Setting the cigar on fire.

I can’t seem to find a book that can hold my interest beyond the first chapter.  It’s just like when I can’t find a cigar that satisfies my taste yen. So what do I do?  

Well, I may be considered very lucky or even spoiled, but here’s what I do when I must solve the choice conundrum of what book to read next.  I walk over to my bookshelves and I cock my head to the right and begin to scan the titles of the books I have on each shelf.

Now I have a lot of books, in fact, I just donated over 400 to the local library because I just didn’t have any more room.  Plus my taste in subject matter has changed. However, I’m already back over the 400 donated mark now so I still have a need for more bookshelves.  I’m headed in the same direction.

Have I read them all?  Of course not. What’s the point in having a library if you’ve read every book that sits on the shelves?  So, I confess, I’m a habitual, unstoppable book buyer. My eclectic tastes in subject matter cause this affliction.  I may find a review that pricks my interest or a line that lures me into purchasing it, or it’s simply a subject matter I never tire of – such as cultural history and biographies.

But in the last month, nothing, and I mean nothing, has grabbed my thought threads so that I become entangled in the content of the book.  So far I have started six books. Some make it to the double-digit page number, some don’t even make it past the introduction.

But the above scenario is almost an exact match when it comes to finding a cigar that satisfies my tastes.  And, here is where the spoiled part comes in. I can go down to the basement storage humidor, cock my head to the right and search among the hundreds of cigars I have available to me for one that I think may satiate my tobacco desires.  Just plug in the word cigar for the book and you have a book searcher’s doppelgänger.  With a few minor variations, of course. I’m not going to smoke the book, or arrive at an introductory impasse.  You get it, yes?

But I think I may have solved my search for the book.  I slid off the shelf Robert Lowell’s “Setting the River on Fire.  A story of Genus, Mania, and Character,” by Kay Redfield Jamison. The book starts off with a poem by Robert Lowell “ Reading Myself.”

Sorry, it lost me.  But I decided to read the Prologue.  There was the hook. “The trouble with writing poetry is that you have readers, and the trouble with readers is that you have to listen to them after they have spent their time reading you.”

It took a second look, and a reread before the Prologue, page ⅹⅷ before the book’s razor-sharp words hooked me and were securely embedded in my flesh to finally say to myself, “This is the one.  I can start.” It was only three weeks to a month and six books (five if you figure Lowell’s was a second read) before I finally found what I was looking for.

So I’m letting the public in on how I accomplish some dilemmas.  And I’m hoping the boutique manufacturers that read my blog seriously consider the time and effort it takes to place their product on the shelves of cigar stores.  Even though I know I’m a bit fastidious, I know the store owner is even more so because he’s placing cold hard cash on the line. But even so. You gotta try ‘em. Maybe not all the books I buy I really like, but at least I make the effort and the minimal investment.

Same with cigars.   Don’t take it so seriously and you will have achieved opened enlightenment (开启了启蒙).

That’s when you really fly confidently without the bungee cord. Scary?  Perhaps –  but oh what a rush!

 

El Beest.

Smoking El Beest by Marvin Wright of Blue Mountain Cigars.  Sixty.  What’s to say save for the fact that this is a hell of a line.  Each stick is phenomenal. Flavors on point. Construction completed by men or women who have to be master rollers.  

I’ve only had four cigars.  I’m leaving the flavored one to my imagination.  What?

“The Fantastic Four.”  (Can I say that?)

Kudos Marvin.

While we’re on movies.  To paraphrase  “Will Success Spoil Marvin Wright?”

We’ll see.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiKj1FNBE3Q

 

Introducing Gianni Versace Group

“This special group, ‘Gianni Versace Artistic Visionary’ is dedicated to the life and artistic achievements of fashion designer Gianni Versace. Though his life was cut short at the young age of 50, what he achieved throughout his life with his creations and passion will never be out of fashion, will always be in vogue, and will always be remembered.”

These words are from Amy Berger, one of the more well-known presences on Facebook.  Just recently, I was asked to be a member of her group ‘Gianni Versace Artistic Visionary’ that has exceeded 1k in members and no doubt will surpass that number in a very short time.

Amy, in her own words, is a “Model. Cosmetics & Skincare Expert. Business Owner. Creator.”

