Page 1 of Garson Smart's writing

1. Rediscovered Twain Essay Talks Cigars Absolutely anyone who knows anything about American literature knows that there's a lot more to Mark Twain than Huck Finn. There's his witty and iconoclastic essays ("Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offenses"; "Corn-Pone Opinions"), his uproarious and... (posted by Garson 2 years 343 days ago.)

2. Funny News From The World Of Cigars Premium cigar aficionados need a good laugh as much as anyone--especially in these troubled economic times. So here are a few of the funniest recent news stories touching on the world of premium cigars. Call these the jests in Lady Nicotine's... (posted by Garson 2 years 344 days ago.)

3. Cigar Sampler Selection Advice and Insight Traditionally, cigar aficionados have only been able to buy cigars by the box. This created conundrums for those who love to procure a great smoke without incurring a big risk. If you splurge on a box of premium cigars, even if they're discount... (posted by Garson 2 years 344 days ago.)

4. What Do You Do With A Moldy Cigar Even the most solicitous and devoted cigar aficionado occasionally runs into a little trouble. Taste spoliation; a cigar humidor dial gone wonky; an infestation of tobacco beetles; mold; even the occasionally badly-made cigar from a generally... (posted by Garson 3 years 21 days ago.)

5. Movies That Satisfy The Aficionado Cigar Smoker Some people like popcorn with their movies. Others like a glass of single-malt Scotch. And still others like a good smoke. The next time you feel like enjoying a good night of cinema combined with premium cigars, here are some films that are... (posted by Garson 3 years 30 days ago.)

6. Cinema Appreciation For The Aficionado Cigar Smoker With the economy doing what it's doing, more and more people are opting to celebrate that big night out at home. As the much-hyped, feature-story-subject "staycation" is to the traditional bags-in-the-car-and-on-the-road-at-four-AM "vacation," so... (posted by Garson 3 years 33 days ago.)

7. Nine Reasons Cigars Rule Over Cigarettes Who will ever fully understand the human urge to compete, to divide ourselves and each other into groups and attempt to conquer--even when interests are common and the prizes for victory are inadequate compensation for the loss of concord and... (posted by Garson 3 years 33 days ago.)

8. Why Can't I Smoke American Cigars With all the fuss about Cuban cigars, Nicaraguan-grown leaves, and Turkish tobacco, some US-born premium cigar aficionados might be wondering: Why can't I just buy American? Of course, Cuba and Nicaragua are parts of "America" (Central America)... (posted by Garson 3 years 34 days ago.)

9. What's It Like To Grow Tobacco These are interesting times in which to be a tobacco farmer. Less than five years ago, the federal government ended the price-support and subsidy system that had set the boundaries within which the entire economy of tobacco farming, for better and... (posted by Garson 3 years 34 days ago.)

10. Science and Mutant Anti-Diabetes Tobacco Plants Now, please don't misread that headline. Your well-stocked humidor is, to put it mildly, no help to you in reducing your risk of diabetes. (Nor is red meat full of fiber and vitamin C, or a glass of fine stout good for concentration.) And you... (posted by Garson 3 years 42 days ago.)

11. Ohio Cigar Smokers Brace Themselves It's a piece of local news that has implications for cigar smokers all over the United States. Yet another state legislature has noticed the tax-law loophole that has made cigar smokers so happy over the years--and intends to close it. Federal and... (posted by Garson 3 years 42 days ago.)

12. Mothers and Daughters: Charm Bracelet Gift Giving She may be your baby girl, but with each passing year she's growing toward womanhood. Before long, you will be celebrating hallmark moments in her life such as a significant birthday, bat mitzvah, a Quinceanera, prom, graduation from college, and... (posted by Garson 3 years 42 days ago.)

13. Rock Your Wardrobe with a Gorgeous Right-Hand Ring Can't decide what pair of earrings to wear? Not sure if a necklace will complete your outfit? Forget those and think right-hand ring. Right-hand rings add a kind of spontaneous glamour and energy to nearly any outfit. Meant to be large and... (posted by Garson 3 years 42 days ago.)

