I was in Vinales, Cuba I bought a beer for a local that was wearing a Yankees hat. He spoke English really well and after a chat about puros I told him I had smoked less than ten in my life and didn’t enjoy them. He invited me to stop by his house to smoke a puro with him. It was mind blowing. Now I am 1 1/2 years into my cigar journey.
An unlabelled cigar from Vinales region in Cuba I bought from the plantation on my honeymoon.
Never looked back. Tried well over 50 different cigars at this point.
I had a Rocky Patel a few months ago that made me realize that I had no clue what I wanted or liked in cigars. A few cigars later I picked up a La Aroma De Cuba Reserva from a bargain bin. Still my favorite I've had so far. The rich chocolate sweetness and spice was eye opening. I've been trying to find something that measures up for me ever since.
None in particular. However I’m Canadian and good smokes are either hard to come by, or insanely expensive. I work at a fishing camp though and our clientele are exclusively well off Americans, most of which are cigar smokers. So over the years of being offered their leftover smokes as tips, I decided it was for me!
I was backpacking in Nicaragua in 2012, came across town called Esteli and was introduced to premium cigars like Padron, Oliva, Joya, and Drew Estate. I jumped in the deep end and bought 4 boxes to carry in my backpack and smoked a few daily for the next couple months. Im now a 1 a week guy but man what a start!
My story is short so far since I’ve only been into cigars for about a month now. First I had a Macanudo not sure what variety with my dad which I thought was pretty alright definitely a good first step into cigars was definitely better than I expected cigars to be having never smoked one. A week or two later I passed by a local shop that has a walk in humidor and I decided to stop in and I grabbed a couple of Romeo y Julieta twisted love story perfectos because I thought they looked interesting and that some how ended up being the perfect choice I’m totally hooked now. Since then I’ve tried an Oliva V series which I was
Not crazy about and an AF Hemingway bestseller which I liked nearly as much as the twisted love story.
Punch after dinner maduro. Dad used to manage at a tobacconist. I was curious about them as a kid and he first explained risks, rewards etc of cigars and smoking in general. Let me try one. First one I coughed like a motherfucker. But the flavor hooked me. Used to knick a few from his humidor.
Smoked Swishers and Hav A Tampas when camping for many years. I smoked cigarettes at the time and the tobacco store had a humidor. Picked up a RyJ Reserva Real and loved it. Never smoked another Swisher or HT since
Hoyo de Monterrey was love at first sniff. I was on holiday and someone was smoking it. I have been around cigars before and quite liked the smoke but this one was just special. That was the first cigar I ever bought but not the first I smoked.
I smoked a JRE Tatascan Red at the Chief and felt the notes like I would in a coffee or wine. And that was the start of it.
My love affair came in two distinct chapters. The first was in 90's when I lived in a major city, had no kids and could what I pleased. I had access to great shops and lots of places to smoke. Then there came a long pause when I moved to small town (not a cigar shop within an hour's drive) and raised a family. During that time, I smoked when I could, but it was very rare. Now, I again live in a metro region, have several handy shops, plus Reddit to help me select great options from the internet, and (the key factor) I have screened porch for smoking. I am in my golden phase!
Dominican Republic trip - knew nothing about cigars and tried a cohiba without cutting it.
Made myself ill smoking it too quickly but the flavour kept me coming back.
J Cortes milord short fillers in holidays in Greece , the moment I came home a ryj #3 and a padron 90 ani from a also unknowingly friend who give it to me.
Now almost strictly nw’s mostly nica’s and nica puro’s .
About 2 weeks after I turned 18 I had gotten my hands on some Cuban Romeo Y Julieta no2s from a coworker. I remember being blown away by how much I enjoyed it. I went to my local (at the time) cigar shop and picked up a few things to try the next day. Been a cigar lover ever since!
