The White Noise of Cigar Smoking

I was enjoying a cigar at a local lounge recently when, for some reason, I became very aware of the hum of the air exchange system. Normally, that hum is simply part of the background — some white noise that I don’t really notice.

That got me thinking about the ubiquitous “white noise” of cigar smoking.

Naturally, any decent cigar lounge needs efficient air circulation and filtration. But most of my cigar enjoyment doesn’t happen in a cigar lounge. It happens at home, usually on the screened porch.

During the warmer months, I typically have several fans moving air around the porch. In addition to the ceiling fan, I usually run a couple of oscillating tower fans, and their hum is constant. This summer I added a box fan at one end of the porch to push even more air through the space. Together, all those fans create a surprisingly pleasant breeze, even in the middle of summer.

They also create a not-always-subtle layer of background noise.

When the weather turns cold, the oscillating fans get packed away and are replaced by a couple of Big Buddy portable propane heaters. Their little fans do a modest job of dispersing the warmth. With the porch windows closed, I also run a Jafanda room air purifier to help clear the smoke.

Different season, different equipment, same result: more background noise.

I usually have music playing while I enjoy a cigar on the porch, so the fans, heaters, and air purifier aren’t something I consciously listen to. After a few minutes, they’re just there. A low, steady hum woven into the rest of the cigar-smoking experience.

In fact, that hum has become enough of a part of the ritual that when I occasionally sit outside on the deck with everything turned off, the silence is almost more noticeable than the noise ever was.

The hum of the fans has become as much a part of “cigar time” as the smell of tobacco, the cut, the light, the sip of bourbon, or whatever music happens to be playing.

It’s funny how something you barely notice can become part of an experience.

Maybe that’s another part of enjoying a cigar. It’s not only the cigar, the drink, the weather, the music, or the company. It’s all those little things surrounding the moment — even the low hum of the machinery keeping the air moving.

The next time I’m sitting in a cigar lounge and hear that familiar hum of the ventilation system, I’ll probably notice it. And then, before long, I’ll stop noticing it again.

Cheers!

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