14. Cigar Smokers Give Obama Unsolicited Cuba Advice With a popular new President, a clear shift in the US's political direction, and a public mood that's open to new ideas, many cigar aficionados are wondering whether the general atmosphere of change will extend to U.S.-Cuba relations. One group of... (posted by Garson 3 years 62 days ago.)

15. Tobacco Tax Changes Rock Cigar Smokers' Worlds 2009 promises to be a year for change. A new Presidential administration, a new political direction for the country, a new Facebook layout, a new guy playing Jason in the Friday the 13th movies Cigar smokers are bracing for change too. A recent... (posted by Garson 3 years 62 days ago.)

16. Cigar Aficionado and Pipe Smoking? What is it about pipes? Even for the most convinced cigar lover, there's a certain draw--no pun intended--in the idea of occasionally loading up an old-fashioned, wide-bowl tobacco pipe and settling down for a long winter's (or summer's, spring's... (posted by Garson 3 years 105 days ago.)

17. How to Select A Pipe Tobacco If you've smoked cigars for a while, you may have considered trying out pipe tobacco. After all, a pipe forms a nice supplement to the cigar-smoking habit--and, like cigars, pipes offer some of that old-fashioned, old-world charm. But one of... (posted by Garson 3 years 111 days ago.)

18. Cigar Aficionado On A Budget Cigar aficionados are known for their choosiness. They're not the ones who are out there buying forty-five-cent cigar pawns, or smoking every inch of even the premium cigars they don't like. They buy cigars because they like cigars--they are... (posted by Garson 3 years 117 days ago.)

19. How To Make Those Cigars Last As Long As Possible - Without A Cigar Humidor Thrift isn't always fashionable. For example, think of the period that ended almost a decade ago. During the 1990s, as the decade loped along and the economy inched further and further upward--eventuating in the longest period of peacetime... (posted by Garson 3 years 135 days ago.)

20. Does The North Pole Have A Smoking Ban Too? These days, smoking bans are going up in one community after another, as fast as the burn on a cheap cigar. (The kind of cheap cigar that only a dilettante would smoke, of course.) Early in 2008, public smoking was even in trouble in Las Vegas... (posted by Garson 3 years 155 days ago.)

21. Cigars: The Right Way To Roll In A New Year Every family, every neighborhood, and every culture has New Year's celebrations unique to itself. From Midwestern families rolling in the New Year with Dick Clark (now Ryan Seacrest), root beer floats, and pizza rolls to dieters drawing up long... (posted by Garson 3 years 156 days ago.)

22. Cigar Moments: What Makes A Cigar Special This is a Fish Story. Not about the one that got away, but rather about a lesson learned while fishing - a lesson about what makes a cigar special. During the month of August, in a quaint resort town along the pristine blue waters of Lake... (posted by Garson 3 years 156 days ago.)

23. What Every Cigar Smoker Ought To Know: Tobacco On the world scale, tobacco smoking is relatively new. Before the Western European Renaissance, it was basically only smoked, as far as anyone can tell, in the Americas--though ancient Americans have kept the habit going for almost four thousand... (posted by Garson 3 years 179 days ago.)

24. It's Cigar-Chompin' Time: Comic Books and the Stogie Thing Longtime observers of American pop culture will have noticed by now that the storytelling geniuses at some comic book companies seem to have an overriding obsession. No, it's not the tortured hero whose powers come as more of a burden than a... (posted by Garson 3 years 190 days ago.)

25. Literature For Lovers Of Cigars Reading and cigars are both contemplative pleasures. They're best undertaken over a table on a balcony--or in a comfortable couch--or on a warm, sunlit porch. They need a bit of concentration, and afford, in return, a little break from the stress... (posted by Garson 3 years 204 days ago.)