Your first cigar

[Bri Fi]

Do you remember it?

Okay, cigars like many vices started at a young age... the beginning usually isn’t a match made in heaven. 
 

My first cigar is memorable for one reason:  It was an absolute disaster. I was in college at the university of Hawaii for the week. I played baseball in college, and our last day was a complete blur. I was one of the only 21 year olds on the team, so to the ABC store I went. A bottle of spiced rum to myself later (I refuse to drink or look at captain morgan for this among several other reasons to this day), and countless number of beers later I decided to purchase a cigar with some team mates. I know it was a cheap cigar, probably $5 but I don’t remember what it was. I thought it would be a good experience to bond with some teammates with countless drinks and some stogies. I also thought it was a good idea to throw in some chewing tobacco while I smoked. 

I don’t remember anything else after that. I might have thrown up. I think my roommate sh*t the bed. The only thing I remember is trying not to throw up in the airport the next day. 

It took me nearly ten years later to try another one. This time it was much more successful. My wife and I decided to have a cigar bar at our wedding. I don’t remember this cigar either, but I think it may have been a padron 1926. What stuck was I was surrounded by everyone I loved and I only had about three beers so the memories are all there. It was such an amazing experience that I made up my mind this would be my new hobby.

I couldn’t be happier, and I’m starting to believe my exponentially growing collection will outlive me.

Cheers!

[Derboesekoenig]

I always love these posts. My first cigar I do not remember, probably because it was not memorable, the cigar or the memory. I was probably around 16 or 17. What is memorable is my first Cuban cigar. It was 2016 at age 24 or 25 and I was living in Kuwait. I ended up tossing 95% of my cigars after that, and only smoking Cuban cigars from then on out. It will remain a lifelong hobby unless or until my health says otherwise. I love sharing a cigar among friends and even moreso, I love introducing people to Cuban cigars from other cigars. I have converted many, many people in a short amount of time.

[NSXCIGAR]

First cigar ever--a novelty-size cigar from the Johnson Smith catalog. Early 90s. 

After that, I think a few Tiparillos. 

[Burningman]

My first was a Garcia y Vega in high school. I remember asking myself why people smoked them!

[Connoisseur Kim]

My first cigar was Cohiba Siglo II at Whisky Foxtrot Tango (permanently closed unfortunately) on Feb-10-2015 (time flies really fast!) when I was in Malaysia. It was really memorable and enjoyable Petit Corona, and since then, I became a die-hard Cuban Cigar Aficionado like us ?! There was bandless 50 Cab of SLR DC, and I regretted that I didn't grab them at all (back in that day, I didn't have in-depth CC knowledge which was really unfortunate) ?! Feel free to read my Cohiba Siglo II review on My Cigar Journal Collection (can be seen in my signature) if you're interested in!

P.S. The Cohiba band was Standard Band D (gold embossed), as Cohiba Standard Band G (Flashy Holographic) was not widely used during that period.

[Bri Fi]

@LonesomeHabanoAficionado thanks I’ll check it out!

[Connoisseur Kim]

3 minutes ago, Bri Fi said:

@LonesomeHabanoAficionado thanks I’ll check it out!

You'll definitely enjoy my review ?!

[Bohemio]

my first cigar was an unbanded one, was about 17 years old. remember it been very strong so much that i decided to cut the cigar to finish the other half later on. needless to say it wasn't a good experience. fast forward a year or two later and i smoked an Ashton VSG torpedo, to this day still one of my favorite and humidor staple.

[Deeg]

A Macanudo (from when they still used Jamaican tobacco) my late friend Len gave me when I was probably in my late 20's.  I didn't realize at the time just how smart he was, giving me an incredibly mild and sweet cigar for my first stogie experience.

