Greetings Brothers and Sisters of the Leaf, I’ve been out in the world of spell. Thank you so much to the lot of you that actually reached out to tell me that you’d never smoked a cigar in your life, but my writing about it has you interested. That is such high praise! Thank you thank you thank you!
Life last year got a little more chaotic than I would ever want it for anyone, and I lost myself along the way. I am still struggling to remember, much like 10th doctor when he generated, asking myself what kind of person am I. Am I the kind of person to do actions of such magnitude? Am I the kind of person to wear black Chuck Taylors and a bathrobe?
I have learned that the best of friendships are those where you can simply be in each other’s presence without having to say a word. That the comfort of another human doesn’t always have to have any sound involved. I have learned that people don’t always expect me to bring anything to a gathering, just as long as I go to a gathering. Being recognized that I am a gift of myself, especially from people that you appreciate and recognize as gifts as people, is actually an eye-opening and wonderful thing. For too long, I thought that there were certain things that were expected of me. I built up in my head that people expect that I will entertain or provide– and I have been pleasantly surprised that the only thing my friends really want from me.. is me. This is such a refreshing revelation for me from the past several years where I felt more that I was a means and not an ends.
Love is not material, this is an ancient bit of knowledge which am trying to keep remembering. Also applies to how folks feel about me. Nobody’s real value is from stuff. Nice to know that people value me just being around, as much as I value them simply being around me. And one of the best ways to simply spend time around amazing souls is with a great cigar.
For this Beltane, I gleefully started a fire on the evening of April 30th, had the company of people that I hold in the highest regard and had a smoke that is completely appropriate for the day. A CAO Earth Nectar was an apt cigar to have this evening. Uncut, the stick smells of light tobacco with undertones of dates, golden raisins, and currants. After cutting, the dried fruits are more pronounced. This adds a sweetness, but it is not cloying.
As I have found with most of my CAO products, they burn very evenly. The smoke is consistently flavored, this stick in particular with a very delicate hand on the flavorings. The point behind the Earth Nectar is to celebrate all the valuable things on our planet that bring joy to our life, the bounty of fruit and nuts that can be available to us all year long. While the aroma is the dried fruit before lighting, after lighting a tiny bit of a pecan smell is noted, especially as an aftertaste on exhale. This combines with a very pleasing cedar that rests gently on the tongue.
After about a third of the cigar, a delicate floral note worked its way through the nutty and dried fruit goodness. I feel that this particular cigar speaks to the old gods, taking into account that offerings of dried fruit and nuts presented with aromatic flowers would be completely acceptable on a Beltane.
My favorite thing about the cigar is that it is not very sweet at all, it’s a slightly sweet smoke that comes out of the stick. It is not cloying, it is not perfumed, it is simply a healthy reminder of what bounty we have on this planet, and that we do have a very sweet life indeed if we have a moment to enjoy a cigar among friends. Thank you, my friends. Thank you for being the most precious resource I have, thank you.
May the Green Man and the May Lady bring you health, happiness, prosperity, and peace. Now, I’m going to go keep this bonfire lit.
