Folks,
I beg your indulgence for a few minutes, as this post doesn't fit most of the "standards" of the normal post on this board, but it does have a point.
I've been a member of this forum for a while now, but have been off the grid for a while. I joined the board back in 07, and from the beginning cigars were a large part of my life. I had no specific stress, no real worries, but in a good cigar I found solace and retreat.
In 2008 I went back to work for DOD, and ended up doing two rotations in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. No, I wasnt doing the fighting, and I would never sully the honor of those that were, and are, by implying that I was anything other than one of those guys who worked on the gear in the rear echelon. I did my time in utilities (what we called them before they became BDUs), but those days are more than a decade past.
During those periods of deployment cigars were a huge part of my life. All the bases I was on were dry, civilians were forbidden from dalliances with Military members, and recreation was where you could find it. I planned each deployment out as far in advance as I could, and that always included pre-staging cigars. I always sent a Pelican Case full of cigars ahead, and that box always included the basics. I am a big DPG fan, so a box or two of 1950s always went, along with some Padron brown labels. The key part of the equation, though, was the Tatuajes. The Petites were a great 25 minute smoke for a break during the day, and the Noellas were just the ticket for the evening when there was time for a longer escape. Ive always loved the flavor of those two cigars, and they really became my main source of relaxation.
For most of the time I was deploying, and since I got back for the last time in January of 2010, I have not been active on BOTL, for reasons that seemed completely rational to me at the time. I was always too busy, I didnt have the resources, it was cloudy/rainy/hot/cold, whatever. When I got back this last time, I moved from Maryland to Mississippi, and part of that move involved the cigars. Ive got a down sized Stabel cabinet I bought from Bob a few years ago, and a Cuban footlocker, both full of boxes. I continued to smoke cigars, but would often go weeks in between. Just too busy worrying about everything else, I guess.
Then, yesterday, I decided that I needed a fairly short smoke to scratch the itch, since I dont have a couple of hours to dedicate to a longer one in the evening. Dug through the mental archives, and realized that I needed a relatively short Tat to fill the bill. Visited the local B&M, but stock is limited. So I called NHC (outstanding service as always Dan), and ordered a box of Petites and a box of Noellas. Then, this morning, I decided to check the cabinet and the footlocker to see if maybe I didnt have a stray of either one of those already on hand. Eureka!! At the bottom of the footlocker I found an unopened box of Noellas.
After supper and walking the dog tonight, I opened a Guiness Extra Stout, and put flame to a Noella.
That small, very basic, yet exquisitely flavorful cigar truly landed me back at my base. That feeling, that satisfaction, is why I smoke cigars. From the hands of the workers who planted, tended, and harvested the plants, and finally rolled the tobacco into the cigar I so enjoyed, to the here and now. Thank you Pete, and while I will always have Don Pepins cigars in my humidor(s), the Noella truly brought me home.
Thanks for letting me be a part of your community,
Mark
I beg your indulgence for a few minutes, as this post doesn't fit most of the "standards" of the normal post on this board, but it does have a point.
I've been a member of this forum for a while now, but have been off the grid for a while. I joined the board back in 07, and from the beginning cigars were a large part of my life. I had no specific stress, no real worries, but in a good cigar I found solace and retreat.
In 2008 I went back to work for DOD, and ended up doing two rotations in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. No, I wasnt doing the fighting, and I would never sully the honor of those that were, and are, by implying that I was anything other than one of those guys who worked on the gear in the rear echelon. I did my time in utilities (what we called them before they became BDUs), but those days are more than a decade past.
During those periods of deployment cigars were a huge part of my life. All the bases I was on were dry, civilians were forbidden from dalliances with Military members, and recreation was where you could find it. I planned each deployment out as far in advance as I could, and that always included pre-staging cigars. I always sent a Pelican Case full of cigars ahead, and that box always included the basics. I am a big DPG fan, so a box or two of 1950s always went, along with some Padron brown labels. The key part of the equation, though, was the Tatuajes. The Petites were a great 25 minute smoke for a break during the day, and the Noellas were just the ticket for the evening when there was time for a longer escape. Ive always loved the flavor of those two cigars, and they really became my main source of relaxation.
For most of the time I was deploying, and since I got back for the last time in January of 2010, I have not been active on BOTL, for reasons that seemed completely rational to me at the time. I was always too busy, I didnt have the resources, it was cloudy/rainy/hot/cold, whatever. When I got back this last time, I moved from Maryland to Mississippi, and part of that move involved the cigars. Ive got a down sized Stabel cabinet I bought from Bob a few years ago, and a Cuban footlocker, both full of boxes. I continued to smoke cigars, but would often go weeks in between. Just too busy worrying about everything else, I guess.
Then, yesterday, I decided that I needed a fairly short smoke to scratch the itch, since I dont have a couple of hours to dedicate to a longer one in the evening. Dug through the mental archives, and realized that I needed a relatively short Tat to fill the bill. Visited the local B&M, but stock is limited. So I called NHC (outstanding service as always Dan), and ordered a box of Petites and a box of Noellas. Then, this morning, I decided to check the cabinet and the footlocker to see if maybe I didnt have a stray of either one of those already on hand. Eureka!! At the bottom of the footlocker I found an unopened box of Noellas.
After supper and walking the dog tonight, I opened a Guiness Extra Stout, and put flame to a Noella.
That small, very basic, yet exquisitely flavorful cigar truly landed me back at my base. That feeling, that satisfaction, is why I smoke cigars. From the hands of the workers who planted, tended, and harvested the plants, and finally rolled the tobacco into the cigar I so enjoyed, to the here and now. Thank you Pete, and while I will always have Don Pepins cigars in my humidor(s), the Noella truly brought me home.
Thanks for letting me be a part of your community,
Mark
