Background information:

I’ve been smoking cigars for over a quarter of a century, mostly long-fillers from Honduras or Nicaragua.

In recent years, the following ritual has developed. When I finish work around 10:15 p.m., I go outside to the garden and smoke 1 to 3 cigars there. I often talk on the phone with friends who live far away while doing so. I only stay inside if the weather is extremely bad. On some days when I have late appointments outside the home, I also don’t go out to the garden to smoke. On vacation or while traveling for visits or business, I sometimes smoke during the day instead of in the evening, and in those cases I’m more likely to smoke cigarillos than cigars. When I’m sick or feeling tired, I don’t smoke at all.

Each month I smoke between 5 and 200 cigars (extreme values)—usually somewhere between 30 and 90. Since 2005, I’ve been keeping track of how many and which cigars and cigarillos I smoke each month. I’m a nerdy cigar aficionado.