[xelzh]

Mine was a H.Upmann Royal Robusto at a lounge in Singapore. Very very great experience

[OldEasy]

Mine was a CC R&J that an older friend bought for me while on a fishing trip in Ontario when I was perhaps 14 or 15. I think it was a Churchill, but can’t be sure. Was quite expensive (as I thought cigars were supposed to be at the time), and not particularly memorable. I had it with a bottle of spiced rum over a campfire and recall the rum being much more to my liking. I already smoked cigarettes and a few extracurricular, so I don’t think I really understood the point of smoking something without the intent to alter my mind. I had cigars here and there over the years, when offered at special event, but didn’t really ‘get it’ until I started trying to stop drinking and came across Padron ‘64s. Still took me a few years before it became a regular thing, but I recall that being the first cigar that I honestly enjoyed rather than just smoked because it was lit.

[Meklown]

Don't actually remember what was my first one. I had never smoked anything before (bar a few puffs), no cigarettes or extra curricular. My first puffs though, was from a buddy during a ski trip. After dinner at night, he pulled one out on the balcony of our rented apartment (freezing cold). Myself and another friend joined him outside and he offered us a few puffs. 

I guessed I enjoyed it as not long after, I got into buying my own.

[jerrybrowne]

7 hours ago, Deeg said:

A Macanudo (from when they still used Jamaican tobacco) my late friend Len gave me when I was probably in my late 20's.  I didn't realize at the time just how smart he was, giving me an incredibly mild and sweet cigar for my first stogie experience.

Jamaican Macanudo for me too!  I was in my early 20s and back then you could buy Macanudos at the local Walgreens.  Ahh good times.....

[nKostyan]

I tried Smoking cigarettes when I was young, but it didn't become an addiction. When we were University students, cigarettes complemented the effects of alcohol when there was not enough money to buy it a lot of. I didn't smoke any more later.

Three years ago, I was invited to a corporate party at a friendly firm, they threw a Hawaiian-style dress code party. I usually do not go to visit empty-handed and decided to come up with something cool on the topic of the party. Of course I remembered the cigars. The staff of the company is almost male, I gave everyone a small cigar and we smoked together, took photos, it was fun.

I did not understand cigars and I was wondering what can give pleasure from Smoking. I started reading articles, forums, trying different cigars... But the main event that allows me to smoke regularly in a comfortable environment - I built a country house and moved there from the apartment. Now I can smoke regularly in any weather.

My first cigar: “Cuba 1959 Libre”

 

 

[TBird55]

My grandfather ran a country store, back when I was a child. The closest town was 15 miles away, and people rarely went to "town". He sold everything from groceries, clothes, feed for livestock, gas, kerosene, shoes, just about anything that the farmers needed. Many of the farmers would charge their goods and pay up when they harvested their crops. My first cigar was a Tampa Nugget sublime. Rolled in Tampa Fl., with Cuban tobacco. I  was 5 or 6 years and grabbed a cigar and box of matches, when no one was looking and went to   "the woods" and smoked it. As soon as I  came out of the woods, my sister ran and told on me. Punishment was swift( had to go pick my own switch). 

[tigger]

Mine was a Jamaican Macanudo as well.  

[Cold Smoke]

Montecristo No.5

Nicked from the Old Man.

 

[Wookie]

JR cigar during a summer college internship on Wall Street... my boss was a cigar freak and he promoted smoking with coffee during work hours. Late 1980s. Didn't start really loving them until mid 1990s Cubans. 

[Subcomandante]

My first cigar was a Phillies Blunt from a liquor store that would sell tobacco to underage kids. I probably filled it some really fresh green “tobacco” my first real cigar was a NC Montecristo I bought at the Grand Californian hotel bar at Disneyland. 

[mtd057]

Swisher Sweets, I was about 13. My friend and I used to ride our bikes to a nearby canal and fish all day.  We would usually smoke a few every time we went.  I haven't had one of those in 35 years but I remember them being really good!

[Chibearsv]

Swisher sweet for me as well. Swiped a box from the grocery store I worked at when I was 15. Smoked them while fishing for crappies with a buddy in northern Wisconsin. Underage drinking Leinenkugel beer, smoking cheap cigars, and catching a basket of fish was like a slice of heaven for me. Fond memories

[T.52]

Add me to the Swisher Sweets list...when I was about 14.  The ones with the wood tip.  Awful.

[Bri Fi]

@T.52 Black n milds. The wood tip should come with a box of Cubans to help nub. Totally kidding.