Your first time...

[Herfules]

I dabbled a few times at poker games, etc.

Where it really started was when I just advanced to Senior Chief and went to the exchange to pick up some stuff. The young man in front of me was picking up some cigars. The cashier told him they were great. Curious, I picked up a couple to try- Tampa Sweets!

After that, I was curious to find out what all the "hype" was about "real" cigars. Walked into the local smoke shop... Tried a few different things (even an Ashton which didn't do anything for me... at the time).

Found JR's and bought some samplers. First boxes were Baccarat, Don Diego and Onyx Reserve. Realized that the learning curve was gonna cost some bucks so I worked out a deal to work at JR's 1 day a week. Learned a lot from that expereince and on-line research and reading. Quit JR's after my "preferences changed"- I realized they didn't carry anything I liked (or wanted), found CW and now I'm a habanos / fuente sungrown snob! !