Something New

When was the last time you were turned on to something new? 

It happened to me a few days ago when I experimented with smoking a cigar for the first time. This is major for me because I am one of those avid “haters of smokers.” And until a few days ago, I wasn’t particular about cigar smoke either.

Until I met Richard.

Wine Garden at Heinemann's Winery in Put n Bay, OH

Richard is a cigar aficionado I met in the wine garden at Heinemann’s Winery in Put n Bay, OH. He’s an old guy who looks like he’s been doing what he does for years. I spotted him early on when we found a table and sat down to enjoy our American Pinot Grigio and cheese plate from the winery. Richard was the guy with the stogey stuck in his mouth mingling with the tourists.

After one bottle of wine, my brother wanted to know where he could get a cigar. My sister-in-law went to get round two of the wine and cheese plate and asked about the cigars. The guy behind the counter pointed to Richard. How were we to know Richard was the go-to guy for cigars? The cigar in his mouth should’ve been a dead giveaway.

Shortly afterwards, Richard came over to our table with his portable humidor and started talking about cigars. The way he talked about the cigars sounded very similar to the wine connesieurs I gravitated to about 8 or 9 years ago when I got interested in wine. My ears started to perk up when he explained what to look for in a cigar… like the smell of the tobacco has a lot to do with how enjoyable the “smoke” will be and each person has a different taste.

So, now he’s got me curious. He whips out a big fat cigar for my brother. Then he pulls out a couple of mini cigars for the ladies (there were three of us). My sister-in-law and my best friend each light up the mini vanilla flavored cigars called Tatiana. I took a drag and thought, “Hmmm, not bad!” Then another drag. Before I knew it,  was enjoying the cigar, the wine, the company, the atmosphere — it was all good!

After finishing the second bottle of Pinot, it was time for round three. Richard approached the table and wanted to know how we — the ladies especially — enjoyed the mini cigars. We all smiled and gave him the thumbs up. Then I asked if he had another one. He didn’t but said he would go out to the car to check. About 10 minutes later he wandered back into the wine garden with another vanilla flavored cigar. And that’s when my brother said, “Richard has turned you out!” I shared the cigar with my friend and my sister-in-law. My brother kept telling me not to inhale but I didn’t listen.

Three hours later when we took the ferry from South Bass Island to the Mainland, I clearly understood why I wasn’t supposed to inhale. I could have blamed it on the Lake Erie waves but nope… the waves weren’t the problem. I wasn’t feeling well and consequently, was the last person to emerge from the ferry when it docked at the mainland. My brother was there to make sure I was alright and reminded me that I wasn’t supposed to inhale. 

When he pulled up with the car, I climbed into the front passenger seat and slept the entire way back to Grandma’s house, which was about an hour away.

But hey, I had fun! And I was glad to have met Richard and to have tried something new.