I must say, the people you meet here, are a lot more friendly than the folks I met through that other addiction. But most of all, I credit A.Fuentes with giving me a great crutch when I needed it. Now anytime I am feeling down, I grab a Fuentes, and remember that Life is good.
Later
Dave (A.K.A. Homebrew)
P.S. the remaining birthday Bombs, for thie first newsletter, go out tomorow. Sorry I'm late.

This is an interesting question.

My first first was when I was probably 18 or 19. I bought a box of R&J which were in tubes. At the time, they were excellent! I can't recall what I paid, but they weren't cheap.

Although I wasn't really a cigar smoker at the time, so I'm not sure that counts. The first cigar I recall that I really enjoyed when I started smoking regularly about 12 years ago was a Creedo. Can't recall if it was 1 e or two.

I had tried cigars as a kid. The White Owl, Garcia Vega but it was cigarettes for me. I smoked cigarettes from the age of 21- 42 that’s 21 years. I quit them about five years ago. I hang out with a group of guys that smoke cigars. A couple of years ago one of my buddies kept offering me a cigar. I hadn’t smoked cigarettes for a few years now and I was thinking a cigar might be nice. I decided to take one when it was offered again. The cigar my pal offered me was a CAO Cammie bellicose size. I smoked that gar all the way to a nub. It was great burn, taste, smoke, comfort, I was hooked. The next time I met with my friends I had a cigar of my own to smoke. The next month I bought a box of CAO Churchill’s and a jar humidor and there you go.

I started smoking cigars whenever I went fishing on one of those hot humid summer days to chase away the mosquitos my first year in college. For the most part it did drive away the mosquitos, but you also smelled like crap for I started with Swisher Sweets for the first several years. Then they came out with Backwoods cigars, and being a big western fan I switched to the Backwoods and started to enjoy the tobacco. I stayed with them for another several years until my younger brother's wedding. A buddy brought a handful of cigars when we went out for his bachelor's party and I enjoyed it down to the nub. I do not remember what brand the cigar was, but it introduced me to the finer cigars. I tried numerous cigars from Macanudos (my first nice cigars) and Mayorga to RyJ and LGC. I think the first one to really reach out and grab me was when I tried a CAO maduro. Now that was a cigar and I've been hooked on CAOs ever since then.

I thought this was a great question, so I figured I would throw my 2 cents in.

I smoked a few Garcia Vega's in high school, mainly because that was the only thing I could get my hands on. A few years later as a college student, I smoked a few other low-end cigars at parties, but nothing special. On a trip back to my parents to stock up on food and clean laundry I grabbed a few Nat Sherman's and RyJ Churchills from my old man's humi, and that is how it all started for me. The first RyJ I smoked made me think, "So that's what this is supposed to taste like."

That was 3 years ago, and now I have 5 humi's stocked, and smoke a cigar or two a day. I'm pretty young (23), so not many of my buddies smoke gars... yet!!! I have shown a few the light and I'm recruiting more day by day.

-klausy88

First cigar that grabbed me was a Canaria 'D Oro. What hooked me on cigars was Avo's. I still have the cedar box from the Avo #9's that was my first box of cigars I ever purchased. Guess I'm just sentimental......
---Tony

Like most, I had the obligatory garcia vegas during poker games and the like.
Then, while tailgating before a Pats game, a good (great) friend handed me a Griffin robusto.

I still have the burn marks on my thumb and forefinger...

Ah yes, looking back 24 years ago on my honeymoon in Bermuda....After a great dinner in Hamilton, the waitress brought out an array of Cuban cigars as an after dinner option. I asked her to choose for me and she selected a Monte #2. It was cut and I had the great pleasure of smoking my first Cuban cigar, sipping on a brandy, and enjoying after dinner conversation with my lovely bride. And yes, I smoked the cigar IN the restaurant along with others at neighboring tables. I have been hooked ever since.

I was about 19-20. I worked security at a mall and got to know the cigar /pipe shop owner. I smoked pipes for a while but I always though it looked weird for a 20 year old. The shop owner gave me a few Macanudo Portofinos and said it's a pretty good entry level cigar.

He was right. It hooked me.