How did you get into cigars?

[RobR1205]

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!

[Flynnster]

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.

[RobR1205]

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! )

[JLMraider]

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.

[timj219]

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.

[The Poet]

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.

[Hawke]

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.............

[stevef2005]

Originally Posted by RobR1205

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!

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.

[stevef2005]

Originally Posted by timj219

I think as a means of decompressing. Hour or 2 of contemplation and relaxation.

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.

[icehog3]

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.

[azar]

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....

[Rockestone]

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!

[Rockestone]

Originally Posted by The Poet

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.

Let's hear that story!

[The Poet]

Originally Posted by Rockestone

Let's hear that story!

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.

[timj219]

Originally Posted by The Poet

a better option than a Lucky Strike or Camel. In my blissful ignorance, I enjoyed it, which is all that matters.

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

[pektel]

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?

[The Poet]

Originally Posted by pektel

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

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

[Rockestone]

Originally Posted by The Poet

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.

[stevef2005]

Originally Posted by The Poet

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

Originally Posted by pektel

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

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.

[RobR1205]

Great stories everyone! Keep em coming