Cigars and Seasons

This winter was, in a word, brutal. Between record snowfalls and cold temps, the northeast was all but pounded back into the last ice age. Smoking cigars outside became a near-impossibility, and with the exception of my desk at work, I found myself restricted to petit coronas.

Thankfully that snow has turned to rain, and temps here have become bearable. There’s no doubt about it: the check’s in the mail! Spring will be upon us before we know it, and with it comes the glorious moment of another smoking season beginning. Those of you who live in climates that are warm year round get the benefit of smoking outdoors whenever you want, but you’ll never truly understand how it feels to finally be able to smoke outside again after a long, dark, cold winter until you’ve experienced it first-hand.

As I’ve mentioned in articles past, many of us are forced to be seasonal or near-seasonal cigar smokers based on where we live. For those of you who live here in the north east with everything finally thawing out, have you given a thought as to what you’ll be smoking in the coming weeks? I sure have! All winter long I always miss sitting on the porch, in the yard, or around the fire, with a beer or whiskey to complement my cigars.

There really is nothing like the first cigar of the Spring that you can smoke outside without worry about getting too cold, and just being able to relax and enjoy in the open air. It elicits both the feeling of familiarity in returning to the hobby, as well as the newness and feeling of rebirth associated with the start of Spring and another new seasons cycle beginning.

I have a Padrón Family Reserve 45th Anniversary all lined up for the first warm-ish night of the season, to be torched by the chiminea with a few fingers of Glenlivet 18. What about you?