Honestly, I was honored when I received the invitation and I immediately said, “Yes,” and can’t wait to see what she has in store for the readers (and the contributors have in store for her).

But here’s what set my heart a pumpn’ – it isn’t a cigar group!  I have been invited and am a member of quite a number of cigar groups –  but not one fashion group.  And for the record, I adore the fashion industry.  That’s why I was so thrilled when Amy invited me.

And if she has no objection, one of my contributions will be to publish posts about this grandiose giant of fashion.

So go for it Amy!  Make this THE group to tap into to learn, experience, and float in the sparkling glittering glamour of the late Gianni Versace.  Still.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THam5rrOCaQ

Cranial void filled nicely.

Yesterday I wasted two hours in my hotel room watching Bruce Willis in “Live Free or Die Hard.” (2007)?  I can’t really say I thoroughly enjoyed it, I think it went on far too long. And the ending still can’t hold a candle to “The November Man.”  Why was I watching a movie instead of writing? Because yesterday was a waste of time. And that for me is rare. So that’s why I’m writing now. To validate the time spent on the road.

The day was mostly driving – with no sales.  When I’m home at the office after a bad day, I have surrounding me all my books, toys, balloons, and whistles to pry some inspiration from the experience rather than sitting in a hotel room with a f**king TV, and a cold supper from Taco Bell.

The movie ended.  So to salve my wounds, and stimulate the intellectual portion of my brain, I put on my jacket, grabbed a small pad of paper, a magazine, and a cigar and headed for the outside.  Ureka! There in the back of the hotel was an empty, dilapidated picnic table.

It is there, on the rough wooden surface, where I was able to stretch my imagination and fill the void that was created in my cranium while I was snapped to the movie.  Here is where I decided to blend what just occurred and mix it with what I wanted to do in the first place – write a short essay for the blog.

It doesn’t matter when I post this piece, the facts will remain the same – I feel that I cheated myself when I waste my time with action-packed footage from inane Hollywood impossibilities and then feel empty once the credits begin to roll.

I scribbled at a rapid pace because I knew just what I wanted to write.  Plus the sun was going down and the chilly wind sliced through my hair, around my head and slapped at my face – even though the beard offered some protection – and it is coming in rather nicely I might add.

Finis.

Wired.

That was the greatest f**king ending EVER – “The November Man.” (2014)

Five years into his retirement, CIA veteran Peter Devereaux (Pierce Brosnan) is pulled back into service to help retrieve a Russian agent — also his former lover — who has incriminating evidence on Federov, a corrupt Russian leader. When a different CIA team, led by Devereaux’s former protege (Luke Bracey), shows up, the mission goes south and Devereaux’s ex-lover is killed. Now a rogue agent, Devereaux drags a relief worker (Olga Kurylenko) along on his mission to settle the score. (Google)

Why would I say that?  The ending is as violent and as gruesome as can be.  But it befits the crime, the attitude, the arrogance of some people who think that they can get away with anything.  They can’t. They won’t.

Do I wish that ending upon anyone?   No. 

I’ll be on the road next week.  I may write. I may not write. It will all depend on how I feel and what I find interesting.  If anything.

What am I seeking?  Satisfaction. Personal and business gratification.  It’s why I’ve been driving thousands of miles a year since 2005.  But this is 2018.  I vowed to change the way I conduct my business and I’m doing that as I type.  It feels terrific.  Exhilarating.  I own me – and my business, and I’ll be damned if that message isn’t understood.

 

    

Do cigar reviews REALLY matter?

I asked the above question the other day on Facebook and it is truly amazing the answers I received.  Below are several comments. I took the liberty to include the respondent’s name. And, oh, if the majority rules, all the cigar magazines would discontinue publishing cigar reviews and add more editorial content.  Readers rule. One of the first things you learn in publishing. (Note: All quotes are copied verbatim. Nothing has been changed including spelling, punctuation and syntax.) And yes! The office has been painted!

********

Chad Massaker: On a cigar sale site like Cigars Intl? Not so much.

Frank Gerechter: I look at ratings as a comparison to my own thoughts. Of course, it is subjective as it depends on your mood, where you smoke, time of day etc. in my reviews, l always state, the ratings are my subjective opinion, you make your own decision. Ratings are not zero, sum games. Whatever product you buy, it should not be on a whim, or because you feel like it. Otherwise, you would waste time and money. If you buy a car, do you buy it because of the color or because someone reviews it?

