[icantbejon]

I started my slide as a solo adventure. I was offered a black & mild in Iraq toward the end of 2004 and I smoked it. Found I enjoyed smoking, which was news to me cause I was very against anything tobacco at that time. So anyway, I went home and tried a few real cigars purchased up in Canada and I liked them even more. I tried an Onyx Reserve and I was hooked. I tried a few random sticks over the next year. Then my brother bought me (no laughing please) a Thompson's Cigars sampler. I smoked them all and loved every minute of it. I still had no idea about what it takes to actually take care of cigars and how deep the hobby goes. I stayed on my own with the smoking for a while, with the occasional buddy popping in for a smoke, JohnnyKay5 probably being the most frequent. He was just as stupid as me at the time though. Then I came to back to Iraq (where this whole saga begins) and John had linked in with tobii at their FOB in Iraq. Tobii introduced John to CS, John introduced me to CS, and then my slip down the slope began in earnest. Guys like tobii, Don F, Smokey, JohnnyKay5, Conch Republic, etc have really helped open my eyes to just how good (and freaken expensive) cigars can be.