Herf Etiquette

[Scott M]

Looking forward to the Virginia herf in a couple of months, (NOT VIRGIN herf... that oughtta be the motto). My first one, so I'm kinda in the dark.

Besides congeniality and general bon homme', are there any do's and don'ts for these? Bring your own/buy them there, pitch in for food/drinks, cameras/no cameras, that kinda stuff.

Thanks in advance,

Scott"soexcitedIcouldpee"M


[SIZE=1](Oh, and it's nice to be a banana holder! WOOT!)[/SIZE]

[catfishm2]

Great post Scott. I have the same questions also.

[shelvingunit]

Good question.

You can bring cigars and because we are herfing at a shop you could also buy some there. Bring extra so you can trade with the other folks there. Herfs are a great place to try new cigars.

Food/Drinks - Mike is going to make some hamburgers and sausage, if you want to bring chips or a side its up to you, same goes for drinks. I'll check with Mike regarding the alcohol policy.

Bring your camera

The first herf I went to in MD I brought a side dish, cigars and a 6 pack of beer.

I'll post more details as the herf gets closer.

[catfishm2]

Thanks 1f1fan. I appreciate your help.

[kansashat]

You fellas remember now........no f------, no f------- & absolutely no f------!

[Nely]

Originally Posted by 1f1fan

Good question.

You can bring cigars and because we are herfing at a shop you could also buy some there. Bring extra so you can trade with the other folks there. Herfs are a great place to try new cigars.

Food/Drinks - Mike is going to make some hamburgers and sausage, if you want to bring chips or a side its up to you, same goes for drinks. I'll check with Mike regarding the alcohol policy.

Bring your camera

The first herf I went to in MD I brought a side dish, cigars and a 6 pack of beer.

I'll post more details as the herf gets closer.

One six pack of beer huh? That won't even begin to quench my thirst!

[Bruce]

The main point of etiquette is to remember your manners. When someone gifts you a cigar, be sure to say "thank you". Seems obvious, or even stupid for me to post this? You would be surprised! There have been countless times where I have gifted a rare cigar, and have the recipient just look at it and walk away! No BS!!

Now it is also polite to gift a cigar back. Some are a bit intimidated when gifted a rare cigar and don't even think of offering. To me, and many others, it's the thought that counts.....not the cigar.

Also, don't just take cigars to take them and increase your booty. Take them only if you are truly going to smoke them....not to see how many freebies you can get.

Always chip in to cover tabs. I hate it when guys don't contribute and sponge off other members.

Now these little tips are coming from me attending MANY big herfs and get togethers...so many that I can't even begin to count.
But there are always a few that stick out...........

[shelvingunit]

Great tips Bruce....not only for a herf, but for life in general. Thanks!

[LasciviousXXX]

Its always the niceities that make a difference. Ya know.... the little things. I would also include that it is appropriate to bring something for the guy who's place the HERFers are using. So like if you're using Pokers infamous patio, bring a little something for him, hell you're using his place..... bottle of wine, good smoke, etc.

Doesn't really apply if you're meeting at a public location but if the HERF is small enough, I'd say bring something for everyone....... cause the first rule I've learned from all the gorillas here is ........ be generous......... we're all newbies at some point.

[MoTheMan]

Originally Posted by Bruce

The main point of etiquette is to remember your manners. When someone gifts you a cigar, be sure to say "thank you". Seems obvious, or even stupid for me to post this? You would be surprised! There have been countless times where I have gifted a rare cigar, and have the recipient just look at it and walk away! No BS!!

Now it is also polite to gift a cigar back. Some are a bit intimidated when gifted a rare cigar and don't even think of offering. To me, and many others, it's the thought that counts.....not the cigar.

Also, don't just take cigars to take them and increase your booty. Take them only if you are truly going to smoke them....not to see how many freebies you can get.

Always chip in to cover tabs. I hate it when guys don't contribute and sponge off other members.

Now these little tips are coming from me attending MANY big herfs and get togethers...so many that I can't even begin to count.
But there are always a few that stick out...........

Good advice here!!

I'd add one more thing. I like to keep all my gifted cigars seperate and take a mental note on who gve me what. I know that after a while it starts getting hard to keep track but I would consider it rude NOT to at least try a gifted cigar and even ruder if I turn around & give it to someone else.

Personally, I've held onto a gifted cigar for sometimes up to 2-3 years before smoking it. Some, have been phenomenal and have turned me onto sizes/brands that I would not have considered.

[BigBubba]

Great input gang taking notes for when we have one here in Portland

[Roger Miller"]

Originally Posted by BigBubba

Great input gang taking notes for when we have one here in Portland

When are you putting that together BB?

_____
rm

[Deriffe]

It can sometimes be tough to trade for me. Several of the St Louis gang are pretty much ISOM only. Since the only ISOM I have are the one's I've gotten from them, it wouldn't be very smart for me to give them back in trade. I always throw in 2 or 3 high end sticks (Opus, Diamond Crown Max, Anejo, PAM/PAN) in the bottom of my otterbox. When one of my BOTL or SOTL gifts me a nice ISOM, I try to gift a super premium back.

[BigBubba]

Originally Posted by Roger Miller"

When are you putting that together BB?

_____
rm

I'm game how many do we have here from Portland? Let's see how many we have and figure out a time and place for a little of

Should we start a Portland Herf thread? And see how many of us there are,that way we can start trying to find a day and time to hookup.

[IHT]

Originally Posted by Deriffe

It can sometimes be tough to trade for me. Several of the St Louis gang are pretty much ISOM only. Since the only ISOM I have are the one's I've gotten from them, it wouldn't be very smart for me to give them back in trade. I always throw in 2 or 3 high end sticks (Opus, Diamond Crown Max, Anejo, PAM/PAN) in the bottom of my otterbox. When one of my BOTL or SOTL gifts me a nice ISOM, I try to gift a super premium back.

well, one of these days i'll have to drive back to my stompin grounds and herf with you guys. i noticed your herf thread over on CW is like 20 pages loooooong. unfortunately, the ony times i've been home the past year has been for funerals, not much time to herf.

but, my main reason to reply is that i've only been to two herfs (both in KC - and not counting the get-togethers on my deck). there's a great guy who doesn't smoke cubans, and some of us that go, that's 98% of our inventory. to me, when i give a cigar, i don't care if i get anything back. when someone recently offered me something from his bucket o' cigars for paybacks, i dug out just an average domestic that he had a handful of left. i understand wanting to give more back, but for me, i'm not expecting anything in return. i'll smoke just about anything...

anyway, i know i'm not getting my point across, i'm pretty jet-lagged right now and it's time for bed (in korea it's almost 11pm - and i'm a puss).

but to agree with others comments, just common courtesy. my biggest problem is remembering peoples "real" names. usernames are easy, but i suck at real names... i feel bad having to ask again, or say that i have forgotten.

hopefully i'll still get to head out to the SoCal herf this summer and meet some of you all for the 1st time.