What happens when you cross..

[adic88]

I read a lot of articles about cigars, both in print and on the web. James Suckling is a favourite, among others. Generally, it does take a lot to impress me.

Rehman Rashid is an award winning journalist and editor of a major daily here in Malaysia, and a great aficionado of cigars. He has always resisted the temptation to mix his two passions, despite my constant nagging.

But i've managed to get him to start writing about cigars, and i'm honored that he's asked me to publish it for him on my blog.

He writes magnificently, i'd be remiss not so share it with everyone here. Enjoy guys, i know i did.

WICKED PLEASURES by Rehman Rashid

I WAS about a third through a Partagas 898 when my brother had to go to the bathroom to throw up. He had to go twice more before I was done with the lonsdale. (Like hell I'd extinguish it; I'm the elder. Besides, it was his fault for not having sufficient ventilation in his kitchen.)

My brother thinks cigars are evil. I was prepared to concede with regard to the particular smoke that made him vomit. It was the second-last of a box bought duty-free in Langkawi, and probably the second-last of its kind I will ever smoke. Oh, it's a Partagas all right -- its flavours would not disappoint any fan of the brand. But these were rolled tight as drumsticks and drew firm and hard; no "give" at all to them, even after three years' storage.

So they took an inordinately long time to finish, which the rich brawn of Partagas forbade me hastening. This was wretched for my brother, who will forever hold that cigars are evil and enjoyed only by the wicked. The quintessential cigar smoker was Al Capone.

Sigmund Freud was a closet sex fiend. Winston Churchill was a manic-depressive whose seven-stick-a-day habit Freud would have interpreted very differently had Churchill not won World War Two and had a vitola of Romeo y Julieta named after him.

Rudyard Kipling was a misogynistic white supremacist. Fidel Castro's a commie and Groucho was obviously Marxist. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone are punchlines. And so on.

Oh I say, I said, steady on old boy. But he was too nauseous to consider how sublime, subtle and nuanced, how transcendent and ethereal, the experience of a good cigar could be. A cigar soothes and calms. Its voluptuary flavours evoke the emotions of great cuisine or fine wine; it is a gustatory, gastronomic experience, and assuredly non-fattening.

Cigars are appreciated by refined, sensitive, sophisticated and educated souls as well as Donald Trump. They calm the fevered brow and ease the troubled heart. It was long the height of humanity to offer the condemned man a last cigar. (I know which one I'd ask for: the Puros Indios Chief 18x66, a six-hour smoke, escape when the firing squad falls asleep.)

Kretek smokers probably wouldn't understand (though one would think they'd be receptive).

The truth is, from a moral standpoint, cigars have to be considered neutral. I'd be the first to admit that self-professed "Brothers of the Leaf" include a disproportionate mob of red-necked hog-fed gun-totin' Ayrab-huntin' joes -- if only they might train their Ma-Deuces on the fat-cat poseurs oozing in the armchairs of city-centre cigar divans conspicuously abusing Cohibas.

But all that's a world away from my balcony on a late evening, with the sun setting, the light fading, a light breeze blowing, and a cigar gently smouldering in hand. There's nowhere better to be when your back's against the wall. A good day is celebrated; a hard one softened.

Which means there must be cigars in both heaven and hell, so there's no point pondering the morality of it all. This should console even those bound for the latter, where at least they won't be stuck for a light.

[habanablue]

I read a lot of articles about cigars, both in print and on the web. James Suckling is a favourite, among others. Generally, it does take a lot to impress me.

Rehman Rashid is an award winning journalist and editor of a major daily here in Malaysia, and a great aficionado of cigars. He has always resisted the temptation to mix his two passions, despite my constant nagging.

But i've managed to get him to start writing about cigars, and i'm honored that he's asked me to publish it for him on my blog.

He writes magnificently, i'd be remiss not so share it with everyone here. Enjoy guys, i know i did.

Fantastic!

[jackohalloran]

nice!

[Stalebread]

A very nice piece.

Thanks for the post.

[Ellery]

Thanks for the post, nice read

[adic88]

Yeah, its a masterclass in writing, about cigars no less. I have a lot to learn from Rehman if i'm ever going to be able to match that prose.

Its the emotions and thoughts that he evokes with words that i find particularly pleasing. It's almost like a good cigar would do; it encourages our mind to wander and see things that we never saw before.

