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No 66 - June 5, 2003
.The Short Filler Cigar re-visited

In 2001 we first addressed the question "Why not a. Short Filler cigar?". - and it bears repeating.

Often maligned or ignored by many cigar smokers, these cigars have a very definite role to play in the world of cigar smoking.

Consistency is the keyword.
Since the bunch (filler enclosed by its binder) is machine made, the consistency of construction is very high. Machines can be set to weigh out exact amounts of tobacco, roll them into an exact diameter and cut to an exact length, with no margin for human error. So a good, even, easy draw is virtually assured.
The filler is composed of small pieces of tobacco (hence the term "short filler"), and the composition can be a Blender's dream. Up to as many as 15 to 20 different tobaccos may be used to fine-tune the blend, and again the degree of consistency will be very high. Here the skill of the tobacco buyer comes into play - to ensure consistency of flavour and quality from year to year.

For my taste I look for a cigar made of 100% tobacco, cigars such as PGC Hajenius, and certain of the La Paz, Panter, Agio, Willem II ranges, and I choose a size to complement the time I will have to smoke it. I find, and this has been borne out by various discussions and at functions, that such a short filler cigar is a good "first cigar" of the day or evening.
Activating the taste buds, not hammering them.
Leaving them ready for something more substantial later.
They are also ideal for a coffee break smoke or just a light smoke at any time.
My suggestion is that you consider them to see where they can fit into your cigar smoking portfolio.

At our next Cigar Dinner (June 19) we are opening the cigar menu with a short filler cigar - and what a cigar!
The cream from PGC Hajenius - the "Kleine Tuitnak".

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The PGC Hajenius website has this to say about the cigar:
"The most striking feature of the 'tuitknak' is its tapered end - the end which you light. The combination of the wrapper and binder leaves yields a special flavour when you light the cigar - because you can't yet perceive the filler. People sometimes make the mistake of lighting the tuitknak at the wrong end - the broad end: don't. Not only will you miss the unique flavour sensation, but you will also find that it is very difficult to draw on the cigar; and there is also a risk that the wrapper will unroll."
Theo Rudman says "Amazingly rich for a small cigar" and gives it ..
For me this cigar has a mellow spiciness that makes it an ideal preliminary to the serious cigars to follow. At the dinner these will be a Cohiba Siglo II (Petit Corona) and the San Cristobal La Fuerza (Corona Extra).

It should be a splendid evening. Booking is brisk, but places are still available. Come and join us.

Colin Wesley
June 5 to June 18, 2003

From May 26, all Zippo prices reduced by 20%.

You can read previous articles from "Across the Counter" in The Library.

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Across the Counter Fortnightly Articles "Conversations with Customers"

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No 67 - June 19, 2003
Profile of a Pipe-smoker
There is nothing like a.. pipe for giving a man a.. meretricious air of.. profundity.

You ask a pipe-smoker, for instance, whether he thinks that mankind is justified in spending all this money on visiting the moon and he promptly goes into his routine. First he takes his pipe out of his mouth and examines the outside of the bowl. Then he peers inside and debates with himself whether he can save the little glow he sees there. He decides he can, so he puts the pipe back in his mouth and sucks hard five or six times. Nothing happens. So he takes the pipe out of his mouth and looks into the bowl again in a reproachful and injured manner.

He then pats his left pocket to see if there are any matches there. There aren't so he pats his right pocket with the same result. He looks utterly dismayed, as if the world had come to an end, but then he notices with relief that the matches were on the table all the time, alongside the ashtray.

Finally he gets his pipe going and sits back in a cloud of smoke, directing at you that long, level, honest look that is probably the most infuriating characteristic of pipe smokers.
At last he delivers his verdict. He says "It all depends on your attitude to these things. I think my answer would be yes - up to a point".

Non-smokers use their spectacles in much the same way. The polishing procedure does not take as long as the pipe drill and people who use their spectacles for gaining time have to think faster than pipe smokers. But that shouldn't be very difficult.

In 1970 the Durban journalist, A B Hughes, gave us permission to reproduce this article for the enjoyment of our Readers. In more than 30 years nothing has changed much, has it!

Colin Wesley
June 19 to July 2, 2003

PS The morning temperature in Johannesburg this week hit sub-zero, which prompted me to think of repeating an ideal Winter Warming Special. From June 26 to July 9 2003, a Stainless Steel Hipflask for only R79.95

You can read previous articles from "Across the Counter" in The Library.

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