ggiese
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Dec 4, 2004
- Messages
- 5,162
I go back and forth on this whole concept of the "bomb". On one hand - it's so cool to see deserving brothers on this board receiving a nice treat. On the other hand - I sometimes feel SOME members of the board look to be regularly bombed (Purobrat comes to mind). So what separates out the wheat from the chaff...
Many years ago one of the board members sent me an incredible gift on my retirement - a box of limited edition cigars that was spot on in my flavor profile. There was no doubt in my mind that he had carefully thought about what to give me to celebrate my retirement. I was completely blown away by his thoughtfulness and generosity. And he made it VERY clear - I was to NOT post anything outlandish about the gift. But that was just who Brian (Infinity) was. I tucked that box of cigars in my humidor and only touched it at times when I really needed something special - so I smoked those cigars few and far between. It happened that Brian passed away and those cigars became even more special to me - at times when I REALLY needed a reminder of humbleness I would light one up and contemplate who I was. More importantly - I did it with Brian in mind and thought about the things he'd told me over the years I knew him. My biggest regret was never meeting him face to face, and only had thoughts of his printed words to reflect on. But - those experiences helped me to be a better person.
I once shared one of Brian's cigars with a friend. Not just any friend - but a true "brother of the leaf" Billy. Billy was the lead partner in building a place where cigar smokers could meet and enjoy fellowship. And their business has grown immensely. Here's a brief description of their history:
In the beginning, we were just a group of cigar aficionados and boaters meeting at Waukegan Harbor to enjoy a relaxing smoke and share some stories. Soon, we invested in a rolling machine, molds, and a cigar press to bunch, roll, and wrap our own blends. This passion finally manifested into the one-of-a-kind smoking lounge our community knows today as A Cuban Experience. As a completely family-operated business, you'll feel right at home from the moment you pass through our door. Bring a drink and grab a seat -- there's plenty of room for you and all of your friends to catch up over a specialty smoke." (https://www.acubanexperience.com/about.html)
I sat and watched Billy smoke that cigar - and recounted my story of my relationship with Brian. We both enjoyed the conversation, and more especially enjoyed the cigars we were smoking. Billy had heard of the cigar, but never smoked one - and was honored I'd shared one with him. I told him - "Brian would want me to do that..."
So fast forward to a package I'd recently received. A very kind brother on this board sent me a selection of "Brian" cigars - cigars that had been given to him by Brian's family after his passing. I'm not sure I really want to identify this brother because of this being such a selfless and valuable gift. I would not say any of the cigars would be considered by most as being "special", but every one of those cigars are completely priceless to me. And I had the chance recently and smoke one of the cigars in that pack - and share two of the cigars from the package with friends of mine who were with me. Both understood how special the cigars were to me - and both really enjoyed what I gave them (each cigar I knew would hit the flavor profile they liked). As we smoked them I talked to my friends about how they came to me - and how special Brian was. I'm quite sure Brian was looking down and smiling, knowing that the cigars he had were being enjoyed by three friends sharing a quality moment of relaxation and good conversation.
So - from the bottom of my heart - I want to thank Brian and his most generous friend in creating a moment that I will cherish for a very long time. Good friends, good drinks, good conversation with good cigars. It doesn't get better than that!
Many years ago one of the board members sent me an incredible gift on my retirement - a box of limited edition cigars that was spot on in my flavor profile. There was no doubt in my mind that he had carefully thought about what to give me to celebrate my retirement. I was completely blown away by his thoughtfulness and generosity. And he made it VERY clear - I was to NOT post anything outlandish about the gift. But that was just who Brian (Infinity) was. I tucked that box of cigars in my humidor and only touched it at times when I really needed something special - so I smoked those cigars few and far between. It happened that Brian passed away and those cigars became even more special to me - at times when I REALLY needed a reminder of humbleness I would light one up and contemplate who I was. More importantly - I did it with Brian in mind and thought about the things he'd told me over the years I knew him. My biggest regret was never meeting him face to face, and only had thoughts of his printed words to reflect on. But - those experiences helped me to be a better person.
I once shared one of Brian's cigars with a friend. Not just any friend - but a true "brother of the leaf" Billy. Billy was the lead partner in building a place where cigar smokers could meet and enjoy fellowship. And their business has grown immensely. Here's a brief description of their history:
In the beginning, we were just a group of cigar aficionados and boaters meeting at Waukegan Harbor to enjoy a relaxing smoke and share some stories. Soon, we invested in a rolling machine, molds, and a cigar press to bunch, roll, and wrap our own blends. This passion finally manifested into the one-of-a-kind smoking lounge our community knows today as A Cuban Experience. As a completely family-operated business, you'll feel right at home from the moment you pass through our door. Bring a drink and grab a seat -- there's plenty of room for you and all of your friends to catch up over a specialty smoke." (https://www.acubanexperience.com/about.html)
I sat and watched Billy smoke that cigar - and recounted my story of my relationship with Brian. We both enjoyed the conversation, and more especially enjoyed the cigars we were smoking. Billy had heard of the cigar, but never smoked one - and was honored I'd shared one with him. I told him - "Brian would want me to do that..."
So fast forward to a package I'd recently received. A very kind brother on this board sent me a selection of "Brian" cigars - cigars that had been given to him by Brian's family after his passing. I'm not sure I really want to identify this brother because of this being such a selfless and valuable gift. I would not say any of the cigars would be considered by most as being "special", but every one of those cigars are completely priceless to me. And I had the chance recently and smoke one of the cigars in that pack - and share two of the cigars from the package with friends of mine who were with me. Both understood how special the cigars were to me - and both really enjoyed what I gave them (each cigar I knew would hit the flavor profile they liked). As we smoked them I talked to my friends about how they came to me - and how special Brian was. I'm quite sure Brian was looking down and smiling, knowing that the cigars he had were being enjoyed by three friends sharing a quality moment of relaxation and good conversation.
So - from the bottom of my heart - I want to thank Brian and his most generous friend in creating a moment that I will cherish for a very long time. Good friends, good drinks, good conversation with good cigars. It doesn't get better than that!
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