Thanks for the kind words fellas, i'll pass on the good word to him. It can only encourage him to write more, and that's what we need in the cigar world: a poet to give a sense of perspective to what we all love.

[CanuckSARTech]

Errrrh. I don't know. I kind of got caught on the wrong foot with the starting (visual images and smells of vomit), then followed with "disproportionate mob of red-neck" and then "fat-cat posers". He gets the calming nature of cigars right, but I think he kind of puts his target audience on knife's edge (almost as in, you're this or you're that).

Just my thoughts.

[Colt45]

Errrrh. I don't know. ..... followed with "disproportionate mob of red-neck" and then "fat-cat posers".

I had a similar reaction. Made me think that along with the "posers", it wouldn't hurt to take out a few judgmental journalists .

[CanuckSARTech]

I had a similar reaction. Made me think that along with the "posers", it wouldn't hurt to take out a few judgmental journalists .

....Or shorts' wearing video reviewers!!!

I don't know. I'm just iffy about it. True, there's some excellent prose in there - "...A good day is celebrated; a hard one softened.", and then the heaven & hell analogue. But there's just too many moments in there that make you think, "What the deuce?!?!!"

[Ben]

Yeah that was a really fantastic little article.

P.S. Blimey a six hour smoke! That thing must the size of a baseball bat.

[adic88]

Haha guys, he'll love the banter here. I should get him to join FOH, then you can your daily dose of Rehman Rashid everyday.

I've always found the best journalists to the ones you either hate with a vengeance or love with a passion. The middle road, politically correct journalist is just so boring.

[Colt45]

I've always found the best journalists to the ones you either hate with a vengeance or love with a passion.

It's difficult to love or hate someone you don't know, but I suppose it's relatively easy to have some disdain for someone who attempts to

prop themselves up by putting others down.

Poser indeed........

[adic88]

It's difficult to love or hate someone you don't know, but I suppose it's relatively easy to have some disdain for someone who attempts to

prop themselves up by putting others down.

Poser indeed........

Colt, to be kind on him, i've seen my fair share of wannabe aficionados here in KL. Just the other day, i was in LCdH, and i met the son of a well known and fantabulously wealthy businessman and his friends (including a few amazingly gorgeous women who seemed to be there for only one purpose), and he was passing around a box of Behikes from his cigar locker.

I wasn't part of the group, but i sat back enjoying my Partagas Shorts, observing them.

The lad was about 20, his friends look barely out of their teens.

Certainly, i don't begrudge him his good fortune by merit of childbirth, or the fact that he drives a Ferrari (parked obstentiously outside with utter disregard to traffic rules). To each his own, we've all got our own paths in life, we're all dealt the hand that we have.

But i couldn't help but feel just that little bit sad when he suddenly sat up and proudly announced, "This cigar has turned, i'm chucking it". And he was barely a third of the way through it. All his friends, suddenly all started saying the same thing, as though they were masters of the leaf. The girls giggled in that way that irritating girls tend to do. Half a dozen of them suddenly, all chucked their Behikes, barely lit just 15 minutes ago, and they started taking the mickey out of the shopkeeper (who is a friend of mine), accusing him of selling them duds.

To prove their point, he tore apart the Cohiba in front the storekeeper, pulling out the tobacco, sniffing it, and somehow this was proof positive that what they were saying was right. "See this leaf right here, its not properly cured! Why does it smell like that, no wonder the cigar is terrible!" all the while giggling to each other as though this was some big joke.

There was nothing my friend the storekeeper could do but apologize, and he offered them another round of cigars, i think they were San Cristobals, on the house. They seemed to quiet down a bit after that, but left just minutes later, dumping those cigars as well, all the while laughing to each other as though it was some giant joke.

Later, my friend told me that these guys have barely been smoking a couple of weeks, and was the reason why there were no Behikes left for everyone else. Of course, that's their right as a customer and the right of the store to sell it to them, but it does seem like a waste to me, and certainly, there was no need to treat my friend the way that they did.

Whether or not these guys were the "poseurs" Rehman was alluding to with such disdain, or were they just a rude bunch of spoilt kids, is open to interpretation. However, for my money, that's not how a true BOTL behaves in the community of cigar smokers.

