lo-fi & lovely
Interview w/ u/FishOn888, Moderator of r/cigars on Reddit
Here, I type back and forth w/ one of the mods of r/cigars, the most popular cigar lifestyle subreddit on Planet Earth. We chat about Reddit of course, & other social media platforms where the cigar culture congregates. We also branch out into bloggers, YouTubers, reviewers, and the rest of cigar media.
I plan on attempting to share this post to r/cigars. Wish me luck. The mods there can be BRUTAL. I mean firm but fair. Now let's just get to the chat at hand w/ a thank you to FishOn888 for taking the time out to make this possible. Oh and a final logistical bit--username only for fear of being doxxed. Did I say BRUTAL?
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u/FISHON888: My father was a pipe and cigar smoker throughout his life. He adhered to a daily ritual of relaxing in his EZ chair with each. Also, going to the Tinder Box with Dad when he needed fresh supplies piqued my interest. At some point, I began to grab cigars from him from time to time. Later, visiting Europe, the little town tobacco shops left an impression on me.
Then during the early nineties cigar boom, I purchased a box of Macanudo Hyde Park Cafe which was a popular thing to do at the time. Then, by chance, I lived across the street from Maximar/Small Batch when they opened around that time and would walk in every so often to purchases a few. Fast forward to around seven years ago when my father was passing, I started to smoke with him and became a part of his ritual.
KM: Hopping back out of the way-back machine but holding onto the memories--how would you say "smoking culture" has differed over the years? Where, at present, do we stand from your Reddit vantage point?
888: For perspective, I've only been deep into the hobby for six-plus years or so. But living in the dress and act stylish conspicuous consumption times of the late eighties and early to mid-nineties, a cigar was part of it all. Living in SoCal haute culture meant French cooking, Chardonnay wines from Napa, Sensimilla from Humboldt, and cocaine from Columbia. I recall ads for Macanudo having a lifestyle look to them. The glossy covers of Cigar Aficionado and Rocky Patel making his push as cigars became a luxury lifestyle choice.
Today there still seems to be a separation of smokers who thrive by learning on the internet forums, review sites, and podcasts and those who don't. And what they smoke is vastly different--the exceptions being Arturo Fuente, Padron, and Davidoff. I've seen a few new r/cigars members in no time at all start to smoke some fantastic blends and their learning curve is shortened quickly. I find this exciting. And of course, the internet can bring a relatively small group who geek on cigars together like never before.
KM: Exciting, sure. So in a way, is it fair to say the "cigar lifestyle" has become more attainable via internet forums and now social media? If so, that can't possibly be entirely a good thing, can it? I seem to recall my dad speaking to the phenomenon of knowing just enough about a certain topic as to be dangerous. Also, you mention cigar reviewers, of which I'm one... how do you feel about that whole can of worms?
888: I feel one can get up and running faster than ever before getting better info than before if they know how to navigate the internet. Prior to that, it was looking at cigar catalogs and magazines, learning from a local brick and mortar, friends, or family. So that meant 70/70 with a desktop humidor and a sponge, Cuban heritage blends, Rocky Patel, & Gurkha, and believing in plume.
Now coupled with the internet we have boutique blenders that have upped the quality and variety of blends, along with Boveda, this has completely changed the game. Still, there's a lot of outdated info out there, but when people find good reviewers, forums, discords, etc., they have the tools at their disposal to learn quickly.
KM: Faster, yes. Maybe less effectively, though. I hold that the best teacher is experience. Light up and see what works for you. Provided, of course, you know your lit end from your elbow. Am I wrong? Do you feel, say, Reddit has moved beginner smokers on to intermediate smokers quicker and just as effectively?
888: When a new guy posts a less than top-quality sampler, I never criticize it, but always tell them to burn to know and one needs to cut their teeth on anything--learning how to cut, light, draw, etc. But if they ask me for suggestions, I always throw this out: Illusione, Tatuaje, Warped, Foundation, Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust, HVC, Aganorsa, RoMa Craft, Crowned Heads (adding are eliminating some from time to time) telling them these blenders rarely miss.
Right there, that's a much better start than they can get most places I feel. Then I might mention the best tip I got early into the hobby: Smoking cigars is not a cheap hobby. If you try to make it one, you're really just scratching the surface of the enjoyment you can get from the leaf. Whether they take this advice or not, who knows, but I've seen guys really run with it as well.
