Why do you smoke cigars?

Krieg

After reading this blog from David Savona I got to thinking why do I smoke cigars? I smoke them because that hour or two I take for myself is my reward for working my ass off, meeting deadlines, completing projects, being a father, a husband, and a son. To relax and take a timeout, stress release, and on that rare occasion when u find that gem of a cigar, to have a wonderful unforgettable experience. It's def not because I need nicotine like a cigarette smoker does. This is something that a non-cigar smoker just doesnt understand. So why do you smoke cigars?

james40

I got into cigars for the social aspect. I was at my brother-in-laws and he offered me a cigar. We went out back and all the guys circled and smoked and just had a blast. The next time we did it, I brought some local house blends I bought at our local fair. Half way through, I drank some coffee and it turned magical. I think I drank that whole cup of java in 30 seconds. Since then, I've been hooked. I also enjoy the relaxing time of just unplugging and being alone with my thoughts.

xmacro

As a reward, to chill out/relax from a long day with a glass of some favorite libation, something to chew on while I enjoy a favorite book, or something to relax with as I rock in a hammock and drift into a world of my own making . . . and sometimes to get people to leave me alone. Pipe smoke draws people to me; cigar smoke pushes them away, leaving me alone when I wanna be alone.

Heavy

I can't figure out what else to do with them, so I just smoke 'em.

Heavy

Seriously though, I echo many of the sentiments already raised. It is some me time, a reward of sorts, but I also smoke them for the wonderful variety of flavors that they give. I don't get to smoke more than a stick or two a week usually, so it's always a bit of an adventure to try something new, or even to smoke something I've had before and be able to pick out new flavors, or see how age has affected the flavors since the previous smoke etc.

j0z3r

I smoke cigars to relax, to get some me time and put everything else out of my head. Also, a large part of why I smoke cigars is that I'm constantly chasing the Eureka! moment, that occasional cigar that makes me say "this right here is the cigar"...those moments are few and far between, but the chase is always worth it in the end.

jlmarta

One of the BOTL's has said it for me a while back. He said it was a 1 hour vacation. It could be an hour and a half or two hours, but he made the point. It's a mini-vacation - a time just for me. I love it.

fla-gypsy

It is MY time and only another BOTL wants to be around when it is going down. I have been enjoying cigars at work so long it is part of my "bossman" personna

gaberox

I like to indulge my senses. Like a gourmet meal, fine wine or intense micro brew. Savor the flavor.

kuzi16

flavor.
my other hobbies include food and beer. i love to taste.
friendship is next. the people on this forum are proof of that.
relaxation is after that. i can relax as much with a cigar as i can with a book.

RBeckom

I personally smoke cigars for pure relaxation. It's my way to unwind after A long day or to celebrate some special occasion. Just about any good excuse will do. Sometimes I'll even invent A reason to enjoy one.

J.S.

Yes, I agree, relaxing is the key but I also smoke because some of my earliest memories were of my Great-Grandfather smoking his pipe and putting it down to switch to a cigar. It is a link to the past that I cannot escape.

ENFIDL

I work all the time. 6-8 day stretches with 1 or 2 days off is the norm right now. I've worked 10 out of the last 14 weekends as an example. Anyways as a result I don't get to go on vacation because well we don't have enough people but sitting down with a beer or glass of rum and a cigar gives me the 1-2 hr mini vacation that keeps me sane, recentered and helps me to appreciate what all I have in life. Also I love getting together with other BORK's and herf'ing it up. I've made quiet a few friends on here and in person due to here and they're all just awesome people that I never would have met otherwise and am extremely grateful for it.

granneja

jlmarta:

One of the BOTL's has said it for me a while back. He said it was a 1 hour vacation. It could be an hour and a half or two hours, but he made the point. It's a mini-vacation - a time just for me. I love it.

+1 Marty, that is why I smoke. It is a great vacation when you can't get a vacation.

