Cigars have been connected with men for a long time. We tend to conceive of cigar smoking as a man’s realm when we see Arnold or Fidel Castro holding one between their lips. Cigars and women, it turns out, aren’t that far apart. Women have been smoking tobacco for centuries, and it’s not unusual to see a cigar-smoking lady in this day and age. We spoke to Carisse @cigarchapeau an up and coming female entrepreneur and cigar aficionado about her role as a #sotl and her cigar inspired business.
How did you find yourself in the world of cigars? What is it about the allure of them that has got a hold of you?
CT: Actually, my stepdad is from Cuba born and raised and when he moved to California, San Diego to be exact to join the military; Cuban cigars were always around him and therefore around our house while growing up. As a little girl I was always intrigued by it. Once I became a fabulous woman, I started to become attracted to the cigar community and loved the sexy yet classy vibe within it and it felt like home.
You run an online shop that features customized fedoras and cigar accessories. What made you want to jump feet first into being your own boss? Also, what type of products can we order from you, and are they fully customizable?
CT: Well, I’m an entrepreneur at heart with 2 other businesses so it came naturally to create and bring things into fruition. But I thought, why not use my talents and live for art and begin to customize fedoras for this in the cigar community and from there I decided to build my website at cigarchapeau.com and expand with including accessories because we always need those.
The tobacco industry has been for the longest time heavily dominated by men, but in the last 20 years we have seen a big movement by women who enjoy cigars. What do you think is responsible for this movement?
CT: Beautiful to see. I think this has come from women owning their power in realizing that we have every right to indulge in ways that feed our souls and so many women have broken out of their shells of feeling criticized that this is just a man’s lifestyle and have embraced it as their own as well. I mean who doesn’t like seeing a sexy and confident woman with a cigar in her hand?
What can the cigar brands do to be more inclusive of women?
CT: I would say display them more and I think women need to come up with their own brands.
Let’s squash the biggest pet peeve. What do you hope to see forever banished from the cigar industry that affects women cigar smokers?
CT: The expression of it, I feel women should be able to be art with it and express themselves freely on how they choose to with market their brands or just express themselves authentically.
You also run an onlyfans page, what can subscribers look forward to as being one of your subscribed members? Can you tease us with something?
CT: I created my onlyfans page geared towards smoking sessions, erotic smoking photos and some live sessions here and there. I say if you want a tease click the link in bio, pay that membership fee and get one. There you will find the tease you’re looking for. Wink wink
Are you currently involved in any ventures in the cigar industry we should know about?
CT: Yes, I will be at the Tampa Cigar on March 24-27th as a vendor and hoping to do much more in the future.
If you could smoke one cigar for the rest of your life, which one would you choose?
CT: Yikes….that’s a hard one because I smoke from a mood and feeling. I do love a Leather Rose though…it’s something about that sweet tip.
The Instagram cigar community is knowledgeable and very inclusive with popular tags such as #botl (brother of the leaf) and #sotl (sister of the leaf). What is it about the culture and the group aspect of cigars that everyone finds so appealing?
CT: I think it’s more about the community itself. It’s the coming together with beautiful people who just want great conversation, a smoke and maybe a drink in hand.