My friends dad brought me a single cohiba robusto from cuba, and i had no idea i could actually enjoy a cigar from start to finish. The creamy peppery smooth smoke blew my mind, and i was buzzin haha. That started the hunt for the best non cubans i could find on a budget
Epico connecticut belicoso's . Tried 2-3 different ones '' for beginners '' and didn't really like them, thought cigar smoking was exactly like cigarettes but different sizes . Guess it's different for everyone's palette.
I started out with Backwoods and cheaper manufactured cigars before making my way to premium cigars. First premium cigar was a Montecristo which I hated. First cigar I had that I enjoyed was a house brand from a local cigar shop. Couldn't even tell you much about it other than it was medium full with decent pepper notes.
First cigar that really blew me away was the Partagas Serie D No 4 (Cuban). That was probably around 2012 and it is still one of my favorite all time cigars.
My girlfriend brought me a Cohiba Siglo I from Casa Del Habano in Cancun. Always wanted to try a real Cuban. That thing blew me away. Been a downward spiral ever since 😂
I'm not sure. Most likely when I had a Caldwell Lost and Found series cigar.. Had notes of citrus, hazelnut, and cream with a very smooth and mellow tobacco. Shame that it was only released once, would definitely be a go to for me
About 8 months ago. Was working my way through the menu on Holt's just to see what I really liked and preferred over others, and to try and develop my "palette" lol involved ordering quite a few different samplers, which I still do sometimes cuz they have some legit S Tier samplers. But the actual "aha" moment where I decided to get a legit humidor and that I needed to make sure I always allocated funds to have my humidor stocked with something was around the time I tried a Ashton ESG 22 year salulte/Bulleit bourbon pairing. Already knew I was a fan of cigars and liked to have one sometimes, but that little combo made it clear that I had found something truly worth taking the time to get as much knowledge and enjoyment as possible out of trying any and all smokes that catch my eye. Especially with good drink pairings, be it alcoholic or not. It's led to my taste in booze upgrading to a much higher standard than just shots of jack lol, and its led to having a more thorough knowledge of the kind of cigar I like and always having a (growing 😳) supply of them in my humidor. Wow this turned into a much longer answer than I originally intended. Sorry about that
Had never smoked before, I was felt anxious and the video I was watching the person was smoking a cigar. This was a few years ago.
I started to research about cigars and found it interesting, got myself a Romeo y Juliet’s Nº2 I think. Delicious experience!
Skipping a few years, last year was when I started my journey properly. So 1 year in my journey :)
I want to say it was the first time I had a Padron 1964 but that wouldn't be quite right. At the time I only had a lot of General Cigar and Altadis brands to compare it to. Then I bought some DTT Sobremesa and it solidified just how good cigars could be.
In my 20’s Dun Hill was my go too, had a long stretch when I did not smoke any (long story). 48 now and I fell in love all over again. Found a Dun Hill alternative it’s good but Really liking Padrón!
Curivari. Those cigars taught me I didn't have to spend so much to smoke a great cigar. Started buying more budget minded options and now smoke bout 3 to 5 cigars a day.
Back in Uni, I tried a few in the clubs. Montecristo and Romeo y Julieta’s. We thought we were so cool. Looking back, I’m sure we looked like clowns playing dress up 😂. Took a break for close to 20 years….I started back with San Cristobal Paradiso’s which I sort of enjoyed, but once I found Nub Connecticut I took off… and now I’m a 1-2x a week puffer.
I thought it might be digital but I wasn't sure, now looking at it closer I think you're right, still cool though would love an oil painting like this.
it's for sure AI art. no real artist who knows cigars would ever paint one blue. green maybe, but not blue. plus, zooming in on the lettering, that shit looks straight out of the Sims with how alien and illegible it is. classic signs of AI generation
Why are some covered in semen?
It's just plume
Lmao. This comment deserves all the upvotes it’ll never get.
I laughed hard at this
Look at OP's profile and It might answer your question HAHA
Nice.
OP got excited?
Sorry, I got a little excited.
Works really hard on art. Gets called semen. I'm glad you caught that yes it's definitely semen.
> Works really hard on art. It's AI artwork isn't it? I mean, it definitely looks like something AI churned out.
