Great times in your cigar life?

[Stewmuse]

What are the times you particularly remember that involve cigars, be it the cigar, the event, the friends, or whatever? For me, in no particular order...

Having a "Cuban" Romeo y Julieta while walking in the Bahamas, New Year's Eve and day, 2007.
Sitting on the outdoor patio at a wedding reception with my wife (who was also having a cigar) in Slovakia, summer 2015.
Early morning cigars on our rented house's patio on the island of St. John, summer 2013.
Any and several of the sushi and cigars parties I've hosted the past few years.
My first and last Big Smoke in Chicago the year before they shut down indoor public smoking in Illinois.
Having a cigar on the (very nicely appointed) rooftop of a downtown Chicago hotel last November during a wedding job break.
Cigars and dominoes at Casa de Gringo, Santiago, DR, January, 2016.
The first cigars I rolled, and then the first cigars I rolled that didn't look like they'd been laying in the street for two weeks.

Type away, mates!

[IWinchester]

I'll have to come back to this,, love the topic!

[IWinchester]

-First real cigar (and Cuban) with my dad and brother in Madrid. Romeo #2 tubo while cruising the city. I was 16

-walking into my local B&M at 18 and picking a La Gloria Wavell. So overwhelmed with flavor that I fell in love.

-my first order online of a CAO world sampler box when I was 19 or 20. I still keep some bands in it. It was a circle and had all the world blends plus the Mx2

-The first box of Padron 1964 imperials natural. A wedding gift from my brother. I smoked the last one a couple years ago, it was the best cigar I've ever had. 5+ years on it.

-3 years ago, the first time I sat in a shop and smoked a cigar. Can't remember what, but I couldn't stop smiling the whole time. Tatuaje Tattoo maybe?

[Stewmuse]

-First real cigar (and Cuban) with my dad and brother in Madrid. Romeo #2 tubo while cruising the city. I was 16

-walking into my local B&M at 18 and picking a La Gloria Wavell. So overwhelmed with flavor that I fell in love.
-my first order online of a CAO world sampler box when I was 19 or 20. I still keep some bands in it. It was a circle and had all the world blends plus the Mx2
-The first box of Padron 1964 imperials natural. A wedding gift from my brother. I smoked the last one a couple years ago, it was the best cigar I've ever had. 5+ years on it.
-3 years ago, the first time I sat in a shop and smoked a cigar. Can't remember what, but I couldn't stop smiling the whole time. Tatuaje Tattoo maybe?

Perfect, Ian!

[Kip]

I'll ponder and come back to this as well, but off the top of my head....

Cigars and dominoes at Casa de Gringo, Santiago, DR, January, 2016. I'll flagrantly steal this from @stewmuse 'cuz I was there too. I'll also include all the other folks I've met and shared some actual facetime with because of this show - Gregory Dunn, Adam Quinn, Mike Howe (chubno), Bruce Stark (andex)....and a few more that'll come to me I'm sure. The cigars have their importance, but the time getting to know good folks outweighs it greatly.

A Blessed Leaf Kairo with Nick just after our final parting with the ministry we'd both supported for many years and uprooted our families to become a part of. It was one of the most difficult times of my life, having quit a good-paying job and sold/given away everything to come be a part of something only to find the organization so disappointing that we simply couldn't stomach being a part of it. So much seemed to be in shambles, but that evening I was blessed with an intangible "this is gonna be OK" feeling that was quite reassuring.

My first Cubano - which was a cheapie machine made RyJ back in the mid-90s. My brother-in-law brought it to me. It was a humble cigar, and I sat for the afternoon cherishing it while fishing off the pier at Lake Tansi in middle TN. No other folks were involved in this one....just me on top of the world.

Countless cigars spent flyfishing on the Clinch, Tellico and Bald Rivers. Hard to beat.

My first Opus standing in the fields where it all started at Chateau de la Fuente, 2011.

I don't even recall the specific cigars smoked when each of my children were born - just the moment, gathered up with a few cohorts on the patio. I didn't buy a bunch of the same cigar to hand out. I bought a potpourri and let folks choose their own. That seemed to work rather well.



Boy, it seems after spinning these off the cuff that the company and surrounding environment are far more important to me than the leaf.



Nah.

[Zedman05]

The first cigar to get me completely hooked. Fonseca CC that I bought in Grand Cayman Island on our cruise in 2005. It was the first cigar that I smoked that gave me the "oh wow, these can be good" moment. It was a defining moment for my future as it led me to collecting/smoking/travelling for cigars.

Travelling with Dogwatch and Collin to Nicaragua by way of Miami for a Cigar Tourism trip in 2011. Amazing time. Fantastic people. Once in a lifetime memories. I remember vividly being handed a My Father Toro at 9 am at the factory and thinking "I am going to beed that bag of snickers in hand for a hefty kick of sugar". I remember wasting a pre-release Cain F Lancero as my 9th cigar of the night. Learning and listening to others ideas and opinions on the cigar/rum pairing. The tasting/blending of our own cigars, which I have kept as a momento.

All my trips to Cuba. As much as they were a vacation, they were ALWAYS a cigar destination more for me. I am going back in November by myself for the first time just so I can smoke until I am green without someone judging hahaha. It makes me so anxious every time I think about it.

Smoking my first strong cigar; Oliva V Torpedo. My friend was over. He likes cigars a bit, so we had our own. I brought this cigar out as I knew it had good reviews and was 2008 cigar of the year. I lit it up and was amazed at how much rich flavor I was getting. It lit a fire under my ass to find good cigars that were more than just pepper and spice. It was a great afternoon. Warm summer day with good friends. 2011.

Our group herfs here in town with people from within 3 hours just to hang out. It brings us all together and gives us an opportunity to meet.

The first group meeting of all the Dogwatch guys on Google Plus in 2012. Meeting and conversing back and forth made the interactive part so much more fun.

Cigar F^iend

[Stewmuse]

I'll ponder and come back to this as well, but off the top of my head....

Cigars and dominoes at Casa de Gringo, Santiago, DR, January, 2016. I'll flagrantly steal this from @stewmuse 'cuz I was there too.

Boy, it seems after spinning these off the cuff that the company and surrounding environment are far more important to me than the leaf.
Nah.

Wait. You were at the same house as me in the DR??? Huh...

For the rest, agreed!

[Stewmuse]

All my trips to Cuba. As much as they were a vacation, they were ALWAYS a cigar destination more for me. I am going back in November by myself for the first time just so I can smoke until I am green without someone judging hahaha. It makes me so anxious every time I think about it.

I bet there are, at least, three Americans who are OVER THE MOON jealous of you, here!

[kurtdesign1]

This post couldn't be more up my alley. My bio even says something like "I've smoked 50 perfect cigars in my life...". I suppose this is a perfect spot to share some of those stories. Some will be rambles. Some will be one-liners. It will probably take many visits to complete. I can't wait.

Story#1 - Padron Millennium out of a bong - 2002 - I've never been a pot smoker. No desire. I did, however, hang out with pot heads that I grew up with. They smoked pot, I smoked cigars. Go figure. Let me first say, a bong makes a cigar taste so much more refined. Clean. Detailed. It was an amazing experience. That is, right up until I lost my dinner because you have to inhale the smoke when using a bong. Ugh. At least I was at my friend's house and had a bowl of golden grahams to right things internally after. What a memory. FWIW, those Millenniums were amazing.

[IWinchester]