"My earliest recollection of cigars, while a child, was a nasty old neighbor farmer who chewed his raunchy smelling cheapies and always had tobacco bits/juice in his teeth. So who’d have thought 30 years later I’d be scavenging the auction sites for 5’ers and boxes???"
Known as "NotYourAverageChick", Di is a delightful young woman, who shares a common denominator with most cigar smoking Women. Introduction to the cigar, its culture and community was given by her husband. Within my travels stumbling upon the various research interviews - I discovered, just as with me, our love for the leaf was initiated by the "Men who Love Us!"
I asked "NYAC" to provide a brief bio of her experience with the cigar, and she graciously accepted, thank you Di:
"Hubby started smoking Rocky Patel Vintage 90 & 92 Petite Coronas. They were a bit much for my inexperienced palate and I still wasn’t thrilled with the vision of a woman smoking “stogies”. He kept telling me lots of women smoked them, but the only references he could provide were little “cigar hotties” which didn’t add any level of comfort for me. I thought if I could find a small, inconspicuous one that I didn’t mind that would be the ticket.
Hubby had been urging me to try other “good” cigars. I was curious enough to see if there was a cigar out there that I would enjoy. Later a friend gave us the ‘freebie’ smokes from his new humidor. Although not super premiums, they were still better than the machine made cigars, according to him. Believe it or not, 6 months ago, a Thompson Cuban Delight was what won me over..."
And from there a star is born...
"I was on a new mission, to find a quality cigar that would be my "go to" whenever I wanted to smoke with him." Brands such as Romeo y Julieta- Viejo & Reserva Real and Rocky Patel-Vintage 99, Signature, Connecticut, Edge Lite, & Legend soon became her favs! Sharing Humidor space with her husband, she says it "fits nicely between our recliners and we each have a half for storage!"
As with her sisters, Di went in search of other women on the web who enjoyed cigars. "It appeared that I'd come in too late for the "cigar rush" and hadn't been able to find an active website that had any input from fellow lady cigar enthusiasts from after 2005!"
Until her husband came upon Social Cigar....
"He saw some postings from women and suggested I check it out. I found a thriving population of female cigar smokers that are as passionate about it as I am! I have never felt as welcomed and as much a part of a group as I do at SC. These people are truly SOTL/BOTL! There is an incredible amount of support for women who enjoy cigars. I’m on nearly every day chatting with women and men, sharing cigar stories, or anything else that’s going on. Social Cigar has become like a second home with an extended family.
Thanks Di...we love having You!!
Damsel....
I couldn't wait to continue this series - next weekend, I hope to have another great gal!
Back to the Blogosphere - what's going on?
Jesse at CigarJack offered a new concept he received from Chris - an interactive map with cigar friendly establishments across the country. CigarPlaces.com does more than offer pre selected lounges, it allows you to submit your local shops and give a quick description. And of course, Chris is a member at Social Cigar.
It's a short story this weekend, but I'll leave you with one of my reviews for Social Cigar
Exclusivo Zona del Este translates to "Exclusive to the Eastern Zone"
I fought with myself to light this limited edition cigar - I admired it in my humidor for quite sometime before I allowed myself the indulgence. Its construction was perfect, its pre light aroma was rich, sweet and heavenly. Cosmetically, this cigar was as attractive as they come!
From the inception on the first light, its reputation as an extrodinary cigar was confirmed. I had absolutely no problem with its light, and the burn remained steady and even throughout the smoke. Rich and peppery in some stages, an ebony flavor came to mind. I'll admit my palate is still quite junior, but the flavor was sparked with a hint of sweetness - Ebony, a carmel rich flavor is how I would describe it. By mid way the spice settled and a much smoother flavor took over. It remained consistent with the upscale cigar flavor I find reminiscent of why we love the leaf! I've heard about the floral taste to this cigar, but I wasn't able to grab that - like I said, my palate is junior!
At the last leg of the cigar, the pepper came back and I was hit with the "POW" factor - which kicked it up a bit, and left me wanting more! But I rolled over and had a cigarette (sorry, my bad) just kidding - I couldn't resist! lol..
All in all - This Lady gives the Tatuaje Exclusivo Zona del Este, a big time Nod...
Ladies, come and join us SOTLs at Social Cigar, we'd love to see you there....
And with that - have a great weekend, Damsel