Smoking an LFD Air Bender Chisel Maduro at Fat Monk in Dbayeh

Have a Cigar: La Flor Dominicana Air Bender Maduro Chisel

Name: La Flor Dominicana Air Bender Maduro Chisel

Country: Dominican Republic

Shape: Chisel

Size: (6 1/2 inches x 54)

Strength: Medium to Full

I believe I will pass out in a minute or two,
but, before that, I must confess a thing or two.

I have a big tendency to be a hedonist.
I was born to be one. Actually,
I am one,
and everyone knows it, including
my mother, my sister, and my wife.

Debauchery has always been a recurring word in my vocabulary.
I often send the word alone as a message
with only a question mark next to it.
And when my friend — or, to be more exact, my accomplice — receives it,
all he has to do is answer with a yes or a no.
“Debauchery?”
“Yes. I sure do hope so.”

If you know me, you know
I get carried away easily.
When it’s a song I love, I sing along.
And one beer can easily turn to five, or six, or twelve.
Same goes for whisky shots.

The room is spinning.
And now, the world is spinning,
and I feel like I’m the center of the universe.

Let me tell you about the smell of the night:
the beer, the whisky, the smoke,
and the perfumes worn by all these women
I cannot touch —
although, I do occasionally get a napkin
with a drawing of a heart, a phone number,
and a name on it.
But I leave them all on the bar top,
so that they know I’m not interested,
even though I am sometimes tempted.
I enjoy the smell of sweat and skin.
But when I howl, I howl at the moon, not them.

My impulses are my masters,
but I don’t follow them blindly.
I may follow the footsteps of drunkards,
but I’m always tightrope walking.
Never a wrong step, except maybe
the excessive drinking.
But that’s because I get carried away too easily.
Yes, I get carried away too easily.
I know, and I’m afraid.
I’m afraid
because I know what I’m capable of doing.
I have the power to ruin my life,
to destroy everything I have built so far
in an instant.

I go in and out of bars, in and out of bars,
and my fire is always burning —
there’s always a cigarette or a cigar
burning.

What am I really chasing?
Pleasure.
But not sex and not drugs.
It’s the feeling of drowning that I love…
You’ll never understand!

My life may not have any meaning,
but that doesn’t make me stop
dreaming.
That doesn’t make me stop
wanting.

The smoke is always dancing.
The smoke is always dancing.


Smoking the Andalusian Bull on the terrace.

Have a Cigar: La Flor Dominicana Andalusian Bull

Name: La Flor Dominicana Andalusian Bull

Country: Dominican Republic

Size: 6 1/2 inches x 64

Strength: Medium to Full

This was Cigar Aficionado’s cigar of the year of 2016, and I finally got to try it. It was a masterpiece. The hardest part about my experience was knowing that at some point I had to put the cigar down. So, I tried to savor every moment, every draw. And when I blew out the smoke, I blew it out slowly.

Smoking a Petit Royales at Coupe Cigar in Antelias

Have a Cigar: Romeo Y Julieta Petit Royales

Name: Romeo y Julieta Petit Royales

Country: Cuba

Size: 3 3/4 inches x 47

Strength: Mild to Medium

It had been a while since I had last smoked a Romeo y Julieta. Hence, when the Petit Royales caught my eye on my way out of the cigar shop’s humidor, I decided to light one up right then and there.

I paired it with a cup of Arabic coffee and enjoyed 30 minutes of peace.

Although I find the Short Churchill — the first Cuban cigar I ever smoked — to be much better, the Petit Royales is perfect for short breaks, especially when it’s paired with good coffee.