I smoked exactly one cigar in my life. When I graduated highschool, I bought a Cuban cigar. It was a Tueros... They'd come in a box of about 25 from Cuba, and each one was in an individual sealed aluminum tube. In Canukistan, cuban cigars were (and still are) available everywhere. Was it a big deal cigar ? I doubt it. I probably paid under $3 for it, but that was a long ass time ago. It was probably the lowest Cuban cigar on the market - you could buy them everywhere, like every corner store. Mass market, ubiquitous... lowest common denominator.
Also, cigars were definitely not cool back then. It's something rough and tough old men did.
Anyways, I went to a local bar by myself. Everyone there were adult, barflies (like over 40. Old people)... it was kind of a dive place The legal age to drink was 18, so I was ok (barely). The regulars were pretty friendly and during small talk I told them I came to have a drink and a cigar because I graduated high school. They all started buying me drinks (cheap drafts - like $1 ea), and I finally got the courage to pull out my pocket knife, cut the back off like I saw people do in movies, and lit that fucker up.
I was never a smoker. Never cared for it, and also I had asthma - not bad mind you, but smoking definitely brought it on if I inhaled. I knew just enough to know you didn't inhale cigars or pipes. My old man smoked a pipe in the very old days, and he let me know this. He always pressed on me that cigarettes (coffin nails) were bad, but the odd pipe or cigar was ok (extreme moderation - like one a month tops), just never inhale.
Anyways, the thing didn't smell half bad unlit. Anyways - I took a hit of it, and I gotta be honest, it wasn't the worst thing in the world. Problem is I didn't really know that you were only supposed to take little hits, and just relax - like only take a hit every minute or two, and let it burn on the ashtray (or hold it in hand), have a drink, make conversation etc.
Anyways, I did too much, too soon - and well that cigar started making me feel a bit queasy. Being not cool enough to smoke the thing through, I had my fill and butted it out after a couple minutes, and I haven't had one since.
About a decade later, I went to a cottage (lake house for you guys), and I had some friends there that were big into cigars. I think Arnold Schwarzenegger made them cool again (before that, only Columbo or Archie Bunker smoked stogies). A few of my acquaintance friends were busting out cigars that cost over $20 ea. That was a fuckload of money back then. ONE guy, a flashy sales guy, pulled out a cuban worth $100, and I watched him smoke it like it was the greatest thing in the world. I could not believe anybody could or would pay $100 for a cigar.
So here I am much older but apparently not much wiser. I don't know why, but I've been thinking about giving a 2nd one another shot. Any of you fuckers into that shit ? Got any advice ? I don't want to get into as a habit or whatever, I'd just like to try a single good one, and do it right. I'm sure I'll either find it interesting or I'll hate it, but either way, I'll get it out of my system.
