Top 10 Dumbest of 2014

That's correct, you read it right; here is the top 10 list of the dumbest things said in the premium tobacco industry in 2014.  The issues, comments, and ideas listed here were found on social media, youtube, and throughout the internet.  We are not linking to the stupid comments or directly pointing fingers because we don't want to hurt someone's business or propagate more negativity.  But, these idiotic comments need to be isolated and destroyed before they infect more consumers and retail tobacconists.  The purpose of this list is to emphasize accuracy, acknowledge opinion vs. fact, and keep people "honest".  There are so many pontificators, loud mouths, and strongly opinionated people who are wrong, yet the internet gives them a platform to spew their nonsense.  We are here to dispel the rumors, lies and myths!  If you want a top 10 cigar list, go elsewhere... we believe taste is subjective, and apparently stupidity is an epidemic...


10.  Ashtrays Must Be Brass
Huh? What?  A recent facebook post recently emphasized how "all" ashtrays in the 1950s were made of brass and that was obviously the only material an ashtray should be made of.  Firstly, ashtrays were made from innumerable materials even as far back as the 1950s and there is no scientific or aesthetic reason for ashtrays being exclusively made of brass... just some knuckleheads pretending that their opinions are facts. 

9.  Swisher Will Destroy Drew Estate
That's unlikely, given that the people at Swisher are obviously very smart and they are buying a company for their inventory, organization, and product portfolio.  So many naysayers and fan-boys are up in arms because a big company bought another big company, but this does not predict the end times... relax people... only time will tell... But I bet the resources at Swisher will help Drew Estate continue to do what it does even better than they did it before.

8.  Must Use Matches or Cedar Spills
'Only use butane lighters when its windy, anything else would be uncivilized!'  Use whatever you want, except the liquid fuel lighters... and make sure you let the chemicals burn off the match when you light it.  Anybody saying Matches and Spills are necessary is a pompous dilettante.

7.  The Era of the $500 Cigar Has Arrived
Let's not get crazy people... Davidoff introduced a $500 cigar and they have the marketing clout to move it ( I guess), but this is not a trend... more of a marketing/public relations tactic... after all, we are talking about it. 

6.  Smoking a Cigarette in a Smokey Cigar Lounge Will Ruin Cigar Smell
The physics of this just don't add up... this nonsense was in an article about how to annoy people in a cigar shop.  Clearly the author was a cigar snob, cigarette hating, pontificator...  By the time a few cigars are lit up in a retail tobacconist, it is impossible to discern between them, much less the tiny bit of smoke emitted by a cigarette.

5.  Saturate Your Humidor With Water To Season It
This is an old but perpetual piece of bad advice.  Saturating the humidor puts it at risk to damage the joints!!! Don't do it.  Take your time with a humidifier, refill the humidifier every few days, and be patient... everything should be fine in a week or so: you shouldn't rush the process.

4.  And the #1 Cigar Is...
More marketing hype... taste is subjective... but advertising sales are quantifiable...  At least there are people and organizations in the marketplace acknowledging that their top 10/25 lists are subjective... kudos for being honest.

3.  Don't Hold Your Cigar Like A Cigarette
Holding a cigar between your forefinger and middle finger is wrong: at least that's what a blogger article stated.  Well, that's just plain stupid and I don't know a cigar maker who would agree.  Feel free to hold your cigars however you want... do what is comfortable and makes you happy!

2.  Mold vs. Plume
This year we saw a video with thousands of views on youtube with two morons staring at moldy cigars and salivating over the "Plume".  If you want good advice and education, don't get it from a couple of guys in a video who live in their grandmothers basement and claim to be experts.  Full Disclosure: we did try to find the video to link to it here because it was clearly a health hazard, but it has been removed... thankfully!

1.  Cuban Cigars Are Coming To The U.S. Soon
Hold your horses amigo... the Cuban embargo has been in place over 50 years... Don't expect "change" to come that quick.  Even if imports from Cuba were allowed immediately, they couldn't keep up with demand and the quality would become worse than it is!  


And the moral of the story is, don't be an idiot and believe everything you read on the internet...  If you want good information and education, make sure you are getting it from a credible source and don't be afraid to ask questions!   If you are looking for a qualified, substantive, and certified tobacconist, look no further than here.  And here is a list of other Cigar Myths...

Jorge L. Armenteros, CMT
President & Founder
Tobacconist University