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Did you have an "AH HA!" cigar?

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Oh yeah...
- Padron 1964 Pyramide - this is the stick that hooked me near 16 years ago. If it ant for that stick and the tobacconist that handed it to me to try I would probably have never smoked again after that horrid Macanudo that damn near ruined cigars for me.
- Tatuaje Black Label Corona Gorda - just a fantastic flavorful stick. I think @Cigar Jedi gave me my first one.
- RomaCraft Cro-Magnon Venus - this was a bomb from @Senor Perfecto and I lost my mind over this cigar.
 
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I don't have the widespread experience some have but I've had some of those moments. The first was Jericho Hill. It was the first one I had that was just damn good and it's still one of my favorites. A few I've had have made me just hold it up, look at it and say damn. Anejo Shark, Tennessee Waltz, and the Futuro I just had the other day.


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sofc

I hate E and Chef
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Oh yeah...
- Padron 1964 Pyramide - this is the stick that hooked me near 16 years ago. If it ant for that stick and the tobacconist that handed it to me to try I would probably have never smoked again after that horrid Macanudo that damn near ruined cigars for me.
- Tatuaje Black Label Corona Gorda - just a fantastic flavorful stick. I think @Cigar Jedi gave me my first one.
- RomaCraft Cro-Magnon Venus - this was a bomb from @Senor Perfecto and I lost my mind over this cigar.
Have to agree about the 1964 pyramide too but mine was about 18/19 years ago. :)
 
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Lots of moments along the way...

When I was a total noob, AB Maxx. Showed me that a cigar can have real flavors.
Then my first Undercrown. 2 boxes later, they're still good but not mind-blowing like that first one was.
As I started down the CC slope - first JLP, then Dippy 2, then BHK (52?) each blew my mind in that order.
My first Anejo - thanks to @ZippoGeek for getting me addicted.
Best ever = a Johnny O custom that sadly can't be replicated because of the nature of the beast. Bought a bundle shortly after smoking that first one but they need some rest. Fingers crossed.
 

SoberSmokes

Lets Go Rangers!
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I did.

When out with the guys at a golf outing, bachelor party, BBQ, or whatever else of the sort, I was never one to turn down a cigar if offered. But I didn't smoke them regularly. I remember a few being Macanudos, a couple cheap Fuentes, and I'm sure one of RP's 8,672 blends made it into my hands at one point. They were fun in the moment, but nothing ever really struck me, & occasional smoking suited me just fine.

Then, one day after grilling out at my house, I heard my friend tell a buddy that he brought along "go get Nick, he'll smoke a cigar with you". He was going on and on about how good it was & how much I was going to like it. Based on my previous "experience", I took it all with a grain of salt. I've smoked enough to know the basics, I thought. How good could it really be? What he handed me changed my whole perception of what a cigar can/should be.

First. The band. I know the cliche is that you don't smoke the band, but I was enamored by it. (Although I know even experienced smokers still have a instant perception when handed a smoke. It's what makes blind reviews so entertaining. I liken it to a saying I learned while cooking professionally: you eat with your eyes first.) It was strikingly attractive. Nothing like the simple Macs I'd smoked. Then, the smell of the wrapper. It was rich. Enticing. Asking to be lit. I obliged, and enjoyed every single second of that cigar - much to my new friend's enjoyment.

That was the push down the slope that started me into the hobby.

The fateful stick? A My Father #1. It's still one of my favorites, & I love pretty much everything the Garcias have put out since, across all their lines. I'm never without something of theirs on-hand.

What about you? Any particular smoke tip the scales?
My AH HA smoke was the Camacho Mike ditka from 2013. I remember it coming in a coffin case which I thought was so cool. I just restarted smoking again. Between the cool coffin , label, and it being a sport smoke it was so cool to me. Than i lit it. It was dark and a rich color. It was long so I was able to hold it with all 5 fingers. I was hooked. I smoked much better smokes since but that was my cigar that got me to say to myself "I like this"
 
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Tatuaje Black Petite Corona- Just an amazing smoke every time. First one I smoked had a huge grin on my face.
Liga Privada T52 - First T52 was blah, I think the B&M had them overhumidified. Smoked my second one, and I was hooked.
Partagas Serie D No4 - Sent me down the slope!
Liga Privada Feral Pig - Started off slow, thought this was a strong cigar? Then half way through it hit me like a ton of bricks!
 
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I started the cigar hobby with cbid mega dog rocket samplers. they pretty much all tasted the same, but i was all about that nicotine buzz.
my "ah-ha" stick was my first LP T52. They still gave me that nicotine buzz, but it actually had flavor.
It has been a while since moved past DE (no longer chasing that buzz), but that T52 definitely opened doors for me...
 
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I have many Ah Ha moments.

Ah Ha on the whole cigar experience (2 stories):
  1. One New Years eve after a party a buddy broke some cigars out and we went outside and enjoyed them. Don't remember what it was but I do remember going into it thinking "I will join but not looking forward to it". An hour later and I was nubbing the thing. I was enticed by the process, the ritual and the relaxation of it all. I came out of that experience thinking that I should look into this cigar thing a little more.
  2. For some reason though I didn't pick one up again for years until I was at a Jimmy Buffet concert (well the before party as I don't remember the actual concert). Awesome day with friends, drinks, food and then a buddy breaks out some cigars and hands me an Oliva G. I was more interested this go around. I had to relight the thing a few times but really enjoyed the whole thing and left the concert with the bug (and quite the hangover).
A couple trips to the B&M with some friends and I was well on my way with some sticks to sample. Don't remember what all I bought the first few times but a Macanudo Hyde Park almost made me hang it up as I felt like I smoked a used ash tray.

Ah Ha on how a cigar can taste:

Eventually I made to to a Padron 3000 and that was what really put the hooks in me. It was inexpensive, well constructed, love the simplistic band (you eat with your eyes first) and it had great flavor without much kick to it. After that I lost my footing and ever since have been sliding.

Ah Ha on how a great cigar can taste:
Now, after that my neighborhood crew started doing cigar nights once a week (rotate who brings the stick of the night). We went through all kinds of stuff and most nights I would get a little nervous as my nicotine tolerance was still low and some would bite me (ortega serie D, I am looking at you). I had heard everyone talk about these Tennessee Dance something or nother's and then one night it was the stick of the week.

I was a little hesitant when they passed them out but once I fired it up I was greeted with an hour of pure smoking bliss. Smooth, flavor galore, easy to smoke, gorgeous construction. The Tennessee Waltz is probably still the best cigar I have had to date and I always have it on hand.

Ah Ha on how a mild cigar can taste:
After my macanudo experience early on I thought it was medium+ or nothing for me. But sometimes I wanted something a little more easy going and not as much in your face. I had always seen the Torano Casa Torano pop up on newbie threads to try touting it as a fuller flavored mild cigar. Finally got my hands on a few 5 packs and was blown away by how much flavor there was and how smooth and mild they were.

Can't wait to have my next Ah Ha moment :).
 

Hamm

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1926 Padron #9 Maduro.
I was at a friends diaper party, and his uncle brought over a box of cigars. He handed them out to everyone, but after I looked at the price on the box, I couldn't bring myself to take one. I didn't realize there were two layers to the box, and thought it was $500 for 10 cigars. Instead, I smoked a crappy CAO Moontrance. Shortly thereafter, I was pressured into taking one. I was going to Vegas two weeks later, and ended up smoking it there. That was the end (or beginning, however you want to look at it) for me.
 
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