Chesapeake Smoke

Oops.

I had originally intended to write this last Sunday, after wrapping up my shift at Titan Cigar. Mea Culpa. Blogging on a more regular schedule is just something I’ll have to get used to.

I was pleasantly surprised at the business we did that day. Despite all the bad press, all the anti-smoking nazis, people still lined up to buy cigars for fathers, husbands, you name it. I was also dismayed by the fact that people were running into the shop to buy a last-minute gift for Dad. I’ve got kids myself, I’m a father, and from that perspective, I wish these people who kept me from having a quiet, boring Sunday might also given the old man a little forethought. Do you people do your Christmas shopping on December 25th??? Doesn’t your father figure of choice deserve more than a last-minute gift grab?

Enough ranting.

About a month ago, we did a La Perla event. I’d always enjoyed their Black Pearl line, developed long before Johnny Depp arrived on the scene. Now they have a new line out. Well, maybe it’s not so new, but it’s new to Titan. The Morado is an excellent smoke, a Nicaraguan puro that exemplifies the best of that country’s tobacco crop. Medium-bodied, smooth and rich. The tasters at CA talk about leather and butterscotch flavors … I didn’t get that, but then again, I usually don’t. But all in all, a tasty stick at a decent price point. Goes well with the single malt of your choice.

First off, let me inaugurate this blog by thanking Jorge Armenteros, the president of Tobacconist University, for helping me get my CRT certification and setting me up with a place to blog.

Certified? My wife thinks it’s more like “certifiable.”

But I digress. After nine years in the business, I’m now a Certified Retail Tobacconist. What does that mean? Well, after months of study and an arduous test, I’ve demonstrated my knowledge of the seed-to-shelf lifecycle of premium tobacco. And am thus singularly equipped to assist customers in enjoying a fine smoke.

All pomposity aside, the training and certification process codifies the knowledge that all tobacconists ought to have … an understanding of growing the plant, harvesting, fermenting and curing, and production. The training process gives us a common framework and terms of reference, helping to eliminate the urban myths that permeate the cigar industry. And that results in a better experience for our customers.