Do you remember?

[McCharlie]

Woops, didn't read the first post right... My first premium stick was an Ashton VSG I do believe. A very nice cigar indeed.

[lightning9191]

My first stick was a Perdomo Champagne. I thought to myself, "If I knew these tasted this good I would have started a long time ago!"

[cle_smoker]

I had smoked off and on since college, but never kept a stash. About 8 years ago I went to a B&M to pick up a couple of sticks and grabbed some AF 858 Sungrown. They absolutely blew me away and have been sliding ever since. I wound up buying a humidor and the rest of the box he had. I smoked the last one about 4 years ago.

[andrewsutherland2002]

A. Fuente Cuban Corona

[Lynchmeister]

It was (of all things) a Free Cuba from the now long gone humidor at Treasure Island Casino in Red Wing, MN. Me and my 18 year old buddies would make a night of sitting around the $0.25 Video Craps table, puffing away, and dreaming of winning big. Ahhh...the good ol' days.

[benjamin]

my first great experience was probably a Sosa Wevell, down in baltimore when i was visiting my girlfriend.

as of late, though, last week i had a fantastic experience with a Magellan Dominican panatella. sitting out on my porch in the middle of a thunderstorm, enjoying a well-made cigar with plenty of creamy white smoke. nothin like it

[MarbleApe]

Nice memory lane thread!

A buddy of mine used to "borrow" tipped swisher sweets from his old man's truck when he would pass out after a binder. We'd smoke them behind an abandoned K-Mart after school. From there I moved "up" to glass tube gas station cigars, and thought I was pretty cool. Once I hit 18 I started on Macanudo Portofino's (back when they were produced in Jamaica). From there it was a visit to the local B&M where I was introduced to A.Fuente 8-5-8's. It's been a steep and steady decline down the slope for many years.

[Dog_Soldier]

An El Primer Mundo Maduro. It was my first true cigar. After trying a White Owl Pineapple and some Swisher Sweets. I went to the B&M asked the tobaccoist(devil) at the counter to suggest me something and it was the Primer Mundo. That was around the 4th of the July last year and since then I've killed many of them with fire. That's when I meet the slope...

[rottenzombie]

My 1st good Cigar happened to also be my 1st Cigar.It was an Opus X given to me by an evil Friend.

[ShaulWolf]

First good actual cigar, as in not Black & Milds or any of that... Arturo Fuente 858 Natural.

As for first premium cigar that made me say "Wow, so that's what a good cigar is like"... Padron 1964 Anni Diplomatico.

[drhalle]

This is a reprint from an earlier post of mine. But, it does fit in this thread.
When I made the decision to become a cigar smoker, and it was a gradual thing as I tried pipes but they made my teeth sore bitting down on the tips. Never smoked cigarettes or chewed tobacco. ( Yeah I know, I just lost my redneck license ) A friend said, "why don't you try one of my cigars." This was about 1997, I kind of liked it but it was hard to finish because I had to put it down to do work and relighting time after time did not add to the taste. I found a small B&M in the downtown area and bought a bundle. Can't remember the name but it was $27.00 for 25 sticks. I was at the quantity not quality part of my evolution. Then one day the proprietor of the shop said to try a curlyhead. Of course I said, "what's a curlyhead?" It was a $2.50 cigar.$2.50. So I splurged and I bought one. It was great, I loved it. Told all my friends about it, but fell back into the quantity thing. By the way, none of my friends were smoking anything better either. Then the fateful day arrived. I was in the Mall with my girlfriend and she said, "Hey, there's a cigar shop, let me go buy you a cigar." We walked in and the owner said, "Can I help you?" Before I could say, "Where are your curlyheads?" My girlfriend said, "I want to buy him a really good cigar, can you show us one?" The old man sort of eyed us up and down, figured he would get the biggest sale he could out of us and said, "Oh yes, follow me." We walked to a room in the back of the store, he opened a door and went inside. I wasn't sure if we were to follow him inside or not. You see, the little B&M store from downtown didn't have a humidor, they stocked the boxes on shelves behind their counter. The owner of the mall store stuck his head back out of the door and said, "In here, we have our cigars in here." We walked in, wow box after box of cigars stacked to the ceiling on shelves. So many unfamiliar names, so many sizes and shapes, I was completely lost. Once again my girlfriend spoke up, "Which one is your best one?" The man turned to us kind of looking over the top of his glasses, he didn't say anything at first and I was just about to show off my cigar prowess and blurt out, "curlyheads!" When he said, "Well, here are our Arturo Fuente's." That was it, I thought, that was the name on the curlyheads. But before I could say anything, the old man reached up and pulled a cigar from a box high up on a shelf. "This is a Opus X, he said. My girlfriend kind of giggled, "thats a funny name." The old man just looked at us. "Is it your best one , said my girlfriend." "I think so, he replied." Triumphantly my girl said, "I'll take it then." "Wait a minute, I said, how much is it?" The old man showed us the price tag on the cellophane $25.00. $25.00 were my eyes deceiving me, no way was I spending that kind of money on a cigar. But my girl was beaming and saying, "I told you I was going to get you something special." "But honey,I started, thats too much money." She wouldn't hear it, "No, I'm getting you that cigar, it's my money and I want to do it." (God loves a good woman) The old man rang us up and put the cigar in a plastic bag. I had the feeling he was sort of glad to get our money and see us go, but he said,"Come back and see us again."
That night, my girl slipped into her bikini to swam her laps, I pulled up a chair by the pool. I looked up at the moon and stars and lit up that first of many great cigars. That did it, that Opus X turned the light on for me, from that moment on my life had changed.
I still have that feeling when I smoke an Opus X to this day. I don't have the girlfriend anymore, I have a wife and kids now. Things change, but I will always remember that first Opus X.

[stickbow]

I had smoked the White Owls and Garcia Vegas from the local drug store as a kid but i didn't really smoke a good cigar until I was in my forties. I had smoked cigarettes for several years and had been tobacco free for about five years. My friends were all smoking cigars and they constantly were offering me one. i always refused. After repeated offers of cigars i finally decided that the next time one was offered I was going to take it. Well I wasn't offered a cigar for a month but when the offer was made i jumped on it. The cigar was a CAO Cameroon churchill. Sitting there with my close friends puffing away i knew i was hooked. I have smoked many since in several different varieties but I still spark one of these up on occasion......

[orca99usa]

Mine was a Macanudo Portofino, many years ago. I still smoke them from time to time, although there are several things I like better now.

[travclem]

When i was about 15 or 16 I had friends who were alot older than me (18-26) and after helping one of them move he offered me a shiner boch and a cao extreme. man i loved the extremes... damn you cao for discontinuing them.

[ryansallee]

I remember the first one I smoked was a Davidoff that was in a tube. I don't remember what series it was, but it was really tasty. I can't find them anymore.