The joy of smoking (a cigar)
Wednesday, January 14, 2009 Message from Eamonn Butler, director of the Adam Smith Institute. Posting on Facebook, he writes: "Eamonn Butler has been sampling Hunters & Frankau's famous cigars, and wondering how to limit the damage caused by the UK's Stalinist smoking ban".
I can confirm this is true because I was there - and a very pleasant couple of hours it was too.
I may not be a smoker but even I can appreciate the appeal of a good cigar (especially if it's accompanied by a decent glass of wine, or port or whatever). I'm loathe to argue that there should be one rule for cigars and another for cigarettes, but it took me the best part of an hour to consume my Cohiba. Had I been forced to stand outside, on a cold January afternoon, I wouldn't have bothered.
I suspect that few people smoke cigars in their own homes (well, would you?) so it begs the question: do cigars have a future in the UK? And if not, does it matter?
Reader Comments (14)
Simon says: "I suspect that few people smoke cigars in their own homes (well, would you?) so it begs the question: do cigars have a future in the UK? And if not, does it matter?"
I am not exactly sure what you saying here Simon? As a confirmed cigar smoker, I always bring a supply back from Spain, every time I go there, and I smoke the majority of them within the confines of my own home. Why shouldn't I?
You seem to be saying that firstly, not many people smoke cigars, and if they do, that hardly any of them smoke them in their own homes. I do suspect that cigar smoking may be limited now that people cannot enjoy a cigar after a meal in a restaurant, and as you say, it can take anything up to an hour to smoke a decent cigar, and who the hell would want to do that, whilst standing outside a building, maybe raining, maybe cold, and almost certainly, you would be on your own. So that point I can take.
But, why do you ask "would you?", when you say that you "suspect that few people smoke cigars in their own homes". I could be wrong, but it sounds like you are saying that you, and maybe most people, find cigar smoking objectionable in some way?
As you are probably aware, cigars do not contain hardly any of the toxins and carcinogens, that cigarettes do, and as cigar smoke is not inhaled, the same as cigarettes are, the chances of contracting cancer from smoking cigars is almost nil.
You ask, do cigars have a future in the UK? And if not, does it matter?"
I cannot understand a pro-smoking lobbyist, asking that question, you might just as well ask it about cigarettes.
As for "does it matter?" It matters one hell of a lot, this is our freedom we are talking about here, not a lowly roll-up, or a costly Cohiba, but our freedom to decide if we want to use these products or not.
Shame on you Simon.
My grandfather, sadly no longer with us, but then again he's definitely better off where he is, although no doubt turning in his grave with the way that he and his comrades in arms in both world wars are now being treated - what did they lay their lives down for?
I digress; my grandfather smoked cigars, usually small ones, but still cigars, in his home for the near 40 years that I knew him and his home always smelt lovely, warm and homely, The smell of cigar smoke and pipe smoke is usually very pleasant, softer than cigarette smoke, although I still prefer stale cigarette smoke to stale beer smells, so just because you only enjoy the very occasional cigar and obviously don't smoke them in your own home, why do you assume that no-one else would? Of course it would make a huge difference to a great many people if cigars had no future in the UK and such a thought should not even be contemplated.
Apart from the pleasure that a cigar gives to many, it is, as Peter says, Freedom of Choice!
I had a giggle this morning when I say President Bush awarding that medal to Tony Blair for his services to human rights, democracy, etc, etc and thought to myself, pity he managed all that for the US and other countries whilst at the same time destroying these values in his own country!
Does that make him a hypocrite? I think so and an even bigger one to have the audacity to stand there in the White House and accept the medal!
Still, we knew he was nothing but a cheap liar when he was PM and he has obviously trained his follower well!
Peter, I sometimes ask rhetorical questions in order to generate a response. They don't necessarily reflect my views or your interpretation of my views.
