Cigarticles
The Cigar Shop
Monday October 20th, 2008
by Scott Moore
With the high cost of fuel and just about everything else, I haven't been able to visit my favorite cigar sanctuary nearly as much as I would like to. I used to go there at least once a week. Now, I'm lucky to be able to visit once a month, and am beginning to suffer from some major withdrawal. It's not the nicotine, or even the cigars themselves. Like most hardcore cigar aficionados, I have more cigars in humidors at home than I could possibly smoke in a year.
It is the cigar shop experience that I really miss - that wonderful sensation of opening the door and smelling the heavenly aroma arising from several finely aged premium handmade cigars being smoked in the lounge near the back of the premises. I miss that first sight of the array of polished humidors for sale, and those walls lined with box after box of cigars in the built in sliding glass door humidors that lead to the service counter.
I can, even now, see myself walking through the maze of humidors toward the counter, and arriving at any cigar lover's oasis - the walk-in humidor. I've always loved passing through that door and being enveloped with the smell of Spanish cedar and aged tobacco. Is there anything better?
Definitely! ...such as taking over half an hour to pick out the perfect cigar or cigars for the day. There are so many things to consider in making this all important selection. First of all, it is college football season. So a Churchill is required, unless I think I may want a change at halftime; then, maybe a couple of Robustos will be better.
It is the cigar shop experience that I really miss - that wonderful sensation of opening the door and smelling the heavenly aroma arising from several finely aged premium handmade cigars being smoked in the lounge near the back of the premises. I miss that first sight of the array of polished humidors for sale, and those walls lined with box after box of cigars in the built in sliding glass door humidors that lead to the service counter.
I can, even now, see myself walking through the maze of humidors toward the counter, and arriving at any cigar lover's oasis - the walk-in humidor. I've always loved passing through that door and being enveloped with the smell of Spanish cedar and aged tobacco. Is there anything better?
Definitely! ...such as taking over half an hour to pick out the perfect cigar or cigars for the day. There are so many things to consider in making this all important selection. First of all, it is college football season. So a Churchill is required, unless I think I may want a change at halftime; then, maybe a couple of Robustos will be better.
The walk-in humidor at Carmack's Cigar Shop in Noblesville, Indiana
Next, even though I suffer more and more from CRS (Can't Remember Sh!t) these days, I do recall that I had a good breakfast - so I can even go for a full bodied smoke if I want. OK... Anything is fair game then. Hmm, what about wrapper choice? Should I choose Maduro, Corojo, Cameroon, Sun Grown or Shade Grown? Is it any wonder picking out the cigar of choice takes so long?
My selection made, I grab a bottle of water and settle into one of the leather arm chairs in the lounge, being sure to choose a spot with a premium view of the big screen TV. I love the ritual that comes next - a quick clip of the cap, a slow toasting of the foot, a few gentle puffs and I am in heaven.
One of the other patrons has generously opened a bottle of wine to share. Ah, how sweet it is. College football playing on three screens, and Giada from the food network on the fourth. A few friends sitting around, each of them enjoying their version of the perfect cigar. It just doesn't get much better than this.
Outsiders may not understand how everyone in this group can be so comfortable with one another. To the untrained eye, they have little if anything in common. Why would a dentist, a contractor, a factory worker, a computer specialist, a college student and a retiree all enjoy spending so much time together? It's called the Brotherhood of the Leaf. The cigar or pipe can bring people from all walks of life together, and they can genuinely enjoy each others' company. No wonder the Native Americans smoked the peace pipe. Maybe we should make it mandatory in Congress. Perhaps, they could then get something done. OK... I won't even start down that road right now. That's a subject to address on the next trip to the cigar store.
Please don't forget to stop in at your local cigar shops and support their endeavors. They are the perfect places to try new cigars or to reunite with an old favorite. Plus, you will most certainly find someone interesting to chat with.
I once asked my mother, a non smoker, why she always chose to sit in the smoking sections - back when there were such things - of airplanes. And she simply informed me that the men in the smoking sections were more interesting. I guess a little of that view might have rubbed off on me.
It's up to us all to try and keep these Brick-and-Mortar shops around. After all, how terribly sad it would be to let another piece of history just fade away.
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Scott Moore (Cigar Weekly's smoore) harkens from Indiana, is married with three kids who are not really kids any more, and loves medium to full bodied cigars, wine, single malt and hockey.