Cigar Lovers, May the Fourth Be With You, by Tommy Zman
July fourth doth cometh along with barbeques, fireworks, good drink and good friends. And if you are a reader of this blog, a gaggle of premium hand rolled cigars will be a part of the summer holiday festivities for sure. I don’t think when John Hancock and his fellow white-wigged forefathers signed the Declaration of Independence, they envisioned ice cold micro brews, buffalo wings, and Fuente King B’s as a part of the festivities, but if the old boys were around today, I’m sure that they would partake in the explosive style merriment.
My town always has the most excellent fireworks display at our high school field and people come from miles around to enjoy. There is just something about fireworks that brings out the kid in me – nostalgia at its very finest. We always pack a cooler filled with good chow and brews, plop our lawn chairs down in our usual spot of 15 years, and of course I bring a selection of the finest premium hand rolled sticks from a smattering of tobacco producing nations. A bunch of my buddies and I will each spark up a stick (or five) as our smoke rivals that of the town’s gunpowder laden display. Sure we piss some people off, and the dirty looks are for certain, but this celebration is all about FREEDOM – the freedom to enjoy our lives in a country that was founded on an awful lot of smoke and fireworks.
One of the things so many people forget is that the tobacco trade was a gigantic part of our nation’s beginnings and president George Washington was in on that, and a whole lotta whiskey, to boot. In fact, Washington, Jefferson, Ben Franklin, and Paul Revere were all noted tobacco growers. Before cotton, tobacco was actually the chief cash crop in the United States. In 1776, during the Revolutionary War, tobacco actually helped finance the revolution by serving as collateral for loans that our country borrowed from France. Wow, the education you can get right here, only on the JR Blog, do tell.
For any holiday or special occasion, I spend serious time considering and picking out the cigars that will be smoked during the festivities. What kind of stinks this year is that the 4th falls on a Wednesday and there are no long weekends in store for anyone. So I really have to pick out my smokes for just the one day and then regroup my thinking and tactics come next weekend. I always start off early with a mild to medium choice, then on to medium bodied, then finish out with fuller flavored smokes. And what better cigar to start the day of our independence off than with the Alec Bradley American Classic – a Connecticut-seed Honduran wrapper intermingled with a flavorful binder and hearty blend of long fillers from the town of Condega, located in the province of Estelí, Nicaragua, to create a mild-to-medium-bodied, smooth, and creamy smoke with great balance and a sweet cedar finish. Starting off with anything less would be downright unpatriotic!
I’m not sure about the other smokes for the Fourth, as I really do have to go thru the list and weigh my options carefully. But the one thing you can count on is that I am going to celebrate my freedom as an American and enjoy the living hell out of the free time I have, with family and friends, and of course, the cigars I love and cherish.
And speaking of our freedoms… I urge you to PLEASE SUPPORT Cigar Rights of America as they continue to deal with congress, the senate, and all US legislators who need to be made aware that our cigars are the best friends we know of and we will fight like hell to keep them in our lives! >>http://cigarrrights.org
Have a great 4th of July, my friends!
JR Cigars Blog with the Zman
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