In this instance I wanted to flush out some cigar smokers so they can describe the pleasure of smoking a cigar and why being able to smoke a cigar, as opposed to a cigarette, matters so much to some people.
I am conscious that some (not me) regard cigars are rather elitist and are less sympathetic to the plight of cigar smokers. Equally, there are some cigar smokers who are very snobbish about cigarettes. I think all smokers should stick together but in my experience that is not always the case.
Re smoking cigars at home - I don't find that objectionable at all. Personally, I like the smell of cigars, although they can be a bit overpowering in a small, unventilated room. But it's your home. You do what you like.
Truth is, most cigar smokers I know don't smoke in the home because they live in smallish houses and cigars tend to generate more smell and more fug than many cigarettes and they don't want to impose it on the rest of the family, especially if no-one else smokes.
Given that it has become even more difficult to smoke a cigar in public than it is to smoke a cigarette, my fear is that the legislation, as it currently stands, could lead to the market for cigars eventually becoming so small that it will drive the cost of cigars out of the reach of anyone other than the very well off.
Were that to happen it would be scandalous because it would deny what for many people is a very pleasurable experience. In other words, Peter, I'm on your side!
Lyn, an award from one mass murderer to another, so that's fair enough! Human rights and democracy have no place in the minds of these monsters. Blair is the antithesis of democracy
Democracy is an illusion created by incredible manipulation of the population to make them think they have a choice, but as it stands now they don't, only the choice that they manipulate people to choose, with mass media propaganda. Anyone who thinks otherwise is living the life they want you to live, between different sides of the same coin.
The election choice in the USA is unimportant, as the 'agenda' always gets in.The reason this happens is because the public allow it by blindly and often fanatically following the 2 choices they are given.....no choice. Then they ALWAYS find out that this choice was a mistake, so shift to the other choice that is provided generouly for them. How kind. Same here. We fall for it every time. How long have we all been asleep.
Sorry to shift from the cigar story. Smoking is smoking.
I think it was Sir Laurence Olivier or someone making a reference to him in his gaudy camel hair overcoat, remarked that everyone has a vulgar streak.
When I was at the House Of Commons last year with Simon and Ranald MacDonald of Boisdale at the tender age of 47 I was finally informed by Ranald that the nicotine is ingested via the tongue and the cheeks. So your best Cuban cigar was finding it's way straight onto my lungs.
Equal measures of ignorance and being a vulgarian, oops.
To me, Simon, smoking a cigar is as different to smoking a cigarette, as it is to smoking a kipper!
I do smoke the occasional cigarette, but only the black tobacco type, which I buy in Spain, which, like cigars, do not contain all the chemicals which an ordinary cigarette contains. They also have a better smell, and taste (just a little) like a real cigar. Also, like a cigar, I do not inhale them.
But, to get back to the real thing, there is absolutely nothing like smoking a good cigar. It is no more a habit, than eating a good meal is. It is an act of pure pleasure, and one that needs deliberating over, just like a fine wine, a rare malt, or a good woman, come to that.
One thing that I, and I am sure most cigar lovers, miss so much, is not being able to sit back and relax after a good meal, with a really good cigar. A meal, fine wine, brandy, coffee, and a cigar, go together like Romeo and Juliet or Anthony and Cleopatra, they are inseparable.
Even when I was a child and would go home to smell the aroma of a cigar being smoked by my father, I absolutely loved it. It reminded me, and still does, of warmth and love, and home. Even Christmas wouldn't be the same without those certain smells, such as Christmas pudding, Brandy and Whiskey, and of course Cigars.
I agree with -Mark Twain, when he said, "If I cannot smoke cigars in heaven, I shall not go!"
I used to enjoy a cigar with my pint and as I don't drink at home I don't smoke cigars at home. It takes too long, especially in the winter, to have a cigar while out drinking and even my roll-ups get thinner. About the only time I have a cigar now, is when I'm watching football(non-league) with a pint in my hand. I probably average about one cigar a week now.
