What cigar hooked you?

[MajorCaptSilly]

I was a manager for Wendy's in the late 80's and the owner of the company was a cigar smoker. We played poker one night and he gave us all some cheapies which definitely did not hook me. He told us if our district made budgeted sales the next quarter, he'd send us a box of "the good stuff". Well, we made budget and he sent us some Fuente 8-5-8s. Me and another guy who were kinda rebellious decided to light up a couple during the manager's meeting. This met with quite a bit of resistance from some of the other managers but we smoked away like the rebels we were. Now I REALLY enjoyed that smoke and grabbed a couple more to enjoy later. I REALLY enjoyed those too! It's been a love affair for me and cigars since then. I can thank Bob Fox for my 20 year slide down the slope.

Next...


MCS

[JKim]

A Cumbres de Puriscal sampler I picked up in Costa Rica in 2006. Before then it was an occasional Zino, Macanudo, or Dunhill, but I was not drawn to the therapy a cigar can provide until this sampler.

[Budprince]

My first "premium cigar" was a Baccarat. . . good for a newby - sweet & mild. The Cigar that really hooked me though was a Butera. Until that point I hadn't ever had such a smooth, creamy cigar. It made me want to sample more an more, and I have to say I haven't been let down.

[tedrodgerscpa]

The one cigar that pushed me down the slope kicking and screaming?

Partagas Black.

It was love at first 'puff', after many years of going tobacco free as a reformed cigarette smoker.

[TriStar]

My uncle handed me a flavored cigarillo when I was younger. The whole time I eyed his huge stogie, it smelled great. Well this past April, I went to Cuba on vacation and tried a Montecristo no. 2, my first real cigar. Fell in love and purchased my first humidor this past summer :)

[BamBam]

The PAM64 Exclusivo.....I said "This is like smokin a Snickers bar"

[Tio Gato]

I had smoked a lot of crappy cigars early in life. (Parodi's)
About 15 years ago when I was visiting the parents in Florida I picked up 3 boxes of La Gloria Cubanas. They were so raw and fresh with no aging on them.
My trip down the slope started there and I've enjoyed every minute of it.

[jjirons69]

AF curly head maduros. Cheap and tasty. There was no turning back.

[Whee]

CAO Italia Piazza. Smoked it on my 40th birthday with three buddies in Vegas. Best cigar to date..:ss

[acruce]

About 2 years ago my wife and I got together for a BBQ with some friends whom we became friends with because our kids hang out. He handed me a Cohiba Habano. It's been down hill ever since. I guess I can blame the slope on my 8 year old son:D

[AD720]

The first cigar to hook me (besides Macanudo Ascots, which I still enjoy) was a Perdomo Reserve Champagne. I never imagined a cigar be that smooth and rich. They are still a favorite.

[St. Lou Stu]

I don't know that this is the one that 'hooked' me or not, but it is the first good cigar I remember smoking.

The Arturo Fuente Double Château Sun Grown.

I remember this cigar and it's taste till this very day and that was smoked near fifteen years ago. I still enjoy one from time to time.:ss

[jkorp]

can't remember exactly. But I went into the BM and had the owner recommend a handful of sticks. One of those closed the deal for me.

[kgraybill]

PAN 64 Principe. Iwas ruined right off.

[lightning9191]

The first cigar to hook me (besides Macanudo Ascots, which I still enjoy) was a Perdomo Reserve Champagne. I never imagined a cigar be that smooth and rich. They are still a favorite.

:tpd: Same here. I took those first couple of draws and thought, "Wow if I knew these tasted this good I would've started a long time ago"

[cigars_n_scotch]

I can't really pinpoint a stick that "hooked" me but the first one I smoked was a Macanudo Portofino. After that I started smoking more and more frequently and everntually found other sticks. I'm still trying everything but have my fav's.

[stevefrench]

I had a White Owl in 1975 and never looked back.:D

[Starscream]

Went to the Tinderbox to buy a box of stogies for my wedding. Didn't know a Padron from a Cremosa. The salesman recommended a box of Fuente Cuban Coronas. Still one of my fav's to this day (mostly out of loyalty to the stick that got me started, but a fav nonetheless).

[Dood]

I'm like AD720, it was the Macanudo Ascot that got me hooked.

