first/unique cigar

first "real" cigar was about 6 yrs ago. my youngest son was born and i was doing well at work, so i went to cigar shop and dumped a couple hundred bucks. the guys at work insisted i smoke one with them, and i did. the leftover cigars laid on seat of dumptruck for several monthes, with an ocasional smoke. eventually, i smoked em all. i went back to cigar shop, it was gone. tried all the 7-11 cigars, no good. and eventually found another shop. ive been hooked since. cant remember what i smoked first, but it was no cheap junk. dont have a favorite cigar, i constantly change. but when i go shopping, i look for r&j, partagas, macanudo, don lino, elraydelmundo, h. upman, and anything over 5.00. mostly maduro, usually 7" + and 54 + ring. i currently smoke 1 to 3 cigars a day, and have had good luck trying cigars from post, not so good buying "blind" off of net

I have a few unique cigar experiences that have seeme dto stick with me. My fascination began when I was fourteen in my friends garage looking an old metal apple bin filled with his dads cigar nubs, I got into the labels, then started reading books and magazines trying to understand the mystique of it.

I'll make this quick since I could probably write pages on it...but two times really come to mind, the first is when I was in high school at an illegal bonfire at some forest preserve next to a rock corey. I was smoking a cigar and drinking peppermint schnopps. I started to realize that no matter what I did, I could puff on it, but could only involuntarily inhale, I soon found myself leaning on a tree with a pinky down my throat because the gagging sensation was the only thing that made me feel better. It didn't help that a friend was in tears with laughter pointing at me and making me laugh at the same time.

The second one was with my dad when I was seventeen in London at our Hotel bar, smoking Cuabas we had bought at the Davidoff shop. That cigar really knocked me on my ass, my dad too. Come to think of it, with as sick as I always got I really don't know why I kept at it...

The first cigar that I really enjoyed was in highschool, and was a Bauza, it grew from there. It's hard to say what my favorite is now, I love Padron but have been enjoying so many different kinds I can't really say, but I will say that I'm peeling through a box of Camacho Diplomas...that really is a great smoke, I can't say enough about it or smoke enough of.

bildo, if you like Padrons try Oliva Bold, try any other Nicaraguan Cigar as you may find some of the same characteristics you enjoy so much.

lets see, my first experience with a truely exceptional cigar was with a cusano 18 and a glass of port. that was an awsome experience. i had never had such a smooth cigar, and the taste of the port complimented it so well, i was in heaven with every puff/sip.

I grew up around my Grandad who I'm not sure I ever saw without a cigar in his mouth. He tended to light them, let them burn out then chew the rest of the cigar. I would on occassion pilfer a cigar from his humidor (sock draw), when I could get away with it. He smoked one brand only which were Antonio y Cleopatras which he bought at the drug store. I probably smoked my first cigar around the age of 15 or 16. When I was 18 I spent 6 months working in Honduras, that is were I was introduced to my first quality cigar. I couldn't even tell you now what they were, I bought them tied in twine at the grocery in San Pedro Sula were I was working. They were about the size of a petite corona. After leaving Honduras I rarely ever smoked any cigars for the next 20 years or so. I'd pick up a few cigars for a pack trip, or river trip to smoke around the camp fire at night. Special occasion smokes. I guess around '96 I walked into a cigar shop on a whim and walked out with a humidor and some cigars and have been smoking pretty regularly since. I'm not sure I have a favorite cigar as such, but tend to like a variety depending upon what I'm in the mood for. I do have a prefered size, which tends to be robustos and torpedors.

My journey began at the tender age of 14 right around the time the movie "Dead Poets Society" was released. We watched the movie in 9th grade english and several of my friends were had humidors and were getting into cigars. We forged our own group called the "Dead Stogie Society" which provided a time where the guys would get together to talk sports, girls, whatever 14/ 15 year olds do. I was after several of our gatherings that I started to take to it so I bought an onyx vintage. I I had it with me at a friend of mines house and her dad was a big cuban smoker. She wanted to make a wager on a game of pool and suggested we bet cigars. She was fine with me putting my onyx up against her dads cuban monte no. 2 Needless to say I won and smoked my victory cigar. The rest my friends is history.

she hmmm, do tell the rest of this story...