Smoke Inn Blog
With Veterans Day approaching this coming Friday, we thought a cigar blog touching on military and veteran life would be appropriate. Cigars and tobacco have been a part of military culture for about as long as they’ve been in existence. Many famous presidents, generals and tacticians have been cigar enthusiasts across the generations. One of the things we love most about cigars is that they are a luxury that crosses class lines and social strata. After all, it wasn’t just the generals who enjoyed a good cigar, it’s everyone right down to the front-line troops and buck privates digging the latrines. So, here’s our Veteran’s Day look at the military and cigars.
What is Veterans Day?
Talking about Veteran’s Day itself is the right place to start. Veteran’s Day is not our only military holiday in the United States, but it is one of only two holidays which honors the men and women of our military themselves, rather than commemorating an event or battle victory. On Memorial Day, we remember the member of our military who made the ultimate sacrifice for America’s freedom and security. On Veterans Day, we honor all the service of all U.S. military veterans. Originally called Armistice Day, this holiday is celebrated every November 11th in the United States. It began as Armistice Day because it coincided with an international holiday among Allied Nations commemorating the end of World War I. It was renamed Veterans Day in 1954 following the hard work of U.S. veterans’ groups.
Famous Military Cigar Smokers
The list of well-known military men who were known to enjoy a fine cigar is a long one. We’re carving it down a bit to just a few of the heavy hitters everyone should know.
George S. Patton
Gen. Patton commanded the U.S. Seventh Army during WW II in the Mediterranean and the Third Army in Continental Europe. It was rare to see Patton without a Cuban cigar in his mouth. If you didn’t, it was usually because he was chomping on his legendary corn cob pipe purchased from a Missouri cigar shop. The rumor is Patton smoked inexpensive White Owls, which was a 5-cent cigar back in the day. But we’re going to choose to believe he smoked fine Cubans instead.
Winston Churchill
OK, so Sir Winston Churchill was not an American veteran, but we think any list of military men who loved cigars would be incomplete without him. Churchill’s appetite for fine cigars (among other things) was legend. It’s said we went through 8-10 of them a day. Not smoking them end-to-end of course. He would often let them burn out and he’d just chew on the end. Romeo y Julieta and La Aroma de Cuba were his favorites in case you’re wondering.
Tommy Franks
We figured at least one modern example belongs on this list, so we present: General Tommy Franks.
Franks most recently served as commander of The United States Central Command (CENTCOM). He was in charge of the initial fight against the Taliban in Afghanistan after 9/11 and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Gen. Franks is a legit cigar enthusiast through and through and was often seen firing up a cigar in a heated discussion. He was even interviewed by Cigar Aficionado back in 2003 in fact.
A Couple of Cigars for Veterans Day
What makes a cigar right for smoking on Veterans Day? That’s up to the individual we figure, but we’ll give you our picks and explain why we chose ‘em and you can take it from there.
Camacho American Barrel-Aged Toro
This one we chose for a few reasons, but the first one is that it’s made with a blend of almost 100% American tobaccos all embraced by an American Connecticut broadleaf wrapper and binder with some Pennsylvania Maduro thrown in for good measure. Sure, it’s rolled in the Dominican Republic, but it’s just about as American as a fine cigar can get and we think it’s a pretty good one. Expect a unique smoking experience filled with bold flavors and well-balanced complexities throughout. The myriad of woodsy flavors reminds us of good barbeque. Think charred oak, red wood, hickory, and mesquite wood chips. Taking up the rear is the subtle presence of sweet Kentucky bourbon whiskey.
CAO America
The CAO America may not have as much American-grown tobacco as the Camacho American Barrel-Aged, but it does feature tasty select Maduro and Connecticut Shade wrappers and it’s a delicious stick that earned a 92-point rating. Plus, it has America in the name and a beautifully patriotic box and cigar band. That works for us! The CAO America is part of the famous World Series from CAO, which also includes the CAO Brazilia and CAO Italia. The America is comprised of a four-country blend using tobaccos from Nicaragua, Italy, Dominican Republic, and that’s right…America. The medium to full bodied yet complex profile boasts hints of cream, vanilla, earth, and spice. It’s a treat for sure and a great choice for a Veterans Day herf, we think.
What You Can Do for Our Military and Veterans
There are more than a few ways you can show your appreciation to our men and women in uniform, past and present. One of our favorites is our Gars for Gunners program. Cigars are one of the most requestion treats from home that active-duty military folks request. That fact gave birth to the Cigars for Warriors program. Smoke Inn wanted to do our part to assist this great program, so we created Gars for Gunners as a way to channel donations of top-notch smokes to our troops in the field.
The way it works is simple. You just choose from the specially priced 5 packs we offer on the Gars for Gunners page and add them to your cart. All donations will be sent to Robert Allan who is the Director of Operations at the Cigars for Warriors program. There, your generous donations will be distributed amongst the many requests they receive by deserving servicemen & servicewomen serving all over the world in active combat zones. We sell these essentially at our cost, so your donation goes a long way. It’s a great way to show your support for our miliary personnel.
Smoke Inn is Your Cigar Place
Your local cigar place is more than just a spot to grab some cigars and jet. If they get it right, and we believe we do, then there’s a sense of atmosphere too. An energy that makes you want to hang out for a while and have an experience. Your cigar place should have a vibe that makes you happy to be there for a while. We hope the Veterans Day cigar blog was enjoyable for you.We have some new and different content in store for the blog very soon, including a documentary review and some other topics we haven’t yet explored in these pages. And of course, don’t forge that tickets for 2023’s The Great Smoke are on sale NOW. If you’ve been to TGS before, you know why you’re going to want to be there again. If you haven’t, well then here’s your sign! Get yourself a ticket or two and get down here for The Great Smoke 2023!
As always, if you’re local or happen to be visiting South Florida, be sure to reward yourself with a visit to one of the country’s best cigar shops in person. We’d love to see you.
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