a little che story..

[ComradeHuipe]

i just wanted to post an interesting story that i remember...to shine some light on che's sense of humor...

i read a story in which che's asthman was getting worse because of his heavy smoking--most pictures show him with a cigar.

he visited the doctor, and the doctor restricted him to one cigar per day...which he followed...

then one day, one of his aides walks into his office, and finds him smoking a one foot long cigar ( that may be a little exaggerted but who knows)....che looks at him, and smiles...and says
"i am following doctors orders. one cigar a day."

hahahaha.....if you guys got anymore funny,interesting, stories please share them...

[fernando]

What made matters even worse for Che was that he inhaled the cigars, something that you normally shouldnt do because its even worse!

[chebol]

Actually, Che initially used the excuse that cigars were GOOD for his asthma..... It's an argument that a friend of mine uses too. (Without any basis in fact)

The foot-long cigars were indeed Che's response to the doctor's orders. He was asked to give up smoking, refused to, and was restricted to one per day.
Immediately upon returning from the doctor, he ordered one of his aides to secure him a source of cigars that were "this long"- Che held his hands about a foot apart.

These same cigars were to play an interesting role in the Congo, where Che had some brought in especially for his troops. They were divided into centimetre-long pieces to be consumed on a strict ration of one piece per day. In a pipe.

Che used to smoke his cigars right to the end, or until his fingers burned, then shoved the leftover in his pipe-bowl to finish off. But I had never heard that he inhaled the things. Where does this info come from fernando?

BTW- Che hated cigarettes. He used to swap his ration with Fidel and others, often for more cigars. (a wise choice ;-))

[NovelGentry]

Che used to smoke his cigars right to the end, or until his fingers burned, then shoved the leftover in his pipe-bowl to finish off.

Most real cigar smokers do (assuming the cigar allows that to happen, some fall apart). I have seen a number of people who don't actually enjoy smoking cigars, but do it more as a status symbol who will throw a cigar away at nearly 3 inches left. Some cigars do get extremely displeasing depending on how short you smoke them, but by no means does it usually need to be gotten rid of. Shortest I've ever smoked a cigar was probably about 3/8 of an inche, in much the same fashion before I put it in my pipe and smoked it. Only cigar that this is truly enjoyable with that I've tried is Dominican Cohibas.


But I had never heard that he inhaled the things. Where does this info come from fernando?

I thought this was fairly well known. It's said in many documentaries aswell as noted in some early pieces about him (if I'm not mistaken).


BTW- Che hated cigarettes. He used to swap his ration with Fidel and others, often for more cigars. (a wise choice ;-))

This is not the case. It is at least not the case that he hated them, he may certainly have enjoyed cigars over cigarettes but there are multiple counts from interviewers of him smoking cigarettes.

For anyone who understands the true enjoyment that smoking can be, and yes, it can be extremely enjoying, socially and individually, you would know that it doesn't really matter what you're smoking when you're in that mood, so long as you're smoking.

[fernando]

But I had never heard that he inhaled the things. Where does this info come from fernando?


Like NovelGentry said, it was mentioned in several documentaries.

[chebol]

Most "real" cigar smokers (whatever that means) actually do not smoke all the way to the end. Che habit of doing this provoked some mild amusement of the type that caused it to be noted.
If you are smoking the whole thing, you are also smoking the tar, and condensation trapped in the last part (which acts as a kind of filter) laden with tar and other less-than-enjoyable compounds. A general rule (open to variation with quality of cigar- a La Trinidad I can smoke to the last couple of centimetres) with cigars (other than ones that begin to show signs of being plugged, or burn themselves into pieces- which is a sign of a bad cigar anyway) is to stop about one to two inches from the end. This is usually the time when it starts to get soggy (most people can't help but 'drool' all over their tabagos) and the flavour begins to get strikingly bitter. Any more than this and your either a hard-core nicotine addict or you've managed to kill off your tastebuds. I don't really find a mouthful of tar that pleasant an experience.
I expect that Che never had a problem with this, as he used to smoke the cheapest, dirtiest cigars around. (If these are anything like the 'cigars' I found in Bolivia, well, I don't like to think about it.)

I was not asserting that Che NEVER smoked cigarettes, merely that he didn't like them, and prefered not to smoke them if an alternative could be found.

And as a smoker, I disagree with your comments re smoking anything "when in the mood". I loathe tailor-made cigarettes, and will smoke hand-rolled ones if I must, but I will generally go without smoking if I don't have a cigar or my pipe. It doesn't make me any less of an addict, nor does it make me appreciate tobacco any less- it may actually improve my appreciation.

[NovelGentry]

Most "real" cigar smokers (whatever that means) actually do not smoke all the way to the end.

It means poeple who actually enjoy cigars, rather than smoking for a status symbol. And I disagree, I know many "real" cigar smokers, and we all enjoy it to it's final centimeters.


Che habit of doing this provoked some mild amusement of the type that caused it to be noted.

As it does with most of us... I've had my fair share.


