One of the great myths of cigars is that you may only use a butane torch, a specialized wooden match (sans sulphur) or a properly lit piece of wood to light your cigar.  Since most cigar smokers are men and men love gadgets and fire, nothing brings fire gadgetry together like a beautiful butane lighter.  Oh some will pine for the days that Zippo ruled but for the most part we enjoy our lighters as not only functional tools of cigar connosieruism but as status symbols wether it be as the finely dressed cigar smoker with his $400 St. Dupont or the frugal but hard working every-man with his BIC disposable lighter.  Of course there are all sorts of choices in between the two extremes but no matter where you land on the lighter as gadget continuum, butane is the fuel of choice.  And why not?  A good torch butane lighter will stand up to an average breeze while a superior torch can enable you to light your cigar in the face of a class three hurricane.  The classic Zippo lighter has been disdained by knowing cigar smokers for many years now as lending an undesirable fuel odor to all that it touches and kitchen matches, well they only cause your stogie to reek of sulphur.  Or so we have been told.  Truth is that for over 50 years men lit their pipes, cigarrettes and vitolas with a Zippo lighter or a kitchen match and nary a word is written that would indicate this in anyway detracted from the flavor of the tobacco.  For you see these gentlemen of old new something we apparently do not, how to properly light a pipe or cigar.  

The advent of the butane lighter and especially the disposable butane lighter has made us lazy for it has enabled us to pass the tobacco through the flame to achieve near instant gratification.  Usually without burning our fingers.  The butane lighter has also expanded the environments within which we can now smoke our beloved vitolas.  Gone are the concerns of keeping your matches dry in the pool or while white water rafting down the Colorado River.  Butane has also made us forgetful.  We forget how WWII soldiers endured countless wind swept nights, freezing temperatures and blizzards by using their Zippo to light up. Truth is, a correctly used Zippo imparts no more flavor than a butane lighter.  And yes those nasty wooden kitchen matches will work just fine as well.  “What!” you say. “Are you daft?” you ask.  No my friend, it is all in how you use the tool that determines the result.

When lighting a pipe or cigar, there is one rule that stands above all others in this time honored ritual, NEVER LET THE FLAME TOUCH THE TOBACCO!  If you do this to any degree with any lighter, you will likely produce a charred flavor that will last throughout some portion of the cigar but not necessarily the complete cigar.

 

The format of the match as we know it today came about in China sometime around AD 960.  Prior to that time, a match was usually a length of cord or cambric, impregnated with chemicals and allowed to burn continuously.  Today we would refer to this type of device as a fuse but despite its obvious drawbacks, it did make lighting that first fire in the morning a much quicker affair.  Wikipedia reports that first modern, self-igniting match was invented in 1805 by K. Chancel, in Paris. The head of the match consisted of a nasty mixture of potassium chloride, sulphur, sugar and rubber.  Igniting the match required dipping it in an asbestos bottle filled with sulphuric acid.  Not exactly something you could carry in your pocket to the pub.Needless to say, this match was expensive and very dangerous.  Perhaps that is why it never seriously caught on.  Friction matches were invented in 1827 and produced a very unpleasant odor.  Nonetheless, they were considered to be responsible for a noticeable increase in smoking due to the convenience.  Matches were continuously refined over the years to minimize the ignition noise, reduce the odor and increase the reliability.  The modern match is a high tech combination of more than twenty chemicals.  Four classes of chemicals make up the match head, binder, fuel, oxidizing agent and dilutants.  The proper combination of these components have produced a match that is reliable, safe and easy to use

