Supplying cigars for a dinner...

[zeedubbya]

I would like to share a recent story. There's some great friends of my sister who are very well off.  She was at their house for a Holiday party and told me she was smoking a Cohiba after dinner with them.  Tells me how they brought them back from their last trip hidden in their luggage and such, and how they are big time cigar connoisseurs.  I ask her to send me a picture.  She sends me a picture of a Cohiba Black Dot Tubo....I simply said that's nice--not wanting to be that guy.  

Later in the week she is over at my house and asks me to give her some eduction on cigars so I do.  She realizes soon enough that she was smoking a NC.  She asks me what the difference is.  And I explain it to her.  The next day she calls me all excited telling me her friend wants me to come over and talk to them about cigars.  So I do.  I take a couple COROS along with me and give them an explanation.  We then light up.  After the first 10 puffs they say, "This is very strong, I don't think I can keep smoking this--it's way too strong for me." I can clearly see they are smoking them way way too fast.  I suggest they slow slow down. I show them how to smoke a cigar the proper way and all that.  I try to do this as gently as possible.  After doing this they got a ton of enjoyment out of the cigars and were extremely Wowed by how many flavors they were tasting in the CORO.  

This story is hopefully for your benefit @SaintMickey®.  Make sure you are gentle with how you go about it, but even if you have people who are very experienced cigar smokers you may have to give a little eduction first.  Let them know it's for everyone's benefit.  I find in most situations I've been in like this people who are even very experienced smoke way way too fast.  If you're taking BRCs which have been stored at a low humidity you're going to have to make sure they smoke them very slow.  Just my recommendation.   

[SaintMickey®]

Update...

Box of Bolivar Royal Coronas were very well received although I was very sad to see them go. I am happy to say that everyone stayed together in a side "room" at Eye Candy (Mandalay Bay Hotel) and smoked together I literally saw all cigars smoked down properly and some to a nub, no abandoned/wasted cigars. Even after giving a couple away "for later" to some I ended up with 6 left over so I'll consider that my transportation fee when I submit the expense report! 

Glad I did this...it really got the group together and talking...not just drinking.