Cigar Blog

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Cigar Smoking and Other Acts of Machismo

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There is something about cigar smoking that shouts machismo all over it. We are not talking about the more serious side of being “macho” which is associated with the violence done by men on women. Rather, we would focus on the lighter side of men’s efforts towards achieving a more manly image.

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Cigar Smoking

It is not clear when cigar smoking became identified with machismo considering that a review in history will show that women have also been doing their share of cigar smoking. This belief that a man looks manlier with a cigar permanently stuck in his mouth or hand may have been brought upon by the glamour of movies. Dashing leading men used to puff their way into their leading ladies’ hearts with nary a skip in mouthing love dialogues.

Aside from leading actors on movies, there were also presidents and other world leaders proudly displaying their cigars. Whether this made them think any clearer is unknown, what is known is that they have become identified with it. Who can really blame ordinary men from taking up cigar smoking when most who do it seems to be successful and desirable?

No To Crying

No real man cries, at least that’s what most men say. It must be pretty exhausting to be doing this especially since men are also human. This was especially true during early times when men were expected to take it all in without showing any sign of emotion. Fortunately, this belief is gradually starting to relax.

Participation in Dangerous/Extreme Sports

Someone said that a true man can court danger without fear although it is not known whether the one who said this lived long enough to tell the truth of his story. Courage and recklessness are two entirely different things. Participation in extreme sports may be considered courageous in a way but doing so for the sake of show and doing it in a reckless manner is not manly at all. More boyish, maybe.

No to Domestic Work

This is actually so 50s but there are still remnants of the male specie who believe that doing domestic work is only found in the domain of women. Their idea of a macho man is someone who is waited on by his wife. Many men have realized that their stronger physical built was given for another reason which is to help around the house.

 

Famous Cigar Smokers

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The reason why ads promoting cigarettes are being sought to be curtailed is because of the strong influence of famous personalities to the public in lending a glamorous nature to the practice.  Cigar smoking which is said to be different from cigarette smoking has its own league of famous loyal patronizers.  It is said that there was nothing that could separate them from their cigar, so much so that seeing without it makes on wonder if he is looking at th real one.

Winston Churchill was one the more well-known personalities who offered absolutely no excuses for his taste for cigars.  There was no one or nothing that can stop him, not even a visiting king who particularly prohibited smoking in his presence or an oxygen mask while on flight.  He was supposed to have smoked 8-10 cigars per day of his favorite Cuban brand.  He was so identified with smoking cigars that a tobacco size was named after him.

John Kennedy was another personality who conveniently used his political power to ensure a steady supply of his favorite tobacco first before signing an embargo that will affect products of Cuba including his well-loved Petit Upmann cigars.  Fidel Castro was at it for at least 44 years, giving it up only because of health concerns that involved his country. George Burns disproved his doctor’s medical admonition to stop smoking and actually smoked cigar for at least 70 years of his 100-year life.  He was particularly known for smoking a cigar while doing his acts, settling for a brand that would stay lit all through out  a show.

Mark Twain is said to have smoked the most on a daily basis, smoking as much as 20 cigars per day.  He is not particularly choosy of his brand and would smoke anything except Havana.  Many other known names have lent their persona once in their lifetime to cigar smoking.  A complete perusal of the list will reveal that one doesn’t have to be extraordinarily famous to appreciate what these famous men did.

 

The Experience of Smoking Cigars

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Many cigar smokers relish the smoking experience almost akin to observing a ritual.  Unlike cigarette smoking which is done perfunctorily by many, the act of smoking good cigar requires some “respect” for the product.  It is not to be seen primarily as an encouragement to smoke but rather to taste a delicacy in occasional opportunities. 

Whether or not the experience of smoking cigars would be pleasurable would depend on the quality of the cigars and how they are smoked.  The process begins with the proper cutting and for the purpose, the use of double guillotine cutters is the most recommended.  It is not such a good idea to imitate actors shown in films biting the tip off since jagged edges results to uneven burning of the tobacco and therefore a less than pleasurable smoking experience. 

The next thing to do is aim for an even light of the cigar either through the use of wooden matches or butane lighters.  The use of lighting equipments or items that will lead to the introduction of another flavor or chemical into the cigar such as a scented candle is not recommended.  The reason for this is obvious since the main part of enjoying a cigar is getting its real flavor devoid of any other distorting flavor. 

Lighting a cigar requires the smokers to do a series of puffing and rotating while avoiding the actual contact of the flame to the cigar.  This will continue until there is a visible glow around the outer rim of the tobacco from which time smoke is expected to draw easily.  Tasting the flavor is done not by inhaling the smoke but by “tasting” the smoke in one’s mouth before it is blown out.  There must be a reasonable interval within puffs since going for both extremes as in being too fast or too slow can destroy the whole experience.  There are no strict rules as to how far down a cigar can be smoked although taste and the harshness of the smoke is a good indication to stop.