[Wharf Rat]

Back during the 90’s cigar boom, I was working as an engineer in a lab near Cleveland. One of our technicians got promoted to head tech and set about redoing the lab in his image. This meant sometimes dismantling some of my experiments and I knew we’d eventually butt heads. He liked cigars. So, I asked him if I bought the cigars would he teach me how to smoke them.

This was back in the time when retailers were rationing and refusing new customers. But, I dug around on the new internet and was able to buy some Macanudos. And, the tactic worked and I made a friend instead of an adversary. Then, I found the USENET group alt.smokers.cigars where I learned a lot before it declined. Then the JR forum, Club Stogie, here...