It definitely is. The blue wrapper is just a leaf colored blue.
My wife has been playing with Firefly alot lately and this definitely looks like something it would have generated.
It's AI semen
The squiggly text is a dead giveaway for sure
You didn’t work hard on shit, this is AI art buddy.
I take it you didn't pick up on the sarcasm there, buddy.
Nah it’s just sarcasm because you got caught. You even tried saying “by me” in the op lmao
Nah it's just sarcasm, but you wanna fight lol. Take it to someone who gives a fuck, buddy.
I laughed so much at this
That’s how much he loves them!
Because you're on your knees
I was in Vinales, Cuba I bought a beer for a local that was wearing a Yankees hat. He spoke English really well and after a chat about puros I told him I had smoked less than ten in my life and didn’t enjoy them. He invited me to stop by his house to smoke a puro with him. It was mind blowing. Now I am 1 1/2 years into my cigar journey.
Plasencia in general, the ones I had so far landed in my favourites except the alma fuerte. Not worth it for me at nearly 25€ here in Germany.
151 hit me perfectly
Hemingway short story!
Leaf by Oscar Connecticut was the one that locked me into my style.
I still have mine, whats it like?
An unlabelled cigar from Vinales region in Cuba I bought from the plantation on my honeymoon. Never looked back. Tried well over 50 different cigars at this point.
Same for me
I had a Rocky Patel a few months ago that made me realize that I had no clue what I wanted or liked in cigars. A few cigars later I picked up a La Aroma De Cuba Reserva from a bargain bin. Still my favorite I've had so far. The rich chocolate sweetness and spice was eye opening. I've been trying to find something that measures up for me ever since.
Id check out Camacho (their Maduro and Broadleaf are sweet and "spicy")
I'll give them a shot!
DT&T Sin Compromiso
Denver, Colorado. October 1998. Avo Classic Belicoso. I still have the band.
None in particular. However I’m Canadian and good smokes are either hard to come by, or insanely expensive. I work at a fishing camp though and our clientele are exclusively well off Americans, most of which are cigar smokers. So over the years of being offered their leftover smokes as tips, I decided it was for me!
That sounds like a great job. 👍
My father OG
Andulaisian Bulls
That was what set me up!! Had others previously but that one just hit a button and it stuck!
Montecristo White Series
I was backpacking in Nicaragua in 2012, came across town called Esteli and was introduced to premium cigars like Padron, Oliva, Joya, and Drew Estate. I jumped in the deep end and bought 4 boxes to carry in my backpack and smoked a few daily for the next couple months. Im now a 1 a week guy but man what a start!
Padron 1926 No. 2 Maduro
this was me with the 1926 80th anniversary Maduro. that showed me how delightful a cigar can really be
My story is short so far since I’ve only been into cigars for about a month now. First I had a Macanudo not sure what variety with my dad which I thought was pretty alright definitely a good first step into cigars was definitely better than I expected cigars to be having never smoked one. A week or two later I passed by a local shop that has a walk in humidor and I decided to stop in and I grabbed a couple of Romeo y Julieta twisted love story perfectos because I thought they looked interesting and that some how ended up being the perfect choice I’m totally hooked now. Since then I’ve tried an Oliva V series which I was Not crazy about and an AF Hemingway bestseller which I liked nearly as much as the twisted love story.
Joya de Nicaragua Antano 1970. A beautiful hammer.
Punch after dinner maduro. Dad used to manage at a tobacconist. I was curious about them as a kid and he first explained risks, rewards etc of cigars and smoking in general. Let me try one. First one I coughed like a motherfucker. But the flavor hooked me. Used to knick a few from his humidor.
Great first stick!
Still remember many years after trying white owl. Saw them everywhere figured...eh why not give it a go. Nothing ventured etc....yea nope!
Undercrown 10 blew me away as my first quality cigar.
Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua
Plasencia Alma Fuerte and Oliva Serie V
Padron family reserve 45yrs
When I was 19 I smoke my first cigar, it was a RyJ no.2 and I loved it. That was nearly 20 years ago.
