A good meal and a good cigar is something special

After a truly good meal, an outstanding cigar is still the most satisfying after-dinner activity that doesn’t involve two human beings.
Brad Shaw, Radio Announcer

The quote above by Brad Shaw is one that instantly triggers memories. Having a cigar after your run of the mill dinner is secondary to what comes to mind. When I think about an after-dinner cigar it normally brings the holidays to mind.

I suppose being able to smoke in the confines of my home (within a designated room) I have become spoiled. These days I smoke one cigar per day throughout the week. My daily routine typically has me cooking dinner shortly after getting home from work. This not only has dinner ready for my wife when she comes home from work, it also gives me a little more free time in the evening.

By having dinner between 5:30 and 6:00, I can light up a robusto after dinner and not be concerned with getting to bed at too late an hour. So, as you would have imagined, my daily cigar normally comes after having dinner and spending some time with my wife.

Having an after-dinner cigar in this manner has definitely taken away from the experience in the general sense. When I think of a more meaningful after-dinner experience, the holidays or special occasions come to mind. A prime example of this is Thanksgiving of last year.

With family living nearby, my wife and I generally pull double duty on the holidays. This particular year we had dinner with my Wife’s family followed up by having dessert at my parents house. This year it played into the cigar concept because my father is also a cigar enthusiast.

As my father and I sat around digesting our meals, we puffed away on a couple of cigars. I don’t recall if we were smoking the same brand or even what that brand they may have been. All that mattered was that the cigars were an excellent end to a fun and family-filled day.