Let me back up a second. I wasn’t planning to record another solo episode. The guys are hitting the social club tonight, and we’ve got a full session on tentatively scheduled for next week. But this setup of mine? It’s been fun. Nostalgic, even. It kind of lit a fire under me, and I didn’t want to wait.
So here we are again-just you and me, shooting the shit while I decompress from a pretty gnarly 24-hour stretch. We’ll get into some cigar talk, don’t worry, but this episode? It’s about weather, flooded basements, broken cars, and needing a smoke to clear your head.
Flashback to IPCPR and New Orleans Weather
Several years ago, I went to IPCPR down in New Orleans. Incredible time, but one thing always stood out: every single day, like clockwork, the skies would open up in a torrential downpour… then the sun would come out, and it’d feel like you were standing in someone’s armpit.
Lately? Pennsylvania has felt an awful lot like that.
Buckets of rain. Tornado warnings (yeah, really). Sump pumps going off like an EDM concert. And just when you think the skies are done punishing you, BAM, another round.
A Basement That Didn’t Want to Stay Dry
I was all set to edit episode 0.5. Had the laptop ready, a cigar picked out, and a beer in hand. Then I glanced out the window and saw the rain hammering down. No big deal-until the sump pump under the crawl space started kicking on every few minutes.
That’s the one that barely ever runs. So now I’m on edge.
I start making rounds through the basement and eventually my daughter yells, “Daddy, water’s coming in!” From the ceiling. Through the light fixture – In a vaulted ceiling, of course.
I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it was just wind-driven rain getting in through a weird seam. It was only a couple drops for a few minutes but it had me on edge nonetheless. Not exactly the kind of surprise you want when you’ve just moved in.
3:30 AM Wakeup Call – With Water
After thinking I had the situation under control, I go to bed. The alarm goes off at 3:30 AM. Typical weekday routine. Coffee, check. Head to the basement for remote work, and boom – standing water.
Not a flood, but enough to fill the shop vac six times. Thirty gallons or so, which took about 45 minutes to clean up. Not exactly how I wanted to start my day.
Car Trouble Just to Top It Off
Then, because why not, my car decided to take a shit too.
About half way into work, I heard a whining sound paired with troublesome shifts. I immediately tried to baby it home but got stuck at a light, which wound up being the end of the road. Literally.
Wouldn’t move. Wouldn’t shift. A nice guy stuck behind me helped get me to a safe place away from the busy intersection. I had it towed to my mechanic and haven’t heard back yet. I’m keeping my fingers crossed it’s not the kind of repair that ends with me car shopping.
I Really Needed a Cigar
After a stretch like that, you need something—anything—to take the edge off. For me, that’s a cigar and some peace and quiet. And I figured since I wasn’t making it to the social club, I’d hop on the mic and share my cigar origin story.
Because really, that’s what this podcast is about, cigars and the lives we live around them.
How I Got Into Cigars – The Half-Cigar Tradition
My buddy John gets all the credit here. Back when we worked together, I’d go over to his place for beers and cookouts. Every time his father-in-law came around, they’d split a cigar. Not figuratively, literally. The old man would whack a cigar in half and hand one end to John.
Eventually, I got looped in. One half-cigar at a time.
The Trash Bag Full of Cubans
When John started working as a contractor, he did a job for an older woman who offered him her late husband’s cigar collection. She didn’t want money, just wanted them gone.
She gave him a trash bag full of cigars which included quite the collection of Cubans. He handed me a tupperware container full of them, dried out as hell, and we spent weeks figuring out how to rehydrate them the wrong way.
We didn’t know what we were doing, but we were having a blast doing it.
From JR Alternatives to Boutique Cigar Bliss
After we smoked through the freebies, I went straight to JR Cigar. Got sucked in by their “Cuban Alternatives.” Surely, they’d be pretty close to the real thing, right…
They were pretty bad but they were the stepping stone to better sticks. Eventually I started venturing out, discovering boutique brands, and hanging around real cigar shops with real communities.
The Shops That Shaped Me
- Kensington Tobacconist (RIP): My first home base. Great owner. Honest. Didn’t tolerate bullshit.
- Cigars Cigars (Reading Location): Nice when it opened. Fell apart fast.
- Sir Stogies: My favorite. Not the biggest selection, but incredible people and a warm, welcoming vibe.
I’ve got fond memories of random mid-week afternoons packed with people, bourbon bottles on the table, and someone always holding court with a story you didn’t want to miss.
These Days? It’s the Social Club Life
These days, I hang out at a private social club with 24-hour access. Eight bucks at the door covers your beer, snacks, and a comfy spot to light up and unwind.
It’s mostly an older crowd but the vibe is exactly what I’m after.
Wrapping It Up – And Looking Ahead
So yeah, this was supposed to be a cigar podcast. It turned into a little bit of everything, and honestly? I’m fine with that. Life doesn’t always go to plan. Sometimes the basement floods, the car dies, and all you can do is light up, hit record, and talk it out.
Hopefully the next episode features the full crew, but if not, I’ll keep knocking out these incremental episodes until it does.
Thanks for hanging out!
