Smoking a cigar means a lot to me.
Sometimes it is the best bonding when with friends, sometime, when I'm alone it is a good buster for my thoughts, a good companion for a book.

Once in a while, expecially if it is the first time I smoke that kind of cigar I try to concentrate technically on the cigar.

I've been told (please thake this as a discussion point) that the approach to this is different all around the world.
At one side cuban people. They say tobacco tasts only of tobacco. On the other side Americans and French that can find a lot of flavours while smoking.

So I'm corius to know what do you think about cigars.
Do you prefer a thoughtless smoking with friends? When alone you don't pay attention to flavours and perfume? (mybe using a check list or kind of)

Thanks
AB
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I would rather smoke with a friend than solo, but even solo i try to relax and clear my mind rather than try to discern flavors.

I dont know if my palate will ever be as refined as some of the BOTL here... they can pick up the slightest nuance...

I can only tell if I like a cigar or think it sucks.
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I am the same way Moe, especially that last sentence.:-)
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It's all the mood to me, sometimes I just want to relax with a smoke, other times I study and try to enjoy the craftsmanship as well as the taste.

It's really just a mood by mood basis.
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I try to pay attention either way if possible. As for the Cubans, they smoke very fresh cigars compared to us and our vinotemps, active humidifiers and 10yr+ old sticks. Fresh tobacco is going to be the primary flavor IMHO

~Vitis
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I have a rotation of smokes that I use as everyday smokes (Taboo, Siglos) and honestly I smoke them while driving, on the ferry, etc... Non-herfing situations and most times I enjoy the "known" flavors and use it as a way to think or escape the present for a bit.

If I am at home or with some friends I do concentrate on the smoke (usually a PAM, had a Tabby recently or an unknown stick) alot more and try to discern what´s going on with the smoke.

I hope this answers your question from my perspective - this is one of the great parts of our passion IMHO.

Travis
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It depends, when I try a new stick I always try to discover the flavor and write a review. Sometimes I am not in the mood to do that and I grab a stick I reviewed in the past. When I am smoking with friends I don't review, then its all about the company.
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Spot on Fer.
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Although I do like smoking with friends and family, I prefer smoking by myself.

I don't get to smoke often so it's more of a chance to be alone and reflect on things in my life or just an hour to read a good book. Then let the flavors find me. If I try to think about flavors too much I don't enjoy it as much. :-)
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+1. I enjoy smoking with others, but I do most of my smoking alone, and I try to focus on flavors and craftsmanship.
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My favorite place to smoke is at a Raiders tailgate and its usually with the worst cigars I have since I'm busy cooking, drinking, preparing for the Raiders to get killed, etc.

but it is the perfect atmosphere for smoking.

I love smoking good cigars at this great new cigar lounge where I live
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Hey, where is the cigar lounge?

And are you herfin with us on the 27th?

And I've come to the conclusion that I'm just addicted. I'll smoke with buddies or alone, happy either way. :-)
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Its in Walnut Creek called O'Sullivan Cigars, its about the size of your living room but its very cool
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Is that the hole in the wall place on Locust? Didn't look large enough to have a lounge. I'll have to check it out.
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Thats the exact one, there are only 5 chairs but the place is great, I have a bottle of bourbon there for me while I watch sports on the tv.


Liston bought the place in September and completely remodeled it
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I enjoy cigars period whether it is with others herfing, or at the B&M and even alone. Cigars relax me and gives me time to clear my head of things and at the end of the cigar I usually have answers to a lot of questions I had before.

If I concentrate enough I can pick out flavors but that's not why I enjoy cigars,,,I don't want to make a job out of it as I just want to enjoy the flavor and time spent. If I want an in depth analysis of a cigar I will send it to a lab and they can tell me what hints it has.
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I know enough to pitch a stick I don't like and nub one that I do.
But you never really know what your going to get. I have had a great stick and a crappy one sitting next to each other in the same box.

I don't know about all these "flavors" etc, but there are differences I pickup from one to the next.
what I don't do, is let having a cigar turn into work,
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Due to my schedule, I usually smoke alone. But, to me, cigars taste the absolute best when smoking with friends and new friends in a herf.

I probably will never be able to taste the distinct leather, woodsy or northeast columbian mango flavors, but I do know if I like what I taste.

Oh, and Abby...I can remove that hump.:-)
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Trying to discover flavors isn't work, at least not to me. And I like a cigar better when I try to discover the flavors, its enjoying the cigar fully, respecting both the cigar and the roller.
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Smoking is a pleasure for me. It's a nice diversion.
The setting dictates how I'm going to regard the cigar. If I'm working I don't pay strict attention, I just more or less enjoy the highlights when they present themselves.
If I'm smoking with a friend it's fun to compare our thoughts on the cigar. I like it best when we're smoking the same thing and sharing the same experience.
If I'm just sitting alone taking a break I tend to focus heavily on what the cigar is doing, how it's made, how it's burning, and how it tastes. Those are the times when I can commit a lot of the experience to memory.
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