I was doing some thinking about when I first remembered cigars. My dad ran a little country store (back then we didn't call them convenience stores) and sold cigars, mainly Swisher Sweets and Canadian Club varieties. We had a lot of old farmers come in and buy cigars and chewing tobacco, so I remember them, of course.

But for me, my big introduction, was from seeing auctioneers in action. In the midwest, auctions are really a big cultural event and it fascinated me to see and hear them doing their chants with their cigar held in the corner of their mouth. Doing the spiel they do is hard enough, but I was especially interested to see them do it with a cigar in their mouth. The younger guys nowadays don't seem to employ a cigar as the old timers did. Anyone else remember auctioneers when they still "used" cigars? "Well, whaddya goin' give me fer him, boys? Who'll give me seventy five? Seventy-five and a half, half...now half."

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Auctioneer named Bexley from Lockhart, Texas in cattle ring.
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My Dad and Great Grandfather always smoked them. My Dad went down the slope when ever the Partagas 150's came out. I remember him coming home after a cigar event and had a box, it was like El Santa had brought him a red rider bb gun. Shortly after that he went from a cabinet humidor coffee table deal to having a whole closet installed into the wall in the den. As a kid I would look and look through CI catalogs and what ever else came trying to figure out what was so cool about those darn cigars (other then the occasional bare brested chich in C.A). Once or twice as a kid I grabbed one from his stash and tried smoking it, Man! what a waste! I do remember it was a Punch (NC). I started smoking after I joined the Navy and have on occasion smoked a 150 with him....Now I get it!
BTW he bought that box of 50 for 120$ which was a SUPER premium back then.
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Clint Eastwood, Fistful of Dollars. I was about 12. When I did start smoking, about 17, I would buy King Edward cigarillos and smoke them halfway down. I was pretty sure I looked just like Clint and his Cheroot.
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About three years ago the wife and I were on vacation in NC with her family.

Her cousins and I started playing cornhole on the beach and her cousin Michael busted out a vanilla something or other (They carry them at my locals, but I can't think of the name at the moment). I asked how long he had been smoking, and he said him and his dad sit and enjoy cigars together so I asked if I could try one.

He set me up with a vanilla flavored cigar and I smoked that thing down to the nub. I really enjoyed the experience of sharing a cigar with her cousin, as I felt it just brought us closer together than we already were. This might sound weird, but smoking a cigar made me feel like a man. Probably sounds as weird to you as it does to me, but it did. After we got home I did some searching and around a month later bought my first cigars (Acid Krush Classis) and then a month after that bought my first humidor and cigars from Bob (S15driftking). I wish I had started a year earlier so I could have enjoyed a cigar with the groomsmen and my dad at my wedding.

The rest is history as they say.
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My Dad always smoked a pipe and often cigars. He also owned a tobacco shop for a few years and worked in several others. Started with a pack of swisher wood tips then almost immediately went to Excalibur #1's from my Dad's shop. Without his knowledge of course since I was maybe 15.
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I remember in the 4th grade seeing stack of cigars pictured in black and white in one of my history books. They looked oh so good and from then on I had an interesting hook.
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I was two years old and me and my mom were waiting by the bus stop. An old man lit up a cigar right by me and I pointed and asked "Is that a big cigarette?"
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I started smoking cigarettes and cigars when I was 18. Not sure where I saw either and got the idea...just sort of happened.
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I had no idea about the world of fine cigars until about a year ago when suddenly one of my best friends got himself a 100 ct desktop humidor. I stopped by one evening since I was in the area and him and a buddy were sitting outside smoking a couple Rocky Patels. They both thought I was crazy when I didn't know who Rocky Patel was. Haha. In that last year, I have learned a lot, smoked a few good cigars, got my own humidor, bought a 2nd humidor, you all know how it goes lol.

I have never been happier tho than sitting outside during a nice calm windless night, smoking a very tasty cigar with a friend. Nothing beats the comradery of enjoying a fine cigar with a good friend and sharing memories, thoughts, and stories.
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By time I made my way to high school I was sent to a school for kids rejected from the normal cities high school, alternative. Every kid was really rough and the school actually had 15 minute smoke breaks between classes where the teachers actually let everyone smoke in the parking lot. It was nuts, standing around 300 people all smoking cigarettes at 15 years old and the adults didn't say a thing. After awhile I got use to it, and then out of the blue during a break someone lit a Black and Mild. I find them disgusting -now- but at the time it was so refreshing compared to the cigarette smoke that I had never been down with. After awhile I tried one, then a swisher, and before you knew it maybe twice a week I would enjoy one.

Well, high school was long ago. I gave up on the little gas station sticks too, but I've always been on the fence about trying real hand rolled cigars. One night I hung out with my cousin who is younger than me and he opened up a humidor full of different types of Don Tomas cigars, and told me to take whatever I wanted. Needless to say, I've been hooked since then.
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My grandfather smoked cigars. My Mom used to give me some change and send me a round the block to the corner store to get him presents. Today, I think I would be considered a little young to buy them!
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I quit smoking cigarettes after 13 years (I was only 24 when I quit) and used to smoke turkish chiroots every now and again when I was drinking or out with the guys.

An older gentleman (must have been 32 to 35) asked me at a card game once. And I qoute "What in the holy screaming hell is that reek??? I told him they were turkish cigarellos...........he promptly reached into his pocket and said "Here, smoke this.......please"

I think it was an RyJ of some sort...........the rest is history.
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Back in 1971, a box of R&J.
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I couldnt tell you what I noticed cigars on the movie screen. I grew up watching westerns and so they werent really any different than seeing a cigarette.

I never saw anyone in my family smoke them but I deduced that at one time my Pop (grandpa) had gone through a couple boxes of Dutchmasters and El Producto cigars as the empty boxes were used around his house and cabin to store little things.

The first cigar I had was about 3 years ago when my brother had left some Java-something-or-other stick in my pickup because he didnt smoke (dunno why he thought I was). Curiosity got the better of me and that started me into cigars.

Ever since then I notice it alot more.

Both my grandpa's and my dad smoked pipes at one time. Now ive gotten hooked and started down that slope.
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I always (or at least as long as I can remember) like that faint smell of cigar smoke.
So once I became single again I decided to actually smoke them and I love them.
WeekendSmoker
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In 1984 when I was hired as the maître d'hôtel & sommelier at the now defunct Latour in Indianapolis, I was handed the keys to the wine cellar (a sizable collection with vintages going back to 1948 that occupied a separate floor of the bank tower than the restaurant) and I discovered that the cellar was also a humidor, and it was my job to buy, maintain and serve the cigars!
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2 words:

George Burns
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I have no idea, honestly. I read all the stories to jar my head.
I smoked cigarettes when I was a kid, and I think a buddy of mine introduced me to Swisher Sweets at a keg party.
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I can always remember my grandfather smoking cigars when I was little. He was a cool old dude and would let me have a small Snickers bar from his stash. He was always smoking a cigar, drinking Frankenmuth Beer and taking a sip form his flask.
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My hunting buddy always had them up at deer camp & I finally gave in. After a few boxes of Swisher Sweets I decided that there HAD to be a better tasting smoke. Ane the rest, as Shiala says "is history".
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