How'd you get into cigars?
- Thread starter ar2381
- Start date
How'd I get into cigars you ask..Well I was a cigarette smoker from the age of 15-24. So I pretty much started smoking cigars in place of them, my first cigar being with Heath+ basically a brother to me known him forever. He pretty much got me started with the cigars. I'm now 34 and every so often I still get the urge for a cigarette now and then, however not only do I find extremely relaxing to sit on my deck with a fine smoke it also seems to curb that urge of going back to the cigarettes. So i guess i can say thank you to Heath for not only getting me away from cigarettes, but also introducing me to the world of cigars and also introducing me to this awesome forum which im a part of now!
Just before the cigar boom of the 90s I use to smoke on occasion the Dutch Masters, Phillies, Garcia, and Swisher Sweets while fishing with some friends. Never really enjoyed these and use to smoke one because it was given to me.
When cigars became the craze in the 90s I worked for a software development company and there were a few guys who were starting to get into the good cigars. The ones they gave me were quite good so I thought I should give this fad a try with some premium cigars. I bought a small 40 cigar humidor, I think from Thompsons, and went to the downtown newspaper and smoke shop. I recall being completely lost on what to buy. I finally bought about 5 Royal Jamaican cigars that came in a yellow metal tube. These completely lit my passion for cigar smoking. Sitting out back with a glass of port and a Royal was perhaps the most relaxing thing I could imagine – until I took them fishing. Then the experimentation began: Hoyo de Monterrey, Astons, Punch, Partagas, Romeo y Julieta and so many more. As anyone who experiments enough knows you’ll find the good, the bad, and the ugly in cigars. Perhaps the best cigars were the Arturo Fuente Opus X, Ashton #1, Hemingway Signature, and a few others. My friends and I watched as cigar prices climbed and limits were placed on how many you could by. For a time the Opux X was limited to two per person where I lived.
Fast forward -- I now have a good assortment of cigars that have stood the test of time. Ashton, Opux X, Hemingway Signature, Indian Tabac and more recently San Cristobal and the inexpensive Don Lino Africa line of cigars- with about 3 of the Royal Jamaicans put away for a special occasion. I have a 3000 cabinet humidor and a 300 cigar desktop to store my babies. To this day cigars remain one of the best ways for me to relax -- whether I’m fishing, working around the yard, sitting on the porch late at night reading, or hanging out with some friends around an open fire. I just long for the return of the Royal Jamaican cigars.
When cigars became the craze in the 90s I worked for a software development company and there were a few guys who were starting to get into the good cigars. The ones they gave me were quite good so I thought I should give this fad a try with some premium cigars. I bought a small 40 cigar humidor, I think from Thompsons, and went to the downtown newspaper and smoke shop. I recall being completely lost on what to buy. I finally bought about 5 Royal Jamaican cigars that came in a yellow metal tube. These completely lit my passion for cigar smoking. Sitting out back with a glass of port and a Royal was perhaps the most relaxing thing I could imagine – until I took them fishing. Then the experimentation began: Hoyo de Monterrey, Astons, Punch, Partagas, Romeo y Julieta and so many more. As anyone who experiments enough knows you’ll find the good, the bad, and the ugly in cigars. Perhaps the best cigars were the Arturo Fuente Opus X, Ashton #1, Hemingway Signature, and a few others. My friends and I watched as cigar prices climbed and limits were placed on how many you could by. For a time the Opux X was limited to two per person where I lived.
Fast forward -- I now have a good assortment of cigars that have stood the test of time. Ashton, Opux X, Hemingway Signature, Indian Tabac and more recently San Cristobal and the inexpensive Don Lino Africa line of cigars- with about 3 of the Royal Jamaicans put away for a special occasion. I have a 3000 cabinet humidor and a 300 cigar desktop to store my babies. To this day cigars remain one of the best ways for me to relax -- whether I’m fishing, working around the yard, sitting on the porch late at night reading, or hanging out with some friends around an open fire. I just long for the return of the Royal Jamaican cigars.
My dad would have cigars once and while, loved the smell. So, when I turned 18 I tried a Fuente 858 Flor Fina. Loved it. Tried several others and kept notes like one would for fine wines. As I developed I started writing reviews, and then worked in the industry. The love seems to keep growing for this fine activity.