I am a little unclear about a few things concerning cigars. As this is the subject of this topic, I would like to use this opportunity to make some personal observations which will invite a response which will hopefully unscramble any confusion I might have.
I will try to be succinct, and number each observation/question separately.
1. My own recreational use of tobacco has been mainly 'tailor made' cigarettes, although now I mostly roll my own. I have also had quite a few 'rest' periods, usually lasting about six to twelve months. When I was twenty however, in 1971, I stopped smoking for four years.
At that time, besides the 'proper' cigars at the tobacconist or more plush tobacco and confectionary shop, I can only remember one brand behind the bar in the pub, namely Hamlet. I never saw the cigar being inhaled, and occasionally, although I had stopped smoking cigarettes, I would buy a cigar, usually a Hamlet, and make absolutely sure that I did not inhale even the smallest wisp.
2. When I started smoking cigarettes again in 1975, a warning had been put discreetly on the side of the packet, which I seem to remember said 'Smoking Cigarettes May Damage Your Health'. By 1978/79, I had noticed something. There were more what I will term 'recreational' cigars, some, like Cafe Creme, not much bigger than a cigarette. There were also several others like Panama and several Dutch brands, which again were more like a very long cigarette or the Hamlet size. What I noticed was that it was quite common to see these being smoked in a pub, and inhaled. I even phoned a small charity called ASH, (yes, enjoy this irony), to ask them whether cigars were as bad for you as cigarettes, I even went in to see them, and they didn't know anything much about cigars!!
3. I did spend a few periods in the 1980's where I, like quite a few cigarette smokers, switched to smoking these more leisurly small and medium sized cigars. I inhaled, and smoked less because they gave a bigger hit.
4. Two more questions I have on this subject. When I hear the term cigarillo, my mind always jumps to something I bought occasionally, which were called cigarillos. They were in a pack of 20, the same shape and size as a standard cigarette (not king size). They had a filter tip with the same mock cork paper, the actual cigarillo was brown, and the tobacco was a dark colour, rather like shredded cigar leaf.
My final question. What is a cheroot.
Wood, leather, cigar.
These are a few of my favourite smells.
I buy cigars to scent a room, rather than any of that J&J spray-on crap.
Well Basil, the cigars are probably far less harmful as a room fragrance than the J&J crap!
Let me deal with a few MYTHS
1...in the UK there are NO chemicals in cigarettes they are 100% tobacco, consisting of LEAF, STEM, Dry Ice expanded Tobacco and Smalls (dust)...wrapped in paper using PVA wood glue and an acetate tow filter
2.. Cigars are made from aged leaf..meaning the nicotine content is virtually NIL
I worked in the tobacco industry for many years until this Govt. wiped it out!
I used only to smoke at a Pub and only smoked Good Cigars
now i don't visit the pub
In my limited cigar smoking experience, I have tasted high quality Cuban cigars that are very smooth, less chemical-tainted and nice aroma. These are finer and pleasant than domestic cigars. Also remember when you want to enjoy the pleasure of smoking a cigar, go light on alcoholic drinks. Great answers everybody, I really enjoyed reading all the comments.
I like H.Upmann Magnum 50.It is simply beautiful with its Colorado wrapper and a stylish red double band.This probably have the most consistent constructions among all the Cuban cigars. It has a sharp burn,comfortable draw and thick silver-white smoke.The pre-draw only seems woody at first, but you get a powerful spicy after-taste that makes you apprehend the first puff.They are rich and powerful bringing a mix of cedar and black pepper.The finish is pleasant and satisfying.
I buy these cigars from http://www.royalhabanos.com/
I quit smoking several months ago. This page really is disgusting. I read up on "kiwi drug" about methods of healthy relief . I started out smoking cigarettes and moved to smoking cigars. nicorette inhaler was the best move towards quitting. I should add smoking is very addicting and can seriously kill you. It took my fathers life.