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How'd you get into cigars?

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I've always been curious as to how and why people got into cigars? What drew them to smoke? What did they first smoke? What made them move onto other cigars? Please share your story.

I started smoking cigars when I was 18 in high school. I don't know exactly what made me first start smoking cigars, but I can tell you once I started smoking it was flavor of cigars, the relaxing feeling I felt, and the camaraderie that one shares with others when smoking cigars. Cigars also have been something I can enjoy alone to decompress, and get away from everything in my life. First cigar I ever smoked was an awful cinnamon flavored cigar, but not once since then I have I smoked a flavored cigar. When I was in college at the University of Florida there weren't many options to buy cigars in Gainesville, so I either bought them at ABC Fine Wine & Spirits, or I ordered samplers from Thompson. When I starting out I smoked Cohiba Red Dots, Hoyo de Monterrey and Romeo y Julieta Reserve Maduros. The RyJ Reserve Maduro was my favorites for a couple years. When I moved back to South Florida after college, I finally started getting more into other cigars. When I was at a store in Sunrise saying how much I liked the Reserve Maduro a fellow customer urged me to open up to other cigars. He told me to smoke an AVO Domaine. I smoked that for a couple months, and liked the difference in flavor. After that he recommended Padron, and then he recommended Padron 1926 Series. When I moved to San Diego, the store I went to got me to try Tatuajes, Fuente, La Flor Dominicana, and Zino Platinum Crowns. When I moved back to South Florida I started opening up more, and smoked Ligas and My Father. My tastes gave obviously evolved the longer I smoked. Ultimately, in my 13 years of smoking I have enjoyed every moment of it, and have met some great people along the way.
 
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I started just trying to be cool when I went out of town. My first was a Padron 1964 anny. As I got older I had a friend that was really into it and taught me a lot and the more I learned the more I wanted to really be into it. Then found this crazy place and the stuff I've learned since joining here has only made me worse lol.


"Eating and sleeping are the only activities that should be allowed to interrupt a man's enjoyment of his cigar."
 
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Southern NJ, or NC Mountians
January '09, I'm over my brother's place, and he asks if I want to try a cigar. Some Dom cigar named for a horse or cowboy. I can't for the life of me remember the name. Well, I did all kinds of research on the hobby, and went out and bought some to try. A Punch London Club, a Hoyo de Monterrey rob, and a RP Edge Lite. I tried the Punch and Hoyo first, and could only get half way through. Hated them. I figured this cigar thing was not for me. I didn't want to waste the RP, so gave it a try and an obsession began. I found Cbid, and it was a down hill spiral from there. I met about a dozen locals on their board, and a few of us started getting together every Wednesday night. Those vets poured their knowledge into me, and I soaked it up like a sponge. Over 5k cigars ashed, 3 overflowing coolers, and here I am today. I should probably kick my brother's arse.
 
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South Bend, IN
Started in college at frat parties to look cool. Cannot recall what it was but the first one all I can remember is ferociously puking in a trash can. Might have been the alcohol....... Picked it up again when I began working in a firm with a couple guys who smoked them. Big memory from childhood though was my dad taking me to his office and one of the partners would always be in his office with a Churchill and wonderful fascinating billowing smoke.
 
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Spring Valley, AZ
I started smoking in my teens while fishing. I only smoked machine mades like swisher sweets, tampa jewels. Then about seven years ago I feeling to deep dark hole. I kept getting Thompson catalogs like every other week. So I bought some cigars enjoyed them. Next thing I know I bought a humidor cigar combo. Then I found this site and the rest is history. I now smoke anything that I enjoy and moved enough to avoid the Thompson catalogs. I have met a lot of good friends because of cigars. I have smoked a lot of good cigars over the years. Cannot wait for the next big thing to come out.

"Life's journey is not to arrive in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, "Shouting....Holy Shit....what a ride!"
 
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Lamar CO
I started in college. Was walking through the mall and a heavenly scent was wafting out of the little tobacco shop so in i go and found the humidor, walking around and looking at all the sticks i thought "how do i choose?" So i see a Macanudo portofino that is the last one in the box and ask the guy if i get the box if I buy the last cigar and he says yep. So that was my first stick and how I chose my sticks while I was in college.
 
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Just Relocated Podunk USA
I started smoking cigars to get away from smoking cigarettes. Then pipes came in and I enjoy both, mostly cigars though. I cant stand the smell or taste of cigs any more, Just stogies.
 
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Worked downtown in Peoria, Illinois and there was always this smell coming from this place so I wandered in and was hooked.
 
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Easton, PA
I started thanks to some friends who were sharing sticks at their weddings. Really started to enjoy them, bought a few sampler packs from CI and Famous, and the rest is history. Three humi's and a lot of money spent on sticks later, and I'm hooked!
 
