Who's been your biggest cigar influence on & offline?

[FUEL]

Thought this may or may not be an interesting topic...time will tell.

When it comes cigars, who online and offline has been your biggest influence if you will? For the sake of all responding with Cigar Asylum lets exclude the site as a whole but feel free if you would like to name a specific member or clan of members.

Before I becoming active here, for me online it was Halfwheel. Being a psychological fact that males are visual first, I was drawn to Brooks photography, followed by the more in-depth aspects of the cigar, blend, manufacturer and enjoyed how un-"CA" they were. I enjoyed how they would follow up with with a redux or two as well. To me their UGI just makes sense as does their methodology behind the mayhem. And I get a very non-commercial vibe.

Offline, IRL, a local BOTL at my home B&M we'll just call "Steve" is an immense wealth of information and seems to know just about everything in a "jack of all trades, master of none" sense and he influenced me to go beyond the band and dive into the subtleties and the "romanticism" of cigars beyond a casual smoker.

He got me into as odd as it may sound, actually deeply studying cigars and all their components from the different types priming's of a plant, aging, curing, blends, regions, flavor and strength profiles, notes, profile shifts related to RG size, how to select the prime sticks at a B&M, the men and women behind the band and on and on and on. I've smoked on and off for 20 years but only the last few really got into it and my pallet became very and sorry if its a arrogant way of saying it but is not intended as such "sophisticated." By that I mean I can pick up a lot of the notes and flavors easily that some of my friends cannot. If it tastes good to them then its good enough but I like to go beyond that to pick up specifics if you will, but not quite to the annoying CA level of tasting toasted cedar of a 2' x 2' patch of earth under bessie the cows right hoof with a hint of barnyard and sweat of a 60 year old field worker named Juan.

He also influenced me on how cigars transcend or connect people into so many other hobbies or walks of life out there that under normal circumstances one would not necessarily connect or interact. Example being cigars as a shared experience in connecting a person with hobby "A" or walk of life "A" with a person of hobby "Z" or walk of life "Z" that would normally have no interaction with each other but through the leaf there is that shared experience that draws parallels and perpendiculars from the "A" to "Z" barrier so to speak.

That's my idea for a holiday weekend topic. Anyone else care to share?

to all S/BOTL and please be safe this weekend!

Double to all our brave men and women serving in the military as without you and your courage we would not be here today to enjoy this fine weekend coming up.

[Simple1]

Online and offline, I blame it all on Conch Republican. He's the one that had been such a "bad influence" on me, as well as introducing me to many enablers.

[icehog3]

It all went "downhill" for me after meeting Dave Klugman.

[ArgusP2]

Aaron (lostark374), Carl (rennD), Mo (MoTheMan) and the S.H.I.T. Herfers did me in.

Thanks guys!

[shilala]

It's been a lot of different guys here and back at CS that influenced me, and continue to influence my choices.
I can't break it down to a specific individual because as I did research I'd make posts asking questions about certain cigars and types of cigars, and the whole of the brotherhood would work to educate me.
I also lean(ed) heavily on reviews here.

A few guys I can think of off the top of my head who have made a big impact are Dball, sofaman, icehog3, akumushi, kelmac04, daklugs, lenguamour, blueface, and many, many more.
Each step of the way someone has jumped in to help me learn and experience that particular portion of my slide.

[jonumberone]

For me, it was Dball, hands down.

[Zane]

I have a friend Mark who started me down this path. However my Zombie brothers really shoved me down the hill.

[688sonarmen]

Dad

[sofaman]

One day I was just minding my own business smoking a White Owl Grape and then I met Shilala and things haven't been the same since

[Coach Deg]

Since I can't use CA as a whole, for about the last 6-12 months my taste has been leaning toward Mac and his Maduro Banter.

[Skywalker]

That's him... The one on the left!

Yeah. That's the guy!

Bobarian!!!

[big_jaygee]

it started when a guy at work handed me a cigar and i smoked it.....hated it. but it got me thinking there has to be better out there so i started looking around.....

found this place and started sliding faster. started listening to a guy named Mac and things have never been the same ever since

Originally Posted by Coach Deg

Since I can't use CA as a whole, for about the last 6-12 months my taste has been leaning toward Mac and his Maduro Banter.

[E.J.]

Ahbroody(Mike) has been a very bad influence.

[sikk50]

Skywalker taught me Arganese are top shelf. I'm now some what of an Arganese snob.

[cort]

My uncle got me in to cigars but things got really bad when I met the S.H.I.T crew, especially my good homie Carl (rennD). I love that dude.

[markem]

offline: Trent Lott and Mike Mansfield
online: the banter crew at Club Stogie

[DaBear]

Offline: I blame it all on George from Pipes by George. Bastid got me started with a Hemingway Classic, and had me smokin a PAM64 Principe for my third ever cigar. It was all down hill from there. Here I am a short ~3.5 years later, having worked in a shop for over 2 of those, and knowing more about cigars than I'd say most anybody my age does(it makes it fun to see the look of shock on peoples' faces when a 22 year old is able to rattle off all that info on any particular stick).

Online: Gotta hand it to the folks a halfwheel. I swear I'm on that site 4 times a day just checkin for new info

[MrClean]

Online: I totally blame Scott (shilala)
Offline: my coworker and good friend Ben. We smoke together once a week, usually at my house in the country, where we can shoot guns, then appreciate a good adult beverage and stick.

[RevSmoke]

Offline: 1976, Ray Nitschke from whom I got my first cigar. 1980-82, the staff at Iwan Ries, they introduced me to premium cigar. My uncle Gary introduced me to Cuban back in 1984-85. Then, Dennis at Riegels in Ft. Wayne in the late '80s into the early '90s. A number of other people have been cigar companions over the years, from who I also learned much.

Without a doubt, there a many from cigar boards who I have learned from, especially CA, but to name them? I would name one and remember a dozen others later on.

Peace of The Lord be with you.

Club Stogie