The Cigar Session From Hell
Posted on March 4, 2007
Filed Under Uncategorized |
Last weekend, because the weather was gorgeous, I went down to Whyte Avenue for a little walk-around. While I was out on the Ave, I decided to purchase a couple of cigars. The upcoming Cuba trip had me pretty pumped up as far as the cigar thing goes, so I decided to ask the gentlemen at Burlington on Whyte to recommend a couple of lower priced cigars that would go well with a glass of rye. I picked out two, based on the advice of the tobacconist, and headed for home.
I went and sat out on the patio, poured a glass of rye, cut the cigar, and lit up (which doesn’t work so well when you’re using a lighter you bought from a dollar store). The first fifteen or twenty minutes were quite enjoyable. After that, it all went to shit. I started getting “the buzz.” The nausea, the headache, the turning green. But, did I listen to my body? Of course not, I wanted to finish the smoke. I pressed on, but still only managed to get halfway through before the demons started pouring out of my body and into the toilet.
I have smoked cigars in the past, though never with great frequency, but only once before had I felt similar to the way I did last weekend. That was because I had been an idiot and inhaled pretty much the entire time. I learned the hard way why you’re not supposed to inhale when you smoke cigars. This time, however, I hadn’t inhaled.
I’ve done a bit of research, but I haven’t actually talked to a tobacconist or regular cigar smoker about how to avoid the situation in the future (especially since I’ve still got another stogy waiting in the drawer, and I’d prefer to deal with it soon, before it dries out and goes stale). The big thing, from what I’ve read, is DON’T SMOKE ON AN EMPTY STOMACH. I don’t think I’d eaten more than a piece of toast before lighting up last week, so that could explain why I got ill (especially since it was a mild smoke). The second piece of advice has been, “If you start to feel the buzz, let the cigar burn out on it’s own. You can always come back to it later.” Armed with these two pieces of advice, I think I’m going to try and tackle the bad boy waiting in the drawer sometime this week. Hopefully, things will go better this time.
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5 Responses to “The Cigar Session From Hell”
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[...] Original post by Ink Slinger March 04th 2007 Posted to 7 Cigars [...]
Adam,
I’ve got a huge Monte Cristo (wouldn’t fit in my humidor) at home, just waitin’ for he next warm day.
Food is always a good idea before smoking. And ya, if the buzz is starting to overwhelm, let it go out (never put a cigar out). Inhaling…Big mistake (been there). And relax. Smoking a cigar whoudl never be rushed. It ought to be a slow, methodical, contemplative period of time…I like to let the cigar hover at the edge of going out, but not…and so it becomes an almost-meditation. Do you know the trick about “re-charging” your cigar? It’s easy and it actually works. We’ll talk.
Cuba will be a hoot. I’m envious.
I seem to recall overhearing a discussion about “re-charging” cigars sometime ago, but I don’t recall the trick, no.
As for taking it slow and relaxing, I agree whole-heartedly. To smoke a cigar in a hurry is not only a recipe for the shakes, it’s a waste of an opportunity to relax and reflect.
*snicker* Remember that time…. in the alley? Poor guy… You need leathery lungs like mine, is what you need
I sure do. That’s the “earned the hard way why you’re not supposed to inhale” moment I’m referring to.