The Connoisseur’s Book of the Cigar
With the advent of the internet and it’s abundance of online research, printed books have lost much of their luster. However, there are still some books worthy of pursuit. The Connoisseurs Book of the Cigar, by Zino Davidoff is definitely one of those books. It is even noted by Cigar Aficionado in their list of recommended cigar books that, “One noticeable omission from the list is Zino Davidoff’s Connoisseur’s Book of the Cigar. Last published in the early 1980′s, the book is not widely available in the United States, and even in Europe the French-language edition is all that can be found.” Well, I am one of those fortunate few who found it and it is AWESOME!.
First things first, this book just looks cool. The book opens like a cigar box as seen in the pictures. It is classy and understated. Still today, the name Davidoff brings an air of sophistication and class. Davidoff cigars are manufactured and sold with quality control second to none. Go into a cigar shop – see if they are an authorized Davidoff carrier – chances are they aren’t. Find a shop that is and you automatically know they must have something good going on.
In this book, Zino Davidoff takes you through his life and his life takes you through a crash course history in Cigars. As fate would have it, Davidoff was born the son of a cigar merchant in Kiev, Ukraine. Davidoff recalls one customer who never paid, though his father kept records of the inventory he took. This man was Vladimir Lenin, who Time Magazine considers one of the 100 most influential people of the twentieth century.
At an early age, Davidoff was encouraged by his father to take a trip to the America’s so he may better understand the business. While he did not have much money, Davidoff was given letters of introduction to several tobacco merchants. These letters would prove more valuable than gold as seen by the empire Zino built from them.
Davidoff spent time in Argentina and Brazil which eventually led him to Cuba. Here Davidoff learned first hand what makes the world’s finest cigars. He involved himself with every aspect of a cigar operation. Taking this knowledge back to Europe, he started his own store in Switzerland.
As Davidoff points out, the cigar trade introduces you to all walks of life. More so than any other business. Kings, princes, millionaires, celebrities, adventurers, beautiful women and regular people alike have all been customers of Davidoff.
Cigars began as objects reserved for the highest members of society. Indians reserved cigars for their priests and kings. In Spain, cigars were smoked “in the princely palaces where the gold of the conquest was displayed”. True today, though to a much lesser extent, cigars remain a symbol of wealth and prosperity.
The crux of this book is this: While we cannot agree on why we smoke, it its imperative to know how to smoke. In the words of Mac Alyn, “The cigar smoker, like the perfect lover or the bagpipe player, is a calm man, slow and sure of his wind. He is a man who knows hapiness. Yet he ought to know a bit of etiquette and science in order to augment his pleasure.”
The rest of the book (the majority of the pages) outlines and explains the customs involved with cigar smoking. Very informative! While many of these customs you have probably picked up over the course of your relationship with the cigar, you are likely to refine, reaffirm, and augment those wisdoms with the guidance of Mr. Davidoff. Definitely a book worth looking into!
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