Beginning of the Journey
How did my cigar journey start? Where did my love of an elegantly crafted cigars come from? What have I smoked? Where is my journey going? These are all questions I’ve been thinking about lately. My first post is a baseline. In order to get where I’m going, first I must know where I’ve been.
My cigar journey officially begins in the summer of 2012. I had smoked a few cheap cigars before then but the passion and chase began on my honeymoon. In April of 2012 I married my best friend. She is my rock and the most supportive person of all the things I do. I had a buddy that was just getting into cigars and he and I had begun dabbling in the hobby. On my honeymoon in Tampa, my wife and I had traveled to the nearby town of Dunedin, Florida. We had lunch at a barbecue place just to see how it was compared to Texas barbecue. For the record, it was not nearly as good. After lunch we walked around their little downtown area and found a lady selling cigars. Not a shop, but a lady with a white plastic table on the sidewalk with a Tupperware full of fresh rolled cigars. As I approached, she was just putting the cap on one she was finishing up. She asked what I wanted and my response was “that one”. She cut and lit it for me. I spent the next hour walking around with my wife, enjoying the town, and smoking that cigar. It was smooth, easy, and amazing! I was hooked! Later that week, we found a cigar shop on a pier that was going out of business. I bought a 100 count Humidor for $50. The journey had begun.
Tonight I sit on my balcony and have a pour and a smoke and think about where this journey has taken me. I think about how this year has been one of the most difficult of my life. I think about the changes my family and friends have dealt with this year. As I’ve decided to share my passion with you all, I hope you understand where I’ve come from.
Early in my journey I smoked a lot of what was cheap and available. I’d smoke gas station specials mostly. Even in those humidors you can sometimes find great sticks. I remember finding Romeo y Julieta, Oliva, and MonteCristo in gas station humidors. Early on I fell for the misconception that cigars with a darker wrapper were always stronger and avoided them like the plague. I’d also stock my Humidor with factory throwouts. 25 cigars for $20 was a price even a broke guy trying to put his wife through college could afford. Over the years I’ve tried every brand of cigar I can get my hands on. I began to learn about the different regions of tobacco and how each growing region effected the flavor of the cigar. I wasn’t an expert by any means, but I began to find the differences in the smokes. I started to appreciate what it was not just to smoke a good cigar, but to revel in the peace and rest of a cigar. I began to love the comradery that comes along with smoking cigars. I loved how people from all walks of life could come together and bond over an hour spent smoking together.
In October of 2023, my buddy Kyle invited me to a private cigar event hosted by members of his church. He knew I loved cigars and got me the invite. I showed up to a graphics company in downtown Lufkin, Tx. Upstairs is a conference room that is ventilated because the owner of the company loves cigars. On that night I met Kevin and Mel who own the Elevated Humidor cigar brand. I also met Chris who owns the graphics company. Mel was hand rolling cigars right there in the conference room. I remember that the first cigar of theirs I ever smoked was the Cube. Three different wrapper on one cigar. It was beautiful and fascinating. I lit it up that night and I have to say, it was delicious. They talked about cigars and trying to build a community in Lufkin. Kevin and I sat down together and talked cigars for hours. Toward the end of the night, they announced that they were opening a cigar lounge in Lufkin, and Kevin said that if I wanted a job selling cigars to let him know. I told them I was in that very night. In January of 2024, Stories Cigar Lounge in downtown Lufkin opened to the public and I was on the crew. Two and a half years later we are still going strong. I was promoted to supervisor in the first year and we continue to build the cigar community. I hope sharing a brief backstory of my cigar journey may better let you understand some of my opinions and maybe want to come burn one with me!
#smokeiteasy my friends!
