Savored Moments
It was January 2019 when I lit up my first cigar at the Club.
I was following that time-honored tradition of smoking a cigar to celebrate the birth of a child. In my case, it was the arrival of my grandson, Leo.
Since that moment, I have come to truly appreciate the culture of cigars and the new friends that I have made while enjoying them at the Club. Cigars always set a friendly mood. They naturally elicit conversation, particularly when paired with a glass of fine wine or whiskey.
Fellow Member David Leibowitz has become my cigar “mentor.” He introduced me to my first smoke, and I have learned so much about cigar culture from him since then. Having grown up in Miami, with its close ties to the home of the cigar, Cuba, David is something of a cigar expert.
Cuba might be the place most people associate with hand-rolled cigars, but there are many other countries now producing them. The likes of Arturo Fuente in the Dominion Republic are well known among aficionados for their high-quality cigars.
While I grew up in the Canadian city of Montreal, I spent time with wealthy relatives in New York. I soon identified cigars with sophistication and success. This image runs through popular culture, from Winston Churchill to Arnold Schwarzenegger to a gun-slinging, cigarillo-smoking Clint Eastwood in countless Westerns.
During my journey of discovery through the world of cigars, I have learned about their various shapes, sizes, lengths, grades and flavors. Much like with wine, cigar enthusiasts have their particular preferences. Some favor a straight cut with a guillotine clipper over a V-cut or a punch cut before smoking. How you light up also divides people, with some preferring a match to a lighter. Few other pastimes have a culture so layered and nuanced.
Cigars demand time to be enjoyed. You cannot rush one. Smoking a cigar is about savoring the moment and the conversation that goes with it. That is what appeals to me. It has also become a great way to meet other Members and the kind of people I had hoped to meet when I joined the Club nine years ago. I have met some of the finest gentlemen and raconteurs over a cigar.
The Vista patio on the third floor is where Club smokers congregate. It’s a welcoming space with lighters, cutters and large ashtrays to use, and there is a full selection of cigars on sale at Vista. Happy hour is a particularly popular time there.
Even if you don’t know a fellow cigar smoker, a simple “What are you smoking?” usually breaks the ice and soon leads to another shared moment. I have come to know more than a dozen Members through a mutual love of cigars. This social circle has been particularly welcome during the last two years of pandemic-related travel restrictions.
Little did I know that a smoke three years ago would open the door to so many experiences and friendships. And I look forward to many more on the Vista patio.
Words: Mark Pink
Illustration: Tania Vicedo