[mazolaman]

I've always found the best journalists to the ones you either hate with a vengeance or love with a passion. The middle road, politically correct journalist is just so boring.

Personally,I find with journalists and social commentators I agree with the occaisional piece,but tend to approach any article with a degree of skepticism.I couldn't say I love any of them,as in the end,they are just hacks,selling their product.

He is right about some aspects of the cigar world,it can occaisionally be associated with the Gordon Geko's of this world.

Thanks for posting this article though.

[CBL]

Loved the article! Great way with words and all the visuals are things I can relate to. Hope to read more of this soon!

[bolivr]

I liked it. I have been reading too much bland writing lately, it seems to be everywhere, everyone toeing the line not to offend.

I could easily be counted amongst the gun toting red-necks but I would say more power to views that challenge us to think about our own prejudices.

[cvm4]

Great read Aiz! How ya been brother? I haven't seen you around any forums in a while.

[Colt45]

Colt, to be kind on him..........

It's not my place to be unkind - I've not met the author. I've simply expressed my thoughts on what I perceive to be the tone of the article.

But that's the main point - is the purpose of the post for us to sit back and agree, or is it a topic open for discussion?

Friends of Habanos - Friendship, Laughter, Loyalty, Fraternity - No Tossers, No wankers.......

[Rehman]

What's the purpose of the post? Now there's a question.

Hello everyone. My thanks to Aiz for posting my musing here, and my regrets to all who found it offensive. We - um, "hacks", "posers" and "wankers" was it? - exaggerate for effect; it is a device. We create caricatured extremes to make a moderate point. Don't take it personally.

I still can't answer the above question, though. Do we post for this or that? What do we seek to achieve? Do we want to win people over to our points-of-view or spark discussion or provoke response? What is our "purpose"? How ponderous and po-faced! Write, or don't write. Read, or don't read. I'm not out to change the world here or anywhere else, merely to observe and contemplate it.

Relax. Have a cigar. I'd like to be friends with you all, as well as of Habanos. (And Dominicanos, Honduranos and Nicaraguanos too.)

[Rehman]

Hi, FYI most people post a little about themselves in the "Newbie Introductions" section before they start posting in the forum......

They do? No one told me! Ok, I shall go over to Newbie Inroductions and introduce myself. Thank you for the direction, Mr Bster.

[buster]

Isn't the "average Joe" american cigar smoker at least three of either: a) Republican, b ) redneck c) obese d) NRA supporter?

If I'm "none of the above", does that make me "below average" or "above average"?

Rick

[havananewb]

Great article. Thanks for posting

[Colt45]

Isn't the "average Joe" american cigar smoker at least three of either: a) Republican, b ) redneck c) obese d) NRA supporter?

Interesting perspective - I assumed the "joes" in question to be Malaysian.

[thechenman]

Nice work...I found the article to be very well written, highly descriptive...I liked it. Well done.

I read a lot of articles about cigars, both in print and on the web. James Suckling is a favourite, among others. Generally, it does take a lot to impress me.

Rehman Rashid is an award winning journalist and editor of a major daily here in Malaysia, and a great aficionado of cigars. He has always resisted the temptation to mix his two passions, despite my constant nagging.

But i've managed to get him to start writing about cigars, and i'm honored that he's asked me to publish it for him on my blog.

He writes magnificently, i'd be remiss not so share it with everyone here. Enjoy guys, i know i did.

[CanuckSARTech]

Quite the discussion this has turned into, with a bit of a polarizing effect.

I just think that if you're about to write an article about cigars (or any other subject matter, for what it's worth), it might not be the best approach to completely generalize and polarize things from one extreme to the other. Kind of runs the risk of losing some of the core audience to the article's purpose.

I'm not saying that you need to be completely middle-of-the-road and boring. But it helps to take the effort to reach past stereotypes, and not to lavish in using them for emotive purposes. Using exaggeration / caricatured extremes for effect (especially when you're writing to/for the audience of the subject in question), to me anyways, smells of over-hyping things in an effort to gain attention. Grandstanding, as it were.

Rehman, this isn't to say you're a grandstander - please don't misunderstand my explanation. I'm merely pointing out my perceptions of this one, stand-alone article.

Certain parts of the prose leads the reader to be pulled in. Some of the visuals/sensory details are beautiful. But these other unsure elements seem to disturb the beautiful parts, in my opinion.