Ginny Connolly Sykes often smokes cigars with business acquaintances and at family affairs. Photo by Steve Shelton/Staff

More and more women are lighting up cigars

  Tobacco bits

Web-Posted

By Amy Joyner
Staff Writer

Not too long ago, the only time women and cigars were mentioned in the same sentence was in advertisements for air fresheners. But women are now discovering the secret pleasures of cigars, so long shrouded in smoke and machismo.

``To women who smoke cigars, it represents a boldness,'' said Nancy Villarreal, a true aficionado after 15 years of smoking.

Ms. Villarreal was 20 years old when she smoked her first cigar, at the prodding of male co-workers at an Atlanta brokerage firm.

``I think they gave it to me as a big joke,'' said Ms. Villarreal, 35, who works at Gray's Sporting Journal. ``I fired it up, and I liked it.''

She's not alone.

Among young professional men and women, cigar smoking has become the trendy thing to do.

Cigars are showing up in the sexiest mouths in Hollywood. A television news magazine recently caught singer Vanessa Williams mid-smoke; actresses Demi Moore and Anne Archer have both been profiled by Cigar Aficionado magazine; and model and MTV VJ Daisy Fuentes is often seen with her full lips wrapped around a stogie.

What's next? Will Central Perk on Friends convert from coffee shop to cigar bar?

Actually, that's probably not as facetious as it sounds, said Traci Watkins, co-owner of Tobacco & Gifts on Bobby Jones Expressway. In this smoke-free era, cigar smokers frequently appear in movies and television sitcoms, she said.

For example, in a recent episode of Seinfeld, Elaine propped her feet on her desk and smoked a stogie that would make Winston Churchill proud. And Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn and Diane Keaton mug with cigars on the movie poster for The First Wives Club.

``The interesting thing about it, I've seen more and more women who used to be cigarette smokers smoking cigars because they love the flavor, they love the aroma,'' said Steve Sharman, who owns Atlanta's Havana Club, a smokers' bar with a large female clientele. ``I think men find it rather intriguing, and we have a lot of women who smoke cigars to network and meet men.''

But for Ms. Villarreal and Ginny Connolly Sykes, smoking has little to do with trends or pickup lines.

``It's not with me a pretentious thing,'' said Mrs. Sykes, 40, a smoker for about seven months. ``I only do things that I like to do. I like sensual pleasures.''

For them, cigar smoking is a form of meditation, a vice best enjoyed in relaxing moments with good company or after a fine meal. Serious smokers share a passion for their hobby, spending small fortunes on fine, hand-rolled cigars and artful accoutrements, and a good smoke is not to be wasted.

``Smoking a cigarette is a habit,'' Ms. Villarreal said. ``When you sit down to smoke a cigar, you make a commitment ... to relax.''

Mrs. Sykes, a former cigarette smoker, reserves her cigars for the weekend when she can relax and mull the tobacco's rich taste. During the recent lunar eclipse, Mrs. Sykes and her husband, George, pulled two chairs onto their deck and watched nature's show, sipping on fine wine and dragging on tasty cigars.

``Atmosphere has everything to do with it,'' Mrs. Sykes said. ``Cigarette smoke is just kind of bland. It's kind of like eating pasta without any seasoning.

``And with cigars, that's some fine seasoning.''

Trendy as cigar smoking is in the entertainment business, female smokers in Augusta still draw stares when they indulge in public.

``In this town, people all stop and gawk,'' said Ms. Villarreal, who nearly caused a traffic accident when she lit up one afternoon in the car.

``Two guys in a pickup truck nearly drove into the river when they saw a woman in a Mercedes smoking a cigar, driving down Riverwatch Parkway,'' she said, still tickled by the whole scenario.

Mrs. Sykes' friends are generally intrigued by her cigar smoking, surprised to see an attractive, feminine woman enjoying something traditionally reserved for men, she said.

At cocktail parties and other social gatherings, Mrs. Sykes often persuades female friends to sample the petite cigars she smokes, but none have embraced smoking as she has.

For now, it's still the smoking man's world.

``It's almost like that Virginia Slims ad,'' Mrs. Sykes said. ``I'm going to sit there and smoke it, and you can kick me out of your little men's club.''

Beginning in late October, Tobacco & Gifts, along with radio station WRXR-FM 96.3, will begin playing host to smoking dinners for the store's cigar club. After paying a monthly membership fee, smokers will be eligible for a free dinner and cigars.

For more information about the cigar club, call Tobacco & Gifts at 860-8386.

Tobacco bits

Cigar aficionados offered these tips on buying and smoking cigars:

• Buy cigars from a tobacco shop. They'll know more about the product and have a better selection than liquor, drug or grocery stores.
• Pick a great smelling cigar. Chances are if the cigar doesn't smell good, it won't taste good either.
• Make your first smoking experience pleasant. Don't smoke in a place where you'll feel self-conscious. A good cigar is best smoked in a comfortable atmosphere, such as at home with friends after a meal.
• For your first time, select a premium hand-rolled cigar in the $3 to $4 range. Brands made in the Dominican Republic are popular sellers because of their mild, pleasant flavor.
• Dip the head of the cigar - the end you put in your mouth - into cognac, brandy or a fine port wine. As you draw on the cigar, you'll be able to taste the flavor. Some companies sell cigars that have been dipped in liquors and wines.
• Women may prefer the more feminine petite smokes that resemble cigarettes. But with cigars, bigger is usually better. Smaller cigars tend to get hot very quickly, and the taste is often harsh.
• Don't inhale. Cigars are for enjoyment, not a quick nicotine fix.
• Always ask permission before lighting up in a restaurant, even in the smoking section. Many people find the smoke highly offensive, and even at smoker-friendly places, cigars are often prohibited.