THE OBSERVATION BOOTH
OP-ED BY ANDREA DIALECT
Q & A
QUESTION: WHERE DID THE CIGAR ORIGINATE?
Historians generally believe that the cigar was invented by the ancient Mayans, who would wrap the tobacco in a palm or a plantain leave and smoke it. Archaeologists have even discovered an ancient Mayan pot from the 10th century that depicts a Mayan man puffing on one of these very early cigars.
QUESTION: WHEN WAS THE FIRST CIGAR INVENTED?
ANSWER: 1492
The first cigars (or Havanas), as discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492, were smoked by the native inhabitants of what is now Cuba and were made from raw, twisted leaves of cured tobacco. Dried corn husks were used as wrappers.
QUESTION: WHAT IS THE OLDEST CIGAR?
ANSWER: POR LARRAÑAGA
Now, it’s fairly easy to guess that the oldest cigar brand – and one that’s still around – is a Cuban one. Por Larrañaga came along in 1834 and Punch in 1840.
(I Googled All That!)
STICKZ & STONE
Benjamin C. Johnson III
Founder of Stickz Cigars
Photo Credit: Andrea Dialect
Andrea: Here comes the judge is an understatement when the aroma of that choice cigar is a dead giveaway…
Ben: It all came about because of a judge who was a heavy cigar smoker. That’s really what got me on my star journey. Going to and working in his courtroom constantly watching him smoke cigars and him introducing me to the cigars and the culture. Then, there after being introduced I went to a couple of cigar lounges, I noticed that there were a lot of African Americans in the cigar lounges but none were owners of the cigar lounges. So, at that point I said I am going to start selling cigars because we are the ones that are heavily influencing and we are the reason they are opening the business. So, we should be able to have ownership. We should be able to do our own thing and have a cigar lounge that represents us. It shows our black excellence.
Move all those blockers even if it’s a cigar and put your money where ya mouth is…
The very first place I started selling my cigars was at my brother Dorian’s barbershop on Prospect in East Orange. When I told him what I was doing, he told me to come and set up and I went there on a Friday night and set up a whole table full of cigars. Then from there, that became a weekly thing. I’d been all over Essex County. I was really the first one that was doing inner-city bars mobile and from there I got to know a lot of people. I’m very consistent with my behavior and attitude so most of my sales came from word of mouth.
INHALER
Andrea: Knowingly cigar smoke shouldn’t be inhaled but life should…
Ben: Being mobile meant going places. As mentioned, I was selling at inner-city bars like Atmosphere, Kit Kat Lounge also a bar that used to be called Rock Bottom, Suzie Q’s, and then I became consistent at Southern Comfort, and that’s when I was really, really consistent I was doing two days out of the week. Getting started and getting the inventory wasn’t that complicated for me.
I just happened to go at the right time to the right space and I did a little research, here and there. I researched and looked up cigar distributors on the internet and that pretty much was it. It was that simple. That’s why I tell everybody if you want to do something you really can do it if you put your mind to it. Just like I said I wanted to do it and went out and did it and I got to this point. My outlook on things comes from my being very even-keeled. I don’t get rattled or too excited about much.
NEVER INHALE
Andrea: Success has a totally different taste when you’re functioning in your own space…
Ben: After about a year and a half of being mobile, I grew tired of driving around, so I decided to get a physical space. This location was not my first by the way. My first spot was actually in South Orange on Orange Street. But I ended up here in East Orange because of the red tape that you’re usually taken through when you’re not wanted in a town.
They wanted me to do a lot of extra stuff to get the CO (certificate of occupancy). I had the agreement with the owner of the space which was a lease contingent upon my getting the paperwork. The town said “nope” pretty much but my objective was to have a safe place for us to come together.
I wasn’t going to subject myself to all that, so I came here, which worked out well, I told myself you know what I’m doing is for us and I felt as though I should put it in a place where I can have more effect on the people around me. I wanted it to be a safe haven for adults. We didn’t have that many places at the time that we could go hang out and relax and pretty much know nothing was going to happen that was a safe space and I opened this!
SECRET CHAMBERS
Andrea: When peering in from the outside it looks as if some pretty serious convo is going on amongst you gentlemen in there especially when heads go up and those fingers or teeth that hold dem sticks play as a cigar catalyst forcing smoke to rise.
SMOKE CLOUDS
Andrea: Ducats gotta be raining down pretty darn hard when ya losin count…
Ben: I’ve been here 6 years and I have no idea how many people have walked through those doors. My hours of operation were every day. Doors were opened by three except for on Sundays when we opened at twelve. It was based on how many people were there. We didn’t have a set time for closing. It depended on the vibe also when I came to shutting those doors. Sometimes we’re here from one to three in the morning if the vibe is right; or if I was tired, then it would be like hey I’m leaving its time to go lol. On the internet, it says our hours are from 3 to 10 and on Sundays and Saturdays from 3 to 12.
Again, it was based on the vibe. My busiest days were always Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays because a lot of people came thru for the football games, and also, we’d have a lot of players come thru for the dominoes and spades tournaments. Thursday thru Sunday were my busiest days.
