When did you start smoking?

[skipper]

I smoked ciggies for around 8 years when I gave them up at around 24 (1977). Shortly afterwards I started smoking a pipe. I enjoyed it but it involved too much paraphernalia (tobacco, the tamper, bowl scrapers, lighters, filters) & I got an awful bite on my tongue (a common occurrence with a pipe because the tobacco is smoked so wet). One day I bought a pipe flavored cigar at a drug store and thought this would be my answer. Not too far afterwards I landed on the Italian anisette flavored cigars. After about a year of this I quit for a short while then someone gifted me my first hand-rolled. I loved it and have been hooked ever since. It turns out that cigar was in fact form Kennedy's stash. Jacqueline had given a few boxes to the family priest who performed the funeral and John used to smoke with. Later on my friends brother became friendly with this priest who became a Bishop in PA.
Anyway, that was roughly 28 years ago. So I've been smoking cigars for 28-30 years depending if you count the DeNobles.

[skipper]

Am I the only one who has actually started smoking?
Just post how long.

[gunbuyer76]

little over 11 years now, started @ 15 wanted something to take for opening day of trout season, so me and 3 of my friends chipped in like $8 or 9 a piece to buy the box from Poor Richard's in Station Square in Pittsburgh. Burned my first one on the Loyalhanna Creek in Ligioner PA, didn't buy a cutter, so was cutting the cap with my filet knife, been hooked ever since, though it has gone from 1-2 a month to 1 a week, to 1-3 a day.

[steelertrav]

My brother and I would smoke some Garcia Vegas when he came to visit me at WVU in 1994. When my Dad, brother and I would get together (we lived far from each other), they'd get a celebratory cigar to mark the occassion. I never was that big on cigars until my ex suggested getting a few to have with coffee on our lazy weekend mornings or to take to the sports bar. I wouldn't be satisfied and enjoy them unless I knew everything about cigars, so I bled my local tobacconist for info then turned to the internet, finding ASC (and later CigarNexus), buying cigars off eBay (in the days before CI and CigarBid), and checking out the few manufacturers websites that were around back then.

So, about 14 years.

Later,
T

[function]

about 12 years, started buying at 16, often when I was a DD, casually smoked in college and finally figured out what to actually do, how to properly maintain around 19

[Len___T]

no0b here lol....compared to y'all lol...comin' up on 3 yrs in aug meself...had been getting catalogs from a cerTain company for yrs...and was interested in getting a hat or 2 from them...a friend from THH (pigwithoutawig) mentioned the devil site to me...seen some samplers...spoke with the wife...and settled on the 90+ rated sampler from them...figured if I'm going to start smokin' cigars I might as well start with "the best"....been smoking them ever since...and have made a lot of online friends and had the pleasure of meeting a cpl (Sam...Sonny...Sam L..Dave W...Jose O...) and am looking forward to meeting many more botl's/sotl's in the yrs to come...len

[byrdman33]

I started smoking at 16 with the occasional Swisher Sweet or Hav-A-Tampa. I tried cigars with pipe tobacco & hated them. I took a break from smoking and didn't smoke my first handmade cigar until 23. I bought a sampler bag at the local B&M and a cutter. I can't even tell you what was in the bag but I was hooked. Took yet another long break from cigars until about 2 years ago when I decided I couldn't do without them. I used to purchase 1 or 2 at a time and smoke them. I just recently decided that I would invest in a humidor and make an attempt at becoming a true aficionado. I have seen my consumption increase from 1 per month to at least 2 per week now. Still not on the level of guys like Skipper who have smoked cigars that are older than me (and I'm 33).

Great to hear everyone else's experiences. Happy Smoking

-Da Byrdman-

[armenian]

I started smoking cigars in Afghanistan about 15 months ago.

[xavier_chino]

Well I started smoking when I was sixteen started with black & milds, then when I was between 17 and 18 I was selling Cuban cigars and decided hay people are paying some much for these they must be good had one and I was hooked

[CSMAnderson]

I started in 1998, while stationed in Korea. I was walking through the PX and they had a stand alone humidor filled with different cigars. I bought a Dunhill I didn't know one cigar from another it just looked good. I went back to my place and sat outside lit it up while I polished my boots. Man that was a great cigar. That hooked me and I've been enjoying cigars every since.

[EBCIII]

I have tried cigars off and on since I was around 16-17. Last year my wife bought me a humi. I try to keep 4 or 5 in it (it is a small humi). I like trying some different smokes. I have done a few samplers on line. I now smoke 1-3 cigars per week, Beale.

[O'Hanley]

machined cigars about 7 years ago, switched to handrolled about 4 years ago

[tobacmon]

I started smoking cigars many years ago and stop for a few years--loss interest--I started playing golf again and picked them up again, That was around 12-15 years ago. I enjoy both and now have started my collection back up.Thought I would only have a 200 ct. Humi but with so many deals and great people I've met I had to start a coolerdor. It never stops once you start--I guess the correct word to me would be addicting.