Lasabar

I think each session has it's own merit....
Sometimes I smoke because I want that mini-vacation
sometimes I smoke because I want to log a review and if I ever get a review site up I'll have fodder for it
Sometimes it's social
Sometimes it's to de-stress
Yes, even sometimes it's to look cool (I've brought cigars to public events for this reason)
Sometimes I smoke in large groups to put out the "ALL CLEAR" for cigar talk or to flush out unknown BOTL's in the area
Sometimes I smoke out of spite (I went to a $300 a night resort and sat outside by the full length gas fire pit and never saw so many DBags smoking cigars, so I got a cigar out and cut it well, lit it well and when some guy came up to talk I saw he had a Macanudo....)

I'm not a snob, but each day brings new reasons to smoke and I LOVE everyone of them!

JudoChinX

Sounds like we're all pretty much on the same page. I love being able to take a break from the day, love the flavors and complexity that comes with the territory; spending time working out each spoke to pick out notes and changes is a great time. Other than that, it's great socially, though I don't know too many BotL's over here, my friends are usually more than happy to help me smoke a few.

mfotis

I started smoking when I was in Iraq the first time because we had a club and I didn’t have anything else to do. I was hesitant at first cuz it’s an expensive hobby and I didn’t know that much about it. Well once I started I was hooked and I realized that learning about cigars was just as much a part of the hobby as smoking them and I’ve been smoking ever since. I smoke to relax and unwind from the day. I probably smoke one a day and if I don’t then I spend the rest of the evening wondering what I missed by not burning one. I generally don’t like ppl but I’m constantly looking for other BOTL’s and BORK’s to smoke with.

Krieg

j0z3r:

I smoke cigars to relax, to get some me time and put everything else out of my head. Also, a large part of why I smoke cigars is that I'm constantly chasing the Eureka! moment, that occasional cigar that makes me say "this right here is the cigar"...those moments are few and far between, but the chase is always worth it in the end.

Exactly what I was referring to when I talked about that once in awhile great experience, I am also in in a constant search for those perfect moments. And yes, it is def worth it in the end.

The Sniper

Like many guys on here, its stress management mostly. I have a tendency as a type-A personality to GO GO GO GO GO GO GO until I just drop. Cigars, since I cant seem to do anything else while I smoke them (or maybe just dont want to?) make me take that hour or so and just be still, mind and body.

There is the stress management aspect also - its almost impossible for me to not pop a blood vessel on my work commute without a stogie. "WTF ARE YOU DOING YOU MORON?!?!?" in traffic becomes "Meh, Ive been in a hurry myself a time or two..." when a cigar is involved, if that makes any sense.

Other times its for celebration.

Sometimes its just because dammit, I love cigars. :-)

boydmcgowan

Stress management is a big thing for me as well. I'm not exactly a type A personality, but my work forces me to be one, so it can be a bear on me by the end of the week. My weekly cigar (sometimes more sometimes less) is like my weekly reset button on life. I like the one hour vacation analogy, but for me it really is more like a reset button. Like on the old Nintendos. Lets wipe the worries of the past week away and start the new week fresh.

The other thing for me is that I just love tobacco. the taste the smell, the feel, everything. I got into the hobby, because in college I used to chew, long leaf only, mostly redman original, but the golden blend too when I could find it. Afterwards I kept it up for a while when I needed to work late or on weekends and such, but I always got the look from coworkers or my wife or what not. Plus you can't enjoy a beer as easily with a cheek full of redman. Way too much thought has to go into that rotation, and then there's the spilling factor. I've mentioned before how much I value construction in cigars (thank you AJ), becuase I'm a clutz and drop them all the time, so . . . . you get the picture. The chew hobby wasn't gonna last much longer than it did. So I was looking to find something else besides that to give me my weely taste of tobacco. Cigarettes weren't gonna happen, pipe tobacco is too sticky sweet for me, and then me and my father in law started trying a few cigars here and there and we basically we're each others bad influence and got each other rolling on the hobby.

stephen_hannibal

All my heroes smoke cigars.
Wolverine from the Xmen.
and that sums up my list of heroes.

