how many started smoking cigars, stopped for awhile and then started again?

[dtbach]

I tried cigars in college for about a year and then stopped. Probably because I was buying cheap crap and didn't like it.

Then about 7 years later, I started smoking again while in the Navy and enjoyed cigars for maybe a year and a half and then it just faded on me. Again, I didn't know what I was trying and was probably mostly cheap stuff and I just didn't enjoy the experience that much.

Now, probably 20 years later, I am enjoying cigars like I never did before. Maybe its because I can afford better sticks, and because the internet has made it much easier to find information and advice (like this forum) on what to smoke. I have a feeling I won't stop this time. Just enjoying the time with a good stick and bourbon. I have also have turned on my brother and another friend to cigars and that is really making it a nice habit.

I'd be interested if others have had this type of cigar experience in their lives.

 

[Skitalets]

Yep, I smoked a fair bit in college (cigars and pipes), then fell back to maybe 1-2 a year before getting back in last year.

 

[mwlabel]

I actually quit fairly recently. I was fed up and bored with most smokes for one reason or another.
Then I discovered the wonderful world of CCs, and it launched me back in...

 

[Cigary43]

Been smoking for around 46 years and have stopped and started many times....but once I caught wind of somebody else having a cigar it was hard for me to resist for very long. I've gone a year between cigars and just didn't have the urge to smoke and then would take it up again. Now that I'm in my late 50's I really like them and have quite a few cigars to last me til the next decade.

 

[mdwest]

Ive been smoking cigars and pipes off and on for a little more than 15 years..

I don know that I have ever "quit".. but I certainly go through phases where I will smoke a lot (1 or more a day) for months or even years at a time).. and then go through phases where I will smoke very little (less than 1 a week)...

there has been a year or two in there where I probably smoked less than 1 a month.. just got bored for a while... and picked it back up again when I got the inclination..

 

[James]

I started in college as well, would go to the local b&m in Amarillo and the way I picked my cigars was by browsing until I found a box with one or two smokes in it and buy em cause I got the box with em. I would only smoke a few per year after coming back to Colorado as I don't have a b&m within two hours from here. It wasn't until the last year and a half that I discovered online sales and jumped in with both feet. Much to my wife's chagrin! lol

 

[Treinenwj]

Been smoking for around 46 years... Now that I'm in my late 50's...

Man, how old were you when you started???

 

[CigarGavin]

On and off depending on the season; not much of an indoor smoker and a cool morning with coffee is my perfect scenario. Fall and spring are my big times, summer and winter are a little to extreme temp wise for me so I slow down a fair bit. Always collecting tho haha

 

[Craig Mac]

I went through a phase about 20 years ago where I was smoking a couple cigars a week and that lasted about a year. I would smoke an occasional cigar every now and then after that. About 5-6 years ago I started smoking cigars regularly, I really began to learn more about cigars and became a lot more interested in trying different cigars. For me, it was finally finding some cigars I enjoyed and not just smoking a cigar for the "nic fix".

 

[DanLAXX1]

Me. I originally started smoking right around 9 or 10 years ago. I was casually into it for 4-5 years then for some reason I stopped. I always had an interest but didn't really pick up until a few months ago. I got the bug, bought a bunch of sticks, now I have a full 150 ct humidor and a few desktops. For the most part, I'm gonna stop buying cigars and start smoking what I have. I don't smoke everyday so what I have will last me for a while.

 

[NCost]

Pretty much the same for me. Been smoking for 18-20years with breaks in there along the way for one reason or another.

 

[danthebugman]

Haven't really quit since I took up cigars. That said, I think one of the "benefits" of not smoking on a daily basis is that I haven't gotten bored with them. There's hardly an opportunity to smoke a cigar that I don't try to take advantage of. I do cut down drastically during the winter, but that's because it's often too cold and I don't have a good place to go to smoke inside.

Dan

 

[StocktonJohn]

I started in the mid nineties. Stopped for some reason... Started again four years ago and it's been a nice hobby. The variety and quality in the market now has been a big part of why I have stuck with it.

 

[JuYcEmAn]

In my travels, in the early nineties, I came across a neon sign in a store front window. I had smoked cigars in the past (of the machine rolled variety); however, I was intrigued. I had some spare time and decided to stop and investigate. I walked into the store and was confused as it was a five and dime. I asked the person at the cash register about the cigars being advertised in the window. She politely guided me to the vary back of the store and introduced me to two gentlemen sitting behind a small glass top counter in front of a closet with a sliding glass door. I disregarded my obligations for that afternoon and stayed and kibitz'd about cigars. They provided me with some basic, yet very helpful, knowledge about cigars. I left making a small purchase of 5 to 10 cigars. My mission, as given to me by my new found friends, was to refine my tastes and learn what types of cigars best suited me.

As years passed, I imbibed as I could. Obligations of marraige and a new family took my attention away. Now, I did smoke some cigars here and there, over several years. I always enjoyed them, but those obligations diverted my attention.

Many years later, passing through that same area, I was surprised to find that the little closet, and those two gentlemen, had taken over the entire store. Again, intrigued, I stopped in to investigate. There, behind the counter, in this new spacious shop, was the two gentlemen I had met years ago. They remembered me. We caught up on years passed and discussed cigars. I admitted that, although I truly enjoyed cigars, I had not taken seriously the hobby. The older man explained to me that I was going about it all wrong; I needed to share the experience with someone while drinking something. From that point forward, I have heeded that advice and sought out compliments to my vice; great people, good conversation, and a beverage.

That place was Cigar King, in Skokie, IL. Those gracious and helpful gentlemen were Mitch and Marv. Although my average is low (approximately 2 cigars a week), I have been enjoying cigars ever since.

So, to make a long story longer, I had stopped and started a few times over the past 20 years, but have never lost the passion for a good cigar, great company, and a beverage.

 

[Cigary43]

Been smoking for around 46 years... Now that I'm in my late 50's...

Man, how old were you when you started???

I started smoking cigars really early...we had a friend of the family who was from Cuba and he'd always visit us and had his cigars with him....he'd be smoking them in our house and I loved that smell and that was in 1962 when I was 8 years old. I'd always ask him for a cigar when he came to visit but he'd just laugh it off...finally when I was about 12 he finally gave in and gave me some cigars but I couldn't tell my parents as he didn't want to get in trouble. I was hooked from then on and smoked cigars all through high school and college and would sometimes stop for months or close to a year but would take it up.

 

[dtbach]

That is a great story!!