A Tale of Two Cigar Stores
It was the best of times, it was the best of times...
When I want to go out and have a cigar on the weekend, especially this time of year, I can usually be found smoking cigars at Famous Smoke Shop. But recently I spent a Sunday afternoon at a neighborhood cigar store just down the road from my house. I'd been wanting to check it out for a while, but loyalty prevented me from stepping over the threshold. However, my friend Richard From Up The Street had been bugging me to go, so off we went. The store had an impressive inventory, and the smoking area was roomy and comfortable.
After a little browsing, we took out our cigars and settled in the lounge among some of the store's "regulars." They were eager to welcome us to their little corner of the world as we chatted, sipped espresso, and smoked. I asked two of the guys what they were smoking. Their cigars of choice that day were a Perdomo Habano Corojo and a Perdomo Lot 23. Later another fellow joined us. He told me he was smoking a Rocky Patel "Edge Counterfeit." I couldn’t resist asking him if he'd ever smoked a Rocky Patel Factory Select Corojo, since the cigars are similar. He replied "No," but he did say that he loved the Rocky Patel Cuban Blend cigars. Well, hearing that alone made the trip worthwhile.
We spent the better part of two hours there, and these guys who didn't know us from Adam were courteous and made us feel right at home. This cordial attitude confirmed my belief that most, if not all premium cigar smokers, are members of a unique fraternal order where a shared appreciation for fine cigars makes for instant bonding. Even better is, the only hazing in this fraternity is the haze of smoke encircling you.
So, all you need is a location and any given number of cigar smokers. They could be from anywhere in the world and it wouldn't matter one bit, would it? To paraphrase Mr. Dickens, it is a far, far better thing that we do, and a far, far better rest than we have ever known.
Your thoughts?
When I want to go out and have a cigar on the weekend, especially this time of year, I can usually be found smoking cigars at Famous Smoke Shop. But recently I spent a Sunday afternoon at a neighborhood cigar store just down the road from my house. I'd been wanting to check it out for a while, but loyalty prevented me from stepping over the threshold. However, my friend Richard From Up The Street had been bugging me to go, so off we went. The store had an impressive inventory, and the smoking area was roomy and comfortable.
After a little browsing, we took out our cigars and settled in the lounge among some of the store's "regulars." They were eager to welcome us to their little corner of the world as we chatted, sipped espresso, and smoked. I asked two of the guys what they were smoking. Their cigars of choice that day were a Perdomo Habano Corojo and a Perdomo Lot 23. Later another fellow joined us. He told me he was smoking a Rocky Patel "Edge Counterfeit." I couldn’t resist asking him if he'd ever smoked a Rocky Patel Factory Select Corojo, since the cigars are similar. He replied "No," but he did say that he loved the Rocky Patel Cuban Blend cigars. Well, hearing that alone made the trip worthwhile.
We spent the better part of two hours there, and these guys who didn't know us from Adam were courteous and made us feel right at home. This cordial attitude confirmed my belief that most, if not all premium cigar smokers, are members of a unique fraternal order where a shared appreciation for fine cigars makes for instant bonding. Even better is, the only hazing in this fraternity is the haze of smoke encircling you.
So, all you need is a location and any given number of cigar smokers. They could be from anywhere in the world and it wouldn't matter one bit, would it? To paraphrase Mr. Dickens, it is a far, far better thing that we do, and a far, far better rest than we have ever known.
Your thoughts?
Comments
John D