In 1614, the new colony at Jamestown in what is now Virginia was a death camp of starving colonists with little hope of survival.  The Indians were mad at them, the London Company was tired of sending supplies.  John Rolfe, who married Pocahantas, had learned to smoke tobacco while in London and decided to take a shot at cultivating tobacco in Jamestown, and not the Nicotiana Rustica of the local Indians but he chose the coveted Nicotiana Tabacum strain then being grown in Trinidad and South America–though Spain had declared a penalty of death to anyone selling such seeds to a non-Spaniard.  In 1614, in what has been called by at least one historian the most momentous event of the 17th century, the first shipment of Virginia tobacco was sold in London. Two years later, in June, 1616, Rolfe and other leaders of the colony arrived in London to discuss the newly successful crop.  Despite James I’s disapproval of the colony’s dependence on a crop he despised, the very survival of his namesake colony could be at stake. And, of course, James could not ignore the enormous import duties Rolfes’ Virginia tobacco, “Orinoco”, brought to the royal treasury–Londoners and others around the world liked its taste and began demanding it. Since all sales had to be made through London, the English treasury grew with every transaction.  Tobacco became such a popular crop that a law had to be passed to force some food cultivation in the suddenly affluent colony.  By 1619 Jamestown had exported 10 tons of tobacco to Europe and had left behind its dismal history of starvation, cannbalism and general debotchery.
By 1639 Jamestown had exported 750 tons of tobacco. Tobacco was the American colonies’ chief export. The Jamestown colonists had not found gold, nor a route to the South Seas, nor the Lost Colony of Roanoke Island. But they had found tobacco. Tobacco had brought the settlement from wretched failure to giddying success. Tobacco had created the need for labor at any price (even institutionalized slavery), and–since it wore out the soil every 4-7 years–the mad rush for land all through the waterways of the Chesapeake Bay–or, as the entire area soon became known, “Tobacco Coast.”
Tobacco can well be credited with making Jamestown the first permanent English colony in the New World.
So tobacco has been a critical crop and an ingrained habit for many years, well before cigarettes were even invented.  In fact, the prohibition against direct sales of tobacco to other countries (all such sales had to be made through London, where hefty excise taxes were levied) was one of the main aggravations leading to the American Revolution.

In 1614, the new colony at Jamestown in what is now Virginia was a death camp of starving colonists with little hope of survival.  The Indians were mad at them, the London Company was tired of sending supplies.  John Rolfe, who married Pocahantas, had learned to smoke tobacco while in London and decided to take a shot at cultivating tobacco in Jamestown, and not the Nicotiana Rustica of the local Indians but he chose the coveted Nicotiana Tabacum strain then being grown in Trinidad and South America–though Spain had declared a penalty of death to anyone selling such seeds to a non-Spaniard.  In 1614, in what has been called by at least one historian the most momentous event of the 17th century, the first shipment of Virginia tobacco was sold in London. Two years later, in June, 1616, Rolfe and other leaders of the colony arrived in London to discuss the newly successful crop.  Despite James I’s disapproval of the colony’s dependence on a crop he despised, the very survival of his namesake colony could be at stake. And, of course, James could not ignore the enormous import duties Rolfes’ Virginia tobacco, “Orinoco”, brought to the royal treasury–Londoners and others around the world liked its taste and began demanding it. Since all sales had to be made through London, the English treasury grew with every transaction.  Tobacco became such a popular crop that a law had to be passed to force some food cultivation in the suddenly affluent colony.  By 1619 Jamestown had exported 10 tons of tobacco to Europe and had left behind its dismal history of starvation, cannbalism and general debotchery. 

By 1639 Jamestown had exported 750 tons of tobacco. Tobacco was the American colonies’ chief export. The Jamestown colonists had not found gold, nor a route to the South Seas, nor the Lost Colony of Roanoke Island. But they had found tobacco. Tobacco had brought the settlement from wretched failure to giddying success. Tobacco had created the need for labor at any price (even institutionalized slavery), and–since it wore out the soil every 4-7 years–the mad rush for land all through the waterways of the Chesapeake Bay–or, as the entire area soon became known, “Tobacco Coast.”

Tobacco can well be credited with making Jamestown the first permanent English colony in the New World.

So tobacco has been a critical crop and an ingrained habit for many years, well before cigarettes were even invented.  In fact, the prohibition against direct sales of tobacco to other countries (all such sales had to be made through London, where hefty excise taxes were levied) was one of the main aggravations leading to the American Revolution.