[MarkinAZ]

Around 1995 I believe it was the Partagas Sabrosa:ss

[Scottw]

Montecristo, don't know the type but it was a robusto size I bought when my son was born. It was from JR online in one of those library humi's. My only regret was no saving 2 for he and I to share when he grows up.

[Cigargal]

Davidoff robusto(millenium blend)

[TonySmith]

A friend layed a Camacho on me. Even though my head spun, I knew I had to have more :ss

[LkyLindy]

My dad only smoked the best-White Owls

My first smoke--Fabulous

[SmokinCozy]

Davidoff grabbed my attention and a Ashton VSG put the hook in.

[NickyTeen]

Camacho Corojo. Still one of my favs.

[chris45set]

First one to really capture my attention was a Gran Habano #3.
I never knew cigars could hold that kind of charm.
Been a downhill slide ever since (and a LOT of fun).

[DrDubzz]

Conch Republic Hemmingway (connie wrapped)

www.conch-cigars.com

[zmancbr]

Anything Fuente. I have that family to thank for this wonderful hobby and believe me, they have me to thank for not having any willpower to resist the Fuente cigars.... :ss

[Hudaddy]

A Diamond Crown and Fuente 858 in '96.

[groogs]

My first premium was a Padron 3000 Maduro. I followed that with a PAM Exclusivo the following night. That was the beginning of the end, but it has been one hell of a ride so far.

[Darrell]

A long Montecristo, way back in 2001 in Korea. No idea the vitola, maybe an A or Churchill, honestly I don't recall. When I came back into cigars in 2006, it was HDM Excalibur III that did it for me, man did my tastes suck. :r

[doctorcue]

LGC Wavell Natural

[phidelt076]

The one that hooked me was the RP Vintage '90 a buddy of mine gifted me.

[Mr. Ed]

Romeo y Julieta 1875 Bully

[Neuromancer]

Romeo y Julieta Churchill...

[zemekone]

1964 Padron Anny Principe...

[Don Fernando]

cc Montecristo #3 and the Cohiba siglo 2 on a holiday in Indonesia

[SmokeyNL]

My first Non Cuban, the ashton VSG envchantments, picked some up at a shop in caesars palace (not casa fuente) and I was hooked. Prior to that I had only smoked Cuban cigars.

[icantbejon]

I was hooked by Onyx Reserve. It's a cheapie, but I still love to smoke them from time to time. They just have a rich flavor that I enjoy.

[dannyboy]

The one that hooked me was not about the cigar at all. I smoked some fake (thought they were real at the time) Cuban Montecristo and enjoyed the camaraderie of smoking them with friends that I decided I wanted to look more into the hobby. Not sure where I went from there, but it was all downhill and fast!

[rhdad42]

Mac Vintage #2. Got a box of 5 for about $30 back in 1990.

[Tikihut27]

My wife bought me a box of Don Tomas something-or-anothers ten years or so ago. I had been smoking drug store cigars before then. (Still enjoy Don Tomas smokes, although they no longer make my top ten list.)

[icantbejon]

My wife bought me a box of Don Tomas something-or-anothers ten years or so ago. I had been smoking drug store cigars before then. (Still enjoy Don Tomas smokes, although they no longer make my top ten list.)

A buddy of mine brought a box of Don's to Iraq with us. He no longer smokes cigars cause the Don f*cked his world up something fierce.

[Harpo]

Punch Petit Punch... a birthday present from my girlfriend, which I'm sure she regrets to this day! :D

[floydpink]

Fuente 8-5-8 maduro got me.

[Boomer]

La Gloria Cubana Wavell Maduro made in Miami, FL before CA discovered them.
I had smoked a few before, but this cigar grabbed me like no other and still does.
:tu

[tsolomon]

Padron 3000 M was the first cigar to really grab my attention. :ss

[VintageJC]

Padron 3000 was my attention grabbing cigar.

[Gophernut]

First time hooked: Arturo Fuente Hemingway Churchill. First time I spent more than $1.00 on a cigar.

I took some time off and the 2nd time hooked: La Gloria Cubana Series R No.7

[smitdavi]

It was this exact moment...Carlos Torano. This is the moment that led me to CS to find out more about this cigar, the rest is history

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c156/the_studd/IMG_0111.jpg

[Wingfan13]

Rockey Patel Vintage 1990 was the first hand made cigar I had ever had. I have been hooked ever since.

