How did you get into smoking cigars?

[jcolan1]

I'm curious as to how you guys got into smoking cigars. I come from a really tight knit and large family. My dad is one of eight, and most of the family is local. My dad smokes cigars, my grandfather smokes them, several of my uncles smoke them. Every family event or holiday is a huge gathering, and all they guys end up outside smoking and shooting the shit. So it's always something that I've been around.

We used to have season tickets to the Redskins, and would tailgate for three hours before, and two or three hours after. This is where a few of my cousins and I first started smoking them once we turned 18.

For a long time I only had one while at a game or family gathering, and they were just your big brands (Montecristo, CAO, RyJ, etc). I'm 28 now, and this is just now really turning into a passion rather than an occasional hobby. This site is partially to blame for that, as it has greatly increased my knowledge or what's out there, moved me from a 20 count cigar caddy to a 32qt tupperdore, and has me involved in box splits and PIFs.

So what got you to where you are today?

 

[D Quintero]

Houston Rodeo and Livestock 2007 World Championship Bar-B-Que Contest. I was on the Kilowatt Kookers team.
Won best ribs and runner up overall - one of the guys knew his cigars and passed em out to celebrate (JR cigars) ... Rest is history.
Thanks

 

[Ducttapegonewild]

Golf tournament at my job, I was talking with one of my co-workers who is very big into cigars, I was interested in them, but nervous about shelling out the money for a dog rocket. He handed me three cigars, one being an Acid Kuba Kuba. I don't remember what the other three were. I enjoyed that one a lot and smoked them for about two weeks until I was introduced to other drew estates products, and various other cigars... As preciously mentioned, the rest is history...

 

[Old Smokey]

I have had the hobby of home audio (stereo stuff) and a new member who was just getting started ran an ad wanting to trade his 160 cigars, 2 humidor, 2 Zikar lighters, 3# of Heartfelt beads and some nice cutters.for a nice vintage MONSTER receiver. He had quit smoking cigars a couple of years earlier and strictly smoked a pipe. Well, I had a REALLY nice monster Sansui G9000 receiver that I was never going to use so we traded. This all happened a year ago this week.

I got 60 Cubans including a dozen Cohiba, a Behike 54, 15 various Montes including 4 #2's and a bunch of other great cuban cigars. There were 100 non Cubans of various quality ranging from great to a few dog rockets.

During this last year I have been loving the hobby smoking on average 3-4 cigars a week. I quickly outgrew my humidor, along with 2 tupperdors and now have a 70 qt marine cooler loaded to max capacity. My 100 ct humidor I got in the trade is maxed out with about 30 Cubans and the rest is all Anejos and various Opus. I haven't counted in a while but I have a little over 300 cigars and have smoked about 200 this past year.

Oh, and that stereo receiver I traded, I had $2 in it. I think I made a great trade.:bigeyes:

 

[THEMISCHMAN]

I found a Cigar.com catalog in a pile of magazines when I was in Afghanistan. Some buddies and I ordered some and it became a nightly thing to relax and blow off some steam. When I got back to the States I smoked only occasionally because it didn't quite feel the same without the guys. When I moved to Texas I found a great little B&M with a lounge and it renewed my passion for cigars. Recently I found BOTL and these Brothers have helped me broaden my horizons and expand my knowledge of cigars. Since I have been trying new cigars lately I have found that I like more full flavored and full bodied smokes. Like they say, "It's a slippery slope."

 

[icehog3]

Though I smoked an occassional cigar before then, started smoking them regularly in 1987. I was working graveyard, and a cigar around 3AM helped give me something to do to stay awake in the middle of the shift. I was smoking machine made cheap cigars from the drugstore, mostly Grenadiers with the occassional Black and Mild.

Got into handmade cigars around 2001, and sampled my way around the premium NC market. Smoked my first Cuban in 2003 in Nassau (from an LCdH), bought my first humidor and really caught the bug. Started smoking about 95% Cuban by 2005, though there are still many NC lines I enjoy.

And there went my disposable income, LOL.

 

[jritman77]

Started in college as a Friday night treat and relaxation, smoking Garcia Vegas. Now it's still a once a week relaxation thing but I buy better cigars now.

 

[oside]

Cool reading everyone's story's. The summer of 96 after graduating high school I smoked a swisher sweet while fishing off a pier with some buddies. Then my sister gifted me some premium cigars for Christmas that same year. Loved fuente and padron back then and still love them now.

 

[FlyersFan]

I started smoking with my brother in law several years ago whenever we went to visit my mother in law. There were also 20-25 people crowded inside the tiny house so we'd kind of escape outside and sit on the patio in silence. I started to feel guilty about mooching off him so I slowly picked up steam and starting picking up some deals here and there. I think I'm now more into the trying new things and finding my favorite smoke than he is even though we share some of the same tastes.

 

[SFerrojr]

Probably would get him crucified now, but... When I was a teen my Scoutmaster was a cigar/pipe smoker. He also happened to be an amazing man and true mentor to a lot of us. When we would go to summer camp for a week his back pack was easy to find with the two boxes of Royal Jamaica #1 tubes strapped to the top. Every year all the teenagers trying to act cool would beg him for one but he would never relent. One of the fondest memories of my youth was my first year at camp after my 18th Birthday, my first summer as an assistant scoutmaster when he turned to me at the campfire the first night and held one out. "NOW you can have one if you want" and the proceeded to teach me how to cut it, light it, and smoke it. I haven't been consistently smoking cigars since then, but it was definitely the spark.

 

[Brimy623]

It had to be 1972 and my cousin and I swiped one of my Dad's cigars. Thought I was going to die (I actually inhaled)! Swore I would never touch another cigar. But I have an Uncle that always had a cigar stuffed in his mouth and always intrigued me.
Then in 1994 a shop steward (Benny Madina) for the delivery center I worked on handed me a Fonseca when he found out my then girlfriend, now wife, was pregnant. Then Benny took me to the shop he bought his stogies from. I would stop in and buy a few every now and then. This continued for years.
In 2012 my wife attended an event and brought me the sampler that they gave out. I got online and started researching the sticks that were in the sampler. In May of 2013 I ran across a few forums and lurked and noticed the myriad of brands aside from the ones with Cubanesque names. I bought a few samplers then ran out and bought my 1st humidor. A cheap 40 ct. Then I went & got a 12 btl wineador (since temps reach 80+ in my apartment during the summer). Ordered some drawers. And now I'm hooked. Sitting on at least 300 sticks between the wineador, humi & 2 tupperadores.

 

[Shambo]

I started 3 years ago, a few months after quitting cigarettes. I still really wanted to smoke something when drinking a few beers so I bought a few cigars. It has turned into something I really enjoy now. I keep it to 5 to 10 a week but have a fairly large collection now.

 

[plumber1965]

Bout a yeat and a half ago I got a chance to go with my brother to the dominican republic. It was a thank you trip to him for his place of employment, Kind of a get all the top guys together and celebrate thing. One of the activities they had was a scavanger hunt which had a stop at the cigar store on the property. MY brother has smoked cigs for many years and offered to light the cigar that they had given us on the scavenger hunt. I said ok and well that was the spark. When i got home I found a B&M local and started trying new things. Still narrowing done my tastes only smoke maybe twice a week but am sitting on two desktops right now that are full.

 

[Entropydave]

in my case, my dad always smoked cigars.... I decided last year to cease having my evening cigarettes and instead smoke a cigar...and that's where we are now!

 

[Bill]

I started 3 years ago, a few months after quitting cigarettes. I still really wanted to smoke something when drinking a few beers so I bought a few cigars. It has turned into something I really enjoy now. I keep it to 5 to 10 a week but have a fairly large collection now.

Ditto ^^^

 

[eastcoast paul]

Went to cuba with the family april of this year, brought back a monti junior open and 3 cohiba siglo I. So far my favorite nc seems to be short story and Arturo Fuente Curly Head Natural and from reading here there are so many more i want to try. Oh yeah up to this point i have never been a smoker.

 

[Bondo 440]

I started 3 years ago, a few months after quitting cigarettes. I still really wanted to smoke something when drinking a few beers so I bought a few cigars. It has turned into something I really enjoy now. I keep it to 5 to 10 a week but have a fairly large collection now.

Ditto as well. But for me, it's my reward after a long day at work. And of course, whatever reason I can make up on the weekend.

 

[ChefBoyRG54]

I was at a work Christmas party that we go out for every year and went to a lounge downtown Detroit. One of my bosses grabbed a stick and I asked about it. He asked if I wanted one...yep.

But when he brought me one it was more like a 52 and he was smoking a 60. I thought it was lame that I didn't get a larger one.

So the next week I sought out a cigar shop by me and bought a rocky Patel 60, which was the first 60 I located and smoked it.

Started going semi regularly with buddies and smoked patels mostly. Then bought travel humis for the guys at my wedding and myself which came with some sort of Monte. Liked it better but still got a box of patels for my bachelor party to share!

As time went on my brother really got into cigars(i had taken him with me originally) which pulled me in further since it became a common bond. He turned me onto cbid, which then I did more googling and found Roma craft, then I eventually found botl while googling viaje zombies... and the slope got super slippery once Tony Rome saw a pic of mine on today's smoke when I had a pack of matches at our local bm with the logo on it in the pic.

Got to talking with Tony, dug into this site more, now I think I posted only less than dtgw last month and I have two coolers with more cigars than I thought I'd ever have

I was on a slippery slope then BOTL threw me off the deep end.

And ironically, with the 60rg start, I now am a lancero/small rg whore lol

 

[Ducttapegonewild]

Wait, I posted more than you last month?

 

[RamzaFreak20]

Ex boss's Christmas party. Only good thing about that part of my life...