John Shreve: Yep they do to me. The higher the ratings, the more likely I’ll try it.

John Shreve: Cigar aficionado is the bible. (of ???)

Steve Johnston: Not to me, I do read the reviews but it more the description of the flavor profile that sparks my interest.

Erika Piña: For the beginners ,yes , they always ask what is the number one,.

Eric Ellison: To me, no

Mark Reichenbach: Nope…. it’s all personal taste

Jennifer Diaz: Nope to each his own. You like what you like and that’s it. Sometimes I feel like those ratings are a popularity thing

Darrin Myers: No

Arnold Mrdad Tate: No sir, smoke what you like..

Kevin Sterling King: Nope

Matt Plummer: …Just the Good Ones…!!

Robert DeRusso: I do look at ratings but the bottom line is smoke what you enjoy. Your opinion is what really counts.

Michael Balfanz: Hell no u like what you like

Charles Duke Fuerte: SOMETIMES IT CAN GIVE YOU A POINT OF REFERENCE.

Joette Barta: everyone’s palate is different and when the “pros” constantly select Cuban cigars it means less since most of us in the US can’t legally get Cubans. Besides I would put a Nicaraguan puro up against any Cuban.

Martin Klausmeier: If reviews could stay objective they would be far more useful. I’ve yet to “taste” “hints of marzipan” in any cigar, but I can tell ya which ones burn true.

Joette Barta: how about leather? or apricot? or earth (read dirt.)

Joette Barta: I can pick up “pencil lead…”. Does that count?

Larry Thomas:No

Roy Price: Nope

Jay R. Davis: Yes high ratings make it hard to find certain cigars at times

Jeff Stroup: No. I can give you a $5 smoke thats better than a $25 smoke. Just smoke what ya like!

Charles Purschwitz: Define Matter  (According to the Collins English Dictionary it states, “You say ‘it doesn’t matter’ when someone offers you a choice between two or more things and you do not mind which is chosen.”  My two cents, the difference is negligible.

Ketan Patel: No .. no … no …

Michael Balfanz: Only Kenny’s Cigars matter

Bryan McKinney: 4 sales n newbies

SSgt Johnny Davis: Nope depends on the person taste

Victor Tiburon Hernandez: Its all Marketing.

Marshall Morgan: subjective

Lincoln Salazar Cigar & Spirits Magazines Cigar Rating Panel:

Cigar & Spirits Magazine’s cigar rating panel is the most complex tasting panel within the industry. Our cigar panel consist of 10 pre-qualified judges with over 100 years combined experience. Each judge has been screened and pre-selected based off of their palate and experience with cigars. A mild cigar smoker is paired with a mild cigar and full bodied cigar smoker is placed with a full bodied cigar based on palate. Not one judge is directly tied to any brand/distributor or obtain any direct conflict of interest that could create bias while sampling.

Each cigar is assigned a number which is directly associated with the brand and then blind tasted. The cigar brand are not shown to the judges to ensure reviews are not influenced by the packaging or the brand itself. Judges must not eat or drink anything within 2 hours prior to the tasting, that way their pallets are not compromised or altered in any way.

Points are based off of aroma, flavor, construction, burn, draw, color and over all experience. After sampling and tasting each cigar the points are then combined to reach no higher than 100 total points per cigar 0 being the lowest.

We do not reveal our panel in order to maintain the integrity of the panel. By doing so, we are able to ensure that no judge may be influenced by any financial gains or benefits. Additionally, no employees within Cigar & Spirits Magazine’s editorial and publishing departments may sit on this panel. Our Panel is changed once a year and is done through a private interview process and selection. We are the most complex because we are not a 1 person blogger basing the rating off 1 person or a publishing or editing staff that may seek financial gain. There is a science to our rating panel that has once again over 100 years combined experience in this field.

Now Cigar & Spirits does believe that everyone has their own palate but through Cigar & Spirits we want to show you what we have rated based off being professionals and a overall rating process that combines the basics of what makes a great cigar. Then you may make your own choices from there. We are just here to assist you in your great cigar journey.

Sarah Vato: No! It’s all based on $$$ that you pay.

