How did you start?

[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...