[MajorCaptSilly]

La Gloria Cubana Wavell Maduro made in Miami, FL before CA discovered them.
I had smoked a few before, but this cigar grabbed me like no other and still does.
:tu

You know, the 8-5-8 hooked me but the LGC Wavell definately set the hook! I smoked the LGC line almost exclusively for several years.

MCS

[rizzle]

Rocky Patel Vintage 90 hooked me. I was smoking a few things before I tried one of those and that one was the one that did it, that really got me looking for different things and wanting to learn. I still love that cigar, too.

[Beer Doctor]

CAO L'anniversaire maduro c.2002. I remember smoking this and thinking WOW this is why I love cigars, I really got to smoke more:D I've tryed some recently and they weren't the same. I heard they changed their blend:fl

[cbsmokin]

Admittedly the first cigars I smoked frequently were Macundo crystal tubos, but the one that hooked me and changed my direction was the original Oliva "O" with the band made out of material. It may have been all of the hype at the time they were introduced, but I really liked them. I still have a lot of them as well. Maybe it is time to smoke one again and see how I feel about them now.

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n150/cbnat/IMG_5933.jpg

[petewho]

I was a two-sticks-a-year cigar smoker since age 18 because my pops smokes cigars, but never got on the slope. Back in December I had one (don't remember what) that made me say, "MAN! This is the first time I've REALLY enjoyed a cigar! This is GOOD!"... Then in March I was gifted a Fuente on my birthday from a friend and more-or-less repeated myself.

After that I took the plunge, bought a cutter, cheap torch lighter, a 5 stick Otterbox, and I still remember the 5 cigars I bought:

Don Pepin Garcia Vegas Cubanas
Gurkha Ancient Warrior
Arturo Fuente Chateau maduro
2x Coronado by La Flor

It was the Coronado that REALLY got me. I consider it to be the stick that ended it all for me.

Good times, good times.

[icehog3]

A Bolivar Royal Corona smoked in Nassau....it was all downhill from there. :)

[Langod]

My first real cigar was last July -- a Oliva Serie G robusto. It was good, and opened me up to cigars as being something I might enjoy.
Then a friend who has been smoking cigars for years gave me a La Aurora 1903 Platinum. Holy crap that was a good cigar. That's the best I've had to date and the one that started me down this slope.

[BarneyBandMan]

It was my first cigar since the Swisher Sweets at tent camp outs in Jr. high--A DR Cohiba sitting at Corona Cigar in Orlando on September 8, 2006. I remember thinking: I will never be the same ;)

[Cigarmark]

I had smoked a few cigars here and there, probably while drinking. Then, back in 2000, my wife and I went to a Sandals resort and I smoked some cubans:confused: and loved them. After I got home I went to the local B&M and tried some Padron x000 and the rest is history.

[FriskyDingo]

I never picked up any White Owls or Swishers, so lucky I still continue to smoke cigars. The first cigar that I had was an old fabric red banded Oliva 'O' Oasis. :dr I still have one of my originals left. Yummy!

[Boobar]

Onyx Reserve Robusto was the first cigar that I had that wasn't a Swisher and it has been all downhill since.

[JohnnyKay5]

My first one :tu

[Bruzee]

Romeo y Julieta.. Don't remember what model... :ss

[Cenookie]

My love affair started with a Monte White.

[CBI_2]

The night before our nephew's wedding in December of '06 a bunch of guys in the family were out on the back patio and they were about to fire up some smokes. Scott, aka TripleF, being the courteous botl that he is, asked if I wanted a smoke.

I floored them when I said sure. So they gave me either a Swisher Sweet or Black and Mild. I thought not bad. I think Scott was about to fall over when I said yes.

Scott offered to pick up some sticks for the reception the next night and several of us said sure. He showed up with some Perdomo Lot 23's. It has been all down hill ever since. :ss

[wchurst]

Hmmm - Have to say that would be a Mac "Petite Corona Cafe" :D ...been on a steady roll down slope ever since!

I use to manage a tobacco shop back in 2000, and didn't know much about cigars back then, but they had a small humidor full of dry ones and I chucked out damn near all of them as 'unsellable': Then it was a matter of finding out what to replace them with...so I started sampling cigars on my own (mostly small cigars in tins - Wintermans, Macs, etc), and asking customers what they would like to see in the shop.

Had a few customers from the store with a similar mind-set, and the next thing you know there are 3-4 of us buying & splitting up tins from different local shops over beers & BBQ-pits on the weekends comparing notes.

