I have called cigars a "life-timer." Smoking one requires that I put other things on pause, and sync myself to a slower rhythm than the everyday pace of life.

Cigars are also a hobby - I enjoy finding and smoking offbeat sticks, and I enjoy rolling and smoking my own.

For me, there's a spiritual side of cigar smoking as well. There's an elemental connection - a crop from the earth, grown with water, and truly enjoyed only with wind (breath) and fire. There's also a connection to the land where the tobacco was grown; to the farmers who raised, harvested, and cured it; to the workers who rolled it and packed it in a box; and sometimes to the person who sells it as well. It means something to me that all the time and skill involved in creating a beautiful cigar is only truly appreciated in the controlled destruction of all that work.