How did you get into cigars?
 

I'm sure there's a thread around here that has addressed this (I couldn't find it if there is), but in the interest of sparking up some good stories and conversation:

How long ago did you get into cigars?

Were you introduced to cigars by someone else or did you decide to try them on your own?

Have you always had the same taste/preference for the cigars you smoke now, or have you done a complete 180 since you started?

What were some of the cigars in your early rotation? Do you still smoke them?

Do you remember your first cigar?

Feel to include anything else worth mentioning...I'm looking forward to reading some good stories, everyone! :tu

Re: How did you get into cigars?
 

Freshman year of college, one of my floormates smoked a pipe and I decided to accompany him to the local B&M, which happened to be Iwan Ries, the oldest one in Chicago and possibly one of the oldest in the country.

Decided to buy a cigar and the fella working there walked me through everything, cutting, lighting, construction, it was awesome.

Walked out with a MonteCristo White. Smoked it on the quad with my buddy smoking his pipe. It was a great introduction. I don't actually have them in my rotation now but I have a few sitting in the humidor, interested to come back to them after winter is over, and after focusing on stronger sticks for the last year or so.

Re: How did you get into cigars?
 

I got into cigars after I graduated from High School (2011)...I knew one of my close friends had a sizable collection and was pretty serious about the hobby. That being said, I wanted to try it as a one-and-done thing because it looked "cool" and "sophisticated." Needless to say, I ended up really liking them so I eventually made my first purchase from CI: a 15 count Nica Libre flight sampler, a random 20 count assortment, and a modest 50 count desktop humidor.

My first cigar, (and I'll never forget it) was a Nica Libre Principe that I decided to smoke on the beach with my friends. I tried lighting it with a Bic lighter, but could only get a partial burn on it...so I put it out on the asphalt like a cigarette, drove our car somewhere else, and decided to relight it! I ended up smoking the whole thing before turning 50 shades of green shortly thereafter.

To this day, I can't get near Nica Libres, but I still have a love for the Nicaraguan sticks from my early days, like Padron. Arturo Fuentes also remain in my rotation. My collection is an assortment of about 1/4 CCs and 3/4 NCs...I love both, depending on my mood. My 50 count humi has been replaced twice, and now I finally have a cabinet (that was graciously filled by some awesome folks around here...it still hasn't sunk in! :tu)

Re: How did you get into cigars?
 

I don't remember exactly when I started but I can recall late in high school smoking Jewels Sweets fairly regularly. I know I chose these because they seemed more "upscale" or "classy" than Black & Milds and Swishers. Shortly after high school I found myself in Iraq and began venturing away from the machine cigars (didn't know the difference at the time). During my time in the Middle East I smoked Romeo y Julietas, Montecristos, Cohibas, some Black & Milds and "CCs". At the time I didn't pay much attention to which blends or varieties I was smoking and I know there are others that I have no idea what they were. I don't know the authenticity of the CCs I had because I didn't bother enough to look for the signs of counterfeits (and it was Iraq, a war torn 3rd world country).

About a year and a half ago I started smoking a pipe and after doing that fairly regularly I decided last month to take a more serious and mature approach to cigars. I ordered a 50 ct humidor combo that came with 10 cigars along with 15 Nicaraguan 90+ seconds and a 20 ct Dominican grab bag. About 10 cigars into that collection I was hit by a generous bomb from badbriar here in the CA which restored my humi to full status. I have already been looking at larger humidors (the wife is even offering input) and I'm thinking a end table style will be the next humidor. Once it gets full hopefully I'll be able to drop some serious $ on a large cabinet or even build a humi-room. I'm eager to try different cigars, notice the things I missed in my past smokes and maybe come across some CCs in my future overseas travels.

Re: How did you get into cigars?
 

In my late teens /early 20s I used to play poker fairly regularly and a couple other players used to smoke cigars during the game. One of them gave me one and I started doing the same. Over the years I only smoked when fishing or occasionally while playing cards which was much less often after marriage and kids so maybe 3 or 4 times / year. About 4 years ago I started smoking most weekends in nice weather I think as a means of decompressing. Hour or 2 of contemplation and relaxation.

For years I never smoked anything but macanudos or royal jamaican which I could get at the drug store.. When I started smoking more I started looking for other cigars and frequenting sites like this. I don't think I've smoked either brand since.

Re: How did you get into cigars?
 

