I want to start by saying this could be a bit of a long post, so have a cigar already lit and a drink in hand before starting! :ss
I was recently in Long Island, NY for work, spent 4 days out there in a world where smokers are even more reviled than at home (Denver, for those wondering). I was unaware of the attitudes towards the leaf, so I had some cigars in my possession, speaking to me throughout the day, asking me to consume them with fire (yeah, poetic ain't it). So I go to the hotel and ask the guy at the desk where on the island I can smoke. The only place he's aware of is an OTB (Off Track Betting) place not too far away. The name of the place is the Racing Palace, and the cigar room inside is Churchill's (OK, not very original, but it works).
So to the OTB I went every night after working (sometimes taking laptop and work with me), talking to interesting people and overall enjoying myself. Having flown there I didn't have a lighter so I was using matches from Churchill's to get flame to my tubular friends. On my last night there they ran out of matches (and two kinds of beer, too!), leaving me to borrow lighters from the BOTL's sitting around. Here is where I was introduced to the spirit of the Gorilla, even if not actual CS members (and they may be, I just don't know). Here is where the story gets interesting (and yes, it is about time!).
Two gentlemen were sitting at a table together, and the second time I asked to borrow one's lighter he notices my cigar and asks "so, you shop at Cigars International too?" I was quite literally stunned. He informed me that the Padilla Obsidian I was smoking was pretty much only available there, to his knowledge. Well I admitted my guilt and ended up sitting down to enjoy a fantastic evening of leaf centered conversation with the pair of fine BOTLs.
In the course of the evening they showed me the bag of goodies they had recently received from CI, and in the process handed me a 5 Vegas Classic and a Gurkha Black Puro, both of which I had never had the pleasure of smoking. Now I had smoked all of my cigars for the trip at this point (a lesson not forgotten in bringing more than I may need in the future!) so I could not return the gesture. At the end of the evening they paid for my beer (yes, there was still some remaining) and showed me the generous nature of many cigar smokers. I had a real desire to join the spirit of what started that night, and to do so I needed more cigar storage, to share this wonderful thing the way it had been so freely shared with me.
Now, when I was looking around for information on cigar storage and found several posts from this forum, I decided to poke around a little bit, see what other information I could gleam from the prestigious membership. Upon finding the posts on 'bombs' and PIFs, well I knew this was the type of place I was looking for, the type of people who could help me learn the type of brother it takes to share this wonderful world we enjoy.
So here I am, grateful to be a part of this membership, this brotherhood, this community. I thank the fine folks who started this community and the fine BOTLs and SOTLs who perfect it daily. I get a smile every post I read of bombs and gifts shared.
This is how I got to be a Young Ape, and how I strive to be a SilverBack one day.
I was recently in Long Island, NY for work, spent 4 days out there in a world where smokers are even more reviled than at home (Denver, for those wondering). I was unaware of the attitudes towards the leaf, so I had some cigars in my possession, speaking to me throughout the day, asking me to consume them with fire (yeah, poetic ain't it). So I go to the hotel and ask the guy at the desk where on the island I can smoke. The only place he's aware of is an OTB (Off Track Betting) place not too far away. The name of the place is the Racing Palace, and the cigar room inside is Churchill's (OK, not very original, but it works).
So to the OTB I went every night after working (sometimes taking laptop and work with me), talking to interesting people and overall enjoying myself. Having flown there I didn't have a lighter so I was using matches from Churchill's to get flame to my tubular friends. On my last night there they ran out of matches (and two kinds of beer, too!), leaving me to borrow lighters from the BOTL's sitting around. Here is where I was introduced to the spirit of the Gorilla, even if not actual CS members (and they may be, I just don't know). Here is where the story gets interesting (and yes, it is about time!).
Two gentlemen were sitting at a table together, and the second time I asked to borrow one's lighter he notices my cigar and asks "so, you shop at Cigars International too?" I was quite literally stunned. He informed me that the Padilla Obsidian I was smoking was pretty much only available there, to his knowledge. Well I admitted my guilt and ended up sitting down to enjoy a fantastic evening of leaf centered conversation with the pair of fine BOTLs.
In the course of the evening they showed me the bag of goodies they had recently received from CI, and in the process handed me a 5 Vegas Classic and a Gurkha Black Puro, both of which I had never had the pleasure of smoking. Now I had smoked all of my cigars for the trip at this point (a lesson not forgotten in bringing more than I may need in the future!) so I could not return the gesture. At the end of the evening they paid for my beer (yes, there was still some remaining) and showed me the generous nature of many cigar smokers. I had a real desire to join the spirit of what started that night, and to do so I needed more cigar storage, to share this wonderful thing the way it had been so freely shared with me.
Now, when I was looking around for information on cigar storage and found several posts from this forum, I decided to poke around a little bit, see what other information I could gleam from the prestigious membership. Upon finding the posts on 'bombs' and PIFs, well I knew this was the type of place I was looking for, the type of people who could help me learn the type of brother it takes to share this wonderful world we enjoy.
So here I am, grateful to be a part of this membership, this brotherhood, this community. I thank the fine folks who started this community and the fine BOTLs and SOTLs who perfect it daily. I get a smile every post I read of bombs and gifts shared.
This is how I got to be a Young Ape, and how I strive to be a SilverBack one day.
