Tweet
Or even cigars for that matter?
For myself I arrived without really knowing it. And, it took years to properly discover where I'd arrived.
I had my first Cuban cigar some twenty years ago. It was at a Printers 'Boxing Night' hosted by Henry Cooper. Steve my business partner and I had been invited by one of our print suppliers, and we were as drunk as Lords. Untill that night I had never smoked a cigar, keeping my habit confined soley to Benson & Hedges. Anyway, the cigars came round and on a whim I took one. I remember being told they were Cuban, in my head I seem to recollect it being coronas sized but don't know which brand as it never occured to me that there were brands.
I know that I really enjoyed it. Well, for a while anyway untill I felt a bit whoosy and sick. Remember, I was properly pissed that night and I'd proberbly been trying to smoke it like a cigarette. But, the memory of taste did stay with me, and pretty soon after I ditched the fags in favour of cigars.
I say cigars because I was buying all sorts, Hamlet, Wintermans, Castella, Villager .... trying to re-find that taste of that night. Needless to say I didn't. Eventually my cigar smoking settled onto Hamlet and I trucked along like that for a good few years.
Then, quite by accident the Cuban factor made it's reappearance. A good friend and colleague and I had been working on an exhibition project at the old Essex Showground at Great Lees. On the way back to Grays, where our office was, and where we both lived at the time, we decided because Joe liked his drop an' I had the expense account, to stop off at the Viper in Margretting an savour some of it's CAMRA awarded fare. If you've never been, expect one of the quirkiest pubs you'll ever have the pleasure to visit. Un-plush, faded sign like something out of a Western ghost-town, low counter slung over the beer barrels, cakes, Mars bars and eggs for sale .... beautifully kept bitters .... and a cigar humidor!
I bought one and smoked it outside on a warm summer evening acompanied by a good mate and what Bitter I can't remember. But I had re-found that cuban taste. It was a Romeo y Julieta tubo, what size I'm not sure but most likely Coronas Gorda and I was hooked!
At that time none of my local newsagents, supermarkets or pubs sold Cuban cigars, but I became very good at persuading my drinkin' buddies and family into excursions into the Essex Countryside on the promise of good fayre and such like, while all the time following my own secret craving for Castro's finest.
I found quite a few Cuban-friendly pubs, The Greyhound Childersditch, The Bell Horndon-on-the-Hill, Bull Blackmore, Compasses Braintree, Tower Arms Brentwood amongst others. And, that is pretty much how it was untill three years back when I moved to Southend and discovered Cuban cigars on sale at Waitrose. Quite timely too I guess, as the no smoking in pubs ruleing was about to put the kaibosh on my beer an' Havana's interludes.
For the past two years and up till a month or so back, I smoked Cafe Cream Blue Mini's during the week and reserved my Waitrose bought H.Upman, Punch, Romeo y Julieta or Montecristo's as my weekend treats. I didn't even know there were other Cuban brands untill the young girl who regularly served me in Waitrose asked "If I'd ever tried these"?. It was a pack of Cohiba minis. Two quid more than my usual Cafe Creams but I decided to give them a go, and they're now my day-to-day smoke.
Because I liked them, I looked Cohiba up on the Net and was facinated to find there were other brands and sizes of cigar I'd never heard of. I dicovered the 'online sellers' and found out that keeping my Waitrose bought tubos in a buscuit tin in the conservatory wasn't really a good idea.
So I bought a humidor. And, because it looked a bit empty decided to buy a few 'online' samplers. Now, two months down the line I've two humidors, cigars from every Cuban brand except Sancho Panzer, Vaquero and Flor de Cano and have still to discover what my true Cuban preference is. But, I think it will be fun finding out!
One big plus, an interest in Cuban cigars has brought me here, and if I havn't bored everyone rigid, I'd just like to thank anyone for taking the time to read my tale .... and hopefully encourage others to put down theirs?
For myself I arrived without really knowing it. And, it took years to properly discover where I'd arrived.
I had my first Cuban cigar some twenty years ago. It was at a Printers 'Boxing Night' hosted by Henry Cooper. Steve my business partner and I had been invited by one of our print suppliers, and we were as drunk as Lords. Untill that night I had never smoked a cigar, keeping my habit confined soley to Benson & Hedges. Anyway, the cigars came round and on a whim I took one. I remember being told they were Cuban, in my head I seem to recollect it being coronas sized but don't know which brand as it never occured to me that there were brands.
I know that I really enjoyed it. Well, for a while anyway untill I felt a bit whoosy and sick. Remember, I was properly pissed that night and I'd proberbly been trying to smoke it like a cigarette. But, the memory of taste did stay with me, and pretty soon after I ditched the fags in favour of cigars.
I say cigars because I was buying all sorts, Hamlet, Wintermans, Castella, Villager .... trying to re-find that taste of that night. Needless to say I didn't. Eventually my cigar smoking settled onto Hamlet and I trucked along like that for a good few years.
Then, quite by accident the Cuban factor made it's reappearance. A good friend and colleague and I had been working on an exhibition project at the old Essex Showground at Great Lees. On the way back to Grays, where our office was, and where we both lived at the time, we decided because Joe liked his drop an' I had the expense account, to stop off at the Viper in Margretting an savour some of it's CAMRA awarded fare. If you've never been, expect one of the quirkiest pubs you'll ever have the pleasure to visit. Un-plush, faded sign like something out of a Western ghost-town, low counter slung over the beer barrels, cakes, Mars bars and eggs for sale .... beautifully kept bitters .... and a cigar humidor!
I bought one and smoked it outside on a warm summer evening acompanied by a good mate and what Bitter I can't remember. But I had re-found that cuban taste. It was a Romeo y Julieta tubo, what size I'm not sure but most likely Coronas Gorda and I was hooked!
At that time none of my local newsagents, supermarkets or pubs sold Cuban cigars, but I became very good at persuading my drinkin' buddies and family into excursions into the Essex Countryside on the promise of good fayre and such like, while all the time following my own secret craving for Castro's finest.
I found quite a few Cuban-friendly pubs, The Greyhound Childersditch, The Bell Horndon-on-the-Hill, Bull Blackmore, Compasses Braintree, Tower Arms Brentwood amongst others. And, that is pretty much how it was untill three years back when I moved to Southend and discovered Cuban cigars on sale at Waitrose. Quite timely too I guess, as the no smoking in pubs ruleing was about to put the kaibosh on my beer an' Havana's interludes.
For the past two years and up till a month or so back, I smoked Cafe Cream Blue Mini's during the week and reserved my Waitrose bought H.Upman, Punch, Romeo y Julieta or Montecristo's as my weekend treats. I didn't even know there were other Cuban brands untill the young girl who regularly served me in Waitrose asked "If I'd ever tried these"?. It was a pack of Cohiba minis. Two quid more than my usual Cafe Creams but I decided to give them a go, and they're now my day-to-day smoke.
Because I liked them, I looked Cohiba up on the Net and was facinated to find there were other brands and sizes of cigar I'd never heard of. I dicovered the 'online sellers' and found out that keeping my Waitrose bought tubos in a buscuit tin in the conservatory wasn't really a good idea.
So I bought a humidor. And, because it looked a bit empty decided to buy a few 'online' samplers. Now, two months down the line I've two humidors, cigars from every Cuban brand except Sancho Panzer, Vaquero and Flor de Cano and have still to discover what my true Cuban preference is. But, I think it will be fun finding out!
One big plus, an interest in Cuban cigars has brought me here, and if I havn't bored everyone rigid, I'd just like to thank anyone for taking the time to read my tale .... and hopefully encourage others to put down theirs?
Comment