I'm sure there are lots who remember the first smoke that made them fall in love with it. Mine was a couple months ago. My mom's boyfriend brought me back a Cohiba from Mexico (let's not get into whether or not it's fake. I'm guessing it was, but whatever. It was still miles ahead of the machine rolled crap I had ever tried before). I looked at it and wondered "Why would he get me a cigar? I don't smoke cigars..."

So on the way home, I picked up a bottle of cognac. Went out on the deck, and lit her up. I got about an inch into it, and thought "Why haven't I been smoking cigars?!?" And thus it began.

Here is a pic I took that fateful day:

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Honestly, my second cigar did it for me. I read on CS way back that you should always buy 2 to give an honest opinion on a cigar. Floored myself with the first one by incinerating it in 15 minutes. Came back to CS, learned the appropriate way to smoke a cigar, tried again... and here we are, almost 5 years later.

Ironically, I'd probably politely decline a Rare Corojo today.
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Almost one year ago.... Watching the BYU vs Tulane game on television, waiting for my neighbor to get home. I had purchased a PAM '64 Exclusivo for him(he is a cigar smoker) and while waiting, my curiosity got the better of me and I fired it up.... I was floored.... Went back to the B&M after I finishing and bought 2 more. When my neighbor returned home, went over and had a few drinks and smoked another with him....

After smoking what must have been hundreds of poorly stored dog rockets....maybe even a few decent smokes that sat out in our arid climate for weeks on end.....I finally had a GREAT CIGAR..... That was it....and here I am....
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Sancho Panza Double Maduro Quixote.
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The MC2!! :-)
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You wanna know the honest truth here? I quit cigarettes maybe 15 years ago, and smoked nothing for several years. Then, maybe 7 or 8 years ago, I saw an ad for a bundle of cigars and a humidor for around $25. As it was nearing my birthday, I decided to treat myself to a little somethin' somethin'. So the cigar that sent me down the slope was a cheap bundled dogrocket from Thompson's. :-)


I have not looked back, though I have seriously upgraded my tastes. :-)
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I think my first real CC was a Monte 2 and it was over from there.
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I don't remember my very first, cause it was back in the 80's and it was part of what I know as a PPP. Soon after that I made my first purchase, and I'm pretty sure it was a Davidoff. Cause that's what the guys I worked with smoked. My first cc was with my then-BIL on vacation at OBX, and it was a RyJ tubo.

I smoked on & off for a number of years--usually the same few brands--and then took a "cigar break" for a long time. About 4-5 years ago, I picked up an Acid :-) at a Long Beach B&M and I got roped back in. I only smoked that one Acid, but it opened my eyes to the variety of what was on the market.

And a few years after that, I found Club Stogie. And it's been downhill ever since.
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Arturo Fuente Rothschild.
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The first real cigar I smoked was a CC Montecristo 2 torpedo. It was reallllyyy good to me. But I frankly knew nothing about cigars... So after that I bought a few dog rockets that "looked" good. I didn't like them much. Stuck to my cigarettes and then I was introduced to cigars again. I can't remember the brand now... but I liked what I smoked. So I kind of got back into it. But didn't fall in love and went off and on for a couple of more years. Then **cue the Choir of Angels** the LFD DL700 Maduro. That one sent me plummeting down the slope. So now I'm back at it and determined to do it right this time!
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Padron 64 Principe natural.
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it was a Mac Diplomat and I was absolutely taken away by it. by coming across the mac and looking for other great cigars I have come across the comradery of a cigar smoker. this is what has kept me coming back for more.:-):-)
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Chateau Fuente Natural.... infact it still does it for me.
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I had smoked several Cubans over the years with friends while tailgating. But the smoke that got me started was a Punch Rare Corojo gifted to me by a former supervisor. Although I no longer smoke many NC's I think I still have one of the Rare Corojo's from the first box I ever bought. :-)
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Mine was a Sancho Panza Maduro as well. That was a couple years ago. Never knew a cigar could be so good. Previously had only had a Swisher Sweet (ugh).
Sad thing is, for some reason I haven't had another SP since that first one! I got into the REAL world of cigars and found there are so many good ones it's hard to NOT try new ones all the time.
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Padron 3000. bought a 5 pack within a week and from there it was just downhill
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For me it was the Nub cigar. I've smoked cigars fairly consistently for about 5 years now, but when I smoked a couple Nubs around March of this year, I found their website, their forum, joined their forum, decided I wanted to find another cigar forum and googled for one and...ended up here.

So while the Nub facilitated me finding this forum...it was really this forum that started me going down the slippery slope :-)
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It was a Montecristo Double Corona (non-cuban).
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Hoyo De Monterrey Dark Sumatra. Despite being a few years into this hobby, it is still to date one of my favorite cigars on the market.
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