I remember what I had for breakfast, but it was about half-a-century ago I had my first cigar. I likely have some stories, but you young punks don't wanna listen to Gramps ramble.

Re: How did you get into cigars?
 

When I was in the Navy we would go to the Mall just off base. We all had Meerschaum pipes and would always go to a tobacco store there in the mall. The owner talked me into trying a "real" cigar as I never had. He explained how to smoke it properly. I always thought people inhaled the smoke...LOL. Well....one try of an H. Upman....nothing fancy...it was a second. They sold at that time for a dollar a stick. Nothing wrong with them but little things. Smoked the same and tasted the same. I bought a lot of twenty five stick bundles from him!! Well...when I got back home after the Navy I found another store and now I buy online almost exclusively. Occasionally I go to the Branson Cigar Co. in Branson. Nice shop with a nice lounge to smoke in. Thats the condensed version!! I could tell about smoking in Israel but that is another story for another time.............

Re: How did you get into cigars?
 

Well I started with some "good" ole Black & Milds about 8 years ago. Always just smoked them on and off. About two years ago the fiance and I took a trip to South Beach and while we were there we WAY over payed for some MC Platinum robustos. We walked up and down Ocean Blvd enjoying them. She was the one who started me down the slippery slope with that one MC. After getting back to Oklahoma and recouping some cash I decided to visit local B&M. I got a 20ct humidor and picked up some Acids and another MC (Churchill that time).

My tastes have def evolved though. I started with Acids...had a few Olivas and then discovered the gem that is Undercrown. Undercrown popped my maduro cherry and I have been a sucker for a good maduro since then. I got curious last fall and bought an Acid while I was at the lounge. I made it through an inch before I tossed it. I still keep the Undercrowns in my line up, although I have not had one since I started smoking again as it is getting warmer. My usuals consist of Nica Libre's, Padrons, Undercrowns, FamNic 5000, and pretty much anything maduro.

Re: How did you get into cigars?
 

I think this reason can apply for a lot of people. I tend to smoke when it is nice every day, but it is my time to unwind from the day. Usually it is after dinner when things calm down. It's usually just my cigar, the radio, a glass of something to drink, and myself just doing my thing.

Re: How did you get into cigars?
 

I had the random cigar here and there at weddings and such, but when I got my job 28 years ago I found that cigars helped me get through the midnight shift. Smoked Grenadiers and Black and Milds that you get from the drug store in boxes of 5, unhumidified.

Around 2002 I smoked my first handmade, properly humidified cigar, and couldn't believe how much better they were than what I had been smoking for 15 years. Started heading to the B&M every week and trying everything I could get my hands on. Some of my favorites back then were La Aroma de Cuba, Partagas Black and CAO Brazilias.

In late 2003 I smoked my first Cubans in Nassau, from the LCdH there....Bolivar Royal Corona was the first. Complex, nuanced, rich, I slowly transitioned to smoking mostly Cuban within the next couple years. Still enjoy quality Nicaraguans and Dominicans here and there, but mostly Cuban at this point. Just personal taste, they're more in my wheelhouse.

It's not the destination, it's the journey. :)

Re: How did you get into cigars?
 

Welll I had a co-worker invite me out and offered me a Thompson red label in 2012 and well its all been down hil ever since! Now maduro's are my life....

Re: How did you get into cigars?
 

14 years ago I married my awesome wife. At the reception some of my buddies bought some cigars from the small humidor at the hotel bar. We stepped out and smoked away. I believe they were Macanudos. About a month later I saw an add in a magazine for Thompson Cigars. I ordered a 50 count humidor with a bundle of "Thompson" cigars. I can't remember the last time I had a Macanudo, let alone a "Thompson" cigar. My regular rotation consists of Perdomos, Camachos, and My Fathers.

By the way, I'm still using that humidor!

Re: How did you get into cigars?
 

Let's hear that story!

Re: How did you get into cigars?
 

Here's a quick one. I was probably 14 or so when I smoked my first cigar. That would be mid-60s, and things were more lax back then, especially in the tobacco-friendly environment of North Carolina. I don't remember specifics, but it was likely a cheap "It's A Boy!" or some-such Phillie or White Owl . . . not a great intro, but not as nasty as the Grapes or Bananas disparaged on this forum often, and a better option than a Lucky Strike or Camel. In my blissful ignorance, I enjoyed it, which is all that matters.