Aaron Perkins: Not at all

Michael Robert: Cigar ratings have no weight when I choose a new cigar. I look at the write up on the cigar itself and go from there. The rating system is nothing more than a marketing game.

Daril Caldwell: It all depends on the guy who or gal and what they like because there are some people who don’t like cigars that have high ratings and a lot that do

Chad Massaker: On a cigar sale site like Cigars Intl? Not so much

Frank Gerechter: I look at ratings as a comparison to my own thoughts. Of course it is subjective as it depends on your mood, where you smoke, time of day etc. in my reviews, l always state , the ratings are my subjective opinion, you make your own decision. Ratings are not zero, sum games. Whatever product you buy, it should not be on a whim, or because you feel like it. Otherwise, you would waste time and money. If you buy a car, do you buy it because of the color or because someone reviews it ?

John Shreve: Yep they do to me. The higher the ratings, the more likely I’ll try it.

********

Plus too many more to copy down.  Thanks for your opinions.

Cigar manufacturers and magazines take note!  Listen to YOUR customers!!!

FDA could change its focus.

Two 6 ounce bottles of oral solution, each containing sodium sulfate 17.5 grams, potassium sulfate 3.13 grams, and magnesium sulfate 1.6 grams is commonly known as a Bowel Prep Kit.  The brand name is SUPREP®.  SUPREP ® Bowel Prep Kit Oral Solution is an osmotic laxative indicated for cleansing of the colon as a preparation for a colonoscopy in adults.  All the chemicals in each 6-ounce bottle have been approved by the FDA and its Drug Safety Oversight board division.

“The DSB is composed of representatives from two FDA Centers and eight other federal government agencies, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Department of Defense (DOD), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Indian Health Service (IHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). An important role of the DSB is to help FDA assess the impact of their safety decisions on the healthcare systems of its Federal Partners. The Board, with its broad representation from federal healthcare organizations, can provide valuable input and allows FDA to hear other perspectives on drug safety issues.”(https://www.fda.gov)

Now, I’m writing this portion of the essay the night before I go in for a colonoscopy.  I am going to drink this solution at 6 pm along with 32 additional ounces of cold water within one hour.  And then I will repeat the process at Midnight. I know how this works. This is not my first dance. Do I like it?  No. But here goes. I’m going to write until the inevitable occurs.

Can you imagine who is partnering up with whom as the FDA begins its attempt to unravel the chemicals in a cigar?  At least in the Bowel Prep the drugs that were combined had already been tested. With Mother Nature’s pharmaceutical warehouse wide open in a cigar, the FDA will have a maze of substances to work with but it will have no baseline of safety to make a determination what’s what when the test results are made known.  And the tests results are for . . . ?

Let me back up, the one substance that can be pseudo-tested will be the percentage of nicotine in each cigar or box of cigars.  Then an average will be determined. The difference is that in working with nature and not man-made chemicals the variables are astronomically astonishing.  The baseline is constantly moving up and down. So there isn’t a testing procedure in the world that will be able to determine that this cigar or that box of cigars contain this much nicotine as the one next to it or the same or less or more. So if the FDA is attempting to measure the amount of nicotine and other chemicals in cigars and state a percentage on a consistent basis is a ludicrous and laughable exercise in tossing the dice on the wet felt.  So in essence, there will have to be a range. Who determines the range?  And what numbers will be attached to this range? And who really gives a damn what the range is?

I don’t.  But the government does.  It’s out to protect you!

So when the first-time or seasoned-cigar smoker lights up an approved cigar as determined by the FDA, will the leaves used in the cigar also have been tested for all chemicals because they are bonded to the tobacco by nature’s storehouse that emits essences of such flavors and aromas such as nutmeg, cocoa, licorice, cinnamon, parsley, marjoram, ash, hickory, walnuts, gummy bears, cane sugar, and unfortunately the vilest of natural sweeteners – stevia.  Not a chance.

********

OK.  Midnight.  Bottle number one has started the process of cleansing my innards and bottle number two is in front of me on the table to complete the job.  I haven’t even sipped it yet.  I did make sure the liquids were kept ice cold. It goes down easier that way. Same as a cigar.  It too has to be just right for all its attributes to beckon a smoker over to want to try it again.

