do you remember your first?

[meatball41]

A question for all you vets (newbs too of course) do you remember your first CC? What was it and how did it compare to other cigars you had up to that point?

It wasn't that long ago for me, it was an HDM epi 2 that I procured myself after much online research. Several of them arrived, along with others in a custom sampler. First impression, I could not believe how different they smelled in the box compared to NC's, WOW! I hastily lit it up ROTT and was floored with grassy, honey, clover and creamy flavors. Two draws in and I immediately started to wonder what I was going to do with all the NC's in my humidor as they were now obsolete. I still like the NC's but it's soooo hard to grab one when you've got the real deal sitting right next to them. I've got a pathetically small stash and I'm trying to give them some time (at least 6 months) before I make them and every day/ week thing. Right now I'm trying to keep my hands off them and only have 1-2 a month and smoke as many NC's as I can to make room for the next order.

It was an awesome first smoke, I'll never forget it. I'm working my way through the popular standard production smokes now and haven't found one I didn't like and can't wait to place the next order.

[riazp]

yeah my first, Romeo e Julieta cendros no.2 that i bought in a montreal cigar store when i was 18ish. I was a cigarette smoker but i wanted to look 'classy' for a office party so I bought a cigar for the looks. Like i said i was a cigarette smoker, so I smoked it like a cigarette, inhaled and all...big mistake yeah i know. I still enjoyed it, the look, the feel, the tase, the aroma. all of it. From there i smoked cigars here and there on occasion. Did not truly appriciate habanos for what they were till a few years later and my first partagas serie D 4. Thats when I realised...wow

[Habana Mike]

Man, that's a tough one but acutally comes back with quite some clarity.

This was in probably '92 or '93, only been smoking cigars occasionally for a year or two at the time.

Friends and I were out on the point of Cape Hatteras fishing and drinking all day when one of my buds asks if we'd like a cigar.

Not one to be impolite and turn down an offer, I happily accepted the stick he handed me.

Being somewhat novice at the time, I'm not quite sure exactly what he gave though as I recall it was a firm and hard box-pressed Partagas on the smallish side, probably a Coronas or Coronas Grandes if I had to guess. Had to have a little age on it as it possessed that brick characteristic you only get from sticks with a few years on them.

As I recollect, it was full of strength, flavor and had the blackest ash I'd ever seen to that point.

Regardless, the experience stuck with me even though it was probably 5 years later before I had the opportunity to smoke another 'authentic' Habanos.....

[Rye]

Well, it was '89 or '90 in Victoria BC, and my gang of rogues and I decided we wanted something "pimpin" to crack open and stuff with other contents. After careful deliberation, and under the very scrutinizing eye of the shopkeep, I fell upon an RyJ en cedro no.1. My friends made their choices, and we proceeded to my dungeon lair to do the deed.

The whole way home I was smelling, inspecting, and playing with this cigar. Finally when it came time to disect, I just couldn't do it.

I helped my friends with their projects, being that I was always the most dexterous and patient of the bunch, and we all lit up.

Now, I can remember clearly (I know, it sounds like nothing would be too clear by this time) how good the unaltered cigar tasted. By the halfway point of all these "cigars" being smoked, I was turning down the others as not to ruin the great taste I was experiencing.

After that day, any chance I got, I'd celebrate with a fine Habanos.

Good times!

[polarbear]

After 12 months of smoking Henry Wintermans a friend of mine handed me a Montecristo #2

That was the end of my Winterman smoking days

That was almost 10 years ago...

[Rushman]

Believe first cc smoked was VR Famosos and first box purchased was HDMDC.

---

I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=19.390033,-81.404448

[Trevor2118]

No idea.

[Hiroshiro]

H. Upmann. I was 18 having a glass of Macallan with my mom. Good times. She is a great role model hahaha

[jdo2110]

Ahhh yes, the day my cigar life changed..,

A buddy and I had been buying samplers of various NCs. New to the game, we smoked everything. We quickly latched on to the the more

popular and higher rated ones (Fuente, Padron,

Rocky, etc.). Then came Mr. Monte Cristo #2.

Erik and I went to a new cigar shop that was being run by this young guy. At the time his selection was very small, but I noticed that on an upper shelf was a Monte box of the CC variety. Jokingly I said, "hey, you want to part with whatever is in that box?" not knowing if what he had was even real. It put the fear of God in him because I think he thought no one would notice.

Finally he nervously says, "okay, but I gotta charge you $20 a piece, and it's gotta be in cash."

We kinda laughed and were like, sure, whatever. Sat down, lit it up and OH MAN. Any doubts were erased immediately. The twang that everyone had spoke of was alive and well. I knew instantly that

It was the best cigar I had to that point. And actually a good MC 2 still is.

[Hiroshiro]

Ahhh yes, the day my cigar life changed..,

A buddy and I had been buying samplers of various NCs. New to the game, we smoked everything. We quickly latched on to the the more

popular and higher rated ones (Fuente, Padron,

Rocky, etc.). Then came Mr. Monte Cristo #2.