If you are smoking the whole thing, you are also smoking the tar, and condensation trapped in the last part (which acts as a kind of filter) laden with tar and other less-than-enjoyable compounds.

I'm not really sure what makes you think it's less than enjoyable, or anything to try and avoid. If the cigar is enjoyable you will want to smoke it to the very end, PERIOD. If it indeed gets too hot to handle, that's when the pipe comes into play.


This is usually the time when it starts to get soggy (most people can't help but 'drool' all over their tabagos) and the flavour begins to get strikingly bitter.

I've never had such a problem with the cigar getting bitter, and I've smoked a number of cheap cigars. The issue to me is always heat. The heat is indeed what makes it get "soggy" -- it expands the leaves and certainly some water vapor from the air is heated with the draw and pulled in. Once again, I've never had this produce a bitter taste, only a lot more heat. Sometimes the taste changes, never to a bitter extend. I would wonder what kind of cigars you're smoking when this happens.


Any more than this and your either a hard-core nicotine addict or you've managed to kill off your tastebuds. I don't really find a mouthful of tar that pleasant an experience.

I'm not sure what makes you think you get a mouthful of tar. I'm led to believe you're treating your cigar like a lolipop, maybe I'm wrong, but if smoked right, this should never be the case.


I expect that Che never had a problem with this, as he used to smoke the cheapest, dirtiest cigars around. (If these are anything like the 'cigars' I found in Bolivia, well, I don't like to think about it.)

I too am familiar with such cigars, and I've still never had the issues you've come up with nor do I think my tastebuds are in any way gone.


I was not asserting that Che NEVER smoked cigarettes, merely that he didn't like them, and prefered not to smoke them if an alternative could be found.

Apparently we have different ideas of hate. I'm not sure why I would ever do something I hated.


And as a smoker, I disagree with your comments re smoking anything "when in the mood". I loathe tailor-made cigarettes, and will smoke hand-rolled ones if I must, but I will generally go without smoking if I don't have a cigar or my pipe. It doesn't make me any less of an addict, nor does it make me appreciate tobacco any less- it may actually improve my appreciation.

I'm not sure you understand what the "mood" is then. I'm not talking about the need for nicotine. I would argue very much I'm not addicted to nicotine in the least sense. But in the right scenario I will smoke whatever I can get my hands on. Che certainly understood this scenario, claiming that in many ways tobacco was one of the most important things to a guerrilla as it could be one of their few comforts. This is precisely the mood I'm talking about, not out of addiction, simply out of the pure enjoyment it can bring. There are also, in that sense, other circumstances where you would want such comfort. In most social scenarios (particularly when drinking) I am smoking. It simply changes the mood. There is nothing more enjoyable than sitting down with a bunch of friends in front of a fire, smoking a cigar and talking about the better things in life. I don't consider such instances driven by addiction.

Indeed we must have two very different ideas of what smoking is all about.

[SittingBull47]

I know the mood. when i don't care or when there's some stress, I smoke cigarettes. When I'm feeling good, with friends, or just because it's the weekend, i break out my cigars and light my pipe.

Speaking of the pipe...I've found that everyone respects it. people are like "i hate cigarettes, that's so bad for you" but when they see you smoking a pipe they say "i love that smell" or "classy". everyone respects the pipe, as well as cigars. (certain cigars).

[Lord Lexington]

most people don't like the cigar's smoke, they find the smoke to heavy so i have to smoke cigars in open spaces and many people look at me with a smile certainly i don't have the type of a cigar smokers.
By the way : do you inhale the smoke of a pipe ?

[Charly Bigpotatoes]

Originally posted by [email protected] 11 2004, 09:37 AM
Only cigar that this is truly enjoyable with that I've tried is Dominican Cohibas.


They are rough as old dogs compared to Cohiba Habanos..

[RedAnarchist]

Why were cigars invented? Did some chain smoker get fed up of having to get a new cigarette every few minutes?

[Charly Bigpotatoes]

The Taino aboriginals of Cuba aswell probably as the Totecs of Mexico would have been the original smokers, the burning of incense was aswell as smoking pipes important ritualistic behaviour.

Apparently the search for more pleasing aromas and a better smoke would have evolved into the extremly complex matter of creating cigars - the ones we see today have been created by the same process - leaf by leaf, by hand for over three-hundred years.

[RedAnarchist]

Interesting, i didnt know that. I wonder what the Taino would say about modern day smokers? i doubt they would be too pleased! :lol:

[Charly Bigpotatoes]

Smoking is like most things these days - done in a hurry and not savoured as it should be.

[Latifa]

Originally posted by [email protected] 20 2004, 12:54 PM
Why were cigars invented? Did some chain smoker get fed up of having to get a new cigarette every few minutes?
Isn't it more likely that cigarettes came after cigars?
Cigarettes are assembly-line type things - cigars are quite often handrolled.

Not historically sound. Its just my logic.

[Big Boss]

I think ciggars is just another way of using the addiction od=f the people for profit. A cigar is supposed to be savored to the last piece. That is the reason of why he smoked them so much.