Well in case you couldn’t already tell by the title this blog involves me and my wife moving to Maine. Now, what does this have anything to do with Cigars or podcasts or anything else my friends and I are involved with? With a move to Maine means a drastic change of temperature, humidity, and smoking privileges. When I was in TN I had at least one private cigar lounge at my disposal, plus drinks and food nearby, and longer summers to smoke outdoors. Here in Maine, however, I have to adapt. Cigar lounges are fewer and father in between, cold seasons last just wee bit longer (meaning a lot longer) and outside smoking preferences are limited.
Now I’ll be honest, I know there are articles out there showing you how to winterize your smoking experience. You can bundle up with jackets, gloves, wool socks, etc etc...
As a fellow BOTL I can’t just give up my reverend vice simply because it’s a little chilly outside. A quote from one of our most distinguished cigar lover , Sir Winston Churchill, he said “The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity, the optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty”. I like to think of myself as an optimist so I choose to seek opportunity. Here in Maine the temperatures generally averages about 45-65 degrees, but in the winter you can have months of low teens and several weeks of subzero temperatures. Between Jan to March you have an average of two the three feet of snow on the ground! This is a vast difference from my home state of TN where average winters can last couple months and rarely see snow but for a few days.
In TN I had the fortune of visiting a wonderful cigar lounge not 15 min from where I lived and was all indoor (with an outside patio of course) Here in Maine, it’s a different story. Now, I live in a wonderful little town and within walking distance there is a cigar shop, but no lounge. This creates a conundrum for me since I live an apartment and there is no smoking on the property. I’m also not silly enough to stand outside in the freezing rain in subzero temperatures smoking a cigar for 1-2 hours, and my nearest cigar lounge is almost 45 min away and Heaven forbid I forget to bring something with me otherwise it might be 1.5 hours of driving to go home and pick it up.
Something I’ve always wanted to try though was smoking a cigar outside comfortably in the cold. Sipping bourbon, sitting in front of a bonfire with a pot of homemade stew capturing the heat beneath it, and a lit cigar does sound magical. Personally, however, I prefer the indoor lounge in front of a television, but that’s just me. Who knows, my experiences here in Maine may change my opinion if I get the hang of it after a while. (Fingers crossed)
My recommendation would be if you have to smoke outside a couple of things to keep in mind. First, keep a stock pile of smaller vitolas in your humidor. This way you can still enjoy a nice cigar, without wasting 1.5 hours to freeze your ass off. Petit Coronas, smaller perfectos, Rothchilds, things like these should keep you satiated for the time. Eventually it warms up enough here you can whip out those Corona Gordo’s you’ve had the past 6 months waiting for the Sun God to make an appearance for longer hours in the day.
However, my opinion is not the only one that counts, if you have a story or an opinion on Winter smoking outside please share on the comments section or our Facebook Page Cigar Tipsters. Want to share your story on our show? Write to us and and we’ll share your story on our next podcast! Also follow us on twitter and Instagram @CigarTipsters. Thank you!