On a recent trip to visit my grandchildren in St. Petersburg it was decided that we would all go see a movie.  The youngest, Tommy, immediately voiced an opinion that we should see the new 3D movie “Fly Me to The Moon”.  Tommy, who had just turned 5, had a very strong opionon about how good the movie would be.  He was convinced that a 3D movie featuring three young flies that make it on to the Apollo 11 moon mission would be a an exciting experience.   After only a few minutes in to the movie, Tommy had discarded his special glasses for a reason known only to him and yet he sat glued to the fuzzy action on the screen.  For most people, watching a 3D movie witout the glasses would be an uncomfortable if not painful experience.  But not for Tommy.  His was so convinced that a 3D animated movie about flies would be good, that he enjoyed the experience despite the reality.
At tis point many, if not all of you may be asking what does this have to do with cigars in general and the Ashton Benchmade in particular.  Well here it is.
The anticipation and expectation of a yet another cigar from famed cigar artist Pepin Garcia had me tingling with anticipation at finally trying one.  The pedigree of this cigar has given it a buzz within the cigar community that while not unprecedented, may be unearned.  I am a fan of Don Pepin Garcia as I truly think he has produced some of the finest cigars of the last five years.  The Tatuaje series, Centurion, Cabaiguan and the Black Label’s  are some of my favorite smokes for any occasion.  So I approached my experience with the Benchmade expecting to like the cigar.  This was a prime example of what Chris Trotter has termed the ‘halo effect’.
Ashton proudly hails the Pepin Garcia heritage of the Benchmade cigar and describes it as “.. boasts the flavor and construction of a super-premium cigar, yet the attractive price-tag of a value bundle”.  They go on to claim that “  Benchmade is the new benchmark for the value cigar”.
When smoking this cigar I got a sense of chaos and lack of direction.  The flavors are all over the place, the construction is mediocre and the aroma is distracting.  This sometimes spicy, sometimes earthy cigar lacks personality.
It is a mixed filler (or cuban sandwich) style cigar. Ask any retailer and they will proudly tell you that this cigar utilizes the scraps of other cigars produced in the same factory.  And somehow we, as consumers, have bought in to the idea that this is a good thing.
Despite my anticipation and assumption that I would like any cigar coming from the bench of Pepin Garcia, this one is a disappoinment.  Perhpas more importantly it has poked a hole in the dream that has been Pepin Garcia.  Smoking a cigar such as this, that he has allowed to carry his name makes me wonder if the rumors are perhaps true.  Perhaps, Pepin Garcia has overextended his reach, allowed the quality fo his product to drop and succumbed to the intoxication of his own celebrity.
At $2 to $3 per stick, it is not a bad smoke but it is not one I could reccommend to anyone that I wanted to remain friends with.  There are other cigars in the price range, most notably from Oliva, American Stogies and La Tradicion Cubana that provide superior construction, aroma and smoking experience. My advice, choose one of those over the Benchmade.
It’s okay for a four year old to continue enjoying the fantasy of a movie but it is delusional to let the aura of greatness color your decision to smoke a poorly designed and executed cigar.  Besides, Benchmade is the name of a knife, not a cigar.

A blast of peppery spice hits the bak of your throat and settles in to your lower jaw as you light up the new premium cigar from Pepin Garcia.  The robusto sized firecracker I smoked the other ight was as delicous as any PG had ever been.  It offers complexity by changeing the flavor to add a robust vegetable spice as it’s smoke curls around your head.  The flavors are well balanced and the base of straw and leather give it a depth that many cigars can only aspire to.

If you peruse the Internet for information and sources about women and cigars, you will find that the prevailing opinion is that women smoking cigars is sexy.  We see good looking (and sometimes barley dressed) model hawking cigars in a variety of marketing initiatives.  If you read Cigar Snob (although the writtin content is minimal) you will see many beautiful women in various poses with their cigars.  Unfortunately, very few of the women featured in these situations gives the impression of being knowledgeable about the cigars they are presenting.  I think we deserve more. We deserve more from the manufacturers, the magazines and the ad agencies.

So now comes The Association for Women CIgar Smokers and Heather Haddad to change all of that and give women the voice in the industry that they have earned.  Women are not new to the cigar industry, they have been a part of may fo the most successfull cigar companies for many years.  If you look through the Cigar Family website, you will see several mentions of Carlos, Jr. but nary a word about Cynthia Fuente’s roll in building the business.  I wonder why.  I respect what the Fuentes have built, they deserve all of the success in their lives and I do believe that Cynthia Fuente is a part of that.

As men who smoke cigars, are we so shallow that a pretty girl can make us purchase a cigar, regardless of its heritage, flavor profile and price?  Looking through the current issues of several publications the answer would appear to be yes.  However, I have a little more faith in my fellow cigar smokers and think that although as men we enjoy looking at beautiful women, we take our cigars much more seriously and would not let our tastes or purchases be determined by such obvious means.

