trademark dies in the Drew Estate Factory as per contractual agreement, and will not be made outside the factory it originated.”

While we may never know exactly why this promising and well-received project fell apart so suddenly, it’s fair to speculate that it may serve as a warning for anyone considering a similar collaboration in the future. Cigar makers are not only a passionate bunch, the successful ones are also very particular about their product. Getting a release up to snuff so that one cigar maker will put his name on it is difficult enough. But you can imagine that meeting the standards of two particular makers would be infinitely more difficult.

What the News Doesn’t Report

You won’t see it in the newspaper when biased reporters are demonizing the tobacco industry, but there’s no denying that the cigar community is a most charitable bunch. Nearly every cigar maker supporters multiple charities, and many have their own charitable foundations. The giving spirit was certainly on display this Friday for W. Curtis Draper’s annual Little Puff event in DC. While an official total hasn’t been released, those in attendance saw tens of thousands of dollars raised for a three local charities, including one in honor of a Navy SEAL killed in action.

[UPDATE: Draper’s tells me the final total will be approximately $55,000 raised for the three charities, an impressive outpouring of generosity from the attendees.]

A New Way to Support Tobacconists Under Siege

A recent trend for cigar manufacturers has been to release cigars for sale in brick and mortar shops only. The idea is to protect stores that have to charge high sales tax on their products, while online and catalog cut cut margins and costs. Now Alec Bradley is taking that concept to a new level. Since New York retailers were just hit with a record high 75% tax on cigars, company president Alan Rubin is introducing a New York-only blend. It’s a good sign that cigar makers are going out of their way to support those hardest hit by anti-cigar legislation.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Drew Estate/Illusione Cigars

Lately, I’ve been trying something a little different in my approach to new cigars. I’m working my way through the extensive La Flor Dominicana (LFD) portfolio of blends. So far, it’s been an interesting and enjoyable adventure, one you might want to consider replicating with a line of your own choosing.

I don’t limit my smoking to LFDs, just picking a different one when the spirit moves me. I began, more or less, by accident. Over the years, I’ve shied away from LFDs because I remember them just overwhelming me with their strength. But I’d smoked quite a few Air Benders lately and found them to be excellent cigars.

So, when a Double Ligero Chisel that had been nestling for months in my humidor caught my eye, I’d I thought I’d give it a try. Again, it was a fine smoke, and I decided to explore more of Litto Gomez’s cigars. My next was a natural Ligero 400, which I thought was even better than the Double.

As with most of my pursuits, I’m just winging it, making selections by whim and happenstance. It has been a great trip, with only one disappointment. That was the Limitado III, a big stick that began nicely but wasn’t complex or compelling enough to satisfy for the time it occupied. I was bored by the time I hit the midpoint and glad to lay it down awhile later.

About the only other negative impression I have is with the chisel shape. I find it somewhat annoying, but that’s a personal reaction and others may like it.

On the positive and impressive side of the scale, the quality of construction, draw, and burn on every LFD I’ve smoked has been consistently excellent. That’s quite a compliment for an operation that is involved in tobacco from start to finish and produces an extensive line.

That extensive line—from the Connecticut shade natural and maduro Premium Line to the new Double Ligero Maduro—promises to keep me busy for quite some time. I’ll keep you posted on how it’s going.

–George E

photo credit: La Flor Dominicana

Let’s face it: As much as we deplore snobbery, we’re all guilty of various forms of cigar arrogance from time to time. Even the most tolerant of cigar enthusiasts is bound to scoff at something (flavored cigars, for example).

But not all cigar-related condescension is justified. Some things from the cigar world have amassed undeserved reputations. Below, in no particular order, are my top five:

1. Inexpensive lighters and cutters. In my experience, wooden matches, modestly priced cutters, and other cheap accessories often get the job done just as well as their expensive counterparts. Does it look ridiculous to clip a $20 smoke with a double guillotine cutter that cost $12? Maybe. But not nearly as ridiculous as losing a $100+ cutter between your couch cushions. Understated, easily replaceable cigar accessories are the mark of a true aficionado.

2. Altadis and General Cigar. I’ll be the first to admit that my favorite cigar manufacturers are small, boutique operations. But that doesn’t change the fact that two of the biggest premium tobacco outfits also make a lot of tasty, widely available, well-made, relatively inexpensive cigars. So it’s a mistake to outright dismiss everything made by Altadis or General.

3. Mild cigars. Some cigar fans condemn all mild cigars and elevate most bold, full-bodied powerhouse sticks to legendary status. This practice can only be perceived as a misguided attempt to prove one’s manhood. Mild cigars, as my former colleague once wrote, “can and should remain part of a well-balanced collection. We should not consider ourselves too macho, too old, too cool, or too proud to smoke mild or medium sticks.”

4. Online cigar retailers. In these discouraging times of restrictive smoking bans and outrageous tobacco taxes, it’s vital to support brick and mortar tobacco shops. Heck, many new cigars are purposefully relegated to tobacconist shelves. While this is a noble cause, let’s not forget that online retailers serve an important role. They provide competitive auctions, affordable deals, and enable customers to buy smokes from the comfort of their homes. They also make some rare smokes easier to find. So frequent your local shop and lose the guilt when you occasionally buy via the web.

5. Bundle cigars. Cigar boxes are truly a work of art, elevating the importance of presentation to a level unrealized in other industries. If cost is your concern, though, consider buying by the bundle. Many good cigars come bunched in bales of cellophane instead of colorfully decorated Spanish cedar boxes. However untraditional and unattractive, this strategy cuts on cost, and the savings are often passed on to you, the consumer. Nevermind the connotation that great cigars have to come from beautiful boxes.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys