How did you start?

[jafount]

First let me start off by saying that a cigarette has never touched my lips. I have never nor will I ever have one touch my lips.

In 1994, I was sitting in my patrol car chatting with a buddy when he whipped out some robusto thing, and fired it up. I razzed him at first. But then realized I liked the smell. I also liked the look. In an age of new political correctness and left leaning people in power, the anti-smoking crowd was closing in on freedom and doing away with personal responsibility. So, in my head, a nice robusto hanging out of my mouth while I rolled down the street in my patrol car was a throwback to the days when people actually had respect for police and when police could do their jobs without fear of the ACLU stepping in to second guess everything you did. In my head, I was a crusty old salty dog. When I wasn't actually smoking one, I had it all chewed up hanging out my mouth. I had a great shop on my beat that was very very cop friendly, so I was in there three times a week.

These days I'm a much more sedate smoker. I enjoy just taking an hour and a half, enjoying a nice fat torpedo and single malt and decompressing.

[Sporadic Metonomy]

I was visiting a friend during the month of October a few years back. He had received a box of Tatiana Rum Coronas from his uncle as a birthday gift. We smoked one that night and I was hooked on how relaxed the whole experience made me. Maybe it was the falling leaves or the good conversation, but from that moment I was a cigar smoker.

Two year later and my coolidor is now filled with several boxes and hundreds of single cigars. Occasionally, during our monthly ACLU meet-up, we'll gather 'round our left-leaning propaganda pamphlets and fire a few up for the mis-guided Right while cursing God's name around a bloody pentagram. Good times.

[bigwhiteash]

I can probably trace it back to TV, as a child, I watched every episode of Black Sheep Squadron, and the mechanic was a bad-ass dude with a chewed-up cigar always hangin out of the corner of his mouth. Later I watched a lot of The A-Team, with Hanibal smoking a chuchill or lonsdale whenever a "Plan Came Together".

My first cigar was probably a RyJ "It's a Boy/Girl" thing, but I can't really remember

[DeeDubya]

Cigars helped me quit smoking cigarettes. I liked the puff without inhaling idea. I first tried a pipe but they are way too much hassle.
Now I think cigarettes stink. I am even somewhat tolerant of certain no-smoking ordinances. I always smoke outside. I even have a small space heater on the patio where I sit when I smoke during these winter months.
So I guess you could say that "Cigarettes got me started smoking cigars".

[victory01]

I also started smoking cigars because i quit smoking. I had broken my ankle and got sick of the smell of cigarette smoke in my room so i dropped the habit all together. After I was back on my feet i found myself wanting to smoke something but it wasn't the nicotine. It was the action of smoking which helped me relax that i was addicted to. My girlfriend suggested i pick up some cigars, since i wont inhale and i would still have the relaxing sensation of blowing smoke. After discovering the amazing taste and aromas of cigars i have never looked back. The whole process of caring for them, picking one out based on your mood, cutting and lighting a smoke just adds to the great experience and deep love for cigars we all share.

Great thread.

[Shelby07]

I was up at my buddy's house one night and he offered me a cigar. He mentioned that his son was giving up cigars and was selling his 50 count humidor and about 30 cigars. My girlfriend thought that'd be a great present so she bought it for me. He had some decent sticks in there and of course, since I now had a humidor I had to start buying cigars. One thing lead to another...

[Kass]

Four years ago my buddy came back from Cuba with some RyJs. I had never smoked a "real" cigar before that, and after I never smoked another gas station cigar. I then bought a small, 15ct humi. I only kept a few cigars in there at once and always smoked the same 4-5 cigars. Then last February my brother brought me back some MC petit tubos from cuba and they blew me away. They were awsome! Then I found this board, and my addiction started...