Commentary: Random Thoughts from the Humidor (XVI)
1 Apr
In this segment of Random Thoughts from the Humidor, I voice my contemplations about babies, head colds, and going in on cigar purchases with friends.
Six Weeks Old
My son is six weeks old today. He has truly been a blessing, and it’s amazing how I’ve only known him for 42 days yet I couldn’t imagine life without him. That said, before he was born I remember selfishly wondering how his arrival would change the amount of time I like to spend smoking, writing, and reading about cigars. So far so good. I certainly have less time for my cigar endeavors, and the opportunity cost of this time has definitely gone up. But I’ve been able to keep a reasonable pace—even if jaunting off to Nicaragua this year is out of the question. Still, I wonder how other cigar enthusiasts who are fathers handle these considerations. To what lengths do they go to keep their children from being around tobacco? How honest are they with their children about their cigar smoking? What have they learned that I may be able to benefit from?
Sudafed Blues
For the past few days I’ve been battling what’s probably nothing more than the common cold. Annoyingly, the sickness hit right around a few key cigar-smoking opportunities that I had been looking forward to. I chose to pass them up. This got me thinking about this article I wrote almost exactly three years ago. The gist? Back then I concluded that head colds rendered cigar smoking completely pointless given my inability to taste or smell clearly. I stand by that conclusion after trying to smoke a Flor de Las Antillas yesterday. All I could sense was spice and heat. I got no nuance, balance, or interesting flavors. Needless to say I’m looking forward to ending this cold and celebrating with something nice.
Buying Boxes with Friends
Sometimes there’s no room in the budget for a box purchase. But splitting a box among friends is entirely within reason. While I know this is nothing new, I just started splitting boxes recently—particularly with smokes that are either very expensive or only sold in large-count boxes (30-40 cigars). The benefits are plentiful. On one hand, I get more variety and less per-purchase pain in the wallet. I also get to pay lower per-unit costs since cigars by the box are generally cheaper than singles. On the other, I get to compare tasting notes with friends and have great conversations. If you haven’t already adopted this practice, I’d highly recommend splitting a box purchase or two. And remember you don’t necessarily have to buy boxes online. Keep an eye out for discounts on boxes at your local tobacconist.
photo credit: Stogie Guys