What was the cigar that started it all for you?

[yourchoice]

I smoked a variety of Macanudos that were available at liquor stores and convenient stores in the area. But I believe the first cigar that really "wowed" me was a Sosa Pyramid I picked up at (what I now affectionately call) a B&M. That was 10+ years ago and I kind of got away from cigars for several years thereafter (constant issues with RH that I didn't want to deal with).

Then, I bought a few sticks while in North Carolina at JR's about 3-4 years ago and started back up. I remember grabbing a Rothschild size NC Partagas and loving it. That trip to NC drove me to the internet for mucho research where I ultimately found the old jungle.

Now I have an end table humidor and several hundred cigars (and I don't think I have one NC Partagas! ).

Crazy but tons of fun.

[jaycarla]

I was tired of cigarettes and quit. Then a few months after I quit cigarettes a friend was smoking a Kuba Kuba. Boom, I was hooked. With the Acids, I was like most others, got sick of them fast.

The first moment when I knew I was in trouble was sitting out back on a lounge chair with a fire going and I was listening to the Fergie. It was a warm night, but not uncomfortable. A slight breeze from the west........damnit, I am drifting.

I was out back and I was listening to Fergie though, smoked a Cohiba Black and had an awesome Irish Coffee with it. Done, boom, pow, game over.

Tastes have changed ALOT since then. Acids are a distant memory and a Maduro that isn't named Padron doesn't even really happen anymore.

Started with big and dark, and now I like 'em thin and light.

[gbum]

smoke a gas station cigar for about 5 years... then one day i decide to get into walk in humidor at a shopping complex...


my first purchase was don diego robusto,padron 3000 maduro and monte no 4...

the money started to burn since then...

[Poronico]

Me and my bro were sitting in his garage and he hands be a PSD #4 and tells me to enjoy... never smoking or even thinking about smoking cigars I now realize this was completely wasted on me as far as the enjoyment aspect of it goes. On the other hand here it is 5 years later and I am still enjoy the hell out of the great cigars and the better company

[htown]

My buddy used to bring cheap cigars to poker games for anyone to smoke. After he noticed I had actually smoked a whole one and seemed to enjoy it, he brought me a Padron Aniversario '64 Principe the next time. I bought a humidor the same week.

[Bax]

The first NC that started my fall was an HUpmann Monarch tubo. I got a deal on an open box from my work and then the humidor a'la Strozier was born. The ***** was the '02 Monte #4 that sent me over the CC cliff. That's the one that put a hurtin' om my credit cards

[Langod]

About a year and a half ago my brother in law gave me a small cigarillo sized flavored cigar (a decent one, not a White Owl type) and it was OK. Then I tried a Macanudo Gold Court cigarillo. That was better. Still wasn't hooked or anything, just seemed like something interesting to do while having a beer.
Then a friend found out I had started smoking cigars. He was horrified at what I considered "a decent cigar" and gave me a La Aurora 1903 Platinum. WOW. That did it!
The first one I bought for myself was an Oliva G.

[Cigar_Noob]

about...well almost a month ago..it was the Garcia Y Vega Green Game (sucked) my first hand rolled cigar was a La Flor De Cano Habana..didn't taste like much..but I think I got me some leather taste.

[alfbacca]

Started smoking Macanudo Portofinos about 7 years ago. Enjoyed one about every 3 months. 3 years ago, a Padron 2000 maduro caught my eye and I fell down the slope.

[Lucky_Hippo]

The first handmades that really caught my attention were Macanudo Portofinos. They were easy to find and easy to carry with you. From there I went to Fuente 8-9-8's and couldn't get enough of them. I pretty much stayed with Fuente products for years since it's what my B&M carried and what CA magazine pushed.

Back in the late 90's there just wasn't a whole lot of information readily available for the average cigar guy passed your local B&M and CA Magazine.

I'm very glad things have changed! This place is a a real blessing!!!

[pmwz]

tried some pre cut longfiller cigars that sucked. my mom went to cuba and got me a handfull of sticks. one of them was a monte 2 that got me reallly started.

I'd been near cigars off and on due to client relationships but I was slow to adopt the habit myself. When I finally started smoking a parade of CAOs, Ghurkas and other lesser smokes almost completely put me off the hobby. Then I found a Padon 1964 Imperial that taught me that cigars can be a tasty and meaningful experience. Then I had a BBF that expanded that concept 1,000,000,000 fold.

[Kreth]

I'm surprised we haven't heard from some of the FOGs about how they used to punch their Pleistocene maddies with the tip of a mammoth tusk to celebrate a successful hunt.
Posted via Mobile Device

Originally Posted by Kreth

I'm surprised we haven't heard from some of the FOGs about how they used to punch their Pleistocene maddies with the tip of a mammoth tusk to celebrate a successful hunt.
Posted via Mobile Device

Bwhahahahahaha!!!

[icehog3]

Originally Posted by Kreth

I'm surprised we haven't heard from some of the FOGs about how they used to punch their Pleistocene maddies with the tip of a mammoth tusk to celebrate a successful hunt.
Posted via Mobile Device

We are far too busy reading your reviews of Gurkhas and Perdomos, Steve.

[Kreth]

Originally Posted by icehog3

We are far too busy reading your reviews of Gurkhas and Perdomos, Steve.

Steve?
Posted via Mobile Device

[Zanaspus]

Mine was Padron! I refer you to my intro thread.

[Mr.Maduro]

After I quit smoking 5 years ago, I started with some grocery store cigars that most people only buy for the wrappers... I tried a few samplers from different magazines and really enjoyed a Padron 2000 maduro.

I was telling a friend about how much I liked the Padron and he told me to try a PAM...I got a 1964 Torpedo and...well it was all over from there.

[Chemyst]

I went to a charity golf tournament and the pro
shop had RyJ 1875s and HdM Excaliburs. On a whim
I bought an Excalibur and found it very enjoyable.

I revisited a well-aged HdM Excalibur found buried in
my humi after a couple of years, just this past summer.
They are(still) an excellent smoke for the coin.

There are just so many other xlnt smokes out there,
that some very good smokes get sidelined(aged).

Chemyst

[Veritas]

I don’t remember my first cigar; just that it was some gas station variety. I would have one on rare occasions with some friends or at a poker game. When I decided to look for something better I went to the only B&M that I knew about at the time and got a recommendation from the staff. He pointed me toward an Arturo Fuente Flora Fina 8-5-8 Sungrown. It absolutely blew me away. I kept going back to that shop picking up singles until the box was gone. At the time I thought that stick was one that would always be on the shelf, now I know better. Since his advice was spot-on with the 8-5-8, I followed his recommendations for quite a while. Although that shop is on the other side of town from where I live and is not my normal B&M, I still drop by on occasion just because of their influence on my trip to the slope.

My first box purchase was the Montecristo Serie V No. 4.

My first CC was a RyJ Cedros De Luxe No. 2.