How To Find Other Cigar Fanatics

It's a tough time to be a cigar smoker. Restrictions on tobacco use are enacted in one community after another, recently penetrating even to the South, where tobacco has long been a staple of the economy and culture. However others may feel about them, these regulations leave many cigar aficionados burning up. They make it hard to congregate with other dedicated smokers--and take the all-important social dimension out of smoking.

After all, lighting up becomes a lot more fun when there's someone else to share the pleasure with. Smoking buddies can help you discover new brands of cigars that you haven't tried, make it easier to remember your smoking experiences (conversation always helps to anchor a memory), and even spot you a smoke when you discover you've accidentally left your cigars at home.

So where does the cigar lover go to find community in an increasingly unfriendly climate? Thankfully, there are still a number of options open to such folks.

The revival of cigar smoking (which dates from the period after 1992) luckily coincided with the rapid, even spasmodic growth of the Internet during the 1990s. And thus it's no surprise that the Internet is full of cigar-related discussion boards and even email lists. Community can also be found among the many cigar-related blogs, which often maintain message boards and comment boxes, where a spirited discussion can be joined--or begun--on the merits of this brand vs. that brand of cigar. So you can always get your recommendations--and commiseration--online.

Another possibility: social-networking sites. On Facebook, a number of groups dedicate themselves to cigars--everything from the nondescriptly-named "Cigars" (23 members), the much more populous
'CIGARS' (224 members--apparently those capital letters help 'em get noticed), "Cigars--a man's best friend," "Beer and Cigars: Classic Combination," "I Love Cuban Cigars" (don't tell US Customs),
'Cigars and pipes, bringing class back to smoking' (98 members), and "I'm a Sucker for Fine Cuban Cigars" (100 members). "I freaken love cigars!!" has managed to attract 151 members despite the misspelling in its title.

There are groups dedicated to particular brands, too: "I Love Montecristo and Cohiba Cigars" (205 members), "Domenico Cigars" (135 members), "Mylo's Castle Cigars" (117 members), and "Frank Correnti Cigars Ltd." (57 members). "Legalize Cuban Cigars," with 99 members, taps into Facebook's potential as a meeting-place for activists with a common cause. "Be a Woman; smoke cigars" urges one group (89 members), while another proclaims, "Real men smoke cigars" (77 members). There's even "Theology and Cigars," which condemns several other cigar-and-theology Facebook groups as heretical.

In real life, there are possibilities as well. Consider visiting one of the many Big Smoke events hosted by Cigar Aficionado in several United States cities. Other places also hold smoking-related events; for example, any city which holds important pieces of American cigar-industry history (such as Miami) will often host festivals and other events which allow the like-minded to congregate.

And if nothing else, you can always throw a party--perhaps a cigar-tasting party. Buy a sampler or two of premium cigars, until you have enough to cover a dozen or so guests. (Watch out for "cigar pawn"-infested cigar samplers, which include off-brand cigars to balance out the two or three really great cigars.

Once you have your premium-cigar sampler, assign one cigar to each guest, then, on the night of the party, serve simple snacks before you serve the cigars. (Cigars don't go well with ultra-creamy or rich foods.) Try hard cheeses, dark chocolates, fruit, coffee, and fine red wines or beers. After eating and having a few drinks (sharp-tasting liquors work best), bring out the cigars, and have everyone light up! Or encourage your guests to bring their own cigars, which can be collected and served as part of a "second round" later.

Guests can compare the tastes of their two assigned cigars. Experienced cigar smokers will enjoy the chance to share their enthusiasm with others. New smokers and nonsmokers will be trying and enjoying something new.

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