Not sure where you stand on this, but I'm a strong believer in 65rh for non-Cubans and 62rh for Cubans thereabout. 69 is too close to the danger zone where any spike in RH and temp can get to the mold zone. Also, they burn and have brighter flavors at this lover level as well. We tell them to ditch the glass top humidor and stick with a tupperdores or coolers, with Boveda for no fuss. Now others might disagree or hold some preferences based on where one lives or even the cigar, but I believe this is real solid information that can really help a noob.
KM: First-off, I ditto your rh sentiment. Second-off, I suppose as long as you don't get bogged down in particulars such as cello on, cello off, or, when to take the band off--there's progress--and why opt to progress slower than necessary? Let's move to our point in all this. How long have you been a moderator of the cigar subreddit r/cigars? How did that come about?
888: I've been a mod for going on a year and a half now. And while I wasn't the most frequent participant in trades and bombs (between the two I had at least thirty behind my belt) I participated consistently; keeping silent on subjects I didn't know enough about but helped others in areas in which I did have enough experience in.
Best of all, I participated in a lot of the r/cigars herfs in the SoCal area. I live between San Diego and Los Angeles, so I was able to be a part of quite a few and people got to know me that way. So I'm guessing that's why I was asked to be a mod in the first place. And still to this day we get a group of the guys together and herf it up on a fairly regular basis.
KM: Let's talk differences, then. Where do the virtual and "real life" herf experiences differ? Compare and contrast. And while you're at it, have you seen Reddit change much over your tenure?
888: I do a Zoom herf every Wednesday and while it's fine (and with a different group), it's nothing compared to getting together with the fellas (originally starting from r/cigars) and their wives or girlfriends at the time. It ebbs and flows with different characters, based on who can meet on that given day and where. We try our hardest to coordinate when someone comes back into town. We hand out crazy good cigars to each other and the cigars we smoke can be epic.
Maximar/Small Batch is one of our favorite spots and Andrew is always great to hang out with. Vlad who is a rep for Casdagli is someone we like to hang with also. I've moved from the kinda green guy to one who has a decent collection and one who feeds the new guys. Just so much great camaraderie found in this hobby, and with people of all ages and backgrounds.
As far as changes at r/cigars, everything changed when they prohibited sales/trades and bombs. Mods fought hard to keep even our flair (showing the number of trades and bombs we had conducted) as an indicator that showed others they had some experience. So the majority left or were left lurking, and it became a place where the inexperienced did most of the dictating.
Around the same time, the mods removed the mandatory 40-character rule to keep the subscriber numbers from falling even further, but that just opened up the floodgates to picture posts with no written content. So coupling this with the inexperienced having equal weight with their opinions because of the lost flair and mass exodus of experienced cigar smokers, well, it's unfortunately never been the same.
As to reviewers, first and foremost, I keep with the ones who have a lot of experience smoking and have a good palate. Not too much off-topic and meandering about--I want a review and I'm not especially interested in being entertained. Interviews with blenders and owners of a brand are the best. Having said this, you have become an exception, and I genuinely enjoy your banter and some of Katman's stories have been enjoyable as well.
KM: I appreciate the hat tip toward my bantering as sport. Do you have any thoughts on a preferred medium for reviews and/or media? Writing, video, audio, etc.? Any thoughts on cigar media in terms of news coverage? And finally, what sort of content plays best on Reddit, does it matter, and will I be allowed to post a link to this interview in r/cigars?
888: The written form is still my favorite since I can quickly skim or read an entire article of my choosing. A ten-minute review on YouTube would be my second choice. Now when I listen to you on Spotify or catch you on a live stream bantering with Dion or Phil, that's more on the entertainment side. That can be fun as well, but again, your shows are the exception. Personally, I care much less for any of the others yucking it up--it's cigar info I want. Also, I rarely bother with Facebook.
My thoughts on cigar media's news coverage? Just that the industry no longer has to wait on CA or other magazine publications to publish it. Now with a push of a button on their phone, they can reach a target audience on social media. And yeah, there is always the initial marketing hype that might drive some sales (looking at you Lost and Found Cookie Monster), but through the course of some time, the word gets out regarding what's good and bad; those serious about this hobby will know.
As with all the other platforms, it's difficult to say what gets a Reddit post to take off and become a full discussion thread. We have one now about a guy not being able to distinguish particular flavor notes but just likes the relaxation aspect of smoking cigars. I heard Jon Huber just recently call a guy like this a "stogie smoker" which I thought was good. Nothing wrong with that and I'm certain we all do the same at times.
Posting on r/cigars is fine.
KM: YES!!! and thanks again for your time.
u/KaplowitzMedia
::: very :::