What Was Your First Box Purchased?

[Goldie]

Padron 5000 maduro

[Emjaysmash]

I did a box split with a friend for some 5 Vegas Gold Churchills.

My first ever box buy for myself was Illusione 88s.

Dang I am surprised by how many of you went all out and bought premiums as your first box. Nothing like diving in at the top haha. Keep them coming this is really interesting to read. Thanks fellas.

[Emjaysmash]

Originally Posted by Wallbright

Dang I am surprised by how many of you went all out and bought premiums as your first box. Nothing like diving in at the top haha. Keep them coming this is really interesting to read. Thanks fellas.

Well many people go out and buy samplers and singles of cigars before they buy boxes. My first real buy was Illusione 88 because I had a bought singles of them here and there and decided they were box worthy. I would be surprised if there were a majority who didnt buy premiums as their first box TBH.

[RevSmoke]

Originally Posted by Emjaysmash

Well many people go out and buy samplers and singles of cigars before they buy boxes. My first real buy was Illusione 88 because I had a bought singles of them here and there and decided they were box worthy. I would be surprised if there were a majority who didnt buy premiums as their first box TBH.

The majority do not buy premiums as their first box. The majority buy White Owls, Dutch Masters, etc...

In fact, the overwhelming majority of cigar smokers buy such cigars by a significant margin. (OK, who has the numbers out there?)

My first box was a box of Arturo Fuente Rothschilds for which I paid around $20 for a box of 25 (back in 1981).

Peace of the Lord be with you.

Originally Posted by RevSmoke

The majority do not buy premiums as their first box. The majority buy White Owls, Dutch Masters, etc...

In fact, the overwhelming majority of cigar smokers buy such cigars by a significant margin. (OK, who has the numbers out there?)

My first box was a box of Arturo Fuente Rothschilds for which I paid around $20 for a box of 25 (back in 1981).

Peace of the Lord be with you.

I don't know why but your little tag at the end of "Peace of the Lord be with you reminds" me of Cato the Elder and how he would end his speeches with "Carthago delenda est" (Carthage must be destroyed) regardless of the topic. Yours is much nicer though.

Anyways, I tried searching for the number of US machine made cigars sold in US annually to no avail.

[RevSmoke]

Originally Posted by Wallbright

I don't know why but your little tag at the end of "Peace of the Lord be with you" reminds me of Cato the Elder and how he would end his speeches with "Carthago delenda est" (Carthage must be destroyed) regardless of the topic. Yours is much nicer though.

Anyways, I tried searching for the number of US machine made cigars sold in US annually to no avail.

I also believe that my tag is nicer that Cato's.

Peace of the Lord be with you.

[RevSmoke]

Originally Posted by Wallbright

I don't know why but your little tag at the end of "Peace of the Lord be with you reminds" me of Cato the Elder and how he would end his speeches with "Carthago delenda est" (Carthage must be destroyed) regardless of the topic. Yours is much nicer though.

Anyways, I tried searching for the number of US machine made cigars sold in US annually to no avail.

Here is the link to one item. It doesn't mention how many premium hand-rolled cigars are sold, but in 2009, 12 billion of what I'd call "drugstore cigars" were sold by the big three. Here's a link, you can scroll down. http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_stat...cs/econ_facts/

Another link speaking about cigars gives a better idea when it talks about the billions of cigars and the millions of premium cigars. You can read here. http://business.highbeam.com/industr...ts/food/cigars

Here's a paragraph from another source that gives an idea about the premium -vs- machine rolled cigars from the 1990s. (I assume that percentages haven't changed all that much - although I may be wrong.)

By 1994, the scarcity of premium, brand name products caused a horde of start-up companies, some foreign. As many as 150 small manufacturers of inferior cigars sprang up to meet the new need to provide smokers with the perishable product they desired, inundating the American market with lower-quality cigars. These "Don Nobodies' sold for as much as the better quality, better known brands due to a supply and demand imbalance. The established premium companies, whose products accounted for 40 percent of sales in dollar terms (ten percent of product sold), faced further competition from another set of foreign companies, mostly Caribbean, that used the shortage to establish a bigger foothold in the United States for their handmade cigar brands.

Another note. In 2009, the two leading cigar companies in the United States had more than 60% of the market:
•Swisher International (i.e., nearly 50% of the U.S. market share with Swisher Sweets® and Swisher Little® brands)
•Middleton (i.e., about 13% of the U.S. market share with Black & Mild® brand)

Hopefully this helps.

Peace of the Lord be with you.

[Starscream]

My first box purchase was a box of A. Fuente Cuban Coronas for my wedding back in 1999. Bought another box of the same when my first child was born in '01.

[cort]

Sancho Panza Double Maduro Quixote.

[DPD6030]

Onxy Reserve Belicoso

[icehog3]

First few full box purchases were La Aroma de Cuba Robustos. I liked "pepper" way back when.

[cobra03]

5 Vegas Gold robustos

[Bax]

H.Upmann monarch tubes (The non CC version) It's what got me hooked on stogies

[Bill86]

Originally Posted by cobra03

5 Vegas Gold robustos

Same, I think I remember having a box of Montecristo Platinum Tubos landing as well....Maybe that was later I cannot remember.

[LasciviousXXX]

I am almost ashamed to admit it but my first box purchase was Don Diego Playboy's back when I was 18




I was stylin'

[Tallman]

Go ahead and laugh-CAO Moontrance. I've grown up since then....

[Blak Smyth]

Can't swing for a box right now, but I am thinking it might be Diesels, just can't decide which ones. I think they are my favorite smokes so far. (or NUB 460 Maduro)

[thechrisdotcom]

My first box I got was a Christmas gift. It was a box of the Cabaiguans from Tatuaje.

The first box I personally bought were the Don Pepin Garcia Vegas Cubanas. Still have quite a few of them left too. I bought a bigger size in length than I usually smoke. So I save them for special times or when I want a longer smoke.

VegaFina No 4