Once a year, and sometimes twice if the mood strikes me, I take a month off from smoking cigars. “Why on earth would you do that!?” Good question, and the answer is because I feel like it. I know bad answer, but it is an accurate one. I just like to take a break every once and a while. I guess if I reflected on it more, I might say that I do it so that when I start smoking again, it revitalizes my interest and passion in cigars, but honestly the break isn’t long enough to claim something like that. I usually take this break mid summer (July or August) as I am now, so you might say it is just too darn hot to sit outside and smoke so that is why I do it. This may be the closest to a real explanation as I am likely to get. I think maybe the heat of the day may take away some of my desire to smoke a cigar, but honestly the evenings here are rather mild and sitting outside is fairly comfortable most nights and that is when I usually sit down with a cigar. That being the case I’d have to say that although the heat my play a small role in my decision to take a break from smoking, it isn’t a large enough factor for me to say it is the reason I do it even though I may have claimed so in the past. Now, on those rare occasions when I do this a second time in a one year period, the second “break” is usually in the winter and often has to do with the fact that it is just too bleeping cold to sit outside and enjoy a smoke, so weather is the primary factor for my taking that occasional second break.
So, try as I might to come up with some sort of explanation for this seemingly unexplainable behavior, the plain and simple truth is I do it because I feel like it. There isn’t much more to it than that.
August 11th marks day number 30 and the end of my hiatus, so I will pick out a nice, very special cigar to smoke on August 12th and review it. Until then I’ll be reading the cigar blogs and just enjoying my summer.
I was outside the other day smoking a yard gar, picking up the dogs’ unmentionables in 105 degree weather, when it occurred to me that I could probably survive for a month without smoking.
I have yet to test that theory, but I can certainly understand the reason for your hiatus. Have a good break!
I can understand why you do that. I sometimes try and take a few days off from smoking now and then. I find that if I do that, I can enjoy the flavor more of the cigars I do smoke. Some days I have a robusto on the way to work, and/or during lunch, and/or on the way home. It really depends on my day. Enjoy the break.
Ach! Blasphemy!
Until I picked up a humidor, I used to go on unplanned hiatuses… When you don’t have a fine, well-humidified collection waiting for you in the evening, it’s easy to go without for a while. But I never missed an opportunity on vacation!
Matt, were you ever a cigarette smoker??
The reason I ask,is cause when I got into cigars, I had been two years smoke free from a two pack a day habit. When I decided I wanted to get into higher end cigars, I told myself this is a hobby, not a habit. And every time I have felt like I need a cigar rather than I want one, I take at least a week off. A month would probably be better, but a week usually clears me from jonesin for a stick.
No, never smoked cigarettes. Just feel like need a break every once and a while and the heat of August usually makes it an easy choice. Plus after a while I just feel like my palate starts to get a little burned out so I like to take some time to rest and refresh. Never felt like I needed a cigar. august is a planned break for me but there is usually a time or two throughout the year where I take two weeks to a month off from cigars for just random reasons, often just because I get too busy to take the time to smoke.