Cigar Blog

Happiness is a good cigar

Flavored Cigars: Yes Or No?

By


In case you didn’t know, flavored cigars are quite a big thing in many parts of the world. In fact, they attract not only adults but teenagers as well. And why wouldn’t they? If teens are attracted to cigarettes, why wouldn’t they be attracted to cigars as well? This is more understandable if the cigars are flavored. More so, if these cigars are sold as “loosies,” teens are able to buy them more easily.

This is the argument that the authorities over at Baltimore are banking on. They want to ban the sales of these cigars so that teenagers would not be able to buy them. The Baltimore Sun reports:

City health officials have received a large number of comments – pro and con – about a proposed ban on the sale of single cheap cigars, which tend to be smoked by young people who like them because they come in flavors such as grape, cherry and vanilla.

The city’s proposal has garnered national attention because if the ban is enacted, Baltimore would be the first municipality to take such a stand against the cigars, which are sold under the names Black & Mild, White Owl and The Game. On the street, the cigars are sometimes called “blunts” or “loosies.”

Naturally, there are those who are for the proposal while there are those who are against it. Personally, I think that they should just create stricter enforcement measures so as to restrict the teenagers’ access to these cigars. What do you think?

Originally posted on July 27, 2008 @ 7:31 am

Cigar Facts That You May Want To Know About

By

cigar
Let me begin this post with a disclaimer – it may turn off majority of cigar aficionados at the outset, it might not present a very pretty perspective of cigar smoking. But bear with me please and wait till the conclusion of the topic.

This post comes as a result of some reading that I have been doing. I was trying to find out more about the health effects of cigar smoking. Although I am quite fond of cigars, I still want to be objective about it when it comes to health reasons so here goes…

The Facts
1. One cigar may contain as much tobacco as an entire pack of cigarettes.
2. Cigars are Addictive.
3. Cigar smoke is more concentrated and toxic than cigarette smoke.
4. Smoking as little as one cigar a day increases the risk for cancer.
5. Cigar and pipe smokers are at risk for early tooth loss.
6. Cigar smoking has been linked to erectile dysfunction in men.

They are all pretty scary when you look at the list – and rightly so. For more information on the items, you can check the original article here.

My take on this, though, is that while I agree with the idea that these things may be true, you also have to consider the smoking habits of cigar lovers. For one thing, not everyone smokes cigars the way they smoke cigarettes. Many cigar smokers do not inhale the smoke. Another point is that cigar smokers do not smoke as many cigars as they would smoke cigarettes.

The bottom line I think is moderation.

Originally posted on May 17, 2008 @ 6:24 pm

Toddler A Cigar Addict!

By

children smoking
Lest you accuse me of sensationalism, that title is very true! I came across an article on SIFY News detailing how two brothers under 10 years old became cigar addicts:

A four-year-old boy is being treated in a Taiwanese rehab for his addiction to cigars. The boy and his brothers, also below 10 years, were taken to the Taiwanese rehab centre after their dad caught them stealing his tobacco.

When asked about their addiction, the boys said that they did it because they thought their father looked “cool” when he smoked.
“The answer was what I had expected, but the hardest to accept,” the Daily Telegraph quoted the father, as telling China Times.

The four-year-old also admitted to borrowing cigarettes from school pals when he failed to steal any from his father.
Meanwhile, Dr Xue Guangjie from Gaoxiong city rehab centre criticised the dad for failing to kick the habit as he himself came to only two sessions.

I don’t know how to react to this! Cigars are my thing but they certainly are not for children. Who is to blame? Should we even be pointing fingers? I suppose if we do, it is the father who should shoulder the responsibility here. There is nothing to do now but to help those children, which the city rehab center seems to be doing.

The moral of the story? We should be careful with regard to our smoking habits. We know the pleasure that cigars (and cigarettes, for that matter) bring. Yet if we are parents, or we have kids that look up to us, it is also our responsibility to NOT encourage them to do the same. No matter how we look at it, there are health issues that exist.

Originally posted on June 6, 2008 @ 9:07 am