Grew a small but loyal following in the store over the next 6 months, before I left the company.... Eight years later I came back and bought the store: Now I'm back and trying more bands (got a 300 count chest that's packed full of various sticks, and I'm into some serious tasting both for my own habit & for my customers)... Have to say the best one so far, has been an early 1960's Cuesta Rey (got lucky on a well kept sealed 50 box of those): Smooth is just not enough to describe the it!:dr

Always looking for another stick to try though….and the down slope just keeps on rolling!:ss

[Texan in Mexico]

I had played around with Swishers and chewing tobacco - being from rural Texas that is what we did - at Bonfire (Texas A&M) in 1992 a buddy gave me an H Upman, that really opened my eyes.

[longknocker]

My first Padron Natural! Been hooked ever since!:ss

[Mystophales]

The first cigar that really made me get serious about cigars was 5 Vegas Gold. Odd that now I hardly ever smoke them but that is mainly because I am a absolute Bolivar whore now...Bolivar PC was what really turned this from a hobby to an obssession.

[King James]

My first actually favorite was a Montecristo White label. Have come so far since then :)

[sjnovakovich]

Arturo Fuente Privada #1. Smoked one in 1972 and I've loved cigars ever since.

[Celt]

First cigar that made me actually set up and say "oh ya I get it now!"

Drumroll.................................

CAO Brazillia Gol

[gonzo]

The one that made me know this was going to be an on-going hobby was the Rocky Patel Vintage 1990 Churchill, still my favorite.

Stomp'N'Rock,

Joseph

[68TriShield]

A Partagas Humitube.

[funnymantrip]

Honey Berry Backwoods...seriously. I had not really smoked cigars. Went and saw my friend one weekend. He was smoking these. I had one, it was excellent. My wife said that she did not mind me smoking cigars at all. It smelled good. So that Monday at lunch I went to our local b/m and picked out a sampler of real cigars. Here I am today.

[chippewastud79]

AVO Classic :tu

[massphatness]

A Partagas #10 (NC) -- it tasted like what I envisioned a cigar should taste like

[jquirit]

The first time I honestly can't remember what it was (back in the cigar boom). My friends and I had just graduated from college and we all got cigars to celebrate. We did it for quite some time till I moved to California and moved into an apartment complex that didn't allow smoking.

The second time around I'd have to say it was a Punch (NC) Rothschild Maduro I bought when I moved to Oregon. It still hold a soft spot in my heart for these. I don't buy boxes of them but I'll buy a single or two from time to time to relive some old (but good) memories.

[tnip23]

A Partagas #10 (NC) -- it tasted like what I envisioned a cigar should taste like

:tpd: And I don't smoke them at all now, I should try one again sometime.

[JPH]

SLR serie A

Toddzilla, a few years ago.

[ultramag]

The first cigar that really grabbed me and got my attention was a Tatuaje Especiales gifted to me at my first herf.

[TomHagen]

padron 3000 Maddy... pre-light aroma is choco goodness

[troutbreath]

Hemingway Short Story. Perfect intro: Not too long, not too strong, but great flavor and a perfect burn.

[Pipe&Cigar]

My First "Cigar" was a Dunhill Altimiras Tubo 4 years ago while Deer hunting... I had been smoking a pipe for about a year prior to that I stuck to the sweet Blends (Honey Maple, Blue Note, Vanilla etc...) about 2 years ago I tried an "AF Short Story" and down I went! The cigar smoking has crossed my pipe smoking over to the english blends and I have never looked back.

[Joseywales]

Well, I was North of 40 and on my first "real" vacation in years, when I ambled into a beer store just outside Ocean City, NJ. I had been wanting to try something other than the turds you usually get at weddings, etc. So I grabbed a Romeo Julieta 1875. From there I hit CAO, Carlos Torano, Helix, Fuente, Pepin, Padron. I rate them all on an Excel sheet and will continue enjoying.

[eber]

Cusano 18 paired maduro was the first higher end cigar that I really enjoyed, I have not had one in over a year, maybe I should pick one up and give it another try and see if I still enjoy it

EDIT: I should also add the Padron X000 series, those and the cusanos were my first cigar favorites (padrons are still)

[hotreds]

The cigars that actually hooked me were the RPV90 and Gurkha Regent Warrior box pressed.

[wavescrashing]

The first stick that hooked me was coincidentally the first non Phillie Blunt I ever smoked :r
It was an AF 858. Ironically, I'm not too big of a fan of these anymore.