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I quit drinking and hard partying back in 2010. I worked hard to get my life together after some major events put me back in New Orleans after living in Miami for 4 years. I quit cigarettes in 2011 and I was left with NO VICES! I felt like I needed something to relax with, to enjoy after a hard day or to celebrate. One of my great friends asked me to be one of his Co-Best men for his wedding and at the Bachelor party his father brought a mazo of about 25 Thompson cigars. Nothing special by any means, but I found my release that night. I had something to enjoy while my friends drank and we all had a blast. After doing a little bit of research I bought a 40 count Humidor/20 cigars combo from Thompson about a week later. The Humidor has held up nicely to this day. While I was just starting out I became friends with Sean at the Tinder Box in Lakeside Mall here in New Orleans. He told me that if I wanted GOOD cigars.... trust him and let him make a sampler pack for me. After trusting him I can say it was the best decision I've made when it comes to cigars. A Liga Privada 9, T52, Undercrown and two other really tasty sticks were included and my eyes (and palette) have been opened. That's my story. Lover of the leaf since 2012
 

mdwest

BoM Feb 13 - BoY 2013
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I started smoking "casually" a long time ago... not sure how or why.. other than I had a couple of buddies that would occasionally smoke cheapies.. and I'd participate.. (once a month or so?)...

when the "boom" happened.. one of my favorite haunts was a quasi cigar bar... whenever I would go there (once every couple of weeks) I'd try something "good"... after a few months, I was hooked.. and started seeking out B&Ms, trying new stuff, and started investing in the hobby (got a humidor, started making larger purchases, etc..etc..)...
 

Craig Mac

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I started smoking Backwoods at 16 because I thought Clint Eastwood was cool and I had heard that is what he smoked in the old westerns (I read somewhere later they weren't Backwoods).

During the "boom" in the late 90's, my buddies got in to cigars and would spend what I thought at the time was crazy money on cigars, ($7 for a cigar??!?!?! That's a lot of damn money, lol). I had a few, but never really caught the cigar "bug" like they did but enjoy a cigar here and there on the golf course with them.

Around 2006-2007 my neighbor was an occasional cigar smoker and knew enough about cigars to peak my interest again so I started buying a few cigars here and there, but never really found any cigars that hooked me in. I was on a golf trip shortly there after with a buddy who knew quite a bit about cigars and was telling me about blending, the different tobacco regions and so on... This sparked my interest a lot more and I started buying more cigars to try out as many as I could and even bought a small 25 count humidor. I was really getting interested more and more and on the golf forum I was a member of I was recommended BOTL by Gummi Bear (who hasn't posted here in quite a while). So I joined, learned about Tatuaje and blindly ordered a box of Tatuaje Franks, it was all downhill from there...
 

hdroadglide

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i started when i would pilfer one of my uncles dutch masters when he came to visit. i believe i was 12. later, in my teens, i started on antonio y cleopatras. the rest is just a smoky hazy memory.
 
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It started for me with Scott (keinreis) on here and another one of our friends at the time Mike. Had some Heavenly Vanillas from Mike once and started on those and then moved to Acids & Industrial Presses. Some Friday night Scott and I would hit the downtown cigar bar and have a stick or so and some Guinness and Jager. Had a small humi that just had some odds and ends in it but nothing great. I continued to smoke on and off for a long time still, towards the end of last year when it started to be a daily weekend activity and now a pretty big hobby of mine.
 

SDShark

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I smoked a couple cigars on cruses I went on, smoked a couple cubans while on vacation in Mexico, never took it too seriously, just wanted to look cool. Then, my buddy Andrew took me to his weekly cigar club on a Thursday night 2 years ago, the rest is history. Flying down the slope with no brakes!
 

Hoshneer

Drew Estate NotRex
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I have always smoked cigars mostly when I drank which sometimes ended badly. Especially when I was drunk once and was frustrated with a Makers Mark cigar and decided to power crush the tube in my hand. <-- Bad Move.

A friend got me started on a Java Maduro and I have been smoking since. I had the Acids first and then eventually learned to love traditional cigars. I still occasionally smoke an Acid when I'm in a rare mood but for the most part I don't dig them as much anymore. My local shop is the oldest in Indiana and like drug pushers they got me started on pipes. Ha! It's a fantastic pipe shop and I love them for that.
 
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I started in college, 20 years ago. Not sure of the brands but they were mostly maduros that I enjoyed.
My Grandfather was a cigar smoker and I grew up around him and his buddies sitting around the card table. I was the beer runner while learning cards and about cigars.
 
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About 8 years ago I bought some Cuban cigars for my father while I was on deployment in the gulf. I got curious - he never got any cigars.



Turns out, he was thankful anyway. Since he quit cigs he won't smoke a cigar anymore either -- just the thought makes him a bit nervous. So...I did him a favor :)
 
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