Will the fact that the consumer knows the levels of nicotine and all the other natural substances make it any better or any worse?  Impossible to tell. But I can assure you that the Prep Kit chemicals and nauseating flavor (if you can call it that) will be exact. The FDA has done its job there.  Wait. The clock is ticking and I have to drink this. Hold on. (YUK!)

But it cannot do its job with the cigar.  Seventeen point five grams of Sodium Sulfate is exactly 17.5 g of sodium sulfate.  Period.  A range of nicotine and other chemicals will have to settle for a range. Just that – a range.  And that leaves (excuse the pun) the results of the tests in the moot category.  In other words, they are not reliable or feasible facts.  A fact is a thing that is indisputably the case.   

There is a difference of course in comfort.  Now. That can be tested.  The after effects of taking the liquid in the Prep Kit is unequivocally, oh shall we say – somewhat uncomfortable.  While the after-effects of smoking a fine, premium cigar are totally enjoyable. Regardless of the chemical cocktail content hidden within.

Maybe that’s what the FDA should be investigating with regards to cigars – the pleasure of the product.  What do you think?

Gesh!  I really gotta run.

 

Does social media distort reality?

Without a doubt, FB has been the most innovative and widely used form of social media out there to date.  As I write this, over 1 billion people are active on FB. Dat’s a huge number.  If 1 billion people (the average height in this example is six feet) were to stand on each other’s shoulders they would create a tower of human flesh 1,136,363 miles high.  That would allow you to reproduce the Statue of Liberty 19,672,131 times. Needless to say, there are a lot of people using this form of electronic communication.

Here’s the problem, a vast majority of the people who post on FB seem to believe that everybody’s paying attention.  The sad fact is that no one knows what percentage of people are paying attention to the information on FB. (Except maybe someone like Zuckerberg as his FB culls all the information submitted.  ALL.)  But, because the numbers are stratospheric, there are some individuals who are of the belief that they are being viewed by the public at large.

For example on Spotify, Taylor Swift has 23,834,009 monthly listeners (as of this writing). That’s 2.3% of the 1 billion. That’s nothing! So why in the name of Sweet Jesus do some users (myself included) of FB get the impression that they are being paid attention to? Lower the numbers all you want, but take this to the mathematical bank of the Universe – fewer than you hope are watching whatever it is you have to say or advertise.  And that includes my blog, your blog, a cigar review site, any number of podcasts, event notices whatever it is.

Taylor, the current most popular entertainer on this planet right now is only being viewed by 2.3% of 1 billion available people.  So why do we bother?  Why do we think we are somehow stars in an ersatz celebrity firmament?

Why?  You really want to know why?  Because we all want to feel important.  We want to believe with all our slithering viscera that there are people who really, truly care.  And guess what?  Your answer.  Go ‘head.

But it makes us feel good.  Which is indicative of a society that is on the road to cataclysmic changes. When we have to be validated by a number on a screen instead of the confidence in our souls, I would say we are headed in the wrong direction.  And it ain’t up.

Yes. I enjoy when others read and comment on my blog.  I’m sure there are also others who are tickled pink when they get a positive or negative comment about a post, and it’s from a warm living human being who, I’m slightly cringing now, care enough to tell you! But if that’s what rolls you from day to day, then I suggest a life sans FB or social media in general and get out there and start shaking hands and getting involved in more person-to-person conversations and endeavors.  But even that. EVEN THAT is a form of outside validation or accreditation. Unfortunately, that’s a nominal number, too.

I would ask you and me to get into our own heads. Give yourself a pat on the back. Warm your eyes with tears of joy because you are YOU!  And only YOU! Non-duplicatable. Now that’s validation that will last until the day we draw our last wisp of fresh air.

And guess what – that we CAN take with us.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCWC1Vd4S58

There are more. There are always more.

Peggy Lee once sang a song called “Is that all there is?”  And it’s all about the relative simplicity of what at the time may seem to be major moments or catastrophes.  But when placed in perspective everything is just a part of the whole.  Everything is just a speck of life and it’s how we cope with these remnants of reality that molds us into who we are.

Smoked a Padrón Series Delicias 46 x 4 ⅞, 26 per box the other day.  It was a well-aged specimen of a great cigar.  The cellophane was the color of the tincture of iodine.  Within reason. Just as an aside, I had a guy send me samples he wanted me to represent and when I received them I noticed that the cello was so yellow that the odds of any of the original oils in the tobacco still being contained within the cigar were next to nil.

