Cigar Friending on FaceBook
Mark Elliot Zuckerberg is a socially awkward, fresh faced little Hebrew kid who grew up in White Plains New York and subsequently dropped out of college. While most might deem a college drop out a failure, Mark’s present net worth is presently 13.5 billion dollars. This nerdy little introvert co-founded FaceBook, creating a whole new way that the world depends upon it’s daily communication.
Out of the blue, Ricky Pratt sent me a friend request, a great pal of mine who disappeared off the face of the Earth some 25 years ago after moving away to college. We worked in the A&P together as a couple of late teen boneheads, drinking beers and cruising around in his powder blue Pinto, hoping nobody would smash into us from behind. I really missed Rick when he left, and just like human nature would have it, we lost touch and that was that… well until this morning. A quarter of a century later, the dumb-ass finally decided to get back to me.
I presently have over 5,000 friends and fans on FaceBook. (Don’t be so caddy and hate me because I’m popular.) I’ve actually done business with people I’ve met, and I’ve also reconnected with longtime friends, like my buddy Ron (Bubba to his pals and loved ones), who comments here on the JR Blog. We became neighbors when his dad was transferred from Virginia, and north Jersey was certainly a culture shock for the family. Ron had really never heard of ice hockey, a game I taught him to play, as he went on to skate on travel teams in the mid to late 70’s. Now he’s in the Orlando area as we call and text, and it’s just very cool to talk about our kids and the cigars we love. Steve was another neighborhood kid who hung forever at my house, but after his stint in the Airforce, we lost touch for a good 20 years until he found my Polack ass on FaceBook. Talking on the phone made it seem like it was just yesterday that we played street hockey in the driveway, smashing the shit out of all of my dad’s garage door windows. Now Steve resides in Kallifawnia, smoking his favorite stoags while guzzling good craft beers. He texts me often, asking for my recommendations some great smokes and the FRANK LLANEZA 1961 is certainly a beauty.
What I’m blown away by is how huge the cigar community is on FB. There are thousands upon thousands of cigar smokers, cigar groups, shops, and daily notification of events daily. We lovers of the leaf are a proud bunch as so many guys (and gals) have a premium stick dangling from their lips in their profile pictures. Put up a question about cigars or rate a favorite stogie and you won’t believe the endless trail of comments that are posted from the handrolled faithful. And most of the manufacturers have their own pages as well where you can actually communicate with many of the great cigar makers of today.
I know some of you guys think it’s hokey and couldn’t be bothered, but FaceBook is simply a phenomenal way to make new friends, find old friends, and tap into a world of people who love cigars, beer, wine, music, your favorite team, movies, and basically whatever the hell you dig. As many here will admit, YES, it can become horribly addicting, which is a major downfall. You can spend hours reading, posting, and sending messages, but if it’s about the love of finely-aged premium handrolled cigars, can one really considerate a downfall? I think not.
By the way, JR Cigars has a killer Facebook page with close to 8,000 tobacco crazed fans. So go to my page (Tommy Zarzecki) and the JR page, friend us and I think that may be all you need to get through your mundane and dreary day. Thanks, Mark.
Keepin’ it real,
Tommy Z . JR Cigars Blog With the Zman
By the way… Here are some great suggestions for enjoying St. Patrick’s Day this week…
FRANK LLANEZA 1961
| Handmade NIC |
| Wrapper: ECCR Binder: NIC Filler: DR/NIC |
| Medium-Full Bodied |
Frank Llaneza 1961 cigars are handmade with the darkest Ecuador Criollo wrapper I have ever seen and must have been selected one leaf at a time or fermented over and over and over. You people who know me or have read some of my dribble over the years know that I’ve always said that the difference between a two dollar cigar and a ten dollar cigar is eight dollars… well if there ever was such a thing as a ten dollar cigar – then this is it. These cigars have the Frank Llaneza “Cubanesque” heavier bodied “touch” that made brands like Hoyo, Punch, Excalibur, El Rey del Mundo, and others that he has created such mainstays in today’s premium cigar business. A definite winner in the new chapter of fine cigars for the late great master.
ARTURO FUENTE SUN GROWN CIGARS |
| Handmade DR |
| Wrapper: ECCT Binder: DR Filler: DR |
| Medium-Full Bodied |
This Sun Grown version of the well-known favorite, Arturo Fuente Gran Reserva, is crafted with the Fuentes classic blend of the finest, aged Dominican filler tobaccos, topped off with rich, robust Ecuadorian Sun Grown wrapper leaves. The addition of the highly sought after wrapper leaves creates a fuller bodied, more flavorful smoke with increased hints of natural sweetness. These “limited availability” beauties are hard to come by, but are definitely worth the wait.
CAO BRAZILIA CIGARS |
| Handmade HON |
| Wrapper: BRA Binder: NIC Filler: NIC |
| Full Bodied |
The CAO Brazilia blend consists of Nicaraguan top quality long-filler tobaccos wrapped in a gorgeous, dark Brazilian leaf. The result is a full bodied unique, complex smoke with notes of earth, spice, and an entrancing natural sweetness with great depth and body.
This is a “monster” of a cigar for flavor. The 6 x 60 Amazon lasts and lasts so give yourself a good long time to enjoy this big boy from below.
