Weekend Report

I've been hosting men's smokers at my home once a month or so, drawing from a Catholic organization, neighbors and acquaintances.
The diversity has been incredible. We've had everyone from nuclear physicists to rescue divers to IT geeks to authors to property managers to lay philosophers and theologians to priests and authors and pilots.
We usually get around 8 or 9 attendees. I usually serve single malt scotches, a couple of craft beers and a platter of hors d'oeuvres aka cheese, crackers and sausage slices.
We had a farewell smoker for one of our gang last Saturday, I served Laphroaig Single Malt and offered aged year old 59's and JR MonteCristo aged for 18 month, to an Opux X for the guest of honor. We also smoked some Annie 64's, Prensados and others. One of the guests showed up with a bottle of JW Blue and a box of Padrons and Russian cigars - which weren't bad. Pipes are also starting to show up. No cigarettes are smoked though not officially banned.
Along with the drinks, smoke, food and coversation, we viewed some old videos of American Blues artists, filmed live in Europe in the sixties. Sadly, the American networks didn't take blues artists seriously, so very, very little American footage is extant.
Next time, I'll send out an invite for other BOTL on the board and perhaps take some pics. But I will say my guests aren't usually regular smokers but they do enjoy the occasional fine cigar and whiskey and the chance for men to get together and should the breeze.
It's also interesting how many repeat guest have bought very special bottles of whiskeys and smokes that they share generously - and most often leave some behind, which means stocking up for the next event is a little easier.
I once opened the smoker to women and several of them complained about the smoke. I'm old enough that I wasn't surprised but these are now officially men's events.
This concludes my weekend report. (Also posted on a cigar site)

Got it all wrong, papipeguy. I don't show hospitality to guests because they're Catholic. I do it because I'm Catholic - and it is a good excuse to drink good scotches and smoke cigars.
One of my favorite writers, political commentators and philosophers was G.K.Chesterton, a cigar chompin, Scotch drinking, pistol toting Catholic convert. (http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/gk-chesterton-s-cause-for-sainthood-investigation-gets-underway)
"Drink because you are happy, but never because you are miserable. Never drink when you are wretched without it, or you will be like the grey-faced gin-drinker in the slum; but drink when you would be happy without it, and you will be like the laughing peasant of Italy. Never drink because you need it, for this is rational drinking, and the way to death and hell. But drink because you do not need it, for this is irrational drinking, and the ancient health of the world."
My regular guests include pissed-off-Presbyterians, unchurched Methodists, fallen away Catholics, Jews, atheists, agnostics, and yes, some some committed Catholics, and as well as an ex-Pagan biker gangster. Some of us are conservative, most are moderates and a couple are flaming liberals. Guests enjoys scintillating conversation on a myriad of topics and religion is one that only occasionally comes up but ideas are respectfully explored when it does. Thomism is favored but the latest diatribe from Stephen Hawkins is just as likely to be explored - a gentlemen the group members of all spectrum generally acknowledge as a genius in physics but woefully ignorant of philosophy, theology and history.
So, the talk goes from gut-bucket blues to the Cosmos. If you or any other BOTL are coming to the DC area, let me know when and we'll use it as an excuse to throw another smoker. Serious.