I know it’s a cliché, but – let’s face it – there just aren’t enough hours in a day. Especially if you’re a stogie guy.

Between work, commutes, showers, errands, friends and family, chores, three square meals, taxes, and all the other responsibilities us grown-ups shoulder, how exactly is a human supposed to set aside an hour (well, more reasonably, and hour and ½) to enjoy a stogie?

I don’t mean to disappoint, but – unfortunately – I really don’t have an easy answer to that question. I can’t be your personal time manager, and I certainly don’t have the blueprints for a make-time-stand-still machine.

What’s worse, with winter setting in and government-imposed, fascist smoking bans looming over many bars, restaurants, and other public places, these days finding a place to smoke is becoming as difficult as finding the time to do it.

But we must do it. We must smoke cigars. I don’t know about you, but if I don’t park my ass in a chair for a while and devour some delicious tobacco every now and again, I lose it. Not because I’m addicted to the leaf (cigar smokers rarely are), but because I need to unwind.

And what better way to do that than with a stogie? With the exception of fishing, there’s no other hobby that requires its participant to sit patiently still for so long.

Granted you can always smoke and golf, walk, drive, and – heck – some people even run, but I’ve always found that the best way to get the most out of your cigar is to put the rest of the world on hold and just smoke.

Find the time. If need be, grab some booze and/or company, but just do it.

And while you’re at it, remember to smoke slowly. Cigar enjoyment is not a race, and there’s no prize for finishing first.

Besides, in order to “cook” the tobacco at the right temperature (494˚F at the foot), you should only be taking about one puff per minute. You see, when you puff you’re caramelizing the sugars in the tobacco to bring out the flavors. If you puff too often, the temperature will rise, the tobacco will cook too fast, and the smoke may get harsh.

But enough chemistry. Smoking isn’t a chore; it’s what you and I do to have fun and escape from the rest of the world.

Why? Because we deserve it.