There has been a large range of people that have come through Stickz.. You have your local garbage man to your head Prosecutor of Essex County that may come through. It’s a large range and that’s the great thing about owning a cigar lounge. You never know who you’re going to be sitting next to. The guy that looking to start a business selling ice cream outside or whatever the case may be. You can meet just about anybody in a cigar lounge and end up having a conversation with them over a cigar.
HANDLING YOUR SMOKE
Tracy and Ben gettin’ it in
Photo credit: Andrea Dialect
Andrea: Being a cigar connoisseur is not only a man’s game, so I am told. The ladies are just as capable of the orchestration of the eloquent play of dancing streams when keeping those smoke clouds going up. Now that’s girl power lol…
Ben: One day, I opened up and some cats asked if we played cards, they wanted to play and the rest was history. We used to play chess here too but not that many people can play chess. Let’s just say they know the maneuvers but they’re not competitive. So if you have a guy that plays chess and is very competitive it’s like stealing candy from a bunch of guys who think they know what they’re doing but they don’t.
So dominoes is definitely without a doubt that go to. We also had house parties with house music on Fridays, and fun days on Sundays. We also used to do a ladies’ night here on Saturdays just to let you know how they’re doing it. As far as the ladies are concerned, they hold their own. They are largely a contributing part of cigar culture. The women are doing their thing!
LIMITED EDITION
(Andrea) Disclaimer: if you caught my speaking in past tense throughout this article and you thought that it was one of my many reoccurring grammatical errors once again. There is a method to this madness you know…
Cigars as a culture have grown and now, I feel that it’s at a point where it’s over-saturated. Everybody wants to open up a cigar lounge. Everybody wants to sell cigars, which is not a bad thing I guess. But it just seems everybody now sells cigars; everybody now has a cigar lounge. But that isn’t the reason that I’m leaving the industry. I sold the business because I was tired.
I was spending a lot of time here. I have kids, young kids and I think that they deserve more of my time and my wife of course deserves much more time. I put in a lot of hours, my family deserves more of my time. I don’t want to miss too much more. I try to make everything I can when I can, but I need to devote more time to them.
HUMIDOR
Photo Credit: Andrea Dialect
There’s nothing more admirable than a person who says that they’re going to do something and they “Just Do It.” Six years and no cop roll-ups unless they were visiting as patrons. No brawls, no ruckus, no nothing. You spoke of that once upon a time to date, when that guy or was it two had gotten a little unruly, which was more in the vein of a teen screaming banter. But, that was all on him or them. Bravo, mission accomplished you have created that safe place that you dreamed of indeed.
Your goals have extended their reach. When living in the area I’d oftentimes pass by and take that glimpse in that window and catch sight of those in the space and I was always comforted by the presence of all those who were present as would any other woman when alone in those streets. Whether on a packed-out domino night, days that one or two had been in the room, or even when I’d walk by and see you snoring in that same oversized comfy leather chair. Your fav I guess. I always felt protected knowing that you guys were there.
Truthfully, by your profession alone you’re in constant support of that and undoubtedly it goes without saying that rain or shine 24/7 in many ways the firemen at East Orange Co # 3 Fire Department right across the way hold that spot. But when it comes right down to it The Stickz Security Squad was always visible even when those guys understandably were far out of sight. The one thing that was most intriguing about the space was the room where the cigars were stockpiled, your WALK IN HUMIDOR. When cramming those lessons, I learned about how a humidor functions and its purpose. Not verbatim but the humidor is used to maintain the ambient temperature and humidity that maintains the great quality of cigars. (I cheated I Googled it!)
It was at that moment that I gleaned the focal point for this article. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it but the air that you have about yourself is that of a humidor. Unlike many that I’ve seen on television or come across in person who strolls around with that cigar dangling off their lips parading around with their mask of false mystique and fake bravado which is a far stretch from being believable. But, you Sir have an air about yourself that is quite genuine and dignified, something quite rare in this present climate.
That is why I am much saddened by the fact that so many of our young people and Mocha folk, in general, can no longer have that kind of accessibility or ever again witness the chemistry between you those men like yourself, and all those including those sophisticated ladies that grace those doors; the ones that do us so, so proud; not only by vocation but merely by their presence, that in-which I have personally witnessed, when crossing paths with many of your patrons.
The one saving grace is that those doors will remain open, and I thank you for the opportunity to have been introduced to the new owner, Mister Sam Davis, who is an amazing man and I believe a great fit for the new Stickz. Even though we will no longer get to see the Human Humidor walk in and sprinkle that air about the place. I’ll still get to peer into the place like that wide-eyed child and peep that Stickz Security Squad as feeling quite safe and I’ve been told that it is very likely that I will take that peek in and find the Humidor with that choice cigar transfixed in hand head back, legs stretched changing the air about the place from that same comfy chair.
I want to say thank you to your wife, who is most certainly a beautiful woman and your children for their sacrifice and the support of you so that you could be a support to so many others. May God bless you all and your future endeavors. Ben, you will be greatly missed!