ShotgunJohn

I smoke to relax, I light up a stick on my patio and all the stress of the day goes away.
I sometimes read or just sit there clearing my head. My average stick is about 1.5 hours so it is great quite time.
I also like to go to cigar lounges and spend time with friends and fellow smokers.

I also like the different flavor profiles, it always amazes me how the preparation of the leaf and the blend of tobacco can vastly change the flavor. I guess smoking a cigar is never boring, but always rewarding.

mfotis

stephen_hannibal:

All my heroes smoke cigars.
Wolverine from the Xmen.
and that sums up my list of heroes.

lol, nice

ltherron

It started one very drunken night when a friend offered me a Cohiba red dot. Took it, bit off the end, and walked around smoking it and quoting Winston Churchill the rest of the night. The same friend educated me over the next year and got me smoking for the social atmosphere. Nowadays I generally smoke to relax, reflect, and spend time outdoors with my wife and dogs. Every now and then the boys will still get together to drink, smoke, and solve the world’s problems.

Rhamlin

I think you hit the nail on the head there Kreig.

BigT06

I smoke cigars because I love cigars.

I love cigar culture.

Some of the most legit people I have ever met, were met solely due to a shared love for cigars.

Cigars relaxe me.

and as an added bonus... cigar smoke seems to naturally ward off some people that would otherwise be on my nerves... like at a bar while watching football.

AND when smoking a cigar in public, strangers don't come up and ask to "bum" one, or "get your lighter real quick"... as a matter of fact, if somebody strikes up a conversation while I'm smoking a cigar in public, it's typically a welcomed conversation. Because even though anybody over 18 can purchase cigars, people that are truly passionate about cigars are very rarely dull, dumb, or annoying.

I also smoke because it is a great hobby to share with the people you choose to share it with.

Lastly, cigars are delicious, and that makes me happy.

smoke em if you got em

The escape that it gives your for hours at a time. But I also love the social side of it and the fact that I dont know nearly as much about cigars as I do most of my other interest so its the learning experience that I get out of it as well.

roland_7707

For me at first it was a learnig experience. I looked up the wikipedia page on cigars and after that found this site. Then after having my first one, I was hooked. Now I smoke, when I can, for the flavors, time to myself, and relaxation. I'm still learning, and will be for a while, and the more I learn, the more I want to learn.

kaspera79

I am constantly searching for that "wow" cigar. And today I smoked a cigar that I got on vacation in Florida back in March. There was a small shop that was rolling cigars fresh, Don Esteban. Five cigars for sixteen dollars. I didn't expect much from them but after talking to " Don" for a while, felt obligated to try a few. I bought these and kept them until today. This was one of those "wow" cigars. The kind that make you sink lower in your chair, drift off in thought, and make you forget about everything for an hour.

bearb

A lot of similar sentiments....but my 30 second elevator speach about cigars goes like this "I love to smoke cigars because I enjoy them..it forces me to slow down and relax for the cigar, for if you smoke it fast it doesn't burn right, turns bitter and not very pleasant at all...so part of it includes that slowing down of oneself for the sake of keeping sane...I have come to really appreciate the variety of choices and that there are some that really hit the spot at certain times...I have found quite a few that I know what they provide, however I am always trying to find even more, learn from the incredibly generous group of cigar smokers called BOTL's....it has allowed me to enter into a world I never knew existed until I joined it, one that seems bizarre to those that are not part of it...and for that I am grateful, for I love being a part of a community...and that is what cigar smokers are ...brothers of the leaf...would you like to try a cigar?'

Gray4lines

I started after a buddy smoked a couple around me and offered to let me try one. At first I just loved how they smelled! Since getting into it though, I've come to appreciate them a lot more. I like that they grow out of the dirt and are hand made. The fact that they are natural and are a product of workmanship, knowledge, patience, and passion strikes me as being very awesome. I also love how many companies produce and market them. The business of cigars fascinates me. It's a hobby that's great to enjoy alone, or with friends, and is definitely a relaxing one. I enjoy just to sit, smoke, and think. I love learning more about every aspect of it. AND they taste good!!