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Home > What's New > Local Cigar Bonding
Local Cigar Bonding
Posted: Tuesday, March 08, 2005
By Michael Moretti
Gerry Cooney (right) and Chuck Wepner |
A couple of weeks ago, I attended a little event in Hoboken, New Jersey, a small community that borders the Hudson River across from Manhattan, and found myself smoking with several sports greats: Gerry Cooney, a former heavyweight title contender; former Stanley Cup-winning New Jersey Devil Ken Daneyko; and boxing's "Bayonne Bleeder" Chuck "the Real Rocky" Wepner. There was also a collection of cigar-puffing locals.
With heavyweight boxers and a heavy-checking hockey player on the guest list, I realize the affair doesn't exactly sound warm and fuzzy, but there is a bond in this town that still welcomes indoor smoking and borders one of the biggest and most smoke-unfriendly cities in the nation. Looking across the Hudson, I saw the New York City skyline with twinkling lights, endless possibilities and very little public smoking space. Most people who live in this part of Jersey commute to Manhattan for a living, so a trip back to Hoboken is a trip back home. Since an indoor smoking ban has not yet taken root in the Garden State, it's nice to be able to kick back in the warm embraces of a local tavern, cigar in hand, after a long day's work.
One thing that always impressed me and continues to impress me about cigars is the variety of people they bring together from vastly different walks of life, and the casual and communal air that pervades these gatherings.
This spirit brought three groups together at a local mainstay called Helmers' -- a German-American restaurant and tavern with a rotating admission of beers, from eclectic microbrewed ales to bocks from the motherland. After walking in from the cold, freezing rain in early February, I was warmly greeted by rows of dark, wood booths and an old-fashioned elaborate oak bar flanked by the heads of antlered beasts. The owners stood post behind the bar serving up beer, bratwurst and good recommendations for the vast supply of either. I got comfortable at the bar with a blond lager and met my trio of hosts.
Cigar Bouts, a promotion and marketing company whose goal is to publicize lesser-known brand cigars, was there to endorse its idea of "microrolled cigars," which like "microbrews" come from smaller-output facilities. The "microrolled cigars" hail from places like Costa Rica and Panama. The Hoboken Cigar Club was another player, bringing together cigar store proprietors, restaurant owners and local lovers of the leaf. Last but certainly not least, was Cooney and the Fighters' Initiative for Support and Training or, FIST, an organization established in 1998 by Cooney to help boxers adjust to daily living when they have finished their careers.
The smoke started to rise around 7 p.m. I was given an unbanded cigar from Cigar Bouts, which was lit by the beautiful "puff girls." They were being paid to be there, but still, it's the spirit.
I was told the cigar was from a factory in Panama -- I was not exactly comfortable with the notion, but sparked up and began puffing. To my surprise, once it got going it was pretty good. There was a lot of sweet flavor after I passed the initial bitterness, with a nice, easy draw and an even burn. The idea of the "Bout" was that the cigars from these lesser-established factories would go head-to-head against more widely known mass-market brands in a blind taste test. Smokers would review the cigars and decide which ones they liked better. I did not involve myself in the bout part, but did enjoy the Panamanian cigar I smoked.
From the idea of a cigar bout, it is an easy jump to the boxing cigar lover in Cooney who appeared in the "Cigar All-Stars" feature in the December issue of Cigar Aficionado magazine with James Toney. Cooney was on hand to promote and raise funds for his cause. To benefit FIST, there was a silent auction with all types of sports and pop culture memorabilia available for bidding.
We all hoisted some brew, enjoyed a steak and mingled over cigars. The fee was $100 -- meal, cigars and libations included -- and you could discount that if you decided not to have the steak. It was satisfying to be around people whom you might not normally hang out with for a few hours to celebrate the common delight in simple pleasures, and if this lends itself to a higher purpose of business or charity, well then, that's all the better.
Look for local events in your own areas and check out the listing on our cigar events page for happenings around the world.
Photo Courtesy Cigar Bouts Also in Cigar News:
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