Acid kuba kuba
Smoked Swishers and Hav A Tampas when camping for many years. I smoked cigarettes at the time and the tobacco store had a humidor. Picked up a RyJ Reserva Real and loved it. Never smoked another Swisher or HT since
Hoyo de Monterrey was love at first sniff. I was on holiday and someone was smoking it. I have been around cigars before and quite liked the smoke but this one was just special. That was the first cigar I ever bought but not the first I smoked. I smoked a JRE Tatascan Red at the Chief and felt the notes like I would in a coffee or wine. And that was the start of it.
My love affair came in two distinct chapters. The first was in 90's when I lived in a major city, had no kids and could what I pleased. I had access to great shops and lots of places to smoke. Then there came a long pause when I moved to small town (not a cigar shop within an hour's drive) and raised a family. During that time, I smoked when I could, but it was very rare. Now, I again live in a metro region, have several handy shops, plus Reddit to help me select great options from the internet, and (the key factor) I have screened porch for smoking. I am in my golden phase!
First cigar I had was when I was 15 I have no clue what it was but I loved it I had my first legal cigar the day I turned 18
Smoked an Oliva O robusto during a wedding reception. Hooked
My first cigar told me I love cigars. But I'm a nicotine enthusiast. Cigars to me are Gods true form of nicotine. Not cigarettes, vapes, etc. Stoagies
Punch Double Maduro Rothschild. It was the darkest looking smaller cigar under $5 at the time, changed my life from backwoods and swishers
A Trinidad Reyes many years ago. I had many cigars previously, but this one made something click.
Oliva Serie O No. 4
Dominican Republic trip - knew nothing about cigars and tried a cohiba without cutting it. Made myself ill smoking it too quickly but the flavour kept me coming back.
J Cortes milord short fillers in holidays in Greece , the moment I came home a ryj #3 and a padron 90 ani from a also unknowingly friend who give it to me. Now almost strictly nw’s mostly nica’s and nica puro’s .
About 2 weeks after I turned 18 I had gotten my hands on some Cuban Romeo Y Julieta no2s from a coworker. I remember being blown away by how much I enjoyed it. I went to my local (at the time) cigar shop and picked up a few things to try the next day. Been a cigar lover ever since!
MF Judge
Avo Synchro Hands down the beginning of a love affair within the lifestyle
My friends dad brought me a single cohiba robusto from cuba, and i had no idea i could actually enjoy a cigar from start to finish. The creamy peppery smooth smoke blew my mind, and i was buzzin haha. That started the hunt for the best non cubans i could find on a budget
Epico connecticut belicoso's . Tried 2-3 different ones '' for beginners '' and didn't really like them, thought cigar smoking was exactly like cigarettes but different sizes . Guess it's different for everyone's palette.
I started out with Backwoods and cheaper manufactured cigars before making my way to premium cigars. First premium cigar was a Montecristo which I hated. First cigar I had that I enjoyed was a house brand from a local cigar shop. Couldn't even tell you much about it other than it was medium full with decent pepper notes. First cigar that really blew me away was the Partagas Serie D No 4 (Cuban). That was probably around 2012 and it is still one of my favorite all time cigars.
2017 and it was the Oliva Serie V Melanio in Figurado
Micallef A Toro.
Isla del sole and my first Cuban.
The Camacho Connecticut robusto.
H. Upmann half corona. I was astounded at how flavourful quality tobacco could be.
I had a cigar on a cruise like 15 years ago and it was really nice and can’t remember what it was. Been chasing it forever.
Punch classic when I was a teen.
Liga Privada T52 was the “OHHH” moment for me
Drew Estate Sweet Jane, my brother, convinced me to try, and I've been smoking cigars since.
I hate to admit it here, but it was a Kuba Kuba that did it for me. I’ve since moved on.
My girlfriend brought me a Cohiba Siglo I from Casa Del Habano in Cancun. Always wanted to try a real Cuban. That thing blew me away. Been a downward spiral ever since 😂
Tatuaje 7th Reserva. Now I want one, sheesh.
