I had smoked a few cigars here and there, probably while drinking. Then, back in 2000, my wife and I went to a Sandals resort and I smoked some cubans:-) and loved them. After I got home I went to the local B&M and tried some Padron x000 and the rest is history.
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I never picked up any White Owls or Swishers, so lucky I still continue to smoke cigars. The first cigar that I had was an old fabric red banded Oliva 'O' Oasis. :-) I still have one of my originals left. Yummy!
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Onyx Reserve Robusto was the first cigar that I had that wasn't a Swisher and it has been all downhill since.
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My first one :-)
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Romeo y Julieta.. Don't remember what model... :-)
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My love affair started with a Monte White.
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The night before our nephew's wedding in December of '06 a bunch of guys in the family were out on the back patio and they were about to fire up some smokes. Scott, aka TripleF, being the courteous botl that he is, asked if I wanted a smoke.

I floored them when I said sure. So they gave me either a Swisher Sweet or Black and Mild. I thought not bad. I think Scott was about to fall over when I said yes.

Scott offered to pick up some sticks for the reception the next night and several of us said sure. He showed up with some Perdomo Lot 23's. It has been all down hill ever since. :-)
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Hmmm - Have to say that would be a Mac "Petite Corona Cafe" :-) ...been on a steady roll down slope ever since!

I use to manage a tobacco shop back in 2000, and didn't know much about cigars back then, but they had a small humidor full of dry ones and I chucked out damn near all of them as 'unsellable': Then it was a matter of finding out what to replace them with...so I started sampling cigars on my own (mostly small cigars in tins - Wintermans, Macs, etc), and asking customers what they would like to see in the shop.

Had a few customers from the store with a similar mind-set, and the next thing you know there are 3-4 of us buying & splitting up tins from different local shops over beers & BBQ-pits on the weekends comparing notes.

Grew a small but loyal following in the store over the next 6 months, before I left the company.... Eight years later I came back and bought the store: Now I'm back and trying more bands (got a 300 count chest that's packed full of various sticks, and I'm into some serious tasting both for my own habit & for my customers)... Have to say the best one so far, has been an early 1960's Cuesta Rey (got lucky on a well kept sealed 50 box of those): Smooth is just not enough to describe the it!:-)

Always looking for another stick to try though….and the down slope just keeps on rolling!:-)
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I had played around with Swishers and chewing tobacco - being from rural Texas that is what we did - at Bonfire (Texas A&M) in 1992 a buddy gave me an H Upman, that really opened my eyes.
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My first Padron Natural! Been hooked ever since!:-)
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The first cigar that really made me get serious about cigars was 5 Vegas Gold. Odd that now I hardly ever smoke them but that is mainly because I am a absolute Bolivar whore now...Bolivar PC was what really turned this from a hobby to an obssession.
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My first actually favorite was a Montecristo White label. Have come so far since then :-)
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Arturo Fuente Privada #1. Smoked one in 1972 and I've loved cigars ever since.
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First cigar that made me actually set up and say "oh ya I get it now!"

Drumroll.................................

CAO Brazillia Gol
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The one that made me know this was going to be an on-going hobby was the Rocky Patel Vintage 1990 Churchill, still my favorite.

Stomp'N'Rock,

Joseph
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A Partagas Humitube.
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Honey Berry Backwoods...seriously. I had not really smoked cigars. Went and saw my friend one weekend. He was smoking these. I had one, it was excellent. My wife said that she did not mind me smoking cigars at all. It smelled good. So that Monday at lunch I went to our local b/m and picked out a sampler of real cigars. Here I am today.
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AVO Classic :-)
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A Partagas #10 (NC) -- it tasted like what I envisioned a cigar should taste like
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The first time I honestly can't remember what it was (back in the cigar boom). My friends and I had just graduated from college and we all got cigars to celebrate. We did it for quite some time till I moved to California and moved into an apartment complex that didn't allow smoking.

The second time around I'd have to say it was a Punch (NC) Rothschild Maduro I bought when I moved to Oregon. It still hold a soft spot in my heart for these. I don't buy boxes of them but I'll buy a single or two from time to time to relive some old (but good) memories.
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