How Did You Start Smoking?

CigarFanatic

I am curious as to how people on here got exposed to cigars. Personally, my brother started in college and came back with a few for my father and me to try. It was a fad for my brother back then. He just smoked because everyone of his friend did. Back then, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing but my brother gave me some BASIC tips (i.e. don't inhale smoke/use matches to light it) I was instantly drawn to them and started to smoke more sticks. Eventually bought a small 10 count humidor from my B&M and started reading guides and tips online. A few years later, in my family I am known as the "cigar guy". 

How did you start smoking cigars?

CharlieHeis

We had a retail tobacco store that had a walk-in humidor when I was about 21. My friends and I used to go buy singles to smoke while drinking beer on the weekends. It closed and I went about 15 years without having a real cigar (swisher outlaws don't count, right?) until a cousin gave me one at a family function about three years ago. Forgot how much I enjoyed it so I bought a humi and here I am.

Big''nBall''n

A buddy and I started when we were 18 i think, we liked the sophistication of them coming from smaller city there was not much sophistication anywhere, we had a small B&M but that didn't last long as we were young and had no money, later on in life i found my dad pipe collection in the attic, and fired one up, was into that for awhile then @wahooschock told me about this forum so i was lurking around, and had another co-worker that would come over every now and then and smoke a stick while i puffed, then i just made the switch, started hanging around here more and building my education and threw the news letters found a lot more variety, and now i'm just i'm just continuing  my education thanks guys!

Wylaff

I gut-shot a rabbit when I was but a wee lad, and me pops gave me a stick to cover the smell. 
Growing up there was always a layer of cigar smoke in the air after bedtime. I used to find excuses to get out of bed just to smell it. Now my kids do the same.

kswildcat

First real cigars (if you want to call them that) were bought out of a nice shop inside a truck stop in Colorado (for the life of me can't remember location). Bought on a whim the owner suggested Macanudo ascots and I believe it was a crystal (of some sort).
Liked them ascots and when I was around that shop I'd buy a couple tins. Quit driving for 9yrs and rural KS swisher and the like is the only game remotely close. On another whim started searching online for them and heard they weren't as good as use to be so I ended up buying a couple samplers and found this place in the process.  

YankeeMan

I smoked gas station cigars for years until my son brought me a hand made cigar from a B & M near his college.  The rest is history.

jarubla

I bought some from Ccom as a gift and the bi-monthly barrage of catalogues drew me in with their thousand tiny little siren songs. They all sounded delicious! I didn't have any wax to stop my ears with, and my men used slip knots when lashing me to the mast. 

At least I think that is how it happened...

matkn293

Work trip to Cali and several beers later a cohiba was fired up. Heard about CCOM by the guy who gave it to me. Found the forum and it's been downhill ever since. 

Patrickbrick

I was a very heave cigarette smoker for a decade and I quit cold turkey.  I felt terrible for about a month, headaches, shakes, night sweats, nothing good.  Periodically I would smoke a cigar throughout the year, long story short I had one and felt great.  And the rest as they say is history.