Hey there BOTL! I'm Jason, and I'm a returning smoker who is new again. I smoked cigars up until around the mid-nineties, and then the big cigar boom got into full swing and I kind of didn't want to be a part of that yuppie culture (I was a young, hip-hopping whippersnapper back then). I remember sitting in Iwan Ries and being the youngest guy in the room always, enjoying some Excalibur or Punch Grand Cru and just loving it. Reminded me of hanging out with Dad. Then, you know, it just started getting different. I couldn't keep up with the "aficionados" and how expensive their new cigars were and blah blah blah. Anyways, here I am back again. I picked up an El Rey del Mundo a few weeks ago and wow! What a joy it was to sit outside with my wife and just have some adult time (we're parents of a two-year old). It was such a magical cigar—it was celebrating so many milestones of my life, all rolled into one: marriage, birth, moving, graduation (hers), all the anniversaries (my own sobriety and our marriage), birthdays…that cigar came to represent every significant moment of my life in the last 15 or more years. I was back, hooked, immediately, and now I'm ready to explore all the new stuff thats out there and learn more and follow this rabbit down the hole. So I'm really excited to be back and looking forward to getting to know you guys and pick your brains!
