Connoisseur, NOT

Heaven save us from the connoisseurs!

The word 'connoisseur' is a derivation from the French 'connaisseur', which translates (roughly) to English as 'insufferably snooty bastard.' I'm sure you've known one or two:

-The guy who only smokes Cuban cigars, and thinks all others as equivalent to Swisher Sweets
-The guy who only brews freshly ground coffee that he's roasted himself, thinking store-bought ground coffee is akin to necrophilia
-The guy who flashes his exspendy watch, going on about the Breitling 17 movement versus the ETA 2836

A Hugh Jass Rant

I even shy away from the label of 'aficionado,' as I'm not a metrosexual male who would light his Opus X with a $20 bill, while standing over his Titleist Pro 1V on the 3rd fairway at Pebble Beach. Actually, I'm a working schlub that prefers puffing an Oliva Serie O, while blasting my Noodle+ out of a bunker at my local municipal course. (By the by, The Serie O is a great golf cigar; good enough to really enjoy, classy enough to not embarrass you when giving one to a stranger, and cheap enough that you won't cry when you accidentally drop it into a muddy divot.)

I like humble geekery; being passionate about something and then delving deeply into the craft/trade/process that excites you. Plus, being a geek doesn't necessarily involve being a pretentious prick and looking down your nose at people that know/care less than you do.

If someone has to stick a label on me, I guess that 'Hugh Jass' fits just as well as any other.