Why Cigars?

By TLS

I like cigars, and I don’t mean Swisher Sweets or Black & Mild. I stumbled onto real, handmade cigars decades ago, instantly liked them, and the rest is history.

The past couple years I’ve noticed what seems to be an increase in people smoking cigars. I see it while people are driving, engaged in recreational activities, and just simply out and about. This could just be my own selection bias, but I don’t think that’s it entirely. I think there is an actual increase in popularity.

Cigars get a bad wrap (especially if they’re made poorly, Ba Dum Tsss!) Sorry, bad joke. Anyhooters, I still think cigars are unfairly grouped with cigarettes. Yes they are made from tobacco, but that’s it, and only it, 100% tobacco leaves.

A cigarette on the other hand is an extremely advanced drug delivery device designed solely for administering nicotine as quickly, thoroughly, and addictively as possible into the lungs. This is pretty much completely opposite a cigar. Cigars are also not inhaled, unless you happen to like turning green.

So, what is a (premium) cigar? For the uninitiated, a cigar is nothing more than aged tobacco leaves rolled into the shape of a cigar, then pressed, and aged some more. There is nothing else added, no additional chemicals, additives, or anything, just leaves. Well, there is a small amount of pectin which is used as a glue on one end, but that’s it. There are also ‘infused’ cigars which can complicate this a bit, so I won’t be going into that here.

This isn’t to say cigars are completely safe. Everything carries risk. Yes there is a risk smoking cigars. However, due to the nature of cigars and how they are typically smoked, there’s probably no greater risk than that cheeseburger or bag of Doritos you shoveled down the other day. There is an FDA study that supposedly supports this. I haven’t bothered to read it but I guess the gist is a person who smokes less than one cigar a day (which is still quite a lot) is at no greater risk of cancer than a non-cigar smoker.

If cigars do carry risk, then why do we smoke them? Pretty much the opposite reasons from cigarettes. Cigarettes are bam, bam, bam, suck it down, get the fix, and move on. Cigars on the other hand are about slowing down, taking time to enjoy and relax, and also have a bit of a ritualistic quality that is very peaceful and calming.

To me, and to most cigar smokers I know, this is the main point. Slow down. In today's world this can be difficult to accomplish. Almost everything in our lives today is faster, more complex, and more involved than in the past. It feels as though there simply isn’t enough time in the day anymore. Cigars offer an excellent escape from that rocket sled ride, if only temporarily. Cigars are also great shared (and I don’t mean the same cigar shared among many). But, if that’s your thing…

Ultimately, it’s about quality time and cigars offer an excellent opportunity to throw out the anchor and unplug for a good hour or two. And who, today, wouldn’t enjoy that?

If you’ve ever felt like life is moving too fast, maybe it’s time to try something different. A cigar might not be your choice, but find your version of it. Find the thing that forces you to slow down, unplug, and reclaim an hour of peace. If this resonated with you, share your own ritual in the comments. And if you want more conversations like this, consider subscribing. Let’s all throw out the anchor together.

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