I had my first cigar when I was 12 or 13. My friend lifted a pack from the local mini-mart. It was some cheap-assed sweet cherry dimestore rocket, I don't remember. Made me green like pea soup, I remember that. Then 8 or 9 years later, I worked at a liquor store, and got to try some "nice" cigars. A&C Grenadiers, Berings, stuff like that. I thought those Berings were it! After all they had a cool aluminum tube!
Then another 15yrs later, I had a neighbor, who introduced me to the real world of cigars. He turned me on to some decent smokes. We moved a few years later, and with no smoking buddy, I laid off em again for another 10 yrs. Then went fishing with a buddy on Lake Michigan. Got a little green from the chop. My buddy's cousin brought some A&Cs (cheapies). I figured what the hell, what do I have to loose, 'cept my cookies, and the damn thing actually settled my stomach. That experience of total misery transformed to bliss, set me onto them again.