Welcome to the Ash Apprentice, an unserious look at the cigar life from a relative newbie. Whether you got your first stick as a gift, bought one on a whim, or just followed gramps’ favourite habit, a lot of us end up here. If you’re looking for an honest first cigar experience without the annoying pretentiousness, stick around.
For me it started as something pretty personal. I literally stumbled onto Cigar Chief after receiving some cigars from a great friend who had since passed away. I hadn’t given my humidor a second thought. It was just sitting in my home office, drying out and forgotten, an entry-level box filled with a random mix that included my friend’s contribution. After he was gone it felt wrong to let them die, so I made a point of resurrecting them. Slowly they came back. Non-Cuban Montecristos and Cohibas mixed in with a few Drew Estate sticks and some odd Honduran and Nicaraguan offerings.
As I started researching this new hobby (Cole’s posts on Cigar Chief were a big help), I began smoking them and realized these weren’t the Colts or Backwoods I used to light up while fishing. This was something different. This sounds pretentious, which is exactly what I want to avoid, because that’s the one thing I hate about the wine and whiskey world. You’ll see the parallels anyway.
How It Started
Once I began nursing those cigars back to a smokeable state, I got more and more interested in the process: how much humidity was too much or just right, water or glycol, the whole bit. Eventually the motley collection came around. Somewhere in the middle of all that it hit me: I knew just enough to know I didn’t know nearly enough. That’s what I hope to share here. As I figure shit out, maybe you will too.
When the cigars finally felt ready, the next step was obvious: I needed to smoke them. I reached in and randomly pulled one. It turned out to be one of his, which somehow felt right. A Partagas Serie D No. 4. (Side note: that clear wrapper on good cigars is cellulose, not plastic. Who knew?)
I went out on the deck, lit the fire table, pulled up a chair, and put fire to leaf. (I’ve since learned there’s a proper way to light a cigar too. More on that another time.) The first few puffs were an eye-opener. The taste, the smell, the way it felt… that was the moment I got hooked. To me this was my first real cigar.
What’s Next
As I keep wandering down this road of cigar culture, mistakes will get made and lessons will get learned. That’s half the fun. It’s like hitting a baseball, catching a fish, or making a putt: failure makes the good ones taste better. A solid cigar with friends, or alone with your favourite drink and your thoughts, somehow makes everything feel possible. Whether it’s your first cigar or you’re a dozen in trying to hold on to that feeling.
It’s only been a short road so far, but I already have one strong belief: cigars, like wine or whiskey, need not be intimidating. Read that again: need not be. They can be appreciated, approachable, and simply enjoyed by rookies and seasoned vets alike. Don’t know a torpedo from a toro? Who cares. Forget to toast it and hit it with direct flame? Meh. Connecticut or maduro? Sure, whatever. We’ll get into all that as we go.
Just remember the most important part is trying new things. You won’t like everything, and that’s fine. When you finally hit that first-cigar feeling, I’m convinced you and I will both have found our path.
Till next time,
Ash
If you have questions about cigars, packaging, or ordering, visit Cigar Chief’s FAQ page for helpful answers.
