Cast in order of frequency, here are the most common questions we're asked about our cigarette holders from soon-to-be enthusiasts, answered by Mme, TLS's proprietress.
Why?
Q: Why use a cigarette holder?
A: I can tell you the top three reasons I use a cigarette holder. Your reasons, of course, might be quite different.
- One, I'm vain. It is an entirely different aesthetic to smoke with a cigarette holder than without a cigarette holder.
- Two, I have not yet stopped being vain. I'd like to avoid the smoke-related wrinkles around my eyes and mouth. No stains on my teeth, thanks, and no odor on my hands or in my hair.
- Three, I enjoy my life tremendously. I'd like to live a good, long time - without giving up everything that makes me want to live a good, long time. I enjoy fine tobacco and I feel better about enjoying it with a cigarette holder.
When?
Q: When should you use a cigarette holder?
A: I only smoke with a cigarette holder. Ergo, it's easiest to answer
the question "when should you not use a cigarette holder". When you
are not smoking, a cigarette holder is, surprise, unnecessary. (I'm never sure why this gets asked; to me it seems ridiculously obvious. I suspect women think of cigarette holders as accessories only for formal events. No. A woman should feel beautiful all day every day - not just on special occasions.)
Who?
Q: Who should use a cigarette holder?
A: This is like the above question. Frankly, I think if you smoke cigarettes - you should be using a cigarette holder to do it. Men, women, small yappy dogs. Call it vanity, call it health consciousness, call it accessorization or call it a fetish. I don't care. It looks better, it tastes better, it feels better. Who wouldn't use a cigarette holder?
How?
Q: How do I hold a cigarette holder?
A: Ask this question among enthusiasts and get a bevy of answers - each different. Speaking very generally - you hold a cigarette holder with the lighted end of the cigarette away from your face. Largely, other than that, things take care of themselves. Less generally: For the shorter cocktail and dinner length cigarette holders you may find it most comfortable to hold it as you would a cigarette itself, between the index and middle fingers. Never pinched between the thumb and forefinger. For longer dinner and theatre length cigarette holders you might choose between that hold and the palm rest used for the longest of opera length holders - the hand is held facing upwards, the palm cupped - the holder rests between the thumb, middle and ring fingers with the fore part of the barrel balanced on the forefinger and the aft end suspended above the upturned palm where it meets the wrist. (This takes practice, for the record.)
What?
Q: What exactly is a cigarette holder?
A: A cigarette holder is the accessory used for smoking a single cigarette. A cigarette case, often mistakenly called a cigarette holder, might hold many cigarettes for the purpose of carrying. (To further confuse, the cigarette pack holder is a case that accepts an entire pack of cigarettes.)
Which?
Q: I smoke a specialty sized cigarette, which holder should I choose for the proper fit?
A: There are four main diameter sizes for cigarettes, commonly referred to as:
- "standard" (in the US, the Dunhill or the Marlboro are examples of the standard diameter)
- "slim" (Nat Sherman's Black and Gold and the Virginia Slim are good examples)
- "super slim" or "ultra slim" (interchangeable - the Capri, the Sobranie Pink, and the Virginia Slim SuperSlim are examples)
- "hand rolled" - which, depending upon how they are rolled, may fit any of the above categories
We carry cigarette holders for each of these diameter sizes - you will find their description indicates the cigarettes these cigarette holders will accept. (Cigarette holders can sometimes be modified to accept smaller cigarettes, but it is seldom that they can be successfully modified to accept a larger one.) And a further note - some European manufacturers, particularly Italian and Grecian manufacturers, label "super slim" diameters as "slim". Try to forgive them.
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