The fronds of the Palm Tree in front of the little old house about two blocks or so from the beach stood still, almost motionless, as he sat sipping his VSOP Cognac Brandy, which he found went exquisitely well with his cigars. He picked up his Trinidad Robusto T and thought to himself what a fine afternoon to smoke a cigar. And this was not just any ordinary cigar, but one of the new Cuban Cigars that you couldn’t just pick up at a local store for example. This was a very fine ‘Habano’ as they say, and you never want to waste a fine cigar like this on a windy day. The wind can affect the burn, and if too windy, will cause the cigar to heat up too much, so as to affect the taste and make the cigar become bitter. No, you wouldn’t want to waste a very fine ‘Habano’, as they say, on a windy day. However, with no wind at all, here just about two blocks or so from the beach, seemed strange, almost like the quiet before the storm. After all this was California, and ‘Earthquake Weather’, as they call it, was a common occurrence.
He took up his Trinidad Robusto T, which he had been careful to place on the rim of his cup so that it would not blow off into the dirt in the wind. Of course, on such a calm and peaceful day this was definitely not needed, but he had trained himself to be cautious with his cigars, and it had now become a habit which he hardly even noticed himself doing, and of course since this was a very fine ‘Habano’, as they say, it was worth watching closely.
He reached deep into the left pocket of his Khaki Shorts, past the chrome torch lighter, and pulled out his white double guillotine cigar cutter, that he had just cleaned with a folded up piece of paper the day before. He had looked around for a piece of soft paper which was the preferred material to clean cigar cutters with, but upon finding no such suitable paper being handy, had settled for a piece of standard 8 and 1/2 by 11 inch printer paper, which he took from the top of the printer by the computer.
He looked over the very fine ‘Habano’, as they say, with it’s silky wrapper, and identified the perfect location to place the blade. He admired the cigars golden brown color, and it’s many veins which although noticeable to the eye, were but very fine and not noticeable to the touch at all.
He snipped of the Cuban ‘Pigtail’, as it was referred to by Cigar Aficionado’s, which fell upside down unto the first of the two small steps leading up to the front door of the little house, two blocks or so from the beach, which he made his resting spot for the next hour or so as he enjoyed his VSOP Cognac Brandy and his very fine cigar.
Upon lighting the cigar and taking a few draws to ensure an even light, he noticed the easy way in which the smoke drew through the rolled up tobacco leaves, and again said to himself, this is a very fine cigar, perfect for such a fine day on the California coast.
He admired the fresh bouquet of the cigar as it pulled into his mouth, and he held it’s soft, supple smoke in for just a few seconds, before letting it slowly slip away, over his bottom lip, and out into the still air. The taste of toasty caramel immediately hit his palate, as he paused to again admire the silky light veins on the golden brown cigar wrapper.
A little blue jay was hopping around on the branches of the large Acacia Tree to his right, pulling off it’s little pod’s with it’s beak, and trying to free it’s little seeds to eat. The usually loud Blue Jays, with there squawking and flapping, were quiet now, as they searched for their afternoon lunch, eating one or two of the seeds before dropping the little pod, and hopping around to find the next.
He now noticed the Cigar Band, which was yellow and gold, and had three overlapping T’s in the center oval, with the middle T standing above the other two. Underneath was the word TRINIDAD in all capital letters, and on the left side of the oval was the word HABANA, and on the right CUBA, both in small black print. On the back of the Cigar 
Band, where it was glued together, he saw four tiny screw like emblems. These tiny screw’s reminded him of the fine screw’s on a pair of Prada Sunglasses he had purchased for $175.00, which went for nearly $300.00 back in the states, years ago in Milan when backpacking through Europe. Oh how he had loved those Sunglasses, and had admired the exquisite craftsmanship that went into their creation, including those very fine screw’s.
After just a few minutes, the very fine ‘Habano’, as they say, became rich and toasty, but with a clean herbal aftertaste, which almost left his mouth watering after each puff, begging for more. He drew from the cigar again, and slowly, let the smoke creep up and into his nostrils, where he noted the clean spicy scent it produced.
This very fine ‘Habano’, as they say, had a heart, as it had been undoubtedly rolled with love when it was created by one of the master rollers in Havana, Cuba, and he realized that the heart of this cigar was flowing out of the foot pressed gently against his lips, covering his tongue, and slipping slowly into his soul.
What an amazing treat to smoke such a very fine ‘Habano’, as they say, on such a still California afternoon. Just then the ocean breeze gently blew through, fading away any thoughts of ‘Earthquake Weather’, as they call it, and all was well again on the California coast.
