First Cigar

[SmokeHustler]

Ok so I searched, but I couldn't find a thread like this just yet. I could have missed it but either way, the question I have today is: What was your first cigar, and the story behind it?

Mine was a Cohiba Cameroon Robusto that I bought in my senior year of high school. I was with a Cuban friend of mine and we had just gotten paid from our part time jobs. We wanted to look sophisticated as we were going to chill out on the Las Vegas strip for a while, so we stopped by a smoke shop with the intention of buying something. Decided on the Cohiba after my friend said "Let's do it like Tony Montana."

[shilala]

I started smoking cigars when I was a kid. No idea what the first one was, but I ended up smoking lots of Middleton Cherries for lots of years.
I drifted off for lots of years, just having a cigar here and there, until I went to Florida in around '05. I picked up a box of El Original Toro Maduros at the Island Smoke Shop and burned them up with a bunch of friends. Since then I've been trapped.

[pektel]

Mine was a fake Cohiba my mom's boyfriend brought back for me from Mexico. He swears up and down it was real. He paid $12 a piece for some Cohiba torps from a guy on the beach.

In fact, I even have a picture of it somewhere... let me find it.

EDIT: Here we are.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t228/pektel/cohiba-1.jpg

[irratebass]

I was like Scott, I started smoking cigs when i was 7, yep 7 and I smoked for 20 years in that time I also had a few swisher sweets, black & mild and Dutch masters, but it wasn't until 2005 I think when I had my 1st Rocky Patel.

My brother in law taught me how to cut, light and smoke it and I had a few more since then, but didn't really get into cigars until this year.

[gbum]

my 1st ever cigar is a machine made villiger at my 21st birthday.i was hanging out with my biker friends waiting for clock to tick at 12am... when it tick.. they spray me with coke and soda... throw flour and eggs to ..wish me happy birthday and soon...while laughing our ass out... i slowly reach the cigar from my jaket(i bought earlier)... light it up like nothing happen... everybody was stunt because everybody know that i dont smoke,never touch cigarette in my life...and that nite i smoked,with my 1st ever cigar...

fast forward 5 years later i bought my 1st handmade cigar..
don diego robusto,monte no.4 and padron 3000m
http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2728/217/92/1040650095/n1040650095_1974324_1822179.jpg

my 1st ever pic of smoking cigar
http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2728/217/92/1040650095/n1040650095_1974325_2240149.jpg
don diego in havana club,kl.

smoke 1st cc at my 26 birthday and it was monte no.4...

[WittyUserName]

I too do not remember my first cigar, it was most likely a philly blunt or some other machine rolled dog rocket. The first cigar that I really remember was the summer after my senior year of high school. I was down in Mexico a little south of Cancun and the resort I was staying at had a cigar roller on staff. Every evening he would hand roll cigars for the guests to purchase. I just remember my friend and I standing there watching him roll cigar after cigar for the better part of an hour. We picked out a couple and smoked them on the beach. I have no clue what it was called or what it even tasted like. I just remember the old man rolling the cigars and the time spent with a good friend.

[DaBear]

My first was a Hemingway Signature at Convivium last year(1/19/10 iirc) with all the KA guys and a few Alums out on the porch of a plantation house we rented for the night in Smithfield. I remember I was such a newb I cut the foot off the thing and tried to light it without even cutting the cap off :r

Great smoke and still to this day one of my favorite go-to's

[Jasonw560]

While my parents were out having dinner with some friends, a buddy of mine and I (both about 17) got a couple of Dutch Masters from my dad's box he kept in his truck.

A couple of weeks later, we were fishing, and another friend of mine and I snuck a couple of more. Dad caught us, and told me, "Don't sneak any more. Just tell me you're getting one."

Smoked those, Travis Club, and Swisher Sweets until I happened upon a B&M, walked in and asked them about good cigars. I was 21. Started with I believe an Ashton, went to LGC. Been smoking them since.

[aaron72]

Gurkha Red Rothschild

Went to Texas de Brazil in Orlando with a bunch of buddies and we talked about wrapping up the meal with a cigar from their humidor at the restaurant. Started me up in this hobby.

[maninblack]

My uncle gave me a Roi Tan Falcon in HS which got me started. All uphill from there!