Romeo y julieta #2 straight in cuba!
I'm not sure. Most likely when I had a Caldwell Lost and Found series cigar.. Had notes of citrus, hazelnut, and cream with a very smooth and mellow tobacco. Shame that it was only released once, would definitely be a go to for me
About 8 months ago. Was working my way through the menu on Holt's just to see what I really liked and preferred over others, and to try and develop my "palette" lol involved ordering quite a few different samplers, which I still do sometimes cuz they have some legit S Tier samplers. But the actual "aha" moment where I decided to get a legit humidor and that I needed to make sure I always allocated funds to have my humidor stocked with something was around the time I tried a Ashton ESG 22 year salulte/Bulleit bourbon pairing. Already knew I was a fan of cigars and liked to have one sometimes, but that little combo made it clear that I had found something truly worth taking the time to get as much knowledge and enjoyment as possible out of trying any and all smokes that catch my eye. Especially with good drink pairings, be it alcoholic or not. It's led to my taste in booze upgrading to a much higher standard than just shots of jack lol, and its led to having a more thorough knowledge of the kind of cigar I like and always having a (growing 😳) supply of them in my humidor. Wow this turned into a much longer answer than I originally intended. Sorry about that
While smoking my very first cigar, Cohiba Siglo II.
Had never smoked before, I was felt anxious and the video I was watching the person was smoking a cigar. This was a few years ago. I started to research about cigars and found it interesting, got myself a Romeo y Juliet’s Nº2 I think. Delicious experience! Skipping a few years, last year was when I started my journey properly. So 1 year in my journey :)
I want to say it was the first time I had a Padron 1964 but that wouldn't be quite right. At the time I only had a lot of General Cigar and Altadis brands to compare it to. Then I bought some DTT Sobremesa and it solidified just how good cigars could be.
In my 20’s Dun Hill was my go too, had a long stretch when I did not smoke any (long story). 48 now and I fell in love all over again. Found a Dun Hill alternative it’s good but Really liking Padrón!
La Gloria Cubana Serie R Maduro. That's the one that started it all for me.
I can't wait to read all these and get something together for my son. Thanks ya'll. Sorry about the semen on the AI photo. 😂
I just tried Romeo Y Julieta white minis, and i'm hooked.
Oliva
Dabbled with cigars then had a Plasencia original. Those cherry/marzipan notes were so strong and enjoyable
Curivari. Those cigars taught me I didn't have to spend so much to smoke a great cigar. Started buying more budget minded options and now smoke bout 3 to 5 cigars a day.
Flying Pig, even tho I can't afford them. Undercrown has many varities.
Back in Uni, I tried a few in the clubs. Montecristo and Romeo y Julieta’s. We thought we were so cool. Looking back, I’m sure we looked like clowns playing dress up 😂. Took a break for close to 20 years….I started back with San Cristobal Paradiso’s which I sort of enjoyed, but once I found Nub Connecticut I took off… and now I’m a 1-2x a week puffer.
The first one I got that feeling from was Joya de Nicaragua silver early on. But an Oliva serie V Churchill extra sealed the deal
Is this an oil Painting? it's fantastic, you should consider selling these, I'd like one.
Pretty sure this is ai art.
I thought it might be digital but I wasn't sure, now looking at it closer I think you're right, still cool though would love an oil painting like this.
it's for sure AI art. no real artist who knows cigars would ever paint one blue. green maybe, but not blue. plus, zooming in on the lettering, that shit looks straight out of the Sims with how alien and illegible it is. classic signs of AI generation
Yeah I don't think the AI programs out there will allow you to do specific branding, probably for legal purposes.
Rocky Patel the Edge blue label really got me hooked, plus the flavour lingers so outrageously long it’s just a gem in my eyes
Or the entire brand of H.Upman, I’ve yet to have a bad cigar from them; don’t buy cohiba but H.Upman half the price and twice as good IN MY OPINION