Saving Special Cigars
When Does “Someday” Finally Arrive - By M. Wright, Guest Author for CigarCzars.com
When you open up your humidor, chances are there is one cigar you always notice but always put back. Maybe it is a rare Cuban Cohiba, a Padrón Anniversary, an Arturo Fuente Opus X, or perhaps even a cigar that was not that expensive. It could be a gift from a friend, a cigar from a memorable trip, or one connected to a moment you never wanted to forget. Sometimes the value of a cigar has nothing to do with the price. It is about the story.
So why do we save it?
The answer goes beyond cigars. Many of us save things we value, such as a special bottle of bourbon or champagne, a favorite watch, a collectible, or equipment connected to a hobby we love. There is a difference between collecting and saving.
Collectors enjoy the history, craftsmanship, and memories behind their collections. That is part of the fun. But saving something for “someday” is different. We are just waiting for the right moment or occasion.
Psychologists call this anticipatory pleasure, which is the enjoyment we feel when looking forward to something. That special cigar sitting in your humidor represents a future memory waiting to happen. Unlike consummatory pleasure (the joy of experiencing something in the moment), anticipation can actually magnify the enjoyment of a future experience. Delayed gratification then becomes almost as important as the actual consumption of the cigar itself.
Sometimes we wait so long that the anticipation becomes the experience. We are not saving the cigar because we do not ever want to enjoy it, we are saving it because we want the moment to match the meaning behind it.
Do you ponder whether a particular occasion is special enough for your special cigar, or do you wonder if that special cigar is what will make the occasion special?
After finally smoking a special cigar, it will be gone when the smoke clears but the memory will remain. A great cigar is not just something we own, it is something we experience.
A SPECIAL CIGAR
