COVID ERA CIGARS

[Bill Hayes]

The last few years have brought about great change in the way we do things. Everything from working at home and ordering online to connecting with friends on video chats. For some, it’s been catastrophic while others have flourished. Has it brought us closer together or merely exaggerated the divide with haves and have nots? Maybe a bit of both. For those of us who are lucky enough to live comfortably, the challenge seems to be to adapt or fight against the change. For me, it started with getting sucked in to the media narrative of passing blame and found myself being fundamentally unhappy to the core. A pretty selfish reaction when you consider the effect globally. Something had to change. And it was obvious it was me. I then tried looking at the positives and making time to enjoy things. Slowly but surely there was a blurring between the lines of what was work and play. I had always loved the cut and thrust of being in a busy office yet now as I sit in the backyard, Bolivar in hand, laptop on my knee, I find I’m far more content. Happy to work, have work and work far more effectively. I’ve been fortunate I know but I have worked for it over time. I would love to hear the thoughts of others on how they’ve found these times and what cigars have stood out along the way. The Bolivar Libertador is my highlight. Recently, the RASS was a big surprise and the Monte2 top notch. It has just turned to Spring in the Southern Hemisphere, so I will be looking forward to sunnier days ahead and the opportunity to be surprised once more. Stay safe everyone. Cheers.

[Edicion]

I feel cigars have become a hobby for many this year and a growing trend globally to create or engage with new communities on forums and IG , Facebook etc. For many, smoking cigars has been a way to relax, reset and enjoy a piece of mind during perhaps stressful and difficult times pre- and will be - post-Covid too.

Happy to be part of the community here at FOH and enjoy engaging with likeminded and very different (in a good way) people from all over the world - beginners or seasoned smokers alike. Many share the same passion and interest in enjoying life to the fullest, cigars is an added value to that.

[DanWil84]

I started cigars during covid and it made it definetly easier, although not a great lot has changed for me. Maybe even for the better, I got closer to my kids them being at home first for almost 2.5 months and after that for 7 weeks. Work has been busier than ever being "essential", but I feel sorry for the ones who have been hit harder than ever they could have experienced. Only thing is we like to travel and that has been a lot less. I doubt we would ever turn back to that kind of traveling.

But I don't think I would have started cigars without covid. Sounds strange, but I used it like you to wind down and now it belongs to the pattern I need in life.

Verstuurd vanaf mijn VOG-L29 met Tapatalk

[Duxnutz]

Last year due to covid I was way down in my consumption of cigars due to several reasons; general feeling of malaise, doing full time daddy day care plus also kind of falling away from the hobby. 
 

I definitely enjoyed some cigars I’ve been keeping for special occasions but thoroughly enjoy more regular production (or discontinued regular production) more than ELs.

 

[patrickamory]

I started smoking cigars during Covid. It's been a lifesaver

[Glass Half Full]

On 9/17/2021 at 1:49 AM, Bill Hayes said:

The last few years have brought about great change in the way we do things. Everything from working at home and ordering online to connecting with friends on video chats. For some, it’s been catastrophic while others have flourished. Has it brought us closer together or merely exaggerated the divide with haves and have nots? Maybe a bit of both. For those of us who are lucky enough to live comfortably, the challenge seems to be to adapt or fight against the change. For me, it started with getting sucked in to the media narrative of passing blame and found myself being fundamentally unhappy to the core. A pretty selfish reaction when you consider the effect globally. Something had to change. And it was obvious it was me. I then tried looking at the positives and making time to enjoy things. Slowly but surely there was a blurring between the lines of what was work and play. I had always loved the cut and thrust of being in a busy office yet now as I sit in the backyard, Bolivar in hand, laptop on my knee, I find I’m far more content. Happy to work, have work and work far more effectively. I’ve been fortunate I know but I have worked for it over time. I would love to hear the thoughts of others on how they’ve found these times and what cigars have stood out along the way. The Bolivar Libertador is my highlight. Recently, the RASS was a big surprise and the Monte2 top notch. It has just turned to Spring in the Southern Hemisphere, so I will be looking forward to sunnier days ahead and the opportunity to be surprised once more. Stay safe everyone. Cheers.

Enjoying my first Libertador as I came on to your post.  Agree with all sentiments expressed here.  I had always enjoyed the occasional cigar from before I married my wife 30 years ago until we had our children, which caused me to stop.  Then, in 2018, we had the good fortune to go to Cuba with my now young adult sons (who are both fluent in Spanish thankfully), so rekindled my interest (so to speak    …Then COVID kicked that interest into a completely different, higher gear, and (thankfully) I discovered FOH.  This is a wonderful resource and a respite during the craziness.   

As many noted, we are fortunate to have the resources and time to enjoy this “time away” from it all and reflect on what’s important in life.

 …No doubt you all do this already, but it hadn’t been mentioned in this thread yet:  Let’s keep in mind the need to support others in our community, however we all choose to do so.