[cherrybomb]

padron 3000 and partagas short

[Zulu]

I had swiped some of my dad's stogies when I was a kid and tried them...and of course having no smoking etiquette, I tossed my lunch. Tried some sticks in college at parties but it was just a prop to look cool in front of the chicks, I still lacked the knowledge of how to enjoy a cigar.
Then, one year for Christmas, unplanned, almost everyone gave me cigar paraphernalia...I guess because I drive vintage cars, drink scotch and play golf everyone assumed "he looks like a cigar smokin' kinda guy!"
So here I am with all this awesome cigar stuff...and not a single cigar.
Went to the local B&M, reluctantly admitted my noobness and asked about cigar etiquette and what's good for a budget noob.
Got my questioned answered and left with 2 Punch Rare Corojo Rothschilds...
...bought a box of them the next week.
So like many of you, concerning the friendly well informed B&M owner...should I thank him or curse him?:ss

[BryanB]

First one I feel in love with was a CAO Odyssey.

[joeobx]

Started out about 30 yrs ago on HavaTampa's then it was an occasional Mac or Punch, Then 14 yrs ago I picked up a box of AF 858s for my sons birth, would pick up a box every once in a while. About 5 yrs ago a friend turned me on to CAO Brazillas, well bought my first humidor 3 yrs ago, 100 count that now has morphed into a end table cabinet. And there's a box of 858s in there along with a lot more (dam Cigar Monster):banger

[tam]

It was winter of 2007 and I wanted to get into cigars. I figured it was going to be like wine with different tastes, hints, notes of flavor like wine. I worked at the airport and my supervisor was flying overseas. The plan was to have him pick up a box of cigars for me at the Duty Free store.

I joined CigAff and decided that I was gonna pick up a box of Davidoff Short Perfectos. A lot of the members on there were skeptical that someone with no real cigar exp. would pick up a box of said cigars. I did, I enjoyed them and passed a few around to other members of that forum. Then I found the old forum and found the BABOTL. And as they say the rest is history.

[Wanger]

For me, it was an Opus #4 that I fired up the first time we used the fire pit after we moved into our current house over 4 years ago. I'd been smoking for almost a year before then, but that was the one that truly got me hooked into this obsession. :)

[ade06]

A buddy gave me a baccarat on the golf course and I really enjoyed the experience of it while playing golf. A few months later the same buddy got me a part-time job at the local B&M when I was laid off from my full time gig at the time. It was all down hill from there.

[bigheadmark]

Licenciados was one of the very first cigars I ever smoked! it's been over 10 years...maybe even longer, like 15 or so..anyways my wife and I were out camping and I smoked one of them at the campfire...I thought it was awesome!! of course my tastes in cigars have evolved since then...

[alfbacca]

For me it was a Padron 2000 Maduro

[TomUfer]

My first premium hand rolled cigar was an Arturo Fuente Spanish Lonsdale. My second was a Padron Maduro Londres. I have not had a Spanish Lonsdale in a long time but I still buy Londres frequently.

[Cenookie]

A couple years ago at the graduation ceremony for the high school that I work at, a booster was passing out cigars. I think it was called "Cheap Bastard":), anyway I smoked it a day later. It was sooooo bad,:td I thought there has to be something that tastes better than this. So I went the local B&M, asked for advice and walked out with a Monty White, and Partagas. The Partagas was good, but the Monty White did for me. I've been sliding downhill every since and loving every minute of it:ss.

[TheBeard]

I'll attribute it to one of Tanith's 1958 Romeo y Julietas.

[El Fumador]

in 2000 i smoked a trinidad fundadores, that was it.

[Subvet642]

The cigar that got me was a Don Diego corona bought at the packy. I'm a cigarette smoker, too; so it was something that I could inhale with ease and it had a pleasant, creamy taste to it.

[Whynot]

I have smoked cigars occasionally for years. A couple of good ones a year maybe. Whatever caught my fancy at the store. Several years ago I got hooked by an Acid Atom Maduro. First whole box I ever bought. When I finally quit smoking cigarettes last year, I left off cigars for several months. When I came back, I found I could no longer enjoy an Acid every night, too strong of flavoring. A Monte #2 bought in Germany really got me hooked into non-flavored/infused cigars. I still just love to get samplers and and buy 5 or 10 of what I like out of it.