So I call upon my fellow cigar smokers, ignore the beuatiful women and buy yhe best cigars and I call upon the maufacturers and ad agencies to keep using the beautiful models, we don’t mind looking.

The article in a recent CigarCyclopedia article talks about the future of Swedish Match as an independent. While this is interesting conjecture and certainly Swedish Match is an interesting target due to its stable of Cuban brands, the article points out one of the bigger hurdles to the return of Cuban cigars to the U.S.
I have spoken on DogWatch Cigar Radio (most recently episode #164) about the real impediment to Cuban cigars in the US. Can you spell trademarks? Almost all of the current Cuban brands have been reproduced by other cigar makers and their trademarks registered in the US. This presents a legal obstacle that I predict will be even more difficult to overcome than a political embargo. The embargo can be easily terminated with a simple vote. But not so with the legally enforceable trademarks that so many manufacturers fought for nd have protected for many years.
I predict the trademark issue to take longer to resolve than the embargo itself.

Very few of us can devote unlimited resources to our cigar indulgences. For some, this means limiting ourselves to one or two cigars a week and for others it means limiting how much we pay for our cigars. However, many of like to smoke daily and do not want to sacrifice quality of the cigars just for this luxury. Fortunately, there are a number of alternative smokes out there that meet the criteria of being an everyday smoke in terms of cost and quality. On DogWatch Cigar Radio we regularly include a segment on what we call Value Smokes. As mentioned, these cigars meet our criteria for cost (under $4 per stick) and quality (they still provide a pleasurable experience).

One alternative is to search the store brand bundles for suitable smokes. Unfortunately, this is a tedious and frustrating experience as many of these low cost , no name bundles are quite tasteless or just plain bad.

A better alternative is to search out those special smokes that carry both a value price and reasonable flavor profile.

One of my favorites in this genre is the American Stogies Break Time Petite Corona. This 4.5 x 40 is available for just over $2 per stick and is an excellent fit for those instances when you have limited time to enjoy a cigar or may be facing a situation that has the potential to interrupt you smoking pleasure. For example, when I get in the car on a Saturday or Sunday to go shopping and running errands with my wife, I never know for sure how long I will have to smoke before we get to the first destination that requires me to exit the vehicle. The reason for this predicament is that I do not know where we are going until I am told by my wife, and she usually waits until we are in the car to give me such directions. I am OK with this as it relieves me of significant responsibility in making such decisions and allows me to focus on the cigar and driving. Two things I enjoy. But back to the cigars.

The American Stogie Break Time is inexpensive enough that I don’t mind if I have to leave it only half-smoked and yet tastes good enough for me too enjoy all the way to the end.

Another of the outstanding value selections available come from Gispert (just under $3 a stick), Oliva Serie G (between $3 and $4 per stick), Sabor Cubana ($4 a stick), JML 1902 (about $3 per cigar) and Occidental Reserve (between $2 and $3 per vitola).

I would be remiss if I did not mention the cigar that my podcast partner Dale just loves, the Famous Smoke Nicaragua 3000. Not my favorite smoke but many people enjoy this cigar at about $2 per stick.

Many other options are available but this should give you a quick idea of what you can get for $4 or less per cigar in today’s market.

Enjoy

Just read an article from the San Jose Mercury News ([http://www.mercurynews.com/localnewsheadlines/ci_9073081 http://www.mercurynews.com /localnewsheadlines/ci_9073081]) that laments the number and quality of accessories required to enjoy cigars. Sure we have any number of cool gadgets we use and some of us enjoy spending hundreds of $$ on lighters and cutters, but is it really necessary? Absolutely not, but it sure does make the enjoyment of cigars much more interesting to hear some newbie brag about their $300 lighter or $100 cutter. Now I will admit I spent a whopping $50 on my Palio cutter and I would not trade it for any of the diamond encrusted offerings from Davidof or anyone else. But for my lighter, a disposable BIC does quite nicely thank you. Sure a fancy torch is a real kick to fire up but in the end, the BIC does it just as well and I don’t care if I loose it. I’ll save the big bucks for cigars, they are what really count.