So I slipped the cello off and the aroma was intoxicating.  I was actually anxious to light it up. And that I did. The draw was impeccable.  The first puff was perfectly balanced. And that’s where the flavor hovered. Somewhere between ultra-smooth notes of chocolate, espresso, caramel, and cocoa.  I detected a wisp of a woodsy note now and then. The burn was textbook.  The aroma was that which you breathe in as you walked the streets of this island nation.  “. . . its tropical beauty—and tropical beauties—made American tourism a natural and flowing source of revenue. A 1956 issue of Cabaret Quarterly, a now-defunct tourism magazine, describes Havana as ‘a mistress of pleasure, the lush and opulent goddess of delights.’” (Smithsonian.com.)

Is that all there is, is that all there is

If that’s all there is my friends, then let’s keep dancing

Let’s break out the booze and have a ball

If that’s all there is

I touched upon a fantasy.  My basket of imagination was overflowing with fruits, nuts, fragrant flowers, and of course, loosed cigars to be gently removed from where they once rested.

Is that all there is, is that all there is

If that’s all there is my friends, then let’s keep dancing

Let’s break out the booze and have a ball

If that’s all there is

Padrón hit the nail right on the head.  But . . .

Is that all there is, is that all there is

If that’s all there is my friends, then let’s keep dancing

Let’s break out the booze and have a ball

If that’s all there is . . .

Then let’s keep smoking and bring out another brand . . . 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCRZZC-DH7M

Listening to the gut, cigar or prose.

“In 1959, (Philip) Roth became one of the rising stars of American fiction with the publication of Goodbye, Columbus. This work won the National Book Award and was later turned into a feature film starring Richard Benjamin. Nearly a decade later, Roth found himself immersed in a sea of controversy over his novel Portnoy’s Complaint (1969). The book was considered scandalous by some for its depiction of masturbation. “Portnoy was blunt about sex,” Roth explained to People magazine. Portnoy’s Complaint became a huge commercial hit.

By the end of the 1970s, Roth had begun writing works that featured his literary alter ego, writer Nathan Zuckerman. This character first appeared in The Ghost Writer (1979) and recurred in such works as Zuckerman Unbound (1981) and The Anatomy Lesson. While there may be some commonality between Roth and Zuckerman, Roth has insisted that his novels are not autobiographical. He told The Nation that readers who only see his life in his works “are simply numb to fiction—numb to impersonation, to ventriloquism, to irony, numb to the thousand observations of human life on which a book is built.”

Roth won the National Book Award again for Sabbath’s Theatre in 1995. The story revolves around Mickey Sabbath, a former puppeteer, who starts to unravel after the death of one of his lovers. Three years later, Roth won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction for American Pastoral (1997). This novel, part of a trilogy that also includes I Married a Communist (1998) and The Human Stain (2000), brings back Nathan Zuckerman to help tell the story of Jewish businessman Seymour “Swede” Levov.

In all, Roth has produced more than 30 books during his career. His most recent titles include Everyman (2006) and Nemesis (2010). He announced that he was retiring from writing in 2012, but it is difficult to believe that this great man of letters will stay away from the printed word forever.” (biography.com)

Well, he has not written since 2010.  When recently asked why, he is quoted as saying to a disappointed interviewer, “I have no desire any longer to write fiction.  I did what I did and it’s done.”  He then elaborated about a month later and told Sweden’s Svenska Dagbladet that he credited his self-imposed silence to: “a strong suspicion that I’d done my best work and anything more would be inferior. I was by this time no longer in possession of the mental vitality or the verbal energy or the physical fitness needed to mount and sustain a large creative attack of any duration on a complex structure as demanding as the novel.” (NYRB 3.8.18 by Nathaniel Rich)

Wouldn’t it be insightful, exhilarating, absolutely supercalifragilisticexpialidocious if more wannabe cigar blenders and manufacturers could tell when they are finished, instead of continually flinging tobacco balls on the wall hoping one will stick?

What Philip Roth has done is the sign of an intellectual genius and recognizing his limits. 
What quite a few cigar manufacturers do is shine their bombastic egos into the darkened room without a clue that they just don’t have it anymore – if they ever did in the first place.  Here comes another!

“SPLATTT!!!”