Do You Love A Good Cigar? I Do! — By Lynn Stalone, Guest Writer
One of my favorite things as a kid was to sit out with the "dads" while they smoked cigars and pipes, talked politics and sports, and drank whatever it was at the time. Sure, there was a lot of bluster, competition and boasting, but that’s part of the charm of the guys and, frankly, I was in awe of them with their European cars, high-powered careers and wry senses of humor. It was fascinating to listen to and cigars just solidified the mystique.
So, I’ve always loved the smell of a great cigar and the great memories associated with it. And, after all these years, I still sit out with my dad and the guys and soak up the cigar smoke, although now I get to partake in some great grappa, scotch, or whatever is on the agenda.
About a year ago, I was fortunate enough to make the acquaintance of a long-time news writer for USA Today, Bill Welsh. Bill joined my husband’s band of merry men on their pilgrimage to Sturgis, South Dakota for the annual Harley Davidson week, and he’s become a great friend since then. Bill is a man of the world. He’s seen it all and written about it, often on the front page. He loves southern blues music, any and every bar, and can wring an interesting story out of just about anyone — he’s a true master at work. But, more than anything, Bill loves his cigars. And, he always has great ones — Davidoff, Padron and numerous others.
At a recent dinner party, the guys headed outside to smoke (with me tagging along) and Bill turned to me and said, "You know, it’s a shame more women don’t smoke cigars." I’d always been tempted, but I just wasn’t sure (being someone who had never even smoked a cigarette). I felt I was satisfied to live vicariously through the guys, but I figured what the heck. I was in.
As with anything, there is a dramatically different camaraderie when you’re actually participating versus just observing. And, I have to say, it was great. I have a truly new appreciation for cigars and, I suppose, a new vice.
So, here’s my question…
- What’s your favorite cigar and your beverage of choice to smoke it with?
- Do you prefer something more robust, or smoother and more subtle?
- Do you have an occasion where you had a truly incredible, one-of-a-kind cigar?
I look forward to hearing from you and your reading your comments.
###
Lynn Stalone is a partner with IHR Research Group and Restaurant Research Associates. Prior to being named partner in 1989, she was a senior analyst with the firm. She has extensive research experience in all facets of the foodservice and hospitality industries, though currently focuses her efforts on the company’s phone center operations.
Lynn attended California State University, Fullerton under a double major of Biology and Marketing. She is currently involved with National Charity League and strongly committed to charitable causes supported by this group. Lynn is also involved in several committees for MRA and is immediate past president of the Southern California Chapter of MRA.
May 12th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
Lynn
I love this article. I enjoy a good cigar about 8 to 10 times a year - my favorite being Ashton Cabinets. A smooth smoke and a delicious flavor. Drink of choice is a Patron tequila on the rocks with a twist of lime. To add to the mood, nothing better than sitting in an adirondack chair, staring up at the night sky and enjoying the banter of some friends.
I just wanted to add that i have a very good friend, Kelly, who typically will smoke with us and there is nothing better than having her in the mix. And believe me she holds her own on all fronts.
May 12th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
Thanks, Steve! I have a couple Ashton’s in my humidor now, but have yet to try them - I will make a point of it now. I’m partial to Patron, as well. Nice to hear about Kelly!
May 12th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
This is one blog I didn’t think I would respond to because I don’t smoke cigars and cannot recall an occasion when I ever wanted to. I must say though that you have tempted me. I am not sure if it is Steve’s description of the night air and bonding with friends … Like William Shatner and James Spader always do at the end of every episode of Boston Legal…or whether it is the intrigue of belonging to the boys club, but I am a little curious now.
Lynn, Perhaps you should be in advertising or romance writing!
One request: Please don’t write a follow up article about the joys of crystal meth or skydiving without a parachute…I am sometimes easily swayed.
May 12th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
Jackie - I have no experience with those last two vices, so I will have to defer to someone else there… Cuban cigars are about as far as I tempt the law and my well-being… But, you know, there is always bungee-jumping off bridges and there is skydiving WITH parachutes available at the Fall Conference in Vegas!
May 12th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Lynn - this is a posting that is near and dear to my heart. I love a good cigar and have even liked some bad ones.
My favorite is the Montecristo #2 (I prefer the Cuban version, but the Dominican is wonderful too). Actually, I love the Fuente Fuente Opus X series, but for an every day cigar I like the Onyx Reserves. I’m a maduro cigar fan, though there are some really good natural wrapper smokes out there. My drink of choice is Balvenie Double Wood Scotch (of course I have to have it neat). I’m with Steve S when it comes to enjoying the night time sky and banter of some friends. For me, it’s a very relaxing exercise, so I’m ok with just the night time sky and my own personal thoughts.
I was just in San Francisco at my favorite little bar, called 850 Cigar Bar. It’s on New Montgomery street and a must visit when you’re in the Bay area. They have a wonderful outdoor smoking lounge area. It’s one to check out. I’d love to hear about any other great smoking spots across the country. I have yet to find anything in Dallas that is comparable.
May 12th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
I wanted to let you know about a new community that just launched for people who love scotch and single-malt whiskies: ForScotchLovers.com.
Benefits for joining the community include insider access to rare whiskies in one of the webs best-stocked whisky stores; curated whisky content from some whisky’s top thought-leaders; and Drinking Buddies, a global community of whisky lovers at your fingertips.
I do hope you’ll come check out the community. If you like what you see please join us, let your readers know about us, and put a link to our community on our site. We’d love to have you amongst us.
I hope to hear back from you,
Doug (CoFounder)
ForScotchLovers.com
doug@forscotchlovers.com
May 12th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
Lynn,
I agree with Paul; Montecristo would be my favorite. Other really good cigars, generally mild are La Gloria Cubana and Avo (first made by Davidoff). They are always nice with some scotch.
