Basics

IT’S a very noticeable phenomenon that videos or articles on the basics of cigar smoking ‘outperform’ their ratings rivals about three to one.

How many times can you watch a ‘How To Light Your Cigar’ recording? Many, many times, apparently.

So, you can come up with fancy new ideas, create hot content for your latest YouTube special – and find it beaten by an ages-old ‘How To’ clunker. But we must analyse why.

It must first be seen as a good sign. If there are that many people wanting to learn their very first steps into the cigar world, there must be a goodly influx of new blood coming into the market. This is essential in any form of activity if you want it to persist and, dare we say it, grow. So, for the fact that there are people coming in and wanting to learn the basics, we must be grateful.

However, there might also be another side to this coin; could the persistent huge numbers of watches on these types of films also tell us that we are doing something wrong? If you make anything too daunting and unapproachable, you might just scare the horses. Think, if you will, about the world of wine. Many of us love a glass of the stuff – but put us in a room of so-called wine experts, and we want the ground to open and swallow us up.

It’s because we are afraid of our lack of knowledge; or are put off by the loudest shouting in the room. We feel inadequate in the face of a lot of baffling detail. It is something we must strive at all costs to avoid in the cigar world. Who cares whether you know what broadleaf is, or whether you know the difference between real Connecticut Shade and that grown in Ecuador? At the end of the day, what is important is that you enjoy smoking cigars, both for the fascinating flavours you may encounter, and for the unique, generous and fun-loving community that supports it. We want to be seen as welcoming to all persuasions, not only available to a select few. Social media cigar posts may convince you that you must dress like Jim Carrey in The Mask in order to smoke a good cigar, but let us reassure you, nothing could be further from the truth.

Yes, some cigar smokers love to dress up in their best bib and tucker, but the key thing is, they are doing it for themselves – not for you. When this gets turned on its head, something is wrong with the way cigars are being presented.

You have no need to feel intimidated or stupid in a cigar shop; if you want to pop into Sautter in your shorts and smoke a good cigar, you will always be welcome. Come as you are, we say, and enjoy the hobby for what it is – not what it pretends to be.