Hi all!

One night I came back home from a bad day at work and was just stressed out with school ending. I recently graduated High School. Anyway, that night I wanted to do something I thought people did when they were stressed - smoke. I had just turned 18, and despite growing up had developed an opposition to smoking for health concerns, I gave it a try. In my choosing I strayed away from cigarettes, because I didn't like all the nasty additives, and figured I'd be safer with cigars. Technically, my first "cigar" was a Strawberry Flavored Swisher Sweet.

It wasn't too bad an experience, but something inside of me yearned to try it again. I did some research online. My research opened my eyes to the world of cigars. Who knew there was such etiquette with handling precious cigars! I found out cigars are another world from cigarettes - that cigars aren't meant to be smoked when stressed. Such sophistication I thought.

Turns out that Swishers weren't really a cigar - literally, the wrapping was non-tobacco. This was also confirmed when I went to my nearby mall which had the only cigar store I knew about (Since then I found plenty more places to go).

That's when I told him my situation, the Tobacconist, that I was new, and wanted to try a real cigar. He was pretty kind, and joked that "Since you've tried the worst cigar in the world might as well try the best cigar now!"...I now claim that my first official cigar was the Davidoff Mille Series 1000 Panetela. I reaaally liked it!

Since then I've only had one other premium cigar - Romeo Y Julieta No. 2. I didn't enjoy it as much as the Davidoff honestly.

Now I am immersed in the cigar world, and I love this forum and have been reading all the helpful topics - I've spent my free time roaming this place learning more and more. To tell you the truth, I am still very skeptical of my health, I don't really want to get cancer because of smoking or whatnot, but I know in this hobby that is a risk. I'll just try to smoke occasionally with respects to my body, but I do have a craving to just try everything out there.

Sadly, I haven't really found people in my area, friends who I can talk to (besides the nice Tobacconist in the stores I've gone to), that I can share my interest in this new hobby with. This is a total secret from my family, who I feel would look down upon me if they knew I basically started smoking, because they really don't like people who smoke. My friends are smug about being drug-free like my parents, I don't know anyone else my age (18) who smokes cigars (the ones that smoke, all smoke cigarettes), and I've been smoking alone ever since.

That's why I think this forum is awesome. Finally a place where I can talk about my experiences with cigars.

And lastly, I feel like the next cigars I want to smoke are the:
Romeo Y Julietas Short Churchill
Arturo Fuente Hemingway Short
Montecristo No. 2

Hope I'm on the right track. Sorry this is long, but I didn't really know who else I can tell this to. Also hoping to have a great stay here.

Thanks.