I recall buying my first a few years later, a five-pack of A&Cs . . . not a quantum leap, yet a step up for sure.

Re: How did you get into cigars?
 

OMG Lucky Strikes! Do they even still make those? I quit cigarrettes over 25 years ago and Luckies were my brand.

Re: How did you get into cigars?
 

Yes, lucky strikes are still being made. It was my cigarette of choice up until I quit over 7 years ago. Though I smoked the filtered ones. I've smoked quite a few camel straights over the years as well.

My cigar obsession is 100% to blame on my girlfriend. She bought me a sampler + humi from CI years ago. It's been downhill ever since.

Which is nice, because she can't complain about my purchases. It's HER fault, right? :D

Re: How did you get into cigars?
 

It's Valentine's Day, so be sure to tell her that. :tu

Re: How did you get into cigars?
 

:tu

Re: How did you get into cigars?
 

:hy:hy


I tried to tell my fiance that once, as she is the one who got me started, and she gave me this look like "You really didn't just say that did you?"

I have not tried it since then.

Re: How did you get into cigars?
 

Great stories everyone! Keep em coming :tu

Re: How did you get into cigars?
 

Smoked a ton of crap and improperly stored cigars, thought people were fruits for smoking them....just didn't understand it.

A PAM64 Exclusivo blew my mind....(bought on recommendation of the guy working at the B&M). Bought for my neighbor, but I smoked it before he returned home. Went and bought 2 more about 2 minutes after I finished it(one for him, another for me).

Been smoking cigars ever since. That was about when I joined this site, so correlates with my join date.

Re: How did you get into cigars?
 

I received some cigars as part of a Christmas secret santa on ar15.com and took off from there. Now I have over 400 cigars and am enjoying cigars immensely.

Re: How did you get into cigars?
 

After 30 years of smoking cigs I quit 2 years ago, after I quit I was a the casino and I usually got smokes comped while I was playing craps, so instead I thought I'd get a cigar, I didn't even light it just sort of chewed on it while throwing dice. Did that a few times then finally lit one up, Partagas 1845 Black Label, started smoking one now and then, found this board and met up with the S.H.I.T. herf crew and it was all downhill from there, in more ways than one. :r

I'm not into the Party Blacks anymore (phrasing), that first S.H.I.T. herf I had some great sticks and learned that I prefer the more mild / medium cigars, the big pow and pepper of the Black Label just wasn't my thing.

Oh and silly me, I thought I was going to save money over smoking cigs. :r

Re: How did you get into cigars?
 

I am Monte 2, Adam is Siglo VI.

He is not a number, he is a FREE MAN!

Re: How did you get into cigars?
 

My first "good" cigars were a Padron Family Reserve and a PAM64 several months after starting the hobby :tu

Re: How did you get into cigars?
 

My next door neighbor in high school always had one. Cant remember what kind but they were pretty good. For graduation he got me a box of I think Bolivar ( I am sure they were from that forbidden place ) and the rest as they say is history.

Unfortunately he passed away before I graduated and never got to share one of them with him. Thanks Norman they were delicious!

Re: How did you get into cigars?
 

When I was 15 my best friend went bald suddenly. He was then able to buy cigars and beer.:noon. We smoked Parodi cigars. They tasted good to us then. After that I only smoked on rare occasions. When I was 30 I worked with a guy from the DR. His cousin is Jose Seijas.
To earn extra money his mom would send him cigars to sell. It was all downhill from there.
25 years later I still get excited to try a new blend. There's just something so special about a quiet moment with a cigar.:2

Re: How did you get into cigars?
 

I started to smoke cigars after I started riding a motorcycle. For whatever reason, pulling into a motorcycle bar, getting a cold one and having a cigar seemed to all go together. I also like to enjoy a smoke when working in my garage or around my home. For me it's a relaxing and enjoyable activity.

Re: How did you get into cigars?
 

Cousin quietly gave me a cohiba for my 18th birthday. Snuck away that night having no idea what I was doing and still enjoyed the hell out of it. Been hooked since.

Re: How did you get into cigars?
 

Nice Chase! Don't forget to introduce yourself in the New Inmate Processing Area!! :tu

http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=7

Re: How did you get into cigars?
 

While I was in college I went to the Leaf and Bean in Bozeman MT with a friend and bought a green labeled Macenudo, (sp?). We sat out by the towers and enjoyed good conversation, and a good cigar.

