Smoking locations are on the decline in most western countries. Public smoking is now criminal in many U.S. states, and the FDA is now considering even more involvement in how and where smokers can get cigars. Don’t even get started with Canada, with its regulations and sometimes more importantly its freezing weather.
The popularity of private cigar smoking is increasing – more are willing to smoke in their apartments or homes (given the right ventilation), since they often cannot smoke in parks, beaches, and other public spaces. It has also led to a rise in social cigar events at home.
How can those without public places to smoke have better smoking experiences? A handful of Canadian readers here have asked what to do since smoking is near impossible to do indoors, and outdoors is cold. So here are a few suggestions for having good HERFs at home.
- Invite the right people: nothing will kill a great night of conversation and fun like having a large group of strangers stuck at a table. If you do invite total strangers, be a good host and introduce others. Even worse is when a total ass shows up.
- Use the right location: Sure, you can do a poker and cigar night in your backyard in the sub-zero Canadian tundra in the middle of the winter. Technically. But a space heater and big garage might be a better solution. If you’re smoking the summer, a back patio works great. In areas where there are no good places to smoke, compensate by throwing even better HERFs when the weather is right. Organize a month or more in advance, get some sponsors, and have a great time.
- Set the right atmosphere: large fluorescent lights don’t set a relaxed mood. Loud, ear-piercing music doesn’t either. Whether you’re smoking indoors or out, there are plenty of things you can do to make people relaxed. Jazz and latin music are both generally excellent for smoking. Throw on some soft lighting, and if you are inside, be sure to account for ventilation – it is never fun to hate hanging out with friends because you can’t breath.
- Bring extra cigars: every now and again, people will come and either forget cigars, or the game will go long past the single cigar they brought. If you are hosting, grab a few cheap sticks to keep the smoking going.
Those considerations are important for anyone wanting to host some cigar smokers for some relaxation. But what about the smokers in locations where social smoking isn’t allowed? Other readers have actually commented that they don’t have anywhere to smoke with others. That has meant they’ve had to get creative. Some have held hangouts on Google+, others through Social Cigar. And there are many other options, including anything from sharing photos on Instagram to playing party bingo online.
What do you do while hanging out and smoking with friends? If you have a unique suggestion or idea, drop it in the comments section below, or tweet us @finetobacconyc.