[Snook]

My first cigar was a fake Cuban Cohiba. Picture this: a group of high school seniors skipping school to go day-drinking in a Mexican cantina. Everyone lighting up cheap cigarettes. I never liked cigarettes but that cabinet in the corner of the bar with a cardboard sign reading “Cuban Cigars” caught my attention.

Fast forward a couple years. A college friend introduced cigars that he would take from his dad’s stash. Macanudo maybe? I liked it. I felt very relaxed and at ease while smoking. We all needed it. It was post 9/11 and we would smoke and talk about the world and our future.

I found the local B&M and bought a couple HdM Rothschild maduros because they were cheap. Those sticks became my go-to’s for the rest of my college and grad school career. I still carry some in my humidor to this day. They are nostalgic and part of my smoking roots. During that time, I purchased a small humidor and a cheap bundle from
, you guessed it — Thompson’s. I saw the ad in Maxim magazine and bit. I became a member of club stogie and learned a ****-ton about cigars. After grad school, I moved to Houston for a 6 month internship. I met some fellow club stogie members in herfs and my Cuban cigar cherry was popped. A Boli corona gigante of all things.
It’s been a fun ride. I’ve taken several years off due to personal reasons but I’m back with a vengeance. I love cigars. I truly do. I can’t say that I favor CC over NC. There are good and bad sticks on both sides. But I will say that a CC that is on-point is a truly remarkable experience.