[jjirons69]

My dad smokes Hav-A-Tampa Jewels for quite a while when I was a teen. My buddy and I used to burn them quite regularly as he always had a huge stash. We smoked a LOT of them. No flavored, just the orange and white boxes.

http://www.miamicigarshop.com/images/cat-hav-a-tampa.jpg

[Mattso3000]

My uncle used to smoke black and milds, I think one of those was probably my first. Also smoked a lot of swishers in high school.

[thechrisdotcom]

I can't exactly remember, but it was probably a Macanudo Cafe Hampton Court. I liked that it came in a tube and I think that's what got my attention cuz I could keep the tube, haha. I still have that tube too.

Obviously I've improved my taste in cigars, though there is nothing wrong with Macanudo.

[Apoco]

My family was on a vacation to a cabin in Fall Creek Falls in Tennessee. My dad and my brother went out for a cigar on the porch and I was begging for them to give me one (I was 14). Dad had actually brought one along for me :)

The cigar was a Helix cigar. I'll always remember sitting on that back porch with a fog over the lake sitting in silence puffing away. I also learned how to do "Cheerio" smoke rings (make an O shape with your mouth and then tap on your cheek). 9 years later and I have 1500+ cigars, a 6ft x 5ft x 2ft humidor, and plenty of good smokes with the old man still to come :tu
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[rebelknight]

The last day of senior year of high school we have what's called senior smoke day (all boy catholic jesuit school). After skipping all of your classes to run around the halls and just enjoying that last day with all the guys all the seniors and some of the more awesome teachers/staff go outside and everyone smokes. Some people bring pipes some bring black and milds or phillys and some smoke handmade cigars. I asked my dad the week before to buy me something because i knew nothing about cigars. He bought the la aurora treasure pack. He gave me the gold tube and kept the rest for himself. I've been hooked ever since.

[pektel]

I can't exactly remember, but it was probably a Macanudo Cafe Hampton Court. I liked that it came in a tube and I think that's what got my attention cuz I could keep the tube, haha. I still have that tube too.

Obviously I've improved my taste in cigars, though there is nothing wrong with Macanudo.

have you had the Macanudo vintage 1997 maduro? The metal banded one? I thought it was great. Smoked one last Sunday.

[kickerb]

My very first, I think, was a Swisher Sweet Casino Gold (the ones in the glass tube). Shortly after that is was 858's and Acid Cold Infusions. The rest is history...

http://www.slipperyrockcigars.com/images/uploads/Casino_Gold.jpg

http://www.championcigars.com/images/arturofuente/arturo-fuente-858n.jpg

http://www.mikescigars.com/data_files/items/436/large_acid-cold-infusion-tea-box.jpg

[dvickery]

"its a boy" ... stole it from my dad in 1971.

derrek :hm

[gator_79]

I'm not sure what my first was. It was given to me by a guy I met at a local casino in Washington State. I enjoyed it very much and from there the slide started.

[LostAbbott]

My first smoke was an AF it's a girl that my dad brought for me after my daughter was born. Was not terrible but made me pretty sick after nubbing it. We straight to bed after fishing all day and smoking that for over an hour at night. No dinner, otherwise I would have puked.

[ktblunden]

Just over a year ago I decided I wanted to try cigars. I knew nothing about it and unfortunately I didn't do any forum research ahead of time (stupid I know, when there is a wealth of information out there). I did a few internet searches for retailers and went with what seemed to be a prominent one: Thompson (scream of anguish). I browsed through the site and ended up grabbing a 7 stick sampler and a Wolf v-cutter.

Let me stop for a moment and give some reflection. This was the only time I have ever ordered from Thompson and I hit the trifecta of annoyances everyone complains about from them. They called and harassed me trying to get me to join their stupid club. The sticks they sent were WAY dried out. They substituted a couple of house brands for two of the name brands in the sampler. There is a reason these guys have a bad rap on forums, unfortunately I didn't do research ahead of time.