Afterwards, cigars were a very occasional treat, as I was pretty poor, as I've, well aged, I've gotten more into smoking good cigars. Somewhere along the line I even join some silly cigar forum!

Re: How did you get into cigars?
 

My brothers AUguy and BluesTiger, are both responsible for my demise, they are both active members of this forum. But I've been lovin every minute of it!

Re: How did you get into cigars?
 

You belong to another forum besides the Asylum, huh Rob? :D

Re: How did you get into cigars?
 

How long ago did you get into cigars?
I "got into" cigars back in 1980.

Were you introduced to cigars by someone else or did you decide to try them on your own?
Even before "getting into" cigars, I had "snitched" my first cigar from a box of Dutch Masters Presidentes in the golf bag of someone I was caddying for sometime in my middle school years.

But it was my first year in college that I was "introduced" to first cigar. I was in college and went downtown Chicago to visit Iwan Ries to get some pipe tobacco. While there, I went into the massive (at least to me newb eyes) walk-in humidor. The own asked me if I was looking for something in particular. I told him I was actually there for pipe tobacco and had only ever had a DM Presidente, was not really thrilled with cigars, just looking. He asked if I'd ever had a "good" cigar. He gave me an Arturo Fuente Chateau Fuente Maduro, snipped it, and helped me get it lit. I was amazed at the flavors.

Have you always had the same taste/preference for the cigars you smoke now, or have you done a complete 180 since you started?
I have been all over the map I like a bit of variety in my cigar tastes I am not a big fan of "strong" for the sake of stong. I like complex cigars with nice flavors that are not boring.

What were some of the cigars in your early rotation? Do you still smoke them?
AF Chateau Fuentes, AF Hemingway Short Stories, Punch Rothschilds, El Rey del Mundo Robustos, are all cigars that I really enjoyed - and still smoke most of them upon occasion, having a box of the ERdM in the humidor at present.

Re: How did you get into cigars?
 

Thomas, I was absolutely thrilled to switch from my Grandma's Pall Mall's to Middleton Cherries and Marlboros.
It was a life-changer for me.

I can remember wanting a Parodi cigar since I was just a little spud because Parodi sounded like pierogi, and I love pierogies.
I remember the old guys laughing and saying it'd make me puke, as if the threat of puking would somehow factor into my decision making. :D

Re: How did you get into cigars?
 

I've smoked machine made cigars for decades, usually White Owl or Garcia Vegas. About 7 years ago, my son came home from college with a hand rolled cigar and the rest is history.

I started out with a small humidor which fit about 20 cigars. That would be all I would ever need. Then came the 200 count, then a small one that was a gift, another 200 count and one more small one.

I use the original one for my infused cigars, one of the 200 count for aging cigars and the other 200 count I smoke out of. I use the other small ones for overflow.

I started out with a milder smoke, but now I love my dark maduros and full bodied cigars.

Looking back, it's kind of funny how great I thought the machine made cigars were and now I wouldn't touch them!

Re: How did you get into cigars?
 

Been smoking cigars steadily for about a year now. Have smoked them once in a while over the last 10 years, but only a couple a year, or I would pick up a 5'er of backwoods for an evening - inhaled the things as well :-/. Over the years I learned not to inhale and just savour. It wasn't until my friend got into cigars more and brought them around for outings. Tried a bunch of different brands.

Last March I went to Cuba for a week and bought my first box w/ a bunch of singles..... Now I have about 10+ boxes and a bunch of singles.

Slippery slope to say the least.

Re: How did you get into cigars?
 

Well , some friends and I all got into the hobby together. Back in highschool we all started out on the gas station crap (you name it we tried it). Then a good friend and BOTL went to cuba for vacation and brought back some fauxhibas. I still remember standing out on my deck , trying to work on a faux RYJ Churchill , it burned like crap , made me sick (wonder why) , it was windy and cold.

After we came to our senses we all realized we enjoyed the camaraderie , and started going to the local place. It was a small gift shop that sold cigars out of a "humidor". We were paying $35/stick for stuff like Rocky Patel 1992s etc. The cigars were always dry but we enjoyed the experience of having real cigars nonetheless.

I bought a small desktop from there (needless to say it leaked like a sieve). Filled it with mostly overpriced CC's and some also overpriced NC's (this is Canada). Found out about online vendors , and bought an aristocrat.

