The end of a cigar

It was a sad day for me last week, when the manager of “my” cigar store in Alkmaar had to inform me that my favorite cigar is no longer for sale. It is a type of senoritas cigar, which I have enjoyed smoking for many years.

It was the last handmade cigar, which was produced in a small company somewhere in the Veluwe and was only for sale at a select number of Dutch cigar shops.

History

My association with this cigar goes back a long way, dating back to the year 1980, when I went from a rolling tobacco smoker to a cigar smoker. I have already written a story about it, which you can read again at: www.thailandblog.nl/leven-thailand/sigaren-roken. The story dates from several years ago and was repeated by the editors in February 2015.

Then why this cigar?

Well, that's a matter of habit. I once started with this cigar, got used to it and eventually any other cigar is not good enough anymore. Nor have I ever been a sophisticated cigar smoker, smoking a spout crack in the morning, a senoritas in the afternoon, and a ball crack in the evening. A glass of cognac didn't have to be special for me either, although that has of course happened often enough.

I smoked a different brand more than once, especially when I was traveling and didn't bring enough cigars from the Netherlands. It always had to be a cigar of the same size. That often worked, albeit at a hefty price, but I've smoked some pretty good locally made cigars in Indonesia, Philippines, Chile, Argentina, and even the United States.

Short filler

An important aspect when choosing a cigar is the "content". The cigar consists of a wrapper containing a mixture of different types of tobacco. That mixture is of chopped tobacco leaves, mixed in such a way to create a certain taste. The whole is then airy, which contributes to the pleasure of smoking cigars.

The counterpart is the so-called long filler, in which large parts of tobacco leaves are rolled up stiffly lengthwise. It is therefore quite difficult to take a puff of the cigar. Most cigars from Cuba and surrounding countries are constructed that way, so I'm not a real fan of them.

Cigars in Thailand

In Thailand, if I smoke a cigar in public or at the tap of an open beer bar, a woman from some hill tribe will pass by, because she also has cigars for sale from her basket. You don't have to be a connoisseur of cigars to see that it doesn't have the quality of what we call a cigar. It is a blade, at most good enough to make Buddha or the house spirit happy with it.

Health  

Smoking in any form, smoking cigars is no exception, whether you inhale the smoke or not, is bad for your health, I am shouted at from all sides. That's what a young man from an Arab country said to me not long ago, while I was enjoying a cigar. I asked him how old he was and the answer was early 30's. Well then, I said, make sure you reach my age without smoking, because I am more than twice your age. The meeting took place in the pool hall, where I regularly visit, where about 2 to 50 people were present at the time. I added to my answer that he should realize that less than half of those present will probably never reach my age. The good man had no answer to that!

Cigar boxes

I have now been offered an alternative to my cigar by my cigar dealer. Also smoked a few, but it will take some time before I get used to it. My stock of “old” cigars must have gone up in smoke first. The disadvantage of the new cigar is that it is packaged in a sturdy cardboard box and no longer in a solid wooden box.

The empty boxes have also caused a furore over the years. I never threw them away, but gave them away for various purposes to anyone who wanted them. Great for storing screws, bolts, nails in your workshop, but I also know people who store photos, playing cards, coins and whatnot in it.

Here in Pattaya, the manicurist/pedicurist uses the boxes for the many types of nail polish, the seamstress puts the spools of thread in them and the boxes are also used in the pool hall to store crayons and small tools.

Finally

The problem of the end of a cigar is therefore solved and anyone who knows me will not see or notice the difference in cigar. The cigar in my mouth is my mark and I hope that I may smoke it for a very long time. The most important thing for my fellow man is to know that cigar smokers are nice people, because a cigar smoker is not a troublemaker!