Back to the story. I got the cigars and laid them out on the table and just admired them for a while. I decided which one would be my first smoke. After much deliberation I settled on a Gurkha Legend (mistake #2). I grabbed the cigar, the cutter, a glass of water, and a glass of Glenlivet 15 (my only good decision that day) and went out back onto the patio. I cut the cigar and then went back inside and did an internet search on how to light a cigar. Hmm, I neglected to buy a torch lighter when I made my purchase. So I grabbed the only thing I had, a BBQ lighter (mistake #3). So I went back outside and discovered that it's really hard to light a cigar with a soft flame lighter in a moderate breeze. I had to stand against the side of the house and huddle next to the wall while I tried to do it. I also discovered that lighting a cigar without inhaling is a skill that takes a little practice to achieve. After a coughing fit that lasted what seemed like 6 days I was ready to try to taste the cigar.

It was awful. Really, really awful. I did not enjoy that experience one single bit. The only flavor I got out of the cigar was ash. Looking back, there were a few reasons for this: Thompson managed to dry the thing out more than any cigar I've seen since, I scorched the hell out of the tobacco while lighting, and Gurkha failed to make a good cigar with the Legend (in my opinion). I tried another Legend (from another retailer) 6 months after the first one and still found it to be a seriously sub-par cigar.

Luckily for me a week after that first experience I had my second cigar (RYJ Bully, not from that Thompson sampler) in an experience I look back extremely fondly on and that is what shaped my future of cigar smoking. Had I not had that second experience I probably would not be smoking cigars today. On reflection, my first cigar makes for a good story and it's funny in hindsight, but it didn't do much to help me along.

[SmokeHustler]

It was awful. Really, really awful. I did not enjoy that experience one single bit. The only flavor I got out of the cigar was ash. Looking back, there were a few reasons for this: Thompson managed to dry the thing out more than any cigar I've seen since, I scorched the hell out of the tobacco while lighting, and Gurkha failed to make a good cigar with the Legend (in my opinion). I tried another Legend (from another retailer) 6 months after the first one and still found it to be a seriously sub-par cigar.

Luckily for me a week after that first experience I had my second cigar (RYJ Bully, not from that Thompson sampler) in an experience I look back extremely fondly on and that is what shaped my future of cigar smoking. Had I not had that second experience I probably would not be smoking cigars today. On reflection, my first cigar makes for a good story and it's funny in hindsight, but it didn't do much to help me along.

Wow that sounds like a horrible experience. Good thing you rebounded though. Just like my father used to tell me, "Try everything twice. The first time you might not be doing it right."

[Nathan King]

Mine was an Oliva V Double Toro that I chose because the V series was on a list of highly rated cigars from Cigar Aficionado that I had brought into the humidor with me. I probably looked like an idiot. The next morning I managed to not mangle the cap with my cheap cutter and lit the thing in a breeze with a half a box of matches. Having never smoked anything before it was a touch strong, but I enjoyed the 3/4ths of it that I smoked.

[colinb913]

Don Diego, can't remember if it was a play boy, or a players club, but if memory serves me it was a good smoke. Felt light headed afterwards. That was the very first tobacco product I ever tried.

[papajohn67]

Something machine made....1967 Vietnam. Also chewed on quite a number while walking point, gave me something to think about aside from the obivious.

[thechrisdotcom]

have you had the Macanudo vintage 1997 maduro? The metal banded one? I thought it was great. Smoked one last Sunday.

I have one in my humidor. It's been sitting in there for almost a year now. I still need to smoke it.

[Enphrared]

First cigar? LOL, probably a black and mild. Then backwoods sweet aromatic. Then I discovered real cigars. :P

[thechrisdotcom]

First cigar? LOL, probably a black and mild. Then backwoods sweet aromatic. Then I discovered real cigars. :P

Backwoods are my go to camping cigar. -(P

[Enphrared]

Backwoods are my go to camping cigar. -(P

I'll admit it, when it's nice out, Backwoods are my at work smoke. :)

[Sonic04GT]

Was in Iraq 2008-2009. Towards the end of our deployment my buddy and I had a "room" (more of a container) together and we'd sit outside playing cards at night. He mentioned another guy in our platoon had a humidor so we bought a couple cigars off him. The only name I can recall was Macanudo. They were super dry though, and started cracking. Spent a lot of time spitting out wrapper. Then again, we did also cut them with pocket knives lol

My first actual cigar upon getting into the hobby recently was an LHC, and I didn't care for it. Too strong for my newbie tastes I guess.