I would like to get away from the traditional conversation of Freemasonry for a moment. I think its good to do this so you can learn a little more about me and I can learn about you.
If there was only one thing in this world you should know about me. I am passionate about smoking cigars. I love the different taste and the different aromas that each individual cigar brings. I like the companionship that cigar smokers have together. Even if I may not like an individual I can still sit there and enjoy a nice stogie with that person.
Cigars differ from cigarettes. I know a lot of cigarette smokers who don't smoke cigars and when they try its actually rather funny. They either forget that its not a filtered white stick. They take a rather deep pump off the cigar and continue to inhale into their lungs. Even after I tell them to just let the smoke dawdle on their tongues. When they make that green face and begin to cough it makes my day.
I smoke cigarettes myself, but when I have a cigar I don't need to smoke cigarettes for hours on end. I just take my time with a cigar and let all my cares blow away in a nice breeze. Put my fedora on grab a glass of some fine rum and smoke away. I even will have a glass of wine with my cigar.
Which reminds me of when I really started getting into cigars. I was stationed in Vicenza, Italy. My friends and I would sit outside the barracks room smoking cigars and drinking wine. It permitted us time to just relax and not care about anything in the world. Our jobs meant nothing as long as we sat outside in the nice summer night smoking away and really just clowning around. Maybe we would have deep conversations on life and ponder different ideologies. Whatever the topic, we were on top of the world. Just watching the slow burn of a cigar in the night. Before we know it it would be 2300 hrs. and we should have been in bed hours ago.
Italy is actually the place that I learned my favorite cigar. When I smoke it these days it reminds me of all the good times I had there. It gives me the flavor of cappuccino and the smell of colazione in the morning air. The cigar I am referring to just happens to hold the name of the country, CAO's Italia.
Or, the memory of sitting in Iraq on a roof top smoking my first ever cuban cigar comes to mind every time I am privileged to smoke one. Sitting in the arabian night listening to music on a relaxing night with the smell of multiple Habana banded Romeo y Julietta cigars filling the dusty air.
If you have never smoked a cigar before but are interested in the feeling I am talking about please be aware that not all experiences are the same. It may take a little while to finally find a cigar that you thoroughly enjoy as much as I do Italia's. What I like to do in order to try as many cigars as possible for a cheap price is buying sampler packs. You can buy a whole box of samplers relatively cheap compared to buying one cigar at a time from your local tobacco shop. There are websites that can help you learn everything you need to know about cigars.
One thing I can say about learning about cigars, it matches the characteristics of a Freemason because there is always something new to learn. I am constantly learning new things about cigars and finding new cigars or old cigars that I have just found. I have found a variety of cigars that I do not like, a variety of cigars that are good smokes and a handful of cigars that are by far above par on my taste buds. If you would like to know which ones I recommend by all means send me a message. I will be more than happy to give you ideas.
Much like Freemasonry smoking cigars is a lifestyle. It is not for everyone but can be rather rewarding for those who do find their love for the life. As for me, when I die tie my apron around my waist, put my fedora on my head and bury me with two cigars. One for the celebration of entering the Grand Celestial Lodge and one to celebrate when the love of my life joins me.
A.G