Enjoy
May 13th, 2008 at 10:12 am
My favorite cigar is a Greycliff Bahiba. Greycliff is a phenomenal restaurant/small resort tucked away on a side street in Nassau. You can visit the rolling room and watch them roll the cigars. Legend has it that the head tobacconist originally rolled cigars for Castro, before he and his family were spirited away to Nassau. One box per year is my vice.
May 14th, 2008 at 7:52 am
Great posting Lynn!
I am not a smoker but do have a story to share about me, Mr. Dubrow, three sportswriters, a former boxing promoter and two cigars.
In the spring of 1993, Merrill and I were in Chicago attending the AMA’s Leadership Summit. As regular readers of this blog know, we both are big sports fans. In the early 90’s we were regular viewers of the television program “The Sportswriters on TV”.
If you are not familiar with “The Sportswriters on TV”, it was a sports talk show produced by a Chicago-based cable channel and was syndicated across the country to local affiliates of the old Sports Channel America network. According to Wikipedia “The panel of three sportswriters (usually Bill Jauss, Bill Gleason and Rick Telander) and moderator Ben Bentley (a former public relations executive with the Bulls and a longtime boxing promoter before that) would sit around a card table, which was littered with newspapers, and talk sports. Gleason and Bentley would constantly smoke cigars, and the sportswriters would wear casual clothes. It was not uncommon to see Jauss wearing a faded pair of blue jeans and a T-shirt with the name of an area bar. Adding to the informal nature of the show, they would often call each other by their last names, “Jauss”, “Gleason”, etc., as guys sitting around a bar might do.” Basically,it was the same experience described by Lynn and Steve above and it made for brilliant television.
Our good friend Howard Schlossberg (himself a Chicago sportswriter) somehow managed to get us into a taping of the show, the Monday afternoon following the AMA Leadership Summit. I do not recall which one of us had the idea (actually I think it was my wife Marion), but we decided to be good guests and bring Mr. Gleason and Mr. Bentley cigars. At that time I was living in Sherman Oaks and though I did not know a good cigar from a bad one, I knew were to go to get one – Gus’ Smoke Shop. I had no clue what make or model to get these two veteran cigar smokers, so I just told the guy to give the best he had for under $25 a pop.
We got to the studio fairly early, where we were introduced to Messrs Jauss, Gleason, Telander and Bentley. Before they started taping, Merrill and I presented Bill and Ben their gifts. Both gentlemen thanked us, lit them up and then proceeded to tape the hour-long show. Towards the end of the show, Bill Gleason told the TV audience that they had some guests in the studio and mentioned our names and thanked us for the cigars that we brought for him and Ben, to which Mr. Bentley replied, “The best I ever had”.
Ben Bentley was 73 years old when we gave him that cigar. He lived until he was 81. I image spending most of his life in Chicago, as a boxing promoter and sports personality, Ben had access to just about any type of cigar he desired. To this day, I still have a sense of true joy, satisfaction and reward knowing that Merrill and I we were able to provide Ben Bentley with one of the best cigars he ever had.
May 14th, 2008 at 10:31 am
Ed,
That was such a great time. I still haver the picture we took with them. It was an amazing experience. That show was really ahead of it’s time. So many shows are off shoots of that one.
Thanks for sharing a great memory!
Merrill
May 14th, 2008 at 11:06 pm
Hello to you Merrill and to you Miss Stalone for this topic. Merrill and I go back about two, three years. I happen to be of Cuban descent. I was a baseball fan at age 3 before realizing that I was rooting for the proper sport based on my nationality.
As a younger man, I was always doing alone time on a golf course, first introduced to a good Arturo Fuente in the Pumpkin Ridge Course in Portland Ore in 1987. That and an occasional Cohiba along the way. There was a friend of mine who ordered cigars religiously from the Thompson Cigar Company in Tampa, Fla. I am not sure whether or not they are still in operation. They had a sweet smelling Vanilla flavored brand called Friscos…
Almost eleven years ago, I had my last drink. Over 4.5 years ago I had my last cigarette. I WILL however allow myself a good cigar a month to enjoy.
You will on occasion find a good cafe that also features a good (strong) espresso in a teeny weeny cup that will put Redline/Redbull to shame. You can also add to the lustre and flavor of a cigar by dipping it in Rum or an aged Scotch. I like to believe there is no right or wrong way to enjoy a cigar, so long as you ‘leave your ego at the front door’.
I have enjoyed a good Monte Cristo, I have enjoyed some wonderful Partegas brands, Cohibas, and even the Luis something or other…My favorite is probably Cohiba.
May 28th 1996 was one of the worst days in my life as I parked my car in a towaway zone in downtown Seattle, Wa. It was also Game 7 of the Semi-finals between the Sonics and Jazz. Seattle won to advance to the Finals. Bedlam downtown and car horns honking…A Guy wearing a stylish Fedora cracked open a box of cigars, a HUGE Box, and began passing them out to whoever wanted them. The rest was a blur as I enjoyed way too much Rumpleminze and taking 48 hours to recover my car that got towed.
To those of you who would like to become better acquainted with cigar rituals/history/etiquette, I highly recommend ‘Cigar Aficionado’. I still remembeer the Nov 1994 issue I read from front to back with Bill Cosby on the cover…
I can also tell you that people like Tea Leoni and Demi Moore have made cigar smoking much more female friendly. I am told there are now more steakhouses in downtown Dallas that give women a chance to partake. All fine by me!
Great topic maam. Thanks for letting me share, and my best to sir Merrill!