Erik and I went to a new cigar shop that was being run by this young guy. At the time his selection was very small, but I noticed that on an upper shelf was a Monte box of the CC variety. Jokingly I said, "hey, you want to part with whatever is in that box?" not knowing if what he had was even real. It put the fear of God in him because I think he thought no one would notice.

Finally he nervously says, "okay, but I gotta charge you $20 a piece, and it's gotta be in cash."

We kinda laughed and were like, sure, whatever. Sat down, lit it up and OH MAN. Any doubts were erased immediately. The twang that everyone had spoke of was alive and well. I knew instantly that

It was the best cigar I had to that point. And actually a good MC 2 still is.

simply awesome

[maverickdrinker]

her name was.......LOL

[CanuckSARTech]

her name was.......LOL

LOL. My first thought too, when I first read this thread.

Evil minds, in the gutter. LOL.

[Knvb]

My second trip to cuba had never been interested in even trying cigars when my friend i was traveling with decided he wanted to try his first real cigar so i decided to join him... We'd bought a bottle of HC Barrel proof the day before and picked up a couple Monte 4's... Half way through that first Monte i knew i was going back to the LCDH the next morning to try some more! To this day there are few things more relaxing than enjoying a great dram and cigar... heading back to the promised land tmrw!

[cigcars]

My first was a Montecristo Especial No.2 gifted to me by a tobacconist. I didn't find it THAT flavorful and all the slim panatellas I've had since in any Habano affects me the same - no enjoyment. But I was still thrilled to my socks to finally smoke a Cuban cigar. I know that a lot of folks do love that size. I'm a lonsdale, pyramide, and if necessary petite corona person.

[nikesupremedunk]

I was a complete noob when I first had my CC. Smoked maybe under 5 NC's before that and had to try a CC since that's what made me want to get into cigars in the first place. Ordered a box of 10 ct Monte 2 and smoked one ROTT. This was in july with high humidity, and the cigar was also very wet, which I had no idea of. It tasted wonderful but I had a hard time keeping it lit and burning properly. But yea, I was still hooked on CC's after that.

[LordAnubis]

My house mates and i (at uni, in uni accommodation) used to play poker to determine who does the dishes, who dries, who does the vacuuming the next day, who cooks and who gets to do nothing. This went on for about 2 months. We had always talked about smoking cigars and wearing cowboy hats and big ass sunglasses etc.

One day our landlord gave us the shits for something that we didn't do and we made a plan. He had told us we weren't getting our bond back (because neighbours had a party and had one of them broke our window, instead of hassling them, he decided to take our bond off us) and we were leaving the next week anyway. So we went and bought cigars from the bottle-o. I bought 2 RyJ number 2 tubos. We closed all doors and windows and there were 5 of us smoking two cigars each in a fully enclosed living room. The house wasn't very big anyway so we managed to stink out the whole house for weeks apparently. The guys who moved in next reckon the carpets and blinds were all changed.

That was back in 2003, since then i had been smoking the odd cigar (maybe 3 or 4 a year, and generally either Monte #4s or RyJ No2 tubos) on occasion with family and friends, until late 2012 I bought a small humidor with several more high end cubans from a local B&M (PSD4, a CoRo, HdM Epi1, Monte PE and Bolivar RC), and then in January i found FoH. The rest my friends is history.

[OZCUBAN]

My house mates and i (at uni, in uni accommodation) used to play poker to determine who does the dishes, who dries, who does the vacuuming the next day, who cooks and who gets to do nothing. This went on for about 2 months. We had always talked about smoking cigars and wearing cowboy hats and big ass sunglasses etc.

One day our landlord gave us the shits for something that we didn't do and we made a plan. He had told us we weren't getting our bond back (because neighbours had a party and had one of them broke our window, instead of hassling them, he decided to take our bond off us) and we were leaving the next week anyway. So we went and bought cigars from the bottle-o. I bought 2 RyJ number 2 tubos. We closed all doors and windows and there were 5 of us smoking two cigars each in a fully enclosed living room. The house wasn't very big anyway so we managed to stink out the whole house for weeks apparently. The guys who moved in next reckon the carpets and blinds were all changed.

That was back in 2003, since then i had been smoking the odd cigar (maybe 3 or 4 a year, and generally either Monte #4s or RyJ No2 tubos) on occasion with family and friends, until late 2012 I bought a small humidor with several more high end cubans from a local B&M (PSD4, a CoRo, HdM Epi1, Monte PE and Bolivar RC), and then in January i found FoH. The rest my friends is history.

Good stuff Mus don't get mad get even lol

Missed you at the havanathon catch up soon

[OZCUBAN]

Punch punch needless to say I have moved on since

[ErikB]

it was a Romeo No 2 on Curacao in '95.....It was totally plugged but I didn't know any better...so I sucked and sucked ....and then I passed out. Didn't put me off though - been hooked ever since...

[meatball41]

Great stories guys, thanks for sharing.

[Dirtdigger]

Have been mowing through NC samplers over the

Last few months learning what I like and don't like then on vacation had a Cuban coh. I had never had a NC that I enjoyed as much as that CC so I here I am