Blog by Steve Laug

It was the best of times and the worst of times. I apologize for the literary reference but I could not help myself as I typed the title to this post. It took me to one of my favourite novels. Ah well, my post is nowhere near as interesting a read as that. It involves two of the finds in my recent antique mall grab bag – two very different cigar holders. Upon first glance, looking through the walls of the plastic bag they could have been easily confused as being similar in age and style. They both were amber coloured and mixed among the pipe bowls and stems they look similar.

But once I had taken them out of the bag it became very clear that they were two very different cigar holders from two widely separated times in history. The amber colour was all that they had in common. One was thick and heavy – probably made of Bakelite and showed the signs of age and antiquity while the other was a lightweight plastic obviously from a more recent time in history.

The differences will become clearer as I enumerate them in the next lines. On the inside they are different. The thick walls of the older one, shown clearly below, show a threaded look and feel for gripping the end of the cigar. They hold the cigar tightly in place and as the cigar is smoked the leaf swells and holds tightly to the holder.

The second, newer holder pictured below, has much thinner walls on the sides and tip. It is a pressure fit that is not that different from the plastic tips found on inexpensive cigars. It does not have the heft and feel of the first holder. I think it was probably designed as a cheap throw away tip.

Looking at the two holders from the end the difference is also clear. The tip on the left is the newer one and has a straight slot cut in the plastic. The seams of the pressed plastic cut straight across the sides of the slot. They are rough to the touch and no care was taken to sand them down and smooth them out. The exterior is also thinner and more squashed in shape. The older one, on the left has an orific slot – a round hole in the button that is smooth and does not show signs of the casting. The shape of the oval is fuller and the walls are thicker. The other obvious difference is in the shape of the holder itself. The newer one is round while the older is diamond shaped. The overall effect of the shape is one of substance. The round one can be seen as an extension of the cigar while the diamond shaped one makes a statement – the old holder is not just an extension of the cigar it is an elegant holder of the cigar and will last beyond the cigar it holds.

In the next paragraphs let’s examine each holder in more detail and measure what each has to offer. The newer holder is made of a thin plastic and is quite flimsy. It is easily squeezed between the fingers and the material is quite flexible. It reminds me of the plastic tips that come on Panatelas or Colt Cigars. It makes me wonder if it was some novelty that came with a box of cigars as a gift to provide them with a tip that kept the end of the cigar from getting soggy in mouth. On the interior of the holder that slips over the cigar there are vertical ridges that run from the saddle on the bit to the opening where the stick sits when it is inserted. These grip the cigar and keep it from turning in the holder. Because of the design the cigar is pressed into place and the ridges cut into the outer wrapper. The diameter of the hole is 5/8 of an inch so it will not hold big stogies. In the mouth it has a very plastic feel – similar to plastic cutlery that is made to be used and thrown away. To my thinking this is a disposable tip meant to be replaced often and lends credence to the idea that it came in a box of cigars. A new tip would be included in each new box.

The second holder is more substantial. It is heavy and seems to be made of Bakelite or some kind of older amberoid substance. It has the look of amber but not the fragility or weight. It too is a saddle stem but instead of being at the end of a round saddle it is diamond shape flattening out to a taper on the bottom and the top portions. It cannot be squeezed between the fingers and the material solid and inflexible. On the interior of the holder that slips over the cigar there are threads, like the inside was tapped. They run around from the saddle for the first ½ inch of the holder. These grip the cigar and keep it from turning in the holder. Because of the design the cigar is turned or twisted into place and the threads turn into the outer wrapper. The diameter of the hole is 3/4 of an inch so it will not hold big stogies. In the mouth it has a very different feel from the other one. It is similar to some of the older pipes in my collection that have Bakelite stems. It is hard like newer Lucite stems and is cool to touch. It is substantial between the fingers and has the feel of a fine holder like some of the older smooth meerschaum cheroot holders. It is meant to be kept in the humidor and reached for again and again.

This afternoon I opened the humidor and took out a cigar that would fit in the holder. It was a Guantanamera Habana. The stick was a perfect fit in the holder. I moistened the end of the cigar, cut off the end cap and then turned the holder on to the cigar. It was a perfect fit.

I had just finished the yard work for the weekend and set up a set of chairs on my front porch. I went out and sat down. I toasted the cigar with the lighter and drew the flame into the centre of the cigar. Once I had a good burn going I sat back to relax and enjoy the smoke. I find that a cigar that size can last me up to an hour so I was in for the duration. The tip certainly is older than me though today it may not look like it. It feels good in the mouth, a lot like a Bakelite pipe stem. It keeps the end of the cigar intact and the smoke that drifts into the mouth seems to be slightly cooler than that drawn directly through the stick. It is comfortable to hold and to clench. This one will be a keeper for me.

I set the cigar down for a moment on the steps of the porch while I moved the chair out of the sun. It was getting to the end of the smoke. It still was cool and tasteful; it had none of the residual moisture that collects in the end of a cigar normally when I smoke it. I smoked it to within a ½ inch of the holder and then took it out and stubbed it out. I was impressed with the dry cool smoke that the mouth piece delivered. I am first and foremost a pipe smoker so the occasional cigar that I have is not something that I really enjoy. I tend to smoke one when I am in need of pipe mud so I collect the ash for that purpose. I don’t often reach for a cigar even though I have a humidor with quite a few good Cuban cigars in it. But I can see that with the holder I may well reach for one more often. Smoking it was more like smoking a pipe. I am sure I will give it some more tries in the future. As for the other holder- I think I will probably end up throwing it away. There is no need to keep the cheap imitation around when I have this good old timer.