Now a BOTL from a cigar club I am in based out of Calgary , opened up a franchise up here. They have a nice big walk in humidor , and even humidified cabinets for the gas station crap.

I frequent there. But buy most of my collection online nowadays for about 1/7th the cost. Those two BOTL's and I still get together for a smoke at least once a week when we can. And they are coming to North Carolina with me in April to be my groomsmen.

Re: How did you get into cigars?
 

The prices are awesome here in Canada - couple weeks ago I wanted to try a couple cigars before I dive in (BFF and a PLPC) and it was just shy of $60.00. :bh:emo2004

Re: How did you get into cigars?
 

So two summers ago I was a groomsman in my buddies wedding. The best man got a box of H. Upmann toros. It was the first thing I ever smoked in my life. I gave in since most guys at the seminary I go to smoke any way. It was quite enjoyable. After that I started the cheap route and got a bundle of Bahia B-line Connecticut's and stored them in a tupradoor with a damp paper towel. I finally got wise and got a small glass top 20ct from CI with some RyJ's and Macanudos. From there I found the devil site and this place and it was all down hill from there. Now I have a cooler and keep the desk top for show in the living room. I haven't smoked a Bahia in forever and probably never will. I still like Upmann's and this place has certainly gotten me more into maduros and DE stuff. Never cared for Acids or flavored stuff though. Also, recently have gotten into pipes over the past few months. It is just as slippery a slope as cigars.

Re: How did you get into cigars?
 

My Dad and Grandpa were pipe smokers. I was a cigarette smoker in my teens. I quit cigs but I used to puff cigars still. I don't even remember what kind, except one was Swishers. In the 80s I used to grab cigars from a local liquor store, Macanudo, Punch, RyJ, Partagas, that kind of stock. Nicely kept humidor. I smoked about one or two a week, handed some out to buddies. Then I occasioned to travel overseas on business. I brought back a box or two of CCs now and again and passed them around. Then in the late 90s I met a neighbor who was more into the different brands and flavors and we would sit around and exchange smokes. Then I found the internet in the 2000s and ended up with more than I can smoke for the next 15 years. Now I'm just working that pile down and trying not to impulse buy everything I read about here.

Re: How did you get into cigars?
 

When I was a senior in high school, (or maybe a junior - that was a while back :D) a bunch of us would drive down to the Huntington Beach pier and spend the night pier fishing and screwing around on the beach. We'd stop at a liquor store and grab whatever consumables we'd need, and one time I grabbed a pack of the old wooden tipped Tiparillos. That must have been around '69 or '70. Had no idea at the time it was the beginning of a long term affair.

Re: How did you get into cigars?
 

:rolleyes:Yea, um, yea another forum, right.















:D

Re: How did you get into cigars?
 

Growing up my parents both smoked cigarettes and at one time my Father and Grandfather smoked pipes. I have always loved the smell of pipe tobacco but never took up smoking until about a year ago. I occasionally tried some of my husband's cigars but never gave much thought to it as a hobby. Then some Pudgy Monsters showed up at my door with my name on them. :adam Needless to say down the slope I went, especially after smoking the Drac and Mummy. Now I'm spending more at the B&M than my husband at times. :lr

Re: How did you get into cigars?
 

Smoked backwoods back in the day when I would fish, then had a nice cigar off and on over the years, was in Orlando in 2008 and me and some guys grabbed some Macanudo's and sat out by the pool drinking and smoking, just got me hooked, kicked around until I found this place and it was all she wrote :tu

Re: How did you get into cigars?
 

Had them on and off for years. WHen I bought my first house, a co-worker gave me a small humidor filled with a Thompsons Sampler (complete with the green iguana cigar).

Re: How did you get into cigars?
 

Some people criticize Macanudos, but there's a large amount of smokers that cut their teeth on them.

Re: How did you get into cigars?
 

For me it was a mix between a job change and new coworkers who loved cigars, and trying to cozy up to my future father-in-law who was a daily cigar smoker.

I wish I could remember what my first stick was, I remember walking into a local B&M and asking for a recommendation for my first stick. I went home and smoked it, it was beyond wonderful and great introduction to the hobby.

Re: How did you get into cigars?
 

Buddy in college gave me a factory seconds my freshman year of college. Down the slope I went

Re: How did you get into cigars?
 

Must be nice to have a significant other smoke with you! I don't think mine will be trying them anytime soon :r