In 2001 while residing in Johannesburg, South Africa, I had my very first cigar... The Montecristo #2.
I had succumbed to peer pressure and was prepared to exemplify fiction of the experience being enjoyable. Heated & discouraged in addition by the R200 price point, I puffed awaiting the ultimate dissatisfaction...though it never arrived. I was drawn in by the flavor pleasantries on my palate, coupled with the executive level conversation on display. It hooked me, like a grilled kingklip coupled with prawns and ostrich medallions(great pairing btw)....It was an immediate fixation which led me to discover more about the culture and lifestyle of burning stogies...
Today as a cigar lounge owner and having approximately 18 years collective experience smoking & dabbling into the cigar retail industry, I find myself still enamored by the lifestyle and the relationship building dynamic of it all. The majority of my business dealings over the past 12 years have arrived in a relaxed, cozy indoor golf course style of an environment. I’m grateful for each and every one of my encounters with my fellow lovers of the leaf.
There are times however that I‘ve asked myself if I have imposed limits on my success-outcomes due to the level of comfort I bestow with the cigar lounge aesthetic. Have I cast unfair judgement on the non-smoking business elite? Why should I care, since most of them may desire to become more groomed in the field of burning, yet are being held back usually by unrelenting forces outside of themselves. Who the hell doesn’t want to smoke a stick every now and then anyway? At the end of my thought cycle regarding this... I draw upon the same conclusion.. these novice wannabes are lame as fuck anyway.
I rarely cast judgement on non-smokers, but for those who live to embrace the reoccurring theme of a daily cigar, comprehend that the dialogue and fellowship with a BOTL and/or SOTL just differs from the rest of the world populous. It’s as if we’re speaking a different vernacular and benefit from each others differences...in more ways than not.
I’ve come to the ultimate conclusion that eventually and reluctantly I’ll slow my role with smoking cigars. Not to prove by any stretch of the imagination that it will improve the quality of my life(well yeah it might) but to assess a deeper level of appreciation of what it has offered & exposed me to...and to give myself enough space to still appreciate a great burn from time to time..like my first Montecristo #2..
_________________________________ Plumeberg Media Inc. 2019
by Nosakhere Kamau
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