Student 'smokes up' in downtown Auburn

In Auburn, the Phillies Blunts and Swisher Sweets at the local gas station are the closest you can come to obtaining a fine cigar, but Anthony Hawksby, 04PG, hopes to change this.

Hawksby, who has been attending the University for four years, said it was an English assignment that inspired him to open his tobacco shop, Little Anthony's Cigars, which opened last week upstairs in the Coffee Banque's former lounge.

"I had to take an advertisement and talk about it positively or negatively. I chose a Hoya de Monterrey cigar ad," Hawksby said. "We had to show how ads slanted views. I pretty much slammed it."

"I didn't tell my professor I ordered a box of Hoya de Monterreys," Hawksby said.

This is not Hawksby's first attempt at entrepreneurialism, though.

"I was the first kid on the block selling lemonade when I was six or seven," Hawksby said.

"I've been interested in having my own business since I've been here.

"I had some extra money and a great idea. Auburn doesn't have anything like this. I'm bringing a bit of the good life to Auburn," Hawksby said.

Because of Auburn's rigid no smoking policy and difficulty finding good distributors, Hawksby had to vend stogies out of his home for two months.

Little Anthony's will carry a selection of tobacco products and accessories, including imported and clove cigarettes, humidors, cigar cases and eventually pipes and pipe tobaccos.

But Hawksby said he will focus mainly on premium cigars.

Several things such as the wrapper, filler, roll and the origin of the tobacco determine whether a cigar makes the premium grade.

"Most premium cigars are hand-rolled," Hawksby said.

Hawksby said the cigar should consist of a long filler, meaning the tobacco leaves are rolled the length of the cigar instead of shredded and stuffed.

There are many types of wrappers ranging from Connecticut, which is usually the lightest shade, to Maduro, the darkest.

"It's all up to personal preference and taste," Hawksby said.

However, Hawksby insists price is a poor determinant of cigar quality.

"A lot of times you walk in a store and they say 'Okay, start with the most expensive,' so you buy an $8 cigar. That's not how it works. Just because you pay $10 for a cigar doesn't mean it's better than a $3 cigar, " Hawksby said.

"Cigars have become big business, but with all the popularity my main concern is cigar companies sacrificing quality for quantity," Hawksby said.

He said the boom in the cigar industry has "opened up cigar-smoking to another half of our population" Ñ females.

"My girlfriend smokes them. I think it's sexy," Hawksby said. "I've gotten a pretty big response from women on campus. I guess ever since Demi Moore put one in her mouth, that was it."

Hawksby encourages everyone, regardless of their previous experience with cigars, to give it a try.

"I want to answer people's questions," Hawksby said. "When I go to a cigar shop, it's usually uptight and stuffy, and I'm looked down upon because I'm young and I smoke cigars. Everyone has to start somewhere. It's a learning process."

So whether you are a cigar aficionado or a first-timer, Hawksby reminds you that "the tobacco plant is a beautiful thing given to us by God and should never be overlooked. It was put here for us to enjoy."

http://www.auburn.edu/student_info/plainsman/archives/96FA/0924/intrigue.html