Featured Woman

Sondra Hankamer, Miami, FL: Cigars are typically a guy's thing. However somewhere around 14 years ago I crossed that gender line and haven't looked back. It wasn't hard to begin the passion of smoking cigars. It started as my way of having 'me time', but then became the way I spent time with others. It still amazes me how this handmade product, so small, yet brings people together. I was a young female being accepted into the local shops group of regulars that consisted of mostly men and from all races and economic status. All because I showed an interest in something they did as well. They were more than willing to help guide and instruct me, often times giving me cigars to sample. That formed the base that led me into the tobacco industry. I started out part time working in a little local B&M, then working as a manager in a very large location, following that with owning a B&M, and now I continue to enjoy the many facets of this business as the Southeast territory Miami Cigar & Co rep. So I get to travel, still sharing my knowledge and passion for cigars.

Each day I get to enjoy good memories. The smell, the tastes, and everything a cigar can conjure up. That could be why I tend to enjoy at least 2 cigars a day. So, as I go through the day meeting new people, creating new experiences - I'm really just building on old ones. Traditions are very important in this industry, a handshake is still a handshake. Everyone belongs to your 'extended family'. And as an aficionado, you feel the need to share your passion with all those around you. For me there is no right or wrong way to enjoy a cigar, there are no bad cigars, and there is no list that stops me from enjoying a smoke with someone. I smoke cigars not because I think it's cool, not because I saw it in a magazine, and not because they say a woman smoking a cigar is sexy. Ok, maybe a bit of the last one. I smoke cigars - no - I enjoy cigars. I take the stares, the comments, the squished up noses, the jokes from men, the proposals from men -- I take all these things with a smile. I have the satisfaction of knowing that I'm a part of a society of Brothers and Sisters that understands passion. The passion of cigar enthusiasts can not be underestimated, it can not be hidden, and it won't be stamped out. That's what drives me. No other industry can be so specialized, yet so open. We welcome everyone. We just ask that they accept us they way we are and what we love -- and to love it the same way. That's what I absolutely love about it, and I will always be grateful that it accepted me.

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